Today’s Reflection:
“Prayer” by Mark Yaconelli with Alexx Campbell. From page 280 of Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens, edited by Dorothy C. Bass and Don C. Richter. Copyright © 2002 by Dorothy C. Bass and Don C. Richter. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question: Share with God your heart’s desire as you pray today.
Today’s Scripture: Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7, NRSV)
This Week: pray for students starting back to school.
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.
This week we remember: Ignatius of Loyola (July 31).
In 1522 Ignatius made a pilgrimage to Manresa, a small town near the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat. There he spent months in a cave, facing temptations and desolation of spirit but also deep and refreshing mystical insights. It was here he composed much of his Spiritual Exercises.
Ignatius spent more than a decade traveling around Europe as an itinerant teacher and preacher. He lived and worked among the poor and outcast, even as he acted as spiritual director for people of all classes. By 1534 he had gathered ten men who were dedicated to following him in his ministry. They formed the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), taking vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience to one another and to the pope. Over the next two and a half years they were all ordained. ...
Before Ignatius, there were two forms of apostolic life: monastic (cloistered, with a rule of life, represented by the Benedictines and Cistercians) and mendicant (often in the world, preaching and practicing poverty, represented by the Franciscans, the Dominicans and the Carmelites). Ignatian spirituality was that of contemplatives in the midst of action. Prayer was integrated into daily life, and the world was a subject of prayer. This was a movement away from the world-hating spirituality of the Middle Ages and devotio moderna to more world-affirming piety. Ignatius represented an activist spirituality. Led by the discerned will of God, one performs works of mercy toward orphans, prostitutes, pensioners, prisoners, hospital patients, or those in Jesuit schools or inspired by the Society ’s preaching (instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, and admonishing sinners are all works of mercy).
All of Ignatius ’s spirituality is found in Spiritual Exercises, his highly structured retreat method that includes meditation, contemplation, application of the senses, and examination of conscience (examen). ...
Ignatius, like the Protestant reformers, emphasized the direct experience of God. He contributed to the Catholic counter-Reformation by encouraging every Christian, not just religious professionals, to practice an activist spirituality, beginning with an effort to grow closer to God through meditation and service.
If Ignatius had taken the Spiritual Types Test, he probably would have been a Prophet. Ignatius is remembered on July 31.
[Excerpted with permission from the entry on Ignatius of Loyola by Walt Westbrook, from The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation, edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe. Copyright © 2003 by Upper Room Books®. All rights reserved.]
Try out the Ignatian method of prayer.
"Ignatius of Loyola (militant)" by French School, anonymous - http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/BRGPOD/31776~Saint-Ignatius-of-Loyola-1491-1556-Posters.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ignatius_of_Loyola_(militant).jpg#/media/File:Ignatius_of_Loyola_(militant).jpg
Lectionary Readings for Sunday, 5 August 2018
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13a
Psalm 51:1-12
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35
2 Samuel 11:26 When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she mourned her husband. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonaiand done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.
Psalm 51:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David, 2 when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva:
3 (1) God, in your grace, have mercy on me;
in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.
4 (2) Wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 (3) For I know my crimes,
my sin confronts me all the time.
6 (4) Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me
and justified in passing sentence.
7 (5) True, I was born guilty,
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
8 (6) Still, you want truth in the inner person;
so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
9 (7) Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 (8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
12 (10) Create in me a clean heart, God;
renew in me a resolute spirit.
13 (11) Don’t thrust me away from your presence,
don’t take your Ruach Kodesh away from me.
14 (12) Restore my joy in your salvation,
and let a willing spirit uphold me.
