,a ,,brief ,,bible ,,history ,a ,,survey ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,and ,,new ,,testaments ,,james ,,oscar ,,boyd1 ,ph4,d41 ,d4,d4 ,,and ,,john ,,gresham ,,machen1 ,d4,d4 ,,philadelphia ,,the ,,westminster ,,press #aibb ,,copyright1 #aibb1 ,,by ,,the ,,trustees ,,of ,,the ,,presbyterian ,,board ,,of ,,publication ,,and ,,sabbath ,,school ,,work ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,contents ,,section ,i ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,in ,,old ,,testament ,,times ,,lesson ,,page ,i4 ,before ,abraham #g ,,ii4 ,the ,patriarchs #aj ,,iii4 ,egyptian ,bondage and ,deliverance #ac ,,iv4 ,moses as ,leader and ,lawgiver #af ,v4 ,the ,conquest and ,settlement of ,canaan #ai ,,vi4 ,the ,period of the ,judges #bb ,,vii4 ,samuel and ,saul3 ,prophecy and ,monarchy #be ,,viii4 ,david and ,solomon3 ,psalms and ,wisdom #bh ,,ix4 ,the ,kingdom of ,israel #ca ,x4 ,the ,kingdom of ,judah1 to ,hezekiah #cd ,,xi4 ,judah1 from ,hezekiah to the ,exile #cg ,,xii4 ,the ,exile and the ,restoration #dj ,,xiii4 ,the ,jewish ,state ,under ,persia #dc ,,xiv4 ,israel's ,religious ,life #df ,,xv4 ,the ,coming ,one #di ,,section ,,ii ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,in ,,new ,,testament ,,times ,i4 ,the ,preparation #ee ,,ii4 ,the ,coming of the ,lord #eh ,,iii4 ,the ,baptism #fa ,,iv4 ,the ,early ,judean ,ministry #fd ,v4 ,the ,beginning of the ,galilan ,ministry #fg ,,vi4 ,the ,period of ,popularity #gj ,,vii4 ,the ,turning ,point #gc ,,viii4 ,jesus as ,messiah #gf ,,ix4 ,the ,prediction of the ,cross #gi ,x4 ,the ,last ,journeys #hc ,,xi4 ,teaching in the ,temple #hf ,,xii4 ,the ,crucifixion #hi ,,xiii4 ,the ,resurrection #ic ,,xiv4 ,the ,beginnings of the ,christian ,church #if ,,xv4 ,the ,first ,persecution #ii ,,xvi4 ,the ,conversion of ,paul #ajb ,,xvii4 ,the ,gospel ,given to the ,gentiles #aje ,,xviii4 ,the ,first ,missionary ,journey and the ,apostolic ,council #aji ,,xix4 ,the ,second ,missionary ,journey #aab ,,xx4 ,the ,third ,missionary ,journey4 ,the ,epistle to the ,galatians #aae ,,xxi4 ,the ,third ,missionary ,journey4 ,the ,epistles to the ,corinthians and to the ,romans #aah ,,xxii4 ,the ,first ,imprisonment of ,paul #abb ,,xxiii4 ,the ,close of the ,apostolic ,age #abe ,introduction ,this book surveys the history of ,god's redeeming grace4 ,it reviews ,old ,testament history1 disclosing the stream of ,god's redeeming purposes flowing down through the older times4 ,it reviews ,new ,testament history1 disclosing the broadening and deepening of that purpose for us men and for mankind in our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ and his ,church4 ,the chapters included in this book appear also as a part of ,teaching the ,teacher1 a ,first ,book in ,teacher ,training1 and are issued in this form to supply the demand for a brief ,bible history1 for popular reading4 ,,harold ,,mca4 ,,robinson4 ,,section ,i ,the ,development of the ,church in ,old ,testament ,times ,by ,james ,oscar ,boyd1 ,ph4,d41 ,d4,d4 ,,lesson ,i ,before ,abraham ,genesis1 ,chapters #a to #aa ,that part of the globe which comes within the view of the ,old ,testament is mostly the region1 about fifteen hundred miles square1 lying in the southwestern part of ,asia1 the southeastern part of ,europe1 and the northeastern part of ,africa4 ,this is where the three continents of the ,eastern ,hemisphere come together4 ,roughly speaking it includes ,asia ,minor1 ,mesopotamia1 ,syria1 ,palestine1 ,arabia1 and ,egypt1 with a fringe of other lands and islands stretching beyond them4 ,the heart of all this territory is that little strip of land1 lying between the desert on the east and the ,mediterranean ,sea on the west1 known as ,syria and ,palestine4 ,it is some four hundred miles in length and varies from fifty to one hundred miles in width4 ,it has been well called the bridge of the world1 for like a bridge it joins the largest continent1 ,asia1 to the next largest1 ,africa4 ,and as ,palestine binds the lands together1 so the famous ,suez ,canal at its southern end now binds the seas together4 ,to-day1 therefore1 as in all the past1 this spot is the crossroads of the nations4 ,palestine has long been called the ,holy ,land1 because it is the scene of most of the ,bible story4 ,yet it would be a mistake to suppose that that ,bible story is limited to ,palestine4 ,the book of ,genesis does not introduce the reader to ,canaan 7as it calls ,palestine7 until he has reached its twelfth chapter4 ,there is a sense in which the history of ,god's people begins with ,abraham1 and it was ,abraham who went at ,god's bidding into the land of ,canaan4 ,the story of ,abraham will be taken up in the second lesson2 but the ,bible puts before the life of ,abraham all the familiar story that lies in the first eleven chapters of ,genesis and that forms the background for the figures of ,abraham and his descendants4 ,the location of this background is the basin of the ,tigris and ,euphrates ,rivers4 ,these two streams are mentioned in ,gen4 #b3ad 7the ,tigris under the form ,hiddekel7 as the third and fourth heads of the river that went out of ,eden to water the garden in which our first parents dwelt4 ,the region is at the southern end of what is now called ,mesopotamia4 ,at the northern end of this river basin towers the superb mountain known as ,mount ,ararat4 ,but the mountains of ,ararat1 mentioned in ,gen4 #h3d as the place where ,noah's ark rested when the waters of the ,flood had subsided1 are no particular peak1 but are the highlands of ,kurdistan1 which in ancient times were called ,urartu 7,ararat74 ,between ,kurdistan on the north and the ,persian ,gulf on the south1 the highlands of ,persia on the east and the great ,syrian ,desert on the west1 occurred the earliest drama of human history4 ,that drama was a tragedy4 ,it became a tragedy because of man's sin4 ,the wonderful poem of creation in ,gen41 ch4 #a1 has for the refrain of its six stanzas1 ,god saw that it was good4 ,best of all was man1 the last and highest of ,god's works--man1 made in his own image1 after his likeness4 ,on the sixth day1 when ,god made man1 ,god said of his work1 ,behold1 it was very good4 ,more than that3 through the kindness of ,god man is put in a garden1 and is ordered to dress it and to keep it4 ,ch4 #b3ae4 ,adam sees his superiority to the rest of the animal kingdom1 over which he is given dominion4 ,he is thus prepared to appreciate the woman as a helpmeet for him1 so that the unit of society may ever mean for him one man and one woman with their children4 ,adam is also warned against sin as having disobedience for its root and death as its result4 ,all this prepares us to understand the temptation1 the miserable fall of the woman and the man1 their terror1 shame1 and punishment4 ,ch4 #c4 ,and we are not surprised to see the unfolding of sin in the life of their descendants1 beginning with ,cain's murder of ,abel1 and growing until ,god sweeps all away in a universal deluge4 ,chs4 #d1 #f4 ,god's tender love for his foolish1 rebellious creatures will not let them go4 ,at the gates of the garden from which their sin has forever banished them1 ,god already declares his purpose to bruise the head of that serpent1 ,rom4 #af3bj1 who had brought sin into the world and death by sin1 ,gen4 #c3ae4 ,through the seed of the woman--a ,son of man of some future day--sinful man can escape the death he has brought upon himself4 ,and from ,seth1 the child appointed instead of murdered ,abel1 a line of men descends1 who believe this promise of ,god4 ,ch4 #e4 ,in ,enoch we find them walking with ,god1 v4 #bd1 in a fellowship that seemed lost when paradise was lost4 ,in ,lamech we find them hoping with each new generation that ,god's curse will be at length removed4 ,v4 #bi4 ,and in ,noah we find them obedient to a positive command of ,god1 ch4 #f3bb1 as ,adam had been disobedient4 ,in the ,flood1 ,noah and his family of eight were the only persons to survive4 ,when they had come from the ark after the ,flood1 ,god gave them the promise that he would not again wipe out all flesh4 ,ch4 #i3aa4 ,but after it appeared that ,god's judgments had not made them fear him1 ,god was just as angry with ,noah's descendants as he had been with the men before the ,flood4 ,pride led them to build a tower to be a rallying point for their worship of self4 ,but ,god showed them that men cannot long work together with a sinful purpose as their common object2 he broke up their unity in sin by confusing their speech1 ch4 #aa1 and scattering them over the earth1 ch4 #aj4 ,this second disappointment found its brighter side in the line of men descended from ,noah through ,shem1 ch4 #aa3aj1 who also cherished ,god's promises4 ,and the last stroke of the writer's pen in these earliest chapters of the ,bible introduces the reader to the family of ,terah in that line of ,shem1 and thus prepares the way for a closer acquaintance with ,terah's son1 ,abraham1 the friend of ,god4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,i #a4 ,about how large is the world of the ,old ,testament1 and where does it lie8 #b4 ,what special importance has ,palestine because of its position8 #c4 ,how much of the story in ,genesis is told before we are carried to ,palestine8 #d4 ,locate on a map the scene of those earliest events in human history4 #e4 ,show how the first two chapters of ,genesis prepare for the tragedy of sin and death that follows4 #f4 ,how does the brighter side of hope and faith appear from ,adam to ,noah8 #g4 ,what effect did the ,flood have on men's sin and their faith in ,god8 #h4 ,trace the descent of the man ,god chose to become the father of the faithful4 ,,lesson ,,ii ,the ,patriarchs ,genesis1 ,chapters #ab to #ej ,god's purpose to save and bless all mankind was to be carried out in a wonderful way4 ,he selected and called one man to become the head and ancestor of a single nation4 ,and in this man and the nation descended from him1 ,god purposed to bless the whole world4 ,abraham was that man1 and ,israel was that nation4 ,god made known his purpose in what the ,bible calls the ,promise1 ,gal4 #c3ag1 the ,blessing1 v4 #ad1 or the ,covenant1 v4 #ag4 ,its terms are given many times over in the book of ,genesis1 but the essence of it lies already in the first word of ,god to ,abraham1 ,gen4 #ab3c1 ,in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed4 ,to believe this promise was a work of faith4 ,it was against all appearances and all probability4 ,yet this was just where the religious value of that promise lay for ,abraham and for his children after him--in faith4 ,they had to believe something on the basis solely of their confidence in the ,one who had promised it4 ,or rather1 they had to believe in that ,person1 the personal ,jehovah1 their ,god4 ,they must absolutely trust him4 ,to do so1 they must know him4 ,and that they might know him1 he must reveal himself to them4 ,that is why we read all through ,genesis of ,god's appearing or speaking to this or the other patriarch4 ,however he accomplished it1 ,god was always trying thus to make them better acquainted with himself2 for such knowledge was to be the basis of their faith4 ,upon faith in him depended their faith in his word1 and upon faith in his word depended their power to keep alive in the world that true religion which was destined for all men and which we to-day share4 ,abraham's ,god is our ,god4 ,not ,abraham's great wealth in servants1 ,gen4 #ad3ad1 and in flocks and herds1 ch4 #ac3b1 #f1 but the promise of ,god to bless1 constituted the true birthright in ,abraham's family4 ,ishmael1 the child of doubt1 missed it2 and ,isaac1 the child of faith1 obtained it4 ,gal4 #d3bc4 ,esau despised it1 because he was a profane irreligious person1 ,heb4 #ab3af1 and ,jacob schemed to obtain it by purchase1 ,gen4 #be3ca1 and by fraud1 ch4 #bg3ai4 ,jacob bequeathed it to his sons1 ch4 #di1 and ,moses delivered it in memorable poetic form to the nation to retain and rehearse forever4 ,deut41 ch4 #cb4 ,when ,abraham1 the son of ,terah1 entered ,canaan with ,sarah his wife and ,lot his nephew and their great company of servants and followers1 he was obeying the command of his ,god4 ,he no sooner enters it than ,god gives him a promise that binds up this land with him and his descendants4 ,gen4 #ac3ad-ag4 ,yet we must not suppose that ,abraham settled down in this ,promised ,land in the way that the ,pilgrim ,fathers settled in the ,old ,colony4 ,although ,canaan is promised to the seed of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob as a possession1 they did not themselves obtain a foothold in it4 ,apart from the field of the cave ,machpelah1 at ,hebron in the south1 ,gen41 ch4 #bc1 and a shoulder 7shechem7 or fragment of land near ,shechem 7,jacob's ,well71 in the center of ,canaan1 the patriarchs did not acquire a foot of the soil of what was to become the ,holy ,land4 ,abraham wandered about1 even going down to ,egypt and back4 ,isaac was sometimes at ,hebron and sometimes at ,beer-sheba on the extreme southern verge of the land4 ,jacob spent much of his manhood in ,mesopotamia1 and of his old age in ,egypt4 ,for after divine ,providence in a remarkable manner had transplanted one of ,jacob's sons1 ,joseph1 into new soil1 ,gen41 ch4 #cg1 his father and his brothers were drawn after him1 with the way for their long ,egyptian residence providentially prepared for them1 ,gen4 #ej3bj4 ,side by side with the growth of a nation out of an individual we find ,god's choice of the direction which that growth should take4 ,not all1 even of ,abraham's family1 were to become part of the future people of ,god4 ,so ,lot1 ,abraham's nephew1 separates from him1 and thereafter he and his descendants1 the ,ammonites and the ,moabites1 go their own way4 ,as between ,abraham's sons1 ,ishmael is cast out1 and ,isaac1 ,sarah's son1 is selected4 ,and between ,isaac's two sons1 ,esau and ,jacob1 the choice falls on ,jacob4 ,all twelve of ,jacob's sons are included in the purpose of ,god1 and for this reason the nation is called after ,jacob1 though usually under his name ,israel1 which ,god gave him after his experience of wrestling with the angel of the ,lord at the river ,jabbok4 ,gen4 #cb3bb4 ,those sons of his are to become the heads of the future nation of the twelve tribes1 ,acts #bf3g4 ,even while ,lot1 ,ishmael1 and ,esau are thus being cut off1 the greatest care is taken to keep the descent of the future nation pure to the blood of ,terah's house4 ,those three men all married alien wives3 ,lot probably a woman of ,sodom1 ,ishmael an ,egyptian1 and ,esau two ,hittite women4 ,the mother of ,isaac was ,sarah1 the mother of ,jacob was ,rebekah1 and the mothers of eight of the twelve sons of ,jacob were ,leah and ,rachel2 and all these women belonged to that same house of ,terah to which their husbands belonged4 ,indeed1 much of ,genesis is taken up with the explanation of how ,isaac and ,jacob were kept from intermarrying with the peoples among whom they lived4 ,the last quarter of the book1 which is occupied with the story of ,joseph and his brethren1 is designed to link these fathers and their ,god with the ,god and people of ,moses4 ,the same ,jehovah who had once shown his power over ,pharaoh for the protection of ,abraham and ,sarah1 and who was later to show his power over another ,pharaoh who knew not ,joseph1 showed his power also over the ,pharaoh of ,joseph's day1 in exalting ,joseph from the dungeon to the post of highest honor and authority in ,egypt1 and in delivering ,jacob and his whole family from death through ,joseph's interposition4 ,what their long residence in ,egypt meant for ,god's people will be seen in another lesson4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,ii #a4 ,in what promise does ,god reveal to ,abraham his plan to bless the world8 #b4 ,how was ,abraham brought to believe in ,god's promise8 ,what difference did it make whether he and his descendants believed it or not8 #c4 ,did the patriarchs see that part of the promise fulfilled which gave them possession of the ,holy ,land8 ,read carefully ,gen4 #ae3ac-af and ,heb4 #aa3i1 #aj1 #ad-af4 #d4 ,make a family tree in the usual way1 showing those descendants of ,terah who play any large part in the book of ,genesis4 ,underscore in it the names of those men who were in the direct line of the ,promise4 #e4 ,how were ,isaac and ,jacob kept from marrying outside their own family8 #f4 ,explain ,joseph's words1 ,ye meant evil against me2 but ,god meant it for good1 to bring to pass1 as it is this day1 to save much people alive4 ,gen4 #ej3bj4 ,,lesson ,,iii ,egyptian ,bondage and ,deliverance ,exodus1 ,chapter #a ,god says through his prophet ,hosea1 ,hos4 #aa3a1 ,when ,israel was a child1 then ,i loved him1 and called my son out of ,egypt4 ,see also ,matt4 #b3ae4 ,there was a loving1 divine purpose in the ,egyptian residence of ,god's people4 ,what was it8 ,what did this period mean in the career of ,israel8 ,most obviously1 it meant growth4 ,from the seventy souls1 ,ex4 #a3e1 that went down into ,egypt with ,jacob1 there sprang up there a populous folk1 large enough to take its place alongside the other nations of the world of that day4 ,observe the nature of the land where this growth took place4 ,egypt was a settled country1 where the twelve developing tribes could be united geographically and socially in a way impossible in a country like ,palestine4 ,however oppressed they were1 they nevertheless were secluded from the dangers of raids from without and of civil strife within--just such dangers as later almost wrecked the substantial edifice slowly erected by this period of growth in ,egypt4 ,egypt meant also for ,israel a time of waiting4 ,all this growth was not accomplished in a short time4 ,it lasted four hundred and thirty years4 ,ex4 #ab3dj1 #da4 ,through this long period1 which seems like a dark tunnel between the brightness of the patriarchs' times and that of ,moses' day1 there was nothing for ,god's people to do but to wait4 ,they were the heirs of ,god's promise1 but they must wait for the fulfillment of that promise in ,god's own time1 wait for a leader raised up by ,god1 wait for the hour of national destiny to strike4 ,as ,hosea1 ch4 #aa3a expresses it1 this child must wait for his ,father's call4 ,the ,egyptian period left an indelible impression on the mind of ,israel4 ,it formed the gray background on which ,god could lay the colors of his great deliverance4 ,it is because ,god knew and planned this that he so often introduces himself to his people1 when he speaks to them1 as ,jehovah thy ,god1 who brought thee out of the land of ,egypt1 out of the house of bondage4 ,in the third place1 this ,egyptian period meant for ,israel a time of chastisement4 ,the oppression to which the descendants of ,jacob were exposed1 when there arose a new king over ,egypt1 who knew not ,joseph1 ,ex4 #a3h1 was so severe1 prolonged1 and hopeless1 v4 #ad1 that it has become proverbial and typical4 ,since every male child was to be put to death1 v4 #bb1 it is clear that the purpose of the ,egyptians was nothing less than complete extermination4 ,it is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth3 if that be true1 then the children of ,israel derived good from the school of discipline in which they grew up4 ,true1 as we read their later story1 we feel that no people could be more fickle4 ,yet there is no other nation with which to compare ,israel4 ,and it is very probable that no other nation would have been serious-minded enough even to receive and grasp the divine revelation and leading of ,moses' and ,joshua's time4 ,god1 who had seen the affliction of his people1 who had heard their cry and sent ,moses to them to organize their deliverance1 wrote forever on this nation's soul the message of salvation in a historical record4 ,at the start of their national life there stood the story1 which they could never deny or forget1 and which told them of ,god's power and grace4 ,exodus1 ,chapters #e to #ae ,all this lay in ,israel's experience in ,egypt4 ,the next lesson will tell of the character and work of the man whom ,god chose to be leader4 ,the means by which ,moses succeeded in the seemingly impossible task of marching a great horde of slaves out from their masters' country1 was the impression of ,god's power on the minds of ,pharaoh and his people4 ,it was a continued1 combined1 and cumulative impression4 ,of course it could not be made without the use of supernatural means4 ,we must not1 therefore1 be surprised to find the story in ,exodus bristling with miracles4 ,to be sure1 the plagues can be shown to be largely natural to that land where they occurred4 ,and the supreme event of the deliverance1 the passage of ,israel through the ,red ,sea on dry ground1 was due1 according to the narrative itself1 to a persistent1 wind1 ,ex4 #ad3ba1 such as often lays bare the shallows of a bay1 only to release the waters again when its force is spent4 ,nevertheless1 it is not possible to remove the hand of ,god from the account by thus pointing out some of the means ,god used to accomplish his special purposes4 ,it was at the time1 in the way1 and in the order1 in which ,moses announced to ,pharaoh the arrival of the plagues1 that they actually appeared4 ,this was what had its ultimate effect on the king's stubborn will4 ,and when ,israel was told to go forward1 with the waters right before them1 and when the ,egyptians were saying1 ,they are entangled in the land1 the wilderness hath shut them in1 ,ex4 #ad3c--;it was just at that juncture that the east wind did its work at ,god's command2 when ,israel was over safely1 it went down4 ,such things do not happen4 ,it made a profound impression on ,israel1 on ,egypt1 and on all the nations of that day2 all united in accepting it as the work of ,israel's ,god4 ,ex4 #ae3aa1 #ad-af2 ,josh4 #b3aj4 ,the important point for the nation was to know1 when ,moses and ,aaron came to them in the name of ,god1 that it was their fathers' ,god who had sent them4 ,on account of this need1 which both the people and their leaders felt1 ,god proclaimed his divine name1 ,jehovah 7more precisely1 ,yahweh1 probably meaning ,he is1 ,ex4 #c3ad1 #ae71 to ,moses1 and bade him pronounce the same to ,israel1 to assure them that he was the ,god of ,abraham1 of ,isaac1 and of ,jacob1 and thus what ,moses came now to do for them was just what had been promised to those fathers long before4 ,the passover night was the fulfillment of ,god's good word to ,abraham4 ,ex4 #ac3aj1 #aa4 ,how that word went on and on toward more and more complete fulfillment will be the subject of the succeeding lessons4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,iii #a4 ,what advantages had ,egypt over ,palestine as the place for ,israel to grow from a family into a nation8 #b4 ,what value was there for ,israel in a negative time of waiting at the beginning of its history8 #c4 ,compare the effect on ,israel with the effect on a man1 of passing through a time of difficulty while developing4 #d4 ,name the ten plagues of ,egypt in their order4 ,how far can they be called natural8 #e4 ,if the east wind drove back the ,red ,sea1 what did ,god have to do with ,israel's escape from the ,egyptian army8 #f4 ,why should we not be surprised to find many miracles grouped at this stage of ,bible history8 #g4 ,how did ,god identify himself in the minds of the people with the ,god of their fathers8 ,what was his personal name8 ,,lesson ,,iv ,moses as ,leader and ,lawgiver ,exodus1 ,chapters #b to #d ,one of the things ,israel had to wait for through those centuries in ,egypt was a leader4 ,when the time came ,god raised up such a leader for his people in ,moses4 ,the story of how ,moses' life was preserved in infancy1 and of how he came to be brought up at the court of ,pharaoh with all its advantages for culture1 is one of the most fascinating tales of childhood4 ,ex4 #b3a-aj4 ,but not many who know this familiar tale could go on with the biography of the man of forty who fled from ,pharaoh's vengeance4 ,moses found by personal contact with his brethren1 the children of ,israel1 that they were not yet ready for common action1 and would not easily acknowledge his right to lead them4 ,after killing an ,egyptian slave driver there was nothing for ,moses to do but to flee4 ,vs4 #aa-ae4 ,he spent the second forty years of his life1 ,acts #g3bc1 #cj2 ,ex4 #g3g1 in the deserts about the eastern arm of the ,red ,sea--the region known to the ,hebrews as ,midian4 ,there he married the daughter of the ,midianite priest ,reuel4 7,jethro was probably ,reuel's title1 meaning his excellency47 ,while herding his sheep in the mountains called ,horeb 7,sinai71 ,moses received at the burning bush that personal revelation of the ,god of his fathers1 which lay at the base of all his future labors for ,god and his people4 ,ex4 #c3a to #d3ag4 ,it was a commission to lead ,israel out of their bondage in ,egypt into the land promised to their fathers4 ,though very humble as to his fitness for such leadership1 ,moses was assured of ,jehovah's presence and help4 ,he was equipped with extraordinary powers for convincing the proud ,pharaoh that his demands were ,god's demands2 and he was given the aid of his brother ,aaron1 who had a readiness of speech which ,moses at this time seems to have lacked4 ,exodus1 ,chapters #af to #bd ,how the two brothers achieved the seemingly impossible task of winning out of ,egypt1 and of uniting a spiritless and unorganized mass of slaves upon a desperate enterprise1 is the narrative that fills the early chapters of ,exodus4 ,but with ,israel safe across the ,red ,sea1 ,moses' leadership had only begun4 ,he instituted an organization of the people for relieving himself of his heavy duties as judge4 ,he determined the line of march1 and sustained the spirits of the fighting men in their struggle against the tribes of the desert who challenged ,israel's passage4 ,but1 above all1 ,moses became the mediator of the covenant1 ,heb4 #i3ai-ba1 between the ,hebrews and ,jehovah their ,god at ,mount ,sinai4 ,on the basis of the ,ten ,commandments1 ,ex4 #bj3b-ag2 ,deut4 #e3f-ba1 that guide to ,god's nature and will which formed the ,hebrew constitution1 the people agreed to worship and obey ,jehovah alone1 and ,jehovah promised to be their ,god1 fulfilling to them his promises made to their fathers4 ,by solemn sacrifices1 according to the custom of the time1 when the symbolism of altar and priesthood was well understood1 this covenant was sealed4 ,exodus1 ,chapter #be to ,numbers1 ,chapter #cf ,after long seclusion on the mount alone with ,god1 ,moses ordered the erection of a house of worship4 ,it had to be portable1 so as to accompany them in their wanderings and express visibly1 wherever set up1 the religious unity of the twelve tribes4 ,aaron and his sons were consecrated to be the official priesthood of this new shrine and were clothed and instructed accordingly4 ,minute details regulated all sacrifices1 and similar minute instructions enabled the priests to decide questions of ceremonial cleanness and uncleanness in matters of food and health4 ,all these laws and regulations1 mainly recorded in ,leviticus1 were given through ,moses1 either alone or in association with his brother4 ,it is not surprising to learn that there were those who challenged this exclusive leadership in every department of the national life4 ,we read of a willful disregard of divine orders even in the family of ,aaron1 with immediate fatal results4 ,lev4 #aj3a-g4 ,like punishment overtook those members of the tribe of ,levi who showed jealousy of the house of ,aaron1 and those elements in other tribes that claimed rights equal or superior to those of ,moses4 ,num41 chs4 #af1 #ag4 ,it would be strange1 indeed1 if ,god1 who had vindicated his servant ,moses against ,pharaoh1 should let his own authority as represented by ,moses be challenged within the camp of ,israel4 ,he punished to save4 ,just as ,god took up the ,sabbath and circumcision1 old customs of the preceding era1 into the law of ,israel1 so also he spoke to this people through an elaborate system of feasts and pilgrimages1 which bound up their whole year with the worship of ,god4 ,indeed1 the principle of the seventh part of time as sacred was extended to the seventh year1 and even to the fiftieth year 7the year following the seventh seven71 for beneficent social and economic uses4 ,lev41 ch4 #be4 ,when at length the nation1 thus organized and equipped1 set forth from ,sinai1 ,num4 #aj3aa1 they required a leadership of a different kind--military leadership and practical statesmanship4 ,they found both in ,moses4 ,he it was who led them through all the long wanderings in the peninsula of ,sinai1 bearing their murmurings and meeting their recurrent difficulties with a patience that seems almost divine1 save for that one lapse which was to cost him and ,aaron their entrance into the ,promised ,land4 ,num4 #bj3aj-ab4 ,at the border of the land1 from the top of ,pisgah in the long mountain wall of ,moab1 ,moses at last looked down into that deep gorge of the ,jordan ,valley at his feet1 which separated him from the hills of ,canaan4 ,beyond this river and the ,dead ,sea1 into which it empties1 lay the land long ago promised to the seed of ,abraham4 ,moses had been permitted to lead the people to its very gateway2 but it remained for another1 his younger helper1 ,joshua1 to lead them through the gate into the house of rest4 ,the ,book of ,deuteronomy ,but before he surrendered his power to another and his life to his ,maker1 the aged ,moses rehearsed in the ears of ,israel the great principles of ,god's law4 ,he pleaded earnestly with them to accept it from the heart1 to adapt it to the changed conditions of their new settled life with its new temptations1 and to hand it down as their most precious heritage to their children after them4 ,this is the purpose and substance of the book of ,deuteronomy1 which gets its name from the fact that it is a second lawgiving4 ,it is the ,law of ,sinai repeated1 but in oratorical form1 charged with the feeling and spirit of that man of ,god1 whose name is forever linked with the ,law and with the ,god who gave it to mankind4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,iv #a4 ,how did ,moses' forty years in ,egypt and his forty years in ,midian help to prepare him for leadership8 #b4 ,what was the constitution of the new ,hebrew ,state established at ,sinai8 ,how was it ratified8 #c4 ,how was the tabernacle suited to the religious needs of ,israel during ,moses' lifetime8 #d4 ,show how the ,law of ,moses takes up the old principle of the ,sabbath and applies it to the life of ,israel4 #e4 ,where did ,moses' leadership end1 and what was his last service to the nation8 ,,lesson ,v ,the ,conquest and ,settlement of ,canaan ,the ,book of ,joshua ,on the death of ,aaron his son1 ,eleazar1 succeeded him as high priest4 ,but when ,moses died1 it was not a son who succeeded him in the political and moral leadership of ,israel1 for that position was not hereditary4 ,joshua1 a man of ,ephraim1 was divinely designated for this work4 ,he was fitted for the difficult undertaking by military experience1 ,ex4 #ag3i-ad1 by personal acquaintance with ,canaan1 ,num4 #ac3h1 #af2 #ad3f1 #cj1 #ch1 and by long and intimate association with ,moses1 ,ex4 #cc3aa2 ,num4 #aa3bh2 ,deut4 #cd3i2 ,josh4 #a3a4 ,the book of ,joshua1 which records his career1 divides naturally into two parts1 first1 the conquest1 chs4 #a to #ab1 and second1 the settlement1 chs4 #ac to #bb4 ,two further chapters1 chs4 #bc1 #bd1 contain ,joshua's valedictory address4 ,before ,moses' death two and a half tribes had already received their assignment of territory on the east of the ,jordan1 out of lands conquered from the ,amorite kings1 ,sihon and ,og4 ,but the fighting men of these tribes agreed to accompany the other tribes and share their struggle till all had obtained an inheritance4 ,so when the great host passed over the ,jordan1 not far from where it empties into the ,dead ,sea1 the men of ,reuben1 ,gad1 and ,manasseh crossed with the rest4 ,jehovah1 who at the ,red ,sea a generation earlier had struck terror into the hearts of all nations by his wonderful interposition to save ,israel and destroy its enemies1 repeated here his saving help1 by stemming the swift current of the ,jordan ,river1 till all had passed over dry shod to the western side4 ,once over1 they found themselves face to face with ,jericho1 a city which commanded the passes into the mountain country beyond4 ,spies previously despatched to learn the weakness of ,jericho had reported the panic of its inhabitants and so prepared the ,hebrews to believe ,god's word1 when through ,joshua he announced a bloodless victory here at the beginning of their conquest4 ,without a blow struck ,jericho fell1 and all its inhabitants were devoted1 at ,jehovah's strict command4 ,even their wealth was to be devoted1 that is1 the cattle slain and the goods added to the treasury of the sanctuary4 ,only ,rahab1 who had saved the spies1 and her family were excepted4 ,one man1 ,achan1 disobeyed the ban on private spoils4 ,his covetousness and deception1 revealed by ,israel's defeat in the expedition against ,ai which followed the fall of ,jericho1 and detected by the use of the sacred lot1 was punished by the execution of all who were privy to the crime4 ,better success attended the second attempt to take ,ai4 ,with these two cities reduced1 ,jericho at the bottom and ,ai at the top of the valley leading up from the ,jordan floor to the central highland1 ,joshua was in a position to attack anywhere without fear of being outflanked4 ,middle1 south1 and north was the order commended by military considerations4 ,accordingly those cities which1 because in the middle of the land1 felt themselves the most immediately threatened1 took the first steps to avert the menace4 ,a group of five towns lying just north of ,jerusalem1 with ,gibeon at their head1 succeeded by a ruse in getting a treaty of peace from ,joshua4 ,the ,gibeonites deceived ,joshua by representing themselves as having come from a great distance to seek an alliance4 ,joshua's pride was flattered and he fell a victim to the trick4 ,the consequences were serious1 for these ,canaanites1 though reduced to vassalage1 remained as aliens in the heart of the land1 and cut off the southern from the northern tribes of ,israel4 ,a confederacy of the chief cities in the region south of ,gibeon1 headed by the king of ,jerusalem1 determined to strike the first blow4 ,but their campaign against the ,gibeonites1 now the allies of ,israel1 ended in a quick advance by ,joshua and his complete subjugation of all these cities1 the humiliation and death of their kings1 and the devotion of the inhabitants who fell into his hands4 ,a similar campaign followed in the north1 with the city of ,hazor at the head of the ,canaanite forces4 ,at the waters of ,merom1 a small lake a few miles north of the ,sea of ,galilee1 a surprise attack by ,joshua deprived his enemies of their advantage in horsemen and chariots on the level ground they had selected for battle1 and resulted in the utter rout of the ,canaanites and the general