Introduction to Matthew's Gospel

This introduction to the book of Matthew will launch our cruise ship on an EIGHT YEAR JOURNEY through the Bible as we visit all of the lands and sights recorded in the Holy Scripture. My commentary will follow a plan that is presented by Life Way Publishers using the “Explore the Bible Series.” The most, if not all, Southern Baptist churches use the Life Way materials, so if you are a teacher I suggest you choose the Explore the Bible Series and use this commentary as a supplement. These materials are available to anyone of any denomination therefore I invite all of my extended Sunday School Class to obtain a copy at a cost of approximately $2.00 per quarter and study along with us. If you prefer, you can use your Bible along with my commentary. I sincerely pray that we will be able to open new doors, gain greater insights and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Word of God.

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Starting in fall of 2007 through the summer of 2015 study in order.

2007- 8 Matthew gospel; Genesis law; Acts history
2008- 9 1-2 Samuel, Chronicles history; 1-2 Thessalonians letters; Isaiah, Micah prophesy; Galatians, James letters.
2009-2010 Psalms poetry; Mark gospel; Exodus, Leviticus law; 1-2 Corinthians let
10-11 Ephesians letter; 1-2 Kings history; Philippians, Colossians, Philemon let; Jeremiah, Lamentations prophesy
11-12 Romans let; Numbers, Deuteronomy law, Luke gospel; Joshua, Judges,Ruth his
12-13 1-2 Peter, Jude letters; Amos, Hosea, Jonah prophesy; 1-2 Timothy, Titus, letters; Job, Ecclesiastes poetry
13- 14 John gospel; Ezekiel, Daniel prophesy; Proverbs, Song poetry
14-15 Hebrews. 1-3 John letters; Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther history; Minor Prophets—Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi prophesy;
Revelation prophesy.
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Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels. The word Synoptic comes from two Greek words that mean “to see together.” These three gospels give an account of the same events in the life of Christ. In many ways their material is the same and the arrangement is the same. Therefore, one can place them side by side and compare the same story told by three different persons in their own words. When this is done, it is evident that there is a close relationship between them. Some verses are word for word the same; while others have the same meaning told in different words.

Bible scholars believe that Mark was the first to write his gospel, and that Matthew and Luke used it as a basis for their version. Theologians have divided the gospel of Mark into 105 sections. Of these 93 occur in Matthew and 81 in Luke. There are only 4 sections of Mark that do not appear in the other two. Matthew and Luke generally follow the order of events that Mark gives. In a few places they differ, but they never both differ in the same place—at least one of them always follow his order.

In so far as I know there is no existing biography on the life of Matthew, therefore there is very little known about his family, education, or early life. We can assume that he had some education or experience in the business world because the Roman authorities chose him as one of their money collectors. He probably had some advantage over the fishermen disciples in being able to read, write and cipher before he was called to be a disciple.

He, like all Jewish tax collectors, was hated by his own people. The method of collecting taxes was crude, to say the least, and it was possible for the collector to meet his quota of taxes submitted to the Roman Government and keep a commission that was sometimes equal to one half of the money collected. Matthew was one of the wealthiest of all the disciples…if not the most wealthy. Matthew may have given up more in wealth than any of the other disciples when he followed the call to be a disciple. There must have been a certain amount of guilt in Matthews’s heart that resulted from the fact that he had collected excess taxes from many of his fellow Jews. When he gave up all to follow Christ, he must have determined to favor his people at any time and in any way he possibly could. His book is directed toward his people with zeal in his heart to have them accept Jesus as their Messiah.

I hope I can succeed here in making a point that everyone that reads the Bible must realize. Matthew wrote to the Jews. Other writers like Paul wrote letters to different churches and to some individuals…not directly to you and me. For us, it is like reading another person’s mail. Therefore, we must be able to roll play…we must put ourselves in the position of those to whom the message was written in order to fully understand the total meaning the writer has in mind.

We have just finished studying about the last two hundred years of Israel’s life just before God disappeared from the scene for about four hundred years. In those last days when they returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the city and temple, they had great difficulty in fully believing that they would soon receive a new King that would protect them from their many enemies. Four hundred years went by with no evidence that the Messiah had or would ever appear. When he did appear in Bethlehem the nation was under the harsh rule of the Roman Empire. They had lost their identity—they were heavily taxed and still being persecuted and had give up on God.

It was about thirty years after Christ was crucified, about 60 to 65 AD, that Matthew wrote this gospel to his people with the sole purpose of convincing them that all of the prophecies had pointed them to Jesus as their Messiah. Rolls play and put yourself in their position and you can better understand why they were hard to convince. As I have said, when we read Matthew we are reading their mail. Matthew wrote with one purpose in mind; he wanted to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the promised Messiah-King and through him God’s kingdom [lost for four hundred years] was now restored to its rightful position in their lives.