Ignatius of Loyola
July 31
Ignatius of Loyola lived from 1491 to 1556. He was a Catholic reformer, mystic, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Ignatius was born into the noble house of Loyola in the Basque area of Spain. In 1517 he did what was expected of one of his class and joined the army. In 1521, during a skirmish with the French, a cannonball shattered his right leg. After two surgeries he spent months convalescing. During this time, he began reading popular romance literature, which inspired daydreams about a chivalrous life of serving his king and his (imaginary) lady. Eventually he was given religious books, including The Life of Christ by Ludolph of Saxony; The Golden Legend, a collection of lives of the saints by Jacopo de Voragine; and Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. These books inspired more gratifying daydreams of serving Christ the King and emulating the saints.In 1522 Ignatius made a pilgrimage to Manresa, a small town near the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat. There he spent months in a cave, facing temptations and desolation of spirit but also deep and refreshing mystical insights. It was here he composed much of his Spiritual Exercises.
Ignatius spent more than a decade traveling around Europe as an itinerant teacher and preacher. He lived and worked among the poor and outcast, even as he acted as spiritual director for people of all classes. By 1534 he had gathered ten men who were dedicated to following him in his ministry. They formed the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), taking vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience to one another and to the pope. Over the next two and a half years they were all ordained. ...
Before Ignatius, there were two forms of apostolic life: monastic (cloistered, with a rule of life, represented by the Benedictines and Cistercians) and mendicant (often in the world, preaching and practicing poverty, represented by the Franciscans, the Dominicans and the Carmelites). Ignatian spirituality was that of contemplatives in the midst of action. Prayer was integrated into daily life, and the world was a subject of prayer. This was a movement away from the world-hating spirituality of the Middle Ages and devotio moderna to more world-affirming piety. Ignatius represented an activist spirituality. Led by the discerned will of God, one performs works of mercy toward orphans, prostitutes, pensioners, prisoners, hospital patients, or those in Jesuit schools or inspired by the Society ’s preaching (instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, and admonishing sinners are all works of mercy).
All of Ignatius ’s spirituality is found in Spiritual Exercises, his highly structured retreat method that includes meditation, contemplation, application of the senses, and examination of conscience (examen). ...
Ignatius, like the Protestant reformers, emphasized the direct experience of God. He contributed to the Catholic counter-Reformation by encouraging every Christian, not just religious professionals, to practice an activist spirituality, beginning with an effort to grow closer to God through meditation and service.
If Ignatius had taken the Spiritual Types Test, he probably would have been a Prophet. Ignatius is remembered on July 31.
[Excerpted with permission from the entry on Ignatius of Loyola by Walt Westbrook, from The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation, edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe. Copyright © 2003 by Upper Room Books®. All rights reserved.]
Try out the Ignatian method of prayer.
"Ignatius of Loyola (militant)" by French School, anonymous - http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/BRGPOD/31776~Saint-Ignatius-of-Loyola-1491-1556-Posters.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ignatius_of_Loyola_(militant).jpg#/media/File:Ignatius_of_Loyola_(militant).jpg
Lectionary Readings for Sunday, 5 August 2018
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13a
Psalm 51:1-12
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35
2 Samuel 11:26 When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she mourned her husband. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonaiand done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.
Psalm 51:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David, 2 when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva:
3 (1) God, in your grace, have mercy on me;
in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.
4 (2) Wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 (3) For I know my crimes,
my sin confronts me all the time.
6 (4) Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me
and justified in passing sentence.
7 (5) True, I was born guilty,
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
8 (6) Still, you want truth in the inner person;
so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
9 (7) Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 (8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
12 (10) Create in me a clean heart, God;
renew in me a resolute spirit.
13 (11) Don’t thrust me away from your presence,
don’t take your Ruach Kodesh away from me.
14 (12) Restore my joy in your salvation,
and let a willing spirit uphold me.
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
7 Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty. 8 This is why it says,
“After he went up into the heights,
he led captivity captive
and he gave gifts to mankind.”[Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:19(18)]
9 Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? 10 The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things. 11 Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. 12 Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, 13 until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.
