II Samuel 17
Ahithophel gives his counsel to Absalom verse 1- 4
Moreover Ahithophel
said to Absalom
Let me now choose out twelve thousand men
and I will arise and pursue after David this night
and I will come on him while he is weary
and weak handed – and will make him afraid
and all the people that are with him shall flee
and I will smite the king only
and I will bring back all the people to you
the man whom you seek is as if all returned
so all the people shall be in peace
And the saying pleased Absalom well
and all the elders of Israel
Absalom wants Hushai’s advice verse 5- 6
Then said Absalom
Call now Hushai the Archite also
and let us hear likewise what he said
And when Hushai was come to Absalom
Absalom spoke to him
saying
Ahithophel has spoken after this manner
shall we do after his saying?
If not – speak you
Hushai gives his advice verse 7- 13
And Hushai
said to Absalom
The counsel that Ahithophel has given
is not good at this time
For – said Hushai – you know your father and his men
that they be mighty men
and they be chafed in their minds
as bear robbed of her whelps in the field
and your father is a man of war
and will not lodge with the people
BEHOLD – he is hid now in some pit – or in some other place
and it will come to pass
when some of them be overthrown at the first
that whosoever hears it
will say
There is a slaughter among the people that
follow Absalom
and he also that is valiant – whose heart is as the heart of a lion
shall utterly melt
for all Israel know that your father is a mighty man
and they which be with him are valiant men
THEREFORE I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered to you
from Dan even to Beer-sheba
as the sand that is by the sea for multitude
and that you go to battle in your own person
So shall we come on him in some place where he shall be found
and we will light on him as the dew fall on the ground
and of him and of all the men that are with him
there shall not be left so much as one
Moreover if he be gotten into a city
then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city
and we will draw it into the river
until there be not one small stone found there
Absalom likes Hushai’s counsel over Ahithophel verse 14
And Absalom and all the men of Israel
said
The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the
counsel of Ahithophel
For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel
to the intent that the LORD might bring evil on Absalom
Hushai sends word to David verse 15- 16
Then said Hushai to Zadok
and to Abiathar the priests
Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel
and thus and thus have I counseled
Now therefore send quickly – and tell David
saying
Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness
but speedily pass over – lest the king be swallowed up
and all the people that are with him
David’s spies hidden in well verse 17- 19
Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel
for they might not be seen to come into the city
and a wench went and told them
and they went and told king David
Nevertheless a lad saw them – and told Absalom
but they went both of them away quickly
and came to a man’s house in Bahurim
which had a well in his court
whither they went down
And the woman took and spread a covering over well’s mouth
and spread ground corn thereon
and the thing was not known
Woman gives wrong information verse 20
And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house
they said
Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?
And the woman said to them
They be gone over the brook of water
And when they had sought and could not find them
they returned to Jerusalem
David’s spies give report verse 21- 22
And it came to pass – after they were departed
that they came up out of the well
and went and told king David
and said unto David
Arise – and pass quickly over the water
for thus has Ahithophel counseled against you
Then David arose – and all the people that were with him
and they passed over Jordan
by the morning light there lacked
not one of them that was
not gone over Jordan
Ahithophel hangs himself verse 23
And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed
he saddled his ass – and arose
and gat him home to his house
to his city – and put his household in order
and hanged himself – and died
and was buried in the sepulcher of his father
Army of Israel camped at Gilead verse 24- 26
Then David came
to Mahanim
And Absalom passed over Jordan – he and all the men of Israel with him
and Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab
which Amasa was a man’s son
whose name was Ithra an Israelite
that went in to Abigail – the daughter of Nahash
sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother
So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead
David greeted warmly in Mahanaim verse 27- 29
And it came to pass
when David was come to Mahanaim
that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah
of the children of Ammon
and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar
and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim
brought beds – basins – earthen vessels
wheat -barley flour – parched corn
beans – lentils – parched pulse – honey
butter – sheep – cheese of kine
for David
and for the people that were with him to eat
FOR they said
The people is hungry – weary – thirsty
in the wilderness
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 And I will come on him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only: (2729 “afraid” [charad] means to tremble, hurry, take trouble, worry, to startle, to stimulate to action, as if through a surprise, or be terrified)
DEVOTION: Advice can be good or bad. Here we have good advice that Absalom should have listened to because it was going to do what Ahithophel said it would. He would have defeated his father. With the advice only David would be dead and the kingdom would have been his for his lifetime.