The following sets a time line for the happenings that took place and are recorded by Matthew.

Herod the Great became ruler in 37 BC. Jesus was born in 6 BC. He escaped to Egypt in 5 BC. Herod died in 4 BC. Jesus returned to Nazareth in 3 BC. Judea became a Roman province in AD 6. Jesus visits the temple in AD 6. Tiberius Caesar became emperor in AD 14. Pontius Pilate was appointed governor in AD 26. Jesus began his ministry in AD 27. Jesus chose his disciples in AD 28. He fed the 5000 in 29 and was crucified, arose and ascended in AD 30. About 30 years later, AD 60 to 65, Matthew wrote his gospel.

Please do not become discouraged when you find that the first chapter is a hard to read and even more difficult to understand—genealogy to prove that Jesus is the descendant of both King David and Abraham, just as the OT had predicted. He felt that this was absolutely necessary to establish his argument that Jesus was their Messiah. They had failed to recognize him, and their mistake had to be corrected.

Worship Appropriately - Malachi 2:17 - 4:6

During these last three months we have spent some profitable moments in the study of the Minor Prophets and the part they played in encouraging the nations to prepare for the coming Messiah whom they prophesied to be the King of all Kings. Starting with the first lesson in September we will move into a study of the book of Matthew, one of the greatest authorities on the history of the actual coming of the Messiah who is the Lord of all Lords. My request, as your teacher, is that you will not only read Matthew in its entirety, but that you will study it verse by verse and run references on any word or statement that is not already completely clear in your mind.

It is important that you realize that we are starting a new eight year study of the Bible. Please make a commitment right now that you will dedicate yourself to this eight year study and try as best you can to know every thing that the bible teaches you pertaining to your salvation by the time this study is completed. With God’s permission and help I will complete my commentaries on his entire word at the age of ninety-one. Please pray that I will remain alert and capable of “RIGHTLY DIVIDING HIS WORD” during this eight year study!!!! There is no place in the bible where it is taught that Christians are to retire from the study and spread of God’s word.

We are right in the middle of one of the hottest summers that Arkansans have ever endured. During the past few days the weather bureau has recorded two or three record highs; and this lesson brings to a close a study of the Minor Prophets and some of the hottest [most sinful] subjects that caused vast problems among the Israelite people in the latter days of the OT reign. The sad truth that we must face is that we in the twenty-first century have been as slow to learn about God’s wrath as were the Jews. The greatest success that I could possible feel as a teacher of His Word would be to know that something has been discussed that would cause someone [hopefully many] to learn and profit from the experience of those who paid a terrible price for their disobedience. The experience of others is a good teacher—and our own experiences are the best of all teachers. It is our responsibility to learn from our mistakes and our good fortune to have a loving savior that willingly forgives us.

Our young people, teens and pre-teens are now experiencing some of the most troublesome times in American history. They have experienced some of the most horrible examples of extreme weather conditions, earthquakes under sea and in populated areas, Katrina on the Gulf Coast, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and hundreds of terrorist attacks around the world, and finally a devastating war with no end in sight. These are, no doubt, the perilous times prophesied in the scriptures as sings of the second coming of our Lord and Savior. The signs of the time behoove us to WORSHIP APPROPRIATELY.

I mentioned last week that the Psalmist painted a picture of the levels of our relationship with Christ as it is compared to the structure of the tabernacle that went with God’s people all the way to the Promised Land. The Psalmist told us that we could enter his gates [of temple] with thanksgiving. We are to enter his courts [of the temple] with praise; and approach his throne [arc of covenant] which is God’s presence, with WORSHIP. It is easy for us to see that all three relationships are important. We should be a people of thanksgiving for all that he has done for us—and never cease to praise him for who he is—but it is most important that we WORSHIP HIM APPROPRIATELY because he is holy. It is impossible to worship God unless you are wholly—and he must accept you into his throne room [the holy of holies] before there can be meaningful two-way communication between you and God.

I want you to compare the picture above with the hour of thanksgiving, praise and worship at First Baptist Church each Sunday morning. We should enter the church building [our tabernacle] each time we meet with our conversations reflecting our thanksgiving to God for all he has done for us, even the privilege of this opportunity to praise and worship him. Our singing should be musical anthems of praise and our prayers audible to all present should praise him for being our Savior. Then as the pastor presents God’s word and its purpose which is to save the lost, we should be in an attitude of worship just between us and God as we reflect on his holiness and awesome power to save the lost and keep them safe in him. Others can be a part of our thanksgiving and praise but when it comes to worship it is always strictly between a person and his God. Our lesson today is entitled WORSHIP APPROPRIATELY.