14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.John 6:24 Accordingly, when the crowd saw that neither Yeshua nor histalmidim were there, they themselves boarded the boats and made for K’far-Nachum in search of Yeshua.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Yeshua answered, “Yes, indeed! I tell you, you’re not looking for me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and had all you wanted! 27 Don’t work for the food which passes away but for the food that stays on into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For this is the one on whom God the Father has put his seal.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do in order to perform the works of God?” 29 Yeshua answered, “Here’s what the work of God is: to trust in the one he sent!”
30 They said to him, “Nu, what miracle will you do for us, so that we may see it and trust you? What work can you perform? 31 Our fathers ate man in the desert — as it says in the Tanakh, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[John 6:31 Psalm 78:24; Nehemiah 9:15] 32 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you it wasn’t Moshe who gave you the bread from heaven. But my Father is giving you the genuine bread from heaven; 33 for God’s bread is the one who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread from now on.” 35 Yeshua answered, “I am the bread which is life! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty. (Complete Jewish Bible).
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
7 Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty. 8 This is why it says,
“After he went up into the heights,
he led captivity captive
and he gave gifts to mankind.”[Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:19(18)]
9 Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? 10 The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things. 11 Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. 12 Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, 13 until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.
14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.John 6:24 Accordingly, when the crowd saw that neither Yeshua nor histalmidim were there, they themselves boarded the boats and made for K’far-Nachum in search of Yeshua.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Yeshua answered, “Yes, indeed! I tell you, you’re not looking for me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and had all you wanted! 27 Don’t work for the food which passes away but for the food that stays on into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For this is the one on whom God the Father has put his seal.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do in order to perform the works of God?” 29 Yeshua answered, “Here’s what the work of God is: to trust in the one he sent!”
30 They said to him, “Nu, what miracle will you do for us, so that we may see it and trust you? What work can you perform? 31 Our fathers ate man in the desert — as it says in the Tanakh, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[John 6:31 Psalm 78:24; Nehemiah 9:15] 32 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you it wasn’t Moshe who gave you the bread from heaven. But my Father is giving you the genuine bread from heaven; 33 for God’s bread is the one who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread from now on.” 35 Yeshua answered, “I am the bread which is life! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty. (Complete Jewish Bible).
2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13a
Verse 27
[27] And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
The mourning — Which was seven days. Nor could the nature of the thing admit of longer delay, lest the too early birth of the child might discover David's sin.
Bare a son — By which it appears, That David continued in the state of impenitency for divers months together; and this notwithstanding his frequent attendance upon God's ordinances. Which is an eminent instance of the corruption of man's nature, of the deceitfulness of sin, and of the tremendous judgment of God in punishing one sin, by delivering a man up to another.
Verse 1
[1] And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
The Lord sent — When the ordinary means did not awaken David to repentance, God takes an extraordinary course. Thus the merciful God pities and prevents him who had so horribly forsaken God.
He said — He prudently ushers in his reproof with a parable, after the manner of the eastern nations, that so he might surprize David, and cause him unawares to give sentence against himself.
Verse 2
[2] The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
Many flocks — Noting David's many wives and concubines.
Verse 3
[3] But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
Bought — As men then used to buy their wives: or, had procured.
Verse 5
[5] And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
Is worthy to die — This seems to be more than the fact deserved, or than he had commission to inflict for it, Exodus 22:1. But it is observable, that David now when he was most indulgent to himself, and to his own sin, was most severe and even unjust to others; as appears by this passage, and the following relation, verse 31, which was done in the time of David's impenitent continuance in his sin.
Verse 7
[7] And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
Thus saith the Lord God — Nathan now speaks, not as a petitioner for a poor man, but as an ambassador from the great God.
Verse 9
[9] Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
To be thy wife — To marry her whom he had defiled, and whose husband he had slain, was an affront upon the ordinance of marriage, making that not only to palliate, but in a manner to consecrate such villainies. In all this he despised the word of the Lord; (so it is in the Hebrew.) Not only his commandment in general, but the particular word of promise, which God had before sent him by Nathan, that he would build him an house: which sacred promise if he had had a due value for, he would not have polluted his house with lust and blood.
