Elijah Redux May 26, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Bible Prophecy, Devotional, Jesus' Nature.add a comment
It's cool that the book of Malachi comes at the end of the English Old Testament in light of the final verses and their fulfillment in the books that immediately follow it. In Malachi 4: 5 – 6 we read,
See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.
Jews of that time were expecting a visible and flamboyant return of Elijah, perhaps even in the fiery chariot that he left in.Once announced, the Messiah in power and glory would return to remove the Romans and establish the nation of Israel. The tributes from all the nations would then begin to be brought to Jerusalem (Hag. 2: 7) and everything would be just ducky!
This prophecy must have been an important diagnostic for the religious authorities in identifying the fake messiahs. Anyone announcing that they were the anointed one would have to convince authorities that Elijah had somehow come and anointed them. That would be difficult to fake and that must have been one of the reasons why the authorities had trouble with Jesus.
Justin Martyr was a very prominent second century Christian apologists. He wrote a book titled The Dialogue with Trypho the Jew. This book is a record of a discussion between Justin Martyr and Trypho- a Jewish rabbi. This "dialogue" begins with Justin telling the rabbi that he believes that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah. The following excerpt contains this rabbi's response. It reads:
"When I (Justin) had said this, [the students who were with the rabbi] laughed; but he smiling, says, 'I approve of your other remarks, and admire the eagerness with which you study divine things; but it were better for you abide in the philosophy of Plato… Christ- if he has indeed been born, and exists anywhere… has no power until Elijah comes to anoint him, and make him manifest to all. And you, having accepted a groundless report, invent a Christ for yourselves, and for his sake are inconsiderately perishing."
-Ante Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 198.
In this one short passage, this rabbi reveals exactly what the Jewish religious leaders and the Jewish people of two thousand years ago were expecting to see before the Messiah appeared. Trypho knew that Jesus could not possibly have been the Messiah because he knew from the unmistakable text of the 'return of Elijah' prophecy that anyone who claimed to be the Christ before Elijah the Prophet had visibly returned from heaven would have to be a false Prophet
John the Baptist was clearly identified by all the gospel writers as filling this role. In Luke the gospel begins with the remarkable circumstances surrounding John's birth and then Luke writes,
And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Luke 1: 17
Both Mark and Matthew quote Jesus' response to his disciples about Elijah:
Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Matt. 17: 10-13; Mark 9: 11-13
John also describes John the Baptist as “one who was not the light but came to bear witness to the light” (John 1: 6-8). I had not realized until now that John's witness, is a tightly wound component of the full complement of prophetic fulfillment that proved Jesus was who he said he was. Jesus baptism was not just a fulfillment of righteousness (Matt. 3: 13) but was also an anointing for ministry. This is why a significant change in Jesus ministry can be traced to this moment. The Spirit is said to descend on Jesus in both Matthew and Mark and Luke writes, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit into the wilderness”
John was in every way a fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy and his anointing signified the beginning of Jesus remarkable work of reconciliation.
Tattle Tale May 26, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Grace, Jesus' Nature.add a comment
Nobody likes a tattletale. Maybe you have a brother or a sister that always seems to know what you've done. They never fail to tell your parents and get you in trouble.
In Genesis chapter 37 we read about Joseph and his 11 brothers. Now Joseph is famous for his coat of many colours but he was also famous for being a tattletale. In verse 2 we read, “Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.”
Joseph was his father's favourite son and he didn't do himself any favours the way he rubbed his brother's noses in it. In the end it nearly got him killed!
Rita Skeeter is like that. She seems nice, always glowing, shakes your hand warmly. She seems compassionate enough; but when she gets the goods on you, 'Wham!' She will make a mockery of you!
Rita represents the omnipresent force of untruth in the book. She deliberately complicates situations, stirring up trouble. She falsely spreads untrue stories about Harry and others taking quotes that she is fully aware are not accurate. Betrayal, deceit, trickery and unfaithfulness; these are the signs of a tattletale.
The Devil is a lot like this. In Revelation 12:10 he is called “the accuser of our brothers” and in Zechariah chapter 3 we see why. Here, the prophet Zecharaiah is describing a vision of a priest named Joshua, standing before the angel of the Lord; and Satan is there heckling him.
