Lesson for February 16, 2014: Show Your Faith by Your Works (James 2:14-26)

James's Central Concern: Faith That Works

The works James requires are not done apart from faith but done in faith, not done instead of faith but done because of faith. Faith is the underlying stance of Christian life; deeds are the way of life; becoming mature and complete is the goal of Christian life. James cannot be charged with opposing deeds to faith, since he does not say, "I will show you deeds instead of faith." Rather, he contends for a showing of both faith and deeds: I will show you my faith by what I do. He does not object to faith; he objects only to faith not accompanied by action. Simply stated, he wants Christians to have faith that works.

James's logical argument in 2:14-18 can be outlined in four parts, so that conclusions can be drawn about his meaning.Rhetorical Questions About Faith Without Deeds (2:14)
The two rhetorical questions about faith without deeds are (1) "What good is it?" (answer: none) and (2) "Can it save?" (answer: no). The first question implies a general lack of any usefulness for a faith without actions. The second question specifies a particular use that is lacking--salvation itself.

The combined impact is to declare a thorough uselessness of faith without deeds and, to make it absolutely clear, also to declare its particular uselessness in regard to salvation, which would be the primary point of having faith in the first place. "In a Christian context such as this, . . . the `use' takes on serious consequences, for it is salvation which is at stake" (Davids 1982:120). In the subsequent example in 2:15-16, there is no "good" for the needy person who receives no help. Here in 2:14, however, it is explicit that the good lacking is for the person who claims to have faith.

James asks not if such faith can save "anyone else" but if such faith can save him.An Example of Faith Without Deeds (2:15-16)
The situation in James's illustration is technically hypothetical ("If . . . ") but probably one he considered quite realistic. James's specification of a brother or sister (not just "someone") reflects an envisioning of real action toward real people. We already know many of his readers were living in economic hardship. His illustration does not imply that all Christians were living in poverty, but that in their midst they would be encountering cases of hardship as severe as a lack of sufficient clothing and even "the day's supply of food" (Adamson 1976:122).

The hypothetical response to the need is good wishes without any actions, for the needy ones are merely "dismissed with friendly words" (Davids 1982:121). The response to the needy ones begins literally, "Go in peace."

 The verbs "be warmed" and "be filled" could be either passive or middle. Though Davids disagrees (1982:122), Adamson (1976: 123) and Laws (1980:121) take them in the passive voice, which allows a religious overtone to the wishes.

The person would be saying not just the secular-sounding translation of the NIV but the more pious "Go in peace. May you be warmed and filled" as an expectation that God would provide for the needy one. This would certainly suit James's context, objecting to "faith" that has pious words but no actions.

The uselessness of this response is so obvious and offensive that James needs only to repeat his first rhetorical question: What good is it? James expects that faith will surely lead to actions to meet others' material needs.

Conclusion About Faith Without Deeds (2:17)
In fact, his expectation is so strong that he concludes with the most severe condemnation of faith without deeds: it is dead. The last words of his sentence are by itself, referring back to faith. Placed here, these words emphasize the focus of James's concern, which is faith by itself--that is, faith without the authenticating actions. It is not that he is promoting deeds as an alternative to faith. He obviously knows the value of faith, for he called those who have faith "rich" in 2:5. What James is rejecting is the notion that one can have faith by itself, without the accompanying actions.

An Anticipated Objection and Its Answer (2:18)
The objection that James anticipates presents a problem. We would expect him to propose the statements "You have deeds; I have faith" as a potential retort spoken to him; but what he writes is a reversal of these statements. Some have supposed a loss from the original text; but with no manuscript evidence to support it, this theory must remain a last resort. Others (e.g., Ropes 1916:208-14; Dibelius 1976:155-56; Laws 1980:123-24) have simply accepted James's reversal of these statements as a carelessness about how he formulates them; his primary point is to confront the false theology of separating faith and actions, regardless of which party holds which alternative.