The LORD was against the counsel and made Absalom listen to the wrong counsel. Why did he listen to the wrong counsel? It was because the counsel given by Hushai was one that attracted his ego. He wanted to be the one who led the army against his father. He wanted to be up front in front of all the tribes of Israel. He wanted to look good in battle. His ego was big before, but on this occasion, it caused his downfall.
By listening to Hushai it gave David time to escape and refresh himself before the battle would come to him. His men would be fresh as well. So Absalom would be going against a foe that was well rested and well supported by the people on the other side of the Jordan River.
We need to watch what advice we follow. Make sure we first go to the LORD in prayer and ask for good counsel regarding what we should do with our life. Once we establish our relationship with the LORD, we should try to find good counsel from other human beings that love the LORD.
Panic should never be a word that is used of us when we face our battles. Many people are in battles over health issues. Sometimes there is worry or concern about the outcome but once we know the LORD, we need to trust HIM and those who give us good medical advice. It is not easy to wait for the outcome but the LORD is in control of any disease we might have to face.
CHALLENGE: Trust HIM to send the right people your way!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom. (6680 “appointed” [tsavah] means to constitute, enjoin, forbid, give a chare, set in order, or commandment.)
DEVOTION: In all of life’s circumstances we have our part to do and then we have to leave the rest to the LORD. David set up a plan to receive warning of what Absalom was going to do. He had sent Hushai back to give counsel to Absalom in his favor. The rest was in the LORD’S hands.
There were two men that were giving Absalom counsel regarding a war plan. One man, Ahithophel, told Absalom to go after David right away. The second man, Hushai, who was a friend of David, told Absalom to wait until he had raised an army from all of Israel.
Absalom took the counsel of the second man. He knew that his father was a warrior and would fight. What he didn’t know is that the LORD was behind the counsel of Hushai.
Ahithophel’s counsel was better because the true was that David was weary as were his men. He would have fought but the twelve thousand soldiers would have won the battle. The fact that Absalom listened to the counsel of Hushai displeased Ahithophel so much that he went home and set his house in order and hung himself.
Hushai sent a warning to David regarding the counsel. David ran over Jordan during the night. He was safe on the other side of the Jordan.
David had prayed that Ahithophel’s counsel would not be followed. The LORD answered the prayer. The LORD wanted Absalom to fail. The LORD was in control of the situation. HE had some lessons to teach David and all Israel.
The concluding verses of this chapter tell of people coming to the aid of David and his men. The LORD sets in order the steps of HIS servants. HE provides for HIS servants. David had food and drink given to him of the LORD. The LORD had provided all of their needs.
When we see all our circumstances going the wrong way from our perspective what do we do? David had trusted the LORD. He prayed and waiting on the LORD for an answer. He knew that he deserved anything the LORD allowed in his life but he also realized that the LORD had made a promise to him regarding the future.
Remember the LORD!!! HE is still teaching us lessons today by what is going on in our lives. Are we listening and watching for HIS victory over all our circumstances? We are promised victory. Sometimes the victory is in heaven. In this case it was on this earth. We win the war because of Christ. Our home is in heaven.
If the LORD chooses to give us victory in our battles here on earth, it is an extra blessing. David would have another victory. There might be another victory around the corner for us. We need to simply trust the LORD to lead us in the right direction.
CHALLENGE: Plan as if all depended on us but then leave it to the LORD for the final results. HE wants us to trust HIM. Are we willing??
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: 18 Nevertheless a lad saw them and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down. (4120 “quickly” [maherah] means speedily, swiftly, hastily, haste, with little or no delay, celerity, hurry, or pertaining to a very brief extent of time)
DEVOTION: You would think that if the LORD was protecting David and his men HE would not have had the lad notice what was happening. Yet the LORD allowed the lad to send word to Absalom to try and find the spies that were going to give counsel to David.