Joshua's clothes are filthy, not the clothes a priest would wear in front of a holy angel, and certainly not what one would wear when working before Almighty God. He stunk! His turban is ruined and incomplete. The way Joshua appears he is completely unable to serve God and Satan knew it. He had pointed out all that Joshua wasn't; all his short comings, all of his inadequacies.
Finally God says in verse 2, “Back off Satan! Is this man not a tool for my purposes?” (my paraphrase) Then Joshua was given a turban and on that turban was a plate with the inscription 'Holy to the LORD'. This was a turban of a priest, perfect and complete. Joshua was restored and in verse seven Joshua is told, “If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these [angels] standing here.” (Zec. 3: 7) Joshua is restored to God's service and is given the same access to God that angels have!
Satan is still an accuser today. Like a prosecuting attorney he has been watching you; keeping a list of all the things that you have done. He has been preparing a case against you and at the end of all time you will stand before God and will have to answer for all the things that you have done. It will be him that brings your case before God.
“Your honour, this dirtbag doesn't deserve mercy! He lied….. He lusted…..He cheated….”
“She stole…. She hated …. She even failed to show compassion.”
Satan will bring the whole case before God and then you will be called to defend yourself. Without Jesus, you will stand alone before God and will have to give an account for what you have done. You will have to explain everything. Excuses won't work; this is the Almighty God you are talking to! He has seen it all and knows all and there is nothing you can say to make these sins go away.
This is where having Jesus as a friend will make an eternal difference. If you are a Christian, it is Jesus who will be your defense attorney. He will present your case. He will stand beside you and speak in your defense. His words will be simple.
“Holy Father. My client is guilty but the price is already paid. The defense rests.”
That's it! You will walk free into an everlasting beautiful life in Heaven and these sins will die, in that courtroom; you will be free! With Jesus as your savior you will be cleared of all charges and will pass on to an eternal life.
Sir Lionel Luckhoo is a man with a unique distinction. In addition to being knighted twice by Queen Elizabeth, he is the most successful defense attorney who ever lived. According to the Guinness Book of World records, Sir Lionel has successfully defended against 245 separate murder charges. As a defense lawyer over a career spanning more than 30 years, he has meticulously picked apart 245 prosecution cases, finding in each some way of getting his client off without conviction.
Sir Lionel Luckhoo was also an atheist, until a friend challenged him to use his vast knowledge of law and his considerable intelligence to consider the evidence in favour of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. He took up the challenge and, in once sentence, came to the conclusion that “the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt!”
If the greatest defense attorney who ever lived could not imagine standing alone before God trying to defend himself, why should you? No one can answer the accuser; no one except Jesus.
When God Won’t Do What You Want Him To Do May 24, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Faith, Grace.add a comment
There is a great scene in Bruce Almighty about 20 minutes in. We have already met self absorbed Bruce and have watched his life fall apart. After things go totally wrong Bruce blows up and says, "God is a mean kid sitting on a hill with a magnifying glass and I am the ant. He could fix my life in 5 minutes if he wanted to but he would rather burn off my feelers and watch me squirm!"
At question here is God's justice and the question resonates with me sometimes. I have frequently questioned God in prayer when the solution to my problem appears to be in God's hands but He refuses to solve it for me. Four years ago while Julie's mom was gravely ill I saw God's responsibility here being ignored. It appeared to me He could solve my problem in 5 minutes but He wouldn't; and ultimately didn't.
In the years since then I have struggled with this answer to prayer (God always answers prayer, He just doesn't give you what you were asking for sometimes). I have read Ecclesiastes a couple dozen times and pondered God's inscrutable ways. We have come to peace with Mom's passing but that experience revisits me from time to time. Why doesn't God do what I need Him to do?
In the book of Habakkuk you can find honest doubt and harsh questions for God, much like kind of questions I sometimes ask. We sometimes boldly question God's ways of doing things. In this case, the justice of God comes as a surprise. In chapter 1 verses 1-4 Habakkuk asks how long God will wait to punish those who pervert God's Laws and do what is wrong. In v. 5-11 God's response to Habakkuk's question comes quickly, 'Oh I hear you. I know just what to do about the apostate nation of Judah. I will deliver all of you over to the Babylonians!'
