A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 25, 31 (Part 1)

We will group Numbers 25 with Numbers 31, as they both tell of the sins of the people with the Midianites and the battle that followed. 

Numbers 25:1-3—1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. 2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel. The name Acacia Grove is rendered in many other translations as Shittim. And the words Shittim and Acacia are synonymous for a tree that grows in the Middle East. What Balaam was unable to do, the people did themselves. Balak wanted Balaam to curse the people, but they indeed cursed themselves by committing harlotry with the women of Moab and by playing part in the idolatry of Ba'al. And it is a great example of how we should not mingle with the ungodliness of the ungodly lest we get caught up in their ungodliness and turn from God to worshipping idols. Josephus writes of this incident in his “Antiquities of the Jews” (Book 4, chapter 6, paragraph 9):

 

Now the young men were induced by the fondness they had for these women to think they spake very well; so they gave themselves up to what they persuaded them, and transgressed their own laws, and supposing there were many gods, and resolving that they would sacrifice to them according to the laws of that country which ordained them, they both were delighted with their strange food, and went on to do every thing that the women would have them do, though in contradiction to their own laws; so far indeed that this transgression was already gone through the whole army of the young men, and they fell into a sedition that was much worse than the former, and into danger of the entire abolition of their own institutions; for when once the youth had tasted of these strange customs, they went with insatiable inclinations into them; and even where some of the principal men were illustrious on account of the virtues of their fathers, they also were corrupted together with the rest. 

This would become a common theme under the kings of Israel and Judah—that a king would arise who “did evil in the sight of the LORD”. Kings who were supposed to lead the people in righteousness and reserve worship for God and God alone, would turn from Him and worship Ba'al and Asherah, knowing full well that these types of idol worship would lead to ruin for their people. Solomon, the wisest man ever, was drawn away like this. 1st Kings 11:1-4—1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites—2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." [Deuteronomy 7:3-4] Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. “If Solomon was so wise, why did he turn away from the command of God and marry these women that God said not to marry?” That is the power of the flesh. Just as Delilah turned Samson away from God to be strong in his pride, so these women turned Solomon away from God. It is what the Apostle John refers to as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1st John 2:16). Ironically, Solomon would write, in Ecclesiastes 10:1—Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. For all of Solomon’s wisdom, his folly brought about the ruin of his kingdom. 

 A modern-day example of this would be a man I greatly admired, a wise expositor of Scripture, and a man who was even a Dean at John MacArthur’s seminary and a fellow at RC Sproul’s Ligonier Ministries. Steve Lawson confessed to having a five-year affair. In his words it was non-sexual (he referred to it as a “relationship” rather than an “affair”), and until proved otherwise we should believe him. That still does not excuse his behavior, as our Lord told us in Matthew 5:27-28—27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Even if he did not have sex with the woman, he had already committed adultery with her in his heart. Instead of getting away from the tent of Korah (Numbers 16:24) or plucking out his eye that was causing him to sin (Matthew 5:29), he allowed himself to be caught up in a sin that cost him dearly. He had written several books, had been preaching for several years, and had been teaching the word of God rather well. But he allowed himself to get too close with a woman, and for that weakness he has disqualified himself from being an elder. 

“Getting back to Solomon. He had all these wives and concubines. And he was used greatly by God. Doesn’t that mean that polygamy is okay?” No, it does not mean polygamy is okay. If you read on, you will see that God was definitely not pleased with him marrying all these foreign wives. For had they not turned his heart away from God, and turned him to worshipping idols? How does one think God is pleased with that? And we read of God’s displeasure with him the in verses following. 1st Kings 11:9-11—9 So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.” The kingdom was indeed given to his servant Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin a grave sin, a sin so grievous that God would attach it to the name of Jeroboam thereafter. The “sin of Jeroboam” is mentioned in 22 verses in the Bible. It was the penalty God placed on the people because of Solomon’s sin. Now, do you see that God did not approve of his polygamy? It is as Job when he said it best. “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). In giving the kingdom to Solomon, God was glorified. In taking the kingdom away from Solomon, God was glorified. Blessed be the name of the LORD! Much of Solomon’s writing is ironic considering this. As he wrote in the verse from Ecclesiastes earlier, so he writes in Proverbs 6:23-29—23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life, 24 to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. 25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. 26 For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. 27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent.                                                             