They didn’t find the spies because there were individuals who still supported David in the land. This woman protected the spies just like Rahab did for the spies that Joshua sent into the Promised Land before they crossed the Jordan River. She like Rahab had to lie to the soldiers that were looking for the two spies. They searched where she sent them but of course they were not there. They were in her well.
The Bible never condones lying but it records what happens even when individuals are sinning to protect those they care about. We are not to lie to those around us. We know that it happens even in the lives of Christians when they were at war in Germany and some were hiding Jews in their homes. We answer to the LORD for each of our sins. HIS correction is given when we disobey HIS commands.
Many times we will read there individuals were confronted and didn’t tell the truth to protect someone. This should not be a habit in Christian circles. God honors those who tell the truth. Remember it is better to say nothing at all instead of lying to someone.
The spies were saved because of her misleading the soldiers. They were able to give advice to David to move across the Jordan River at night to save them from an army that was coming to conquer them. The LORD gave them journey mercies, so that, not a man was lost crossing at night.
CHALLENGE: Remember that there will always be individual who are working against God’s people, even young people. The lad thought he was doing something right but he was wrong.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father. (2614 “hanged” [chanaq] means strangle, commit suicide, or choke)
DEVOTION: One of the major causes of death today among young adults is suicide. They have not been given hope that is found in Jesus Christ. The world that offers so much also offers so little because in encouragement. So many people are walking around with no hope of a good future because they have left out Jesus Christ who is the only one who can give hope and a future.
Our world is built around money many times. If our money is gone then we think that we are not blessed of God and wonder how we can continue. Many people have problems in their marriages and that causes them to lose hope. Many people committed suicide when they lost all their money when the market dropped to almost nothing. So if we have no hope because of the loss of all our money or marriage, then why should we continue to live?
Ahithophel was a very wise earthly man. He was using his human wisdom to give advice to Absalom. Absalom didn’t take his advice and followed the advice of Hushai which he knew would lead to the defeat of Absalom.
So he thought his only hope was to end his life. He had given real good advice but the LORD was against it and so Absalom didn’t follow a plan that would have made him king for a long time.
The end was in sight for Ahithophel and it was a death for treason at the hands of David when he won the battle against his son. He didn’t want to wait for the public humiliation. He set his house in order and then committed suicide.
We need to remember that suicide is not the unpardonable sin. The only unpardonable sin is rejecting Jesus Christ. Many people who commit suicide have never given place to Jesus Christ. There are some who have followed the LORD but allowed circumstances to get the best of them and think that they had lost their hope.
Some theologians think that anyone who commits suicide will never get into heaven. Again they think that we are to stay faithful to the LORD until death and if we don’t we were never saved to begin with. Some don’t hold to this teaching.
The best we can do is help those who are struggling and ask the LORD for wisdom regarding how to answer questions regarding suicide. Can a believer become so discouraged that they think their only way out is suicide? Sometimes medication leads to suicide. Sometimes listening to the wrong people can lead to suicide.
I wrote a sermon on this subject for the Nelson Minister’s Manuel at the local Christian book store. If you are struggling with this issue please read the sermon.
CHALLENGE: Put all your confidence in the LORD and HE will help you through any circumstance. Don’t try to take things into your own hands alone.
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: 29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, “The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.” (7456 “hungry” [ra’eb] means feeling a need or desire to eat food, to suffer to hunger, famished, or suffer famish)
DEVOTION: The LORD knows every need we have at every period of our lives. HE knows when we are in need of food. HE knows when we need money. HE knows when we need encouragement.
Here we have David running from Absalom and his men. They have very little supplies. They are on the run and not sure when their next meal is going to come. However, the LORD knows all about it and provides the next meal for David and his men.
We have to realize that the LORD is always with those who are obedient to HIM. HE will provide our every need. It might not always be food but it can be finances, it can be just having a friend who can encourage us, it can be anything that we can think we have a need at any given time.
HE will never let HIS people down. We might struggle because of some of the things we have done but HE is always there to help us recover from anything that has come our way.
David knew that the LORD was with him because he had people around him that were watching out for his needs. David trusted the LORD to help him when he was in trouble. The LORD never let him down.