This justice of God is just like the answers to prayer that I sometimes get. I have something I want God to resolve and I pray earnestly for Him to do something and he responds all right; just not the way I want him to. God's response isn't what I wanted but it is always what is needed. In the same way you sometimes see scandal strike an individual or church and ultimately become a means by which an individual or church can restore purity. Nothing brings about a contrite heart quite like humiliation.
How then, Habakkuk asks, can God use an evil nation to judge Israel. 'Surely they are even worse than us!' Habakkuk probably said. Here we find more truth about moral righteousness. God's Righteousness is so high above our best that the righteousness and the wickedness of mankind are all the same, compared to God. God's response assures that all who sin will have to suffer the consequences of their sin.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.See, he is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous will live by his faith
Paul's use of Hab. 2: 4 in Gal. 3: 11 and Romans 1:17 illustrates a powerful truth. Just like the Jews of Habakkuk's day must accept God's choice of using the Babylonians as a judgment on Judah, the first century Jews must also accept God's use of a suffering servant Messiah; one who comes in weakness as the true Messiah, His Holy one. When Jesus came the Jews wanted deliverance; political deliverance and yet God gives them what they really need not what they wanted. There was a whole lot about Jesus as the Messiah that the Jews had difficulty accepting: ministering to the poor, no recognition of the religious establishment, no political agenda. There was also the acceptance of Gentile believers that they would have had great trouble accepting.
The faith that Paul saw here is the faith of one who is at peace with God doing what He sees as best no matter what the apparent consequences. God's Justice is perfect. To the Just God says, “ They shall live by faith.” God will save them through faith in Jesus.
To the Wicked: God pronounces five woes:
(2:6) Woe to him who piles up stolen goods…
(2:9) Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin!…
(2:12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed…
(2:15) Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors…
(2:18) Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it?… 2:19 Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!'…
In the end, the bad guy always loses and the good guy wins!
I continue to grow in this kind of faith: A belief in the righteousness of God and in His wisdom of knowing what needs to be done.
Flickr May 22, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Uncategorized.add a comment
This is a test post from 
, a fancy photo sharing thing.
Getting What We Don’t Deserve! May 22, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Ezekiel, Grace, Jesus' Nature.add a comment
In the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel teaches that every man (and woman) has the freedom to choose, good or evil and there will be consequences of these personal choices. Sin is not an unfortunate outcome that people innocently fall into, of no fault of their own. Without redemption, we would each bear the burden of our own sin. This conviction comes into sharp relief with God's indictment in Ezekiel 18: 2
What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: 'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.
The figure of speech God refers to here was apparently common enough that Jeremiah quotes it as well (in Jer. 31:30). Implied in this phrase it is the attitude that God finds abhorrent:
'This suffering we find ourselves in is not deserved and there is nothing we can do to avoid it. O woe is me!'
Swallowed up in self pity, Israel throws it's hands up and effectively says: 'This isn't fair! I'm not the one that caused this, but here I am suffering for it!” My five year old is at this stage of his moral development. No matter what I have found him doing, when I confront him he blurts out, “But Devin (his older brother) did ________.” Julie and I continue to work with him to learn this lesson. Your choices have consequences for you!
There is a extent to which sin is cumulative and the consequences will come after. Ravi Zacharias said in a sermon entitled Mind Games in a World of Images that the difference between legitimate pleasures and illegitimate ones is that with legitimate pleasures you pay for up front and illegitimate ones you pay for later. In Exod. 20: 5-6 we read: “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me but showing lovingkindess to thousands to those who love me and keep My commandments.”
Jesus likewise lays responsibility for all the murders from Genesis to 2 Chronicles (the beginning and the end of the Hebrew Bible) at the feet of the generation that lived in the time of Jesus in Matt. 23: 35-36.
This may seem unfair and seems to suggest that there is no good in living a righteous life, just make sure you're not around when it's time to pay for it. God's patience can be misunderstood sometimes but he truly wants his people; then and now; to return to him. Peter says, “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3: 9) From God's perspective, in time, sin always has it's consequences.