Such an explanation is possible but dangerous with any text; the first course must be to seek a reasonable explanation for a deliberately worded text. Laws, for example, admits the solution is not entirely satisfactory (1980:124). Mayor (1897:95-96) and Adamson (1976:124-25) try to solve the problem by extending the quotation through the end of 2:18 and rendering the whole verse not as an anticipated objection to 2:17 but as a further confirmation of it. This requires an understanding of will say in 2:18 as "someone may well say" and the rest of the verse as the person's argument, which James is commending to his readers.

A paraphrase of James's thought would then be: "Faith by itself is dead. In fact, someone could properly say, `You have faith, and I have deeds. Show me your faith apart from deeds, and I will show you my faith by deeds.' " This solution is possible grammatically and attractive because of the consistency it provides for James's use of the pronouns.

 However, it is too forced, not only because of the sense it requires of the verb will say but also because it attempts to reverse the whole first phrase (but someone will say), which in all other cases in Greek literature introduces a contrast or objection to what has preceded. Davids (1982:124) and Moo (1985:105-6) finally choose the solution accepted by Ropes, Dibelius and Laws as the most likely, acknowledging that all of the solutions to this passage have their difficulties. This does seem the best option.

In other words, James is not particular about whether any hypothetical questioner believes in faith alone or in deeds alone. Instead, James is repudiating any separation of faith and actions as if they were contradictory or even equal alternatives. He is insisting on the theological unity of the two. In 2:18 he challenges anyone to be able to claim genuine faith without the authenticating works, and he declares the only way to have genuine faith is to carry it out with deeds. He affirms the necessity of both faith and actions and says he will show the former by the latter.

With these observations of James's logical argument, we are in a position to draw interpretive conclusions.

1. What does James mean by deeds? First, we can state the theological content of deeds. James consistently speaks of deeds as actions that are taken because of one's faith and that therefore demonstrate and authenticate one's faith. The primary, earnest and repeated point he makes is "not that works must be added to faith but that genuine faith includes works" (Moo 1985:99). It is the very nature of genuine faith to express itself in works.

Though he uses the same term for deeds (erga) as Paul does in Galatians and Romans, James is not writing in the same context. It is not just that Paul and James discuss different times in the Christian life (as Barclay presents it, 1976:74); they are addressing different issues at any stage in a Christian's life. Paul uses the term to refer to works of the law (not only rituals but any act of obedience to God's commands, as Moo rightly contends, 1985:101-2) intended as a basis for standing as righteous before God. In that context, such works are a false alternative to faith in which one would rely on one's own works instead of relying (by faith) on God's redemptive works.

James is referring to moral actions flowing naturally from genuine faith, so that the faith and deeds are not a dichotomy but a unity. Paul agrees in Ephesians 2:9-10: we are not saved "by works" (ex ergon), but we are saved "for works" (epi ergois). (See the section on "Faith and Deeds" in the introduction to this volume.)

Second, we can state some of the practical content of deeds. James's illustration calls for the active giving of material help for people lacking clothing and food. The deeds James especially has in mind for a life of faith, then, are not the keeping of religious ritual but the acts of love commanded in Christ's "royal law." We also find in James a conviction that Christians are responsible to care for each other. He pictures fellow believers (a needy brother or sister) in his example, and it is one of you who speaks the good wishes without taking the practical actions.

2. What does James mean by faith without deeds? James has used three important terms by which to assess faith without deeds. First, such faith is of no good. We found this term to mean of no use or benefit. Second, such faith does not save, and we found this to refer to the lack of salvation for the one who has this kind of faith. Third, such faith is dead. James chose this third term for summation and climax in 2:17, even as he will employ it again at the very end of this passage in 2:26.

There he will explain his analogy: faith without deeds is dead as a body without a spirit is dead. The force of his meaning thus builds and intensifies. Faith that does not result in deeds is a faith that is utterly useless, ineffectual for salvation and in fact dead. With such terms in the text, we are finally forced to conclude that he is talking about a "faith" that is no genuine faith at all. Even when James depicts a Christian in the example of 2:15-16 (one of you), this does not mean that he expects a person of genuine, saving faith actually to ignore the poor.

