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Itty Bitty Bible Study – Galatians 1:11-24; 2:1-10

Galatians 1:11-24 & 2:1-10

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

The Itty Bitty Bible Study on Galatians 1:1-10 addressed some WHO issues.

Now, we are addressing some WHY or HOW.
Galatians 1:11-24

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Block quote
13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born,[d] and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to[e] me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;[f] 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

There are several points that Paul wants the Galatians to know before he goes any further.

  • The gospel he preached was not made up by man
  • Nor did he receive it by man
  • Proof is in his past, as a very prominent Jewish leader, turned believer in Christ
  • Called by grace – not of himself
  • Sent not to the jews, but to the heathen…gentiles..non jewish world
  • He separated himself to seek God while in arabia
  • Went to talk with peter – for 15 days, and the only other he met was James(the brother of Christ)
  • His relationship with god prevents him from lying
  • In judea and cilicia, he was known only by his witness and testimony that went before him
  • All to the glory of God.

It is by his testimony that he declares his path.
The HOW and WHY that he is an Apostle and has this Gospel.

Chapter 2:1-10

2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.
2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.
3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.
4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—
5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.
7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised
8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),
9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Here Paul talks about how he went back to the desert, so to speak, to spend time with the Lord for 14 years.
Somewhere in here, he picks up Barnabas and Titus.
And they head back to Jerusalem.
Here’s his points:

  • He goes to the leaders of the Christian movement, and shares with them the gospel that he has been preaching to the gentiles.
  • HIS MESSAGE WAS THAT OF LIBERTY IN CHRIST.
  • Not liberty to sin – but freedom from the curse and works of the LAW!
  • “Those that seem to be influential”, this seems to be speaking of those that were the leaders.
  • They didn’t add to what Paul was preaching, as a statement that he was preaching the correct gospel.
  • They recognized the grace given to him, and the message to the Gentiles, just like the message that was given to PETER to the Jews.
  • Gave him the right hand of fellowship!
  • Told him to care for the poor.

The pillars of the Christian movement, the Apostles who had walked with Jesus, gave Paul the go ahead, and confirmed his representation of the gospel! He mentions James, Peter(Cephas) and John.
What is the Gospel of the Apostles?
It was compiled into what we now know as the Apostle’s Creed.

The Apostles Creed is explained on

For the Christian Faith – this is the basic statement of belief.
It is this creed, and maybe the Nicene Creed -, that is the basis for sharing our faith.
Neither of these was written by the Apostles.
Yet, this is the basic idea for why Paul went to Jerusalem.
He was double checking to make sure that HIS revelation was lining up with those that had walked with Christ in real life!

The Bereans kept Paul honest, so to speak –

Acts 17:11
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The Apostle John, who was one that Paul conferred with, said this:

1 John 4:1-3
4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

There is much more that John said that proved who a Christian is…but, he was warning that there were false prophets.

Paul is addressing those that specifically denounce his position, in order to bring the Galatians into bondage.
In this vein, he even spoke to Peter, when Peter was having difficulty with peer pressure – but that’s Chapter 2:11-21.

Blast from the Past
Itty Bitty Bible Study in 2009 for Galatians 1
Itty Bitty Bible Study in 2009 for Galatians 2

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study from 2009 – Galatians 1

Current Itty Bitty Bible Study on Galatians
1:1-10
1:11-24
Now, a bit of History!