In Ezekiel 18: 25 we read that Israel accuses God of being unfair! It is God who is just!, he responds and calls Israel to repent. God doesn't enjoy punishing the wicked (18: 23, 32; 33: 11) but delights in the repentance and return of His people.
A commonly used image in Ezekiel is the idea of a new heart. The heart of Israel is characterized as one of stone. A heart refusing to admit that it is even wrong. Again and again (11: 19; 18: 31; 36: 26; 37:23) Ezekiel says “Cast away from you all your transgressions wihich you have committed, and make your selves a new heart and a new spirit” (18: 31). The choice is theirs to make (33: 11, 43: 19). Ezekiel is saying to the exiles: God isn't doing this to you! You did it to yourselves!
Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.
Ezekiel 18: 19-20
We are held accountable for our own sin, not the sin of others; and let's face it, haven't we all sinned enough. I have enough trouble coming my way without having other people's sin to deal with. The notion of “Original Sin” seems to contradict this passage. How can I be held accountable for Adam's sin if God himself teaches here that “…the son will not share the guilt of the father.”
Without our high priest Jesus Christ standing in the 'new tabernacle' making atonement for us (Heb. 9: 24) we would be left with these sins and they would be enough to have us destroyed.
Praise be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who in His infinite wisdom knew the depth of our debt and paid a ransom rich enough to set us free! Amen.
Jesus in Disguise May 14, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Jesus' Nature, Missions.add a comment
Mother Theresa, when speaking of the the very poorest in Calcutta said that, "Each one of them is Jesus in disguise." In saying this she captures the extraordinary ordinaryness of her ministry. She served even the most challenging person as she would serve Jesus himself. Jesus teaches in Matthew chapter 25:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
We are to see the lost, the poor and the sick as Jesus sees them. Like the dearly loved children that they are.
I am reminded of an advertising Campaign in 2000. Taxi Advertising & Design won a silver medal in the 10th Annual Agency of the Year Contest for Strategy Magazine with a campaign for Covenant House, a drop in centre for teens in Toronto.
It was a powerful program that touched a nerve in the Toronto area.
Click here to see the TV Commercial.
What these spots did so effectively is skewer the viewer on how we all fail to see street youth as Christ sees them. In his eyes they lost children.
Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.
Mother Theresa
This reminds me of Peter who writes: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4: 10)
Our calling is to see our fellow humankind as who they really are. Children of God that are in need. Pray for eyes that see others as Jesus does.
Our Lord and Master and His Church May 10, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Jesus' Nature, Peace, Unity.add a comment
I have been working in full-time ministry for a short time now and I find myself needing to be reminded routinely:
- It is His church not ours. His body not ours. His Kingdom not ours.
- It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100: 3)
It is not my church, but His church. I just work there. His providence provides for it. His protection guards it. If I don't like the care that He is providing His church then that is something I need to bring to Him in prayer; and soon.
We do not need to worry about defending His Kingdom like He himself is too weak to defend it. We are not to fight each other to keep the church from going in the tank. We do not defend purity! We do not defend holiness! We are not the standard by which others will be judged! We are judged by a righteous judge (2 Tim 4: 8). We are to be completely humble and gentle; we are to be patient, bearing with one another in love. We are to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4: 1-3)
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Who are we contending with here? What are we contending? Let's read the whole context here and be absolutely crystal clear. We are contending those who deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
I agree! Let's whole heartedly and passionately, rigorously refute those who deny that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died and was raised on the third day. Let's gladly have it out with anyone who denies that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God in glory and in power and will one day judge all nations.
This verse is not instruction on how to defend a worship style, or a way to ensure the proper use of a church facility. Are you questioning the Lordship of Jesus Christ? If so then let us contend that if you will, speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4: 15).
Our contending must lead us to, "in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ" (Eph. 4: 15). We are supposed to grow up to be like Jesus. Pray that we can be more like Jesus.
The Trouble with Two Tunics! May 9, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Faith, Mark, Ministry, Missions.add a comment
In Mark 6: 7-13 Jesus sends out the disciples on a mission trip and it's interesting what He gives for instructions. Don't take:
- food
- a bag
- money
- a second tunic
Take nothing except a staff, sandals, and a partner. Why such strange instructions? It appears that the premise was, travel light. A second tunic would be a luxury that the disciples couldn't afford. They were on a desperate rescue mission.
