Deuteronomy 5:11-15 - Observe the Sabbath

5:11

This again is virtually identical to the original commandment. The name of the Lord must not be misused, or as older translations say, we must not use the Lord’s name in vain. This can be taken in a number of ways. One is to swear falsely, another is to claim that something is from the Lord when it isn't. In this latter context, it happens today in various ways. In Charismatic circles there can be false prophets, in denominational churches they can claim to be going in a new direction in which the Lord is leading them, when what they are clearly doing is going against God’s word.

5:12-15

The command is the same as before, observing the Sabbath, but the motivation given is a little different. In Ex 20:8-11 the command is set in the context of God and creation. Here it is given in the context of God having released them from slavery in Egypt. However, although the context is different, the implementation, and the goal of the implementation is the same. It is to provide rest for everyone, including servants, male and female, and foreigners.

Philippians 1:21,22 - To live is Christ, to die is gain

1:21

“For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain”. For the worldly person this life is all they have, and it is lived for themselves. For the believer things are very different. The life we live now is lived for Christ, not for ourselves. There are times when life can seem very difficult, and indeed is very difficult. It can help in those times to remind ourselves that we are to live for Christ not for ourselves. This doesn’t mean that how we are feeling, or what we are experiencing, doesn’t matter, but God takes care of us. We live for Christ, God takes care of us. It changes our perspective, and for the better. If Paul did die, as we all will one day, then that would be gain. For we will then be with Christ forever. 

1:22

So if Paul lives, he will do useful labour for Christ, whether that be in the prison, or out in the world. So Paul is in a win-win situation. This attitude helps us to rise above circumstances. What Paul describes in these verses is part of living by the Spirit, and not by the flesh, and it brings life to our bodies. Even so, Paul still ponders which is better for now. Should he live or should he die? In one sense this is all hypothetical, for it is God who has the final say in these matters.

Sermon: Without me you can do nothing - John 15:1-17

A sermon preached at the Gate Church International on Sunday 26th March

Deuteronomy 5:7-10 - You shall have no other gods beside me

5:7

This is almost word for word the same as Ex 20:3. They are commanded to have no other gods before the Lord, or besides the Lord. A constant failure of Israel was to do the precise opposite, and they had lots of gods besides the Lord. Indeed, we can see that Israel, along with the whole of humanity, specialised in breaking each of the ten commandments.

5:8-10

This is closely related to the previous commandment. Indeed breaking this commandment is often a precursor to breaking the first one. It can seem like a good idea to make an image, persuading ourselves that it will help us to worship the Lord. In fact it will do the exact opposite. We then get the promise of God that He punishes the sins down to the third and fourth generation. We may think this rather unfair, but there are two key things to note. The sins of one generation have an effect that does not die with that generation, they have a longer term effect. The second is that this is followed by God declaring that He shows His love to a thousand generations who love and obey Him. 

Philippians 1:19,20 - That Christ will be honoured in my body

1:19

“Deliverance” (ESV) here can be translated as salvation, and there is debate about how exactly we should take this word here. Some see it as deliverance from prison, others view it much more in eternal deliverance terms. Perhaps Paul is deliberately ambiguous, and just means that this will turn out for his good (Rom 8:28). Whatever the case, Paul is not a love Christian, and he knows that his deliverance is dependent upon the prayers of the Philippians and the help of the “Spirit of Jesus Christ” (i.e. the Holy Spirit). We are in a real battle and need the prayers of others and the help of the Holy Spirit. Our salvation is assured, our final victory is assured, but this is not fatalism, the battle is real and what we, and others, do with our lives matters.

1:20

This verse would seem to imply that in the previous verse it is his salvation that Paul is talking about, for here he considers both the possibility that he will die, and that he will be released. Ultimately our salvation means eternal life, but it starts to take effect from the moment that we believe. It has real effects in the here and now.  Paul believes that Christ will be honoured in his body. This includes both how God works through Paul in his life on earth, and the praise that will come to God when he is raised from the dead.

Deuteronomy 5:4-6 - The Lord spoke to you face to face

5:4,5

“The Lord spoke to you face to face”. This seems to be harking back to the original giving of the Law, but stresses that it applies to the present generation. There is a continuity that must not be lost sight of. “Face to face” does not mean a literal face to face, but is a metaphorical turn of phrase. Indeed, the people had been afraid of the Lord, and Moses met God on their behalf.