The point of the illustration is that such an outcome is unthinkable.

This biblical truth needs to be forcefully preached and taught for the social conscience of the modern church. It must become unthinkable for us, too, that our faith would leave us content to ignore needy people. Our churches are failing to supply the channels of ministry for a life of faith if they are not providing ways for Christians to minister to needy people. As churches plan their priorities, it does not matter whether church growth can occur through outreach to the poor; it is a question of whether we have genuine, saving faith. This point is a message to convict and to motivate those who would be people of "faith."

3. What does James mean by faith? A life of faith (pistis) is the unifying theme of James's letter. He strongly emphasizes that faith is a stance of belief and trust toward God--for example, trusting God even in the face of trials. But with equal strength James emphasizes that genuine faith is "working faith" (Moo 1985:107). It is the stance of belief toward God by which one endures trials, asks for wisdom, resists temptation, controls one's tongue, looks after orphans and widows in their distress, keeps oneself unpolluted by the world, avoids favoritism, loves one's neighbor as oneself, gives physical necessities to the poor and, in short, lives as a doer of the word.

We can affirm all of this with James's passionate earnestness but without distorting his view into an unrealistic expectation of sinless perfection.

 Of course Christians fail to live up to this perfectly; that is why James bothers to write about it. But the meaning of real faith is still to be embraced and practiced. If the works of faith are not present, the authenticity of one's faith is in serious question. Genuine faith, faith that does result in salvation, must acknowledge the lordship of Christ and so respond to Christ's word with actions of obedience.

BibleGateway Commentary on James 2:14-26Thus 2:14 recalls the emphasis on that "which can save you" in 1:21. Christ is both Savior and Lord; he cannot be separated into two persons. Genuine, saving faith necessarily includes both a trusting of Christ as Savior and a following of Christ as Lord.

Lesson for February 9, 2014: Treat Everyone Equally (James 2:1-13)

By Sam E. Stone

Edwin Markham once said, “We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; now let’s commit it to life.” That is James’s point. In this chapter he insists on consistent Christianity. Spiros Zodhiates observed, “Whenever James is about to scold the believers of his day, he likes to preface the scolding with a word of love, and that word is my brethren. He admonishes in love; he corrects in affection.”

Problem Identified
James 2:1-4
James warned his readers not to show favoritism. In the first century of the church, partiality was already a problem. Even today it is easy for an unspoken caste system to develop within a congregation. All distinctions between rich and poor should be eliminated. Showing partiality was specifically forbidden by the Mosaic Law, particularly in judicial decisions (see Deuteronomy 1:17 and Leviticus 19:15). Peter learned that God himself is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, King James Version).

James showed how two people from very different socioeconomic backgrounds might receive quite different treatment when attending worship. Favoritism is the root cause. The wealthy churchgoer is dressed in fancy apparel and wears an impressive gold ring. He is quickly ushered to the best seat in the house. The poor man in dirty clothing is relegated to sitting on the floor or standing during the service. When this happens, James declared, you have discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts.

Problem Evaluated
James 2:5-7
Judging by appearances is always dangerous. Some Jews looked on earthly prosperity as a mark of divine favor, while poverty was seen as a sign of God’s disfavor. James reminded his readers that those who are poor in the eyes of the world may be rich in faith. They have high standing in God’s eyes. Jesus noted that a part of his mission was to preach good tidings to the poor (Luke 4:18). Moreover, it was the rich—not the poor—who were exploiting the Christians. They drug them into court and blasphemed the name by which they were called.

A. T. Robertson noted, “The Sadducees will not even call the name of Jesus when they discuss the case of Peter and John. They refer with contempt to ‘this name’ (Acts 4:17). The disciples rejoiced, however, ‘that they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name’” (Acts 5:41). Those who are financially poor are often proved to be rich toward God (Luke 12:21). Jesus said that Heaven belongs to the truly poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20).