In temple worship only the chief priest could enter the holy of holies to hear from God—and the priest was the mediator between God and man. We do not depend upon a priest to go to God for us and when we are worshipping appropriately we are the only one present in that throne room with God. Next Sunday, take one moment to stop and ask your-self one question. Have I spent my time in this worship service in the throne room in the presence of God? You can know the answer. Review all of your thoughts during the hour of worship. Was your mind on what you would do, where you would go, what you would eat, who you would spend the afternoon with or was it centered on the true worship of God Almighty? I wish that I could say “Not guilty Lord! I worship only you! Be honest—now will each reader make your own judgment of how well you stand in the sight of a holy God.

If you have not already done so…read Malachi 2: 17, “You have wearied the Lord with your words.” The people answered with a question. “Where is the God of justice? They doubted God. And Malachi responded in 3: 1-6, read it now. This prophesy was fulfilled in the coming of John the Baptist. There actually are two messengers in this verse—the first is John and the second messenger is Jesus Christ.

We will study this very soon in Matthew 11: 10 and Luke 2: 27. The big question here is not who is coming or when is he coming, but who will be ready. Verse 2, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Some who “think they are saved” may ask why this question was asked. The answer is that he is coming as a refiner’s fire or a laundry man’s soap. A refiner’s fire melts the metal and then he separates the impurities from the real metal. Soap is used in the laundry to release the grease, grime and dirt from the cloth material leaving the garment clean and bringing the impurities to the surface where it is drained off as waste. God has his own special furnace through which we must pass; he has his own wash tub in which we will be cleaned…Can I…you stand the heat? Is the fabric of your life securely woven to stand the scrub it will take on a wholly rub board?

This purification process with heat and soapy water is taking place now…as you live and breathe. As the cleansing takes place the reflections of a godly life will become more and more visible to others around us. This scripture says that all leaders [here it was the Levites] should be especially open to his purification process in their lives. It is important that soap is an alkali that is used to whiten the white garments, sheets and gowns. The bible teaches in many places that sin is black and dingy in color while holiness is always pictured as white—like snow. Has your life taken on the look of snow or are there some indication that you, like a hog, have recently returned to your wallow.

Read verse 5 and you will see some of the individual complaints God may have against you. Most of these are easy for us to see as sins against others and God. However there is one mentioned here that caught my attention. Do you…or would you…deprive aliens of justice? Is this the same as illegal aliens? I have my idea but will not ask you to agree. I believe that legal aliens have their rights and should not be mistreated—illegal aliens also have their rights and should not be mistreated, but should be required to return to their legal residence. If I am right I see no conflict in how I would treat aliens.

Is it possible for you to worship God on Sunday and steal from him Monday morning? Have you read verses 6 through 10 in today’s lesson? If you do not tithe your income to your church and make offerings above the tithe to support other worthy causes you will not enjoy reading these verses. Why? Because we do not enjoy being called a thief—or robber. In verse seven the descendants of Jacob were told that they had turned away from God’s decrees and had not kept them. That was not fatal—because he promised them that if they would return to him…then God would return to them. How were they to return? They were to stop robbing God. How were they robbing him? They were not returning God’s tithe to him, and were not giving offerings to his causes. The tithe equals ten percent. In other scriptures we find that it must be the first dime out of every dollar you make. Pay your tithe first…and then make your offerings and live out of the last ninety-percent. They were under a curse because they were robbing God.

Do you trust God? Do you believe that God lies? Read verse ten. God says for you to bring your tithe into his storehouse—his church—so it will have the nourishment to grow and prosper. God dares you…to trust him…he said “Try me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so many blessings that you will not have room enough for it. I personally challenge you to talk to Christians who tithe and see if you can find one single person that will tell you that it has ever been a mistake. God through Malachi singled out the farmer and told them that if he would tithe that he would prevent pests from devouring his crops and that his vines would not fail to bear fruit.

In v 15 it is clearly explained that failing to tithe is not the unpardonable sin because the arrogant are blessed. It is true that evildoers prosper and even if you are arrogant enough to challenge God…you may escape. Let me remind you that we are discussing things that pertain to TRUE WORSHIP…and there is no doubt that you worship God by returning to him his tithe from your earnings that he blesses you with. The return of his tithe is between you and God…it takes place in the throne room…there are just two people present…you and your God and only you and he knows whether or not you are honest. You should end this lesson by reading carefully about the faithful: “16-18 “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. They will be mine, [says the Lord Almighty] in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” I worship God with my tithes and offerings…Do you? Tithes always go to his church—offerings can go to his people.