Verse 10
[10] Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Never depart — During the residue of thy life.
Verse 11
[11] Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
Own house — From thy own children and family.
Thine eyes — Openly, so that thou shalt know it as certainly as if thou didst see it, and yet not be able to hinder it.
And give them — I shall by my providence, give him power over them.
Neighbor — To one who is very near thee. But God expresseth this darkly, that the accomplishment of it might not be hindered.
Verse 13
[13] And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
I have sinned — How serious this confession was, we may see, Psalms 51:1-19.
Put away thy sin — That is, so far as concerns thy own life.
Not die — As by thy own sentence, verse 5, thou dost deserve, and may expect to be done by my immediate stroke.
Psalm 51:1-12
Verse 4
[4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Thee only — Which is not to be, understood absolutely, because he had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, and many others; but comparatively. So the sense is, though I have sinned against my own conscience, and against others; yet nothing is more grievous to me, than that I have sinned against thee.
Thy sight — With gross contempt of thee, whom I knew to be a spectator of my most secret actions.
Justified — This will be the fruit of my sin, that whatsoever severities thou shalt use towards me, it will be no blemish to thy righteousness, but thy justice will be glorified by all men.
Speakest — Heb. in thy words, in all thy threatenings denounced against me.
Judgest — When thou dost execute thy sentence upon me.
Verse 5
[5] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold — Nor is this the only sin which I have reason to bewail before thee; for this filthy stream leads me to a corrupt fountain: and upon a review of my heart, I find, that this heinous crime, was the proper fruit of my vile nature, which, ever was, and still is ready to commit ten thousand sins, as occasion offers.
Verse 6
[6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Truth — Uprightness of heart; and this may be added; as an aggravation of the sinfulness of original corruption, because it is contrary to the holy nature and will of God, which requires rectitude of heart: and, as an aggravation of his actual sin, that it was committed against that knowledge, which God had wrote in his heart.
Verse 7
[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hyssop — As lepers, are by thy appointment purified by the use of hyssop and other things, so do thou cleanse me a leprous and polluted creature, by thy grace, and by that blood of Christ, which is signified by those ceremonial usages.
Verse 8
[8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Joy — By thy spirit, seal the pardon of my sins on my conscience, which will fill me with joy.
Rejoice — That my heart which hath been sorely wounded may be comforted.
Verse 10
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Create — Work in me an holy frame of heart, whereby my inward filth may be purged away.
Right — Heb. firm or constant, that my resolution may be fixed and unmoveable.
Spirit — Temper or disposition of soul.
Verse 12
[12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
The joy — The comfortable sense of thy saving grace, promised and vouchsafed to me, both for my present and everlasting salvation.
Free — Or, ingenuous, or liberal, or princely. Which he seems to oppose to his own base and illiberal and disingenuous and servile spirit, which he had discovered in his wicked practices: a spirit, which may free me from the bondage of sin, and enable me chearfully to run the way of God's precepts.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Verse 1
[1] I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord — Imprisoned for his sake and for your sakes; for the sake of the gospel which he had preached amongst them. This was therefore a powerful motive to them to comfort him under it by their obedience.
Verse 3
[3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit — That mutual union and harmony, which is a fruit of the Spirit. The bond of peace is love.
Verse 4
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
There is one body — The universal church, all believers throughout the world.
One Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father — The ever-blessed Trinity.
One hope — Of heaven.
Verse 5
[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One outward baptism.
Verse 6
[6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
One God and Father of all — That believe.
Who is above all — Presiding over all his children, operating through them all by Christ, and dwelling in all by his Spirit.
Verse 7
[7] But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
According to the measure of the gift of Christ — According as Christ is pleased to give to each.
Verse 8
[8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Wherefore he saith — That is, in reference to which God saith by David, Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive - He triumphed over all his enemies, Satan, sin, and death, which had before enslaved all the world: alluding to the custom of ancient conquerors, who led those they had conquered in chains after them. And, as they also used to give donatives to the people, at their return from victory, so he gave gifts to men - Both the ordinary and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. Psalms 68:18.
Verse 9
[9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Now this expression, He ascended, what is it, but that he descended — That is, does it not imply, that he descended first? Certainly it does, on the supposition of his being God. Otherwise it would not: since all the saints will ascend to heaven, though none of them descended thence.
Into the lower parts of the earth — So the womb is called, Psalms 139:15; the grave, Psalms 63:9.
Verse 10
[10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
He that descended — That thus amazingly humbled himself.
Is the same that ascended — That was so highly exalted.
That he might fill all things — The whole church, with his Spirit, presence, and operations.
Verse 11
[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
And, among other his free gifts, he gave some apostles - His chief ministers and special witnesses, as having seen him after his resurrection, and received their commission immediately from him.
And same prophets, and some evangelists — A prophet testifies of things to come; an evangelist of things past: and that chiefly by preaching the gospel before or after any of the apostles. All these were extraordinary officers. The ordinary were.
Some pastors — Watching over their several flocks.
And some teachers — Whether of the same or a lower order, to assist them, as occasion might require.
Verse 12
[12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
In this verse is noted the office of ministers; in the next, the aim of the saints; in the 14th, 15th, 16th, the way of growing in grace. And each of these has three parts, standing in the same order.
For the perfecting the saints — The completing them both in number and their various gifts and graces.
To the work of the ministry — The serving God and his church in their various ministrations.
To the edifying of the body of Christ — The building up this his mystical body in faith, love, holiness.
Verse 13
[13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Till we all — And every one of us.
Come to the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the Son of God — To both an exact agreement in the Christian doctrine, and an experimental knowledge of Christ as the Son of God.
To a perfect man — To a state of spiritual manhood both in understanding and strength.
To the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ — To that maturity of age and spiritual stature wherein we shall be filled with Christ, so that he will be all in all.
Verse 14
[14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Fluctuating to and fro — From within, even when there is no wind.
And carried about with every wind — From without; when we are assaulted by others, who are unstable as the wind.
By the sleight of men — By their "cogging the dice;" so the original word implies.
Verse 15
[15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Into him — Into his image and Spirit, and into a full union with him.
Verse 16
[16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
From whom the whole mystical body fitly joined together - All the parts being fitted for and adapted to each other, and most exactly harmonizing with the whole.
And compacted — Knit and cemented together with the utmost firmness.
Maketh increase by that which every joint supplieth — Or by the mutual help of every joint.
According to the effectual working in the measure of every member — According as every member in its measure effectually works for the support and growth of the whole. A beautiful allusion to the human body, composed of different joints and members, knit together by various ligaments, and furnished with vessels of communication from the head to every part.John 6:24-35
Verse 26
[26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Our Lord does not satisfy their curiosity, but corrects the wrong motive they had in seeking him: because ye did eat - Merely for temporal advantage. Hitherto Christ had been gathering hearers: he now begins to try their sincerity, by a figurative discourse concerning his passion, and the fruit of it, to be received by faith.
Verse 27
[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Labour not for the meat which perisheth — For bodily food: not for that only not chiefly: not at all, but in subordination to grace, faith, love, the meat which endureth to everlasting life. Labour, work for this; for everlasting life. So our Lord expressly commands, work for life, as well as from life: from a principle of faith and love.
Him hath the Father sealed — By this very miracle, as well as by his whole testimony concerning him. See John 3:33. Sealing is a mark of the authenticity of a writing.
Verse 28
[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
The works of God — Works pleasing to God.
Verse 29
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
This is the work of God — The work most pleasing to God, and the foundation of all others: that ye believe - He expresses it first properly, afterward figuratively.