Problem’s Solution
James 2:8-13
James identified Leviticus 19:18 as the royal law found in Scripture—“Love your neighbor as yourself.” This was affirmed by Jesus as well (Matthew 19:19; Mark 12:31-34). If a person shows favoritism, that one is sinning. Andrew McNab observed, “The apostle now anticipates a possible objection. Why make so much of this matter of respect of persons? It is only a single offence, and it is surely not to be taken so seriously. He rebuts this argument by pointing out that the whole law is broken through failure at any one point.”

Love of God and man covers everything. Jesus emphasized this when he gave the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). One teacher declared, “A church of a clique is doomed. A church is only of use when it is open to the people who need the help of the gospel. The church opens its doors to let people in; it does not put up bars to keep them out.”

Every Christian depends completely on God for the forgiveness of sin and the gift of Heaven. This is all the more reason for us to speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. It is all that a law ought to be (see Psalm 19:7). Albert Barnes added, “In all our conduct we are to act under the constant impression of the truth that we are soon to be brought into judgment, and that the law by which we are to be judged is that by which it is contemplated that we shall be set free from the dominion of sin.”

We all want mercy. We all need it. How we treat others affects how we may be treated by God. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Lesson for February 2, 2014: Hear and Do the Word (James 1:19-27)

By Sam E. Stone
Most Bible scholars believe that the James who wrote this epistle is the one who was a brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55). Though he was skeptical of Jesus during his ministry (John 7:5), James was convinced that Jesus was the Son of God after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). James was numbered among the company in Jerusalem waiting and praying after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:14). Later Peter and Paul met with him in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:19) where he was the “presiding elder” at a church conference (Acts 15). Andrew McNab pointed out that James’s letter to the churches (Acts 15:6-29) has some very striking parallels with the phraseology in this epistle.

Self-Control Needed
James 1:19-21
An old saying declares it is obvious that we should listen more than we speak, since God gave us each two ears, but only one mouth! This fits with several Bible teachings (Ecclesiastes 5:2; Proverbs 10:19; 13:3; 15:2). Of course, it is most important that we listen to what God says, not simply other people. Being slow to speak will help us be slow to become angry. R. V. G. Tasker wrote, “An essential condition of listening to God is that the mind should not be distracted by thoughts of resentment, ill-temper, hatred, or vengeance, all of which are comprised in the general term ‘human anger.’”
It is not a sin to be angry. Jesus himself became angry (Mark 3:5). The question is, “What makes us angry?” It is one thing to be angry at injustice and wrongdoing. It is quite different to be upset because of some personal slight or difference. James warns us to be sure we are angry about the right things. (See also Ephesians 4:26.) Even God becomes angry at times (Joshua 23:16).

Hearing and Doing Required
James 1:22-25
Listening to God’s Word is important, but even more important is to do what it says. We are not to be “hearers only.” Jesus gave a blessing not to those who only hear the Word of God, but to those who “hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). James knew all too well the empty ceremonialism of the Jews who said yet did not. Jesus denounced this trait in the Pharisees (Matthew 23).
If a person listens to the Word but does not do what it says, he is missing what is essential. James makes a helpful comparison: it’s like looking into a mirror but forgetting what you see there. R. C. Foster wrote, “Many refuse to come to church, and lay the Bible aside because they dread to look within and behold the reflection of their guilty souls . . . The man who deliberately turns from the higher and nobler things of life . . . hesitates to look in the divine mirror and see how small, withered, and emaciated his soul has become.”
The conscientious believer looks into God’s Word and then considers the implications for his life. It is called the “perfect law,” just what the law ought to be (see Psalm 19:7). It is dangerous to be forgetful in the spiritual realm. Scripture is the perfect law that gives freedom. All who continue doing what they have learned will be blessed in what they do.