They were to shake the dust off their shoes as a testimony against their own people! This symbolic rebuke was usually saved for heathen nations; a harsh indictment for any who would not hear this message.
No food and no money meant no recreation while they were out. On the first night they would have to be someone's guest or they would go hungry. I guess Jesus didn't intend for them to spend any time together considering the mission they were sent on. There was to be no committee meetings, no fellowship gatherings, just dive right in!
It takes faith to go on a mercy mission for Jesus. To leave the comfort of the twelve (such as it is) and head off into the unknown does take a little moxy to be sure but the important thing is you're not alone. Jesus doesn't send anyone out alone. There's power in numbers and two is a great number to work with.
A team of two carries far more strength than the sum of it's parts. Two servants of the Lord posess the strength of the union and the weaknesses of the intersection; to use a math phrase. What I mean is any gift possessed by one of the two is put to use. My organizational skills can work for both of us. Your compassion and consideration can work for us. We don't both have to be great public speakers to get the message out.
Only weakness shared by both partners can be exploited by the enemy. When we cover each others faults we are stronger together than apart.
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
The trouble with two tunics is that it suggests a pace of ministry that seems a bit too pedestrian for the task at hand. Don't get me wrong! There is nothing here to justify the GO! GO! GO! lifestyle of lots of God's servants. Though Mark doesn't follow up this story, in Luke we read what comes next:
When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida. (Luke 9: 10)
Immediately after the success of this first trip Jesus draws the teams back for a bit of rest and relaxation. Our ministries need to provide rest for the ministers (Don't muzzle the ox!) but comfort and convenience are not considerations for ministers while on a mission of mercy. Let's leave behind the second tunic, strap on the sandals, get your partner and go! His Kingdom awaits!
Forty May 8, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Grace, Trial.3 comments
"So you've started a blog and after two days you've run out of things to say?" Well, here is the first in what I hope is a short list of totally random thoughts: Why does the number forty keep coming up in the Bible? Coincidentally, the Sistine chapel (see below) happens to be forty feet wide and has forty sections in it!
There are lots of fortys in the Bible; more than you think! Consider these forty facts about the number forty:
- With Noah and family in the ark it rained for forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7)
- After forty days, Noah released the raven from the ark (Genesis 8: 6)
- Isaac married at age forty. (Genesis 25: 20)
- Esau married at age forty. (Genesis 26: 34)
- Joseph was embalmed for forty days. (Genesis 50: 3)
- When Moses was forty years old, he became a murderer. (Acts 7: 23)
- After that Moses took care of sheep in Midian for forty years. (Acts 7: 30)
- Moses was up on the mountain receiving the commandments forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24: 18; 34: 28)
- Aaron died forty years after leaving Egypt. (Numbers 21: 28)
- Joshua was forty years old when he explored the promised land. (Joshua 14: 7)
- The spies explored the promised land for forty days. (Numbers 13: 25)
- After rejecting it the Israelites wandered the desert eating manna for forty years. (Exodus 16: 35; Numbers 14: 33, 34)
- Forty lashes is too much! (Deuteronomy 25: 3)
- Forty thousand armed for war attack Jericho. (Joshua 4: 13)
- Forty years of peace for Israel. (Judges 3: 11)
- Forty more years of peace under Gideon. (Judges 8: 28)
- Abdon, judge of Israel had forty sons. (Judges 12: 13)
- Then Israel is delivered into the hands of the Phillistines for forty years. (Judges 13: 1)
- Goliath taunted Israel for forty days. (1 Samuel 17: 16)
- Eli, priest of Israel, served for forty years. (1 Samuel 4: 18)
- Saul was made king of Israel when he was forty years old. (2 Samuel 2: 10)
- David ruled as king for forty years. (2 Samuel 5: 4; 1 Kings 2: 11; 1 Chronicles 29: 27)
- Solomon reigned over Israel forty years. (1 Kings 11: 42; 2 Chronicles 9: 30)
- Joash reigned over Israel forty years. (2 Kings 12: 1; 2 Chronicles 24: 1)