Verse 30
[30] They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
What sign dost thou? — Amazing, after what they had just seen!
Verse 31
[31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Our fathers ate manna — This sign Moses gave them.
He gave them bread from heaven — From the lower sublunary heaven; to which Jesus opposes the highest heaven: in which sense he says seven times, John 6:32,33,38,50,58,62, that he himself came down from heaven.
Verse 32
[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Moses gave you not bread from heaven — It was not Moses who gave the manna to your fathers; but my Father who now giveth the true bread from heaven. Psalms 78:24.
Verse 33
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
He that — giveth life to the world - Not (like the manna) to one people only: and that from generation to generation. Our Lord does not yet say, I am that bread; else the Jews would not have given him so respectful an answer, John 6:34.
Verse 34
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Give us this bread — Meaning it still, in a literal sense: yet they seem now to be not far from believing.
Verse 35
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
I am the bread of life — Having and giving life: he that cometh - he that believeth - Equivalent expressions: shall never hunger, thirst - Shall be satisfied, happy, for ever. (John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes).
Verse 27
[27] And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
The mourning — Which was seven days. Nor could the nature of the thing admit of longer delay, lest the too early birth of the child might discover David's sin.
Bare a son — By which it appears, That David continued in the state of impenitency for divers months together; and this notwithstanding his frequent attendance upon God's ordinances. Which is an eminent instance of the corruption of man's nature, of the deceitfulness of sin, and of the tremendous judgment of God in punishing one sin, by delivering a man up to another.
Verse 1
[1] And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
The Lord sent — When the ordinary means did not awaken David to repentance, God takes an extraordinary course. Thus the merciful God pities and prevents him who had so horribly forsaken God.
He said — He prudently ushers in his reproof with a parable, after the manner of the eastern nations, that so he might surprize David, and cause him unawares to give sentence against himself.
Verse 2
[2] The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
Many flocks — Noting David's many wives and concubines.
Verse 3
[3] But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
Bought — As men then used to buy their wives: or, had procured.
Verse 5
[5] And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
Is worthy to die — This seems to be more than the fact deserved, or than he had commission to inflict for it, Exodus 22:1. But it is observable, that David now when he was most indulgent to himself, and to his own sin, was most severe and even unjust to others; as appears by this passage, and the following relation, verse 31, which was done in the time of David's impenitent continuance in his sin.
Verse 7
[7] And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
Thus saith the Lord God — Nathan now speaks, not as a petitioner for a poor man, but as an ambassador from the great God.
Verse 9
[9] Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
To be thy wife — To marry her whom he had defiled, and whose husband he had slain, was an affront upon the ordinance of marriage, making that not only to palliate, but in a manner to consecrate such villainies. In all this he despised the word of the Lord; (so it is in the Hebrew.) Not only his commandment in general, but the particular word of promise, which God had before sent him by Nathan, that he would build him an house: which sacred promise if he had had a due value for, he would not have polluted his house with lust and blood.
Verse 10
[10] Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Never depart — During the residue of thy life.
Verse 11
[11] Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
Own house — From thy own children and family.
Thine eyes — Openly, so that thou shalt know it as certainly as if thou didst see it, and yet not be able to hinder it.
And give them — I shall by my providence, give him power over them.
Neighbor — To one who is very near thee. But God expresseth this darkly, that the accomplishment of it might not be hindered.
Verse 13
[13] And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
I have sinned — How serious this confession was, we may see, Psalms 51:1-19.
Put away thy sin — That is, so far as concerns thy own life.
Not die — As by thy own sentence, verse 5, thou dost deserve, and may expect to be done by my immediate stroke.
Psalm 51:1-12
Verse 4
[4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Thee only — Which is not to be, understood absolutely, because he had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, and many others; but comparatively. So the sense is, though I have sinned against my own conscience, and against others; yet nothing is more grievous to me, than that I have sinned against thee.
Thy sight — With gross contempt of thee, whom I knew to be a spectator of my most secret actions.
Justified — This will be the fruit of my sin, that whatsoever severities thou shalt use towards me, it will be no blemish to thy righteousness, but thy justice will be glorified by all men.
Speakest — Heb. in thy words, in all thy threatenings denounced against me.
Judgest — When thou dost execute thy sentence upon me.
Verse 5
[5] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold — Nor is this the only sin which I have reason to bewail before thee; for this filthy stream leads me to a corrupt fountain: and upon a review of my heart, I find, that this heinous crime, was the proper fruit of my vile nature, which, ever was, and still is ready to commit ten thousand sins, as occasion offers.
Verse 6
[6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Truth — Uprightness of heart; and this may be added; as an aggravation of the sinfulness of original corruption, because it is contrary to the holy nature and will of God, which requires rectitude of heart: and, as an aggravation of his actual sin, that it was committed against that knowledge, which God had wrote in his heart.
Verse 7
[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hyssop — As lepers, are by thy appointment purified by the use of hyssop and other things, so do thou cleanse me a leprous and polluted creature, by thy grace, and by that blood of Christ, which is signified by those ceremonial usages.
Verse 8
[8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Joy — By thy spirit, seal the pardon of my sins on my conscience, which will fill me with joy.
Rejoice — That my heart which hath been sorely wounded may be comforted.
Verse 10
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Create — Work in me an holy frame of heart, whereby my inward filth may be purged away.
Right — Heb. firm or constant, that my resolution may be fixed and unmoveable.
Spirit — Temper or disposition of soul.
Verse 12
[12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
The joy — The comfortable sense of thy saving grace, promised and vouchsafed to me, both for my present and everlasting salvation.
Free — Or, ingenuous, or liberal, or princely. Which he seems to oppose to his own base and illiberal and disingenuous and servile spirit, which he had discovered in his wicked practices: a spirit, which may free me from the bondage of sin, and enable me chearfully to run the way of God's precepts.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Verse 1
[1] I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord — Imprisoned for his sake and for your sakes; for the sake of the gospel which he had preached amongst them. This was therefore a powerful motive to them to comfort him under it by their obedience.
Verse 3
[3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit — That mutual union and harmony, which is a fruit of the Spirit. The bond of peace is love.
Verse 4
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
There is one body — The universal church, all believers throughout the world.
One Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father — The ever-blessed Trinity.
One hope — Of heaven.
Verse 5
[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One outward baptism.
Verse 6
[6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
One God and Father of all — That believe.
Who is above all — Presiding over all his children, operating through them all by Christ, and dwelling in all by his Spirit.
Verse 7
[7] But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
According to the measure of the gift of Christ — According as Christ is pleased to give to each.
Verse 8
[8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Wherefore he saith — That is, in reference to which God saith by David, Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive - He triumphed over all his enemies, Satan, sin, and death, which had before enslaved all the world: alluding to the custom of ancient conquerors, who led those they had conquered in chains after them. And, as they also used to give donatives to the people, at their return from victory, so he gave gifts to men - Both the ordinary and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. Psalms 68:18.
Verse 9
[9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Now this expression, He ascended, what is it, but that he descended — That is, does it not imply, that he descended first? Certainly it does, on the supposition of his being God. Otherwise it would not: since all the saints will ascend to heaven, though none of them descended thence.
Into the lower parts of the earth — So the womb is called, Psalms 139:15; the grave, Psalms 63:9.
Verse 10
[10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
He that descended — That thus amazingly humbled himself.
Is the same that ascended — That was so highly exalted.
That he might fill all things — The whole church, with his Spirit, presence, and operations.
Verse 11
[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
And, among other his free gifts, he gave some apostles - His chief ministers and special witnesses, as having seen him after his resurrection, and received their commission immediately from him.
And same prophets, and some evangelists — A prophet testifies of things to come; an evangelist of things past: and that chiefly by preaching the gospel before or after any of the apostles. All these were extraordinary officers. The ordinary were.
Some pastors — Watching over their several flocks.
And some teachers — Whether of the same or a lower order, to assist them, as occasion might require.
Verse 12
[12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
In this verse is noted the office of ministers; in the next, the aim of the saints; in the 14th, 15th, 16th, the way of growing in grace. And each of these has three parts, standing in the same order.
For the perfecting the saints — The completing them both in number and their various gifts and graces.
To the work of the ministry — The serving God and his church in their various ministrations.
To the edifying of the body of Christ — The building up this his mystical body in faith, love, holiness.
Verse 13
[13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Till we all — And every one of us.
Come to the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the Son of God — To both an exact agreement in the Christian doctrine, and an experimental knowledge of Christ as the Son of God.
To a perfect man — To a state of spiritual manhood both in understanding and strength.
To the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ — To that maturity of age and spiritual stature wherein we shall be filled with Christ, so that he will be all in all.
Verse 14
[14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Fluctuating to and fro — From within, even when there is no wind.
And carried about with every wind — From without; when we are assaulted by others, who are unstable as the wind.
By the sleight of men — By their "cogging the dice;" so the original word implies.
Verse 15
[15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Into him — Into his image and Spirit, and into a full union with him.
Verse 16
[16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
From whom the whole mystical body fitly joined together - All the parts being fitted for and adapted to each other, and most exactly harmonizing with the whole.
And compacted — Knit and cemented together with the utmost firmness.
Maketh increase by that which every joint supplieth — Or by the mutual help of every joint.
According to the effectual working in the measure of every member — According as every member in its measure effectually works for the support and growth of the whole. A beautiful allusion to the human body, composed of different joints and members, knit together by various ligaments, and furnished with vessels of communication from the head to every part.John 6:24-35
Verse 26
[26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Our Lord does not satisfy their curiosity, but corrects the wrong motive they had in seeking him: because ye did eat - Merely for temporal advantage. Hitherto Christ had been gathering hearers: he now begins to try their sincerity, by a figurative discourse concerning his passion, and the fruit of it, to be received by faith.
Verse 27
[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Labour not for the meat which perisheth — For bodily food: not for that only not chiefly: not at all, but in subordination to grace, faith, love, the meat which endureth to everlasting life. Labour, work for this; for everlasting life. So our Lord expressly commands, work for life, as well as from life: from a principle of faith and love.
Him hath the Father sealed — By this very miracle, as well as by his whole testimony concerning him. See John 3:33. Sealing is a mark of the authenticity of a writing.
Verse 28
[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
The works of God — Works pleasing to God.
Verse 29
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
This is the work of God — The work most pleasing to God, and the foundation of all others: that ye believe - He expresses it first properly, afterward figuratively.
Verse 30
[30] They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
What sign dost thou? — Amazing, after what they had just seen!
Verse 31
[31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Our fathers ate manna — This sign Moses gave them.
He gave them bread from heaven — From the lower sublunary heaven; to which Jesus opposes the highest heaven: in which sense he says seven times, John 6:32,33,38,50,58,62, that he himself came down from heaven.
Verse 32
[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Moses gave you not bread from heaven — It was not Moses who gave the manna to your fathers; but my Father who now giveth the true bread from heaven. Psalms 78:24.
Verse 33
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
He that — giveth life to the world - Not (like the manna) to one people only: and that from generation to generation. Our Lord does not yet say, I am that bread; else the Jews would not have given him so respectful an answer, John 6:34.
Verse 34
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Give us this bread — Meaning it still, in a literal sense: yet they seem now to be not far from believing.
Verse 35
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
I am the bread of life — Having and giving life: he that cometh - he that believeth - Equivalent expressions: shall never hunger, thirst - Shall be satisfied, happy, for ever. (John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes).
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