5:6

We then come to the Ten Commandments, starting, as was done before, with God reminding them that He was the Lord their God who brought them up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. They did not choose to follow the Lord, but He had chosen them. The basis for their relationship with God is that He had rescued them from the land of slavery. The basis for our relationship with God is what He did on the cross for us.

Philippians 1:17,18 - Christ is proclaimed

1:17

Those who preach out of rivalry and envy have very different motives. We cannot be absolutely sure of their reasons, but maybe they were seeking to take advantage of Paul being imprisoned. So while he was out of the way they would seek to make a name for themselves. In every age there are those in the church who will do “Christian things” (i.e. things that are in themselves good) not out of a love for Christ nor for people, but out of love of self.

1:18

So how does Paul react to all this? He will rejoice! For whatever the motives the word of Christ is preached. This is the second mention of joy/rejoice. This strongly implies that they were preaching the gospel, not some perverted form of it. Otherwise Paul would not be rejoicing. It also implies that the motives of the preacher are not crucial to the effectiveness of the word. Now, it is far better if we have the right motives, and we should always invite God to examine our hearts, but the word is powerful in itself.

Deuteronomy 5:1-3 - Hear, O Israel

5:1

We now have the second giving of the Law, starting with the Ten Commandments or “ten words” (the decalogue). Moses summoned all Israel and called upon Israel to hear the decrees and Laws which Moses would declare to them.  They were to learn them, and to follow them. They needed to know what they were, and they needed to understand them. It is only by doing that we begin to fully understand.

5:2,3

Moses reminds them that God had made a covenant with Israel at Horeb. He then goes on to say “it was not with our ancestors”. What this means is that the covenant was still valid, it applied to the current generation. The first generation had virtually all died out in the wilderness because of their disobedience. It was up to the present generation to grasp hold of the covenant.

Philippians 1:15,16 - Some preach Christ from envy

1:15

Paul did not see the world through rose-tinted spectacles. Instead, he was utterly realistic. He knew that some did indeed preach the gospel out of envy and rivalry. Later we read that these people wanted to afflict Paul. Some have suggested that these people were Judaisers, but this doesn’t make sense. If they were Judaisers then they would not be preaching the same gospel as Paul. It seems more likely that it was simply out of impure human motives. They wanted to be seen as key preachers and were envious of Paul’s success. People can do “good” things for all the wrong reasons.

1:16

Paul now explains the two sets of motives of those who preach the gospel. Those who do it out of good will know that Paul lived in order to preach the gospel (Acts 20:24). They know that Paul is in prison for the sake of the gospel. So they seek to help Paul in that work, making known the good news of Christ. And they know that this will delight Paul and help to encourage him.

Deuteronomy 4:39-44 - These are the stipulations

4:39.40

Jesus says of Himself that that He has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to Him. Here Israel is called upon to acknowledge “that the Lord is God in heaven above, and on the earth below”. “There is no other”, there is only one true God. So all this lays an obligation upon the people to “keep His decrees and commands”. Then it would go well with them in the land.

4:41-43

We now get a short section on cities of refuge, which at first glance seems a little out of place .However, we have not crossed the Jordan yet, but the two and a half tribes have been given their allotted land. So it is right that cities of refuge are set up in that territory. These were place for people who had unintentionally killed someone could flee, and not be killed by the relatives of the victim.

4:44-49

The previous verse marks the end of a section.  Moses now sets the law out to the Israelites. Remember that almost all the people who heard the first giving of the law are now dead. 4:45 makes it clear that Moses is giving the same Law as he gave when they first came out of Egypt. Before we move onto the Law itself, we get a short recounting of the recent victories that Moses and the Israelites have won.

Philippians 1:13,14 - More bold to speak the word without fear

1:13

Again, this verse is a little surprising. Given that Paul delights in seeing the gospel advance, one might have expected him to say “the gospel has become known throughout the whole imperial guard”. Instead he says it has become known that “my imprisonment is for Christ”. Perhaps we are too prone to seeing declaring the gospel as a matter of winning the argument? Now, we should note that the Bible does speak of Paul proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. Paul was not adverse to getting involved in an argument. But there is also his personal identification with Christ and the gospel. The two need to go together.

1:14

“The brothers” here presumably means the Christians in Rome (assuming that the letter was written from Rome). Paul’s imprisonment, and presumably his reaction to it, had emboldened the believers. What can initially seem to be bad news can turn out to be for good. Good things can come from adversity. So now more of the Christians were able to speak the word boldly, and without fear. The term “brothers” is used far more often than “Christian”, and as well as our identification with Christ, we also need to identify with each other.