Itty Bitty Book 2 – Galatians, Chapter 1, June 7, 2009
I’m on vacation, so I’m not putting in a Galatians intro – but you can go to www.Blueletterbible.org and read one yourself.
Chapter 1:1 I love how Paul starts this letter:
Paul, an apostle (not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead),
I look at what the apostles did with their lives….and I think – they were hand picked, chosen by God for that job….I’ll never be able to be like them.
BUT – each of us is handpicked by God before the foundation of the world…..
This was to Jeremiah:
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
and lest we rule that out because God gave that call to Jeremiah –
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
and if there is any question that God handpicked each of us for HIS work, Romans 8:28-31 blows them all away!
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?
Galatians 1:6-9 – WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! There are going to be those that will preach ANOTHER gospel – and he’s not just talking about the non Christian folks. THERE ARE ERRORS IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH THAT ARE BEING PREACHED TODAY that will keep the believers from their true calling – their preparation for the battle to come – their moving out into the battle.
WARNING – the 501c3 designation of a church has already prevented pastors from speaking things clearly to the church. They cannot preach against political topics – against sins – and anything that could be considered hate speech. Legislation is being proposed to really shut the mouths of the church – the fact that a nation that has embraced aborting babies, exalting sinful lifestyles and vanity and excess is now trying to make it legal to to point at a Christian(not other religions) and say “You are hateful – you go to jail”.
I don’t know how many of you read about the pastor that was having Bible study in his home and was told they had to stop. Don’t know the details….but that would destroy many moves of the church.
So – WARNING WARNING WARNING – watch the signs of the times!!!!
vs 3-5 – the basic gospel:
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christi. Who gave Himself for our sins, that He3 might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, To whom be all glory forever and ever, amen!
Christ delivered us so that we would be able to stand against the attacks of the enemy – and that we would be able to endure to the end, to receive that crown of life he has waiting for us!
May you be filled with the true gospel through Jesus Christ today – and turn from the tempting, teasing, tickling teachings that would draw you away from the TRUTH.
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
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Itty Bitty Bible Study – Galatians 1:1-10

Galatians 1:1-10

I am sharing my thoughts, and others are commenting their thoughts at the Itty Bitty Bible Study on Facebook. Please Join us! You can also comment here if you’d like!

I’m trying my hand at highlighting, I’m not sure this will show up for anyone but me!

Galatians 1

1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

In the old days (hahaha), folks put their authorship at the beginning of letters. It’s kind of like a return address.

Paul – once Saul. Wikipedia is not the bastion of Christian thought, but, it is a good place to obtain a summary on Saul/Paul! Lot’s of excellent information and links to research on Paul’s life.
CALLED as an APOSTLE

  • Not of men
  • neither by man
  • but by Jesus Christ
  • and God the Father (Who raised HIM(Jesus)from the dead)

This book is truly deep – and I’m not going to go into a word study on Men and man – because honestly, in the strongs, they look like the same thing.
Matthew Henry has this to say, if you are interested!

As to his office, he was an apostle. He is not afraid to style himself so, though his enemies would scarcely allow him this title: and, to let them see that he did not assume this character without just ground, he acquaints them how he was called to this dignity and office, and assures them that his commission to it was wholly divine, for he was an apostle, not of man, neither by man; he had not the common call of an ordinary minister, but an extraordinary call from heaven to this office. He neither received his qualification for it, nor his designation to it, by the mediation of men, but had both the one and the other directly from above; for he was an apostle by Jesus Christ, he had his instructions and commission immediately from him, and consequently from God the Father, who was one with him in respect of his divine nature, and who had appointed him, as Mediator, to be the apostle and high priest of our profession, and as such to authorize others to this office.

The second Part states what he believes about God, as well as the basis for his calling!

  • but by Jesus Christ
  • and God the Father (Who raised HIM(Jesus)from the dead)

Again – Matthew Henry’s thoughts on the differentiation here:

He adds, Who raised him from the dead, both to acquaint us that herein God the Father gave a public testimony to Christ’s being his Son and the promised Messiah, and also that, as his call to the apostleship was immediately from Christ, so it was after his resurrection from the dead, and when he had entered upon his exalted state; so that he had reason to look upon himself, not only as standing upon a level with the other apostles, but as in some sort preferred above them; for, whereas they were called by him when on earth, he had his call from him when in heaven.

I have read this, and said yeah yeah yeah – of course.
In Paul’s day – he was under fire about who he was, Whose he was, and HOW he got his calling. This first chapter shows his concern that not HE, but the GOSPEL was being discredited.
WHO calls me?
TO WHAT had HE called me?
and is my life bearing witness to that call, or discrediting that call?

Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers and sisters with me,

It’s nice that Paul includes his brothers and sisters. Though his name is on the letter – he includes others in sending out the blessing. Christianity is NOT a loner religion – it is a communal religion. I do not mean living on a commune together, though, that would be amazing. Living in close proximity to believers of similar intensity would give a standard of support, and even a bit of peer pressure, that would make walking the walk a bit easier. That is the purpose of a local body!