slaughter of every soul that did not escape by flight from the devoted towns4 ,thus from ,mount ,hermon on the north to the wilderness of the wandering on the south1 the whole land had been swept over and reduced to impotence by the ,hebrew invader4 ,it was time to apportion it now to the several tribes4 ,this was accomplished under the direction of ,joshua and ,eleazar4 ,judah and ,joseph1 the two strongest tribes1 were assigned1 the one to the south and the other to the north of the main mountain mass4 ,levi's inheritance was to be the ,lord1 that is1 the religious tithes1 and his dwelling was to be among his brethren1 that is1 in designated towns throughout all the land4 ,a commission of three representatives from each of the seven other western tribes divided the rest of the conquered territory into seven fairly equal parts4 ,these then were assigned to the seven tribes by lot at the tabernacle at ,shiloh4 ,as for the eastern tribes1 when they returned to their homes across the ,jordan1 they built an altar at the ford1 as a permanent witness to the unity of all the sons of ,jacob1 however the deep gorge of the ,jordan might cut them off from one another4 ,at ,shechem1 where ,abraham built his first altar in ,canaan1 ,joshua had renewed the covenant between the people and their ,god as soon as he had secured control of ,mount ,ephraim1 the middle highlands4 ,he had not only read the ,law of ,moses to all the people here1 but also inscribed it on stones for the sake of permanence and publicity4 ,and now1 when the conquest was complete and ,joshua was nearing his end1 he reassembled the people at the same spot1 to remind them there of that solemn covenant1 and to leave with them his final charge of fidelity to their ,god and his one central sanctuary4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,v #a4 ,how was ,joshua specially fitted to succeed ,moses as leader of ,israel8 #b4 ,which tribes received their inheritance east of the ,jordan8 ,how did these show their sense of the unity of all ,israel 7a7 at the beginning1 and 7b7 at the close of the conquest8 #c4 ,what justification can be urged for the stern measures which ,israel took with the ,canaanites and their possessions8 #d4 ,what was the plan of ,joshua's campaign1 and what relation did the capture of ,jericho and ,ai bear to it8 #e4 ,how did the men of ,gibeon deceive ,joshua1 and why8 ,what lasting damage was caused by his treaty with them8 #f4 ,locate on a map the inheritance of each of the tribes4 ,,lesson ,,vi ,the ,period of the ,judges ,the ,books of ,judges and ,ruth ,in ,egypt1 ,israel had grown from a family into a folk4 ,in the wilderness the folk had become a nation4 ,in the conquest the nation had gotten its home4 ,but in the period of the ,judges which followed the conquest this steady advance seemed interrupted4 ,what do we find at this time8 ,we find a loose confederacy of tribes1 aware of their common origin1 yet too jealous of local names and rights to combine for a common end1 too selfish to help one another until the danger of one has become a tragedy for all4 ,the nature of the land the ,hebrews had occupied helped this divisive tendency4 ,the great gash of the ,jordan ,valley1 its bed two or three thousand feet below the mountain country on either side1 cut off the eastern minority from the western majority4 ,in the west a plain separated the foothills of the central range from the seashore4 ,this plain not only contained enemies like the ,philistines whom only a united ,israel could have conquered1 but also quickly altered the type of its ,hebrew settlers4 ,right across the mountain belt from the sea to the ,jordan stretched an almost unbroken plain 7,esdraelon71 varying from sea level to the lower level of the ,jordan4 ,this cut off the mountaineers to the north 7,galilee7 from those to the south 7,ephraim74 ,and a glance at any physical map will show how even in the mountain country deep1 lateral valleys reach up from either side so far toward the center that communication from north to south is only by a series of violent grades1 save along that narrow ridge in the middle where runs the highroad between ,hebron1 ,jerusalem1 ,shechem1 and ,jezreel4 ,under these conditions only some strong positive force could prevent the disintegration of the ,hebrew nation4 ,such a force the religion of ,jehovah was intended to be1 and would have been1 if the people had remained faithful to it4 ,it had one high priest1 descendant of ,aaron1 and associated therefore with all the memories of ,moses and ,sinai4 ,it had a single sanctuary1 the seat of ,ark and oracle1 the center of pilgrimage three times a year4 ,it had one law for all ,hebrews1 a law far superior to the codes of all other nations1 and revealing the nature and will of a single moral and spiritual deity4 ,all this provided the focus for a mighty nation1 with a pure theocracy1 that is1 a government by ,god himself4 ,but the people did not remain faithful4 ,they fell away in this time of the ,judges4 ,the ,book of ,judges1 which tells the story of this period1 records a long list of names1 each one connected with some particular enemy of ,israel1 some tribe or group of tribes delivered1 and some definite term of years during which the deliverer judged the people4 ,on this list the most conspicuous names are those of ,deborah and of ,gideon in the north1 of ,jephthah east of the ,jordan 7,gilead71 and of ,samson in the south4 ,most of the other judges are little more than names to us4 ,deborah stands out1 not only because she was a woman1 but also for her wonderful song preserved in the fifth chapter1 celebrating ,barak's victory over the ,canaanites near ,mount ,carmel4 ,gideon is memorable for his strategems and his persistence1 and for his near approach to a real kingship1 which was offered to him and his house after his victory1 but which he declined1 saying1 ,jehovah shall rule over you4 ,ch4 #h3bc4 ,his son ,abimelech was actually termed king in and around the city of ,shechem for a few years1 but perished miserably for his sins4 ,ch4 #i3f1 #ef4 ,jephthah's career was mainly concerned with the region east of the ,jordan1 but his admirable apology for ,israel showed his sense of ,hebrew solidarity4 ,samson's picturesque story1 with its petty loves and hates1 its riddles and its practical jokes1 ended in a sacrificial death which in part redeems its meanness4 ,but neither ,samson nor any of his predecessors accomplished anything permanent4 ,two words of caution belong to the study of this book and of these times4 ,first1 we must not suppose that one judge necessarily follows another in point of time because his story follows the other's story in the book4 ,judges #aj3g shows that oppressions of different sections of the land by different enemies might be taking place at the same time1 and suggests that the figures assigned to each judge at the close of his story cannot safely be added together to find the total length of this period4 ,and second1 those figures themselves 7nearly always forty or eighty7 are to be taken as round numbers1 rather than as precise data such as we look for to-day to make out a table of chronology4 ,in the same way the four hundred and eighty years of ,i ,kings #f3a is evidently intended as twelve times forty years1 to represent the whole time from the ,exodus to ,solomon4 ,for when we have subtracted from the beginning of it one forty-year term for the wanderings1 and from the end of it three forty-year terms for ,eli1 ,i ,sam4 #d3ah1 ,saul1 ,acts #ac3ba1 and ,david1 ,i ,kings #b3aa1 then we have left eight forty-year terms for the ,judges4 ,eight times forty is three hundred and twenty4 ,those three hundred and twenty years would then correspond with the three hundred years mentioned by ,jephthah in ,judg4 #aa3bf as dividing ,moses' days from his own4 ,under these circumstances we are wise to wait for further light from archology before fixing the precise date of any one of these interesting persons4 ,there are three additions or appendices to the ,book of ,judges4 ,the first of them1 including chs4 #ag1 #ah1 tells how the ,danites came to live in the extreme north1 and the origin of the idolatrous sanctuary at that city of ,dan which was reckoned as the northern limit of ,canaan--from ,dan to ,beer-sheba4 ,the second occupies the three remaining chapters of ,judges1 and records the civil war between ,benjamin and the other tribes on account of the sin of ,gibeah1 ,hos4 #aj3i4 ,and the third appendix is the story of ,ruth the ,moabitess which now makes a separate book in the ,bible4 ,besides its inherent charm the story claims special notice because of the light it throws on that ,bethlehem family which was soon to furnish the nation its great king1 ,david4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,vi #a4 ,what influences made for the loss of ,hebrew unity as soon as ,joshua's generation was dead8 #b4 ,what forces remained to bind the tribes together8 ,why did not these forces suffice8 #c4 ,how were the persons selected who ruled ,israel in this period8 ,were they judges in the same sense as our judges to-day8 ,what besides8 #d4 ,what three groups of tribes tended to draw together under common leaders8 ,tell the exploits of one distinguished judge belonging to each of these groups4 #e4 ,with what reserve should we use the figures in this book to construct a chronology of the period8 #f4 ,point out the relation of the book of ,ruth to the closing portion of the ,book of ,judges4 ,what lends ,ruth peculiar historical interest8 ,,lesson ,,vii ,samuel and ,saul3 ,prophecy and ,monarchy ,the ,first ,book of ,samuel ,sometimes ,eli and sometimes ,samuel are called the last of the ,judges4 ,but neither of these was a judge in the same exclusive sense as ,gideon or ,samson4 ,eli was the high priest1 but exercised the office of judge for his time4 ,samuel was a prophet1 who also judged ,israel in the interval between ,eli's death and ,saul's accession4 ,both men mark the time of transition between the period of the ,judges and the monarchy4 ,and the two names are most closely linked1 for it was under ,eli's instruction1 at the sanctuary in ,shiloh1 that ,samuel grew up4 ,the story of ,hannah and her dedication of her little son to ,god as a ,nazirite1 ,i ,sam4 #a3aa2 compare ,num4 #f3a-h1 to dwell all his life at the house of ,god1 ,i ,sam4 #a3bh1 has a peculiar charm for young and old4 ,it gives a picture of personal piety in a rude age1 and thus serves to correct our idea of the times4 ,beginning at a very early age1 ,i ,sam4 #c3a to #d3a1 ,samuel became the chosen and recognized mouthpiece of ,israel's ,god4 ,that is the essential meaning of a prophet--one who speaks for ,god4 ,exodus #d3af is instructive1 for it shows that as ,aaron was to be a mouth to ,moses1 while ,moses was as ,god to ,aaron1 so the prophet was ,god's mouthpiece or spokesman4 ,of course a prophet was often a person who also spoke before--one1 that is1 who predicted what should come to pass4 ,and the fact that his words were actually fulfilled became a proof of his divine commission1 both in theory1 ,deut4 #ah3bb1 and in practice1 ,isa4 #dd3bf4 ,but the bulk of the prophets' messages were1 like those of ,samuel1 addressed to their own time4 ,they were preachers of righteousness1 warners against sin1 the nation's conscience1 and the ,lord's remembrancers4 ,it is the chief glory of ,samuel that he was not only first in the long fine of the ,hebrew prophets--the most remarkable succession of men the world has ever seen--but also the founder of the prophetic order4 ,by the prophetic order we mean the prophets as a group conscious of their solidarity1 the identity of their principles and aim4 ,samuel gathered about his dominating personality those persons who were sympathetic with him in spirit1 and who shared with him some of that power of testimony which the word of ,jehovah conferred4 ,they seem to have lived together1 ,i ,sam4 #ai3bj1 in communities similar to those two centuries later under ,elijah and ,elisha4 ,they used musical instruments in their devotions1 which were public as well as private4 ,ch4 #aj3e4 ,they were the center of patriotic zeal as well as of religious effort4 ,in fact1 the belief in ,israel's ,god was so evidently the bond that bound ,israel together1 that for the common man patriotism and religion were in danger of being regarded as one and the same thing4 ,it is not surprising1 therefore1 that out of ,samuel's time and from the forces which ,samuel set in motion1 there came two movements which changed the course of the nation's history3 an outward movement for independence1 and an inward movement for monarchy4 ,a revival of religion could not fail to rouse the subjected ,hebrews against their oppressors1 the ,philistines4 ,the reverses they suffered in battle against their better armed and better led enemies put it into their minds to set up a king1 like all the nations4 ,samuel1 as the national leader1 was ,god's agent in selecting1 consecrating1 and establishing the first king4 ,he chose ,saul1 of the tribe of ,benjamin1 a man of heroic proportions though of modest demeanor4 ,ch4 #i3b1 #ba4 ,his choice met the popular approval1 at first with general and outward acquiescence1 though with much inward reserve and individual revolt2 but after his first successful campaign with universal loyalty4 ,ch4 #aj3bg2 #aa3ab-ae4 ,that first military effort of the new monarch was against the ,ammonites4 ,but a greater test remained in the menace of the ,philistines1 whose garrisons at strategic points in the mountains of ,israel served to keep the tribes in check4 ,under those circumstances ,saul was cautious1 for he had but a small force1 inadequately armed1 at his disposal4 ,but the initiative1 for which all ,israel waited1 was taken by ,saul's son1 ,jonathan4 ,unknown to his father1 ,jonathan1 accompanied only by his armor-bearer1 but encouraged by an indication of ,god's will and by the enemy's slackness1 ch4 #ad3ab1 attacked boldly a ,philistine garrison that relied too much on the natural strength of its position4 ,he began in this way a panic in the enemy's ranks1 and soon drew after him in pursuit of them not only ,saul's small army but multitudes of ,hebrews who in their hiding places only waited such a signal to fall upon the hated oppressor4 ,the victory of ,michmash was overwhelming1 the mountain country was cleared of the ,philistines1 and an independent people began to enjoy the reign of their first king4 ,unhappily ,saul did not prove himself so well equipped for the kingship in character and disposition as in personal prowess4 ,jealousy1 natural in a king whose claim to authority was so new and weak1 was heightened in ,saul by a malady that induced fits of sullenness and rage4 ,his humility and modesty of other days gave place to envy1 vanity1 and cruelty4 ,even ,god's express commands through the same prophet on whose divine commission ,saul's claim to the throne rested were not heeded1 for ,samuel had to rebuke him for disobedience and only refrained from publicly rejecting him at ,saul's abject entreaty4 ,ch4 #ae3cj4 ,room was found in ,saul's heart for jealousy of the popularity and success of ,david1 ch4 #ah3h1 the young man of ,bethlehem in ,judah whom at first he had loved and attached to his person1 ch4 #af3ba4 ,jonathan1 though heir to his father's throne and aware that ,david had been designated as ,jehovah's choice for king1 ch4 #bj3ae1 #ca1 had nothing but affection for ,david his friend4 ,but ,saul pursued ,david openly1 after failing in repeated secret attempts to make away with him4 ,and the close of ,saul's life is marred by his vindictive pursuit of his rival1 till death in battle with the ,philistines at ,mount ,gilboa brought the first king of ,israel to a miserable end and left the way open for ,david to become his successor4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,vii #a4 ,who shares with ,samuel the leadership of ,israel in the time of transition from the judges to the kings1 and what relation did he bear to ,samuel8 #b4 ,what was a prophet1 what is meant by the prophetic order1 and what is ,samuel's particular service and distinction among the prophets8 #c4 ,what motive led to the popular demand for a king1 and how did ,samuel as ,god's representative regard this demand8 #d4 ,sketch the character of ,saul4 ,what was his achievement for ,israel8 ,wherein did he fail8 #e4 ,compare ,saul and ,jonathan in ability and character4 ,,lesson ,,viii ,david and ,solomon3 ,psalms and ,wisdom ,the ,second ,book of ,samuel2 ,i ,kings1 ,chapters #a to #aa2 ,i ,chronicles1 ,chapter #aj to ,,ii ,chronicles1 ,chapter #i ,one of ,saul's sons1 ,ish-bosheth1 for a short time after the death of his father and brothers in battle1 attempted to maintain his right to succeed ,saul on the throne4 ,but when ,abner1 his kinsman and the head of the army1 turned to ,david1 son of ,jesse1 who was already reigning at ,hebron as king over ,judah1 all the tribes followed him4 ,both ,ish-bosheth and ,abner soon perished4 ,with his new dignity ,david promptly acquired a new capital1 better suited than ,hebron in location and strength to be the nation's center4 ,he captured the fortress of ,jebus1 five miles north of ,bethlehem1 his old home1 from its ,canaanitish defenders1 and enlarged1 strengthened1 and beautified it4 ,under its ancient name of ,jerusalem he made it both the political and the religious capital of ,israel4 ,the ,ark of the ,covenant1 which in ,eli's time had been captured by the ,philistines1 had been returned by them1 and for many years had rested in a private house1 was regarded as the very heart and symbol of the national religion4 ,david therefore brought it first to ,jerusalem1 and instead of uniting with it its former housing1 the old ,mosaic tabernacle1 he gave it a temporary home in a tent1 intending to build a splendid temple when he should have peace4 ,but war continued through the days of ,david1 and at ,god's direction the erection of a temple1 save for certain preparations1 was left to ,solomon1 ,david's successor4 ,david was victorious in war4 ,his success showed itself in the enlargement of ,israel's boundaries1 the complete subjection--for the time--of all alien elements in the land1 and the alliance with ,hiram1 king of ,tyre1 with the great building operations which this alliance made possible4 ,a royal palace formed the center of a court such as other sovereigns maintained1 and ,david's court and even his family were exposed to the same corrupting influences as power1 wealth1 jealousy1 and faction have everywhere introduced4 ,absalom1 his favorite son1 ill requited his father's love and trust by organizing a revolt against him4 ,it failed1 but not until it had driven the king1 now an old man1 into temporary exile and had let loose civil war upon the land4 ,solomon1 designated by ,david to succeed him1 did not gain the throne without dispute1 but the attempt of ,adonijah1 another son1 to seize the throne failed in spite of powerful support4 ,the forty-year reign of ,solomon was the golden age of ,hebrew history--the age to which all subsequent times looked back4 ,rapid growth of commerce1 construction1 art1 and literature reflected the inward condition of peace and the outward ties with other lands of culture4 ,but with art came idolatry2 with construction came ostentation and oppression2 with commerce came luxury4 ,the splendor of ,jerusalem1 wherein ,solomon made silver 444 to be as stones1 and cedars 444 as the sycomore-trees1 ,i ,kings #aj3bg1 contained in itself the seeds of dissolution4 ,however1 there are two great types of literature which found their characteristic expression in the days of ,david and ,solomon and are always associated with their names--the psalm with ,david1 and the proverb 7or1 more broadly1 wisdom7 with ,solomon4 ,kingdom1 temple and palace have long since passed away1 but the ,psalter and the books of ,wisdom are imperishable monuments of the united monarchy4 ,the ,psalms ,the ,psalter is a collection of one hundred and fifty poems1 of various length1 meter1 and style4 ,as now arranged it is divided into five books1 but there is evidence that earlier collections and arrangements preceded the present4 ,among the earliest productions1 judged both by form and by matter1 are those psalms which bear the superscription of ,david1 though it would not be safe to assert that every such psalm came from ,david's own pen or that none not so labeled is not of ,davidic origin4 ,judged alike from the narrative in the book of ,samuel1 and from the traditions scattered in other books as early as ,amos1 ch4 #f3e1 and as late as ,chronicles1 ,i ,chron4 #ae3af to #af3dc2 ch4 #be1 ,david was both a skilled musician himself and an organizer of music for public worship4 ,it is not surprising1 therefore1 to find a body of religious poems ascribed to him1 which not only evidence his piety and good taste1 but also1 though individual in tone1 are well-adapted to common use at the sanctuary4 ,the psalms are poems4 ,their poetry is not simply one of substance1 but also a poetry of form4 ,rime1 our familiar device1 is of course absent1 but there is rhythm1 although it is not measured in the same strict way as in most of our poetry4 ,the most striking and characteristic mark of ,hebrew poetic form is the parallel structure3 two companion lines serve together to complete a single thought1 as the second either repeats1 supplements1 emphasizes1 illustrates1 or contrasts with the first4 ,proverbs2 ,job2 ,ecclesiastes ,poetry is also a term to which the book of ,proverbs and most of the other productions of ,wisdom are entitled4 ,while they are chiefly didactic 7that is1 intended for instruction7 instead of lyric 7emotional self-expression71 nevertheless the ,wisdom books are almost entirely written in rhythmic parallelism and contain much matter unsuited to ordinary prose expression4 ,in the ,revised ,version the manner of printing shows to the ,english reader at a glance what parts are prose and what are poetry 7compare1 for example1 ,job1 ch4 #b with ,job1 ch4 #c71 though it must be admitted that a hard and fast line cannot be drawn between them4 ,compare ,eccl41 ch4 #g with ,proverbs4 ,the wise1 as a class of public teachers in the nation 7see ,jer4 #ah3ah71 associated their beginnings with ,king ,solomon 7,prov4 #bd3bc2 #be3a71 whose wisdom is testified to in the book of ,kings1 as well as his speaking of proverbs1 that is1 pithy sayings easy to remember and teach1 mostly of moral import4 ,i ,kings #d3bi-cd4 ,but the profoundest theme of wisdom was the moral government of ,god as seen in his works and ways4 ,the mysteries with which all men1 to-day as well as in ancient times1 must grapple when they seek to harmonize their faith in a just and good ,god with such undeniable facts as prosperous sinners and suffering saints1 led to the writing of such books as ,job 7the meaning of a good man's adversities7 and ,ecclesiastes 7the vanity of all that mere experience and observation of life afford74 ,in the case of these ,wisdom books1 as in that of the ,psalms1 the oldest name--that of the royal founder--is not to be taken as the exclusive author4 ,solomon1 like ,david1 made the beginnings2 others collected1 edited1 developed1 and completed4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,viii #a4 ,in what tribe and town did ,david first reign as king8 ,how did he secure a new capital when he became king of all ,israel8 ,how and why did he make this the religious capital also8 #b4 ,what advantages and disadvantages did ,david's continual wars1 and his imitation of other kings' courts1 bring to him1 his family1 and his people8 #c4 ,what was ,david's part in the development of religious poetry8 ,how does ,hebrew poetry differ generally from ,english poetry in form8 ,name the books of the ,old ,testament written chiefly or wholly in poetry4 #d4 ,who built the first ,temple8 ,who were the wise in ,israel1 whom did they venerate as their royal patron1 and what did they aim to accomplish by their writings8 ,,lesson ,,ix ,the ,kingdom of ,israel ,i ,kings1 ,chapter #ab to ,,ii ,kings1 ,chapter #ag ,with the death of ,solomon came the lasting division of the tribes into two kingdoms1 a northern and a southern1 known as the ,kingdom of ,israel and the ,kingdom of ,judah4 ,rehoboam on his accession announced a policy of repression and even oppression that alienated completely the loyalty of ,ephraim and the other northern tribes1 which were never attached to the house of ,david in the same way as the tribe of ,judah was4 ,under a man of ,ephraim1 therefore1 ,jeroboam the son of ,nebat1 who in earlier years had challenged even ,solomon's title1 the ten tribes revolted from ,rehoboam and established a separate state4 ,rehoboam found himself too weak to prevent this secession1 and he and his descendants of ,david's dynasty had to content themselves with the narrow boundaries of ,judah4 ,to be sure1 in ,jerusalem they possessed the authorized center of public worship for the whole nation4 ,it was to offset this advantage that ,jeroboam made ,bethel1 that spot associated in the minds of the people with the patriarchs themselves1 his religious capital4 ,and1 influenced perhaps by the ,egyptian example of steer worship 7for he had long lived as a fugitive in ,egypt in ,solomon's reign71 he made golden steers and placed them in the sanctuary at ,bethel and in that at ,dan in the extreme north4 7,see close of ,lesson ,,vi47 ,to these places and under these visible symbols of brute force1 ,jeroboam summoned his people to worship ,jehovah4 ,it was the old national religion but in the degraded form of an image worship forbidden by the ,mosaic ,commandments4 ,a throne thus built on mere expediency could not endure4 ,jeroboam's son was murdered after a two years' reign4 ,nor did this usurper succeed in holding the throne for his house any longer than ,jeroboam's house had lasted4 ,at length ,omri1 commander of the army1 succeeded in founding a dynasty that furnished four kings4 ,ahab1 son of ,omri1 who held the throne the longest of these four1 is the king with whom we become best acquainted of all the northern monarchs4 ,this is partly because of the relations between ,ahab and ,elijah the prophet4 ,ahab's name is also linked with that of his queen1 the notorious ,jezebel1 a princess of ,tyre1 who introduced the worship of the ,tyrian ,baal into ,israel and even persecuted all who adhered to the national religion4 ,this alliance with ,tyre1 and the marriage of ,ahab's daughter to a prince of ,judah1 secured ,israel on the north and the south1 and left ,ahab free to pursue his father's strong policy toward the peoples to the east1 ,moab and ,syria4 ,upon ,ahab's death in battle against ,syria1 ,moab revolted1 and the two sons of ,ahab1 in spite of help from the house of ,david in ,jerusalem1 were unable to stave off the ruin that threatened the house of ,omri4 ,jehu1 supported by the army in which he was a popular leader1 seized the throne1 with the usual assassination of all akin to the royal family4 ,his inspiration to revolt had been due to ,jehovah's prophets1 and his program was the overthrow of ,baal worship in favor of the old national religion4 ,though ,jehu thoroughly destroyed the followers of ,jezebel's foreign gods1 he and his sons after him continued to foster the idolatrous shrines at ,bethel and ,dan1 so that the verdict of the sacred writer upon them is unfavorable3 they departed not from all the sins of ,jeroboam the son of ,nebat1 wherewith he made ,israel to sin4 ,mesha1 king of ,moab1 ,,ii ,kings #c3d1 lived long enough to see his oppressors1 the kings of ,omri's house1 overthrown and the land of ,israel reduced to great weakness4 7,see article ,moabite ,stone in any ,bible dictionary47 ,jehu's son1 ,jehoahaz1 witnessed the deepest humiliation of ,israel at the hands of ,syria4 ,but it was not many years after ,mesha's boasting that affairs took a complete turn4 ,jehu's grandson1 ,jehoash1 spurred by ,elisha the prophet even on his deathbed1 began the recovery which attained its zenith in the reign of ,jeroboam ,,ii1 fourth king of ,jehu's line4 ,though little is told of this reign in the ,book of ,kings1 it is clear that at no time since ,solomon's reign had a king of ,israel ruled over so large a territory4 ,it was the last burst of glory before total extinction4 ,there is a history lying between the reigns of ,jeroboam ,i1 founder of the ,northern ,kingdom1 and of ,jeroboam ,,ii1 its last prosperous monarch1 which has scarcely been referred to in this brief sketch of its kings4 ,it is the history of ,jehovah's prophets4 ,hosea2 ,amos2 ,jonah ,reference has already been made to the rise of the prophetic order as such1 in the time of ,samuel4 7,lesson ,,vii47 ,with each crisis in the affairs of the nation ,god raised up some notable messenger with a word from him to the people or to the ruler4 ,but all along the fire of devotion to ,god and country was kept alive by humbler1 unnamed men1 who supplied a sound nucleus of believers even to this ,northern ,kingdom with its idolatrous shrines and its usurping princes4 ,i ,kings #ah3d2 #ai3ah4 ,the greatest names are those of ,elijah and ,elisha4 ,the earlier struggle to keep ,israel true to ,jehovah focuses in these two men1 one the worthy successor of the other4 ,their time marked perhaps the lowest ebb of true religion in all the history of ,god's ,kingdom on earth4 ,it is no wonder1 therefore1 that such stern1 strong men were not only raised up to fight for the ,god of ,moses and ,samuel and ,david1 but also endowed with exceptional powers1 to work wonders and signs for the encouragement of the faithful and the confounding of idolators and sinners4 ,such was the purpose of their notable miracles4 ,elijah and ,elisha wrote nothing4 ,but in their spirit rose up ,hosea and ,amos a century later--men who have left a record of their prophecies in the books that bear their names4 ,denunciation of sin1 especially in the higher classes1 announcement of impending punishment for that sin1 and promise of a glorious1 if distant1 future of pardon1 peace1 and prosperity through ,god's grace and man's sincere repentance--these things form the substance of their eloquent messages4 ,hosea is noteworthy for his striking parable of a patient husband and a faithless wife to illustrate ,god's love and ,israel's infidelity4 ,amos1 himself a herdsman from ,judah sent north to denounce a king and people not his own1 is startling in the suddenness with which he turns the popular religious ideas against those who harbor them4 ,see1 for example1 ch4 #c3b1 where ,amos makes the unique relation between ,jehovah and ,israel the reason1 not for ,israel's safety from ,jehovah's wrath1 as the people thought1 but for the absolute certainty of ,israel's punishment for all its sins4 ,these two prophets1 the last of the ,northern ,kingdom1 had the melancholy duty of predicting the utter overthrow of what the first ,jeroboam had set up in rebellion and sin two centuries before4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,ix #a4 ,when1 why1 and under whose lead did the ten tribes break away from the house of ,david8 #b4 ,outline the fortunes of the kings of ,israel from ,jeroboam ,i to ,jeroboam ,,ii4 #c4 ,who were the outstanding prophets in the ,northern ,kingdom1 and what was the substance of their messages8 ,,lesson ,x ,the ,kingdom of ,judah1 to ,hezekiah ,i ,kings1 ,chapter #ab to ,,ii ,kings1 ,chapter #ag2 ,,ii ,chronicles1 ,chapters #aj to #bh2 ,obadiah2 ,joel2 ,micah2 ,isaiah 7in part7 ,the revolt of ,jeroboam and the ten northern tribes reduced the dominion ruled by ,rehoboam1 grandson of ,david1 to narrow bounds4 ,before his disastrous reign was over1 ,judah was still further humiliated by an invasion under ,shishak1 a ,pharaoh of the twenty-second dynasty of ,egypt1 who despoiled ,jerusalem of the treasures which ,solomon had amassed4 ,after the death of ,rehoboam and the short reign of his son1 ,abijam1 ,judah was ruled successively by ,asa and ,jehoshaphat1 each succeeding his father peacefully and each reigning long and1 on the whole1 prosperously4 ,another invasion from the south which threatened to be as disastrous as that of ,shishak1 under ,zerah the ,ethiopian was repelled by ,asa4 ,internal reforms1 both religious and civil1 were carried out by these vigorous rulers4 ,the natural rivalry and intermittent warfare between north and south1 which had arisen through the division under ,rehoboam1 ceased for a time after ,jehoshaphat entered into alliance with ,king ,ahab and took ,athaliah1 ,ahab's daughter1 as wife for his son ,joram4 ,the kings of ,samaria and ,jerusalem made common cause against ,syria and ,moab1 and a temporary success seemed to crown the new policy4 ,but prophets of ,jehovah repeatedly warned the king who sat on ,david's throne of the danger to the true religion from such an alliance with ,baal worshipers4 ,it was not long before their warnings were justified by the facts4 ,athaliah1 ,joram's queen1 was the daughter not only of ,ahab but also of ,jezebel and brought with her to ,jerusalem the fierce spirit and heathen habits of her ,tyrian mother4 ,king ,ahaziah her son lost his life through his close association with ,king ,jehoram of ,israel1 his uncle1 for ,jehu made away with both kings at the same time1 and with all the princes of ,judah1 kinsmen of ,ahaziah1 on whom he could lay his hands4 ,the old tigress at ,jerusalem1 ,athaliah1 now turned upon her own flesh and blood1 the children of ,ahaziah1 and murdered them all so as to secure the power for herself4 ,one grandson alone1 the infant ,joash1 escaped1 saved by an aunt who hid him and his nurse from the cruel queen mother4 ,six years later this child was proclaimed king in the ,temple courts by ,jehoiada1 the high priest4 ,athaliah was slain1 and a new era began in ,judah with the destruction of ,baal worship and the repair of ,jehovah's ,temple4 ,joash was too weak to do more than buy off the king of ,syria when his army threatened ,jerusalem1 and he himself met his death in a conspiracy4 ,the same fate befell his son ,amaziah1 after a reign that promised well but was wrecked on the king's ambition to subdue the ,northern ,kingdom under him4 ,uzziah 7or ,azariah7 succeeded to the throne1 though for half of his long reign he and his kingdom seem to have been in a state of vassalage to ,jeroboam ,,ii1 the powerful ruler of ,israel4 ,the latter part of ,uzziah's reign was more prosperous1 in spite of the king's pitiable state--for he was stricken with leprosy and had to live apart4 ,it was on this account that he associated his son ,jotham with himself1 and during the sixteen years of ,jotham's reign--most of which was included within the long nominal reign of ,uzziah--the ,philistines1 ,ammonites1 and ,arabians were defeated in warfare1 while considerable building both in and out of the capital helped to prepare the little kingdom for the troublous days just ahead4 ,the mighty kingdom of ,assyria1 with its capital at ,nineveh on the ,tigris ,river1 was the force which ,god used to punish his faithless people4 ,lying beyond the kingdoms of ,syria1 ,israel's nearest neighbors on the north1 ,assyria was not at