Proper Religion Described
James 1:26-27
Some people consider themselves religious. They give scrupulous attention to details of formal worship. Tasker said, “Such a person may be very careful to use the right words when he is performing a religious ceremony, but very careless in his speech at other times.” Such religion fails to please God (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13). How we use our tongues indicates what is in our hearts (Matthew 12:34). We may think that we are very religious, but we may be far from what God wants us to be.
James gave a specific illustration of the sort of life that pleases God. What he accepts as pure and faultless is illustrated in two ways: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that God wants his children to help those who cannot help themselves. A. T. Robertson declared, “This standard of purity and piety seems impossible, but God knows how to estimate the relation between listening and doing, between doing and loving, between loving and purity of life. The life must pass muster with God.”

James 1:19-27

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
²⁰ For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
²¹ Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
²² But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
²³ For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
²⁵ But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
²⁶ If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
²⁷ Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Lesson for January 26, 2014: Showing Compassion for the Poor (Luke 16)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD.

______

By Sam E. Stone

The parable we study today follows directly the story that Jesus told about the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-15). J. W. McGarvey suggested, “If the parable of the unjust steward teaches how riches are to be used, this parable sets forth the terrible consequences of a failure to so use them.”

Rich and Poor
Luke 16:19-21
Luke explains that it was the rich man’s habit to wear costly and well-made clothing. He was literally “making merry brilliantly,” enjoying unprecedented luxury every day. This parable may have been intended especially for the Pharisees, who were lovers of money (v. 14). In contrast to the rich man, Jesus introduced a beggar. This term is used 34 times in the New Testament and is translated “poor” in every verse except here (v. 20) and Galatians 4:9.

The beggar was named Lazarus. This is the only occasion when a person is named in one of Jesus’ parables. The name is derived from Eleazar which means “God a help.” His body was covered with sores. Unable to work, he longed to eat the leftovers and scraps which fell from the rich man’s table. (Compare him with the prodigal son in Luke 15:16 and the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:28.) The wild dogs (who also ate scraps from the rich man’s table) licked his sores. A. T. Robertson noted, “It is not clear whether the licking of the sores by the dogs added to the misery of Lazarus or gave a measure of comfort, as he lay in his helpless condition.”

Paradise and Torment
Luke 16:22-26
Death eventually came to both men. Note that only Lazarus is reported to have been carried to Abraham’s side by the angels. Nothing is said about the rich man’s journey. “Abraham’s side” describes paradise, where Jesus went at his death (Luke 23:43). The King James Version says Lazarus was “carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.” The picture is of a person reclining at a meal where the head of one lay on the bosom of another, denoting intimacy and friendship (see John 13:23; 21:20). The rich man, on the contrary, was in Hades, where he was in torment.

The rich man called, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue.” Without God, the person who dies faces only pain and anguish. The rich man was punished, not for having been rich, but for refusing to use his riches nobly. In addition, Abraham reminded the rich man that a great chasm separates the two parts of the spirit world. No one can go from one to the other.

Return and Rescue
Luke 16:27-31
When he could find no relief available for himself, the rich man thought of his family members who were still alive. “Send Lazarus to warn them so they won’t end up here,” he begged. Scripture clearly affirms that there is no communication between those who have died and those who are still living on the earth, as in Spiritualism. Neither is there a “second chance” after death, as the Roman Catholics teach in their doctrine of Purgatory. Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” A. T. Robertson pointed out, “Even the heathen have the evidence of nature to show the existence of God as Paul argues in Romans so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20-23).”

The rich man learns that repentance is what is lacking. Not wealth, not poverty, not alms, not influence, but repentance is needed. Moses and the Prophets taught that it is the obligation of the rich to care for the poor (see Deuteronomy 15:7; Amos 4:1; Zechariah 7:9, 10). The Scriptures are a sufficient guide to godliness (2 Timothy 3:16, 17), and a failure to live rightly when possessing them is due to lack of will, not lack of knowledge.

The rich man argued, “But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” Abraham had the last word: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” The resurrection of Jesus confirmed this truth!