Do not think we are immune from falling into the same snare that caught Solomon and that caught Steve Lawson. It is the reason that Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 6:14-16—14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." We are human. We are fallen creatures. We can fall into sin just as easily as anybody. And it happens more frequently the closer we are to that sin. It is no trifling thing, even though there are many “pastors” these days who not only will not speak about sin (I’m talking to you, Joel Osteen), but will make excuses for sin and discount its harm. But sin IS harmful. Not only does it harm the person, it harms the name of God and the name of Christ. Look what it did to Solomon. Look what it did to Ahab. Look what it did to Steve Lawson. Do not think for a moment that sin is a harmless thing. And do not see how close you can get to it. Without going over the line because, trust me (no, rather, trust God) you will cross that line. And apart from God’s Holy Spirit, there is no going back. Sin is a terrible cliff to plunge over. John Bunyan wrote “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” as an autobiography of his spiritual journey through his life. And in on place early on in the book he wrote:

 

Again, when as sometimes I have been about to preach upon some smart and scorching portion of the Word, I have found the tempter suggest, ‘What, will you preach this? this condemns yourself; of this your own soul is guilty; wherefore preach not of it at all; or if you do, yet so mince it as to make way for your own escape; lest instead of awakening others, you lay that guilt upon your own soul, as you will never get from under.’ But, I thank the Lord, I have been kept from consenting to these so horrid suggestions, and have rather, as Samson, bowed myself with all my might, to condemn sin and transgression wherever I found it, yea, though therein also I did bring guilt upon my own conscience!…It is far better that thou do judge thyself, even by preaching plainly to others, than that thou, to save thyself, imprison the truth in unrighteousness; blessed be God for his help also in this. 

This was a man greatly used by God, a man who eschewed sin, who thought of himself as “The Chief of Sinners”! May we all think of ourselves in like manner! 

“So what do I do if I do sin? Am I then cast off from Christ forever?” No, absolutely not! We have an advocate between God and us, and His name is Jesus Christ (1st Timothy 2:5; 1st John 2:1). How many times will God forgive us of our sins? It would not be wise to test His patience, but He will forgive us more times than there are sands in the sea. Are you in Christ? Then for the rest of your earthly life and for all eternity you shall be in Christ. Is Christ less than a perfect Savior? God forbid! Hebrews 10:14—For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Being perfected, can you make yourself unperfected? Can you undo what Christ has done? Can you uncomplete Christ’s complete sacrifice? He did not cry out “TETELESTAI!” for nothing.

 

Lifted up was He to die

“It is finished!” was His cry

Now in Heav’n exalted high

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

(“Man of Sorrows” by Philip P. Bliss) 

Do not think you are worse than the worst sinner. Do not think you are further away from the grace and mercy of God than the man who sought letters to go through Damascus delivering up the saints to their deaths! This same Savior who called that man to be His Apostle is also calling you to follow Him and be saved from your sins! Who can forgive the one who joined the worship of Ba'al in Peor, who bowed down to idols and who previously aroused the anger of God. 

But this mercy was not here shown, as God demanded He be worshipped exclusively. Numbers 25:4-5—4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the LORD, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel." 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor." The killing of those who joined themselves to Ba'al is reminiscent of the command to kill those who did not return to God after the episode with the Golden Calf in Exodus 32:27. God considered this episode so grievous and so heinous that He wanted the people to fully embrace the punishment thereof. Previously He had burned the outskirts of the camp, slain the people Himself while they were eating quail, opened up the earth to swallow Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and sent plagues among them. Now, He wants the people to understand His red hot hatred of sin by executing the punishment themselves. This was no mere complaining about the hot and dry desert and lack of water the people were guilty of. This was full on idolatry with pagans they were guilty of. And the people needed to understand the consequences. The leaders of this rebellion—not a rebellion against Moses as the mouthpiece of God, but against God Himself and His rule—were to be hung up “out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” This is a kind of an illustration of Hell. In the full face of the desert sun, they were to be hanged from a tree to show forth the fiery wrath of God for all to see. 

God expressed a similar sentiment when He told Josiah what He would do to the idolaters in Judah in 2nd Kings 22:17—"Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched."' The wrath of God is always described in terms which imply fire. God said of those who afflict the widows and orphans in Exodus 22:24—“My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” Hell is the ultimate expression of God’s wrath, a fire which will burn continually and shall destroy all who work iniquity. Many claim that Hell is not real, and if it is that it is not the eternal burning that it is. Progressive “pastor” Rob Bell says

 

“At the heart of this perspective is the belief that, given enough time, everybody will turn to God and find themselves in the joy and peace of God’s presence. The love of God will melt every hard heart, and even the most ‘depraved sinners’ will eventually give up their resistance and turn to God.” (Love Wins, p. 107) 

This thinking goes against the Scriptures that speak of everlasting torment. It also makes Jesus a liar. Matthew 25:41, 46—41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels…46 These will go away into eternal punishment." Mark 9:43-48—43 "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 45 "If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48  where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” 

Some say that Hell is a metaphor and that Gehenna (“hell” in verse 47) was simply taking about a place where garbage and waste were burned. Gehenna (Valley of Hinnom) was indeed a place where the fires were constantly burning because of all the waste dumped there. But how does a burning pile of garbage have power over men’s tongues? James 3:6—And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell [Greek, Gehenna]. James is here not talking of the physical organ, the thing that makes speech possible. He is talking of the desire of the tongue to say things that are not good. And that desire is inflamed by the fires of Gehenna, by Satan and his angels to defile us. And yes, the tongue defiles the entire body. Otherwise Jesus would not have said that it is what comes out of a man that defiles him (Matthew 15:11; Mark 7:20). We need to be careful for every word we speak, lest we defile ourselves and bring shame to Christ.