Live Honorably - Malachi 2

I entered the Army Infantry Corps in 1944 at the age of nineteen, just a country boy, naive and with a background that made me worry about anything that would disgrace my family name. I think that I was more concerned about serving my country honorably than anything else. The thought of doing anything that would cause me to receive a dishonorable discharge was constantly on my mind. At that time in life, I had not thought of the title of this lesson as a spiritual goal, but now I see that this was exactly what it was. My background as the son of Godly parents was the reason for my concern.

The ministers of the country churches that I attended were held in high esteem and I do not remember any one in pastoral positions being involved in any activities that would bring dishonor to God and his church. After the war was over, there seemed to be an erosion of pride and honor especially among the growing numbers of televangelist that got caught up in scandals of sex, money and power. Three people come to mind that caused a mass erosion of credibility among Christian leaders—Jim Baker and Tammy in their struggle to control their followers to gain wealth and power; Jimmy Swaggart got caught in the sex scandal with a prostitute; and Jim Jones who led his congregation to become a cult that self destructed because they were brain washed by a demon.

Because of their role as spiritual leaders, the lives of ministers should be living examples for their flocks. They should accept the fact that they are expected to live HONORABLY. The bible warns spiritual leaders that they are accountable to their followers and that it would be better for them to be drowned than to mislead their listeners. Since God is no respecter of persons/people, the same rule holds for those who profess to be Christians. Our lives are the only bible some people ever read, and therefore we are expected to represent Christ in our everyday activities. No pastor should ever resent the close scrutiny of his daily life by his church members; however, he has a perfect right to expect them to join him on the pedestal where they have placed him. We are to live our lives HONORABLY thereby honoring God. “Semper Fidelis” is the motto of one of our military branches. Which one? And what does it mean? In our lesson today, Malachi issues a call to faithfulness. In this study he rebukes unfaithfulness in people; 1. Among religious leaders, 2. Dishonesty in community relations, 3. to God, by marrying pagans, and 4. To the family for practicing divorce.

In the first two verses, God left no doubts when he warned the priest that if they did not honor his name he would punish them. We too are called out to honor him by thanksgiving, praise and worship. In Psalms we learn that we enter his gates through thanksgiving, then we enter his courts through praise and finally if we want to look inside at the holly of holies we do that through our worship. If you think of your level of honor as compared to the OT tabernacle, are you still in the courtyard, just barely through the gates? Or maybe you have moved closer to the Lord through your praise and are now in the inter-courts. If you really honor him through true worship he will allow you to join him in the holy of holies. Which level of honor are you able to enjoy with him?

Even though God had warned the priest many times they still did not take him seriously…they did not set their hearts on God’s desire for their lives. God has not talked to us [today] but we find his desire for our lives by reading his word. Then we must set our hearts, mind and will on doing what he expects us to do. If we neglect our study of the word and do not practice its direction for our lives we will soon find that we are like the priest who didn’t seem to care any more.

4 to 6…Levi walked with God…and turned many from their sin. He was the ancestor of the tribe of Levites who were set apart to do service for God [Numbers 1: 47 to 54]. The Levites were God’s spokesmen first in the tabernacles and then in the temple. In our lesson today God was addressing priest who were from the same tribe of Levi…telling them that they should learn from their ancestors and do as they had done.

In 7 and 8, Malachi was angry with the priest because they did not know what God expected of them. They did no know God’s will and through their ignorance they were leading people astray. They had good examples to follow and therefore were not excused for their lack of knowledge. Pastors and leaders today are expected to know God’s word…what it says…what it means…and how it applies to our daily lives. As you attempt to carry out the work that God expects of you…how much time do you spend in his word? Are you sure your leadership is a positive influence on others? We really have no excuse and will be held accountable.

9…The priest were showing partiality to certain influential people and allowed them to break God’s law. The people realized the unfair practices of the priest and were unhappy with the practice…they despised the priest and humiliated them.

10 to 16…His people were unfaithful—they did not reject him or deny him, but they were living as though he did not exist. The church today is full of people who do not openly deny God, but their lives are surely not proof of their faith if indeed they have the faith they proclaim. The people were acting as though they were being punished and they were wondering why God refused to accept their offerings and why he refused to bless them. God is our first love, and when we place anything else in our lives before him—he will not honor or bless us. If we expect to be accepted in the holy of holies, [living in him, for him, and through his power] then our every day lives must show that we deserve that privilege.

After the people completed the walls and rebuilt the temple they expected to see the prophecies to come true. When there was a delay in the destruction of their enemies and the coming of the new King they became discouraged and grew complacent about keeping his laws. Complacency led to direct sin and they disobeyed his order to marry only their own kind and not worship idols. This is another example of their swing in and out of his will. This was a repeat of the things that Ezra and Nehemiah had confronted as problems earlier in their history. This is proof to us that God will forgive our sins…because he knows that we will continue to sin…however, God does not expect us to repeat over and over the same sins that he has already forgiven many times. His spirit will not continue to strive with those who repeat the same sins over and over.