Lesson for November 10, 2013: Beginning of Passover (Exodus 6:2-30; 12)

By Sam E. Stone

“The deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was at hand; also their adoption as the nation of Jehovah,” writes C. F. Keil. “But for this a divine consecration was necessary, that their outward severance from the land of Egypt might be accompanied by an inward severance from everything of an Egyptian or heathen nature. This consecration was to be imparted by the Passover—a festival which was to lay the foundation for Israel’s birth into the new life of grace and fellowship with God, and to renew it perpetually in time to come.”

God gave detailed instructions that were to guide his people at this crucial moment in their history. The descendants of Abraham and Sarah had been enslaved in Egypt. God had raised up Moses to lead them out of bondage and to the promised land. Pharaoh was reluctant to allow this large group of slave laborers to leave, however. Through Moses, the Lord sent a series of plagues against the Egyptians. Our text anticipates the final plague and provides a clear record of what took place.

When to Eat the Lamb
Exodus 12:1-7
At this point God inaugurated a new calendar for Israel. This was to remind the people that their life as the people of God was tied to the Lord’s historic deliverance of them with the exodus. The Canaanite name for this month was Aviv (13:4; 23:15; 34:18). Later the Babylonian name Nisan was used (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7). The annual observance was to occur in the month that marked the beginning of Israel’s new year. It corresponds very nearly to our April.

Each man is to take a lamb for his family. Although the word translated “lamb” can include the young of a goat, it appears that sheep were almost always used. Every family was to be involved in eating the Passover meal. J. C. Connell explains that 10 men, besides women and children, were considered the minimum to consume one lamb. The lamb selected had to be a one-year-old male without spot or blemish. This is symbolic of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, for the sins of the world (see 1 Peter 1:19, 20; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 9:14). Later all of Israel’s sacrifices were also required to be without defect (see Exodus 29:1; Leviticus 22:21; Numbers 19:2).

The lamb was to be selected on the 10^th day of the month, and kept apart from the rest of the flock. It was to be slain on the 14^th day of the month. The observance of the Passover in this way was a way to guarantee the participation of every Israelite in the Passover feast. The lamb was to be slain before or at sunset (Deuteronomy 16:6). The family representative who killed the lamb was to put its blood on the doorframes of the house where the lamb was eaten.

How to Eat the Lamb
Exodus 12:8-11
The meat was to be roasted over fire and eaten hastily. The bitter herbs that accompanied it served to remind them of the bitterness of their life in Egypt, from which the Lord was delivering them. The bread was not to include any yeast because they were to leave Egypt with haste, and could not wait for bread to rise. All had to be eaten at one sitting. Any meat left over was to be burned. Roasting the animal insured that no blood remained. Later in the wilderness God provided manna for them each day. This demonstrated their daily dependence on God for daily bread (compare Matthew 6:11). When they ate the meal, they were to be dressed, ready to leave momentarily.

Why to Eat the Lamb
Exodus 12:12-14
The Passover meal was to serve as a reminder for ages to come how God struck down all of the firstborn in Egypt that night, both people and animals, while he spared all of the Israelites. Wilbur Fields noted, “Pass through in 12:12 is a different term from pass over. Passing through merely has the idea of movement across some area. Passing over has the idea of sparing, or passing by. To Egypt it was a passing through; to Israel it was a passing over!”

The blood on the doorposts marked all who would live. The blood of Jesus does the same. The death of the Lamb of God is accepted by God in payment for our sins. The Jews recall what God did when they observe Passover; Christians remember Jesus’ sacrifice each time they observe the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Exodus 12

King James Version (KJV)