Part 2 next week

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen. 

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 11 (Part 1)

If you know your Bible, specifically the Book of Numbers, specifically Numbers 11, you know the story. Some study Bibles have headings at the top of different sections stating what the section is about, the heading for this entire chapter should be “Be Careful What You Wish For”. We will begin with verses 1-3 

Numbers 11:1-3—1 Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched. 3 So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them. The Hebrew word Taberah literally means “burning”. This shows how utterly foolish the human heart can be. The people have been at the base of Mt. Sinai for two whole years. Between Exodus 20 and Numbers 10, they have not moved. They have seen Sinai burn with the fire of God. They have seen Moses wear a veil over his face after he spoke with God. He showed them how He is not to be mocked by burning Nadab and Abihu when they offered the wrong incense on His altar. He showed them mercy after Aaron made the golden calf. And they have just left that mountain, with the cloud from God directing their way and what do they decide to do? Complain. 

We know that God is a God of infinite mercy. He was patient with me when I ran from Him for 20 years. He is patient with some who do not come to know Him until they are well advanced in years. He was patient with Israel when they went back and forth between loyalty to Him and their worshipping of other gods. He has been patient with Israel for the last 2000 years since they killed Jesus. But there are times when He is not so longsuffering. This is one of those times. The people, who had seen the many signs and wonders God provided to show that He is God, decided perhaps they didn’t like the way He runs things and went marching straight to the complaint department. And what happens? God’s anger is aroused. If you remember the TV series “The Incredible Hulk”, one of the famous lines was “you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry”. Doesn’t even come close to the anger of God. In his famous sermon “Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God”—a sermon which rightly shook all those who were sitting in the pews and heard it, and which lit a fire bringing forth the First Great Awakening in the United States—Jonathan Edwards said this about God’s righteous anger:

 

Man's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel, who has found means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defence from the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God's enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?

Yet here, He kindles a fire, and all He does is burn up the outside parts of the camp. He could have very easily sent down fire to consume all of them, like *SNAP*. But He didn’t. It’s almost as if He was saying “Do you really want to do this?” 

So what do the people do? They cry out to Moses to go to God and ask Him to stop. Couldn’t they have done that themselves? Couldn’t they have stopped complaining and instead cried out to God that He would stop? And instead be glad that He was on their side, and that He is a faithful God and was not One to break the covenant He made with Abraham? But they didn’t do that. They didn’t stop complaining, they asked Moses to step in and ask God to stop. They were basically treating the symptom instead of trying to cure the disease. But faithful Moses, the man who spoke with God face-to-face, stepped in, called on God to relent, and He did. But think about it for a second. Here you are in the middle of the camp, some people complain, and all of a sudden you see those on the outside of the camp burned up. I don’t know about you, but that would be enough for me to change my mind and be grateful. The people here, though… 

Numbers 11:4-6—4 Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!" I always scratch my head when I get to this part. They sat there and told God they weren’t satisfied with what He had given them, with their lot in life, with Him leading them, and they saw Him burn up at least hundreds, if not thousands, in an instant. And what do they do? They listen to the mixed multitude—probably pagan Egyptians—and they tell God they weren’t satisfied with what He had given them, with their lot in life, with Him leading them. 1st Corinthians 15:33—Evil company corrupts good habits. When we listen to the immoral God haters, when we try to mix a little of the world into our understanding and worship of God, bad things are going to happen, We are to be salt and light, but we will allow the world to dim our light and take away the savor which our being salt does. In his commentary, Adam Clarke relates what he was told about the Valley of Salt on the south side of the Dead Sea:

 

[Henry Maundrell, clergy of the Church of England in the 1600’s states] “I broke a piece of [salt]…that was exposed to the rain, sun, and air, though it had the sparks and particles of salt, Yet It Had Perfectly Lost Its Savour: the inner part, which was connected to the rock, retained its savor, as I found by proof.” See his Trav., 5th edit., last page. A preacher, or private Christian, who has lost the life of Christ, and the witness of his Spirit, out of his soul, may be likened to this salt. He may have the sparks and glittering particles of true wisdom, but without its unction or comfort. Only that which is connected with the rock, the soul that is in union with Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit, can preserve its savor, and be instrumental of good to others.