We can let the LORD down with our actions but HE is a forgiving God, as long as, we ask for HIS forgiveness. HE wants us to always be in close relationship with HIM and trust HIM.
Are we trusting HIM when we are going through a hard time in our life? The only way we know if we are trusting him is when HE allows trouble to come into our life. The Christian life is not a piece of cake.
CHALLEGE: He tests us to see how we will handle hard times, as well as, good time.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Zadok and Abiathar – priests verse 15
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 14
Appointed to defeat Ahithophel verse 14
Bring evil on Absalom verse 14
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Children of Ammon verse 27
Shobi verse 27- 29
son of Nahash of Rabbah
children of Ammon
Machir verse 27- 29
Barzillai verse 27- 29
All three brought David supplies verse 28- 29
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Afraid verse 2
Kill verse 2
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Peace verse 3
Appointed verse 14
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Ahithophel verse 1- 4, 6, 14, 15, 21, 23
Wanted 12,000 men to pursue David
Wanted to kill David only
Thought that would cause peace
Counsel of him was not as good as
Hushai the Archite
Saw counsel was not followed
Hanged himself
Absalom verse 1, 5, 6, 9, 14, 18, 24- 26
Passed over Jordan
David verse 1, 8-
Man of war
Mighty man
Men with him are mighty men
Hushai sents Zadok and Abiathar to
warn David
In Mahanaim David crosses the Jordan
Elders of Israel verse 4, 15
Hushai the Archite verse 5- 16
Said counsel of Ahithophel is not good
Told Absalom to take all Israel
against David from Dan to
Beersheb
Told Zadok and Abiathar – priests
to warn David
Israel verse 10, 13, 26
Pitched tent in land of Gilead
Men of Israel verse 14
Jonathan and Ahimaaz verse 17- 21
Hid in well
Lad saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz
and told Absalom verse 18
Men of Israel verse 24
Amasa – captain of host of Absalom verse 25
Son of Ammiel of Lo-debar
Joab verse 25
Ammiel of Lo-debar verse 27
Machil – son of Ammiel of Lo-debar verse 27
Barzillai the Giledite of Rogelim verse 27- 29
All three brought supplies to David verse 27- 29
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
In this entire event the writer has taken great care to describe how King Absalom determined his course of action—like the kings of other nations, he sought the advice of wise men. In so doing he created a strong contrast with his father. At every crux in his life, David sought the word of the Lord, either through an Aaronic priest (1 Sam 23:1–6; 2 Sam 5:19, 23) or a prophet (7:3–17). Absalom’s pursuit of and compliance with human counsel brought about the hasty end of his regime. David’s pursuit of and obedience to divine revelation brought him only success and dynastic blessings. By providing contrasting narrative portraits of these two Davidic kings, the author writes a prescription for the success of all future leaders in Israel: seek the word of the Lord through its authorized mediators and obey it. (Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, p. 416). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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After he has returned to Giloh, his hometown (see Notes on 15:12), and has “put his house in order” (cf. 2 Kings 20:1 = Isa 38:1; wayeṣaw ʾel-bêṯô is a phrase that implies the giving of one’s last will and testament in anticipation of imminent death; cf. late and modern Hebrew ṣawwāʾāh, “[verbal] will”), he strangles himself (ḥnq; cf. Job 7:15; Nah 2:12). (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 1013). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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And just as Ahithophel had betrayed an anointed king of Israel (see 15:12 and comment) and finished his days as a suicide, so also would the betrayer of another Anointed King come to the same inglorious end (cf. Matt 27:4–5; Acts 1:18; cf. inter alia Wharton, “A Plausible Tale,” p. 353). (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 1014). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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God permitted this rebellion as a part of the price David was to pay for the sins he committed in connection with Uriah and Bathsheba. God also overruled the events so as to purge David’s kingdom and separate the loyal from the disloyal. A day of reckoning finally arrived. Sometimes God’s judgments fall swiftly, while at other times He waits and acts slowly. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (2 Sa 17–19). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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hanged himself] Like Judas (Matt. 27:5). It is the first deliberate suicide on record, and was prompted by mortification at the rejection of his counsel; by the chagrin of baffled ambition; by the conviction that now the rebellion would inevitably fail, and that he would only live to suffer a traitor’s death. (Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1890). The Second Book of Samuel, with Maps, Notes and Introduction (pp. 167–168). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)
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23. to his city] To Giloh (marg. ref.). Ahithophel was probably influenced by deep mortification at the slight put upon him by rejecting his counsel. He is a memorable example of the impotence of worldly wisdom. Cp. marg. ref. (Barnes, A. (1879). Notes on the Old Testament: I Samuel to Esther (p. 108). London: John Murray.)