To the churches in Galatia:
3 Grace and peace to you

Grace and Peace.
Grace

  • Noah found grace in God’s eyes! Genesis 6:8 In this grace, he built an ark and survived the flood!
  • Moses found grace in God’s eyes! Exodus 33 In this grace, he made a demand of God to go with them!
  • Ruth found grace! Ruth 2 In that grace, she gave birth to King David’s grandfather and preserved the lineage of Christ!
  • Esther found grace! Esther 2 In that grace, she delivered the nation of Israel!

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We have found grace in God’s eyes – and in that Grace, there are good works which he has prepared for us to do…amazing!
Amazing Grace!

Peace
The word study on this is Strongs G1515 –

  1. a state of national tranquillity
    exemption from the rage and havoc of war
  2. peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord
  3. security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)
  4. of the Messiah’s peace
    the way that leads to peace (salvation)
  5. of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is

Doing a study on that Greek word has many offerings, but these mean much to me:

John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Galatians 5:22 mentions it as a fruit!

Ephesians 2:14
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

HE – Jesus is our PEACE!

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Hebrew, 7965 – shalom

  1. completeness, soundness, welfare, peace
  2. completeness (in number)
  3. safety, soundness (in body)
  4. welfare, health, prosperity
  5. peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment
  6. peace, friendship
  7. of human relationships
  8. with God especially in covenant relationship
  9. peace (from war)
  10. peace (as adjective)

Two different languages, ONE HUGE blessing and promise!
I wonder if this is how we should bless one another – GRACE and PEACE to YOU from our Lord Jesus Christ, ….
Galatians 1:3

from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Here is the power!
FROM OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST!
BY the power of his paying the price for our sins, and his resurrection by the Power of OUR God and Father(Who is ONLY our God and Father through the price paid by our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ!)!
BY GRACE – we have been rescued from this present evil age by the Will of our Father God!
PEACE in that we are no longer at war with sin and death(well, at least the war is over…we have to fight the battles).

I want to break out into the song “There is power, power, wonder working power, in the blood of the Lamb!”
That blood bridged the chasm that separated us from the PEACE of GOD!

Jesus was being heckled for mentioning the forgiveness of sins when he healed a paralytic, and he said:

Matthew 9:5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

The implied answer is that it would have been easier for him to say get up and walk, because man cannot forgive sins! It was a statement of WHO He is, and FROM WHOM He came!

POWER! This is not your squeamish “bless you” thrown around on a daily basis!
AND, as ambassadors for Christ – we are to bless others! Paul begins his letters with blessings, and ends his letters with blessings. The people in that day took blessings very seriously!
Just check out the verses about taking back your blessing if the folks of the house are not worthy!
A blessing is not something to be tossed about willy nilly!

Then, Paul really jumps into the WHY of the letter!

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

We’ve just looked at the power behind a blessing – now Paul is speaking out a curse!
This almost sounds like some mumbo jumbo in our day in age.

Jesus said, in Matthew 18:18

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

That’s some more mumbo jumbo sounding stuff.
Is it?
Or do we really have power to impart God’s blessing, and to withold it?

Jesus says in John 14:12-14

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Matthew 21:21-22 records Jesus saying:

21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

We are given responsibility for our words, our speech to speak the things of God.
I’m not talking name it claim it, though there is some truth to those teachings. That is why they are so popular.
I’m not saying that we have the same creative power in our words as the Son of God, who spoke the worlds into existence.
I’m saying that the creator God lives within us, and by that position, we have the power available, and we can speak good and evil over people, and God will hear, and move. We are his hands, feet, ears AND HIS MOUTHS!
I want to be a blessing!
But, when someone needs to know that they are taking the wrong turn, I want to speak correction in love!

Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

The Amplified Bible says it this way:

10 Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God?
Do I seek to please men?
If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah).

I kind of giggle when I read this.
If I wanted to be popular, I wouldn’t be talking this kind of talk!
I’d be talking to tickle ears!
I’d be petting and flattering!
And I cannot be a bond servant of Christ and live like that!

