E-pistle for September 18, 2015
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e-pistle
FreeWay Foundation September 18, 2015
The Day The cows came home
(I Samuel 6:1-21)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. The Ark of the Covenant remained seven months in the country of
the Philistines; pagan priests and diviners were consulted to find
out what to do with it, vv. 1-2.
2. The decision was made to return the Ark to Israel along with a
trespass offering to Israel's God, in the hope that He would "lighten
His hand" (remove the destructive curse); two milk cows were hitched
to a new cart which held both the Ark and another chest containing
five gold tumors and five gold rats (rodents; mice), vv. 3-9.
3. The cows headed straight from the Philistine city of Ekron to Beth
Shemesh in Israelite territory 12 miles away; the people of Beth Shemesh
joyously sacrificed the cows to the Lord and set the Ark upon the large
stone of Abel, vv. 10-18.
4. Some of the men of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark and 50,700 died
because of this blasphemous act; the men of Beth Shemesh sent
messengers to Kirjath Jearim, another Israelite city, asking the Jews from
there to come and take away the Ark, vv. 19-21.
II. Meditation and Revelation: on the spiritual implications of these events
1. Unbelievers are very uncomfortable in the presence of the Lord; demonic
spirits also are uneasy in God's presence, Matthew 8:29-31.
2. The Philistine trespass offering included five (for the five Philistine cities,
v. 18) gold tumors and five gold rats . . . representing the fatal disease,
perhaps some form of the bubonic plague being spread by unclean,
forbidden rodents, Leviticus 11:29; this pagan offering was not acceptable
to the Lord God, but the blood sacrifice of the cows was received as a
proper trespass offering to Him.
3. God works in mysterious ways to accomplish His divine purposes; even
dumb animals obey His commands.
4. Irreverence, including the lack of proper awe and respect for the Lord
and for those objects and persons He has sanctified and made holy,
brings spiritual death.
III. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Cultivate spiritual perception which will alert and make me sensitive to
the presence of the Holy Spirit and of demonic spirits around me.
2. Confess and repent of my sins to receive God's forgiveness and
cleansing through the blood of Christ.
3. Allow the Lord to guide my steps along whatever road He chooses.
4. Give the honor and respect due to the Lord God and to His anointed
servants and ministers.
Jonah Preaches God's Message
(Jonah 3:1-10)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the events of this chapter
1. Jonah's call from the Lord to preach to Nineveh was issued a second
time, vv. 1-2.
2. Jonah obeyed, entered Nineveh, and began to preach:
"Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown," vv. 3-4.
3. The people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast; the king
issued a proclamation calling the nation to repentance, vv. 5-9.
4. God saw their repentance and withheld Hid judgment from falling upon
them, v. 10.
II. Meditation: on how God deals with sinful mankind
1. God sends His messenger to preach a message of coming judgment
because of sin and to call for repentance.
2. The people hear the message and believe that it is a true message from
God and that HE WILL DO WHAT HE SAYS.
3. The people repent in godly sorrow and turn from their wicked practices . . .
in this case, the particular sin most prevalent in Assyria was "violence," v. 8.
4. God sees the sincere repentance of their hearts, and in mercy He forgives ,
rather than administering the just punishment which is deserved.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen here
1. Before the Lord punishes sins, He gives warnings.
2. The proper response is faith . . . believing that there is a God and that what
He says, He will do.
3. Repentance . . . a change of the mind results in a change of the heart and
of the conduct . . . is the necessary companion of faith.
Repentance is turning from sin; faith is turning toward God.
4. When God sees true repentance and sincere faith in a person, He extends
mercy (taking away the deserved penalty of a guilty sinner) and grace
(giving the undeserved blessing of forgiveness and cleansing).
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Listen to the Holy Spirit, Who convicts me of my sins.
2. Live and walk daily by faith in the Living God.
3. Remain in a constant state of repentance, confessing and forsaking my
sins as soon as the Holy Spirit convicts me.
4. Receive with praise and thanksgiving God's twin gifts of mercy and grace,
extended to me through His Son, Jesus Christ.
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
--Confucius
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