12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,

² This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
³ Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
⁴ And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
⁶ And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
⁷ And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
⁸ And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
⁹ Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
¹⁰ And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
¹¹ And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover.
¹² For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
¹³ And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
¹⁴ And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
¹⁵ Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
¹⁶ And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
¹⁷ And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
¹⁸ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
¹⁹ Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
²⁰ Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
²¹ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
²² And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
²³ For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
²⁴ And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
²⁵ And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
²⁶ And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
²⁷ That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
²⁸ And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
²⁹ And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
³⁰ And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
³¹ And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.
³² Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
³³ And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
³⁴ And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
³⁵ And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
³⁶ And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
³⁷ And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
³⁸ And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
³⁹ And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
⁴⁰ Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
⁴¹ And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.
⁴² It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
⁴³ And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
⁴⁴ But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
⁴⁵ A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
⁴⁶ In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
⁴⁸ And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
⁴⁹ One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
⁵⁰ Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
⁵¹ And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

Lesson for August 25, 2013: Sabbath Reforms (Nehemiah 13:4-31)

By Sam E. Stone

The conclusion of the book of Nehemiah emphasizes how reform happens. James E. Smith observes, “Once again the reading of Scripture had driven home to the Jews the obligation to be holy unto Yahweh. The prohibition here enjoined (Nehemiah 13:1-3) was not absolute. It was religious, not ethnic. Those who embraced in faith the God of Israel, like Ruth the Moabitess, could find a very different reception in Israel.”

Nehemiah 13 describes a time somewhat removed from the first chapters. Nehemiah has now returned to Jerusalem from his homeland (v. 6-9). While some feel he had been gone for about 18 months, others think it could have been up to 12 years. Scripture does not tell us.

Support Neglected
Nehemiah 13:10-12
One of the temple requirements that Nehemiah had put in place early on was the use of storerooms to contain the “contributions, first-fruits and tithes” (see 12:44-47). When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, he discovered that this had been changed. Eliashib did evil when he provided Tobiah with a room in the courts of the house of God (13:7). Prior to Nehemiah’s trip, this area had been used to store the offerings, temple articles, and the tithes. No longer! Upon returning Nehemiah ordered Tobiah’s household goods out of the room and gave orders to purify the area, returning the rooms to their original purpose in the house of God (v. 9).

Nehemiah’s question echoed through the streets of Jerusalem: “Why is the house of God neglected?” By forsaking their duties, the priests had backslidden, not serving in the Lord’s temple. Keith Schoville notes, “Religious leadership in Jerusalem weakened after the departure of Nehemiah, and Ezra may have died; we have no further mention of him in the narrative. This allowed the people to treat lightly the covenant responsibilities they had sworn to fulfill (10:37-39). Acting decisively, Nehemiah called the laboring Levites back to Jerusalem and their duties, even before the flow of contributions returned.”

Sabbath Violated
Nehemiah 13:15-21
All of the Old Testament emphasizes the observance of the Sabbath (see Genesis 2:2; Exodus 16:23-29; 31:14-16; 35:2, 3; Numbers 15:32-36). The prophets warned against desecrating the Sabbath (see Amos 8:5; Isaiah 58:13, 14; Jeremiah 17:19-27). The Sabbath began at sundown on Friday and continued until sundown on Saturday. Nehemiah found, however, that traders were bringing loads of grain, fruit, and other things into the city of Jerusalem during this period. 

He offered a stern warning (Nehemiah 13:15). C. F. Keil observes, “Nehemiah reproved the nobles of Judah for this profanation of the Sabbath, reminding them how their fathers (forefathers) by such acts . . .had brought upon the people and the city great evil.” They were now increasing their guilt, adding to the wrath on Israel.

Nehemiah met this sin head-on. He ordered the gates of the city closed just before dark on the Sabbath. In addition, he stationed some of his own servants at the gates to prevent any people entering with items to sell or trade. As governor, he had the legal (as well as the moral) authority to do this. Those who tried to press their luck and spend the night just outside the wall were given a single warning; “If you do this again, I will arrest you.” They got the message!

Petition Made
Nehemiah 13:22
Once more Nehemiah directed the Levites to purify themselves and then guard the gates to protect the sanctity of the Sabbath. From this point on, no one would be permitted to buy or sell on that day of the week. God’s people were to be a new creation, not falling again into the trap of selfishness and disobedience.

Nehemiah 13:4-31

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah:
⁵ And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.
⁶ But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king:
⁷ And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
⁸ And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff to Tobiah out of the chamber.
⁹ Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.
¹⁰ And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.
¹¹ Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.
¹² Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
¹³ And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah: for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.
¹⁴ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.
¹⁵ In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
¹⁶ There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
¹⁷ Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
¹⁸ Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
¹⁹ And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
²⁰ So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
²¹ Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
²² And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
²³ In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:
²⁴ And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.
²⁵ And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.
²⁷ Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?
²⁸ And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
²⁹ Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
³⁰ Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;
³¹ And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

Lesson for August 18, 2013: Dedication of the Wall

Nehemiah 12:27-43

King James Version (KJV)

²⁷ And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.

²⁸ And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi;

²⁹ Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem.

³⁰ And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

³¹ Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:

³² And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah,

³³ And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

³⁴ Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

³⁵ And certain of the priests' sons with trumpets; namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph:

³⁶ And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

³⁷ And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.

³⁸ And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall;

³⁹ And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.

⁴⁰ So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:

⁴¹ And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

⁴² And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.

⁴³ Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

By Sam E. Stone
The first part of the book of Nehemiah describes the rebuilding of the walls and gates of Jerusalem. This was completed. Today’s text tells about the dedication ceremony of the rebuilt walls that followed. Chapter 12 lists the priests and Levites who had returned to their homeland and now will participate in this joyful occasion. Likely both the Levites and the priests who lived outside Jerusalem were assigned a normal rotation of duties in the temple. On this special occasion, however, additional arrangements were made.

Dedication Participation
Nehemiah 12:31-38
Nehemiah writes again in the first person here as he explains what took place. The starting point for the two groups is not named, but many Bible scholars think that it was likely the Valley Gate. It faced west and overlooked the Central Valley next to the City of David (the oldest section of Jerusalem).

The “main attraction” of the day was the walking along the walls. The leaders and musicians were divided into two groups to give thanks—one going with Ezra, the other with Nehemiah. The participants started in opposite directions around the circuit of the wall (12:31-42). The wall was wide enough for people to walk on it easily. (It was at least nine feet in width, according to one archaeologist.)

Keith Schoville calls the processions “a celebration of the completed work and as such a stimulus to thanksgiving and a means of commitment, dedication, of the whole to God. The chanting of such psalms as 48 (especially vv. 13-14) and 147 would have provided an appropriate accompaniment.”

Many of the distinguished group of priests and Levites who led in this service are named in the text. These worship leaders were accompanied by Ezra, who led one procession, and by Nehemiah, who accompanied the other group walking at the rear. (“I followed them on top of the wall.”)

The writer lists the various musical instruments used in this time of praise and celebration as well. The priests specifically are named as those who blew the trumpets (note also Ezra 3:10). These trumpets are not shofars (ram’s horns) but metal instruments (see Numbers 10:8; 31:6; 1 Chronicles 15:24; 16:6.) The expression musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God may include other instruments in addition to those listed above (Nehemiah 12:27). Some that might have been included are the flute (see 1 Kings 1:40; Isaiah 30:29) and timbrel or tambourine (see Psalm 81:2; 149:3; 150:4).

Dedication Praise
Nehemiah 12:43

The dedication service included great sacrifices as well. While special sacrifices were not required at such a ceremony, they were nonetheless generously given. Such generosity is normal for God’s people! The apostle Paul commended the Macedonian Christians for their generous giving, even when they were actually quite poor (2 Corinthians 8). The apostle explained that “they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” (v. 5, NIV 1984). The people of Israel did the same.

Ezra had led them in a time of repentance and rededication. Nehemiah had led them in restoring the temple and the Jerusalem wall. Their generosity confirmed their dedication. As at the earlier celebration (Ezra 3:13; 6:16), the songs and shouts of joyous praise were loud. The rejoicing of the thankful crowd could be heard far away