Jesus mentioned in Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

On the mount, God spoke to Moses and said (Exodus 20)

20:1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Before I move on to Paul’s explanation of WHY he can claim to be an Apostle – I am thinking on this very point…
If something that is told to me as scriptural leads me to be more comfortable with men/women, and not with God – should I be listening? When I write it out that way, of course the answer is NO!

When I am speaking with someone that is espousing homosexuality, abortion, addictions, promiscuity, working on the Sabbath or even which day is the Sabbath, what to eat or drink or wear or any other item in the word, how do I handle myself? Do I water down the word? Or do I pound them into the ground with scripture from my perspective?
Do I start clawing at their splinter, while I cannot see around the beam in my eye?
The key for me is that I speak the truth in love.

Ephesians 4:14-16
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

It appears to me that this is addressed to Believers speaking to believers – not unbelievers.

Mark 16:15-16
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

In case you do not like the latter part of Mark 16, here is Matthew 28:19-20

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.

FIRST, we preach the gospel to the unbelievers.
NEXT, we teach them about baptism
THEN, we teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded us.
By that time, THEY ARE BELIEVERS!

My point is that we need to recognize to whom we are speaking.
In doing so, we need to recognize our own tendencies to want to be pleasers of men.
2 Corinthians talks about not being unequally yoked.
John 17 talks about being IN the world but not OF the world.
1 John talks about not loving the world.

It is so easy to just hedge, so that I don’t have to deal with conflict.
On the other hand, I’ve been in places where there are those that are screaming angry phrases and waving judgmental signs and I have unbelievers ask me if THAT is the Jesus I serve.
I have to tell them no.
Jesus did not scream angrily at unbelievers.
He did not point out the sins of unbelievers with a bull horn.
He spoke to them one on one, and once they believed, he took them by the hand and discipled them.
Noah, Hebrews 11:7

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

I’m sure Noah had many many people asking him questions…and I’m sure he told them what God had said.
I’m sure that his life stood out as different – considering that God had noticed that he was the only righteous one!
It wasn’t Noah’s words that condemned the world – it was his righteousness in the face of all the others telling him to be this way or that! IN the midst of an evil generation, Noah was righteous! He did not succumb to peer pressure. He was not a man pleaser!

Hebrews 11 speaks of many that lived a righteous life, by faith.

This is what I see for me in this section.
I want to walk in the Grace and Peace of God, to use the gifts HE created within me to glorify HIM, and to not cave to the ways of the world to be more comfortable. That takes FAITH – which of course is not of my own, but a gift from God!

I want to stand before my Lord and hear Him say that I am definitely a bond-servant of Jesus Christ.
I want to hear him say “enter into the joy of your Lord”
And I’d like to take as many with me as I can!

A Blast from the Past – my comments in 2009 on Galatians 1.
Itty Bitty Bible Study – Galatians 1:11-24 & 2:1-10

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Galatians Intro

Galatians

Matthew Henry Introduction to Galatians

This epistle of Paul is directed not to the church or churches of a single city, as some others are, but of a country or province, for so Galatia was. It is very probable that these Galatians were first converted to the Christian faith by his ministry; or, if he was not the instrument of planting, yet at least he had been employed in watering these churches, as is evident from this epistle itself, and also from Acts 18:23; where we find him going over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. While he was with them, they had expressed the greatest esteem and affection both for his person and ministry; but he had not been long absent from them before some judaizing teachers got in among them, by whose arts and insinuations they were soon drawn into a meaner opinion both of the one and of the other. That which these false teachers chiefly aimed at was to draw them off from the truth as it is in Jesus, particularly in the great doctrine of justification, which they grossly perverted, by asserting the necessity of joining the observance of the law of Moses with faith in Christ in order to it: and, the better to accomplish this their design, they did all they could to lessen the character and reputation of the apostle, and to raise up their own on the ruins of his, representing him as one who, if he was to be owned as an apostle, yet was much inferior to others, and particularly who deserved not such a regard as Peter, James, and John, whose followers, it is likely, they pretended to be: and in both these attempts they had but too great success. This was the occasion of his writing this epistle, wherein he expresses his great concern that they had suffered themselves to be so soon turned aside from the faith of the gospel, vindicates his own character and authority as an apostle against the aspersions of his enemies, showing that his mission and doctrine were both divine, and that he was not, upon any account, behind the very chief of the apostles, 2 Cor. 11:5. He then sets himself to assert and maintain the great gospel doctrine of justification by faith without the works of the law, and to obviate some difficulties that might be apt to arise in their minds concerning it: and, having established this important doctrine, he exhorts them to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ had made them free, cautions them against the abuse of this liberty, gives them several very needful counsels and directions and then concludes the epistle by giving them a just description of those false teachers by whom they had been ensnared, and, on the contrary, of his own temper and behaviour. In all this his great scope and design were to recover those who had been perverted, to settle those who might be wavering, and to confirm such among them as had kept their integrity.