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It is with counsel as with many other things: what pleases best is thought best; solid merit gives way to superficial plausibility. The counsel of Hushai pleased better than that of Ahithophel, and so it was preferred. Satan had outwitted himself. He had nursed in Absalom an overweening vanity, intending by its means to overturn the throne of David; and now that very vanity becomes the means of defeating the scheme, and laying the foundation of Absalom’s ruin. The turning-point in Absalom’s mind seems to have been the magnificent spectacle of the whole of Israel mustered for battle, and Absalom at their head. He was fascinated by the brillant imagination. How easily may God, when He pleases, defeat the most able schemes of His enemies! He does not need to create weapons to oppose them; He has only to turn their own weapons against themselves. What an encouragement to faith even when the fortunes of the Church are at their lowest ebb! “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak to them in wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Blaikie, W. G. (1903). The Second Book of Samuel. In W. Robertson Nicoll (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible: Samuel to Job (Vol. 2, p. 178). Hartford, CT: S.S. Scranton Co.)
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Put his household in order; disposed of his estate by will. Compare Isa. 38:1. Hanged himself; partly because he could not endure to outlive his disgrace, and the rejection of his counsel; and partly because he foresaw by this means David would gain time and strength, and in all probability be victorious, and then the storm would fall most heavily upon his head, as the main author and pillar of the rebellion, and the contriver of those two pernicious counsels above mentioned. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, p. 624). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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HOLINESS
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
1 John 3:3
Holiness is not something we are called upon to do in order that we may become something; it is something we are to do because of what we already are. There is a great deal of teaching on this subject that really amounts to this: “We are to be holy and live the holy life in order that we may become truly Christians; every phase or aspect of the doctrine of justification by works really teaches that.” But any suggestion we may have in ourselves that we are to deny ourselves certain things, that we are not to do certain things, and that we are to discipline ourselves in order that we may become Christian is a denial of the doctrine of justification by faith. I am not to live a good and holy life in order that I may become a Christian; I am to live the holy life because I am a Christian. I am not to live this holy life in order that I may enter heaven; it is because I know I am going to enter heaven that I must live this holy life.
That is the emphasis here: “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” I am not to strive and sweat and pray in order that at the end I may enter into heaven. No; I start rather from the standpoint that I have been made a child of God by the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am destined for heaven; I have an assurance that I have been called to go there and that God is going to take me there, and it is because I know this that I am preparing now.
A Thought to Ponder: Holiness is not something we are called upon to do in order that we may become something; it is something we are to do because of what we already are.
(From Children of God, p. 41. By Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Each year as Easter approaches, pseudo-scholars, newspapers, and cable networks make headlines claiming to offer the real story about Jesus. Their accounts assume that much of the Jesus story contained in the Gospels, especially anything miraculous is largely a myth created and propagated by, first, His followers, and then, Church leaders seeking to expand their power. Despite the skepticism, few suggest that Jesus never existed.
Online, of course, that is a different story. Though there are no serious scholars who question whether Jesus of Nazareth actually existed, it’s still a claim you might encounter, either on the internet or from someone who believes their internet source. So, what if you find yourself in a conversation with someone who says: “No one really knows whether Jesus existed or not.”
The latest video in our “What Would You Say?” series tackles this question: Here’s my colleague Shane Morris…
The next time someone says they don’t think we can be sure that Jesus ever existed, here are 3 things to remember:
Number 1: Several non-Christian historians of that period mention Jesus.
