TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Isaiah 19:1-21:17
Galatians 2:1-16
Psalm 59:1-17
Proverbs 23:13-14
Isaiah 19:2 — From Enduring Word:
I will set Egyptians against Egyptians: Isaiah prophesies a coming civil war in Egypt, which was indirectly the hand of God’s judgment against them. “Not many years after this time it was divided into twelve several kingdoms, between whom there were many and cruel wars, as is related by the historians of those times.” (Matthew Poole)
Isaiah 19:18 — There is a possible historic fulfillment and a probable future fulfillment of this prophecy (Jimmy DeYoung). Likely it refers to both. Here’s Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible:
There would even be an altar erected unto Jehovah (Isaiah 19:19) in Egypt. Such an altar was erected by a Jewish high priest named Onias in the reign of Ptolemy VI; and this was an earnest of the later conversion of Egyptians to Christianity. And God here promised to send them a savior (Isaiah 19:20). Historically, this was first fulfilled when Alexander the Great freed the oppressed peoples from their yoke of Persian submission; but in the higher dimension, it stands for the coming of the divine Savior who would free them from their sins.
Regarding this temple (including an altar, of course) that Onias built in Alexandria, Josephus has this:
This Onias resolved to send to king Ptolemy and queen Cleopatra, to ask leave of them that he might build a temple in Egypt like that in Jerusalem and might order Levites and priests out of their own stock. The chief reason why he was so desirous to do this, was, that he relied upon the prophet Isaiah who lived about six hundred years earlier and foretold that there was certainly to be a temple built to Almighty God in Egypt.
Isaiah 19:25 — Israel was God’s chosen people, but here God is saying that Egypt is His people as well. Isaiah is foreshadowing when under the next dispensation God will be revealing His love for the world (John 3:16).
Isaiah 20:1 — At the University of Chicago you can see the giant lamassu (winged bulls) from Sargon’s palace. His famous son, Sennacherib, declared war on Hezekiah.
Isaiah 20:3 — Three years Isaiah walked naked? Does this mean that God repealed his recommendation of clothing (Genesis 2)? The Pulpit Commentary lends some guidance:
The supposed “impropriety” of Isaiah’s having “gone naked and barefoot” for three years arises from a misconception of the word “naked” which is not to be taken literally (see the comment on ver. 2). The costume adopted would be extraordinary, especially in one of Isaiah’s rank and position; but would not be in any degree “improper.” It would be simply that of working men during the greater part of the day (see Exodus 22:26, 27).
Isaiah 21:9 — We’ll read something similar in Revelation 18:2.
Isaiah 21:16 — From Enduring Word:
Poole on according to the year of a hired man: “An exact year; for hirelings diligently observe and wait for the end of the year, when they are to receive their wages.”
Galatians 2:1 — We didn’t read about these fourteen years in Acts. Where do they fit? From Redeemer Church PCA:
Paul’s purpose in recalling the timeline is to defend himself against the accusations of the false teachers, which most likely sounded something like this: “Paul was a disciple of the Apostles, such that his gospel is dependent upon theirs – yet, he has changed it without their authorization! Therefore, Galatians, don’t listen to him… Listen to us instead – we are preserving the true gospel.” Against their charges of him preaching a gospel with a dependent origin on the Apostle’s, and divergent content from the apostles, Paul is establishing the independent origin of his gospel from the Jerusalem apostles (it came directly from Jesus), along with the consistent content of his gospel with theirs (when they finally examined his gospel they did not correct him or add anything to it). His gospel isn’t his gospel at all, nor a gospel from any human but directly and immediately from Jesus Christ. So, it must be held to as such.
Paul plants the churches of Galatia during his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). False Teachers enter Galatian churches sometime after Paul’s departure. Paul writes the letter to the Galatians around 48 AD, prompted by this news of false teaching.
Flashback of Paul’s Story in the letter to the Galatians:
- Paul’s conversion (Galatians 1:12-17; Acts 9)
- Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18-24; Acts 9:26-30)
- Paul’s second visit to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1-10; Acts 11:27-30)
- Paul’s confrontation with Peter in Antioch (Galatians 2:11-14; not recorded in Acts)
Galatians 2:15 — Peter, regarded by some as the father of the Roman church, was confronted by Paul correctly. Peter got the Gospel wrong, and Paul had to remind him three different ways that it’s not by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16).
Psalm 59:16-17 — Three times the psalmist says he is going to sing. Let’s sing of God’s power!
Proverbs 23:13-14 — Solomon is not talking about child abuse in this passage (beating a child uncontrollably resulting in damage), but about corporal punishment or “to sting the child with the spanking so as to administer a physical response to disobedience” (Calvary Chapel Jonesboro).
Life Bible-Presbyterian Church contrasts this command with Eli, a negative example:
The Bible also provides us with a negative example of father who did not discipline his sons at all. This is found in the account of Eli the high priest. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phineas, who followed their father’s footsteps in serving as priests at the Tabernacle in Shiloh. But both of them were evidently not disciplined when young and they grew up to be wicked priests, who abused their privileges and took advantage of worshippers who came to the Tabernacle to worship the Lord. The sad thing is that their father, Eli did not have the heart to stop his sons and discipline them, although he was grieved by their sins. The awful result is that God judged the house of Eli: 1 Samuel 3:13 “For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.”
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