first felt to be the menace which in the end it proved to be4 ,whenever ,assyria was strong1 ,syria was weak1 and the king in ,samaria could breathe freely4 ,but there came a day when a king of unusual power ascended the throne at ,nineveh1 ,tiglath-pileser 7or ,pul1 as he was also called1 see ,,ii ,kings #ae3ai1 #bi71 and the fate of both ,syria and ,israel was sealed4 ,ahaz1 the son of ,jotham who had just died1 saw in this ,assyrian the means of delivering ,judah out of the hands of ,pekah1 king of ,israel1 and ,rezin1 king of ,syria1 who had joined forces to capture ,jerusalem and put a king of their own on the throne of ,david4 ,by a great present ,ahaz bought the support of ,tiglath-pileser1 who sent an army to attack ,judah's foes4 ,syria was devastated1 the inhabitants were carried away captive from all the eastern and northern parts of ,israel 7,gilead and ,galilee71 ,phoenicia and ,philistia were overrun1 and ,ahaz1 among other kings1 went to ,damascus in person to do homage to this irresistible conqueror4 ,in the ,northern ,kingdom1 reduced now to little more than the central highlands of ,ephraim and ,manasseh1 ,hoshea1 a proteg of the ,assyrian king1 reigned for a few years4 ,but he and his foolish advisers1 unable to read the signs of the times1 looked to ,egypt for help and revolted4 ,this time the end had come4 ,shalmaneser1 now on the ,assyrian throne1 came against ,samaria1 and after a siege lasting almost three years1 took and destroyed it4 ,the whole population was carried away1 after the drastic policy of deportation practiced by ,assyria1 and an alien population was introduced to take their places4 ,thus ended the ,northern ,kingdom after lasting a little over two centuries4 ,and thus began that strange mixed people1 known as the ,samaritans1 who settled in the central part of the ,holy ,land4 ,the effect of ,israel's doom upon the minds of the king and people of ,judah may be imagined4 ,from the pages of ,micah and ,isaiah1 contemporary prophets in ,judah1 can be seen how ,god was speaking to ,judah through the ruin of ,israel4 ,ahaz's policy of relying on human help from ,assyria instead of divine help from ,jehovah was refuted by its outcome4 ,with ,syria and ,samaria ruined1 there lay nothing between ,jerusalem and the ,assyrian4 ,and it is in ,hezekiah's reign--the next after that of ,ahaz--that the ruthless conqueror from ,nineveh is found overrunning ,judah itself4 ,how king1 prophet1 and people met that crisis will begin the next lesson1 for it belongs to the period when the ,southern ,kingdom is all that remained of the organized ,hebrew nation in ,palestine4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,x #a4 ,what were the relations between the kingdoms of ,judah and ,israel in general8 #b4 ,who altered these relations for a time8 ,how8 ,with what consequences for ,judah's politics and religion8 #c4 ,who was ,joash1 and how did he come to the throne8 #d4 ,what was the occasion of ,judah's first intimate contact with ,assyria8 ,discuss ,ahaz's policy in the light of ,isa4 #g3a-i4 #e4 ,what were the stages in the downfall of the ,northern ,kingdom8 ,what became of the conquered people1 and who replaced them8 ,see ,,ii ,kings1 ch4 #ag4 ,,lesson ,,xi ,judah1 from ,hezekiah to the ,exile ,,ii ,kings1 ,chapters #ah to #be2 ,,ii ,chronicles1 ,chapters #bi to #cf2 ,isaiah 7in part72 ,nahum2 ,habakkuk2 ,zephaniah2 ,jeremiah2 ,lamentations2 ,ezekiel1 ,chapters #a to #cb ,although outwardly ,judah appeared to be the same after the fall of the ,northern ,kingdom as before1 it was not so4 ,a very different situation confronted ,hezekiah from that which had confronted his father ,ahaz when he called on ,assyria for help against ,syria and ,israel4 ,now there were no buffer states between ,assyria's empire and little ,judah4 ,and it was only a score of years after ,samaria fell when ,jerusalem felt the full force of ,assyria4 ,sennacherib1 fourth in that remarkable list of the six kings#a who made ,nineveh mistress of ,asia1 sent an army to besiege ,jerusalem1 with a summons to ,hezekiah to surrender his capital4 #a ,tiglath-pileser1 #gde-gbg ,b4,c42 ,shalmaneser1 #gbg-gbb2 ,sargon1 #gbb-gje2 ,sennacherib1 #gje-fha2 ,esar-haddon1 #fhj-ffh2 ,ashurbanipal1 #ffh-fbf4 ,a different spirit ruled this king4 ,isaiah1 the same great prophet who had counseled ,ahaz to resist ,pekah and ,rezin but had failed to move him to faith in ,jehovah1 found now in ,ahaz's son a vital faith in the ,god of ,israel in this far sorer crisis4 ,in response to that faith ,isaiah was commissioned by ,god to assure king and people of a great deliverance4 ,the case1 to all human seeming1 was hopeless4 ,but the resources at ,god's disposal are boundless1 and at one blow the angel of ,jehovah reduced the proud ,assyrian host to impotency and drove them away in retreat4 ,,ii ,kings #ai3ce4 ,scribes who record the achievements of ancient monarchs are not accustomed to betray any of the failures of their royal heroes4 ,but between the lines of ,sennacherib's records we can read confirmation of the ,bible's report of some great catastrophe to ,assyrian arms4 ,jehovah rewarded the faith of his people in him4 ,the seventh century before ,christ1 which began just after this event1 witnessed both the rise of ,assyria to its greatest height1 and its sudden fall before the ,chaldeans1 a people from the ,persian ,gulf1 who succeeded in mastering ancient ,babylon and in winning for it a greater glory than it had ever known in former times4 ,even in ,hezekiah's reign these ,chaldeans1 under their leader ,merodach-baladan1 were already challenging the supremacy of ,nineveh1 and in doing so were seeking allies in the west4 ,when the king of ,judah yielded to the dictates of pride and showed to these ,chaldean ambassadors his treasures1 ,isaiah announced to him that the final ruin of ,judah was to come in future days from this source1 and not from ,nineveh as might then have been anticipated4 ,manasseh1 ,hezekiah's successor1 was indeed taken as a captive to ,babylon for a time1 but the captor was a king of ,assyria4 ,,ii ,chron4 #cc3aa4 ,manasseh was thus punished for his great personal wickedness1 for he is pictured as the worst of all the descendants of ,david1 an idolator and a cruel persecutor4 ,yet his reign was long1 and at its close he is said to have repented and turned to ,jehovah4 ,but this did not prevent his son ,amon from following in his evil ways4 ,a revolt of the people within two years removed ,amon1 however1 and set his young son1 ,josiah1 upon the throne4 ,josiah's reign is important for the history of ,judah4 ,by putting together all that can be gleaned from ,kings1 ,chronicles1 and the prophets1 it can be seen that ,josiah gradually came more and more under the influence of the party in ,judah that sought to purge the nation of its idolatry and bring it back1 not merely to the comparatively pure worship and life of ,hezekiah's and ,david's days1 but to an ideal observance of the ancient ,law of ,moses4 ,the climax in the progressive reformation in ,judah was reached in ,josiah's eighteenth year1 #fbb ,b4,c41 when the king and all the people entered into a solemn league and covenant to obey the ,law of ,moses both as a religious obligation and as a social program4 ,the ,law book which was found while workmen were restoring the ,temple passed through the hands of ,hilkiah1 the high priest1 who therefore committed himself1 together with the priests1 to this reform4 ,and what the true prophets of ,jehovah thought of it may be seen1 for example1 from ,jer41 ch4 #aa1 which tells that this prophetic leader preached in the streets of ,jerusalem and through the cities of ,judah1 saying1 ,hear ye the words of this covenant1 and do them4 ,josiah attempted to attach to ,jerusalem all those elements in the territory of the former kingdom of ,israel which were in sympathy with ,jehovah's ,law1 and at ,bethel itself he defiled the old idolatrous altar and slew its priests4 ,in fact1 it was on northern ground1 at ,megiddo1 that ,josiah met his tragic end and the new wave of patriotic enthusiasm was shattered1 when1 in battle against ,pharaoh-necho and a great ,egyptian army1 the king of ,judah was killed4 ,josiah's four successors were weak and unworthy of ,david's line4 ,after ,jehoahaz1 the son whom the people put on the throne to succeed ,josiah1 had been removed by ,necho1 ,jehoiakim1 another son1 reigned for eleven years4 ,he owed his throne to the ,pharaoh and was at first tributary to him4 ,but early in his reign came the first of many campaigns of the ,chaldeans into ,palestine1 as ,nebuchadnezzar1 master of ,asia1 extended his power farther and farther south after crushing the ,egyptians at ,carchemish in #fje ,b4,c4 ,jehoiakim had to bow to ,nebuchadnezzar's yoke and seems to have lost his life in a fruitless attempt to shake it off4 ,a great number of the leaders of ,judah1 nobles1 priests1 soldiers1 and craftsmen1 were deported1 together with ,jehoiachin1 the young son of ,jehoiakim1 who had worn the crown but three months1 #eih ,b4,c4 ,for eleven years more1 however1 the remnant of ,judah maintained a feeble state under ,zedekiah1 a third son of ,josiah and the last of ,david's line to mount the throne4 ,in spite of his solemn oath to the king of ,babylon and in the face of the express warnings from ,jehovah through his prophets ,jeremiah and ,ezekiel1 this weak and faithless king revolted from ,babylon1 put his trust in the ,egyptian army1 and prepared to stand a siege4 ,but ,jerusalem's end had now come1 as ,samaria's had come before1 and through a breach in the northern wall the ,chaldean army entered2 the king fled and was captured1 blinded1 and deported1 and the whole city1 including houses1 walls1 gates1 and even the ,temple--that famous ,temple of ,solomon which had stood nearly four centuries--was totally destroyed1 #ehg ,b4,c4 ,all that remained of the higher classes1 together with the population of ,jerusalem and the chief towns1 were carried away to ,babylonia1 to begin that exile which had been threatened even in the ,law1 and predicted by many of the prophets1 as the extreme penalty for disobedience and idolatry4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xi #a4 ,how did the fall of ,samaria affect the ,kingdom of ,judah8 #b4 ,how did ,hezekiah meet the threats of ,sennacherib8 ,what was the outcome8 #c4 ,which king carried through a reformation of religion8 ,what was the basis of the covenant he imposed on ,judah8 ,how did he meet his end8 #d4 ,describe the relations of the ,chaldeans to ,judah in the time of ,hezekiah1 of ,jehoiakim1 of ,zedekiah8 #e4 ,when did ,jerusalem fall8 ,did it fall unexpectedly and without warning8 ,,lesson ,,xii ,the ,exile and the ,restoration ,ezekiel1 ,chapters #cc to #dh2 ,daniel2 ,ezra1 ,chapters #a1 #b ,when the northern tribes were carried away by ,assyria they lost their identity in the mass of the nations4 ,only individuals from among them attached themselves to the organized nucleus of ,judah4 ,from that time the one tribe of ,judah stood out so prominently as representative of the whole nation1 that ,jew 7that is1 man of ,judah7 has been equivalent to ,hebrew4 ,paul says that he was of the tribe of ,benjamin2 the aged prophetess ,anna is said to have been of the tribe of ,asher1 ,luke #b3cf1 and all the priests were of course of the tribe of ,levi2 yet long before ,new ,testament times all such ,israelites were commonly referred to as ,jews4 ,judah did not lose its identity among the nations when ,jerusalem fell4 ,the ,jews who were not deported1 among them the prophet ,jeremiah1 were put under the government of a certain ,jewish noble1 ,gedaliah1 who ruled the land from ,mizpah as representative of the great king4 ,many fugitives returned to live under his sway when they found that it was beneficent4 ,but ,gedaliah was soon murdered by a prince of ,david's house1 whom the king of ,ammon had set on to do this mischief and then received and protected4 ,the other ,jewish leaders feared to remain within reach of the king of ,babylon after this insult to him1 and against the warnings of ,jeremiah they all went down to ,egypt4 ,that removal ended all organized ,jewish life in ,palestine for nearly half a century4 ,in ,babylon1 however1 an event occurred long before that time had elapsed1 which marked the political recognition of ,judah's separate identity as a nation4 ,that event was the release of ,jehoiachin from prison by the new king of ,babylon1 ,evil-merodach1 successor of ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,jehoiachin1 it will be remembered1 was the unfortunate prince of ,david's line who held the throne only three months after his father ,jehoiakim's death and was then deported to ,babylon in #eih4 ,from that time on1 through all the remainder of ,nebuchadnezzar's long reign1 he had been imprisoned in ,babylon4 ,but now he was not only released1 but given a pension from the royal treasury for the rest of his life and a standing superior to all the other captive princes in ,babylon4 ,this was in #efb1 and many ,jewish hearts must already have begun to beat with fresh hope1 as the old loyalty to ,david's house flamed up1 and the promises of a restoration recorded in the old ,law and the ,prophets were echoed by the prophet of the ,exile1 ,ezekiel4 ,this man1 himself a priest by birth1 had been carried to ,babylon at the same time as ,jehoiachin1 and through all those years of doom had there preached to his countrymen1 first to the portion exiled with him while ,jerusalem still stood1 but after #ehg to the whole people united in a common catastrophe4 ,his voice had even reached to ,jerusalem1 as he joined ,jeremiah in reminding ,king ,zedekiah of his oath to ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,with the elevation of ,jehoiachin and the stirring of the national hopes1 ,ezekiel became the prophet of hope4 ,he pictures the breath of ,jehovah stirring to life the dry bones in the valley of death4 ,ezek41 ch4 #cg4 ,and he warns the optimistic people that only as ,god takes away from them their old stony heart and gives them a heart of flesh1 and sprinkles clean water upon them to cleanse them from their pollution through idolatry1 can they be fit to form the new community wherein ,god shall indeed reign4 ,ch4 #cf3be1 #bf4 ,what such a community might outwardly and visibly resemble1 ,ezekiel pictures in a long1 detailed1 descriptive vision wherewith his book closes4 ,chs4 #dj to #dh4 ,another outstanding ,jew of the ,exile was a man of an entirely different type4 ,daniel1 a noble youth carried away from ,judah to ,babylon at the first clash of ,nebuchadnezzar's armies with the ,jews1 #fje ,b4,c41 and brought up at the court1 succeeded through interpreting a dream of the king in attracting his notice and winning his favor1 much as ,joseph had done in ancient ,egypt4 ,dan41 ch4 #b4 ,from his position of political power1 ,daniel was able1 doubtless1 to minister to the interests of his brethren1 the ,jewish exiles4 ,possibly it is to him that ,jehoiachin owed his astonishing reversal of fortune4 ,at any rate ,belshazzar1 the last ruler of the ,chaldean state1 still maintained ,daniel in power1 in spite of the very solemn warning of ruin to that state which ,daniel fearlessly pronounced4 ,ch4 #e4 ,when the ,persians succeeded the ,chaldeans as masters of ,babylon1 this ,jewish statesman still held his high post1 and retained it in spite of the bitter enmity of officials who used his ,jewish faith as a handle against him4 ,ch4 #f4 ,in fact1 there is no better way to understand the favor accorded the ,jews by ,cyrus1 the ,persian conqueror1 and the edicts preserved in ,ezra #a3b-d2 #f3c-e1 than by supposing that ,daniel1 who had the king's ear1 brought to his attention the earlier prophecies of ,jeremiah and of other spokesmen for ,jehovah1 ,god of the ,jews4 ,certainly1 however the affair was managed1 it turned out entirely to the ,jews' liking4 ,all who were willing to return to ,palestine were permitted and encouraged to go4 ,they were assisted by the gifts of their brethren who could not1 or would not1 leave ,babylon4 ,they bore back with them the old vessels for the service of the sanctuary which ,nebuchadnezzar had carried off4 ,and1 best of all1 they took with them royal authority to erect the ,temple of ,jehovah on its ancient site1 at the expense of the king of ,persia1 that is1 out of taxes and tribute he remitted4 ,at their head went a prince of the old royal house1 and a high priest who was grandson of that high priest whom ,nebuchadnezzar had executed half a century before4 ,their number totaled forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty1 with enough slaves in addition to make the entire company number nearly fifty thousand4 ,their purpose was threefold3 to reoccupy the ,holy ,land1 to rebuild ,jerusalem1 and to erect a temple where ,solomon's ,temple had stood4 ,we should be likely to rate the importance of these three objects in the same order as that in which they have just been named4 ,but not so the believing ,jew4 ,it was above all else the sacred house of his ,god that he wanted to see restored1 so that the prescribed sacrifices of the ,law might be resumed1 the nation's sin might thus be atoned for1 and ,god might once more visibly dwell among his people4 ,all else was in order to this one great end4 ,the origin of ,judaism1 which lies in the movements of this time1 cannot be understood unless this supreme motive is clearly grasped4 ,how ,judaism developed under the new conditions will be the subject of the next lesson4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xii #a4 ,what is meant by a ,jew8 #b4 ,how did government of ,hebrews by a ,hebrew come to an end in ,palestine for the first time since ,saul's day8 #c4 ,what was the first political event to arouse the exiled ,jews from their depression8 #d4 ,compare ,ezekiel and ,daniel in their personality1 position1 and audience4 #e4 ,when ,cyrus captured ,babylon in #eci1 what did he do for the ,jews1 and how came he to do it8 #f4 ,how many ,jews returned to ,palestine under ,cyrus1 and what was their uppermost motive8 ,,lesson ,,xiii ,the ,jewish ,state ,under ,persia ,ezra1 ,chapters #c to #aj2 ,esther2 ,nehemiah2 ,haggai2 ,zechariah2 ,malachi ,for two centuries ,judea1 like the rest of western ,asia1 was under the domination of the ,persians1 whose great royal names1 ,cyrus1 ,darius1 ,xerxes1 ,artaxerxes1 are familiar to every student of history4 ,the ,old ,testament spans one of those two centuries of ,persian rule1 #eci-dcj1 while for the other century1 #dcj-ccb1 we are dependent for the little we know about the ,jews upon some documents recently discovered in ,egypt1 an occasional notice in classical historians1 and the brief narrative of ,josephus1 the ,jewish historian of the first ,christian century4 ,even in the century covered by the books of the ,bible there are long stretches of silence separating periods that are fairly reported4 ,first comes the time of ,zerubbabel and ,jeshua1 the leaders1 civil and religious1 under whom the ,jews returned and erected the ,temple4 ,this story carries us1 though with a seventeen-year gap in its midst1 from #ech1 the year after ,cyrus took ,babylon1 to #eae1 the sixth year of ,darius the ,great1 and is recorded in the first six chapters of the book of ,ezra4 ,to help us in understanding this time we have also the prophecies of ,haggai and ,zechariah1 though the last six chapters of ,zechariah belong to another age4 ,after the completion of the new ,temple the curtain falls on ,judea and1 save for a single verse1 ,ezra #d3f1 we hear no more of it for fifty-seven years4 ,however1 the interesting story of ,esther belongs in these years1 for the ,ahasuerus of the ,bible is the ,xerxes of ,greek history--that vain1 fickle1 and voluptuous monarch who was beaten at ,salamis and ,plata4 ,the ,jews must have been a part of the vast host with which he crossed from ,asia to ,europe4 ,but the drama unfolded in the book of ,esther was played far from ,palestine1 at ,susa1 the ,persian capital4 ,with the seventh year of the next reign--that of ,artaxerxes ,i--the curtain rises again on ,judea1 as we accompany thither the little band of ,jews whom ,ezra1 the priestly scribe1 brought back with him from ,babylonia to ,jerusalem4 ,this account is found in the last four chapters of the book of ,ezra1 most of it in the form of personal reminiscences covering less than one year4 ,the curtain falls again abruptly at the end of ,ezra's memoirs1 and rises as abruptly on ,nehemiah's memoirs at the beginning of the book which bears his name4 ,but there is every reason to believe that the letters exchanged between the ,samaritans and the ,persian court1 preserved in the fourth chapter of ,ezra1 belong to this interval of thirteen years between the two books of ,ezra and ,nehemiah4 ,for this alone can explain two riddles3 first1 who are the men that came up from thee unto ,jerusalem1 ,ezra #d3ab1 if they are not ,ezra and his company1 ch4 #g8 ,and second1 what else could explain the desolate condition of ,jerusalem and ,nehemiah's emotion on learning of it1 ,neh4 #a3c1 if not the mischief wrought by the ,jews' enemies when they went in haste to ,jerusalem1 armed with a royal injunction1 and made them to cease by force and power8 ,ezra #d3bc4 ,some persons are inclined to date the prophet ,malachi at just this time also1 shortly before ,nehemiah's arrival4 ,but it is probably better to place the ministry of this last of the ,old ,testament prophets at the end of ,nehemiah's administration4 ,nehemiah's points of contact with ,malachi are most numerous in his last chapter1 ch4 #ac1 in which he writes of his later visit to ,jerusalem4 ,compare ,neh4 #ac3f with ch4 #a3a4 ,in ,cyrus' reign the great ,return was followed immediately by the erection of an altar and the resumption of sacrifice4 ,preparations for rebuilding the ,temple1 however1 and even the laying of the corner stone1 proved a vain beginning1 as the ,samaritans1 jealous of the newcomers and angered by their own rebuff as fellow worshipers with the ,jews1 succeeded in hindering the prosecution of the work for many years4 ,ezra #c3a to #d3e4 ,it was not until the second year of ,darius' reign1 #ebj1 nearly two decades later1 that the little community1 spurred out of their selfishness and lethargy by ,haggai and ,zechariah1 arose and completed the new ,temple1 in the face of local opposition but with royal support4 ,ch4 #d3bd to #f3ae4 ,fifty-seven years later1 in the seventh year of ,artaxerxes1 #deh1 came ,ezra with some fifteen hundred men1 large treasures1 and sweeping privileges confirmed by a royal edict1 the text of which he has preserved in the seventh chapter of his book4 ,he was given the king's support in introducing the ,law of ,god as the law of the land1 binding upon all its inhabitants1 whom he was to teach its contents and punish for infractions of it4 ,how ,ezra used his exceptional powers in carrying out the reform he judged most needed--the dissolution of mixed marriages between ,jew and ,gentile forbidden by the ,law--is told in detail in his own vivid language in chs4 #i1 #aj4 ,it helps us to understand ,malachi's zeal in this same matter4 ,mal4 #b3aa4 ,and the difficulty of this reform appears also from ,nehemiah's memoirs1 since the same abuse persisted twenty-five years after ,ezra fought it4 ,neh4 #ac3bc-bg4 ,after the failure to fortify ,jerusalem recorded in ,ezra #d3h-bc1 ,nehemiah1 a ,jew in high station and favor at ,artaxerxes' court1 obtained from his king a personal letter1 appointing him governor of ,judea for a limited time1 with the special commission to rebuild the walls and gates of ,jerusalem4 ,the same bitter hostility which the ,samaritans and other neighbors in ,palestine throughout had shown toward the returned ,jews1 reached its climax in the efforts of ,sanballat and others in public and private station to hinder ,nehemiah's purpose4 ,but with great energy and bravery1 and with a personal appeal and example that swept all into the common stream of patriotic service1 ,nehemiah built the ruined walls and gates in fifty-two days1 instituted social reforms1 ch4 #e1 and imposed a covenant on all the people to obey the ,law which ,ezra read and expounded4 ,chs4 #h to #aj4 ,elements in the little nation that joined with his enemies to discredit and even to assassinate him were banished or curbed4 ,the origin of the peculiar sect of the ,samaritan is connected with ,nehemiah through his rigor in banishing a grandson of the high priest who had married ,sanballat's daughter4 ,this disloyalty of the priesthood is also one of ,malachi's chief indictments against his nation1 and the basis of his promise that a great reformer1 an ,elijah1 should arise to prepare the sinful people for the coming of their ,god4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xiii #a4 ,how long after the ,return was the ,temple finished8 ,who hindered8 ,who helped8 #b4 ,what are the scene and the date of the book of ,esther8 #c4 ,compare the return of the ,jews to ,jerusalem under ,ezra with that under ,zerubbabel 7a7 in date1 7b7 in numbers1 7c7 in purpose and result4 #d4 ,tell the story of ,nehemiah3 the occasion of his return1 his enemies1 his achievements4 ,in what did ,ezra help him8 #e4 ,associate the ministry of the three prophets of this period after the ,exile with the leaders and movements they respectively helped4 ,,lesson ,,xiv ,israel's ,religious ,life ,it has often been said that while civilization owes its art and letters to ,greece and its law and order to ,rome1 it owes its religion and ethics to ,palestine4 ,this is true1 within limits1 provided we understand that what ,israel contributed was not the product of its native genius for religion1 but was due to the persistent grace of its ,god1 who took this fewest of all peoples and made of it the custodian of his revelation and the cradle of his redemption for the whole world4 ,when1 however1 the ,hebrew claimed preminence through these two things1 a saving ,god and a righteous ,law1 it was no idle boast4 ,so ,moses eloquently asks in ,deuteronomy3 ,what great nation is there1 that hath a god so nigh unto them1 as ,jehovah our ,god is whensoever we call upon him8 ,and what great nation is there1 that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law1 which ,i set before you this day8 ,deut4 #d3g1 #h4 ,religion as developed in ,israel had two sides1 an inward and an outward4 ,on its inward side it consisted of a faith in ,jehovah cherished in the hearts of the people1 together with the sentiments of reverence and love1 and the purposes of loyalty and consecration1 which grew out of that faith4 ,on its outward side religion consisted of certain objects and ceremonies1 adapted to express by act and symbol the relation between ,god and his people4 ,but there is also another distinction often made in speaking of religion1 the distinction between individual religion and national religion4 ,each member of the ,hebrew nation held a personal relation to his ,god4 ,the ,law of ,god addressed him individually as it said to him1 ,thou shalt not4 ,and1 on a still higher level1 ,moses summed up that ,law for him in these memorable words1 ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart4 ,yet the entire body of ,israel1 as such1 held a relation to ,god which his spokesmen are continually trying to illustrate and enrich by all sorts of figures4 ,god is ,israel's ,rock1 ,possessor or ,purchaser1 ,redeemer1 ,father--until ,isaiah can even say to the nation1 ,thy ,maker is thy husband1 and ,hosea and ,ezekiel can portray ,god's dealings with ,israel under the allegory of a marriage4 ,it would be a mistake1 however1 to suppose that all the inward religion was individual and all the outward religion national4 ,there was provision in the ceremonial law1 not only for sacrifices on a national scale1 like those of the day of atonement1 but also for each man to express outwardly his own penitence or devotion or gratitude or obligation to ,god by means of a personal sacrifice1 publicly offered but privately planned and provided4 ,and1 on the other hand1 the psalms and the prophets cannot be understood1 unless we realize the general religious life of the nation that lies back of these highly individual forms of expression4 ,that was why1 when ,david thinking of himself could write1 ,the ,lord is my shepherd1 the whole people could take that sentence and the psalm it begins for use in public worship as the collective expression of ,israel's trust in its ,god4 ,the great fact of sin is responsible for the perversion of the true relation between these different varieties of religious life4 ,in theory1 every symbolic object and action at tabernacle or ,temple was merely the outward expression of an inward idea or feeling or resolve4 ,every smoking sacrifice on the altar was supposed to come from an offerer drawing near to ,god in the sincere belief that he is1 and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him4 ,heb4 #aa3f4 ,but in fact the offerer was in constant danger of looking upon all the gifts and victims he brought as so many bribes with which he might buy the favor of an offended ,god1 or1 worse still1 might obtain an indulgence to do some evil deed he planned4 ,this is what ,jeremiah means when he cries1 ,will ye steal1 murder1 and commit adultery1 and swear falsely 444 and come and stand before me in this house1 which is called by my name1 and say1 ,we are delivered2 that ye may do all these abominations8 ,jer4 #g3i1 #aj4 ,if the private worshiper was in danger of abusing the worship of ,god in this way1 how much more was the priest1 the professional sacrificer and celebrant1 in danger of looking upon all his duties as a kind of authorized magic6 ,do this external act1 and that inward benefit will surely follow4 ,offer this lamb1 and cease to think about that black sin for which the lamb is the official price4 ,yes1 even this3 ,go and do it again1 but don't forget to bring another lamb6 ,is it any wonder that at length ,malachi1 after lashing the priests of his late day for their laziness1 cynicism1 and greed1 cries out in ,jehovah's name1 ,oh that there were one among you that would shut the doors of the ,temple1 that ye might not kindle fire on mine altar in vain6 ,mal4 #a3aj4 ,all along the course of ,hebrew history we find prophets and psalmists protesting against this sinful perversion of ceremonial religion4 ,see for example ,i ,sam4 #ae3bb2 ,ps4 #dj3f-h2 #ej2 ,isa4 #a3aj-ag2 ,micah #f3f-h4 ,and yet it would be a mistake to say that the prophet stood for pure and spiritual religion1 and the priest for merely external1 formal religion4 ,some of the greatest of the prophets1 as ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 ,zechariah1 were priests4 ,and how far the prophets could become professional declaimers and deceivers may be seen1 for example1 from ,micah #c3e-h4 ,the ,hebrew prophets1 notably ,amos and ,hosea1 are sometimes represented as the inventors of ethical monotheism1 that is1 of religion as consisting in the worship of one ,god1 who is the moral ideal of man and demands moral living in man4 ,but in fact1 that is precisely the basis of all genuine ,old ,testament religion1 from the very beginning4 ,see ,heb41 ch4 #aa4 ,and1 particularly1 that is the basis of the entire ,law1 even of the ceremonial law4 ,for that ,law must not be judged by its sinful abuse1 but by the principles of righteousness1 holiness1 repentance1 and fellowship that underlie every article in the sanctuary1 every sacrifice on the altar1 every rite prescribed and observance commanded4 ,at their best the priests were allies of the true prophets1 and external religion as centering in the ,temple was for the time a fitting expression of ,israel's personal and national faith4 ,if it had not been so1 then such psalms as ,psalms #bd1 #db1 #fe1 #hd1 #abb could never have been written1 preserved1 and used4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xiv #a4 ,what ground had ,israel for glorying8 ,see ,rom4 #i3d1 #e4 #b4 ,give illustrations to show that individual as well as national religion in ,israel expressed itself externally1 and that spiritual as well as ceremonial religion belonged to both the nation and the individual4 #c4 ,what sinful abuse of sacrifice were the prophets constantly attacking8 ,did they thereby condemn ,temple1 altar1 priesthood1 and ceremonial law in themselves8 #d4 ,were all the prophets spiritually minded1 or all the priests merely professional8 ,give instances from history of alliances between prophets and priests4 ,,lesson ,,xv ,the ,coming ,one ,the ,old ,testament points forward4 ,the whole impression it leaves upon us is that of an unfinished thing4 ,its history moves toward a goal outside of itself4 ,its religion is a religion of expectation4 ,all its institutions are typical1 that is1 they represent more than themselves1 because they belong to a larger order of things which appears imperfectly in them4 ,in the last lesson we saw how priest and prophet had their own place in ,israel4 ,but both priest and prophet also typified a perfect priesthood and a perfect prophecy1 to be realized under ideal conditions which were never present in those times4 ,when1 for example1 ,aaron made atonement for the sins of the nation once each year1 as provided in ,lev41 ch4 #af1 he had to present first the blood of the bullock which was the sin offering for himself1 before he presented the blood of the goat which was the sin offering for the people4 ,but ideally1 in his position as mediator between ,god and the sinful people1 he was a sinless man2 the blood of the bullock and the pure1 white garments he put on were supposed to indicate that he was sinless for the moment4 ,nothing could be clearer than that he typified a perfect high priest for ,god's people1 who should be really a sinless man--one who needed no mechanism of altar1 victim1 and dress to make him pure from personal sin4 ,see ,heb41 chs4 #e to #aj1 especially ch4 #g3bf-bh4 ,again ,moses looks forward to the realization in the future of the ideal communication between ,god and his people typified in the prophet4 ,a prophet1 says he1 ,jehovah thy ,god will raise up unto thee4 ,from the midst of thee1 like unto me4 ,deut4 #ah3ae-ai4 ,this ideal prophet will perfectly hear and perfectly transmit divine truth to men4 ,it was on the basis of this promise that many persons described our ,lord as the prophet1 meaning thereby that perfect prophet promised by ,moses4 ,john #a3ba1 #be2 #g3dj4 ,but there was another institution of ,old ,testament times which more than prophet or priest was associated in the people's minds with the ideal future4 ,this was kingship4 ,god himself was theoretically ,king--sole ,king--of ,israel4 ,isa4 #cc3bb4 ,but at the entreaty of his sinful and harassed people he instructed ,samuel to make them a king4 ,and while ,samuel warned them of the evils which the monarchy would bring with it because of the sinfulness of the men who should be king1 he nevertheless set up a throne that by its very nature was unique4 ,the king of ,israel was in a peculiar sense the representative of ,jehovah4 ,he ruled for ,god4 ,he was his own anointed1 set apart for the exercise of supreme authority over ,god's people on earth and entitled to their religious as well as patriotic devotion4 ,see1 for example1 ,psalms #ba1 #aja4 ,after the failure of ,saul to obey ,god's instructions1 ,samuel anointed1 at ,god's dictation and against his own human judgment1 ,david the son of ,jesse4 ,this man proved himself1 not indeed sinless nor the ideal king1 but a man after ,god's heart1 ,acts #ac3bb1 because his dominant purpose was to do ,god's will4 ,to ,david therefore was given the remarkable promise contained in ,,ii ,sam41 ch4 #g4 ,in a word1 this promise was an irrevocable1 eternal covenant1 granting sovereignty to ,david's house--that is1 his posterity considered as a unit--over ,god's ,kingdom on earth4 ,the story of how men came to understand better and better the vastness of this covenant1 which ,isaiah calls the sure mercies of ,david1 ch4 #ee3c1 forms the subject of that special ,old ,testament study called ,messianic ,prophecy4 ,in the psalms and in the prophecies we are able to trace a growing faith1 that by an ideal king of ,david's line ,jehovah will finally work his long delayed will in and through ,israel4 ,this ,person is commonly called the ,messiah1 because ,messiah means ,anointed4 ,its ,greek equivalent is the ,christ4 ,while other persons also were anointed with oil when they assumed office1 kings were always so anointed and the idea belongs peculiarly to kingship4 ,by the time our ,lord appeared1 no other side of the work which this ideal1 promised1 longed-for ,coming ,one was to do1 was so prominent as that of ruling for ,god as the ,king of ,israel4 ,for this reason ,jesus of ,nazareth is known to all who believe in his claims as the ,christ1 and such believers are thence called ,christians4 ,this title of ,christ connects ,jesus with the line of ,david1 to which he actually belonged by descent1 and it also connects him with the promise to ,david1 of which he was the heir and the fulfillment4 ,we have thus seen that the ,coming ,one1 ,luke #g3ai2 ,john #aa3bg1 toward whom the eyes of ,israel were directed1 was to be prophet1 priest1 and king4 ,in all these offices and the various duties they involved he was to be the one chosen from among the people--a man therefore1 servant of the servants of ,god4 ,yet this is not all4 ,alongside these promises there was a promise also that ,jehovah himself would come to dwell among his people4 ,the ,holy of ,holies1 with its ,ark of the ,presence and its ,mercy seat for revelation and atonement1 was itself typical of an ideal presence of ,god among men4 ,and through psalm and prophet we can trace this promise also4 ,now it is terrible with its threat to sinners1 and now it is glorious with its hope for the oppressed4 ,at length in ,malachi we read in the clearest words1 ,the ,lord1 whom ye seek1 will suddenly come to his temple4 ,mal4 #c3a1 #e4 ,preceded by his messenger to prepare the way before him1 ,israel's divine ,lord himself is to come for judgment and salvation4 ,see also ,ps4 #if3ac2 #ih3i4 ,it was not made so plain to the men of ancient ,israel just how these two lines of promise were to be united1 as it appears to us now in the light of later facts4 ,but we1 who worship ,jesus of ,nazareth not only as ,son of ,david according to the flesh1 but as divine ,lord from heaven1 in two distinct natures and one person for ever1 can look back on those old prophecies of men who spake from ,god1 being moved by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,,ii ,peter #a3ba4 ,we can see in them ,god's purpose to make this great ,son of ,david a true ,immanuel1 ,isa4 #g3ad--;a ,person in whom ,god actually is with us4 ,god gave to him such names as ,wonderful1 ,counsellor1 ,mighty ,god1 ,everlasting ,father1 ,prince of ,peace1 because he should really be all that these names imply4 ,isa4 #i3f4 ,for the ,child who was born in little ,bethlehem1 the city of ,david1 was not merely one who should be ruler in ,israel1 but also one whose goings forth are from of old1 from everlasting4 ,micah #e3b4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xv #a4 ,how did the priests and prophets in ,israel point forward to an ideal ,priest and ,prophet8 #b4 ,what was the relation of ,israel's king to ,jehovah8 ,in whose house was this office made eternal8 ,in what ,person has this promise been fulfilled8 #c4 ,how was the promise that ,god himself should be the ,coming ,one consistent with the promise of a human ,prophet1 ,priest1 and ,king8 ,where is it indicated in the ,old ,testament that both promises might be fulfilled in one ,person8 ,,section ,,ii ,the ,life of ,christ and the ,development of the ,church in ,new ,testament ,times ,by ,john ,gresham ,machen1 ,d4,d4 ,,lesson ,i ,the ,preparation ,at the time when the ,old ,testament narrative closes1 the ,jews were under the rule of ,persia4 ,the ,persian control continued for about one hundred years more1 and then gave way to the empire of ,alexander the ,great4 ,alexander was king of ,macedonia1 a country to the north of ,greece2 but the language and culture of his court were ,greek4 ,after ,greece proper had been conquered by ,alexander's father1 ,philip1 ,alexander himself proceeded to the conquest of the ,east4 ,the ,persian ,empire fell in #cca ,b4,c41 and with the other ,persian possessions ,jerusalem came into the hands of the conqueror4 ,in #cbc ,b4,c41 when ,alexander died1 his vast empire1 which extended around the eastern end of the ,mediterranean ,sea and to the borders of ,india1 at once fell to pieces4 ,but the kingdoms into which the empire was divided were to a large extent ,greek kingdoms4 ,short-lived1 therefore1 as ,alexander's empire was1 it had the permanent effect of spreading the ,greek language and ,greek civilization over the ,eastern world4 ,it became thus1 as will be seen1 one of the most important factors in the divine preparation for the gospel4 ,after the death of ,alexander1 the country of ,judea became a bone of contention between two of the kingdoms into which ,alexander's empire was divided--the ,greek kingdom of ,syria and the ,greek kingdom of ,egypt4 ,at last1 however1 the ,syrian kingdom1 with its capital at ,antioch1 near the northeastern corner of the ,mediterranean ,sea1 gained the upper hand4 ,judea became part of the territory of the ,syrian monarchs4 ,in the reign of ,antiochus ,,iv of ,syria1 called ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 #age-afd ,b4,c41 the ,jews began a war for independence4 ,antiochus ,epiphanes had desecrated the ,temple at ,jerusalem by setting up an image of a heathen god in the ,holy of ,holies4 ,the result was the glorious revolt of the ,jews under ,mattathias and his sons--the family of the ,maccabees4 ,the ,maccabean uprising1 of which a stirring account has been preserved in the ,first ,book of the ,maccabees1 an apocryphal book attached to the ,old ,testament1 certainly constitutes one of the most glorious chapters in the history of liberty4 ,the uprising was successful1 and for about one hundred years the little country of the ,jews1 though surrounded by powerful neighbors1 succeeded in maintaining its independence4 ,at first the ,maccabees had been animated by a religious motive2 the revolt had been due not to an interference with what may be called civil liberty1 but to the desecration by ,antiochus ,epiphanes of the ,temple and to the attempt at prohibiting the worship of ,jehovah4 ,as time went on1 however1 the ,maccabean rulers became more worldly in their purposes and thus alienated the devout element among their people4 ,hence the little kingdom became an easy prey to the next great world empire which appeared upon the scene4 ,that empire was the empire of ,rome4 ,originally a small city-state in ,italy1 ,rome had gradually extended her conquests until she came into conflict with ,greece and with the ,greek kingdoms of the ,eastern world4 ,weakened by many causes1 the successors of ,alexander soon succumbed1 and among them the monarchs of ,syria4 ,judea could not resist the new conqueror4 ,in #fc ,b4,c41 the famous ,roman general1 ,pompey1 entered ,jerusalem1 and ,jewish independence was at an end4 ,the ,roman control was exerted in ,palestine for a time through subservient high priests1 until in #cg ,b4,c4 ,herod the ,great was made king4 ,herod was not a real ,jew1 but an ,iduman2 and at heart he had little or no attachment to the ,jews' religion4 ,but he was wise enough not to offend ,jewish feeling in the outrageous way that had proved so disastrous to ,antiochus ,epiphanes4 ,throughout his reign ,herod was of course thoroughly subservient to the ,romans2 though a king1 he was strictly a vassal king4 ,herod reigned from #cg ,b4,c4 to #d ,b4,c4 ,his kingdom embraced not only ,judea1 but all ,palestine4 ,it was near the end of ,herod's reign that our ,saviour was born4 ,thus the reckoning of the ,christian era1 which was instituted many centuries after ,christ1 is at least four years too low2 ,jesus was born a little earlier than #d ,b4,c4 ,when ,pompey conquered ,jerusalem in #fc ,b4,c41 ,rome was still a republic4 ,but before many years had elapsed ,julius ,csar assumed the supreme power1 and the ancient ,roman liberties were gone4 ,after the assassination of ,csar in #dd ,b4,c41 there was a long period of civil war4 ,finally ,augustus was triumphant1 and the ,roman ,empire began4 ,in the long reign of ,augustus1 #bg ,b4,c4 to ,a4,d4 #ad1 our ,saviour was born4 ,the political events which have just been outlined did not take place by chance4 ,they were all parts of the plan of ,god which prepared for the coming of the ,lord4 ,when ,jesus finally came1 the world was prepared for his coming4 ,in the first place1 the ,roman ,empire provided that peace and unity which was needed for the spread of the gospel4 ,war interrupts communication between nations4 ,but when the apostles went forth from ,jerusalem to spread the good news of ,christ to the world1 there was no war to interrupt their course4 ,nation was bound to nation under the strong hand of ,rome4 ,travel was comparatively safe and easy1 and despite occasional persecution the earliest missionaries usually enjoyed the protection of ,roman law4 ,in the second place1 the ,greek language provided a medium of communication4 ,when the ,romans conquered the ,eastern world1 they did not endeavor to substitute their own language for the language which already prevailed4 ,such an attempt would only have produced confusion4 ,indeed1 the ,romans themselves adopted the ,greek language as a convenient medium of communication4 ,greek thus became a world language4 ,the original1 local languages of the various countries continued to be used 7,aramaic1 for example1 was used in ,palestine71 but ,greek was a common medium4 ,thus when the apostles went forth to the evangelization of the world1 there were no barriers of language to check their course4 ,in the third place1 the dispersion of the ,jews provided the early missionaries everywhere with a starting point for their labors4 ,as a result not only of captivity1 but also of voluntary emigration1 the ,jews in the first century were scattered abroad throughout the cities of the world very much as they are scattered to-day4 ,but there was one important difference4 ,to-day the ,jewish synagogues are attended only by ,jews4 ,in those days they were attended also by men of other races4 ,thus when ,paul and the other ,christian missionaries exercised their privilege of speaking in the synagogues1 they were speaking not only to ,jews but also to a picked audience of ,gentiles4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,i #a4 ,name in order the foreign powers which possessed the country of the ,jews1 beginning with ,old ,testament times and continuing down to the present day4 #b4 ,what was the importance of the ,maccabean uprising in the preparation for the coming of the ,lord8 ,what would have happened if ,antiochus ,epiphanes had been successful8 #c4 ,what was the importance of the ,roman ,empire for the spread of the gospel8 of the ,greek language8 of the dispersion of the ,jews8 ,,lesson ,,ii ,the ,coming of the ,lord ,john #a3a-ah ,when the ,son of ,god came to earth for our salvation1 the world was ready for his coming4 ,the whole course of history had been made to lead up to him4 ,and he was well worthy of being thus the goal of history4 ,for the ,one who came was none other than the eternal ,son of ,god1 the ,word who was with ,god and who was ,god4 ,he had existed from all eternity2 he had been the instrument in creating the world4 ,he was himself truly ,god1 the same in substance with the ,father1 and equal in power and glory4 ,yet the ,one who was so great humbled himself to be born as a man and finally to suffer and die4 ,his coming was a voluntary act1 an act of the ,father in giving him for the sins of the world1 and his own act which he performed because he loved us4 ,it was an act of infinite condescension4 ,the ,son of ,god humbled himself to lead a true human life2 he took upon himself our nature4 ,he was born1 he grew in wisdom and stature1 he suffered1 he died4 ,he was always ,god1 but he became also man4 ,who can measure the depth of such condescending love8 ,what1 then1 was the manner of his coming8 ,the story is told1 in beautiful narrative1 in the first two chapters of ,matthew and ,luke4 ,luke #a3e-be1 #eg-hj ,first1 the birth of ,john the ,baptist1 the forerunner1 was announced by the angel ,gabriel to ,zacharias1 a devout priest1 as he was ministering in the ,temple4 ,luke #a3e-be4 ,zacharias was old2 he had given up hope of children4 ,the promise seemed to him too wonderful to be true2 he doubted the angel's word4 ,but the punishment which was inflicted upon him for his doubt was temporary merely1 and the bitterness of it was swallowed up in joy for the child that was born4 ,the tongue of ,zacharias1 which had been dumb on account of his sin1 was loosed1 and he uttered a wonderful song of praise4 ,vs4 #eg-hj4 ,luke #a3bf-ef ,but before ,john was born1 in fulfillment of the angel's promise1 there was a promise of a greater than ,john4 ,luke #a3bf-ef4 ,the angel ,gabriel was sent from ,god unto a city of ,galilee1 named ,nazareth1 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was ,joseph1 of the house of ,david2 and the virgin's name was ,mary4 ,it was a far more wonderful promise than that which had come to ,zacharias1 not only because of the greater glory of the promised ,son1 but also because of the mystery of his birth4 ,the child was to have no human father1 but was to be given by the power of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,but this time1 despite the strangeness of the promise1 there was no unbelief1 as in the case of ,zacharias4 ,behold1 the handmaid of the ,lord1 said ,mary2 be it unto me according to thy word4 ,and then ,mary went to ,judea to visit her kinswoman ,elisabeth1 the wife of ,zacharias2 and while in ,judea she gave glorious expression to her thanksgiving in the hymn which is called1 from the first word of it in the ,latin translation1 the ,magnificat--,my soul doth magnify the ,lord1 and my spirit hath rejoiced in ,god my ,saviour4 ,then ,mary returned to her own home in ,nazareth4 ,matthew #a3ah-be ,but another announcement of the ,saviour's birth was made to ,joseph1 who was betrothed to ,mary4 ,matt4 #a3ah-be4 ,joseph was to have the high privilege of caring for the child that was to be born4 ,fear not to take unto thee ,mary thy wife1 said the angel to ,joseph in a dream1 for that which is conceived in her is of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and here again1 there was no unbelief and no disobedience4 ,joseph did as the angel of the ,lord commanded him1 and took unto him his wife4 ,luke #b3a-g ,joseph and ,mary lived in ,nazareth1 a town of the northern part of ,palestine1 which was called ,galilee4 ,but the promised ,child was to belong to the house of ,david1 and it was fitting that he should be born at ,bethlehem1 a little town five miles south of ,jerusalem where ,david himself had been born4 ,to cause him to be born at ,bethlehem1 ,god made use of an event of world politics4 ,luke #b3a-g4 ,a decree had gone out from the emperor1 ,augustus1 that the whole empire should be enrolled4 ,this enrollment or census seems to have been carried out in the kingdom of ,herod the ,great by the ,jewish method which took account of family relationships4 ,so1 although at the time ,joseph and ,mary were living at ,nazareth1 they went up to the home of ,joseph's ancestors1 to ,bethlehem1 to be enrolled4 ,and at ,bethlehem the ,saviour was born4 ,there was no room in the lodging place4 ,the ,child was laid1 therefore1 in a manger that was intended for the feeding of cattle4 ,luke #b3h-bj ,but humble as were the surroundings of the newborn ,king1 his birth was not without manifestations of glory4 ,luke #b3h-bj4 ,shepherds1 keeping watch in the fields by night1 heard a multitude of the heavenly host praising ,god and saying1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased4 ,the shepherds went then to see the sign which had been made known to them4 ,it was a strange sign indeed--,christ the ,lord1 the promised ,king1 wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger6 ,luke #b3ba-ch2 ,matthew #b3a-ab ,forty days after the birth of ,jesus1 ,joseph and ,mary made the offering according to the ,old ,testament law1 and presented the ,child1 as the first-born1 to the ,lord in the ,temple at ,jerusalem4 ,luke #b3ba-ch4 ,then they must have returned to ,bethlehem1 for it was at ,bethlehem that gifts were presented by ,wise ,men from the ,east4 ,matt4 #b3a-ab4 ,the ,wise ,men had been guided to ,bethlehem partly by a wonderful star which they had first seen in their own country1 and partly by questions which were answered by the scribes4 ,matthew #b3ac-bc ,but the life of the infant ,saviour was not all to be a hearing of angels' songs and a reception of gold and frankincense and myrrh4 ,the ,lord had come to suffer for the sins of the world1 and the last great suffering on the cross was anticipated by the persecution which came in the early days4 ,matt4 #b3ac-ah4 ,the suspicions of ,herod1 the jealous king1 had been aroused by the questions of the ,wise ,men4 ,he sent to ,bethlehem to put a possible rival out of the way4 ,but it was too late4 ,the king's rage was vented upon the innocent children of the little town1 but ,god had cared for the infant ,saviour4 ,the ,lord was finally to die for the sins of the world4 ,but meanwhile many words of wisdom and grace were to fall from his lips2 his hour was not yet come4 ,joseph was warned of ,god in a dream1 and took the young ,child and his mother away to ,egypt1 out of the way of harm1 until ,herod the ,great was dead4 ,then they returned to ,nazareth1 where the ,child was to spend long1 quiet years of preparation for his work4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,ii #a4 ,what life had our ,saviour lived before he came to earth8 ,did he cease to be ,god while he was on earth8 #b4 ,why did he come8 #c4 ,who was his forerunner8 ,what sort of persons were the parents of the forerunner8 #d4 ,how did ,jesus come to be born at ,bethlehem8 #e4 ,what was the character of his mother8 ,,lesson ,,iii ,the ,baptism ,luke #b3dj-ej ,the ,new ,testament tells very little about the boyhood and early manhood of our ,saviour4 ,one incident1 however1 is narrated4 ,luke #b3da-ej4 ,joseph and ,mary1 we are told1 were in the habit of going up from ,galilee to ,jerusalem every year in the spring at the feast of the passover4 ,when ,jesus was twelve years old1 he went up with them4 ,but when they left ,jerusalem on the return1 ,jesus remained behind in the ,temple1 to study the ,old ,testament2 and when ,joseph and ,mary found him1 he replied to their inquiries1 ,knew ye not that ,i must be about my ,father's business8 ,the incident shows the presence even in the human consciousness of the boy ,jesus of a knowledge of the great mission that he was called to fulfill and of his special relation to ,god4 ,luke #b3ea1 #eb ,but the consciousness of these great things did not prevent our ,saviour from performing the humble tasks of daily life and from being obedient to his human parents4 ,luke #b3ea1 #eb4 ,jesus became a carpenter1 and since ,joseph also was a carpenter1 no doubt ,jesus learned the trade in early youth4 ,mark #f3c2 ,matt4 #ac3ee4 ,for many years1 till he was about thirty years old1 the ,saviour of the world labored at the carpenter's bench1 and lived as an obedient son in a humble home at ,nazareth4 ,luke #c3bc4 ,at last1 however1 the time came for the beginning of his public ministry4 ,before that ministry is studied1 it may be well to cast a glance at the condition of the country into which ,jesus now came forward4 ,when ,herod the ,great died in #d ,b4,c41 his dominions were divided among his three sons4 ,archelaus received ,judea1 the southern part of ,palestine1 with ,jerusalem as its chief city2 ,herod ,antipas1 the ,herod who is mentioned in the ,gospels in connection with ,jesus' public ministry1 received ,galilee and a district to the east of the ,jordan ,river called ,perea2 and ,philip received a region lying to the east of ,galilee and to the north of ,perea4 ,when ,archelaus was banished in ,a4,d4 #f1 his territory was placed under the control of ,roman officials called procurators4 ,the procurator who was in office during ,jesus' public ministry was ,pontius ,pilate4 ,herod ,antipas1 with the title of tetrarch1 continued to rule until ,a4,d4 #ci2 ,philip until about ,a4,d4 #cc4 ,the public ministry of ,jesus extended from ,a4,d4 #bf or #bg to ,a4,d4 #bi or #cj4 ,during most of that time he was in the territory of ,herod ,antipas and of ,pontius ,pilate1 though occasionally he entered the territory of ,philip4 ,matthew #c3a-ab1 and ,parallels ,the beginning of ,jesus' public ministry was prepared for by the work of ,john the ,baptist4 ,matt4 #c3a-ab1 and parallels4 ,john was the last and greatest prophet of the old dispensation1 who came just before the dawn of the new age4 ,for centuries prophecy had been silent4 ,but at last a prophet came in the spirit and power of ,elijah to prepare the heart of the people for the promised ,messiah4 ,even in dress and in manner of life1 ,john was like a prophet of the olden time4 ,his food was locusts and wild honey2 he was clothed with a rough camel's-hair garment2 and his preaching was carried on in the deserts4 ,the substance of his message is summed up in the words1 ,repent ye2 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand4 ,matt4 #c3b4 ,the phrase1 kingdom of heaven1 or kingdom of ,god1 was evidently familiar to the hearers of ,john1 and the meaning of the phrase1 up to a certain point1 is perfectly clear4 ,as the kingdom of ,csar is the place where ,csar bears rule1 so the ,kingdom of ,god is the place1 or the condition1 where ,god bears rule4 ,in one sense1 the whole universe is the ,kingdom of ,god1 for nothing happens apart from ,god's will4 ,but evidently ,john was using the phrase in some narrower sense2 he meant by the ,kingdom of ,god the condition where ,god's will is wrought out to completion1 where the sinful disobedience which prevails in the world is banished and ,god is truly ,king4 ,the ,jews expected an age which should be under the perfect control of ,god4 ,but they were surprised by what ,john the ,baptist said about the requirements for entrance into that age4 ,they had supposed that all ,jews would have the blessing of the ,kingdom1 but ,john told them that only the righteous would be allowed to enter in4 ,it was a startling message1 since the hearers of ,john knew only too well that they did not possess the righteousness which was required4 ,repentance1 therefore1 or cleansing from sin1 was necessary4 ,and the sign of cleansing was baptism4 ,matthew #c3ac to #d3aa1 and ,parallels ,among those who came to be baptized was ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,matt4 #c3ac-ae1 and parallels4 ,jesus did not need to be baptized for his own sake1 for he had no sin to be washed away4 ,but his baptism was part of what he was doing for his people4 ,just as on the cross he received the punishment of sin1 though there was no sin of his own1 so in his baptism he represented the sinful people whom he came to save4 ,when ,jesus had been baptized1 there was a wonderful event which was perceived not only by him but also by ,john the ,baptist4 ,matt4 #c3af1 #ag1 and parallels4 ,the ,holy ,spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove1 and there was a voice from heaven which said1 ,this is my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4 ,this event marks the beginning of ,jesus' public ministry as ,messiah4 ,he had been the ,messiah already1 and he had already possessed the ,holy ,spirit2 but now the power of the ,spirit impelled him to come forward definitely as the promised ,one4 ,at the very beginning1 however1 there was temptation to be overcome4 ,matt4 #d3a-aa1 and parallels4 ,jesus was led up from the deep ,jordan ,valley1 where the baptism had taken place1 into the wilderness on the heights4 ,and there he was tempted4 ,the temptation was based upon the holy experience which he had just received4 ,the voice from heaven had designated ,jesus as ,son of ,god4 ,if that be true1 said the ,tempter1 if thou art really ,son of ,god1 use thy power to obtain creature comfort1 test out thy power by casting thyself down from a pinnacle of the ,temple1 obtain the immediate enjoyment of thy power by doing obeisance to me4 ,the ,devil quoted ,scripture for his evil purpose4 ,but ,jesus did not need to repudiate the ,scripture in order to refute him4 ,the ,holy ,scriptures themselves contained a sufficient answer to every suggestion of the ,evil ,one4 ,the great victory was won4 ,the ,kingdom of the ,messiah was not to be a worldly realm1 and it was not to be won by worldly means4 ,the path to the ,messiah's throne led by the way of the cross4 ,and that path our ,saviour was willing to tread for our sakes4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,iii #a4 ,what is known about the boyhood and youth of ,jesus8 #b4 ,describe the physical features and the political divisions of ,palestine at the time of our ,lord4 ,where was ,jesus born1 where did he spend his youth1 and where was he baptized8 #c4 ,what was the meaning of ,john's baptism8 ,why was ,jesus baptized8 #d4 ,what was the meaning of each of the three temptations1 and how did ,jesus overcome them8 ,,lesson ,,iv ,the ,early ,judean ,ministry ,john #a3ai-cd ,after the temptation ,jesus descended again into the ,jordan ,valley1 where the baptism had taken place4 ,there he received the testimony of ,john the ,baptist4 ,john #a3ai-cd4 ,john had come not to perform a work of his own1 but to be a witness to the greater ,one who was to follow4 ,he put aside1 therefore1 all thoughts of personal ambition1 declared plainly that he was not the ,christ1 and rejoiced when his disciples left him in order to follow the ,one whom he had come to announce4 ,john had had revealed to him1 moreover1 not merely the fact that ,jesus was the ,saviour1 but also something of the way in which the salvation was to be wrought4 ,jesus was to die1 like a sacrificial lamb1 for the sins of others4 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god1 said ,john to his disciples1 that taketh away the sin of the world6 ,john #a3ce-ea ,two pairs of brothers1 in those early days1 left ,john to follow the ,saviour4 ,john #a3ce-db4 ,one pair consisted of ,andrew and ,peter2 the other1 no doubt1 consisted of the two sons of ,zebedee1 ,james and ,john1 although ,john1 who wrote the ,gospel in which this narrative is contained1 has never mentioned his own name in his book4 ,two other men1 besides these four1 came to ,jesus on the following day--,philip and ,nathanael4 ,vs4 #dc-ea4 ,john #b3a-aa ,after the meeting with these six disciples1 our ,lord ascended again from the valley of the ,jordan to the higher country of ,galilee4 ,and there1 in the village of ,cana1 he wrought the first of his miracles4 ,john #b3a-aa4 ,he was a guest at a wedding feast1 and when the wine ran out he supplied the lack by turning water into wine4 ,thereby he not only manifested his power1 but also indicated the manner of his ministry4 ,he was not to be an austere person like ,john the ,baptist1 living far from the habitations of men4 ,on the contrary1 his ministry was1 for those whom he came to win1 a ministry of joy4 ,he entered not merely into the sorrows1 but also into the joys of men2 the ,one who was to die for the sins of the world was also willing to grace a marriage feast6 ,john #b3ab-bb ,after a brief sojourn at ,capernaum1 on the shores of the ,sea of ,galilee1 where he was afterwards to carry on a large part of his ministry1 ,jesus went southward to ,jerusalem at passover time4 ,at ,jerusalem his first recorded act was an act of stern rebuke4 ,john #b3ac-bb4 ,the ,temple area was filled with the tables of those who sold the sheep and oxen and doves which were intended for sacrifice2 the sacred precincts of ,god's house had been made a place of business4 ,there was no hesitation on the part of ,jesus2 he made a scourge of cords and drove the traffickers out4 ,it is a mistake to suppose that the wonderful gentleness of our ,saviour or his gracious participation in innocent joys was any indication of weakness4 ,though always merciful to the penitent1 ,jesus could be indignant against blatant sinners2 and the righteous anger of the ,saviour was a terrible thing4 ,john #b3bc-be ,at ,jerusalem ,jesus won adherents because of the miracles which he wrought4 ,but he was able to distinguish true devotion from that which was false4 ,he knew all men1 444 and needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man2 for he himself knew what was in man4 ,john #b3bd1 #be4 ,john #c3a-ae ,one example of this knowledge was afforded by the case of ,nicodemus1 ,john #c3a-ae2 ,jesus knew what ,nicodemus lacked4 ,nicodemus1 a ruler of the ,jews1 came to ,jesus by night1 to discuss the substance of what ,jesus had been saying4 ,but our ,lord would not waste time with things that lay on the surface4 ,he went straight to the heart of the matter1 and said to ,nicodemus1 ,ye must be born anew4 ,v4 #g4 ,none of the learning1 none of the worldly influence of ,nicodemus would avail2 true life could come only by a new birth1 which all1 rich and poor1 learned and ignorant1 must receive1 and receive1 not by their own efforts1 but by the mysterious power of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,jesus spoke1 too1 on that memorable night1 of the sacrificial death which he himself was to die for the sins of men4 ,as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 he said1 even so must the ,son of man be lifted up2 that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life4 ,john #c3bb-cj ,then ,jesus left ,jerusalem1 the capital1 and carried on1 through his disciples1 a ministry of baptism in the country districts of ,judea4 ,john #c3bb-cj4 ,he was thus engaging in a work which before had belonged peculiarly to ,john the ,baptist4 ,some of ,john's disciples were perhaps inclined to be envious4 ,but there was no envy in the heart of ,john himself4 ,he had come not for his own sake but to be a witness to ,jesus as ,messiah4 ,and now he rejoiced in the growing prominence of ,jesus4 ,the friend of the bridegroom1 he said about himself1 rejoices at the voice of the bridegroom4 ,he must increase1 but ,i must decrease4 ,vs4 #bi1 #cj1 in substance4 ,john #d3a-db ,when this early ,judean ministry was over1 ,jesus went back to ,galilee4 ,on the way he passed through ,samaria4 ,john #d3a-db4 ,the inhabitants of ,samaria were not of pure ,jewish race1 and although they accepted the five books of ,moses and looked for the coming of a ,messiah1 they did not accept all of the ,old ,testament4 ,they were despised by the ,jews4 ,but even for the ,samaritans1 and for the most degraded among them1 the ,saviour had a message of hope4 ,wearied by his journey1 our ,lord was sitting by ,jacob's well near the city of ,sychar4 ,when his disciples had gone into the city to buy food1 a woman came to draw water at the well4 ,for that woman it was a memorable hour4 ,jesus was willing to labor1 and that in the midst of his weariness1 for one sinful soul1 as well as for all the multitudes that had crowded around him in ,judea4 ,the woman was of sinful life1 and she could not hide her sin from ,jesus4 ,but ,jesus searched out her sin1 not in order to condemn her1 but in order to bring to her the message of salvation4 ,attracted1 then1 by what the woman had said1 a number of the ,samaritans came to ,jesus and recognized him as the ,messiah and as the ,saviour of the world4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,iv #a4 ,give an account of the testimony of ,john the ,baptist to ,jesus4 ,how did ,john know that ,jesus was the ,messiah8 #b4 ,what happened at ,cana8 ,who1 besides ,jesus1 was a guest at the feast8 #c4 ,give an outline of all the journeys of ,jesus up to his passage through ,samaria4 #d4 ,give an account1 fuller than the outline given1 of the early ,judean ministry4 ,what did ,jesus say when he was asked to give a sign8 #e4 ,what is the meaning of the new birth8 ,is it still necessary to-day if a man is to be saved8 ,how does it come8 ,,lesson ,v ,the ,beginning of the ,galilan ,ministry ,after passing through ,samaria1 ,jesus arrived in ,galilee1 and it was in ,galilee that a large part of his ministry was carried on4 ,the ,galilan ministry is narrated for the most part by the first three ,gospels1 which are called ,synoptic ,gospels1 whereas the ,gospel ,according to ,john deals more particularly with the work in ,judea4 ,luke #d3af-cj ,after the healing of a nobleman's son1 when ,jesus was at ,cana of ,galilee1 our ,lord began his preaching in the ,galilan synagogues4 ,early in this period he went to ,nazareth1 the place where he had been brought up4 ,luke #d3af-cj4 ,but the people of ,nazareth could not believe that the carpenter's ,son whom they had known was really chosen by ,god to fulfill the glorious prophecies of ,isaiah4 ,when rebuked by ,jesus they even desired to kill him4 ,thus did they illustrate1 to their own eternal loss1 the words of ,jesus that ,no prophet is acceptable in his own country4 ,leaving ,nazareth1 our ,lord went down and dwelt at ,capernaum1 making that city apparently the center of his work4 ,but before the details of the ,galilan ministry are studied1 it will be well to cast a hurried glance at the geographical features of the country where ,jesus' ministry was carried on4 ,the political divisions of ,palestine have already been mentioned--,galilee in the north1 under the tetrarch1 ,herod ,antipas2 ,samaria and ,judea to the south1 under the ,roman procurator1 ,pontius ,pilate4 ,but the physical features of the country do not correspond at all to the political divisions4 ,physically the country is divided into four narrow strips1 each about one hundred and fifty miles long1 running from north to south4 ,the westernmost strip is the coastal plain1 along the ,mediterranean ,sea1 into which ,jesus hardly went2 then comes the low hill country1 the shephela2 then the highlands1 upon which ,jerusalem is situated1 reaching an altitude of some #bejj feet above sea level4 ,these central highlands of ,palestine are broken by the plain of ,esdraelon1 in southern ,galilee4 ,a little to the north of this plain1 in a hill country1 lies the town of ,nazareth4 ,east of the central highlands is the deep valley of the ,jordan ,river4 ,the ,jordan rises in the extreme north of ,palestine1 one of its sources being on the slopes of the lofty ,mount ,hermon2 then flows southward to the lake called the waters of ,merom2 then1 issuing from that lake1 it flows1 after a short course1 into the ,lake of ,gennesaret1 or ,sea of ,galilee1 which is about twelve miles long2 then1 issuing from the ,lake of ,gennesaret1 it flows southward1 through a very deep valley to the ,dead ,sea1 which has no outlet and is extremely salt4 ,during most of its course the ,jordan ,valley lies far below the level of the sea1 being on account of this peculiarity absolutely unique among the river valleys of the world4 ,the ,dead ,sea is #abib feet1 and the ,lake of ,gennesaret #fhb feet1 below sea level4 ,it was on the shores of the ,lake of ,gennesaret that a large part of our ,lord's ministry was carried on4 ,centuries of misrule have now ruined the country1 but in those days ,galilee supported a large population4 ,the shores of the lake1 particularly1 were lined with villages and towns4 ,the work of our ,lord was thus carried on amid life's throng and press1 though from time to time he sought out the desert places for rest and prayer4 ,matthew #d3ah-bb1 and ,parallels ,at the beginning of the ministry on the shores of the ,lake of ,galilee1 ,jesus called the two pairs of brothers--,simon ,peter and ,andrew1 and ,james and ,john4 ,matt4 #d3ah-bb1 and parallels4 ,they had known ,jesus before1 and had devoted themselves to his service4 ,but now they were commanded to show their devotion by leaving their ordinary occupation and becoming ,jesus' permanent followers4 ,mark #a3ba-ci1 and ,parallels ,the ,gospels give a vivid picture of a ,sabbath which ,jesus spent at ,capernaum near the beginning of his ,galilan ministry4 ,mark #a3ba-cd1 and parallels4 ,as usual1 he went into the synagogue4 ,our ,lord knew how to find ,god's handiwork in the flowers of the field2 but he was not like those who think that the worship of ,god through nature is any substitute for the public worship of the ,church4 ,in the synagogue the people were astonished at ,jesus' teaching3 ,he taught them as having authority1 and not as the scribes4 ,but they were also astonished at his power2 he commanded even the unclean spirits and they obeyed him4 ,he was not merely a teacher1 but also a healer2 he brought not merely guidance1 but also active help4 ,after the synagogue service1 ,jesus went into the house of ,simon and ,andrew with ,james and ,john4 ,in the house he healed ,simon's wife's mother who was sick of a fever4 ,others had heard of the wonderful power of ,jesus1 and desired to be healed4 ,but in order not to break the ,sabbath1 they waited until sunset1 when the ,jewish ,sabbath was over4 ,at sunset they brought to ,jesus those who were sick and those who were possessed with demons1 and ,jesus put forth his divine power to heal4 ,it had been a crowded1 busy day4 ,our ,lord must have been weary as night at last came4 ,but even in such busy days1 he took time to seek the source of all strength4 ,a great while before the dawn he went out into a desert place and there prayed4 ,mark #a3ce-ci1 and parallels4 ,matthew #i3a-h1 and ,parallels ,after a tour in the ,galilan synagogues1 with both preaching and healing1 our ,lord returned to ,capernaum4 ,there1 as is told in one of the vivid narratives of the ,gospels1 ,jesus healed a paralytic4 ,matt4 #i3a-h1 and parallels4 ,the sick man could not be brought in by the door of the house because of the crowds4 ,but he and his friends were not to be denied4 ,the four friends who bore his couch lowered him through the roof into the place where ,jesus was4 ,they had found the ,healer at last4 ,but bodily healing was not the first gift which ,jesus bestowed4 ,son1 said ,jesus1 thy sins are forgiven4 ,it was a strange physician indeed who could forgive sins4 ,the scribes said that the word of ,jesus was blasphemy4 ,and so it was1 unless ,jesus himself were ,god4 ,as a proof of his divine power1 the ,lord said also to the paralytic1 ,arise1 and take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,and so the man went away from the presence of the great ,healer1 whole in body and in mind4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,v #a4 ,describe the political and the physical divisions of ,palestine4 ,in what parts of the country was our ,lord's ministry carried on8 ,where was ,nazareth8 ,capernaum8 ,point out these places on a map4 #b4 ,describe the call of the four disciples4 ,when and where had they followed ,jesus before8 ,what was their occupation8 #c4 ,give an account of the ,sabbath in ,capernaum that is described in the ,gospels4 ,what great divisions of ,jesus' work were illustrated on that day8 #d4 ,describe the healing of the paralytic4 ,what can be learned from this incident about the nature of ,jesus' person8 ,why were the scribes offended8 ,,lesson ,,vi ,the ,period of ,popularity ,during the first part of the ,galilan ministry1 our ,lord had the favor of the people4 ,great crowds followed him so that he could scarcely enter into a house4 ,on one occasion he embarked in a little boat and put forth a short distance into the lake1 so as to be able to speak to the throng on the shore4 ,this popularity1 it is true1 was not universal4 ,the common people heard ,jesus gladly1 but the official teachers were hostile4 ,these teachers1 who are called scribes1 belonged for the most part to the sect of the ,pharisees4 ,at the time of ,christ there were two chief parties among the ,jews--the ,pharisees and the ,sadducees4 ,the ,sadducees were a worldly aristocracy1 in possession of the high-priestly offices at ,jerusalem1 favored by the ,romans1 and satisfied with the existing political order4 ,the ,pharisees1 on the other hand1 were a strict ,jewish party1 insisted on a strict interpretation of the ,mosaic ,law1 and added to the ,law a great mass of oral tradition1 which ostensibly consisted of interpretation of the ,law1 but really meant an enormous and oppressive addition to it4 ,the ,pharisees were opposed to ,jesus for at least two reasons4 ,in the first place1 they were envious of his success in teaching1 which endangered their own position4 ,in the second place1 they were opposed to the contents of his teaching2 he rejected their interpretation of the ,law1 and rebuked them for paying such attention to the detailed rules which were set forth in their tradition as to forget the weightier matters of justice and mercy4 ,the conflict of ,jesus with the ,pharisees was precipitated particularly by the attitude of ,jesus toward the ,sabbath4 ,the ,sabbath controversy was carried on partly in ,galilee and partly1 ,john1 ch4 #e1 during a visit of ,jesus to ,jerusalem4 ,the ,pharisees had developed for the preservation of the ,sabbath an elaborate set of rules which went far beyond what was set forth in the ,old ,testament4 ,they were offended1 therefore1 when ,jesus refused to rebuke his disciples for plucking the ears of wheat on the ,sabbath ,day1 and when he himself insisted on using the ,sabbath to perform works of mercy like the healing of the man that had a withered hand4 ,but for the present the opposition of the ,pharisees was held in check by the favor which our ,lord had among the people4 ,this favor was due partly to the teaching of ,jesus and partly to his miracles4 ,he interpreted the ,scriptures in a fresh1 original way2 ,he taught as one having authority and not as their scribes4 ,and he had power to heal every manner of disease and to cast out demons4 ,it was no wonder that the crowds followed so wonderful a teacher4 ,matthew #d3ag ,the ,galilan teaching of ,jesus began with the proclamation of the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,the message sounded at first somewhat like the message of ,john the ,baptist4 ,quite like ,john1 ,jesus came forward with the summons1 ,repent ye2 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand4 ,but the new teacher differed from ,john in the more complete account which he gave of the nature of the ,kingdom1 and especially in the central place in the ,kingdom which he assigned to himself4 ,matthew1 ,chapters #e to #g ,the nature of the ,kingdom of ,god is set forth in the great discourse of our ,lord which is commonly called the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,matt41 chs4 #e to #g4 ,having gone up from the shores of the ,sea of ,galilee to the heights which surround the lake1 our ,lord taught his disciples what was to be the life of those who should have a part in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,in one sense1 the ,kingdom lay altogether in the future2 it would be ushered in with full power only at the end of the world4 ,but in another sense1 it was present already wherever there were those who were truly submitting their lives to ,jesus4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount contains certain features which are fundamental in all of ,jesus' teaching4 ,in the first place1 ,god is presented1 in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 as ,father4 ,the fatherhood of ,god1 in the teaching of ,jesus1 is sometimes misunderstood4 ,jesus did not mean that ,god is ,father of all men4 ,god stands indeed to all men in a relation which is analogous to that of a father to his children2 he cares for all1 he makes his sun to rise upon all4 ,matt4 #e3de4 ,but in the teaching of ,jesus and in the whole ,new ,testament the lofty term1 ,father1 is reserved for a still more intimate relationship4 ,so in the ,sermon on the ,mount the great world without is sharply distinguished from the company of ,jesus' disciples2 it is only the latter who can say1 ,our ,father which art in heaven4 ,there was nothing narrow in such teaching2 for although in ,jesus' teaching the intimate relation of sonship toward ,god was offered only to those who should be of the household of faith1 yet the door of the household of faith was open wide to all who would be willing to come in4 ,indeed ,jesus himself died on the cross with the purpose of opening that door4 ,our ,saviour did far more than teach men that they were already children of ,god2 he came to make them children of ,god by his saving work4 ,in the second place1 the ,sermon on the ,mount tells what kind of life is led by those who should have entered into the ,kingdom and been made the children of ,god4 ,that life is far more than obedience to a set of external rules2 the purity which ,jesus demanded is a purity of the heart4 ,the life in the ,kingdom is also far removed from all pretense2 the children of ,god engage in prayer and good works not to be seen by men but to be seen by ,god4 ,finally1 the life in the ,kingdom is a life of perfect trust2 all anxious thought for the morrow is banished1 since ,god will care for his children4 ,one difficulty arises in the reading of the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,how can such an ideal be attained8 ,it might be possible to obey a set of rules1 like the rules of the ,pharisees1 but how is it possible for sinful men to attain purity of heart8 ,the righteousness of the ,kingdom of heaven exceeds by far the righteousness of the scribes and ,pharisees4 ,how can such righteousness be attained8 ,the answer to this question was partly understood even by the first hearers of the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,the disciples of ,jesus knew even then that ,jesus alone could give them entrance into the ,kingdom2 they trusted in him already not merely as teacher but also as ,saviour4 ,but the answer to the question is far plainer to us2 for we know the cross4 ,the atoning death of ,christ it was that gave men the kind of righteousness required for entrance into the ,kingdom of ,god1 for it gave them the righteousness of ,christ himself4 ,the significance of the cross was spoken of by our ,lord even during his earthly ministry1 but the full explanation of it was left to the apostles4 ,the saving work of ,jesus could be fully explained only after it had been done4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,vi #a4 ,what is the meaning of the kingdom of ,god1 in ,jesus' teaching8 #b4 ,who were the ,sadducees8 ,who were the ,pharisees1 and why were they opposed to ,jesus8 #c4 ,give an outline of the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,,lesson ,,vii ,the ,turning ,point ,the teaching of ,jesus was carried on in various ways4 ,sometimes there were extended discourses like the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,on the other hand1 much of the most precious teaching of our ,lord is contained in brief sayings which were uttered in answer to some objection or in view of some special situation4 ,one other form of teaching requires special attention--namely1 the parables4 ,mark #d3a-cd1 and ,parallels ,a parable is a narrative taken from ordinary life1 but intended to teach some spiritual lesson4 ,it differs from an allegory in that the application is not to be carried out in such detail4 ,ordinarily a parable teaches simply one lesson2 there is only one point of similarity between the literal meaning of the parable and the deeper spiritual truth4 ,thus when our ,lord compared ,god's answer to prayer with the answer which an unjust judge gives to an importunate widow1 the details in the two cases are not intended to be similar2 ,god is very different from the unjust judge4 ,but there is one point of similarity--importunity does have its effect in both cases4 ,the distinction between a parable and an allegory is not an absolute distinction1 and sometimes the two shade into each other4 ,thus the parable of the ,wicked ,husbandmen1 which ,jesus uttered nearly at the close of his earthly ministry1 partakes largely of the nature of allegory4 ,the details to a considerable extent are significant--the wicked husbandmen represent the ,jews and their leaders1 the servants who were first sent represent the prophets1 the son who was sent last represents ,jesus himself4 ,but many of ,jesus' parables are parables pure and simple2 they are not intended to be pressed in detail1 but teach1 each of them1 some one lesson4 ,the purpose of ,jesus in using parables was twofold4 ,in the first place the parables were not clear to those who did not wish to learn4 ,in accordance with a principle of the divine justice1 willful closing of the eyes to the truth brought an increase of darkness4 ,but in the second place1 to those who were willing to receive the truth1 the parables were made gloriously plain2 the figurative form of the teaching only served to drive the meaning home4 ,the ministry of ,jesus did not consist merely of teaching4 ,along with the teaching there went wonderful manifestations of divine power4 ,these manifestations of divine power were of various kinds4 ,many of them were miracles of healing2 ,jesus had power to make the lame to walk1 the dumb to speak1 the deaf to hear4 ,he also had power to cast out demons4 ,at the presence of the ,son of ,god1 ,satan and his ministers had put forth all their baneful power4 ,but the demons were obliged to flee at ,jesus' word4 ,matthew #h3bc-bg1 and ,parallels ,not all of the miracles1 however1 were miracles of healing4 ,some of the most notable of them were of a different kind4 ,but all of them were manifestations of ,jesus' divine power4 ,when1 on the lake1 in the midst of the frightened disciples1 our ,lord said to the winds and the waves1 ,peace1 be still1 the ,ruler of all nature was revealed4 ,the particular form of ,jesus' miracles depended upon his own inscrutable will2 but all of the miracles revealed him as the ,master of the world4 ,he who had made the world in the beginning could still put forth the same creative power4 ,a miracle1 as distinguished from the ordinary course of nature1 is a manifestation of the creative1 as distinguished from the providential1 power of ,god4 ,matthew #ad3ac-ba1 and ,parallels ,among the miracles of ,jesus the feeding of the five thousand seems to have been particularly important4 ,its importance is indicated by the fact that it is narrated in all four of the ,gospels4 ,matt4 #ad3ac-ba1 and parallels4 ,even the ,gospel of ,john1 which is concerned for the most part with what happened in ,judea1 here runs parallel with the ,synoptic ,gospels and narrates an event which happened in ,galilee4 ,this event marks the climax of the popularity of our ,lord and at the same time the beginning of his rejection4 ,even before this time he had been rejected by some2 his popularity had been by no means universal4 ,he had been opposed by the scribes and ,pharisees2 he had not been understood even by the members of his own household2 and he had been rejected twice at the town where he had been brought up4 ,but for the most part he had enjoyed the favor of the people4 ,at the time of the feeding of the five thousand1 this popular favor had reached its height4 ,jesus had withdrawn from the crowds into a lonely place across the lake from ,capernaum4 ,but such was his popularity that he could not escape4 ,the people followed him even when he tried to be alone2 they had had no thought of food or of lodging for the night1 so eager had they been to listen to his teaching4 ,when evening came1 therefore1 they were in want4 ,but our ,lord had pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd4 ,by a gracious manifestation of his divine power he made the five loaves and two fishes suffice for all the multitude4 ,matthew #ad3bb-cd1 and ,parallels ,after the feeding of the five thousand ,jesus found at last the solitude which he had sought2 he went up into the mountain to pray4 ,the multitudes were making their way around the lake by the shore2 the disciples had taken the only boat and were rowing hard against the wind4 ,but about three o'clock at night our ,lord came to the disciples walking upon the water4 ,it is no wonder that they bowed before him and said1 ,of a truth thou art the ,son of ,god4 ,john #f3bb-ga ,meanwhile the multitude had gone on foot around the lake to ,capernaum4 ,when they found ,jesus there before them they were astonished4 ,but their astonishment1 unfortunately1 was not of the kind that leads to true and abiding faith4 ,they had valued the earthly bread which ,jesus had given them1 but were not willing to receive the spiritual bread4 ,jesus himself1 he told them1 was the ,bread of life who had come down from heaven2 only those could truly live who would feed upon him by accepting his saving work4 ,john #f3bb-ga4 ,it seemed to the ,jews to be a hard saying4 ,how could the ,jesus whose family they knew be the bread which had come down from heaven8 ,many even of those who had formerly followed ,jesus were offended at this hard saying4 ,the popularity of ,jesus at this time began to wane4 ,but there were some disciples who remained4 ,jesus had chosen twelve men1 whom he called apostles4 ,he had had them as his companions1 and already he had sent them out on a mission to teach and to heal4 ,turning now to them1 he asked1 ,would ye also go away8 ,then ,peter1 speaking for the others1 showed the difference between true disciples and those who are offended at every hard saying4 ,lord1 he said1 to whom shall we go8 thou hast the words of eternal life4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,vii #a4 ,what is a parable8 ,how does it differ from an allegory8 #b4 ,why did ,jesus use parables8 ,mention some of the parables recorded in the ,gospels4 #c4 ,what is a miracle8 ,why did ,jesus work miracles8 #d4 ,what is the particular importance of the feeding of the five thousand8 #e4 ,why were the people offended by the discourse on the ,bread of life8 ,,lesson ,,viii ,jesus as ,messiah ,the waning of ,jesus' popularity was by no means sudden4 ,even after the discourse on the ,bread of life1 we frequently find the multitudes around him4 ,but in general1 from that time on our ,lord seems to have withdrawn from the crowds more frequently than before1 in order to devote himself to the instruction of his intimate disciples4 ,matthew #ae3ba-ci1 and ,parallels ,at this time our ,lord withdrew into ,phoenicia1 northwest of ,palestine4 ,in ,phoenicia he healed the daughter of a ,syrophoenician woman4 ,it was a foretaste of the rich streams of mercy which after ,pentecost were to flow out into the whole world4 ,after a brief stay in ,phoenicia1 ,jesus returned to ,galilee1 where he engaged again in controversy with the ,pharisees and again1 by his divine power1 fed a great multitude4 ,this second time four thousand men were fed4 ,there were also miracles of healing1 and in general the essential characteristics of the ,galilan ministry were continued4 ,matthew #af3ac-bj1 and ,parallels ,but before long ,jesus departed again from ,galilee1 and finally went with his disciples to the regions of ,csarea ,philippi1 northeast of ,galilee4 ,near ,csarea ,philippi occurred the great confession of ,peter1 which is one of the most important incidents of the ,gospel record4 ,matt4 #af3ac-bj1 and parallels4 ,who1 ,jesus asked of his disciples1 do men say that ,i am8 ,and they told him1 saying1 ,elijah2 but others1 ,one of the prophets4 ,and he asked them1 ,but who say ye that ,i am8 ,peter answereth and saith unto him1 ,thou art the ,christ4 ,mark #h3bg-bi4 ,in this confession ,peter recognized that ,jesus was the ,messiah1 the ,anointed ,one1 or according to the ,greek translation of the same word1 the ,christ4 ,it was by no means the first recognition of the fact4 ,the ,messiahship of ,jesus had been revealed to ,joseph and ,mary and ,zacharias and ,elisabeth even before ,jesus was born2 it had been revealed to the shepherds and the ,wise ,men who greeted the infant ,saviour2 it had been revealed to ,john the ,baptist2 it had been revealed to the little group of disciples who left ,john at the ,jordan in order to follow ,jesus2 it had been proclaimed by ,jesus himself in his conversations with ,nicodemus and with the ,samaritan woman2 it had been recognized even by the unclean spirits4 ,but although ,jesus had been proclaimed as ,messiah before1 the confession of ,peter was by no means a matter of course4 ,although the disciples had already accepted ,jesus as the ,messiah it required considerable faith and devotion to continue to accept him1 for ,jesus was not the kind of ,messiah whom the ,jews had been expecting4 ,they had been expecting a ,messiah who1 as anointed king of ,israel1 would deliver ,god's people from the ,roman oppressors1 and make ,jerusalem the center of the whole world4 ,such expectations seemed to be set at nought by the ,prophet of ,nazareth4 ,no kingly pomp surrounded him2 he mingled freely with the common people2 he lived in the utmost humility1 having not even a place to lay his head4 ,political ,messiahship he definitely refused4 ,when1 after the feeding of the five thousand1 the people were about to come and make him a king--that is1 the ,messianic king--he left them and withdrew into the mountain4 ,john #f3ae4 ,it is no wonder that they were disappointed4 ,all their enthusiasm seemed to be ruthlessly quenched4 ,jesus would have absolutely nothing to do with the kind of ,messiahship which they offered4 ,by this attitude of ,jesus not only the multitudes were discouraged4 ,even the members of ,jesus' household failed to understand1 and the very forerunner of ,jesus1 ,john the ,baptist himself1 was assailed1 momentarily at least1 by doubts4 ,conceivably the twelve apostles also might have been discouraged4 ,but their faith remained firm4 ,despite all disappointments1 despite the refusal of our ,lord to accept what were supposed to be prerogatives of ,messiahship1 ,peter was able still to say1 at ,csarea ,philippi1 ,thou art the ,christ4 ,but in what sense was ,jesus the ,christ8 ,he was not an earthly king who would lead the armies of ,israel out to battle against the ,romans4 ,he was not that sort of ,messiah4 ,what then was he8 ,what was ,jesus' own conception of ,messiahship8 ,in order to answer that question fully1 it would be necessary to return to the study of the ,old ,testament4 ,jesus accepted to the full the ,old ,testament promises about the ,messiah2 what he rejected was merely a false interpretation of them4 ,even those promises of the ,old ,testament which make the ,messiah a king of ,david's line were fulfilled in ,jesus4 ,he was actually of ,david's line1 and he was born in ,david's city4 ,he was also the ,king of ,israel4 ,only his kingship was exercised in ways different from those which the people generally were expecting4 ,and there were other features of the ,old ,testament promises which ,jesus also fulfilled4 ,jesus was not only ,son of ,david2 he was also ,son of ,man4 ,the title ,son of ,man1 which was ,jesus' own ,messianic designation of himself1 does not denote merely the humanity of ,jesus in distinction from his deity4 ,on the contrary1 it is plainly taken from the stupendous scene in ,dan4 #g3ac1 where one like unto a son of man is represented as coming with the clouds of heaven1 and as being in the presence of ,god4 ,it indicates1 therefore1 not the human weakness of ,jesus1 but his exalted position as supreme ,ruler and ,judge4 ,it is not surprising that for a time at least during his earthly ministry ,jesus used this title of the ,messiah rather than the other titles1 for the title ,son of ,man was without the political associations which ,jesus desired to avoid4 ,it had been employed1 not so much by the masses of the people1 as by the circles which read the books which are called the ,apocalypses4 ,in these books1 on the basis of ,daniel and other ,old ,testament prophecies1 the ,messiah was represented not as a political king1 but as a heavenly1 supernatural person4 ,the title1 therefore1 was admirably fitted to designate the lofty character of the ,messiah's person1 without the dangerous political associations which had gathered around certain other titles4 ,indeed for a time1 in the early ,galilan ministry1 our ,lord seems to have kept his ,messiahship somewhat in the background4 ,public proclamation of his ,messiahship would have aroused false1 worldly hopes of political upheaval4 ,before proclaiming himself again as ,messiah1 our ,lord needed to make clear by his teaching and by his example what kind of ,messiah he was2 before finally setting up his ,kingdom he needed to show that that ,kingdom was not of this world4 ,but he was ,messiah and ,king from the beginning1 and even at the beginning his ,messiahship had been made known4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,viii #a4 ,mention some of the titles which are used to designate ,jesus as ,messiah1 and explain their meaning4 ,was the title ,son of ,man ever used with reference to ,jesus by anyone except ,jesus himself8 #b4 ,what was the significance of ,peter's confession8 #c4 ,why did ,jesus become less popular than he was at first8 ,,lesson ,,ix ,the ,prediction of the ,cross ,peter's confession at ,csarea ,philippi was a triumph of faith1 for which ,jesus pronounced ,peter blessed4 ,through a revelation from ,god1 ,peter had been made able to endure the disappointment involved in ,jesus' refusal of kingly honors4 ,but another trial of faith was soon to come4 ,matthew #af3ba-bh1 and ,parallels ,after ,peter's acknowledgment of ,jesus as ,messiah1 our ,lord began to teach the disciples more of what his ,messiahship meant4 ,matt4 #af3ba-bh1 and parallels4 ,it meant1 he said1 not worldly honors1 and not merely a continuation of the humble life in ,galilee1 but actual sufferings and death4 ,this teaching was more than ,peter could endure4 ,be it far from thee1 ,lord1 he said1 this shall never be unto thee4 ,in such rebellion against ,god's will ,jesus recognized a repetition of the temptation which had come to him at the first1 immediately after the voice from heaven had proclaimed him to be the ,messiah--the temptation to use his ,messianic power for his own worldly glory4 ,and now as well as then the temptation was resolutely overcome4 ,get thee behind me1 ,satan1 said ,jesus3 thou art a stumblingblock unto me3 for thou mindest not the things of ,god1 but the things of men4 ,jesus was thus ready to tread the path of suffering which he had come into the world1 for our sakes1 to tread4 ,and he called upon his true disciples to tread that path after him4 ,yet all the suffering was to be followed by a greater glory than ,peter had ever conceived2 and almost immediately there was a wonderful foretaste of that glory4 ,matthew #ag3a-ac1 and ,parallels ,six days after the scene at ,csarea ,philippi1 our ,lord took ,peter and ,james and ,john1 his three most intimate disciples1 with him up upon a high mountain--no doubt somewhere on the slopes of the lofty ,mount ,hermon4 ,there he was transfigured before them1 ,matt4 #ag3a-ac1 and parallels2 his face did shine as the sun1 and his garments became white as the light4 ,with him appeared ,moses and ,elijah1 talking with him4 ,and they were talking about what seems to be a strange subject at such a moment4 ,they were talking not of the glories of ,jesus' ,kingdom1 but of the departure which he was about to accomplish at ,jerusalem4 ,luke #i3ca4 ,the departure included not only the resurrection and the ascension1 but also the crucifixion4 ,even the shining light of the transfiguration was intended to point to the cross4 ,matthew #ag3ad-bj1 and ,parallels ,after the glorious experience on the mountain1 our ,lord came at once into contact with the repulsiveness of human misery4 ,matt4 #ag3ad-bj1 and parallels4 ,but he did not shrink from the sudden transition4 ,as he came down from the mountain1 he found at the bottom a boy possessed of a demon1 who fell on the ground1 and wallowed foaming4 ,it was a depressing sight1 very unlike the brightness of the transfiguration4 ,even more discouraging1 moreover1 than the condition of the boy himself was the powerlessness of the disciples4 ,they had tried to cast the demon out but had failed miserably1 not because the power might not have been theirs1 but because of their unbelief4 ,the father of the boy1 too1 was lacking in faith4 ,i believe1 he said2 help thou mine unbelief4 ,jesus did help his unbelief1 and the unbelief of the disciples4 ,he rebuked the unclean spirit1 and healed the boy4 ,at this period ,jesus repeated on several occasions the prophecy of his death4 ,the tragedy on ,calvary did not overtake him unawares4 ,he went deliberately to his death for our sakes4 ,matthew #ah3a-f1 and ,parallels ,even on such solemn days1 when the shadow of the cross lay over the path1 the disciples were unable to overcome the pettiness of their character4 ,on the very journey when ,jesus had told them about his approaching death1 they had quarreled about the question as to which of them should be greatest in the ,kingdom of heaven4 ,thereby they had shown how far they were from understanding the true nature of the ,kingdom4 ,if the ,kingdom was finally to be advanced under the leadership of such men1 some mighty change would have to take place in them4 ,that change did take place afterwards1 as we shall see1 at ,pentecost4 ,but at present the pettiness and carnal-mindedness of the disciples added to the sorrows of our ,lord4 ,despite the intimacy into which he entered with his earthly friends1 he towered in lonely grandeur above them all4 ,after the transfiguration and related events near ,csarea ,philippi1 our ,lord returned to ,galilee4 ,but apparently he did not resume permanently his ,galilan ministry4 ,soon we find him passing through ,samaria1 and laboring in ,judea and in that country east of the ,jordan ,river which is called ,perea4 ,this part of ,jesus' ministry is recorded particularly in the ,gospels ,according to ,luke and ,according to ,john1 although ,matthew and ,mark contain important information about the latter part of the period4 ,the general character of the period is fixed by the expectation of the cross4 ,jesus had set his face toward ,jerusalem to accomplish the atoning work which he had come into the world to perform4 ,luke #aj3a-bd2 ,john1 ,chapter #e ,at the beginning of the period ,jesus sent out seventy disciples1 to prepare for his own coming into the several cities and villages which he was intending to visit4 ,the ,seventy were in possession of something of ,jesus' power2 they were able to report with joy that the demons were subjected to them4 ,during the same period we find ,jesus in ,jerusalem at the feast of tabernacles4 ,even during the period of the ,galilan ministry ,jesus had gone up to ,jerusalem at least once1 at the time of one of the ,jewish feasts2 and in connection with the healing of a man at the pool of ,bethesda he had then set forth the true nature of his person and his relation to ,god the ,father4 ,john1 ch4 #e4 ,at the later period with which we are now dealing1 the same teaching was continued4 ,chs4 #g1 #h4 ,matthew #aa3bg1 and ,parallels ,it is particularly the ,gospel of ,john which records the way in which ,jesus set forth the nature of his own person1 but what is fully set forth in the ,gospel of ,john is really implied all through the ,synoptic ,gospels1 and in ,matt4 #aa3bg2 ,luke #aj3bb it is made just as plain as it is in ,john4 ,according to his own teaching1 ,jesus stood in a relation toward ,god the ,father which is absolutely different from that in which other men stand toward ,god4 ,in the plainest possible way1 our ,lord laid claim to true deity4 ,i and my ,father1 he said1 are one4 ,all the ,gospels present the true humanity of ,jesus1 the ,gospel ,according to ,john1 no less than the ,synoptists4 ,but all the ,gospels also set forth his deity4 ,he was1 according to a true summary of the ,gospel teaching1 ,god and man1 in two distinct natures1 and one person for ever4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,ix #a4 ,what trial of ,peter's faith came just after his great confession8 #b4 ,what was the meaning of the transfiguration8 #c4 ,what event took place just afterwards8 #d4 ,give an account of ,jesus' teaching at the time of the feast of tabernacles4 ,john1 chs4 #g1 #h4 ,how was this teaching received8 #e4 ,give an account of the mission of the ,seventy and compare it with the previous mission of the ,twelve4 ,,lesson ,x ,the ,last ,journeys ,john1 ,chapter #i ,during the latter part of ,jesus' ministry1 with which ,lesson ,,ix began to deal1 ,jesus spoke some of the most beautiful of his parables4 ,a number of them1 such as the ,good ,samaritan and the ,prodigal ,son1 are recorded only by ,luke4 ,from the same period the ,gospel ,according to ,john records some notable teaching of ,jesus1 in addition to that which was mentioned in the last lesson4 ,part of this teaching was introduced by the healing of the man born blind4 ,john1 ch4 #i4 ,this miracle1 which had been performed on the ,sabbath1 had aroused the special opposition of the ,pharisees4 ,in answer to them1 our ,lord pointed out the difference between those leaders of the people who are like robbers breaking into the sheepfold or at best like hirelings who flee at the first approach of danger1 and the good shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for the sheep4 ,such a shepherd was ,jesus himself1 and his life was soon to be laid down4 ,john #aa3a-ec ,finally1 after various journeyings of ,jesus in ,judea and in ,perea1 there occurred in ,bethany1 a little village near ,jerusalem1 one of the most notable of our ,lord's miracles4 ,john #aa3a-dd4 ,at ,bethany lived a certain ,lazarus with his sisters ,martha and ,mary1 whom ,jesus knew well4 ,lazarus fell ill during the absence of ,jesus across the ,jordan in ,perea2 and the illness resulted in his death4 ,on the fourth day after ,lazarus' death1 ,jesus came to ,bethany4 ,martha came to meet him2 ,mary remained mourning in the house1 until her sister brought word that ,jesus had arrived4 ,then she1 too1 went to meet the ,lord4 ,when ,jesus saw her and her friends weeping for the one who had died1 he1 too1 wept with them4 ,but he had power not only to sympathize1 but also to help4 ,going with the sisters to the tomb1 he caused the stone to be removed1 then prayed1 and then called with a loud voice1 ,lazarus1 come forth4 ,at the word of ,jesus1 the dead man came out of the tomb4 ,jesus was ,master over death and the grave4 ,it was not the first time that our ,lord had raised the dead4 ,he had raised the daughter of ,jairus in ,galilee and the son of the widow of ,nain4 ,but the raising of ,lazarus is especially important1 not only because of the wonderfully vivid way in which the incident is narrated in the ,gospel ,according to ,john1 but also because it served to hasten the crisis in ,jerusalem4 ,both the ,sadducees and the ,pharisees were now aroused4 ,the movement instituted by ,jesus had reached alarming proportions4 ,if allowed to continue it would be full of danger4 ,the ,romans1 it was feared1 would regard it as rebellion and would utterly destroy the nation of the ,jews4 ,the diverse parties among the ,jewish leaders were becoming more and more united against the strange ,prophet from ,galilee4 ,john #aa3ed ,for a short time still the crisis was delayed4 ,our ,lord retired from ,judea to a city called ,ephraim1 near the wilderness4 ,we also find him1 in this period of his life1 again beyond the ,jordan1 in ,perea4 ,in this ,perean residence is to be placed a portion of the teaching contained in the ,synoptic ,gospels1 such as the teaching concerning divorce1 ,matt4 #ai3c-ab1 and parallels1 the words to the rich young ruler1 vs4 #af-cj1 and parallels1 and the parable of the ,laborers in the ,vineyard4 ,matt4 #bj3a-af4 ,luke #ai3b-aj ,before long1 however1 ,jesus went up to ,jerusalem for the last time4 ,on the way1 when he was passing through ,jericho1 in the ,jordan ,valley1 he healed two blind men1 and converted the tax collector ,zacchus4 ,the conversion of ,zacchus was in accord with ,jesus' custom all through his ministry4 ,the taxgatherers were despised by the rest of the ,jews at the time of ,christ4 ,they had allied themselves with the ,roman oppressors1 and no doubt most of them were guilty of abominable extortion on their own account4 ,by the ,pharisees1 particularly1 they were regarded as belonging to the very dregs of the people1 with whom no true observer of the law could be intimate4 ,but ,jesus was bound by no limits in his saving work4 ,he did not condone sin--either the sin of the taxgatherers or the sin of the ,pharisees4 ,but he was willing to save from sin all who would believe4 ,the whole1 he said1 need not a physician1 but they that are sick4 ,the ,son of ,man had come to seek and to save that which was lost4 ,john #aa3ee to #ab3a ,toiling up the long ascent from ,jericho1 our ,lord arrived at last1 six days before the passover1 at the village of ,bethany1 which is less than two miles from ,jerusalem4 ,during the remaining time before the crucifixion ,jesus went every morning into the city and returned in the evening to lodge with his friends at ,bethany4 ,matthew #bf3f-ac1 and ,parallels ,soon after his arrival at ,bethany1 when ,jesus was reclining at table in the house of a certain ,simon the leper1 he was anointed by ,mary the sister of ,lazarus4 ,matt4 #bf3f-ac2 ,mark #ad3c-i2 ,john #ab3b-h4 ,this anointing is not to be confused with a somewhat similar event which had taken place some time before1 when ,jesus had been anointed by a woman who had been a notorious sinner4 ,luke #g3cf-ej4 ,the disciples murmured at the waste4 ,the precious ointment1 they said1 might have been sold for a great sum1 which could have been distributed to the poor4 ,judas ,iscariot1 one of the ,twelve1 had a special cause for dissatisfaction2 in his case the mention of the poor was only a cloak for covetousness4 ,judas kept the bag1 and if the proceeds of the ointment had been put into his keeping1 he could have indulged his thieving propensities4 ,but all the murmuring1 whether it proceeded from more sordid motives or from a mere misunderstanding of the true spirit of the woman's act1 was rebuked by our ,lord4 ,the woman1 he said1 had anointed his body beforehand for the burial4 ,the days just before the crucifixion were no time for true disciples to murmur at an act which was prompted by overflowing love for the ,saviour who was so soon to die4 ,matthew #ba3a-aa1 and ,parallels ,on the day after the supper at ,bethany1 that is1 on the day after the ,jewish ,sabbath1 on the ninth day of the ,jewish spring month ,nisan1 our ,lord entered into ,jerusalem4 ,matt4 #ba3a-aa1 and parallels4 ,it was a triumphal entry2 ,jesus was received publicly by the multitudes as the ,messiah1 the promised ,king of ,israel4 ,even the manner of his entry was in accordance with prophecy2 he came riding over the ,mount of ,olives and into the city mounted on an ass1 in accordance with ,zech4 #i3i4 ,the promised ,king of ,israel at last had come4 ,the multitudes strewed palm branches in the way1 and cried1 ,hosanna to the son of ,david4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,x #a4 ,where was ,perea8 ,jericho8 ,bethany8 ,ephraim8 ,find on a map the places mentioned in this lesson4 #b4 ,give an account of all the times when ,jesus1 during his earthly ministry1 raised the dead4 ,in what ,gospels are these incidents narrated8 #c4 ,what is the special importance of the raising of ,lazarus8 #d4 ,give an account of some of those parables of ,jesus which are contained only in the ,gospel ,according to ,luke4 ,,lesson ,,xi ,teaching in the ,temple ,despite the enthusiasm which the multitudes had shown at the time when ,jesus entered into ,jerusalem1 despite the shouts of those who cried1 ,blessed is he that cometh in the name of the ,lord1 ,jesus knew that he was going to his death1 and that ,jerusalem would soon turn against her ,king4 ,when he drew nigh1 we are told in the ,gospel ,according to ,luke1 he saw the city and wept over it1 saying1 ,if thou hadst known in this day1 even thou1 the things which belong unto peace6 but now they are hid from thine eyes4 ,luke #ai3da1 #db4 ,on the ,sunday of the triumphal entry it was already late when ,jesus entered into the ,temple area4 ,he did nothing1 therefore1 that day1 except look about him2 and then he returned to ,bethany with the twelve apostles4 ,mark #aa3aa4 ,matthew #ba3ab-ai1 and ,parallels ,on ,monday1 however1 the final conflict began4 ,entering into the city1 our ,lord cast out of the ,temple those who bought and sold1 just as he had done at the beginning of his public ministry4 ,the rebuke which he had administered several years before had had no permanent effect4 ,but ,jesus did not hesitate to rebuke again those who made ,god's house a place of business4 ,the rulers1 of course1 were incensed4 ,but popular favor for a time put a check upon their hate4 ,on the way into the city1 ,jesus said to a fig tree1 which was bearing leaves only1 ,no man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever4 ,the motives of our ,lord's act are not fully known to us2 but at least he was able afterwards to point out through the case of the fig tree the limitless power of faith4 ,the disciples were exhorted to pray in faith4 ,but their prayers1 ,jesus said1 must be in love2 no unforgiving spirit should be left in their souls when they prayed to their heavenly ,father for their own forgiveness4 ,the next day1 ,tuesday1 was a day of teaching4 ,our ,lord spent the day in the ,temple1 meeting the attacks of his enemies4 ,and he had an answer to every inquiry2 the trick questions of his enemies always redounded to their own rebuke4 ,matthew #ba3bc-cb1 and ,parallels ,first our ,lord was questioned as to the authority by which he had cleansed the ,temple the day before4 ,matt4 #ba3bc-cb1 and parallels4 ,he answered that question by another question3 ,the baptism of ,john1 whence was it8 from heaven or from men8 ,the chief priests and elders could not say4 ,they were not really sincere seekers for divine authority4 ,but ,jesus was not content with having silenced them4 ,he also pointed out1 positively1 their sin in not receiving the word of ,god which had come through ,john4 ,matthew #ba3cc-df1 and ,parallels ,still more scathing was the rebuke which ,jesus uttered through the parable of the ,wicked ,husbandmen4 ,matt4 #ba3cc-df1 and parallels4 ,the wicked husbandmen had been put in charge of a vineyard4 ,but when the time came to render the fruit of the vineyard to the owner1 they killed the servants who were sent to them and finally the owner's son4 ,the chief priests and ,pharisees needed no elaborate explanation2 they would probably in any case have applied the parable to themselves4 ,but as a matter of fact ,jesus made the application abundantly plain4 ,the kingdom of ,god1 he said1 shall be taken away from you1 and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof4 ,matthew #bb3a-ad ,just as plainly directed against the wicked leaders of the people1 and against the rebellious nation itself1 was the parable of the ,marriage of the ,king's ,son4 ,matt4 #bb3a-ad4 ,those who were bidden to the feast refused to come in2 but from the highways and hedges the king's house was filled4 ,so the covenant people1 the ,jews1 had rejected the divine invitation2 but the despised ,gentiles would be received4 ,matthew #bb3ae-dj1 and ,parallels ,the rulers would have liked to put ,jesus to death at once2 but they still feared the people4 ,so they adopted the underhand method of trying to catch him in his speech4 ,first came the ,pharisees and the ,herodians1 the latter being the partisans of the ,herodian dynasty1 with their adroit question about giving tribute to ,csar1 ,matt4 #bb3ae-bb1 and parallels2 then the ,sadducees1 the worldly aristocracy1 who did not believe in the resurrection1 with their attempt to make the doctrine of the resurrection ridiculous1 vs4 #bc-cc1 and parallels2 then an individual ,pharisee with his question about the greatest commandment in the law4 ,vs4 #bd-dj1 and parallels4 ,jesus had a wonderful1 profound answer for them all4 ,but only the last inquirer seems to have been at all willing to learn4 ,thou art not far1 ,jesus said to him1 from the kingdom of ,god4 ,mark #ab3cd4 ,matthew #bb3da-df1 and ,parallels ,then1 after all the questions which had been put to him1 our ,lord put one question in turn4 ,david himself1 he said in effect1 calls the ,messiah ,lord2 how is the ,messiah1 then1 ,david's son8 ,in this way ,jesus was presenting to the people a higher conception of ,messiahship than that which they had been accustomed to hold4 ,the ,messiah was indeed ,david's ,son1 but he was not only ,david's ,son4 ,matt4 #bb3da-df1 and parallels4 ,apparently on the same day1 our ,lord called attention to the poor widow who was casting her mite into the collection box4 ,a gift1 he said1 is measured in the estimation of ,god not by its amount1 but by the sacrifice which it means to the giver4 ,mark #ab3da-dd1 and parallel4 ,matthew1 ,chapter #bc ,finally1 on the same memorable ,tuesday1 our ,lord denounced openly the formalism and hypocrisy of the scribes and ,pharisees4 ,matt41 ch4 #bc4 ,it was also perhaps on the same day that certain ,greeks desired to see ,jesus1 ,john #ab3bj1 #ba--;a foretaste of that entrance of ,gentiles into the ,church which was to come after the resurrection4 ,we are not told exactly how ,jesus received the ,greeks1 but the importance of the moment was marked by a voice from heaven which came as a divine confirmation of ,jesus' message4 ,matthew1 ,chapters #bd1 #be ,when ,jesus1 on the same day1 had gone out of the ,temple and had ascended to the ,mount of ,olives1 a hill which lay on the way to ,bethany1 he taught his disciples about the coming destruction of the ,temple and also about the end of the world4 ,matt41 ch4 #bd1 and parallels4 ,the time of the end of the world1 he said1 is unknown to all except ,god1 and in expectation of it men should always be watchful4 ,this duty of watchfulness he illustrated by the parables of the ,ten ,virgins1 ,matt4 #be3a-ac1 and of the ,talents4 ,vs4 #ad-cj4 ,then our ,lord drew a great picture of the last awful judgment of ,god1 when the wicked shall be separated from the good4 ,vs4 #ca-df4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xi #a4 ,where was the ,mount of ,olives8 ,describe the route between ,bethany and the ,temple in ,jerusalem4 #b4 ,compare the two occasions when ,jesus cleansed the ,temple4 #c4 ,on what occasions during his ministry did ,jesus speak about ,john the ,baptist8 #d4 ,give a full account of the questions which were put to ,jesus on the ,tuesday of the last week1 and of the answers of ,jesus4 #e4 ,what were the woes which ,jesus pronounced against the scribes and ,pharisees8 #f4 ,what did ,jesus say after the ,gentiles came to seek him8 ,,lesson ,,xii ,the ,crucifixion ,matthew #bf3a-e1 #ad-af1 and ,parallels ,on the ,wednesday of the week before the crucifixion1 the chief priests and elders of the ,jews took counsel how they might put ,jesus to death4 ,the difficulty was that if they arrested so popular a teacher in the midst of the crowds who had come to ,jerusalem for the approaching feast of the passover1 there would be a tumult4 ,at first1 therefore1 the enemies of ,jesus thought that they might have to wait until the passover was over4 ,but they were helped out of their difficulty by one of ,jesus' own friends4 ,judas ,iscariot1 one of the twelve apostles1 proved to be a traitor4 ,he received a promise of thirty pieces of silver1 and watched for a time when ,jesus would be away from the crowds so that he could be delivered quietly into the hands of his enemies1 ,matt4 #bf3a-e1 #ad-af1 and parallels4 ,matthew #bf3ag-ai1 and ,parallels ,meanwhile1 on ,thursday1 ,jesus arranged for the celebration of the passover in company with the apostles4 ,the passover feast commemorated the deliverance of ,israel from ,egypt1 especially the passing over of ,israel's first-born when the first-born sons of the ,egyptians were slain4 ,the feast was opened on the evening of ,nisan #ad1 ,nisan being a spring month1 and the first month of the ,jewish year4 ,according to ,jewish reckoning1 the evening of ,nisan #ad constituted the beginning of ,nisan #ae4 ,starting from that time1 the feast continued for seven days1 no unleavened bread being used within that period4 ,the first and most solemn act of the whole feast was the eating of the paschal lamb on the evening of ,nisan #ad4 ,this passover supper was celebrated by ,jesus and the apostles on ,thursday evening1 ,nisan #ad4 ,and the feast was to be continued into the ,christian era4 ,the symbols were changed2 bread and wine were to be used instead of the paschal lamb4 ,but the fundamental meaning of the feast remained the same2 both the passover and the ,lord's ,supper had reference to the atoning death of ,christ4 ,the paschal lamb prefigured the ,lamb of ,god who was to die for the sins of the world2 the bread and wine also symbolized the body of ,christ broken for us and the blood of ,christ poured out for the remission of our sins4 ,thus what the passover symbolized by way of prophecy is symbolized in the ,lord's ,supper by way of commemoration4 ,and on that last evening our ,lord changed the symbols in order to suit the new dispensation when1 since the ,lamb of ,god had once been offered up1 other sacrifices should be no more4 ,matthew #bf3bj-ce1 and ,parallels ,jesus gathered with his apostles for the feast in an upper room4 ,matt4 #bf3bj1 and parallels4 ,then1 lamentably enough1 there was a strife among the apostles as to who should be the greatest4 ,luke #bb3bd-cj4 ,as a rebuke of all such inordinate ambitions our ,lord gave an example of humility by washing the feet of his disciples4 ,john #ac3a-bj4 ,the traitor1 ,judas ,iscariot1 then left the apostolic company1 ,john #ac3ba-ce1 and parallels1 and the ,lord's ,supper was instituted4 ,i ,cor4 #aa3bc-be2 ,matt4 #bf3bf-bi1 and parallels4 ,then the denial of ,peter was foretold2 before the cock should crow twice ,peter would deny his ,lord three times4 ,john1 ,chapters #ad to #ag ,then followed some of the most precious teaching of ,jesus--teaching which is preserved only in the ,gospel ,according to ,john4 ,chs4 #ad to #ag4 ,our ,lord spoke of the mission which he had come into the world to fulfill and of the mission which his apostles were to fulfill through the power of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the meaning of ,jesus' redeeming work could not fully be explained until it had been accomplished4 ,and it was to be explained by the ,holy ,spirit speaking through the apostles4 ,matthew #bf3cf-df1 and ,parallels ,after they had sung a hymn1 our ,lord went out with the eleven apostles to the ,garden of ,gethsemane1 outside of ,jerusalem1 on the slopes of the ,mount of ,olives4 ,matt4 #bf3cf-df1 and parallels4 ,there he sought strength in prayer for the approaching hour when he was to bear the penalty of our sins4 ,the disciples were no help to him in his agony2 ,peter and ,james and ,john slept while he prayed4 ,but ,god the ,father heard his prayer4 ,matthew #bf3dg to #bg3a ,soon the traitor came with the ,temple guard1 and ,jesus was arrested1 ,matt4 #bf3dg-ef1 and parallels4 ,on the same evening there was an informal hearing of the ,prisoner in the house of ,annas1 the father-in-law of ,caiaphas1 the high priest4 ,matt4 #bf3eg1 #eh1 #fi-ge1 and parallels4 ,meanwhile ,peter and another disciple1 who was no doubt ,john the son of ,zebedee1 the writer of the ,fourth ,gospel1 had entered into the house4 ,there ,peter denied his ,lord4 ,the next morning there was a more formal meeting of the sanhedrin1 the highest court of the ,jews4 ,luke #bb3ff-ga1 and parallels4 ,this meeting was intended to confirm the results of the informal hearing in the house of ,annas4 ,but both meetings were little more than a form4 ,the court had really decided the question beforehand2 it had determined to bring ,jesus by any means1 lawful or otherwise1 to his death4 ,when faced by his enemies1 our ,lord declared plainly that he was the ,messiah1 the ,son of ,god4 ,that answer was enough to satisfy the accusers4 ,jesus was judged guilty of blasphemy4 ,matthew #bg3b-ef1 and ,parallels ,but the sanhedrin did not possess the power of life and death4 ,before ,jesus could be executed1 therefore1 the findings of the sanhedrin had to be confirmed by ,pilate1 the ,roman procurator4 ,and at first ,pilate was recalcitrant to the ,jews' demands2 he was not able to find in ,jesus any cause of death4 ,john #ah3bh-ch1 and parallels4 ,in his perplexity1 ,pilate sent the prisoner to be examined by ,herod ,antipas1 the tetrarch of ,galilee1 who was at the time in ,jerusalem4 ,luke #bc3f-ab4 ,but this hearing also was without decisive result4 ,at last ,pilate yielded1 against his better judgment1 to the importunity of the ,jewish leaders and the mad shouts of the crowds1 who had turned now against the ,one whom formerly they had honored4 ,matt4 #bg3ae-cj1 and parallels4 ,pilate delivered ,jesus up to the will of the ,jews4 ,before the execution1 however1 the ,prisoner was cruelly scourged and mocked by the ,roman soldiers4 ,then when a last effort of ,pilate had failed to placate the wrath of ,jesus' enemies1 ,john #ai3d-af1 our ,lord was finally taken out of the city to be crucified4 ,luke #bc3bf-cc1 and parallels4 ,the ,prisoner at first was compelled to bear the cross on which he was to be put to death1 but when his strength gave way a certain ,simon of ,cyrene was pressed into service4 ,a crowd of people from ,jerusalem followed the ,prisoner1 and especially a number of women who lamented4 ,at last the place of execution was reached4 ,it was called ,golgotha1 or according to the ,latin translation of the name1 ,calvary4 ,there they crucified our ,lord4 ,matt4 #bg3cc-ef1 and parallels4 ,with him were crucified two thieves1 of whom one repented at the last hour1 and received salvation4 ,a number of sayings which ,jesus uttered on the cross are recorded in the ,gospels4 ,at the moment of death1 he cried1 ,it is finished4 ,john #ai3cj4 ,the meaning of that saying is plain4 ,the work for which our ,lord came into the world at last was done4 ,the ,lord of glory had died to wash away the sins of all believers4 ,the just penalty of sin had been borne by the ,one who knew no sin4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xii #a4 ,summarize the teaching of ,jesus on the last evening before the crucifixion4 #b4 ,what happened in ,gethsemane8 #c4 ,describe the trial of ,jesus before the sanhedrin and before ,pilate4 #d4 ,why did the ,jewish leaders put ,jesus to death8 ,why did ,jesus consent to die8 #e4 ,give an account of the crucifixion of our ,lord4 ,,lesson ,,xiii ,the ,resurrection ,the death of ,christ was the greatest event that history has ever seen4 ,by that event the grace of ,god triumphed over sin1 and a lost world was redeemed4 ,apart from ,christ we all deserve eternal death4 ,but the ,lord of glory1 on ,calvary1 bore the guilt which belonged to us1 and made us children of ,god4 ,so great an event was accomplished without flare of heavenly trumpets or blazing of heavenly light4 ,to many1 the death of ,christ seemed to be merely the execution of a criminal4 ,but there were not wanting some strange phenomena which marked the greatness of the event4 ,from twelve o'clock on the day of the crucifixion there was darkness until three o'clock1 when ,jesus died4 ,then the veil of the ,temple was rent1 there was an earthquake1 and graves were opened4 ,thus was nature made to recognize the suffering and the triumph of her ,lord4 ,after ,jesus had died1 his side was pierced by one of the soldiers whom ,pilate had sent at the instance of the ,jews in order that those who had been crucified should be killed and their bodies removed before the ,sabbath4 ,from the body of ,jesus there came out blood and water4 ,the event was witnessed by ,john the son of ,zebedee1 the writer of the ,fourth ,gospel4 ,john #ai3ca-db4 ,matthew #bg3eg-ff ,then1 in the late afternoon of the same day ,joseph of ,arimathea1 a secret disciple of ,jesus1 removed our ,lord's body from the cross and placed it in a new tomb4 ,mark #ae3db-df1 and parallels4 ,another secret disciple1 or half-disciple1 ,nicodemus1 came also to anoint the body4 ,john #ai3ci4 ,certain women also came to see where ,jesus was laid4 ,luke #bc3ee1 #ef1 and parallels4 ,the chief priests and ,pharisees1 on the other hand1 obtained a guard from ,pilate1 to watch the tomb1 lest the disciples of ,jesus should steal the body of ,jesus away and say that he had risen from the dead4 ,matt4 #bg3fb-ff4 ,matthew #bh3b-d1 #aa-ae ,the next day was ,saturday1 the ,old ,testament ,sabbath4 ,the friends of ,jesus rested on that day4 ,but very early on ,sunday morning1 the women started to the tomb bearing spices in order to anoint the body4 ,but before they arrived1 our ,lord had already risen from the dead4 ,there had been an earthquake1 an angel had rolled away the stone from the sepulcher1 and our ,lord himself had risen4 ,at the sight of the angel1 the soldiers of the guard1 in their fear1 became as dead men4 ,matt4 #bh3b-d4 ,all that they could do was to report the event to the chief priests who had sent them4 ,vs4 #aa-ae4 ,matthew #bh3a1 and ,parallels2 ,john #bj3b2 ,matthew #bh3e-aj1 and ,parallels ,then the women arrived at the tomb1 and found it empty4 ,matt4 #bh3a1 and parallels4 ,one of them1 ,mary ,magdalene1 went back to tell ,peter and ,john4 ,john #bj3b4 ,the others remained at the tomb1 and there saw two angels who announced to them that ,jesus was risen from the dead4 ,on their way back to the city ,jesus himself met them1 and they fell down1 grasped his feet1 and worshiped him4 ,matt4 #bh3e-aj1 and parallels4 ,john #bj3c-ah ,meanwhile1 at the message of ,mary ,magdalene1 ,peter and ,john ran to the tomb1 found it empty1 and believed that ,jesus really was risen4 ,john #bj3c-aj4 ,but ,mary ,magdalene1 after they had gone1 stood weeping at the tomb2 she supposed that some one had taken the body of her ,lord away4 ,then ,jesus himself came to her1 her sorrow was changed into joy1 and she joined her voice to that of the other women who told the disciples of the glad event4 ,vs4 #aa-ah4 ,i ,corinthians #ae3e2 ,luke #bd3ac-di2 ,john #bj3ai-bc ,thus far1 ,jesus himself had been seen only by the women4 ,but now he appeared to ,peter1 ,i ,cor4 #ae3e2 ,luke #bd3cd1 and to two of the disciples who were walking to the village of ,emmaus4 ,at first the two disciples did not know him2 but they recognized him at ,emmaus when he broke the bread4 ,then1 on the evening of the same ,sunday1 he appeared to the apostles in ,jerusalem4 ,i ,cor4 #ae3e2 ,luke #bd3cf-di2 ,john #bj3ai-bc4 ,all doubts were removed when he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side1 and partook of food in their presence4 ,then he interpreted the ,scriptures to them1 as he had done to the two disciples on the walk to ,emmaus1 showing them that it was necessary that the ,messiah should suffer4 ,finally he breathed upon them1 and said1 ,receive ye the ,holy ,spirit4 ,john #bj3bd-bi ,thomas1 one of the apostles1 who had been absent from this meeting with the risen ,lord1 refused to believe at the mere word of the others4 ,but ,jesus dealt very graciously with the doubting disciple4 ,again1 one week later1 he came to the apostles1 the doors of the room being shut1 and presented to ,thomas his hands and his side4 ,all doubts now melted away in the joy of meeting with the risen ,lord4 ,thomas answered and said unto him1 ,my ,lord and my ,god4 ,john #bj3bd-bi4 ,john #ba3a-bd2 ,i ,corinthians #ae3f2 ,matthew #bh3af-bj ,the apostles then went back to ,galilee in accordance with ,jesus' command1 and in ,galilee also ,jesus appeared to them4 ,first he appeared to seven of the disciples on the shores of the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,among the seven was ,john the son of ,zebedee1 who has given an account of the event in his ,gospel4 ,john #ba3a-bd4 ,then there was a great appearance of ,jesus on a mountain4 ,at that time1 apparently1 not only the eleven apostles were present1 but also five hundred other disciples4 ,i ,cor4 #ae3f2 ,matt4 #bh3af-bj4 ,on the mountain ,jesus instituted the sacrament of baptism1 and gave his disciples the ,great ,commission to make disciples of all nations4 ,the execution of that commission has sometimes been attended with discouragements4 ,but the risen ,lord promised always to be with his ,church4 ,i ,corinthians #ae3g2 ,acts #a3a-aa ,after the appearances in ,galilee1 the apostles returned to ,jerusalem4 ,it was no doubt in ,jerusalem that ,jesus appeared to ,james1 his own brother1 ,i ,cor4 #ae3g1 who during the earthly ministry had not believed on him4 ,other appearances also occurred there4 ,at one or more of these appearances ,jesus commanded the apostles to wait in ,jerusalem until the ,holy ,spirit should come upon them4 ,then1 said ,jesus1 they were to be witnesses of him both in ,jerusalem1 and in all ,juda and ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost part of the earth4 ,acts #a3h4 ,finally1 forty days after the resurrection1 ,jesus led his disciples out to the ,mount of ,olives1 on the way to ,bethany1 and there he was taken from them in a cloud into heaven4 ,the disciples were saddened and bewildered by the departure of their ,lord4 ,but their sadness was soon turned into joy4 ,two men stood by them in white apparel2 who also said1 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye looking into heaven8 this ,jesus1 who was received up from you into heaven1 shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven4 ,acts #a3aj1 #aa4 ,the disciples went then into the city1 where they were constantly in the ,temple1 praising ,god4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xiii #a4 ,describe the burial of ,jesus4 ,how long did his body rest in the tomb8 #b4 ,enumerate the persons who saw the empty tomb4 #c4 ,enumerate1 so far as the facts are known1 the persons who saw ,jesus after the resurrection4 #d4 ,in what books of the ,new ,testament are the facts about the resurrection mentioned8 #e4 ,what is the importance of the resurrection of ,jesus for our ,christian faith8 #f4 ,describe the change which the resurrection produced in the early disciples of ,jesus4 ,,lesson ,,xiv ,the ,beginnings of the ,christian ,church ,the ,christian ,church is founded on the fact of the resurrection of ,jesus2 if that fact had not occurred there would be no ,church to-day4 ,the disciples of ,jesus of ,nazareth were evidently far inferior to him in spiritual discernment and in courage4 ,evidently they could not hope to succeed if he had failed4 ,and with his death what little strength they may have had before was utterly destroyed4 ,in the hour of his trial they had deserted him in cowardly flight4 ,and when he was taken from them by a shameful death1 they were in despair4 ,never did a movement seem to be more hopelessly dead4 ,but then the surprising thing occurred4 ,those same weak1 discouraged men began1 in a few days1 in ,jerusalem1 the very scene of their disgrace1 a spiritual movement the like of which the world has never seen4 ,what produced the wonderful change8 ,what was it that transformed those weak1 discouraged men into the spiritual conquerors of the world8 ,the answer of those men themselves was plain4 ,their despair1 they said1 gave way to triumphant joy because the ,lord ,jesus had risen from the dead1 and because they were convinced of his resurrection by the empty tomb and by the appearances of ,jesus himself4 ,no other real explanation has yet been discovered to account for the sudden transformation of the despair of the disciples into triumphant joy4 ,the very existence of the ,christian ,church itself1 therefore1 is the strongest testimony to the resurrection2 for without the resurrection the ,church could never have come into being4 ,acts #a3ab-bf ,after the ascension of ,jesus1 which was studied in the last lesson1 the apostles returned to ,jerusalem1 and obeyed the command of ,jesus by waiting for the coming of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,but the period of waiting was not a period of idleness2 it was spent1 on the contrary1 in praising ,god and in prayer4 ,one definite action was taken--the place of ,judas1 the traitor1 who had killed himself in his remorse1 was filled by the choice of ,matthias4 ,acts #a3ae-bf4 ,at that time1 certain women and a number of other disciples were gathered together with the apostles1 making a total of about one hundred and twenty persons4 ,it was upon that little company of praying disciples1 or rather upon the promise of ,jesus which had been made to them1 that the hope of the world was based4 ,acts1 ,chapter #b ,at last1 at the feast of ,pentecost1 fifty days after the passover1 the promise of ,jesus was fulfilled2 the ,holy ,spirit came upon the disciples to fit them for the evangelization of the world4 ,acts #b3a-ac4 ,they were all together in one place2 there was a sound as of a rushing1 mighty wind2 cloven tongues1 like tongues of fire1 sat upon each one of them2 they were all filled with the ,holy ,spirit1 and began to speak with other languages as the ,spirit gave them utterance4 ,when the crowd came together to see the wonderful thing that had happened1 ,peter preached the first sermon of the ,christian ,church4 ,vs4 #ad-cf4 ,at the preaching of ,peter three thousand persons were converted2 the campaign of world conquest had begun4 ,vs4 #cg-db4 ,the campaign from the beginning was a campaign of witnessing1 in accordance with ,jesus' command4 ,acts #a3h4 ,the ,christian ,church was to conquer the world1 not by exhorting men to live a certain kind of life1 but by bringing them a piece of news4 ,the ,son of ,god1 said the ,christian missionaries1 died on the cross and then rose again4 ,that was the good news that conquered the world4 ,christianity from the beginning was a way of life1 but it was a way of life founded upon a piece of news1 a way of life founded upon historical facts4 ,the meaning of the facts was not revealed all at once1 but it was revealed in part from the very beginning1 and throughout the ,apostolic ,age the revelation came in greater and greater fullness1 especially through the instrumentality of ,paul4 ,the life of the ,early ,church in ,jerusalem was in some respects like that of the ,jews4 ,the disciples continued to observe the ,jewish fasts and feasts and were constantly in the ,temple4 ,but a new joy animated the company of believers4 ,their ,lord was indeed taken from them for a time1 and they did not know when he would return1 but meanwhile he was present with them through his ,spirit1 and already he had saved them from their sins4 ,even in external observances the believers were distinguished from the rest of the ,jews4 ,entrance into their company was marked by the sacrament of baptism1 which signified the washing away of sin2 and their continued fellowship with one another and with the risen ,lord found expression in the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 which commemorated the atoning death of ,jesus4 ,there were also common meals4 ,and those who had property devoted it1 in a purely voluntary way1 to the needs of their poorer brethren4 ,the disciples attended diligently1 moreover1 to the teaching of the apostles1 and engaged constantly in prayer4 ,acts1 ,chapter #c ,the preaching of the apostles in ,jerusalem was authenticated by miracles4 ,one notable miracle is narrated in detail in the book of ,the ,acts4 ,ch4 #c4 ,as ,peter and ,john were going up into the ,temple at the hour of prayer1 they healed a lame beggar1 who was in the habit of sitting at the gate4 ,the miracle was the means of bringing to the people something better than bodily healing2 for when the crowd came together in wonder at the healing of the lame man1 ,peter proclaimed to them the good news of the salvation which ,jesus had wrought4 ,acts1 ,chapter #d ,the ,sadducees1 the ruling class1 being incensed at such a proclamation1 laid hands upon the two apostles1 and brought them before the sanhedrin4 ,acts #d3a-bb4 ,but even when ,peter