If we are to be the salt of the earth, we must cleave tightly to the Rock of Ages; we must strive to keep ourselves unspotted from this world that is daily passing away. 

But they had let their minds be poisoned by those who desired to lead them back to slavery in Egypt. We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. They may have eaten it freely, but how many of you know it wasn’t free? They could eat all of these things they so desired, if only they would tread the mud pits making bricks without straw, daily give their backs to the lashes of the taskmasters, and erect the huge stone monuments of the pagan gods of the Egyptians. “Oh, all we had to do was tread out some bricks, and they would give us onions!” Or, “Oh, it was nothing to feel the sting of their whips, for they would give us leeks and garlic!” Some may say “all we had to do was pull those ropes with all our might to raise up the statues of Ra and Etum and Kephri and we could eat melons!” And even “all we had to do was watch as our women were defiled, and we got cucumbers!” Really? They wanted to go back to the bondage that God saved them from for the food? 

But now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes! Oh, how awful! For 430 years they were slaves of the lowest order, trodden like worms under the feet of the Egyptians, counted as less than dung—but they ate good! And now, all they have to do is walk out of their tent at twilight and *SCOOP* got some manna. Oh, tomorrow’s the Sabbath *SCOOP SCOOP*. That’s all they had to do. And they ate! God has given them food which has kept them alive for the last two years and it’s not good enough! It’s like they’ve been eating in Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant for 430 years, and now they’re eating McDonald’s. 

Let’s fast forward to today. Ever have to decide to leave a high-paying job in the world and take a job in ministry? Or be a missionary in a poor country? That was the decision facing Jim Eliot. He was highly esteemed by his classmates, was thought to have a bright future where he could make a lot of money. Instead, he formed a group with four of his friends and spent his days learning the ways and the language of the Waodani people—called at the time Aucaus, a name which has since fallen out of favor, as it literally means “savages”—and take the gospel to them. What did he receive as his wages for that decision? A spear through his chest. But that spear sent him to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is famously quoted as saying “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose”. We may be called to forsake the melons and cucumbers and leeks and onions and garlic of the world, and instead dine on the manna we receive from God. 

And what of this manna? How is it described? Numbers 11:7-9—7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. 9 And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it. And why did God give manna to the people? Because they complained. Exodus 16:8—Also Moses said, "This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD." Even before they got to Sinai, the people complained against God! And what were they complaining about when He gave them manna? I’ll give you three guesses. That’s right, the food. The food they so freely enjoyed in Egypt beneath the stings of the taskmasters’ whips. 

And this manna was very versatile. They could make so many things from it. Maybe not some of the things you see on any cooking show these days, but still. It was free food from God, it was filling, it was nourishing, and all they had to do was go out of their tent at twilight and gather it up. But that wasn’t good enough for the people. They wanted more. Jesus faced the same thing in John 6. He also gave people free food, all they had to do was sit down and eat it. And it must have been good, because they came to Him the next day wanting more. In John 6, we read of Jesus feeding the 5000 with two fish and 5 loaves. Again, free food from God. And the next day, they worshipped Him because He had shown that He had come forth from the Father. Well no, not really. John 6:22, 24, 26—22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone…24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus…26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” And this begins a long and drawn out exchange between Him and the Jews about signs and wonders. He had given a sign, the multiplying of two fish and five loaves of bread into a meal that fed five thousand people! But they weren’t thinking about that, all they wanted was another free meal. And once again, they were being oppressed by a pagan nation. 

They say to Him in John 6:30—“Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” And why did God give them bread to eat? Because they complained. Because they wanted to go back into slavery and eat good, the cracks of the whips on their backs and the hard labor, to them, was worth it. Jesus corrects their thinking and says John 6:32-33—32 "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." It wasn’t Moses that gave them bread, but God who sent the manna from heaven. Moses was the intermediary, God was the giver. And standing before them was the One who could feed them in the Kingdom forever, but they still had their blinders on and they still wanted to complain after He tells them He is the Bread of Life John 6:41—The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." The fact that God did not burn these people up on the spot shows how patient He is. But here’s the thing: the people had gotten distracted, or had let themselves become distracted from Christ’s message. It’s almost as if they had found an excuse to not believe Him. “We know what Moses did, but this saying from this Man is hard to understand. I don’t know if I want to believe Him.” And don’t a lot of people do that? They find out how hard it is to not just read the Bible, but to study it, keeping verses in context, comparing Scripture with Scripture, and actually thinking about what you are reading? “What He is saying is hard to understand. Let’s just go back to the Law.” John 6:48-50—48 “I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.” Once again, they wanted to go back into bondage. They didn’t want this Man to rule over them, so they made their excuses, they rationalized Him away, they did not understand what He was saying mainly because they didn’t want to, and they gave themselves over to condemnation.

Part 2 next week

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.