Here’s Martin Luther’s commentary! WOW! Gotta love Project Wittenburg, kind of like project Gutenberg!

Thomas Aquinas’ Commentary on Galatians

And, if you want to listen to Alistair Begg, a preacher that Jim and I both admire – here is the archive of his teachings on Galatians.

I’m going to prayerfully read, reflect and share what I think about this book.
I’m probably not going to dig into all of these commentaries – because, frankly, I don’t have the time this week!

Please share anything that you see and think of!

Thanks!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
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Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ruth Summary

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Ruth 1

This brought me to mind of being brought out of darkness – into the Kingdom of His dear son.
We’ve just left the Christmas season – and this seems to be a beautiful declaration of what has occurred to Ruth through Naomi!

Isaiah 9:2 – The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.
2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

I found these verses in one place – at Knowing Jesus – 13 Bible Verses about From Darkness to Light.

Ruth 2
This brought to mind God’s provision –

Ps 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Philipians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Ruth sought the Kingdom of God, and He supplied!

Luke 12:31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Ruth 3
This was a little crazy, but it did bring to mind that God orchestrates the events of human life in order to bring about His plan. His ways are not our ways! This is a warning to not judge – even if I think I can judge the behavior!

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I get so stuck in my own perceived “right and wrong” that I can miss God’s voice.
That is NOT saying that I believe that anything goes for a Christian – follower of Christ!
Ruth did NOT go to the threshing floor out of lasciviousness, and seduction – she went out of obedience, and in the anointing of the Lord. They DID avoid all appearance of evil – and they did NOTHING sinful.

I don’t know how this plays out in the life of a Christian. I do know that I need to let God be bigger than my ideas of HIM, in order for HIM to do HIS work in my life. Pick up a hitchhiker? speak to a homeless person? spend time with a Wiccan? Comfort a homosexual? If God says so – if it is for God’s work, and showing God’s love – we have to be open to HIS direction.
My hardest sinner to handle? The liar.

Leviticus 19:11 ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.

Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

I try very hard not to lie.

Matthew 7:1-5
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

This is a hard lesson for me. I feel that this sin is a simple thou shalt not.
And yet – I have some difficulty with sin – even this one at times!

But when I need to look at the beam in my own eye – I go to these verses:

Exodus 20
1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Then, for good measure, I can add this one in:

Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

If that is not enough to humble me, I look at Matthew 5, 6, & 7. Galatians 5, Titus, Romans – and on and on and on.
I can only ask others to join me on this journey – and share with them the experiences I’ve had – and support them in their walk with Jesus.

Ruth 4

From a legal perspective – Obed was Naomi’s son – to redeem Elimelech’s land. Which meant that nothing financially was beneficial to Boaz.
But in Biblical history – it’s through Boaz’s line that Obed’s lineage is named, as well as Jesus’s. Elimelech was not mentioned in the genealogies. Only Boaz, the son of Rahab!

This family has been through much torment – and I get a sense of PEACE – that transcends the story!

Philipians 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

Grace –

2 Corinthians 2:8-9
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

It is all about the condition of the heart:

Proverbs 21:21 He who pursues righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness and honor.

And of course, this whole story is such a beautiful foreshadowing of Christ calling us out of darkness, drawing us to Himself, and redeeming our lives from the destroyer.