boldly announced to them that the name of that ,jesus whom they had put to death was the only name which could bring salvation to men1 they were unable to do more than warn the recalcitrant preachers4 ,a notable miracle had been wrought1 and they could not deny it4 ,when ,peter and ,john came again to the company of believers1 all the company united in a glorious prayer of praise4 ,the answer to the prayer was plainly given4 ,the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together2 and they were all filled with the ,holy ,spirit1 and they spake the word of ,god with boldness4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xiv #a4 ,show how the ,christian ,church is founded upon the fact of the resurrection4 #b4 ,describe the choice of ,matthias4 #c4 ,who were gathered together in the upper room in ,jerusalem8 #d4 ,describe the coming of the ,spirit on the ,day of ,pentecost4 #e4 ,was the speaking with other tongues on the ,day of ,pentecost the same as the gift of tongues described in the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians8 ,if not1 what was the difference8 #f4 ,why were the ,sadducees opposed to the preaching of ,peter and ,john8 ,,lesson ,,xv ,the ,first ,persecution ,acts #e3a-aa ,the life of the early ,jerusalem church was full of a holy joy4 ,but even in those first glorious days the ,church had to battle against sin1 and not all of those who desired to join themselves to the disciples were of true ,christian life4 ,one terrible judgment of ,god was inflicted in order to preserve the purity of the ,church4 ,acts #e3a-aa4 ,a certain ,ananias1 with ,sapphira his wife1 had sold a possession1 in accordance with the custom of those early days1 and had laid part of the price at the apostles' feet that it might be distributed to the poorer disciples4 ,part of the price was withheld1 and yet ,ananias and his wife pretended to have given all4 ,ananias was not required to sell his field1 or to give all of the price after he had sold it4 ,his sin was the sin of deceit4 ,he had lied to the ,holy ,spirit4 ,terrible was the judgment of ,god2 ,ananias and ,sapphira were stricken down dead1 and great fear came upon all who heard4 ,acts #e3ab-db ,the apostles and the ,church enjoyed the favor of the people--a favor which was mingled with awe4 ,many miracles were wrought by the apostles2 multitudes of sick people were brought to be healed4 ,but the ,sadducees made another attempt to put a stop to the dangerous movement4 ,acts #e3ag-db4 ,they laid hands upon all the apostles1 as they had laid hands upon two of them once before1 and put them all in prison4 ,but in the night the apostles were released by an angel of the ,lord1 and at once1 in obedience to the angel's command1 went and taught boldly in the ,temple4 ,when they were arrested again1 ,peter said simply1 ,we must obey ,god rather than men4 ,the ,jesus whom you slew has been raised up by ,god as a ,prince and a ,saviour1 and we are witnesses of these things and so is the ,holy ,spirit4 ,vs4 #bi-cb1 in substance4 ,it was a bold answer1 and the sanhedrin was incensed4 ,but ,gamaliel1 a ,pharisee1 one of the most noted of the ,jewish teachers1 advocated a policy of watchful waiting4 ,if the new movement were of ,god1 he said1 there was no use in fighting against it2 if it were of men it would fail of itself as other ,messianic movements had failed4 ,the cautious policy prevailed1 so far as any attempt at inflicting the death penalty was concerned4 ,but the apostles before they were released were scourged4 ,the suffering and shame did not prevent their preaching4 ,they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of ,jesus4 ,acts #f3a-f ,the early ,jerusalem church was composed partly of ,aramaic-speaking ,jews who had always lived in ,palestine1 and partly of ,greek-speaking ,jews who were connected with the ,judaism of the ,dispersion4 ,the latter class murmured because their widows were neglected in the daily ministrations4 ,in order that the matter might be attended to without turning the apostles aside from their work of teaching and preaching1 seven men were chosen to preside over the distribution of help to the needy members of the church4 ,acts #f3a-f4 ,but these seven were no mere business men4 ,they were full of the ,spirit and of wisdom1 and at least two of them became prominent in the preaching of the gospel4 ,acts #f3g to #h3c ,one of these two was ,stephen1 a man full of faith and of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,stephen wrought great wonders and signs among the people1 and also preached in the synagogues which were attended by certain of the ,greek-speaking ,jews residing at ,jerusalem4 ,by his preaching he stirred up opposition4 ,and the opposition was of a new kind4 ,up to that time the objection to the ,early ,church had come1 principally at least1 from the ,sadducees4 ,but the ,sadducees were a worldly aristocracy1 out of touch with the masses of the people1 and in their efforts against the ,church they had been checked again and again by the popular favor which the disciples of ,jesus enjoyed4 ,now1 however1 that popular favor began to wane4 ,it became evident that although the disciples continued to observe the ,jewish fasts and feasts1 their preaching really meant the beginning of a new era4 ,the people were not ready for such a change1 and especially the leaders of the people1 the ,pharisees1 who1 since the crucifixion of ,jesus1 had shown no persecuting zeal1 came out in active opposition4 ,the result was at once evident4 ,stephen was arrested1 and was charged with revolutionary teaching about the ,temple4 ,the charge was false2 ,stephen did not say that the ,temple worship should then and there be abandoned by the disciples of ,jesus4 ,but he did proclaim the beginning of a new era1 and the presence1 in the person of ,jesus1 of one greater than ,moses4 ,so1 after a great and bold speech of ,stephen1 he was hurried out of the city and stoned4 ,as ,stephen was stoned1 he called on ,jesus1 saying1 ,lord ,jesus1 receive my spirit1 and then kneeling down he prayed for forgiveness of his enemies3 ,lord1 lay not this sin to their charge4 ,acts #f3h to #h3c ,thus died the first ,christian martyr4 ,the ,greek word martyr means witness4 ,others had witnessed to the saving work of ,christ by their words2 ,stephen now witnessed also by his death4 ,when ,stephen was stoned1 the witnesses had laid their garments at the feet of a young man named ,saul4 ,saul was to become the greatest preacher of the faith which then he laid waste4 ,but meanwhile he was a leader in a great persecution4 ,the persecution scattered the disciples far and wide from ,jerusalem1 though the apostles remained4 ,but this scattering resulted only in the wider spread of the gospel4 ,everywhere they went the persecuted disciples proclaimed the faith for which they suffered4 ,thus the very rage of the enemies was an instrument in ,god's hand for bringing the good news of salvation to the wide world4 ,acts #h3d-dj ,among those who were scattered abroad by the persecution was ,philip1 one of the seven men who had been appointed to care for the ministration to the poor4 ,this ,philip1 who is called the evangelist1 to distinguish him from the apostle of the same name1 went to ,samaria1 and preached to the ,samaritans4 ,it was a step on the way toward a ,gentile mission1 but the ,samaritans themselves were not ,gentiles but half-,jews4 ,when the apostles at ,jerusalem heard of the work of ,philip1 they sent ,peter and ,john from among their own number1 and through ,peter and ,john the ,samaritans received special manifestations of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,acts #h3d-be4 ,then ,philip went to a desert road leading from ,jerusalem to ,gaza4 ,there he preached the gospel to an ,ethiopian treasurer1 who despite his employment in a foreign country may have been of ,jewish descent4 ,vs4 #bf-dj4 ,yet the preaching to him was another preparation for the spread of the gospel out into the ,gentile world4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xv #a4 ,what was the sin of ,ananias and ,sapphira8 ,was the relief of the needy in the early ,jerusalem church what is now called communism or socialism8 ,if not1 why not8 #b4 ,what was the fundamental difference between the two first imprisonments of apostles in ,jerusalem1 and the persecution which began with the martyrdom of ,stephen8 ,why was the latter more serious8 #c4 ,outline the speech of ,stephen4 #d4 ,describe the progress of the gospel in ,samaria4 ,,lesson ,,xvi ,the ,conversion of ,paul ,the work of the ,early ,church was at first carried on only among the ,jews4 ,the ,lord ,jesus1 it is true1 had commanded the apostles to make disciples of all the nations1 but he had not made it perfectly plain when the ,gentile work should begin1 or on what terms the ,gentiles should be received4 ,conceivably1 therefore1 the early disciples might have thought it might be the will of ,god that all ,israel should first be evangelized before the gospel should be brought to the other nations2 and conceivably also the men of the other nations1 when they finally should receive the gospel1 might be required to unite themselves with the people of ,israel and keep the ,mosaic ,law4 ,the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit was required1 therefore1 before the gospel should be offered freely to ,gentiles without requiring them to become ,jews4 ,but that guidance1 in ,god's good time1 was plainly and gloriously given4 ,one of the most important steps in the preparation for the ,gentile mission was the calling of a leader4 ,and the leader whom ,god called was one upon whom human choice never would have rested2 for the chosen leader was none other than ,saul1 the bitterest enemy of the ,church4 ,saul1 whose ,roman name was ,paul1 was born at ,tarsus1 a center of ,greek culture1 and the chief city of ,cilicia1 the coast country in the southeastern part of ,asia ,minor1 near the northeastern corner of the ,mediterranean ,sea4 ,in ,tarsus the family of ,paul belonged by no means to the humblest of the population1 for ,paul's father and then ,paul himself possessed ,roman citizenship1 which in the provinces of the empire was a highly prized privilege possessed only by a few4 ,thus by birth in a ,greek university city and by possession of ,roman citizenship ,paul was connected with the life of the ,gentile world4 ,such connection was not without importance for his future service as apostle to the ,gentiles4 ,far more important1 however1 was the ,jewish element in his preparation4 ,although ,paul no doubt spoke ,greek in childhood1 he also in childhood spoke ,aramaic1 the language of ,palestine1 and his family regarded themselves as being in spirit ,jews of ,palestine rather than of the ,dispersion1 ,aramaic-speaking ,jews rather than ,greek-speaking ,jews1 ,hebrews rather than ,hellenists4 ,both in ,tarsus and in ,jerusalem1 moreover1 ,paul was brought up in the strictest sect of the ,pharisees4 ,thus despite his birth in a ,gentile city1 ,paul was not a liberal ,jew2 he was not inclined to break down the separation between ,jews and ,gentiles1 or relax the strict requirements of the ,mosaic ,law4 ,on the contrary1 his zeal for the ,law went beyond that of many of his contemporaries4 ,the fact is of enormous importance for the understanding of ,paul's gospel2 for ,paul's gospel of justification by faith is based not upon a lax interpretation of the law of ,god1 but upon a strict interpretation4 ,only1 according to that gospel1 ,christ has paid the penalty of the law once for all on the cross4 ,according to ,paul1 it is because the full penalty of the law has been paid1 and not at all because the law is to be taken lightly1 that the ,christian is free from the law4 ,acts #i3a-ai1 and ,parallels ,early in life ,paul went to ,jerusalem1 to receive training under ,gamaliel1 the famous ,pharisaic teacher4 ,and in ,jerusalem1 when he had still not reached middle age1 he engaged bitterly in persecution of the ,church4 ,he was filled with horror at a blasphemous sect that proclaimed a crucified malefactor to be the promised ,king of ,israel1 and that tended1 perhaps1 to break down the permanent significance of the law4 ,it is a great mistake to suppose that before he was converted ,paul was gradually getting nearer to ,christianity4 ,on the contrary1 he was if anything getting further away1 and it was while he was on a mad persecuting expedition that his conversion finally occurred4 ,the conversion of ,paul was different in one important respect from the conversion of ordinary ,christians4 ,ordinary ,christians1 like ,paul1 are converted by the ,holy ,spirit1 who is the ,spirit of ,jesus4 ,but in the case of ordinary ,christians human instruments are used--the preaching of the gospel1 or godly parents1 or the like4 ,in the case of ,paul1 on the other hand1 no such instrument was used1 but the ,lord ,jesus himself appeared to ,paul and brought him the gospel4 ,paul himself says in one of his ,epistles that he saw the ,lord4 ,i ,cor4 #i3a2 #ae3h4 ,it was that fact which made ,paul1 unlike ordinary ,christians1 but like ,peter and the other apostles1 an actual eyewitness to the resurrection of ,christ4 ,a wonderful thing1 moreover1 was the way in which ,jesus appeared to ,paul4 ,he might naturally have appeared to him in anger1 to condemn him for the persecution of the ,church4 ,instead he appeared in love1 to receive him into fellowship and to make him the greatest of the apostles4 ,that was grace--pure grace1 pure undeserved favor4 ,it is always a matter of pure grace when a man is saved by the ,lord ,jesus1 but in the case of ,paul1 the persecutor1 the grace was wonderfully plain4 ,paul never forgot that grace of ,christ2 he never hated anything so much as the thought that a man can be saved by his own good works1 or his own character1 or his own obedience to ,god's commands4 ,the gospel of ,paul is a proclamation of the grace of ,god4 ,paul saw the ,lord on the road to ,damascus1 where he had been intending to persecute the ,church4 ,acts #i3a-ai1 and parallels4 ,as he was nearing the city1 suddenly at midday a bright light shone around him above the brightness of the sun4 ,those who accompanied him remained speechless1 seeing the light but not distinguishing the person1 hearing a sound1 but not distinguishing the words4 ,paul1 on the other hand1 saw the ,lord ,jesus and listened to what ,jesus said4 ,then1 at the command of ,jesus1 he went into ,damascus4 ,for three days he was blind1 then received his sight through the ministrations of ,ananias1 an otherwise unknown disciple1 and was baptized4 ,then he proceeded to labor for the ,lord by whom he had been saved4 ,soon1 however1 he went away for a time into ,arabia4 ,gal4 #a3ag4 ,it is not known how far the journey took him or how long it lasted1 except that it lasted less than three years4 ,nothing is said1 in the ,new ,testament1 moreover1 about what ,paul did in ,arabia4 ,but even if he engaged in missionary preaching1 he also meditated on the great thing that ,god had done for him2 and certainly he prayed4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xvi #a4 ,where was ,paul born8 ,find the place on a map4 ,what sort of city was it4 #b4 ,what is known about ,paul's boyhood home1 and about his education8 ,in what books of the ,new ,testament is the information given8 #c4 ,why did ,paul persecute the ,church8 #d4 ,describe in detail what the book of ,the ,acts says about the conversion of ,paul4 ,where does ,paul mention the conversion in his ,epistles8 #e4 ,how did the conversion of ,paul differ from the conversion of an ordinary ,christian8 ,in what particulars was it like the conversion of an ordinary ,christian8 #f4 ,what did ,paul do after the conversion8 ,,lesson ,,xvii ,the ,gospel ,given to the ,gentiles ,saul of ,tarsus was not only converted directly by the ,lord ,jesus2 he was also called just as directly by ,jesus to be an apostle1 and especially an apostle to the ,gentiles4 ,but other instruments were also used in the beginning of the ,gentile mission4 ,even ,peter1 whose work continued for a number of years afterwards to be chiefly among the ,jews1 was led by the ,holy ,spirit to take a notable step in the offering of the gospel freely to the whole world4 ,acts #i3ca-dc ,during the period of peace which followed after the persecution at the time of the death of ,stephen1 ,peter went down to labor in the coastal plain of ,palestine4 ,acts #i3ca-dc4 ,at ,lydda he healed a lame man1 neas2 at ,joppa1 on the coast1 he raised ,dorcas from the dead4 ,and it was at ,joppa that he received the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit as to the reception of ,gentiles into the ,church4 ,ch4 #aj4 ,acts1 ,chapter #aj ,at midday ,peter went up upon the flat housetop to pray4 ,there he fell into a trance1 and saw a vessel like a great sheet let down from heaven1 and in it all kinds of animals which it was forbidden in the ,mosaic ,law to use for food4 ,a voice came to him3 ,rise1 ,peter2 kill and eat4 ,but ,peter said1 ,not so1 ,lord2 for ,i have never eaten anything that is common and unclean4 ,and a voice came unto him again the second time1 ,what ,god hath cleansed1 make not thou common4 ,and this was done thrice3 and straightway the vessel was received up into heaven4 ,the meaning of this vision was soon made plain4 ,a ,roman officer1 ,cornelius1 a devout ,gentile1 living at ,csarea1 which was a seaport about thirty miles north of ,joppa1 had been commanded in a vision to send for ,peter4 ,the messengers of ,cornelius arrived at ,peter's house just after ,peter's vision was over4 ,the ,holy ,spirit commanded ,peter to go with them4 ,arriving at ,csarea1 the apostle went into the house where ,cornelius and his friends were assembled1 and there proclaimed to them the gospel of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,while he was still speaking1 the ,holy ,spirit fell upon all those who were present1 upon the ,gentiles as well as upon the ,jews4 ,then said ,peter1 ,can any man forbid the water1 that these should not be baptized1 who have received the ,holy ,spirit as well as we8 ,so the ,gentiles were baptized4 ,a very important step had been taken4 ,cornelius1 it is true1 was a ,god-fearer--that is1 he belonged to the class of ,gentiles frequently mentioned in the book of ,the ,acts who worshiped the ,god of ,israel and were friendly to the ,jews4 ,nevertheless1 he was still outside the covenant people1 and under the old dispensation he could not be received into covenant privileges until he united himself with the nation by submitting himself to the whole ,mosaic ,law4 ,yet now such restrictions were removed by the plain guidance of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,evidently an entirely new dispensation had begun4 ,acts #aa3a-ah ,at ,jerusalem ,peter's strange action in receiving ,gentiles into the ,church without requiring them to become ,jews gave rise to some discussion4 ,acts #aa3a-ah4 ,but the apostles had no difficulty in convincing the brethren of the necessity for what he had done4 ,the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit had been perfectly plain4 ,when the brethren heard what ,peter said1 they held their peace1 and glorified ,god1 saying1 ,then to the ,gentiles also hath ,god granted repentance unto life4 ,the freedom of the ,gentiles had not yet1 however1 fully been revealed4 ,for a time the case of ,cornelius seems to have been regarded as exceptional4 ,the ,holy ,spirit had plainly commanded ,peter to receive ,cornelius and his friends without requiring them to be united to the people of ,israel1 but perhaps similar definite guidance was required before others could be received4 ,the underlying reason for ,gentile freedom1 in other words1 had not yet fully been revealed4 ,the revelation1 however1 was not long delayed2 it came especially through the ,apostle ,paul4 ,but meanwhile ,paul was being prepared for his work4 ,acts #i3ai-cj1 and ,parallels ,after the journey to ,arabia1 which was mentioned at the end of ,lesson ,,xvi1 ,paul returned to ,damascus1 and preached to the ,jews1 endeavoring to convince them that ,jesus was really the ,messiah4 ,his preaching aroused opposition1 and the ,jews1 with the help of an officer of ,king ,aretas of ,arabia1 had tried to kill him4 ,but the brethren lowered him over the city wall in a basket1 and so he escaped to ,jerusalem1 ,acts #i3bc-be2 ,,ii ,cor4 #aa3ca-cc1 where he desired to become acquainted with ,peter4 ,no doubt he then talked with ,peter especially about the events of the earthly ministry of ,jesus and the appearances of the risen ,christ4 ,he also engaged in preaching to the ,greek-speaking ,jews4 ,but when these ,greek-speaking ,jews sought to kill him1 the brethren sent him away to ,tarsus4 ,he was unwilling to go1 being desirous of repairing the harm which he had done to the church at ,jerusalem2 but a definite command of the ,lord ,jesus sent him now forth to the country of the ,gentiles4 ,acts #i3bf-cj2 #bb3ag-ba2 ,gal4 #a3ah-bd4 ,he labored in or near ,tarsus1 preaching the faith which formerly he had laid waste4 ,acts #aa3ai-bf ,meanwhile an important new step in the progress of the gospel into the ,gentile world was taken at ,antioch4 ,acts #aa3ai-bf4 ,antioch1 the capital of the ,roman province of ,syria1 was situated on the ,orontes ,river1 near the northeastern corner of the ,mediterranean ,sea4 ,it was the third greatest city of the empire1 ranking immediately after ,rome and ,alexandria4 ,and among the great ,gentile cities it was the first which was encountered on the march of the gospel out from ,jerusalem to the conquest of the world4 ,at ,antioch1 certain unnamed ,jews of ,cyprus and ,cyrene1 who had been scattered from ,jerusalem by the persecution at the time of ,stephen's death1 took the important step of preaching the word of ,god to the ,gentiles4 ,before1 they had spoken only to ,jews2 here they spoke also to the ,gentiles4 ,gentiles were received no longer merely in isolated cases like the case of ,cornelius1 but in large numbers4 ,to investigate what had happened1 ,barnabas1 an honorable member of the early ,jerusalem church1 ,acts #d3cf1 #cg1 was sent from ,jerusalem to ,antioch4 ,barnabas at once recognized the hand of ,god1 and sent to ,tarsus to seek ,paul4 ,he and ,paul then labored abundantly in the ,antioch church4 ,at ,antioch the disciples of ,jesus were first called ,christians--no doubt by the ,gentile population of the city4 ,the fact is not unimportant4 ,it shows that even outsiders had come to see that the ,christian ,church was something distinct from ,judaism4 ,a distinct name had come to be required4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xvii #a4 ,describe the conversion of ,cornelius in detail4 ,what was the importance of the event8 #b4 ,what was the meaning of ,peter's vision on the housetop at ,joppa8 #c4 ,what important step was taken at ,antioch8 #d4 ,trace the part of ,barnabas in furthering the work of ,paul4 #e4 ,show how every successive step in the offering of the gospel to the ,gentiles was taken under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,,lesson ,,xviii ,the ,first ,missionary ,journey and the ,apostolic ,council ,acts #aa3bg to #ab3be ,after a time of rapid growth in the ,antioch church1 a prophet1 ,agabus by name1 came down from ,jerusalem and prophesied a famine4 ,the disciples determined to send relief to their brethren in ,jerusalem4 ,this they did by the instrumentality of ,barnabas and ,paul4 ,acts #aa3bg-cj4 ,meanwhile the ,jerusalem church had been suffering renewed persecution under ,herod ,agrippa ,i1 who1 as a vassal of ,rome1 ruled over all ,palestine from ,a4,d4 #da to #dd4 ,james the son of ,zebedee1 one of the apostles1 had been put to death1 and ,peter had escaped only by a wonderful interposition of ,god1 ,acts1 ch4 #ab4 ,acts1 ,chapters #ac1 #ad ,after ,barnabas and ,paul had returned to ,antioch from their labor of love in ,jerusalem1 they were sent out1 under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit1 upon a mission to the ,gentiles1 which is called the first missionary journey4 ,acts1 chs4 #ac1 #ad4 ,this missionary journey led first through the island of ,cyprus1 then1 by way of ,perga in ,pamphylia to ,pisidian ,antioch on the central plateau of ,asia ,minor4 ,at ,pisidian ,antioch1 as regularly in the cities that he visited1 ,paul entered first into the synagogue4 ,in accordance with the liberal ,jewish custom of that day1 he was given opportunity to speak1 as a visiting teacher4 ,the congregation was composed not only of ,jews but also of ,gentiles who had become interested in the ,god of ,israel and in the lofty morality of the ,old ,testament without definitely uniting themselves with the people of ,israel--the class of persons who are called in the book of ,the ,acts they that feared ,god or the like4 ,these ,god-fearers constituted a picked audience2 they were just the ,gentiles who were most apt to be won by the new preaching1 because in their case much of the preliminary instruction had been given4 ,but the ,jews themselves1 at ,pisidian ,antioch as well as elsewhere1 were jealous of the new mission to the ,gentiles1 which was proving so much more successful than their own4 ,paul and ,barnabas1 therefore1 were obliged to give up the work in the synagogue and address themselves directly to the ,gentile population4 ,so it happened very frequently in the cities that ,paul visited--at first he preached to both ,jews and ,gentiles in the synagogues1 and then when the ,jews drove him out he was obliged to preach to the ,gentiles only4 ,being driven out of ,pisidian ,antioch by a persecution instigated by the ,jews1 ,paul and ,barnabas went to ,iconium1 ,lystra1 and ,derbe1 which1 with ,pisidian ,antioch1 were in the southern part of the great ,roman province ,galatia1 but not in ,galatia proper1 which lay farther to the north4 ,then1 turning back from ,derbe1 the missionaries revisited ,lystra1 ,iconium1 and ,pisidian ,antioch1 strengthening the disciples and appointing elders2 and then returned to the church at ,syrian ,antioch from which the ,holy ,spirit had sent them forth4 ,the ,epistle of ,james ,during the progress of the ,antioch church and of the mission which had proceeded from it1 the church at ,jerusalem had not been idle4 ,at the head of it stood ,james1 the brother of ,jesus1 who was not one of the twelve apostles and apparently during the earthly ministry of ,jesus had not been a believer1 but who had witnessed an appearance of the risen ,lord4 ,james was apparently attached permanently to the church at ,jerusalem1 while the ,twelve engaged frequently in missionary work elsewhere4 ,from this ,james there has been preserved in the ,new ,testament a letter1 ,the ,epistle of ,james1 which is addressed to the twelve tribes which are of the ,dispersion4 ,this letter was written at an early time1 perhaps at about the time of the first missionary journey of ,paul4 ,in the letter1 ,james lays stress upon the high moral standard which ought to prevail in the ,christian life1 and he has sometimes been regarded as an advocate of works4 ,but this judgment should not be misunderstood4 ,the works of which ,james is speaking are not works which are to be put alongside of faith as one of the means by which salvation is to be obtained2 they are1 on the contrary1 works which proceed from faith and show that faith is true faith4 ,james does not1 therefore1 deny the doctrine of justification by faith alone4 ,only he insists that true faith always results in good works4 ,paul meant exactly the same thing when he spoke of faith working through love4 ,gal4 #e3f4 ,paul and ,james use somewhat different language1 but they mean the same thing4 ,faith1 according to both of them1 involves receiving the power of ,god1 which then results in a life of loving service4 ,acts #ae3a-ce2 ,galatians #b3a-aj ,the wonderful success of the first missionary journey of ,paul and ,barnabas caused great joy to the ,antioch church4 ,but the joy was soon marred by certain persons1 commonly called ,judaizers1 who came down to ,antioch from ,jerusalem and said that unless the ,gentile converts kept the ,law of ,moses they could not be saved4 ,the demand was directly contrary to the great principle of justification by faith alone2 for it made salvation depend partly upon human merit4 ,the entire life of the ,church was in danger4 ,but ,paul1 guided by a revelation from ,god1 determined to comply with the wishes of the brethren at ,antioch by going up to ,jerusalem with ,barnabas and certain others1 in order to confer with the leaders of the ,jerusalem church4 ,paul did not need any authorization from those leaders1 for he had been commissioned directly by ,christ2 nor did he need to learn from them anything about the principles of the gospel1 for the gospel had come to him through direct revelation4 ,but he did desire to receive from the ,jerusalem leaders1 to whom the ,judaizers falsely appealed1 some such public pronouncement as would put the ,judaizers clearly in the wrong and so stop their ruination of the ,church's work4 ,the conference resulted exactly as ,paul desired4 ,acts #ae3a-ce2 ,gal4 #b3a-aj4 ,the ,jerusalem leaders--,james1 the brother of the ,lord1 ,peter1 and ,john the son of ,zebedee--recognized that they had absolutely nothing to add to the gospel of ,paul1 because he had been commissioned by ,christ as truly and as directly as the original ,twelve4 ,joyfully1 therefore1 they gave to ,paul and ,barnabas the right hand of fellowship4 ,god had worked for ,paul among the ,gentiles as truly as he had worked for ,peter among the ,jews4 ,with regard to the propaganda of the ,judaizers1 the ,jerusalem church1 after speeches by ,james and ,peter presenting the same view as the view of ,paul1 sent a letter to the ,gentile ,christians in ,antioch and ,syria and ,cilicia declaring them to be absolutely free from the ,mosaic ,law as a means of salvation1 and directing them to refrain1 out of loving regard for the ,jews in the several cities1 from certain things in the ,gentile manner of life which were most abhorrent to ,jewish feeling4 ,such was the result of the ,apostolic ,council1 which took place at about ,a4,d4 #di4 ,it was a great victory for the ,gentile mission and for ,paul1 for it established clearly the unity of all the apostles under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,no wonder the church at ,antioch rejoiced when the letter of the ,jerusalem church was read4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xviii #a4 ,describe in detail the release of ,peter from prison in the closing days of the reign of ,herod ,agrippa ,i4 #b4 ,enumerate the visits of ,paul to ,jerusalem which have been studied so far4 #c4 ,what happened1 on the first missionary journey1 at ,paphos8 at ,perga8 at ,pisidian ,antioch8 at ,lystra8 #d4 ,describe the ,apostolic ,council in detail4 ,what was the meaning of the letter which was sent out from the council8 ,,lesson ,,xix ,the ,second ,missionary ,journey ,the ,apostolic ,council1 which was studied in the last lesson1 was an important step in the progress of ,christian liberty4 ,by it the ,judaizers were definitely repudiated1 and salvation was based upon faith alone apart from the works of the law4 ,but many practical difficulties still remained to be solved4 ,galatians #b3aa-ba ,one such difficulty appeared at ,antioch soon after the council4 ,gal4 #b3aa-ba4 ,the council had established the freedom of the ,gentile ,christians from the ,mosaic ,law1 but it had not been determined that the ,jewish ,christians should give up the ,law4 ,no doubt the ,jewish ,christians were inwardly free from the ,law2 they depended for their salvation not at all upon their obedience to ,god's commands as set forth in the ,law of ,moses1 but simply and solely upon the saving work of ,christ accepted by faith4 ,but so far as had yet been revealed1 it might conceivably be the will of ,god that they should still maintain their connection with ,israel by observing the whole of the ,law including even its ceremonial requirements4 ,in order1 however1 that the ceremonial requirements of the ,law might be observed1 the ,jews had always been accustomed to avoid table companionship with ,gentiles4 ,what should be done1 therefore1 in churches like the church at ,antioch1 which were composed both of ,jewish ,christians and of ,gentile ,christians8 ,how could the ,jewish ,christians in such churches continue to observe the ceremonial law1 and still hold table companionship with their ,gentile brethren8 ,this question faced the apostle ,peter on a visit which he made to ,antioch after the ,apostolic ,council4 ,at first he answered the question in the interests of ,gentile freedom2 he allowed the unity of the ,church to take precedence over the devotion of ,jewish ,christians to the ceremonial law4 ,he held table companionship1 therefore1 with the ,gentile ,christians1 and he did so out of true conviction with regard to the new ,christian freedom4 ,but when certain men came to ,antioch from ,james1 ,peter was afraid to be seen transgressing the ceremonial law1 and so began to withdraw himself from table companionship with his ,gentile brethren4 ,peter's action1 because of its inconsistency1 endangered the very life of the ,church4 ,peter had given up the keeping of the ceremonial law in order to hold table companionship with the ,gentile ,christians4 ,then he had undertaken the keeping of the ceremonial law again4 ,might not the ,gentile ,christians be tempted to do the same thing1 in order to preserve their fellowship with the greatest of the original apostles8 ,but if the ,gentile ,christians should begin to keep the ceremonial law1 they could not fail to think that the keeping of the ceremonial law was somehow necessary to salvation4 ,and so the fundamental principle of ,christianity--the principle of salvation by ,christ alone apart from human merit--would be given up4 ,the danger was imminent4 ,but ,god had raised up a man to fight the battle of the ,church4 ,absolutely regardless of personal considerations1 devoted solely to the truth1 the ,apostle ,paul withstood ,peter before the whole ,church4 ,it is exceedingly important to observe that ,paul did not differ from ,peter in principle2 he differed from him only in practice4 ,he said to ,peter in effect1 ,you and ,i are quite agreed about the principle of justification by faith alone2 why1 therefore1 do you belie your principles by your conduct8 ,in the very act of condemning the practice of ,peter1 therefore1 ,paul commends his principles2 about the principles of the gospel the two chief apostles were fully agreed4 ,undoubtedly ,peter was convinced by what ,paul said2 there was no permanent disagreement1 even about matters of practice1 between ,peter and ,paul4 ,thus did the ,spirit of ,god guide and protect the ,church4 ,acts #ae3cf to #ah3bb ,soon afterward ,paul went forth from ,antioch on his second missionary journey4 ,acts #ae3cf to #ah3bb4 ,journeying with ,silas by the land route to ,derbe and to ,lystra1 where ,timothy became his associate1 he then apparently went to ,iconium and ,pisidian ,antioch