These people were blaming God for their problems instead of looking at their own life. It was then and it is still today much easier to blame someone else for their problems…and it is very difficult to admit that we are to blame.

14-15…Divorce was a practice exclusively by men. They broke faith with their wives ignoring God’s requirement of the bonding between man and wife. The law said they should become one. They ignored the purpose of marriage which was to furnish love and guidance for offspring. They did not recognize that broken marriages were in opposition to God’s will for the family. “Guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith” means that we should have the same commitment to marriage that God has in his promises to his people. The marriage oath is a commitment to our spouse that is just as binding on us as God’s promises are binding on him when he promises that he will not leave or forsake us.

I will very seldom use long quotations from others to make a point in my teaching. But for the benefit of those who are younger and contemplating marriage or those in their marriage commitment I will make an exception and give you seven suggestions from James Dobson [an authority on marriage] on how to have a happy and lasting marriage.

1. Do not marry the person you think you can live with. Make sure you marry the person you can not live without!

2. Don’t marry someone who has characteristics that you feel are intolerable. You may plan to change him or her, but that probably will not happen.

3. Do not marry impulsively. There is no better way to mess up your life than to leap into this critical decision without careful thought and prayer.

4. If you are a committed Christian, do not allow yourself to become “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. You may expect to win your spouse to the Lord at some future date, and that does happen on occasion, but to count on it is risky at best, fool hearted at worst.

5. Do not move in with a person before marriage. There are many reasons.

6. Don’t get married too young. Statistics show that marriages at age 14 to 17 are twice as likely to end in divorce as those who are twenty or more.

7. Finally, I’ll conclude with the ultimate secret of lifelong love. Simply put, the stability of marriage is a by-product of an iron-willed determination to make it work. If you choose to marry, enter into that covenant with a resolve to remain committed to each other for life. Never threaten to leave your mate during angry moments. Don’t allow yourself to consider even the possibility of divorce. Calling it quits must not become an option for those who want to go the distance!

SUMMARY

Living honorably requires faithfulness in four areas of life. 1. Faithfulness of religious leaders [2. 1-9] 2. Faithfulness to others [2: 10] 3. Faithfulness to God [2: 11-12] and faithfulness to family [2: 13-16]. LIVE HONORABLY!