Josephus was a Jewish historian who had grown up in Jerusalem in the first century, the same city where Jesus was reported to have been crucified. Josephus’ father was a Jewish priest who would have been a contemporary of Jesus, and almost certainly would have seen him if he had existed. Josephus mentions Jesus on two occasions in his History of the Jews: In one he reports his crucifixion at the demand of the Jewish leaders and in the other, he mentions the execution of James, the brother of Jesus who is called Messiah.
Josephus would have known Jesus was a historical person and would have no reason to invent him if he didn’t.
Other non-Christian historians also mention Jesus, including the Roman historian Tacitus, the Greek satirist Lucian, and a prisoner named Mara bar Serapion.
Number 2: The apostle Paul, someone who persecuted the Christian Church, would have been a contemporary of Jesus and claims to have known Jesus’ brother James.
It is very unlikely that Paul would have given his life to a movement he had once persecuted if it had been based on a fictitious man who had supposedly traveled and preached in the same area in which Paul himself lived. Jesus would have been publicly crucified at a time and location where and when Paul would have been present, in response to demands made by Jewish authorities whom Paul would have known. Paul claimed to personally know Jesus’ brother James. Fictitious people tend not to have brothers who are personally known.
Number 3: Most contemporary scholars think that at least some of the Gospels are closely rooted in the eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ disciples.
Although modern scholars differ in their opinions about the historical accuracy of the Gospels, most think the Gospels of Mark and John are closely based on eyewitness testimony of two of Jesus’ disciples, who had traveled with him. It would have been easier to invent the existence of a mythical person that supposedly lived centuries prior to writing about them. It’s much harder to invent a person that supposedly existed within the memory of living eyewitnesses. The accounts of Jesus are eyewitness accounts.
Find the whole video of Shane answering the question “Did Jesus Really Exist?” at whatwouldyousay.org. Or, search for “What Would You Say?” on YouTube. The first result will be a music video from the Dave Matthews Band, but look for the icon with the blue question mark. That’s the What Would You Say channel. Be sure to subscribe and be notified each time a new What Would You Say video is released. And look out for next week’s video on “The Resurrection of Jesus and Pagan Myth,” just in time for Easter. (Break Point)
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California Bill Could Ban Christians Who Oppose Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage from Serving as Police
A new California bill that’s intended to prohibit hate group members from becoming police officers also would prevent conservative Christians and pro-lifers from serving in law enforcement, according to two watchdogs in the state.
The bill, AB 655, was introduced in February by Democratic Assemblyman Ash Kalra as the “California Law Enforcement Accountability Reform Act.” The text of the bill would require that background investigations be conducted to determine if police officer candidates have “engaged in membership in a hate group,” participated in hate group activities, or made public expressions of hate.
Yet the California Family Council and the Pacific Justice Institute each say the bill’s language is so broad that it would exclude members of non-hate groups, including police officer candidates affiliated with pro-life groups and conservative Christian churches. That’s because the bill defines “hate group” as an organization that “advocates for, or practices the denial of constitutional rights” of any group of persons “based upon race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.”
By that definition, groups that oppose abortion and same-sex marriage could be labeled as “hate groups,” according to the California Family Council and the Pacific Justice Institute. Both abortion and same-sex marriage are constitutionally protected under Supreme Court precedent.
“Under the guise of addressing police gangs, the bill at the same time launches an inexplicable, unwarranted, and unprecedented attack on peaceable, conscientious officers who happen to hold conservative political and religious views,” said Pacific Justice Institute senior staff attorney Matthew McReynolds. “Indeed, this is one of the most undisguised and appalling attempts we have ever seen, in more than 20 years of monitoring such legislation, on the freedom of association and freedom to choose minority viewpoints.”
McReynolds asked: “Is the Catholic Church a ‘hate group’ because it advocates for the sanctity of life and thereby rejects the constitutional rights of women to obtain abortion? Are the thousands of churches in California [that] voiced support for Proposition 8, the traditional definition of marriage, ‘hate groups’ because they opposed LGBTQ constitutional rights to marry?”
The bill is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 6, according to the California Family Council. (Christian Headlines)
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Through parables, Jesus gives instruction on the proper perspective of wealth.