and then northward into ,galatia proper1 that is ,galatia in the older and narrower sense of the term4 ,finally he went down to ,troas1 a seaport on the gean ,sea4 ,at ,troas he must have been joined by ,luke1 the author of ,the ,acts1 since the narrative in ,acts here begins to be carried on by the use of the first person1 we1 instead of they1 thus showing that the author was present4 ,setting sail from ,troas1 the apostolic company soon came to ,philippi in ,macedonia1 where an important church was founded4 ,at last ,paul and ,silas were imprisoned1 and although they were released through divine interposition and by the second thought of the city authorities1 they were requested by the authorities to leave the city4 ,arriving at ,thessalonica1 ,paul preached in the synagogue1 and founded an important church1 chiefly composed of ,gentiles4 ,but after a stay shorter than had been intended1 persecution instigated by the ,jews drove ,paul out of the city4 ,he went then to ,athens1 where he preached not merely in the synagogue but also directly to the ,gentile passers-by in the market place4 ,at ,corinth1 the capital of the ,roman province ,achaia1 embracing ,greece proper1 large numbers of converts were won1 and ,paul spent about two years in the city4 ,not long after the beginning of this ,corinthian residence1 he wrote the two ,thessalonian ,epistles4 ,the ,first and ,second ,epistles to the ,thessalonians ,the ,first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians was written just after ,paul had received his first news from the ,thessalonian church4 ,he had been obliged to leave ,thessalonica before he had intended4 ,would his work in that city be permanent8 ,would the converts remain faithful to ,christ8 ,these were serious questions4 ,the ,thessalonian converts were living in the midst of a corrupt paganism1 and ,paul had not had time to instruct them fully in the things of ,christ4 ,every human probability was against the maintenance of their ,christian life4 ,but at last ,paul received his first news from ,thessalonica4 ,and the news was good news4 ,god was watching over his children2 the great wonder had been wrought2 a true ,christian church had been founded at ,thessalonica4 ,the letter which ,paul wrote at such a time is very naturally a simple1 warm expression of gratitude to ,god4 ,at the same time1 in the letter1 ,paul comforts the ,thessalonians in view of the death of certain of their number1 gives instruction about the second coming of ,christ1 and urges the converts to live a diligent and orderly life4 ,the ,second ,epistle to the ,thessalonians was written very soon after the former ,epistle4 ,it reiterates the teaching of ,i ,thessalonians1 with correction of a misunderstanding which had crept into the church with regard to the second coming of ,christ4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xix #a4 ,what practical question arose at ,antioch after the ,apostolic ,council8 #b4 ,how did ,paul show the agreement in principle between himself and ,peter8 #c4 ,what was the inconsistency of ,peter's action8 ,did ,paul necessarily condemn ,jewish ,christians who continued to observe the ceremonial law8 ,what principle was at stake at ,antioch8 ,what does ,paul in his ,epistles say about ,peter after this time8 ,was there any permanent disagreement8 #d4 ,why did ,paul separate from ,barnabas at the beginning of the second missionary journey8 ,what does ,paul say afterwards about ,barnabas8 ,was there any permanent disagreement between ,paul and ,barnabas or between ,paul and ,mark8 #e4 ,describe what happened at ,troas1 ,philippi1 ,thessalonica1 ,berea1 ,athens1 ,corinth4 #f4 ,what was the occasion for the writing of ,i ,thessalonians8 of ,,ii ,thessalonians8 ,,lesson ,,xx ,the ,third ,missionary ,journey4 ,the ,epistle to the ,galatians ,at ,corinth1 on the second missionary journey1 the ,jews made charges before the ,roman proconsul ,gallio against ,paul4 ,but ,gallio dismissed the charges as concerning only the ,jewish ,law4 ,it was an important decision4 ,judaism was tolerated in the ,roman ,empire1 and if ,christianity was regarded as a variety of ,judaism it would be tolerated too4 ,such was usually the practice of the ,roman authorities in the very early days2 the ,roman authorities often protected the ,christian missionaries against the ,jews4 ,finally leaving ,corinth1 ,paul went by way of ,ephesus1 where he made only a brief stay1 to ,palestine and then back to ,syrian ,antioch4 ,acts #ah3bc to #ba3ae ,after having spent some time at ,syrian ,antioch1 he started out on his third missionary journey4 ,acts #ah3bc to #ba3ae4 ,first he went through ,asia ,minor to ,ephesus1 apparently passing through ,galatia proper on his way4 ,at ,ephesus he spent about three years4 ,the ,epistle to the ,galatians ,it was probably during this ,ephesian residence that ,paul wrote the ,epistle to the ,galatians2 and probably the churches of ,galatia to which the ,epistle is addressed were churches in ,galatia proper in the northern part of the great ,roman province ,galatia4 ,another view regards the ,epistle as being addressed to the well-known churches at ,pisidian ,antioch1 ,iconium1 ,lystra1 and ,derbe1 which were in the southern part of the ,roman province4 ,when this view is adopted1 the writing of the ,epistle is usually put at a somewhat earlier time in the life of ,paul4 ,the occasion for the writing of the ,epistle to the ,galatians can easily be discovered on the basis of the letter itself4 ,after ,paul had left ,galatia1 certain other teachers had come into the country4 ,these teachers were men of the ,jewish race1 and they are usually called ,judaizers4 ,what they taught can be established fairly well on the basis of ,paul's answer to them4 ,they agreed with ,paul in believing that ,jesus was truly the ,messiah1 and that he had risen from the dead4 ,apparently they had no objection to ,paul's doctrine of the deity of ,christ1 and they agreed1 apparently1 that faith in ,christ is necessary to salvation4 ,but they maintained that something else is also necessary to salvation--namely1 union with the nation of ,israel and the keeping of the ,mosaic ,law4 ,the ,judaizers1 then1 maintained that a man is saved by faith and works2 whereas ,paul maintained that a man is saved by faith alone4 ,the ,galatian ,christians had been impressed by what the ,judaizers had said4 ,already they had begun to observe some of the ,jewish fasts and feasts4 ,and they were on the point of taking the decisive step of uniting themselves definitely with the people of ,israel and undertaking the observance of the ,mosaic ,law4 ,it was to keep them from taking that decisive step that ,paul wrote the ,epistle4 ,at first sight the question at issue might seem to have little importance to-day4 ,no one in the ,church nowadays is in danger of uniting himself with ,israel or undertaking to keep the ceremonial law4 ,if ,paul had treated the question in ,galatia in a merely practical way1 his letter would be of no value to us4 ,but as a matter of fact ,paul did not treat the question in a merely practical way2 he treated it as a question of principle4 ,he saw clearly that what was really endangered by the propaganda of the ,judaizers was the great principle of grace2 the true question was whether salvation is to be earned partly by what man can do or whether it is an absolutely free gift of ,god4 ,that question is just as important in the modern ,church as it was in ,galatia in the first century4 ,there are many in the modern ,church who maintain that salvation is obtained by character1 or by men's own obedience to the commands of ,christ1 or by men's own acceptance of ,christ's ideal of life4 ,these are the modern ,judaizers4 ,and the ,epistle to the ,galatians is directed against them just as much as it was directed against the ,judaizers of long ago4 ,paul refuted the ,judaizers by establishing the meaning of the cross of ,christ4 ,salvation1 he said1 was obtained simply and solely by what ,christ did when he died for the sins of believers4 ,the curse of ,god's law1 said ,paul1 rests justly upon all men1 for all men have sinned4 ,that curse of the law brings the penalty of death4 ,but the ,lord ,jesus1 the eternal ,son of ,god1 took the penalty upon himself by dying instead of us4 ,we therefore go free4 ,such is the gospel of ,jesus ,christ as preached by ,paul1 and as defended in the ,epistle to the ,galatians4 ,that gospel1 ,paul said1 is received by faith4 ,faith is not a meritorious act2 it simply means accepting what ,christ has done4 ,it cannot be mingled with an appeal to human merit4 ,christ will do everything or nothing4 ,either accept as a free gift what ,christ has done1 or else earn salvation by perfect obedience4 ,the latter alternative is impossible because of sin2 the former1 therefore1 alone can make a man right with ,god4 ,but acceptance of the saving work of ,christ means more than salvation from the guilt of sin2 it means more than a fresh start in ,god's favor4 ,it means also salvation from the power of sin4 ,all men1 according to ,paul1 are dead in sin4 ,salvation1 then1 can come only by a new creation1 as ,paul calls it1 or1 as it is called elsewhere in the ,new ,testament1 a new birth4 ,that new creation is wrought by the saving work of ,christ1 and applied by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and after the new creation has been wrought1 there is a new life on the basis of it4 ,in the new life there is still a battle against sin4 ,but the ,christian has received a new power1 the power of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and when he yields himself to that new power1 he fulfills in its deepest import the law of ,god4 ,only he fulfills it not by obedience in his own strength to a law which is outside of him1 but by yielding to a power which ,god has placed in his heart4 ,this new fulfillment of the law on the part of ,christians is what ,paul means when he speaks of faith working through love2 for love involves the fulfillment of the whole law4 ,such was the gospel of ,paul as it is set forth in the ,epistle to the ,galatians4 ,paul had received it from the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,without it the ,church is dead4 ,it need not be put in long words1 but it must be proclaimed without the slightest concession to human pride1 if the ,church is to be faithful to the ,saviour who died4 ,we deserved eternal death2 the ,lord ,jesus1 because he loved us1 died in our stead--there is the heart and core of ,christianity4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xx #a4 ,describe ,paul's first visit to ,corinth4 #b4 ,where did ,paul go at the beginning of the third missionary journey8 #c4 ,what was the occasion for the writing of the ,epistle to the ,galatians8 #d4 ,what great principle is defended in the ,epistle8 ,what is the meaning of the death of ,christ8 ,what is the meaning of justification by faith8 #e4 ,give an outline of the ,epistle1 showing the three great divisions4 #f4 ,why does ,paul give1 in the first part of the ,epistle1 a review of certain facts in his life8 ,,lesson ,,xxi ,the ,third ,missionary ,journey4 ,the ,epistles to the ,corinthians and to the ,romans ,another ,epistle1 in addition to the ,epistle to the ,galatians1 was written by ,paul at ,ephesus on the third missionary journey4 ,this was the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians ,in ,i ,corinthians1 the details of congregational life are more fully discussed than in any other of the ,epistles of ,paul4 ,paul had received information about the ,corinthian church partly through what was said by the household of ,chloe1 who had come to ,ephesus from ,corinth1 and partly by a letter which the ,corinthian church had written4 ,the information was not all of a favorable character4 ,in ,corinth1 a ,christian church was in deadly battle with paganism--paganism in thought and paganism in life4 ,but that battle was fought to a victorious conclusion1 through the guidance of an inspired apostle1 and through the ,holy ,spirit of ,god in the hearts of believers4 ,first ,paul dealt in his letter with the parties in the ,corinthian church4 ,the ,corinthian ,christians were in the habit of saying1 ,i am of ,paul2 and ,i of ,apollos2 and ,i of ,cephas2 and ,i of ,christ1 ,i ,cor4 #a3ab2 they seem to have been more interested in the particular form in which the gospel message was delivered than in the message itself4 ,paul treated the subject in a grand and lofty way4 ,the party spirit in ,corinth was merely one manifestation of intellectual pride4 ,in reply1 the apostle directed his readers to the true wisdom4 ,and if you would possess that wisdom1 he said1 give up your quarreling and give up your pride4 ,then there was gross sin to be dealt with1 and a certain lordly indifference to moral purity4 ,in reply1 ,paul pointed to the true moral implications of the gospel1 and to the law of love which sometimes1 as in ,paul's own case1 causes a ,christian man to give up even privileges which might be his by right4 ,in chs4 #ab to #ad of the ,epistle1 ,paul dealt with the supernatural gifts of the ,spirit1 such as prophecy and speaking with tongues4 ,these gifts were not continued after the ,apostolic ,age4 ,but it is important for us to know about them1 and the principles which ,paul used in dealing with them are of permanent validity4 ,the greatest principle was the principle of love4 ,it is in connection with the question of gifts of the ,spirit that ,paul wrote his wonderful hymn about ,christian love4 ,ch4 #ac4 ,paganism of thought was creeping into the ,corinthian church in connection with the doctrine of the resurrection4 ,paul dealt with this question by appealing to the plain historical evidence for the resurrection of ,christ4 ,that fact itself had not been denied in ,corinth4 ,it was supported by the testimony not only of ,paul himself1 but also of ,peter1 of the apostles1 and of five hundred brethren most of whom were still alive4 ,paul had received the account of the death1 the burial1 the resurrection1 and the appearances of ,jesus from ,jerusalem1 and no doubt from ,peter during the fifteen days which the two apostles had spent together three years after ,paul's conversion4 ,in ,i ,cor4 #ae3a-g ,paul is reproducing the account which the primitive ,jerusalem church gave of its own foundation4 ,and in that account ,christianity appears1 not as an aspiration1 not as mere devotion to an ideal of life1 not as inculcation of a certain kind of conduct1 but as a piece of information about something that had actually happened--namely1 the atoning death and glorious resurrection of ,jesus our ,lord4 ,the ,second ,epistle to the ,corinthians ,the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians did not end all difficulties in the ,corinthian church4 ,on the contrary1 after the writing of that letter1 certain miserable busybodies had sought to draw the ,corinthian ,christians away from their allegiance to the apostle4 ,a brief visit which ,paul had made to ,corinth had not ended the trouble4 ,at last ,paul had left ,ephesus in great distress4 ,he had passed through a terrible personal danger1 when he had despaired of life1 but more trying still was the thought of ,corinth4 ,finding no relief from his troubles he went to ,troas and then across to ,macedonia4 ,there at length relief came4 ,titus1 ,paul's helper1 arrived with good news from ,corinth2 the church had returned to its allegiance4 ,to give expression to his joy and thanksgiving1 ,paul wrote the ,second ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,in the ,epistle he also dealt with the matter of the collection for the poor at ,jerusalem1 and administered a last rebuke to the ,corinthian trouble makers4 ,in ,i ,corinthians it is the congregation that is in the forefront of interest2 in ,,ii ,corinthians1 on the other hand1 it is the apostle and his ministry4 ,in this letter1 the ,apostle ,paul lays bare before his readers the very secrets of his heart1 and reveals the glories of the ministry which ,god had intrusted to him4 ,that ministry was the ministry of reconciliation4 ,god and men had been separated by the great gulf of sin1 which had brought men under ,god's wrath and curse4 ,nothing that men could do could possibly bridge the gulf4 ,but what was impossible with men was possible with ,god4 ,by the redeeming work of ,christ the gulf had been closed2 all had been made right again between ,god and those for whom ,christ died4 ,the ,epistle to the ,romans ,arriving at ,corinth ,paul spent three months in that city4 ,during this time he wrote the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,paul was intending to visit the city of ,rome4 ,the church at ,rome had not been founded by him2 it was important1 therefore1 that in order to prepare for his coming he should set forth plainly to the ,romans the gospel which he proclaimed4 ,that is what he does in the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,in the ,epistle to the ,romans1 the way of salvation through ,christ is set forth more fully than in any other book of the ,new ,testament4 ,in ,galatians it is set forth in a polemic way1 when ,paul was in the midst of a deadly conflict against a religion of works2 here it is set forth more calmly and more fully4 ,in the first great division of the ,epistle1 ,paul sets forth the universal need of salvation4 ,the need is due to sin4 ,all have sinned1 and are under ,god's just wrath and curse4 ,rom4 #a3ah to #c3bj4 ,but the ,lord ,jesus ,christ bore that curse for all believers1 by dying for them on the cross2 he paid the just penalty of our sins1 and clothed us with his perfect righteousness4 ,ch4 #c3ba-ca4 ,this saving work of ,christ1 and the faith by which it is accepted1 were set forth in the ,old ,testament ,scriptures4 ,ch4 #d4 ,the result of the salvation is peace with ,god1 and an assured hope that what ,god has begun through the gift of ,christ1 he will bring to a final completion4 ,ch4 #e3a-aa4 ,thus1 as in ,adam all died1 by sharing in the guilt of ,adam's sin1 so in ,christ all believers are made alive4 ,vs4 #ab-ba4 ,but1 ,paul goes on1 the freedom which is wrought by ,christ does not mean freedom to sin2 on the contrary it means freedom from the power of sin2 it means a new life which is led by the power of ,god4 ,ch4 #f4 ,what the law could not do1 because the power of sin prevented men from keeping its commands1 that ,christ has accomplished4 ,ch4 #g4 ,through ,christ1 believers have been made sons of ,god2 there is to them no condemnation2 and nothing in this world or the next shall separate them from the love of ,christ4 ,ch4 #h4 ,toward the spread of this gospel1 ,paul goes on1 the whole course of history has been made to lead4 ,the strange dealings of ,god both with ,jews and ,gentiles are part of one holy and mysterious plan4 ,chs4 #i to #aa4 ,in the last section of the ,epistle1 ,paul shows how the glorious gospel which he has set forth results in holy living from day to day4 ,chs4 #ab to #af4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xxi #a4 ,what was the occasion for the writing of ,i ,corinthians8 of ,,ii ,corinthians8 of ,romans8 #b4 ,give outlines of these three ,epistles4 ,,lesson ,,xxii ,the ,first ,imprisonment of ,paul ,after the three months which ,paul spent at ,corinth on the third missionary journey1 he went up to ,jerusalem in order to help bear the gifts which he had collected in the ,gentile churches for the poor of the ,jerusalem church4 ,he was accompanied by a number of helpers1 among them ,luke1 the writer of the ,third ,gospel and the book of ,the ,acts4 ,luke had remained behind at ,philippi on the second missionary journey1 and now1 several years later1 he joined the apostle again4 ,the portions of the journey where ,luke was actually present are narrated in ,the ,acts in great detail and with remarkable vividness4 ,when ,paul came to ,miletus on the coast of ,asia ,minor1 he sent to ,ephesus for the elders of the ,ephesian church1 and when they came he held a notable farewell discourse4 ,there was a touching scene when he finally parted from those who loved him so well4 ,acts #ba3ae to #bh3ca ,despite prophecies of the imprisonment that awaited him ,paul went bravely on to ,jerusalem4 ,there he was warmly received by ,james the brother of the ,lord and by the church4 ,acts #ba3ae-bf4 ,but the non-,christian ,jews falsely accused him of bringing ,gentiles with him into the ,temple4 ,vs4 #bg-dj4 ,there was an onslaught against him1 and he was rescued by the ,roman chief captain1 who took him into the ,castle of ,antonia which the ,romans used to guard the ,temple area4 ,on the steps of the castle he was allowed to address the people1 ch4 #bb3a-bb1 who listened to him at first because he used the ,aramaic language instead of ,greek1 but broke out against him again when he spoke of his mission to the ,gentiles4 ,an appeal to his ,roman citizenship saved ,paul from scourging1 ,acts #bb3bc-bi2 and a hearing the next day before the sanhedrin1 ch4 #bb3cj to #bc3aj1 brought only a quarrel between the ,sadducees and the ,pharisees4 ,that night ,paul had a comforting vision of ,christ4 ,v4 #aa4 ,a plot of the ,jews to waylay ,paul and kill him was frustrated by ,paul's sister's son1 who told the chief captain4 ,the chief captain sent the prisoner with an escort down to ,csarea where the procurator ,felix had his residence4 ,acts #bc3ab-ce4 ,hearings before ,felix brought no decisive result1 ch4 #bd1 and ,paul was left in prison at ,csarea for two years until ,festus arrived as successor of ,felix4 ,then1 in order to prevent being taken to ,jerusalem for trial1 ,paul exercised his right as a ,roman citizen by appealing to the court of the emperor4 ,ch4 #be3a-ab4 ,accordingly1 after a hearing before ,herod ,agrippa ,,ii1 who had been made king of a realm northeast of ,palestine by the ,romans1 v4 #ac2 ch4 #bf3cb1 ,paul was sent as a prisoner to ,rome1 chs4 #bg3a to #bh3af4 ,on the journey he was accompanied by ,luke1 who has given a detailed account of the voyage--an account which is not only perhaps the chief source of information about the seafaring of antiquity1 but also affords a wonderful picture of the way ,paul acted in a time of peril4 ,the ship was wrecked on the island of ,malta1 and it was not until the following spring that the prisoner was brought to ,rome4 ,there he remained in prison for two years1 chained to a soldier guard1 but permitted to dwell in his own hired house and to receive visits from his friends4 ,acts #bh3af-ca4 ,during this first ,roman imprisonment ,paul wrote four of his ,epistles--to the ,colossians and to ,philemon1 to the ,ephesians1 and to the ,philippians4 ,colossians1 ,philemon1 and ,ephesians were all written at the same time4 ,colossians and ,ephesians were both sent by the same messenger1 ,tychicus1 and this messenger was accompanied by ,onesimus1 who bore the ,epistle to ,philemon4 ,the ,epistle to ,philemon ,onesimus was a slave who had run away from ,philemon1 his master4 ,he had then been converted by ,paul1 and ,paul was now sending him back to his master4 ,the little letter which the apostle wrote on this occasion gives a wonderful picture of the way in which ordinary social relationships like that of master and servant may be made the means of expression for ,christian love4 ,very beautiful also was the relation between ,philemon and the apostle through whom he had been converted4 ,the ,epistle to the ,colossians ,the church at ,coloss1 to which the ,epistle to the ,colossians is addressed1 had been founded not by ,paul but by one of his helpers1 ,epaphras4 ,a certain type of false teaching had been brought into the church by those who laid stress upon angels in a way that was harmful to the exclusive position of ,christ4 ,in reply1 ,paul sets forth in the ,epistle the majesty of ,jesus1 who existed from all eternity and was the instrument of ,god the ,father in the creation of the world4 ,this was no new teaching2 it is always presupposed in the earlier ,epistles of ,paul1 and about it there was no debate4 ,but in the ,epistle to the ,colossians1 in view of the error that was creeping in through false speculation1 ,paul took occasion to set forth fully what in the former letters he had presupposed4 ,the ,epistle to the ,ephesians ,the ,epistle to the ,ephesians is probably a circular letter addressed to a group of churches of which ,ephesus was the center4 ,in this letter the personal element is less prominent than in the other ,pauline ,epistles2 ,paul allows his mind to roam freely over the grand reaches of the divine economy4 ,the ,church is here especially in view4 ,she is represented as the bride of ,christ1 and as the culmination of an eternal and gracious plan of ,god4 ,the ,epistle to the ,philippians ,the ,epistle to the ,philippians was probably written later than the other ,epistles of the first captivity4 ,the immediate occasion for the writing of the letter was the arrival of a gift from the ,philippian church1 on account of which ,paul desires to express his joy4 ,paul had always stood in a peculiarly cordial relation to his ,philippian converts2 he had been willing1 therefore1 to receive gifts from them1 although in other churches he had preferred to make himself independent by laboring at his trade4 ,but the letter is not concerned only or even chiefly with the gifts of the ,philippian church4 ,paul desired also to inform his ,philippian brethren about the situation at ,rome4 ,his trial is approaching2 whether it results in his death or in his release1 he is content4 ,but as a matter of fact he expects to see the ,philippians again4 ,moreover1 ,paul holds up in the letter the example of ,christ1 which was manifested in the great act of loving condescension by which he came into the world and endured for our sakes the accursed death on the cross4 ,that humiliation of ,christ1 ,paul says1 was followed by exaltation2 ,god has now given to ,jesus the name that is above every name4 ,at the conclusion of the two years in prison in ,rome1 ,paul was released1 probably in ,a4,d4 #fc4 ,this fact is attested not by the book of ,the ,acts1 of which the narrative closes at the end of the two years at ,rome1 but by the ,pastoral ,epistles of ,paul and also by an ,epistle of ,clement of ,rome which was written at about ,a4,d4 #ie4 ,clement says that ,paul went to ,spain4 ,this he probably did immediately after his release4 ,he then went to the ,east again1 for it was in the ,east that ,i ,timothy and ,titus were written4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xxii #a4 ,outline the events in the life of ,paul which occurred between the departure from ,corinth and the end of the first ,roman imprisonment4 #b4 ,what was the occasion for the writing of ,colossians8 of ,philemon8 of ,ephesians8 of ,philippians8 #c4 ,give outlines of these ,epistles4 ,,lesson ,,xxiii ,the ,close of the ,apostolic ,age ,the ,pastoral ,epistles ,it was observed in the last lesson that ,paul was released from his first ,roman imprisonment1 and went then to ,spain and then to the ,east4 ,at the time when ,i ,timothy was written he has just left ,timothy behind at ,ephesus when he himself has gone into ,macedonia1 and now writes the letter with instructions for ,timothy as to the way of conducting the affairs of the church4 ,similarly1 the ,epistle to ,titus was written to guide ,titus in his work on the island of ,crete4 ,after this last period of activity in the ,east1 ,paul was imprisoned again at ,rome4 ,during this second ,roman imprisonment he wrote ,,ii ,timothy1 to encourage ,timothy and instruct him1 and to give to him and to the ,church a farewell message just before his own death1 which he was expecting very soon4 ,the two ,epistles to ,timothy and the ,epistle to ,titus1 which are called the ,pastoral ,epistles1 are similar to one another in important respects4 ,they all lay stress upon soundness of teaching and upon the organization of the ,church4 ,in the closing years of his life ,paul provided for the permanence of his work2 the period of origination was over and the period of conservation had begun4 ,it was not ,god's will that every ,christian generation should have revealed to it anew the whole of the gospel4 ,what is true in one age is true in all ages4 ,it was a salutary thing1 therefore1 that the ,pastoral ,epistles provided for the preservation of the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints4 ,soon after the writing of ,,ii ,timothy1 ,paul was beheaded at ,rome4 ,this event1 which is attested in altogether credible ,christian tradition outside of the ,new ,testament1 took place within the reign of the ,emperor ,nero--that is1 before ,a4,d4 #fh4 ,at the time of the great fire at ,rome in ,a4,d4 #fd ,nero had persecuted the ,christians1 as is narrated by ,tacitus1 the ,roman historian4 ,but at that time ,paul probably escaped by being out of the city2 his execution probably did not occur until several years later4 ,at about the time of the death of ,paul disastrous events were taking place in ,palestine4 ,james the brother of the ,lord had been put to death by the ,jews in ,a4,d4 #fb1 according to ,josephus the ,jewish historian1 or a few years later according to another account4 ,in ,a4,d4 #ff the ,jews rose in revolt against the ,romans4 ,in the war that followed there was a terrible siege of ,jerusalem4 ,before the siege the ,christians in the city had fled to ,pella1 east of the ,jordan4 ,jerusalem was captured by the ,romans in ,a4,d4 #gj1 and the ,temple destroyed4 ,from that time on1 the ,church in ,palestine ceased to be of great relative importance2 the gospel had passed for the most part to the ,gentiles4 ,a number of the apostles remained for many years1 however1 to guide and instruct the ,church1 and important books of the ,new ,testament were written in this period either by the apostles themselves or by those who stood under their direction4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews ,even before the destruction of the ,temple1 the original disciples had begun to labor far and wide among the ,gentiles4 ,it was perhaps during this early period that the ,epistle to the ,hebrews was written4 ,the name of the author is unknown1 but the book is truly apostolic--that is1 it was written either by an apostle or by one who wrote under the direction of the apostles4 ,the ,epistle is intended to celebrate the all-sufficiency of ,christ as the great ,high ,priest1 who has made atonement by his own blood1 as distinguished from the ,old ,testament types that were intended to point forward to him4 ,the ,first ,epistle of ,peter ,some years before the destruction of ,jerusalem1 the apostle ,peter left ,palestine4 ,in the course of his missionary journeys he went to ,rome1 and it was perhaps from ,rome that he wrote the ,first ,epistle of ,peter1 the word ,babylon in ,i ,peter #e3ac being perhaps a figurative designation of ,rome as the ,babylon of that age4 ,the ,epistle was addressed to ,christians in ,asia ,minor1 and was intended to encourage the readers to ,christian fortitude in the midst of persecution4 ,the gospel proclaimed in the ,epistle is the one great apostolic gospel of ,christ's redeeming work which was also proclaimed by ,paul4 ,the ,second ,epistle of ,peter2 ,the ,epistle of ,jude ,the ,second ,epistle of ,peter was written by the apostle to warn his readers against false teaching and urge them to be faithful to the authority of the apostles and of the ,scriptures4 ,closely related to ,,ii ,peter is the ,epistle of ,jude1 which was written by one of the brothers of ,jesus4 ,the apostle ,peter1 in accordance with a thoroughly credible ,christian tradition1 finally suffered a martyr's death at ,rome4 ,the apostle ,john1 the son of ,zebedee1 became the head of the ,church in ,asia ,minor1 where1 at ,ephesus1 he lived until nearly the end of the first century4 ,during this period he wrote five books of the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,gospel ,according to ,john was written to supplement the other three ,gospels which had long been in use4 ,it contains much of the most precious and most profound teaching of our ,lord1 as it had been stored up in the memory of the beloved disciple2 and it presents the glory of the ,word of ,god as that glory had appeared on earth to an eyewitness4 ,the ,epistles of ,john ,the ,first ,epistle of ,john was written in order to combat certain errors which were creeping into the ,church in ,asia ,minor and in order to present to the readers the true ,christian life of love1 founded upon the ,son of ,god who had come in the flesh1 and begun by the new birth which makes a man a child of ,god4 ,the ,second ,epistle of ,john is a very brief letter written to warn an individual church of the same kind of error as is combated in ,i ,john4 ,the ,third ,epistle is addressed to an individual ,christian named ,gaius1 who is praised for his hospitality to visiting missionaries1 which was the more praiseworthy because it was in contrast to the inhospitality of a certain ,diotrephes4 ,the little letter sheds a flood of light upon the details of congregational life in the last period of the ,apostolic ,age4 ,the ,book of ,revelation ,the book of ,revelation is based upon a revelation which the apostle ,john had received during a banishment to the island of ,patmos1 off the coast of ,asia ,minor1 not far from ,ephesus4 ,probably the book itself was written on the same island4 ,the book contains letters to seven churches of western ,asia ,minor which are intended to encourage or warn them in accordance with the needs of every individual congregation4 ,the whole book is a tremendous prophecy1 which strengthens the faith of the ,church in the midst of persecutions and trials by revealing the plan of ,god1 especially as it concerns the second coming of our ,lord and the end of the world4 ,details of future events1 especially times and seasons1 are not intended to be revealed1 but rather great principles both of good and of evil1 which manifest themselves in various ways in the subsequent history of the ,church4 ,the prophecy1 however1 will receive its highest and final fulfillment only when our ,lord shall come again1 and bring in the final reign of righteousness and the blessedness of those whom he has redeemed4 ,,questions ,,on ,,lesson ,,xxiii #a4 ,when1 where1 and why were the three ,pastoral ,epistles written8 #b4 ,outline the life of ,paul after his release from the first ,roman imprisonment4 #c4 ,what is known about the latter part of the life of ,peter8 #d4 ,what was the occasion for the writing of ,i ,peter8 of ,,ii ,peter8 of ,jude8 ,what are the characteristics of these letters8 #e4 ,what is known about the latter part of the life of ,john8 #f4 ,what were the date and the purpose of the ,gospel ,according to ,john2 of the ,epistles of ,john2 of the book of ,revelation8 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,small capital text has been replaced with all capitals4 ,variations in spelling1 punctuation and hyphenation have been retained except in obvious cases of typographical error4 ,the cover for the e,book version of this book was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain4