The Upper Room Daily Reflections, daily words of wisdom and faith in Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Tangible Compassion” for Saturday, 4 February 2017-------
Today’s Reflection:
TRUE COMPASSION IS ENGAGED. It expresses itself in tangible ways. Compassionate action can be embodied through generosity. Compassion often takes the form of offering resources to ease others’ suffering. Giving money to a tsunami relief organization or to a homeless person on a curb flows from our genuine care and concern.[Frank Rogers Jr., Compassion in Practice]
From page 116 of Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus by Frank Rogers Jr. Copyright © 2016 by Frank Rogers Jr. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
What are examples of tangible compassion?
Today’s Scripture:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.”[Matthew 5:13, NRSV]
This Week: pray for refugees.
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Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.
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This week we remember: Thomas Aquinas (January 28).
Thomas Aquinas
January 28
St. Thomas Aquinas was born around AD 1225, and was made to join the Benedictine friars of Monte Casino when he was just five years old. In 1244, Thomas decided that he was more attracted to the life of the Dominican monks, and joined the order, much to the dismay of his family. The Dominicans in Thomas' day were looked down upon as beggars, and his family tried many different times to break Thomas of his attraction to the Dominican lifestyle. But Thomas' resolve was unswerving.
Thomas went next to Cologne to study theology with St. Albert the Great, who first gave him the nickname "dumb ox." This nickname, though it referred more to his great size and silent ways, could not have been further from the truth concerning Thomas' intellect. His widely read unfinished work, the Summa Theologica, spans five volumes, and exhaustively describes his own faith and understanding of Christian doctrine. While on his way to the Second Council of Lyons, in 1274, St. Thomas Aquinas became ill and died at a Cistercian monastery.
If St. Thomas had taken the Spiritual Types Test, he probably would have been a Sage. Thomas is remembered on January 28.
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.
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This week we remember: Thomas Aquinas (January 28).
Thomas AquinasJanuary 28
St. Thomas Aquinas was born around AD 1225, and was made to join the Benedictine friars of Monte Casino when he was just five years old. In 1244, Thomas decided that he was more attracted to the life of the Dominican monks, and joined the order, much to the dismay of his family. The Dominicans in Thomas' day were looked down upon as beggars, and his family tried many different times to break Thomas of his attraction to the Dominican lifestyle. But Thomas' resolve was unswerving.
Thomas went next to Cologne to study theology with St. Albert the Great, who first gave him the nickname "dumb ox." This nickname, though it referred more to his great size and silent ways, could not have been further from the truth concerning Thomas' intellect. His widely read unfinished work, the Summa Theologica, spans five volumes, and exhaustively describes his own faith and understanding of Christian doctrine. While on his way to the Second Council of Lyons, in 1274, St. Thomas Aquinas became ill and died at a Cistercian monastery.
If St. Thomas had taken the Spiritual Types Test, he probably would have been a Sage. Thomas is remembered on January 28.
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Lectionary Readings
Sunday, 5 February 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
Matthew 5:13-20
Sunday, 5 February 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
Matthew 5:13-20
Scripture Texts: Isaiah 58:1 Shout out loud! Don’t hold back!
Raise your voice like a shofar!
Proclaim to my people what rebels they are,
to the house of Ya‘akov their sins.
2 “Oh yes, they seek me day after day
and [claim to] delight in knowing my ways.
As if they were an upright nation
that had not abandoned the rulings of their God,
they ask me for just rulings
and [claim] to take pleasure in closeness to God,
3 [asking,] ‘Why should we fast, if you don’t see?
Why mortify ourselves, if you don’t notice?’
“Here is my answer: when you fast,
you go about doing whatever you like,
while keeping your laborers hard at work.
4 Your fasts lead to quarreling and fighting,
to lashing out with violent blows.
On a day like today, fasting like yours
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 “Is this the sort of fast I want,
a day when a person mortifies himself?
Is the object to hang your head like a reed
and spread sackcloth and ashes under yourself?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day that pleases Adonai?
6 “Here is the sort of fast I want —
releasing those unjustly bound,
untying the thongs of the yoke,
letting the oppressed go free,
breaking every yoke,
7 sharing your food with the hungry,
taking the homeless poor into your house,
clothing the naked when you see them,
fulfilling your duty to your kinsmen!”
8 Then your light will burst forth like the morning,
your new skin will quickly grow over your wound;
your righteousness will precede you,
and Adonai’s glory will follow you.
9 Then you will call, and Adonai will answer;
you will cry, and he will say, “Here I am.”
If you will remove the yoke from among you,
stop false accusation and slander,
10 generously offer food to the hungry
and meet the needs of the person in trouble;
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your gloom become like noon.
11 Adonai will always guide you;
he will satisfy your needs in the desert,
he will renew the strength in your limbs;
so that you will be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
12 You will rebuild the ancient ruins,
raise foundations from ages past,
and be called “Repairer of broken walls,
Restorer of streets to live in.”
Psalm 112:1 Halleluyah!
How happy is anyone who fears Adonai,
who greatly delights in his mitzvot.
2 His descendants will be powerful on earth,
a blessed generation of upright people.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness stands forever.
4 To the upright he shines like a light in the dark,
merciful, compassionate and righteous.
5 Things go well with the person who is merciful and lends,
who conducts his affairs with fairness;
6 for he will never be moved.
The righteous will be remembered forever.
7 He will not be frightened by bad news;
he remains steady, trusting in Adonai.
8 His heart is set firm, he will not be afraid,
till finally he looks in triumph at his enemies.
9 He distributes freely, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness stands forever.
His power will be increased honorably.
10 The wicked will be angry when they see this;
they will gnash their teeth and waste away,
the desires of the wicked will come to nothing.
1 Corinthians 2:1 As for me, brothers, when I arrived among you, it was not with surpassing eloquence or wisdom that I came announcing to you the previously concealed truth about God; 2 for I had decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Yeshua the Messiah, and even him only as someone who had been executed on a stake as a criminal. 3 Also I myself was with you as somebody weak, nervous and shaking all over from fear; 4 and neither the delivery nor the content of my message relied on compelling words of “wisdom” but on a demonstration of the power of the Spirit, 5 so that your trust might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power.
6 Yet there is a wisdom that we are speaking to those who are mature enough for it. But it is not the wisdom of this world or of this world’s leaders, who are in the process of passing away. 7 On the contrary, we are communicating a secret wisdom from God which has been hidden until now but which, before history began, God had decreed would bring us glory. 8 Not one of this world’s leaders has understood it; because if they had, they would not have executed the Lord from whom this glory flows. 9 But, as the Tanakh says,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard
and no one’s heart has imagined
all the things that God has prepared
for those who love him.”[1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:3(4), 52:15]
10 It is to us, however, that God has revealed these things. How? Through the Spirit. For the Spirit probes all things, even the profoundest depths of God. 11 For who knows the inner workings of a person except the person’s own spirit inside him? So too no one knows the inner workings of God except God’s Spirit. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God, so that we might understand the things God has so freely given us. 13 These are the things we are talking about when we avoid the manner of speaking that human wisdom would dictate and instead use a manner of speaking taught by the Spirit, by which we explain things of the Spirit to people who have the Spirit. 14 Now the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God — to him they are nonsense! Moreover, he is unable to grasp them, because they are evaluated through the Spirit. 15 But the person who has the Spirit can evaluate everything, while no one is in a position to evaluate him.
16 For who has known the mind of Adonai?
Who will counsel him?[1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13]
But we have the mind of the Messiah!
Matthew 5:13 “You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.
14 “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
17 “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. 19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
(Read all of Isaiah 58)
Verse 2
[2] Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
Yet — They cover all their wickedness with a profession of religion.
Delight — There are many men who take some pleasure in knowing God's will and word, and yet do not conform their lives to it.
As — As if they were a righteous people.
Forsook — As if they were not guilty of any apostacy from God, or disobedience to God's precepts.
Ask — As if they resolved to observe them.
In approaching — In coming to my temple to hear my word, and to offer sacrifices.
Verse 3
[3] Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Afflicted — Defrauded our appetites with fasting, of which this phrase is used, Leviticus 16:29.
Ye find — Either you indulge yourselves in sensuality, as they did, Isaiah 22:13. But this does not agree with that afflicting of their souls which they now professed, and which God acknowledges; or you pursue and satisfy your own desires: though you abstain from bodily food, you do not mortify your sinful inclinations.
Exact — Your money, got by your labour, and lent to others, either for their need or your own advantage, which you require either with usury, or at least with rigour, when either the general law of charity, or God's particular law, commanded the release, or at least the forbearance of them.
Verse 4
[4] Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Behold — Your fasting days, wherein you ought in a special manner to implore the mercy of God, and to shew compassion to men, you employ in injuring or quarrelling with your brethren, your servants or debtors, or in contriving mischief against them.
Heard — In strife and debate. By way of ostentation.
Verse 5
[5] Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Chosen — Approve of, accept, or delight in, by a metonymy, because we delight in what we freely chuse.
For a day — This may be understood, either for a man to take a certain time to afflict his soul in, and that either from even to even, Leviticus 23:32, or from morning to evening, or for a little time.
Wilt thou call — Canst thou suppose it to be so? A fast - It being such an one as has nothing in it, but the dumb signs of a fast, nothing of deep humiliation appearing in it, or, real reformation proceeding from it.
Acceptable day — A day that God will approve of.
Verse 6
[6] Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
The bands — The cruel obligations of usury and oppression.
Verse 7
[7] Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Cast out — And thereby become wanderers, having no abiding place.
To thy house — That thou be hospitable, and make thy house a shelter to them that have none of their own left.
Hide not — That seek no occasion to excuse thyself.
Thy own flesh — Some confine this to our own kindred; but we can look on no man, but there we contemplate our own flesh, and therefore it is barbarous, not only to tear, but not to love and succour him. Therefore feed him as thou wouldest feed thyself, or be fed; shelter him as thou wouldest shelter thyself, or be sheltered; clothe him as thou wouldest clothe thyself, or be clothed; if in any of these respects thou wert in his circumstances.
Verse 8
[8] Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
Thy light — Happiness and prosperity.
Break forth — It shall not only appear, but break forth, dart itself forth, notwithstanding all difficulties, as the sun breaks, and pierces through a cloud.
Thy health — Another metaphor to express the same thing.
Righteousness — The reward of thy righteousness.
Before thee — As the morning-star goes before the sun.
The glory — His glorious power and providence.
Thy rereward — Thus the angel of his presence secured the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.
Verse 9
[9] Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Answer — He will give an effectual demonstration, that he hears thee.
Here l am — A phrase that notes a person to be ready at hand to help.
Take away — From among you.
The yoke — All those pressures and grievances before mentioned.
Putting forth — Done by way of scoff, or disdainful insulting.
Vanity — Any kind of evil words.
Verse 10
[10] And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Draw out — Or, open, as when we open a store, to satisfy the wants of the needy.
Thy soul — Thy affection, thy pity and compassion.
Thy darkness — In the very darkness of the affliction itself thou shalt have comfort.
Verse 11
[11] And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Guide thee — Like a shepherd. And he adds continually to shew that his conduct and blessing shall not be momentary, or of a short continuance, but all along as it was to Israel in the wilderness.
Satisfy — Thou shalt have plenty, when others are in scarcity.
Make fat — This may be spoken in opposition to the sad effects of famine, whereby the flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, and the bones that were not seen, stick out.
A garden — If thou relieve the poor, thou shalt never be poor, but as a well-watered garden, always flourishing.
Fail not — Heb. deceive not, a metaphor which farther notes also the continuance of this flourishing state, which will not be like a land-flood, or brooks, that will soon be dried up with drought. Thou shalt be fed with a spring of blessing, that will never fail.
Verse 12
[12] And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
They shall be of thee — Thy posterity.
Waste places — Cities which have lain long waste; that shall continue for many generations to come.
The breach — Breach is put for breaches, which was made by God's judgment breaking in upon them in suffering the walls of their towns and cities to be demolished.
Paths — Those paths that led from city to city, which being now laid desolate, and uninhabited, were grown over with grass, and weeds.
To dwell in — These accommodations being recovered, their ancient cities might be fit to be re-inhabited.
Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
(Read all of Psalm 112)
Verse 2
[2] His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
Generation — The posterity.
Verse 3
[3] Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
Righteousness — The fruit or reward of his righteousness, which is God's blessing upon his estate.
Verse 4
[4] Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
Darkness — In the troubles and calamities of life.
He — The upright man.
Verse 5
[5] A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
Lendeth — Gives freely to some, and lends to others according to the variety of their conditions.
Affairs — His domestick affairs.
Discretion — Not getting his estate unjustly, nor casting it away prodigally, nor yet withholding it from such as need it.
Verse 6
[6] Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
Moved — Though he may for a season be afflicted, yet he shall not be eternally destroyed.
Verse 7
[7] He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
Evil tidings — At the report of approaching calamities.
Verse 9
[9] He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
Dispersed — His goods, freely and liberally.
Righteousness — His liberality, or the reward of it.
Ever — What he gives is not lost, but indeed is the only part of his estate, which will abide with him to all eternity.
Verse 10
[10] The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
The desire — Either of the misery of good men; or of his own constant prosperity.
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
(Read all of 1 Corinthians 2)
Verse 1
[1] And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
And I accordingly came to you, not with loftiness of speech or of wisdom - I did not affect either deep wisdom or eloquence.
Declaring the testimony of God — What God gave me to testify concerning his Son.
Verse 2
[2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I determined not to know anything — To wave all my other knowledge, and not to preach anything, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified - That is, what he did, suffered, taught. A part is put for the whole.
Verse 3
[3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And I was with you — At my first entrance.
In weakness — Of body, 2 Corinthians 12:7 And in fear - Lest I should offend any.
And in much trembling — The emotion of my mind affecting my very body.
Verse 4
[4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
And my speech in private, as well as my public preaching, was not with the persuasive words of human wisdom, such as the wise men of the world use; but with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power - With that powerful kind of demonstration, which flows from the Holy Spirit; which works on the conscience with the most convincing light, and the most persuasive evidence.
Verse 5
[5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
That your faith might not be built on the wisdom or power of man, but on the wisdom and power of God.
Verse 6
[6] Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
Yet we speak wisdom — Yea, the truest and most excellent wisdom.
Among the perfect — Adult, experienced Christians. By wisdom here he seems to mean, not the whole Christian doctrine, but the most sublime and abstruse parts of it. But not the wisdom admired and taught by the men of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, Jewish or heathen, that come to nought - Both they and their wisdom, and the world itself.
Verse 7
[7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
But we speak the mysterious wisdom of God, which was hidden for many ages from all the world, and is still hidden even from "babes in Christ;" much more from all unbelievers.
Which God ordained before the world — So far is this from coming to nought, like worldly wisdom.
For our glory — Arising from the glory of our Lord, and then to be revealed when all worldly glory vanishes.
Verse 8
[8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Had they known it — That wisdom.
They would not have crucified — Punished as a slave.
The Lord of glory — The giving Christ this august title, peculiar to the great Jehovah, plainly shows him to be the supreme God. In like manner the Father is styled, "the Father of glory," Ephesians 1:17; and the Holy Ghost, "the Spirit of glory," 1 Peter 4:14. The application of this title to all the three, shows that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are "the God of glory;" as the only true God is called, Psalms 29:3, and Acts 7:2.
Verse 9
[9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But this ignorance of theirs fulfils what is written concerning the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom. No natural man hath either seen, heard, or known, the things which God hath prepared, saith the prophet, for them that love him. Isaiah 64:4
Verse 10
[10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
But God hath revealed — Yea, and "freely given," 1 Corinthians 2:12.
Them to us — Even inconceivable peace, and joy unspeakable.
By his Spirit — Who intimately and fully knows them.
For the Spirit searcheth even the deep things of God — Be they ever so hidden and mysterious; the depths both of his nature and his kingdom.
Verse 11
[11] For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man — All the inmost recesses of his mind; although men are all of one nature, and so may the more easily know one another.
So the things of God knoweth no one but the Spirit — Who, consequently, is God.
Verse 12
[12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world — This spirit is not properly received; for the men of the world always had it. But Christians receive the Spirit of God, which before they had not.
Verse 13
[13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Which also we speak — As well as know.
In words taught by the Holy Spirit — Such are all the words of scripture. How high a regard ought we, then, to retain for them! Explaining spiritual things by spiritual words; or, adapting spiritual words to spiritual things - Being taught of the Spirit to express the things of the Spirit.
Verse 14
[14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But the natural man — That is, every man who hath not the Spirit; who has no other way of obtaining knowledge, but by his senses and natural understanding.
Receiveth not — Does not understand or conceive.
The things of the Spirit — The things revealed by the Spirit of God, whether relating to his nature or his kingdom.
For they are foolishness to him — He is so far from understanding, that he utterly despises, them Neither can he know them - As he has not the will, so neither has he the power.
Because they are spiritually discerned — They can only be discerned by the aid of that Spirit, and by those spiritual senses, which he has not.
Verse 15
[15] But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
But the spiritual man — He that hath the Spirit. Discerneth all the things of God whereof we have been speaking.
Yet he himself is discerned by no man — No natural men. They neither understand what he is, nor what he says.
Verse 16
[16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Who — What natural man.
We — Spiritual men; apostles in particular.
Have — Know, understand.
The mind of Christ — Concerning the whole plan of gospel salvation. Isaiah 40:13
Matthew 5:13-20
Verse 13
[13] Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye — Not the apostles, not ministers only; but all ye who are thus holy, are the salt of the earth - Are to season others. Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34.
Verse 14
[14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Ye are the light of the world — If ye are thus holy, you can no more be hid than the sun in the firmament: no more than a city on a mountain - Probably pointing to that on the brow of the opposite hill.
Verse 15
[15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Nay, the very design of God in giving you this light was, that it might shine. Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33.
Verse 16
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
That they may see — and glorify - That is, that seeing your good works, they may be moved to love and serve God likewise.
Verse 17
[17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Think not — Do not imagine, fear, hope, that I am come - Like your teachers, to destroy the law or the prophets.
I am not come to destroy — The moral law, but to fulfil - To establish, illustrate, and explain its highest meaning, both by my life and doctrine.
Verse 18
[18] For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Till all things shall be effected — Which it either requires or foretells. For the law has its effect, when the rewards are given, and the punishments annexed to it inflicted, as well as when its precepts are obeyed. Luke 16:17; 21:33.
Verse 19
[19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
One of the least — So accounted by men; and shall teach - Either by word or example; shall be the least - That is, shall have no part therein.
Verse 20
[20] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees — Described in the sequel of this discourse.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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Raise your voice like a shofar!
Proclaim to my people what rebels they are,
to the house of Ya‘akov their sins.
2 “Oh yes, they seek me day after day
and [claim to] delight in knowing my ways.
As if they were an upright nation
that had not abandoned the rulings of their God,
they ask me for just rulings
and [claim] to take pleasure in closeness to God,
3 [asking,] ‘Why should we fast, if you don’t see?
Why mortify ourselves, if you don’t notice?’
“Here is my answer: when you fast,
you go about doing whatever you like,
while keeping your laborers hard at work.
4 Your fasts lead to quarreling and fighting,
to lashing out with violent blows.
On a day like today, fasting like yours
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 “Is this the sort of fast I want,
a day when a person mortifies himself?
Is the object to hang your head like a reed
and spread sackcloth and ashes under yourself?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day that pleases Adonai?
6 “Here is the sort of fast I want —
releasing those unjustly bound,
untying the thongs of the yoke,
letting the oppressed go free,
breaking every yoke,
7 sharing your food with the hungry,
taking the homeless poor into your house,
clothing the naked when you see them,
fulfilling your duty to your kinsmen!”
8 Then your light will burst forth like the morning,
your new skin will quickly grow over your wound;
your righteousness will precede you,
and Adonai’s glory will follow you.
9 Then you will call, and Adonai will answer;
you will cry, and he will say, “Here I am.”
If you will remove the yoke from among you,
stop false accusation and slander,
10 generously offer food to the hungry
and meet the needs of the person in trouble;
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your gloom become like noon.
11 Adonai will always guide you;
he will satisfy your needs in the desert,
he will renew the strength in your limbs;
so that you will be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
12 You will rebuild the ancient ruins,
raise foundations from ages past,
and be called “Repairer of broken walls,
Restorer of streets to live in.”
Psalm 112:1 Halleluyah!
How happy is anyone who fears Adonai,
who greatly delights in his mitzvot.
2 His descendants will be powerful on earth,
a blessed generation of upright people.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness stands forever.
4 To the upright he shines like a light in the dark,
merciful, compassionate and righteous.
5 Things go well with the person who is merciful and lends,
who conducts his affairs with fairness;
6 for he will never be moved.
The righteous will be remembered forever.
7 He will not be frightened by bad news;
he remains steady, trusting in Adonai.
8 His heart is set firm, he will not be afraid,
till finally he looks in triumph at his enemies.
9 He distributes freely, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness stands forever.
His power will be increased honorably.
10 The wicked will be angry when they see this;
they will gnash their teeth and waste away,
the desires of the wicked will come to nothing.
1 Corinthians 2:1 As for me, brothers, when I arrived among you, it was not with surpassing eloquence or wisdom that I came announcing to you the previously concealed truth about God; 2 for I had decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Yeshua the Messiah, and even him only as someone who had been executed on a stake as a criminal. 3 Also I myself was with you as somebody weak, nervous and shaking all over from fear; 4 and neither the delivery nor the content of my message relied on compelling words of “wisdom” but on a demonstration of the power of the Spirit, 5 so that your trust might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power.
6 Yet there is a wisdom that we are speaking to those who are mature enough for it. But it is not the wisdom of this world or of this world’s leaders, who are in the process of passing away. 7 On the contrary, we are communicating a secret wisdom from God which has been hidden until now but which, before history began, God had decreed would bring us glory. 8 Not one of this world’s leaders has understood it; because if they had, they would not have executed the Lord from whom this glory flows. 9 But, as the Tanakh says,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard
and no one’s heart has imagined
all the things that God has prepared
for those who love him.”[1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:3(4), 52:15]
10 It is to us, however, that God has revealed these things. How? Through the Spirit. For the Spirit probes all things, even the profoundest depths of God. 11 For who knows the inner workings of a person except the person’s own spirit inside him? So too no one knows the inner workings of God except God’s Spirit. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God, so that we might understand the things God has so freely given us. 13 These are the things we are talking about when we avoid the manner of speaking that human wisdom would dictate and instead use a manner of speaking taught by the Spirit, by which we explain things of the Spirit to people who have the Spirit. 14 Now the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God — to him they are nonsense! Moreover, he is unable to grasp them, because they are evaluated through the Spirit. 15 But the person who has the Spirit can evaluate everything, while no one is in a position to evaluate him.
16 For who has known the mind of Adonai?
Who will counsel him?[1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13]
But we have the mind of the Messiah!
Matthew 5:13 “You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.
14 “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
17 “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. 19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
(Read all of Isaiah 58)
Verse 2
[2] Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
Yet — They cover all their wickedness with a profession of religion.
Delight — There are many men who take some pleasure in knowing God's will and word, and yet do not conform their lives to it.
As — As if they were a righteous people.
Forsook — As if they were not guilty of any apostacy from God, or disobedience to God's precepts.
Ask — As if they resolved to observe them.
In approaching — In coming to my temple to hear my word, and to offer sacrifices.
Verse 3
[3] Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Afflicted — Defrauded our appetites with fasting, of which this phrase is used, Leviticus 16:29.
Ye find — Either you indulge yourselves in sensuality, as they did, Isaiah 22:13. But this does not agree with that afflicting of their souls which they now professed, and which God acknowledges; or you pursue and satisfy your own desires: though you abstain from bodily food, you do not mortify your sinful inclinations.
Exact — Your money, got by your labour, and lent to others, either for their need or your own advantage, which you require either with usury, or at least with rigour, when either the general law of charity, or God's particular law, commanded the release, or at least the forbearance of them.
Verse 4
[4] Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Behold — Your fasting days, wherein you ought in a special manner to implore the mercy of God, and to shew compassion to men, you employ in injuring or quarrelling with your brethren, your servants or debtors, or in contriving mischief against them.
Heard — In strife and debate. By way of ostentation.
Verse 5
[5] Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Chosen — Approve of, accept, or delight in, by a metonymy, because we delight in what we freely chuse.
For a day — This may be understood, either for a man to take a certain time to afflict his soul in, and that either from even to even, Leviticus 23:32, or from morning to evening, or for a little time.
Wilt thou call — Canst thou suppose it to be so? A fast - It being such an one as has nothing in it, but the dumb signs of a fast, nothing of deep humiliation appearing in it, or, real reformation proceeding from it.
Acceptable day — A day that God will approve of.
Verse 6
[6] Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
The bands — The cruel obligations of usury and oppression.
Verse 7
[7] Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Cast out — And thereby become wanderers, having no abiding place.
To thy house — That thou be hospitable, and make thy house a shelter to them that have none of their own left.
Hide not — That seek no occasion to excuse thyself.
Thy own flesh — Some confine this to our own kindred; but we can look on no man, but there we contemplate our own flesh, and therefore it is barbarous, not only to tear, but not to love and succour him. Therefore feed him as thou wouldest feed thyself, or be fed; shelter him as thou wouldest shelter thyself, or be sheltered; clothe him as thou wouldest clothe thyself, or be clothed; if in any of these respects thou wert in his circumstances.
Verse 8
[8] Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
Thy light — Happiness and prosperity.
Break forth — It shall not only appear, but break forth, dart itself forth, notwithstanding all difficulties, as the sun breaks, and pierces through a cloud.
Thy health — Another metaphor to express the same thing.
Righteousness — The reward of thy righteousness.
Before thee — As the morning-star goes before the sun.
The glory — His glorious power and providence.
Thy rereward — Thus the angel of his presence secured the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.
Verse 9
[9] Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Answer — He will give an effectual demonstration, that he hears thee.
Here l am — A phrase that notes a person to be ready at hand to help.
Take away — From among you.
The yoke — All those pressures and grievances before mentioned.
Putting forth — Done by way of scoff, or disdainful insulting.
Vanity — Any kind of evil words.
Verse 10
[10] And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Draw out — Or, open, as when we open a store, to satisfy the wants of the needy.
Thy soul — Thy affection, thy pity and compassion.
Thy darkness — In the very darkness of the affliction itself thou shalt have comfort.
Verse 11
[11] And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Guide thee — Like a shepherd. And he adds continually to shew that his conduct and blessing shall not be momentary, or of a short continuance, but all along as it was to Israel in the wilderness.
Satisfy — Thou shalt have plenty, when others are in scarcity.
Make fat — This may be spoken in opposition to the sad effects of famine, whereby the flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, and the bones that were not seen, stick out.
A garden — If thou relieve the poor, thou shalt never be poor, but as a well-watered garden, always flourishing.
Fail not — Heb. deceive not, a metaphor which farther notes also the continuance of this flourishing state, which will not be like a land-flood, or brooks, that will soon be dried up with drought. Thou shalt be fed with a spring of blessing, that will never fail.
Verse 12
[12] And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
They shall be of thee — Thy posterity.
Waste places — Cities which have lain long waste; that shall continue for many generations to come.
The breach — Breach is put for breaches, which was made by God's judgment breaking in upon them in suffering the walls of their towns and cities to be demolished.
Paths — Those paths that led from city to city, which being now laid desolate, and uninhabited, were grown over with grass, and weeds.
To dwell in — These accommodations being recovered, their ancient cities might be fit to be re-inhabited.
Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
(Read all of Psalm 112)
Verse 2
[2] His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
Generation — The posterity.
Verse 3
[3] Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
Righteousness — The fruit or reward of his righteousness, which is God's blessing upon his estate.
Verse 4
[4] Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
Darkness — In the troubles and calamities of life.
He — The upright man.
Verse 5
[5] A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
Lendeth — Gives freely to some, and lends to others according to the variety of their conditions.
Affairs — His domestick affairs.
Discretion — Not getting his estate unjustly, nor casting it away prodigally, nor yet withholding it from such as need it.
Verse 6
[6] Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
Moved — Though he may for a season be afflicted, yet he shall not be eternally destroyed.
Verse 7
[7] He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
Evil tidings — At the report of approaching calamities.
Verse 9
[9] He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
Dispersed — His goods, freely and liberally.
Righteousness — His liberality, or the reward of it.
Ever — What he gives is not lost, but indeed is the only part of his estate, which will abide with him to all eternity.
Verse 10
[10] The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
The desire — Either of the misery of good men; or of his own constant prosperity.
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
(Read all of 1 Corinthians 2)
Verse 1
[1] And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
And I accordingly came to you, not with loftiness of speech or of wisdom - I did not affect either deep wisdom or eloquence.
Declaring the testimony of God — What God gave me to testify concerning his Son.
Verse 2
[2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I determined not to know anything — To wave all my other knowledge, and not to preach anything, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified - That is, what he did, suffered, taught. A part is put for the whole.
Verse 3
[3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And I was with you — At my first entrance.
In weakness — Of body, 2 Corinthians 12:7 And in fear - Lest I should offend any.
And in much trembling — The emotion of my mind affecting my very body.
Verse 4
[4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
And my speech in private, as well as my public preaching, was not with the persuasive words of human wisdom, such as the wise men of the world use; but with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power - With that powerful kind of demonstration, which flows from the Holy Spirit; which works on the conscience with the most convincing light, and the most persuasive evidence.
Verse 5
[5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
That your faith might not be built on the wisdom or power of man, but on the wisdom and power of God.
Verse 6
[6] Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
Yet we speak wisdom — Yea, the truest and most excellent wisdom.