Love Wholeheartedly - Malachi 1

A few years ago one entire lesson was dedicated to the study of the word ‘love’ as used in the Bible, but with an emphasis on the God love that we know as agape. I can remember that after several days of research and comparison of word meanings, I came to the conclusion that the word LOVE is the most important word in the Holy Scriptures. I can understand that this statement may cause you to shrink back a bit with the feeling that we should wait a moment before making this bold proclamation—and I readily admit that there are other words that may be equal…but still contend that none are greater or more important than the word LOVE. Here are a few thoughts for your consideration. The Bible tells us that “God is love” therefore when you speak of God the Father you are talking about true love…no more and no less. The Bible tells us that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son to die in our place making an act of love the only gate to heaven.” When Christ was questioned about the most important of all the commandments he gave an answer something like this: “The Bible teaches you that you are to have no other God above Jehovah God [that is that you should love…or worship…no other God above Him—But I tell you that you are also suppose to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR as you do yourself. There is an implication here that this love constitutes the keeping of the greatest of all commandments. Our lessons during the past few weeks have come from the book of Zechariah. Today we have a new author, his name is Malachi and our last three lessons in this quarter will be based upon his writings. As a teacher, I can tell you with assurance that when you study literature, history, or any of the subjects contained in the study of the humanities, it is imperative that you become acquainted with the author. Therefore we will stop here and introduce you to Malachi, the last of the Minor Prophets. In fast simple statements I will bring you up to date on the time, place, and reason for the words we have from Malachi. God’s people in Jerusalem and Judea were disobedient, and God allowed the Babylonians to capture them and destroy their land. Seventy years later the first exiles returned to Jerusalem in 538 BC, as God had promised they would. The temple reconstruction started in 536, Haggai and Zachariah became prophets in 520, and the temple was completed in 516. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in 458, Nehemiah came in 445, and Malachi [our author for today] became a prophet in this area in 430 BC. Why?He was the last of the Minor Prophets to confront the people with their sins and to attempt to restore their relationship with God. Malachi is the author of this work, however he was a friend of and co-worker with both Ezra and Nehemiah. He wrote directly to the Jews in Jerusalem but just like most of the scriptures it applies to God’s people in every nation and in all time. He started his writings when he became a prophet in 430 BC. This may sound repetitious but it is not. We have been studying prophets that rebuked the people for their failure to move in and immediately rebuild their city and the temple. Now Malachi comes along after the building is complete and rebukes the people for their neglect of care for the temple and for their false and profane worship. He points out that our lives are a composite of the things we do that either heals or destroys; things we say that either builds relationships or tare good ones down. Like a vase that can be shattered by the brush of a careless elbow; a toy breaks when pushed beyond its limits by careless youth; milk spills when handled with speed but not accuracy. There is a loss in each of these circumstances that can not be completely regained. However, there is a loss that is far more costly when we suffer the loss of personal relationships. These costly relationships can come as a result of unfaithfulness in a family; untruths, hateful words, and prideful demands and acquisitions made by neighbors and friends. It is always much more difficult to heal these wounds of personal discord than one can imagine. There are two distinct roles of equal importance—there must be one who is willing to admit wrong and seek forgiveness—and then there must be one that is willing to forget the past and truly forgive the adversary. In some circumstances each one is partially to blame and partially innocent, making the final settlement even more precarious. Broken vows and frayed fellowship with our brethren is a problem; however—the most tragic of all broken relationships is the ones with God. It is in the study of broken relationships that we find that there is no way to be successful in the rebuilding of the broken spirit without the presence of agape love. There are four major topics that are covered in this book. The first is God’s love. He loves his people even when they ignore or disobey him. He bestows blessings on those who are faithful and his love never ends. The second has to do with his condemnation of the priest. He says they were unworthy and their service was insincere; they were lazy, arrogant, and insensitive. The prophet was critical of the people whom he said had not learned the lesson of the exile, nor listened to the prophets of God. The practice of divorce and the marrying of younger pagan women was his greatest complaint. The fourth theme is that the Lord is coming. No doubt, the Messiah is coming soon! Verse one in chapter one tells us this is an oracle of God, through Malachi and his fist message reveals our lesson topic for today…verse two says—“I have loved you,” says the lord. You must understand that an oracle is simply a ‘message’ of or from God. Now it has been about one hundred years since the temple was finished and the people are not responding as God had hoped they would. They were losing their enthusiasm for worship. The indications are that the former prophets had told them that their new Messiah would soon come and reign over them. They visualized this new ruler as a king like David had been—and a century had gone by without the fulfillment of these prophecies. They were now committing many of the same sins that had brought the downfall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Malachi confronted the hypocrites with their sin by writing a dialogue between a righteous God and his hardened people. God’s first message came through the prophet to the Jews when He said—“I have loved you.” I do not believe that this message was directed to ONLY THE JEWS—but this is a universal message of hope and assurance to all people in all times. God is disheartened and angry with those of us today that sin against him when we know that we should not sin. We have his word that tells us that no sin goes without condemnation. There will always be a pay day some day. The nation had not prospered, and government rulers had proven to be unfaithful and the people had decided that God did not love them. This is never so—he loved them and he loves us regardless of our circumstances…however, his eternal rewards go only to those who are faithful to him. I have told you many times that I really believe that OBEDIENCE is just as important as REPENTANCE. In fact, obedience is the result of true repentance and therefore we know that repentance did not take place in our lives if we continue to disobey God. God does not hate people…he hates their sin, therefore in verses 2 to 5, the term “Esau I have hated” does not refer to Esau’s final destiny. It simply means that God chose Jacob [not Esau] to be the one through whom the Messiah [Jesus Christ] would come to rule over his people… [See Romans 9: 10-13]. Esau was given the opportunity to father the nation EDOM but he led his nation to become one of Israel’s greatest enemies. This story is found in Genesis 25: 19-26—God chose Jacob and his descendents and loved them in a special way—even so, thy too rejected God. In verse six, God charged the priests with failing to honor him…even showing contempt for his name…they were failing to be good spiritual examples for the people to follow. The temple was rebuilt in 516 BC and a type of worship was being conducted but the priests were not following the laws regarding sacrifice. Ezra, a godly priest, conducted a revival in about 458, but by the time of Malachi, the leaders had fallen away and led the people back into some of the original sins. There was no heart felt practice of worship, but simply a burdensome job for the priest. Read verses 6 to 8 and you will see that God’s complaint was that the priests were allowing the imperfect animals to be sacrificed. God demands the best…our best…God is not honored when we give anything less than our best. This demand is carried forward to NT times, in Romans 12: 1, Paul says that our very lives must be offered as a LIVING SACRIFICE to God. If we are giving God only our ‘left over’ money, time, and energy then we are committing the same sins that the Jews were when they did not bring anything valuable to God…but only their lame, sick, or weak animals. What they gave reflected their attitude toward God. Are the gifts you make a true reflection of your attitude toward God. Do they prove that you LOVE GOD WHOLEHARTEDLY? Verses 10 through 14 are self explanatory and easy to understand. God wants our best! And anything less is not acceptable to God. Proclaiming to be a Christian places you and me in the same position of the priest in that day. We are his examples for others to follow. If we casually accept sin and this causes others to fail, God will not be pleased and we will suffer the consequences. God says, “My name will be great among the nations” and this is the theme throughout the OT. God chose his people to bless the nations and save the people of the world. He made a covenant with them to this effect. When it was obvious that this plan had failed…our new covenant came through the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ and now it is the plan through which the world can be saved. God now wants to save and bless the world through those who will believe and trust him—both Jews and Gentiles. We are now his chosen people and our pure offering to the Lord is our new life in Christ. If your offering is a ‘sinful life’ it is as displeasing to God as a crippled or sick calf, sheep or dove was in Malachi’s day. Far too many think that the Christian walk should be easy and without problems or sorrow. They think that following God is supposed to make life easy and more comfortable. The truth is often just the opposite. Think about the life of Job. Testing our WHOLEHEARTED LOVE FOR HIM—he may allow us to face poverty and endure suffering but if our love for him and his love for us is more important than anything else—the things we give up are of little importance when compared to our gain…ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS SON TO DIE THE CRUELEST OF ALL DEATHS ON THAT OLD RUGGED CROSS TO PAY OUR SIN DEBT THAT WE COULD HAVE NEVER PAID. BY HIS GRACE THROUGH OUR FAITH IN HIM, WE ARE NOW SAVED. Forever!!