I hope that you have enjoyed this study – I have certainly learned much.
I have enjoyed both Matthew Henry’s Commentaries and the Torah Class on Ruth.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Christmas Carol Considerations – O Come all Ye Faithful

O Come all Ye Faithful – Wikipedea has history about the writing and composing of this carol.

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels!

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Faithful – Luke 18:8 –

I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Additional verse from Wikipedea:
God of God, light of light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

From the Nicene Creed:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;

Sing, alleluia,
All ye choirs of angels;
O sing, all ye blissful ones of heav’n above.
Glory to God
In the highest glory!

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Deuteronomy 138:1

I will praise thee, O lord, with my whole heart: for thou hast heard the words of my mouth. I will sing praise to thee in the sight of his angels:

https://youtu.be/n0tryKdpl0s

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be the glory giv’n;
Word of the Father,
Now in the flesh appearing,

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

This verse reminds me of Mary Magdelene greeting the Lord that Easter morning – Mark 16:9; and John 20:14

It makes me want to sing “Was it a morning like this” by Sandi Patti!
That always leads me to the Easter Song by Keith Green!

So, here is another O Come all Ye Faithful!

I hope that everyone that reads this answers this call!
Matthew 11:28

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Christmas Carol Considerations – Away in the Manger

Christmas Season lasts until January 6 for the liturgical church.

This song is one that I love – and I would sing as a lullaby to my children.
Again, thanks to the website Christmas Carol Lyrics, I can provide a little bit of history, as well as the lyrics!

The manger is a crucial part of the Christmas Story!

https://youtu.be/qJdziJ_imjw

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.

The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

This really points out the beauty of the humility of God coming down to earth in the form of a baby. He left his throne to rest in a manger.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.

I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle til morning is nigh.

This speaks that Jesus was different…fully man, and fully God.
He deserves us to declare that HE IS LORD!

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there.

Forever…forever. The simplicity of this carol ranks up with Jesus Loves Me, in my mind!


Here is one of my favorite versions!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ruth 4

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Ruth 4

4
1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.

I have a question here –
Boaz knew he was the kinsman redeemer for Naomi – and he knew that there was someone closer than him…
WHY WEREN’T THESE MEN DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
Why did Ruth have to glean, why did Naomi have to send Ruth to the threshing floor?
Why did Ruth have to propose to Boaz? In Ruth’s defense, she didn’t understand that ways of the Hebrews –
BUT BOAZ DID! and he was very quick to say “there is another closer than I”
WHY did Ruth and Naomi have to institute the care for widows?
Why did Ruth and Naomi have to beg for the care of the family that was ordained, whether by God or by tradition?

Ok, so now that Boaz has been called out on his duty – he’s going to to his job, and get things in order.

2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you[b] will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”

“I will redeem it,” he said.

oops – wrong answer…or was this a sly way to lay things out?
And again, this is not a huge metropolis…why doesn’t this unnamed family member know all about this as well?

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the[c] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”

Boaz was apparently a shrewd business man.
I’m assuming he knew exactly how to ask and present this to this family member.

9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon.
10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”

Here is a neat thing – this is the blessing spoken upon HEBREW women when they are married.
Here’s an interesting twist…Tamar bore to Judah?
Genesis 38 tells the progression of Levirate marriage!
Tamar was married to Er – Judah’s first born.
Er dies.

Genesis 38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.

Onan refuses- by spilling his seed (not by abstaining).
Onan dies.

Genesis 38:9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.

So, Judah has one more son…Shelah. He promises him to Tamar when he grows up.
long story short – he doesn’t.
Judah’s wife dies – he is greiving – and sees one that he thinks is a prostitute at the side of the road.
Tamar.

Here is an interesting part:

Genesis 38:24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”

I’m remembering Mary – who was found to be pregnant.
I’m thinking about what could have happened to Ruth, had Boaz accused her of prostitution!

Instead – Genesis 38:25-30
Tamar calls him on his broken promise as well as for sleeping with a, perceived, prostitute!
Twins – Perez and Zerah.

The Hebrew blessing upon a marrying woman speaks of Tamar! a woman who was scorned(and, suffered because she was married to a man that was evil in God’s sight!). God raised up her name to be part of a blessing!