INSIGHT
It’s hard to let go of the temporal and lay hold of the eternal. And the temporal world can hold on to rich and poor alike through money. Both the greedy and the envious live as if there were no eternal realm.
Jesus often speaks about a true and good perspective on money. Perhaps His financial teaching can be summed up by this: Our faith should be in God, not money. We must be careful always to trust God who supplies the money rather than to trust the money itself.
(Quiet Walk)
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GOD’S WORK THROUGH THE TRUTH
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17
Some teach that all we have to do, having told God that we want to be delivered, is to believe He has done it, and then we shall eventually find that it has happened. Now that teaching is also put like this: You must say to a man who is constantly defeated by a particular sin, “I think your only hope is to take it to Christ, and Christ will take it from you.”
But what does Scripture say in Ephesians 4:28 to the man who finds himself constantly guilty of stealing, to a man who sees something he likes and takes it? What am I to tell such a man? Am I to say, “Take that sin to Christ and ask Him to deliver you”? No. What the apostle Paul tells him is this: “Let him that stole, steal no more.” Just that. Stop doing it! And if it is fornication or adultery or lustful thoughts, again, stop doing it, says Paul. He does not say, “Go and pray to Christ to deliver you.” No. You must stop doing that, he says, as becomes the children of God.
My friends, we have become unscriptural. If you want further evidence, lest somebody thinks it is only the teaching of Paul, let me come to the teaching of the apostle Peter, which is exactly the same—it is the whole teaching of Scripture, which we seem to have forgotten. We read in 1 Peter 1:14-15, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” It is something that you have to do. You must turn your back on these things because you are a child of God. Peter does not say, “Surrender it to Christ and ask Him to deliver you from it.” What he says is, “Realize who you are and stop doing it!”
A Thought to Ponder: You must turn your back on these things because you are a child of God. (From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 54-55, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving
“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Luke 10:21)
When the Lord Jesus was here on Earth, He was, among other things, “leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). One aspect of that example, no doubt, was His prayer life. He prayed and gave thanks before He fed the multitude (Matthew 15:36) and also when He ate with His disciples at the last supper (Luke 22:19). It is surely right, therefore, that we should give thanks in prayer before each meal, whether in a small group as with our family or in a large public dining place.
Jesus spent much time in prayer. On at least one occasion, He “continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12), and no doubt a goodly portion of His prayer was thanksgiving prayer, as well as intercession. But there seems to be only one specific item of thanksgiving by Him actually recorded in Scripture, and that is the item in our text. (The same is also given, verbatim, in Matthew 11:25, so we can infer that the Holy Spirit considered it very important.)
That is this: the wonderful truths of salvation and forgiveness— eternal life in heaven and God’s guidance and provision on Earth—are easily understood by the simplest among us, even by little children, even though they often seem difficult for “the wise and prudent” to comprehend.
Many are the intellectuals who can raise all kinds of objections to God’s revealed Word and His great plan of creation and redemption and who, therefore, will end up eternally lost. Many are the simple folk and children who just hear and believe and are saved. “Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Something Much Bigger We are co-workers in God’s service.
1 Corinthians 3:9
More than two hundred volunteers assisted October Books, a bookstore in Southampton, England, move its inventory to an address down the street. Helpers lined the sidewalk and passed books down a “human conveyor belt.” Having witnessed the volunteers in action, a store employee said, “It was . . . a really moving experience to see people [helping]. . . . They wanted to be part of something bigger.”
We can also be part of something much bigger than ourselves. God uses us to reach the world with the message of His love. Because someone shared the message with us, we can turn to another person and pass it on. Paul compared this—the building of God’s kingdom—to growing a garden. Some of us plant seeds while some of us water the seeds. We are, as Paul said, “co-workers in God’s service” (1 Corinthians 3:9).
Each job is important, yet all are done in the power of God’s Spirit. By His Spirit, God enables people to thrive spiritually when they hear that He loves them and sent His Son to die in their place so that they can be free from their sin (John 3:16).
God does much of His work on earth through “volunteers” like you and me. Although we’re part of a community that’s much bigger than any contribution we may make, we can help it grow by working together to share His love with the world.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt ( Our Daily Bread)
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NEW
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.