Joy, Happiness: Is there a Difference? - Zechariah 9 - 14:21

Crude oil is the source of gasoline; in the same manner, joy is the source of happiness. Joy comes in the morning as a result of deep abiding faith in the heart and soul following a night of rest and restoration. Happiness crops up all through the day as you view your new great grand son for the first time; [*p-4]as you observe your children’s new parental expressions; as you realize how fortunate you are to be an American citizen and a chosen and redeemed child of God. Deep and abiding Joy issues from the unmerited grace of Jesus Christ that lifts you to the mountain top and keeps you there. Joy abides in the heart and soul and is unwavering. Happiness is the expression of human feelings when times are good; and when things are going well. However, it is not unwavering and can vary all the way from laughter to sorrow as the circumstances change in every day life.

The first eight chapters in Zechariah have presented a people that are generally happy. They are no longer in captivity. They have been able to return to their old home land. They have shared a part in the rebuilding of the city and the temple. Even though they have become discouraged at times and have met with resistance from their enemies they have still accepted the criticism from God through his prophets and found the faith and courage to proceed with their rebuilding projects. Our lesson today is found in the last six chapters of this book that are very different from the first eight that we just studied. These are the prophetic chapters that sound much like the book of Daniel or Revelation. Zechariah made these prophecies to assure his people that regardless of the problems they had they could be sure of ultimate victory and he announced the coming of the Messiah that they were longing to see become King of Kings. What he is ultimately saying to them is: now you will be able to see your new found happiness turned into ultimate JOY.
The first eight verses of chapter nine introduces an oracle that refers to a burden that will come on God’s people because of their sins but more important it starts assuring the people that judgment will come to the enemies of God’s people. Three of Israel’s worst enemies were promised rapid failure as God’s people rejoiced to know that the Philistines, Syria, and Phoenicia would fall. Now read the verse [9:9] that brought absolute JOY to the people of Jerusalem. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, or colt, the goal of a donkey.”

Well, the day came when Christ arrived riding that donkey right into the city just as the prophet predicted he would. There is no doubt that JOY arrived that day; and those of us who have accepted him as our Savior can live each day with the assurance of life everlasting with him. Our happiness may vary each day because of our immediate circumstances but our JOY is anchored to, on, and in the solid Rock. It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires… Jesus Christ alone founded His Empire upon love: and at this hour, millions of men would die for Him.” You may ask, “How strong must my commitment be?” and the answer lies in the statement made by this French Dictator. You and I must be so committed that we are willing to die for Him if we ever find ourselves in that critical position.

Chapters nine and ten are somewhat difficult for me to fully understand because they are describing the coming of two kings. The first one is Alexander the Great who had conquered the Persian Empire and was ruling in the time of the prophet Zechariah. There is an explanation of how he will overpower Syria, Phoenicia, and Philistine. Our lesson is on JOY, and since God promised to protect the Jewish people during this war this promise of protection is the source of their JOY. One would think that this would be enough to satisfy the people…and it probably would have, but they had a second promise made by the prophet. Zechariah assures the people that some day a greater king is coming—the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, who was the Messiah that they had been promised and that they had been waiting for.