Ruth 4:
Naomi Gains a Son
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Boaz and Ruth redeem Naomi’s family, that of her husband and her sons, by giving her their first born son.
What if Boaz didn’t have another? Boaz did the right thing, swearing to the possibility of his own hurt. Psalm 15:4
I don’t know, but there is no mention of Boaz having a prior wife, or prior children. This could have been his only chance.

I find this next passage interesting!

Ruth 4
The Genealogy of David
18 This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,

19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,[d]
21 Salmon the father of Boaz,

Perez, the one born of some sort of legal incest, was Boaz’s ancestor!

Boaz the father of Obed,

22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.

Matthew 1 repeats this genealogy. This is the mother’s side(I think)
it includes Rahab…

Matthew 1:5

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Boaz was half Amorite! Rahab – from the story of the men Joshua sent out in Joshua 2 was an Amorite. And a Prostitute!

Another from another land that professed her trust and belief in the God of Israel!

Joshua 2:8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof
9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.
10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.
11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Of course, the story of Rahab and the spies is where we get the shadow of the scarlet cord – the foreshadowing of the scarlet blood that was shed by Christ to save us all.

Obed, the father of David – the shepherd King and the forerunner of Jesus Christ – was 1/4 Amorite and 1/2 Moabite!

God truly raises up the humble, the meek, the poor, the lowly to be His instruments!

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Matthew 23:12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

James 4:7-10
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Romans 9:15-16
15 For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[a]
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

And this – I see this flowing through the whole of the story of Ruth!

Matthew 5:3-9
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

If I ever get to thinking that I am special in anyway – I can look at this…and I can look at Balaam’s Donkey – and remember, God uses those that are willing – not those that are special.

I want to live the beattitudes – and there is no room for pride of arrogance in that list.

James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

I am just now reading the Torah Class lesson about the rest of Ruth 4. I love how the teacher does not try to excuse the words, but rather, accept it for what it is, while also looking to the whole Hebrew history. Boaz and Ruth did not have the Levirate marriage. That was Tamar and Judah’s sons. Read more about this in the Torah Class.

In this lesson, it is also mentioned that Leah and Rachel were gentiles before marrying into Israel!

Then after the elders publically notarize the agreement, they pronounce a prayer and a blessing over Boaz and Ruth asking that God would make them very fruitful (in children and descendants) like Leah and Rachael did for Jacob. It is an interesting choice of women’s names to invoke because Rachael and Leah had something in common with Ruth: they were all gentiles before their Hebrew husbands married them. It’s hard to get away from the fact that gentiles always played a key role in building up of the nation of Israel and in their redemption. In fact, when even the name of Tamar is mentioned as the mother of Peretz (Judah being the father) she too was a gentile woman. And Peretz is mentioned because he was an ancestor of Boaz.

This teachers final thoughts are well written:

But let’s not let one other connection zoom by us the son of Ruth, the one who redeems, was born in Bethlehem and then perhaps 125 years later that son’s grandchild, King David, would also be born in Bethlehem. And then 1000 years after that, Yoseph and Miriam who lived far to the north in Nazareth of the Galilee found themselves in Bethlehem for a few days and there, in the same place that Obed and David were brought into this world, so was Yeshua the Messiah.

I’m going to write up some final thoughts tomorrow about my thoughts on Ruth.
Please join me!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ruth 3

Ruth 3

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor

3
1 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home[a] for you, where you will be well provided for.
2 Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
3 Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”

This sounds very odd to me!

Matthew Henry introduces this chapter this way:

We found it very easy, in the former chapter, to applaud the decency of Ruth’s behaviour, and to show what good use we may make of the account given us of it; but in this chapter we shall have much ado to vindicate it from the imputation of indecency, and to save it from having an ill use made of it; but the goodness of those times was such as saved what is recorded here from being ill done, and yet the badness of these times is such as that it will not justify any now in doing the like.

This didn’t really help me – so I went to a Torah Class Website, to see what they have to say about Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing room floor!