Among the perfect — Adult, experienced Christians. By wisdom here he seems to mean, not the whole Christian doctrine, but the most sublime and abstruse parts of it. But not the wisdom admired and taught by the men of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, Jewish or heathen, that come to nought - Both they and their wisdom, and the world itself.
Verse 7
[7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
But we speak the mysterious wisdom of God, which was hidden for many ages from all the world, and is still hidden even from "babes in Christ;" much more from all unbelievers.
Which God ordained before the world — So far is this from coming to nought, like worldly wisdom.
For our glory — Arising from the glory of our Lord, and then to be revealed when all worldly glory vanishes.
Verse 8
[8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Had they known it — That wisdom.
They would not have crucified — Punished as a slave.
The Lord of glory — The giving Christ this august title, peculiar to the great Jehovah, plainly shows him to be the supreme God. In like manner the Father is styled, "the Father of glory," Ephesians 1:17; and the Holy Ghost, "the Spirit of glory," 1 Peter 4:14. The application of this title to all the three, shows that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are "the God of glory;" as the only true God is called, Psalms 29:3, and Acts 7:2.
Verse 9
[9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But this ignorance of theirs fulfils what is written concerning the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom. No natural man hath either seen, heard, or known, the things which God hath prepared, saith the prophet, for them that love him. Isaiah 64:4
Verse 10
[10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
But God hath revealed — Yea, and "freely given," 1 Corinthians 2:12.
Them to us — Even inconceivable peace, and joy unspeakable.
By his Spirit — Who intimately and fully knows them.
For the Spirit searcheth even the deep things of God — Be they ever so hidden and mysterious; the depths both of his nature and his kingdom.
Verse 11
[11] For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man — All the inmost recesses of his mind; although men are all of one nature, and so may the more easily know one another.
So the things of God knoweth no one but the Spirit — Who, consequently, is God.
Verse 12
[12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world — This spirit is not properly received; for the men of the world always had it. But Christians receive the Spirit of God, which before they had not.
Verse 13
[13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Which also we speak — As well as know.
In words taught by the Holy Spirit — Such are all the words of scripture. How high a regard ought we, then, to retain for them! Explaining spiritual things by spiritual words; or, adapting spiritual words to spiritual things - Being taught of the Spirit to express the things of the Spirit.
Verse 14
[14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But the natural man — That is, every man who hath not the Spirit; who has no other way of obtaining knowledge, but by his senses and natural understanding.
Receiveth not — Does not understand or conceive.
The things of the Spirit — The things revealed by the Spirit of God, whether relating to his nature or his kingdom.
For they are foolishness to him — He is so far from understanding, that he utterly despises, them Neither can he know them - As he has not the will, so neither has he the power.
Because they are spiritually discerned — They can only be discerned by the aid of that Spirit, and by those spiritual senses, which he has not.
Verse 15
[15] But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
But the spiritual man — He that hath the Spirit. Discerneth all the things of God whereof we have been speaking.
Yet he himself is discerned by no man — No natural men. They neither understand what he is, nor what he says.
Verse 16
[16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Who — What natural man.
We — Spiritual men; apostles in particular.
Have — Know, understand.
The mind of Christ — Concerning the whole plan of gospel salvation. Isaiah 40:13
Matthew 5:13-20
Verse 13
[13] Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye — Not the apostles, not ministers only; but all ye who are thus holy, are the salt of the earth - Are to season others. Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34.
Verse 14
[14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Ye are the light of the world — If ye are thus holy, you can no more be hid than the sun in the firmament: no more than a city on a mountain - Probably pointing to that on the brow of the opposite hill.
Verse 15
[15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Nay, the very design of God in giving you this light was, that it might shine. Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33.
Verse 16
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
That they may see — and glorify - That is, that seeing your good works, they may be moved to love and serve God likewise.
Verse 17
[17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Think not — Do not imagine, fear, hope, that I am come - Like your teachers, to destroy the law or the prophets.
I am not come to destroy — The moral law, but to fulfil - To establish, illustrate, and explain its highest meaning, both by my life and doctrine.
Verse 18
[18] For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Till all things shall be effected — Which it either requires or foretells. For the law has its effect, when the rewards are given, and the punishments annexed to it inflicted, as well as when its precepts are obeyed. Luke 16:17; 21:33.
Verse 19
[19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
One of the least — So accounted by men; and shall teach - Either by word or example; shall be the least - That is, shall have no part therein.
Verse 20
[20] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees — Described in the sequel of this discourse.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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