This book becomes more confusing to me as the last part of chapter nine seems to describe the deliverance of God’s people from the rule of the Greeks. There is no doubt in my mind that the King that will ride in on the donkey is the prediction of our Lord as he came humbly before his people at the temple riding a donkey as he did instead of the great White Horse that would have set him apart as the new king. The blessings of the new Messiah’s Kingly reign are explained in chapter ten.
I am referring to a book on the Minor Prophets by Feinberg. He says that “Chapters 1 to 8 of Zechariah refers mainly to the time of his own life. The goal in view was encouragement for the rebuilding of the Temple. Chapters 9 to 14, which form the second part of the book, deal chiefly with the future and were probably written by Zechariah a long time after the first eight chapters. Chapters 1-8 deal with Israel when she was under Medo-Persian rule; Chapters 9 and 10 when she was governed by Greece; Chapter 11 when she was under Roman domination; and chapters 12 to 14 when she will be in the last days of her national history [Minor Prophets by Feinberg, page 314]. My comment is this; the fact that Judah was occupied by so many different powers in so few years makes it difficult for me to understand just who is involved in the coming and going of the ruling kings.

I can tell you this with absolute authority and no fear of any contradiction…and that is that Jesus Christ is our Messiah who is and always will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and no matter how impressive any other [ruler] appears to be he pales into insignificance when compared to our King. Christ came to earth and was born of a virgin, lived as God and Man on this earth and died on the cross to provide salvation from sin for all that will believe in him. He will come again…and he will bring peace to all people of all nations and blessings for those of us who have not denied him and have sincerely tried to obey him.

There is a vast amount of materials covered in the last five chapters of this book. It seems to me that I can best help learners understand the basic principles that are laid out by simply giving an outline through a series of statements of truths found in these last chapters.
• God will stand by his people in their fight against their enemies sometimes through providential means.
• The Israelites knew that they were protected…just as we are defended from harm.
• Their new Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord is both a conquering king and a gentle savior…often compared to the Shepard of the flock [Christians].
• We should gain our greatest Joy from the fact that He will return.
• False religions deceive and destroy; therefore accurate knowledge of the bible is of great importance.
• Leaders, teachers, ministers, will be held accountable for what they teach.
• Christ is known as the “Cornerstone of our faith.
• Israel as a nation will survive.
• Christ will delivery Israel, and all his people, from their enemies at his second coming.
• Forgiveness for sin is available to all people…Jew and Gentile…by grace, through faith in Christ and true repentance toward the Master.
• Christians should not become discouraged when suffering sometimes precedes their blessings. We should not expect favored treatment over Christ who suffered the greatest of all.
• God the Father and Jesus the Son both keep their promises…Christ will return!
• One day…the entire world will recognize and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and King…To him every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.
• The Lord is the victor…He conquered death, hell, and the grave all in one week-end.

I love prophecy—my faith feeds on it. Here are twenty-four predictions that were accurately made regarding Christ years before he was born and named Jesus.

1. He would be—and he was born of a virgin. 2. From David’s line. 3. Born in Bethlehem. 4. Was a prophet. 5. Is our Priest. 6. King of Kings. 7. Preceded by a messenger [John]. 8. Entered Jerusalem on a donkey. 9. A stumbling stone to the Jews. 10. Resurrection on third day. 11. Forsaken by his disciples. 12. Silent before accusers. 13. Wounded and bruised. 14. Struck and spit upon. 15. Mocked. 16. Hands and feet pierced. 17. Crucified with thieves. 18. Rejected by his own people. 19. Stared at or upon. 20. Clothes divided and lots cast. 21. Made a forsaken cry—My God, My God why have you forsaken me? 22. Bones not broken. 23. Side pierced. 24. Buried in a rich man’s tomb. NOTE: Several of these facts about Jesus that were still 400 plus years in the future, were made by the author that we are studying today—Zechariah.


[Nicholas Vandiver Weathers, first great grand child of Dr. and Mrs. John Vandiver was born at 7:13 or 14 PM, Tuesday, July 31, 2007; he was 21inches tall [no. not long, but tall] and weighed 7 lbs. 11oz. His parents are Dr. and Mrs. Lance Weathers, of Lexington, KY. I used this as an example of the source instant happiness—but now, after the experience, I am not sure there wasn’t a bit of pure JOY in our soul. In fact, when we take time to thank God for the miracle of birth, and learn that both mother and son are well and all possible danger has seemingly evaporated, our emotional height surpasses happiness and mounts to the panicle of glorious JOY.]