This article is VERY interesting, coming from the Hebrew point of view – and once the author gets to the threshing room floor instructions, this is what he says:

But then the instruction gets a little dicey; Na’omi tells Ruth to uncover his feet and lie down with him. Now I’m sure most of you have an image of seduction in your minds about now, and you might be right (although it was not to the extent that some have claimed). Here’s the thing; the Bible can get very sensual and sexual at times. Sex was just an everyday part of life, and while modesty was called for in God’s people, they were also around farm animals all the time and every child was familiar from an early age of the natural reproductive process. And certain flirtations between men and women were open and common in Biblical days that today would be seen as crude and objectionable. I’ll explain where I’m going with this later.

Ruth 3:5-15 – Ruth says yes, does what her Mother in law prescribes, is greeted by Boaz, and blessed.

That article from Torah Class really explains a lot of the icky thinking…and puts things into perspective.

Chapters 1 and 2 have led up to Ruth and Boaz being very Godly people.
Sexual sin would compromise the whole kinsman redeemer prospect.
Harlots were stoned(remember the thoughts about Mary, the mother of Jesus?)
If there had been seduction and harlotry, Ruth would have been unmarriable.
Something else was going on.
I’m so glad that I found this other site…The commentary by Matthew Henry and the Torah Class really helped me out here!

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”
Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her
17 and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
18 Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”

The Torah Class continues with 3, and concludes with 4.

Courting obviously involves flirtatious interaction between male and female as one attempts to attract the other: but hopefully it unfolds more in the way that the God who created man and woman intended as opposed to something that is significantly less than appropriate, especially for those who honor YHWH as Lord of all. Thus we examined and discarded a somewhat new interpretation of the middle-of-the-night events taking place on the threshing floor between Ruth and Boaz. And this new interpretation is that Ruth sneaked in and exposed Boaz as a somewhat usual and customary indication of her interest in marriage. Not only does this rather strained attempt to find something provocative in this passage of Ruth not fit a straightforward, intellectually honest and plain translation of the Hebrew narrative, but it also tosses aside the context and motif of the entire story that is based on two exceptionally righteous, modest, faithful followers of the God of Israel: Ruth and Boaz.

This lesson 7 goes on to explain more about the Levirate Marriage, and the go-el, and how this is so important.

A moabitess – an outsider – a pagan – that lives in darkness.
By her marriage, she becomes aware of a light – the light of the God of Israel.
She leaves the darkness and pays the price to move into the light.
Because of this, she and her house are redeemed!

As a mother that has children that are not walking with the Lord as they were taught, this is a great story of encouragement to me.
As one that was born in sin, and needed a savior, this reminds me that I need to turn from darkness and cling to the LIGHT!

I ask that the Lord Jesus continues to spread the corner of His garment over me – and I pray that I will continue to lie at HIS feet – in total submission, awaiting HIM to give me instructions.

I hope that you enjoy the two commentaries. I have!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
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Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

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Christmas Carols Considerations – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

The first Christmas Carol I’m considering is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen sung by a traditional choir.

Wikipedia contains the history of this song.

The first recorded version is found in Three New Christmas Carols, dated c. 1760.

God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
For Jesus Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s powers when we were gone astray

Glad tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Glad tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel this blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary did nothing take in scorn

Chorus

From God our Heavenly Father a blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name

Chorus

“Fear not then, said the angel, let nothing you affright
This day is born a Savior of a pure virgin bright
To free all those who trust in Him from Satan’s power and might”

Chorus

The Shepherds at those tidings Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a feeding, In tempest, storm and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway,This blessed babe to find.

Chorus

But when to Bethlehem they came, Whereas this infant lay,
They found him in a manger, Where oxen feed on hay,
His mother Mary kneeling Unto the Lord did pray.

Chorus

Now to the Lord sing praises, all you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy

There is so much amazing theology in this Carol!
LET NOTHING YOU DISMAY!
FEAR NOT
COMFORT AND JOY!
The humility of the manger.
The messengers of God – Angels speaking to the unloved.

In the midst of life, there are so many things that come up that would cause one to dismay or fear!
In the midst of the storms, we need comfort and joy.
God came down to OUR level to give us these gifts.

I, for one, and very thankful that He did!

Now, here are a few upbeat versions! Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!

Advent Devotions

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.