- David killed forty-thousand foot soldiers. (2 Samuel 10: 18; 1 Chronicles 19: 18)
- Forty silver bases, two for each stand were made for the Tabernacle. (Exodus 26: 19, 21; 36: 24, 26)
- The main hall of the temple was forty cubits long. (1 Kings 6: 17)
- Each basin of the temple held forty baths. (1 Kings 7: 38)
- Ezekiel's temple: outer sanctuary: forty cubits long; inner court: forty cubits wide.(Ezekiel 41: 2; 46: 22)
- Included in Jacob's gift to Esau: forty cows. (Genesis 32: 15)
- Hazael's gift to Elisha: forty camel-loads of the finest wares of Damascus. (2 Kings 8: 9)
- The governor's tax on each family in Israel: forty shekels of silver. (Nehemiah 5:15)
- Ezekiel's prophecy: forty years of desolation for Egypt. (Ezekiel 29:10-12)
- Jonah's prophecy: forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed! (Jonah 3: 4)
- Crippled man healed by Peter and John was over…. forty years old! (Acts 4: 22)
- Moses went forty days and forty nights without food, twice! (Deuteronomy 9: 11, 18)
- Elijah went forty days and nights without food or water in the desert. (1 Kings 19: 8 )
- Jesus went forty days and nights without food or water in the desert. (Matthew 4: 2; Mark 1: 13; Luke 4: 2)
- Jesus was forty hours in the tomb? (Friday 3 pm -Sunday 7 am = 40 hours)
- After rising from the dead Jesus appeared to witnesses for forty days. (Acts 1: 3)
So what can be made of all this? Bible events lasting exactly forty days happened often in scripture. Consider this useless stat: There are eighteen separate events of duration greater than ten days, and 61% of the time the event lasted forty days* I think we can make any number interesting if we work hard enough at it (for example!?!) Never-the-less when Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, were transfigured together they at least had this to talk about. (Matthew 17: 1-8; Mark 9: 2-8; Luke 9: 28-36) I'm sure Moses probably rubbed it in that he had done it twice though!
Seriously though, forty seems to be a time of testing. Forty days seems to be a time of trial. Moses spent forty years in exile; waiting on the Lord's plan of redemption. Rejection of forty days of evidence of God's providence earned Israel forty years in the desert. Fasting forty days is a trial endured by the great Law giver, the great prophet, and the great Messiah.
It is fitting then that Psalm 40 begins:
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
Forty is a number of grace. After forty days and nights of rain, the earth is cleansed. A fast of forty days brings about the Law, God's instruction for Israel. It also preceds Jesus ministry: God's instruction for a new Israel. Christ resurrection is followed by 40 days of signs: proofs of Jesus' triumph over death.
Now it is past my bed-time and I must be off. I need my forty winks!
P.S. Consider also this article in Catholic Update
The True Vine May 7, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Jesus' Nature, John.add a comment
A friend at church told me a story about his dad planting trees. He had Willow trees at the back of his property growing near a meandering creek. One day he cut a branch off a huge willow tree and walking over to some wet soil near the stream he stuck it in the ground.
Years later now that Willow cutting is a huge tree. The original is now gone. It died and was cut up years ago and the new one is now nearly the same size. It's funny how some things grow.
Jesus said in John 15: 5-6, "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up and thrown in to the fire and burned."
It is significant to notice that grape vines do not root; if you take a cutting off and stick it in water, it will not grow new roots. Grape vines are durable plants but the only way to grow one is straight from seed. You cannot make your own grape vine from one of the cuttings.
Grape vines need to be trimmed, they must be pruned; severely in fact; in order to be fruitful. A grape vine that is not tended will grow wild and unproductive.
Cuttings from a grape vine are not useful for anything. They cannot be used to make twine, they are useless to build anything with. They aren't even very good as fuel. When a vintner burns cut grape vines they do it solely to get rid of them and not for the heat they provide. They aren't useful for anything.
Jesus is unique in a way that truly stands alone. Here he is claiming to be irreplaceable. He cannot be imitated nor can he be duplicated. In chapter 14 of John, Jesus leaves no doubt: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14: 6)