Deuteronomy 4:35-38 - Besides Him there is no other

4:35

God did these things to demonstrate how different He is from the gods of the nations, and so that the people might know that the Lord is God. God wants us to know that He is a powerful God, a God of miracles. Now it is true that some parts of the charismatic churches that are decidedly flaky, but there are also parts of the cessationist churches that are devoted to teaching that God is not a God of miracles now (I stress the word “parts” for both these caricatures, the comments apply only to the extremes of both).

4:36-38

As well as doing miracles, God “made you hear His voice”. God wants us to hear Him, it is not difficult to hear God unless we deliberately close our minds to Him.  “Because He loved ...” God has a relationship with His people, He loves us. God brought them out of Egypt “by His Presence and His great strength”. And He did all this in order for them to “drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you”. We should not be dismayed when the godless forces in society seem to be so strong, for they are nowhere near as strong as our God. 

Philippians 1:11,12 - What has happened to me

1:11

We are to be filled with the fruit of righteousness. And this comes through Jesus Christ. We cannot become righteous by our own efforts. We need Jesus, we need the Holy Spirit. Even if we were able to achieve this by our own efforts it would then be to our glory, for we would have achieved it. But it is through Jesus Christ, and it is “to the praise and glory of God”. Our salvation and our becoming Christlike demonstrates the excellence and effectiveness of God.

1:12

Paul now starts to give an account of his circumstances. Paul had a close relationship with the Philippians, and knows that they will be concerned about him. Note what he does not say, Paul does not say “I’m alright”. Instead his reassurance to them is that “what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel”. Acts 20:24 sums up the motivation and purpose of Paul’s life. We can either be self-centred or God-centred. Our lives will be much better and more effective if we are God-centred. 

Deuteronomy 4:32-34 - Ask about the former days

4:32,33

Moses now calls on the people to realise how great God is. They are to think about the creative acts of God. They are asked to compare God to the gods of the nations. Their gods do not speak, in fact they are nothing and do nothing. But Israel’s God spoke to them out of the fire. There is no other religion where God dies for His people.

4:34

Moses calls on them to compare the Lord to all the other gods of the nations. They had seen God take them out of Egypt, they had recently seen Him give them victory over other nations. During the trek through the wilderness they had witnessed a number of miracles. The gods of the nations were useless, the God of Israel was powerful and exercised that power on behalf of His people.

Philippians 1:9,10 - That your love may abound

1:9

1:9 may be a continuation of the prayer from 1:4. He prays that their love may abound more and more. Paul has great expectations for the church. Love in the New Testament is not a sentimental thing, though it will include genuine affection. But it is much deeper than that. Here Paul prays for the love to be with “knowledge and all discernment”. Love is founded in knowledge and based on true understanding.

1:10

“So that you may approve what is excellent”. The love of God makes us truly wise. At the time of writing this (27 Jan 2023) there has been news of the Archbishop of York saying sexual immorality is not sin. No one with any genuine love for God could say such a thing, and he is clearly incapable of knowing what is excellent, as are most of the Church of England bishops. This is a very sad state of affairs. And the goal is that we are “pure and blameless for the day of Christ”. Note how high God’s goals for us are. Note also how Christ is seen as the goal. Christ died and rose again for us so that he would have many brothers and sisters.

Deuteronomy 4:30,31 - When you in distress

4:30

In the previous verse Moses presented seeking the Lord as an option. Now he presents it as an established fact, something that definitely will happen. One day Israel will return to the Lord, but this only happens after “all these things have happened”, when they are in distress. This will happen to Israel, but it also happens on an individual level. Individuals often need to come to a place of distress before they turn to the Lord. When we see loved ones who may have turned away from God go through times of distress we will naturally be concerned for them, but we should not lose heart for this could all be part of God’s plan for them returning to Him.

4:31

“For the Lord your God is a merciful God”. This is a fundamental characteristic of God, God had committed Himself to Israel, He had made a covenant with them. Likewise He is committed to all of mankind, and He will not forget. This does not mean that everyone gets saved, for we see clearly that not all Israel was saved, many died (Rom 9:6).

Philippians 1:7,8 - I hold you in my heart

1:7

Why did Paul feel like this? Because they were partakers of the same grace that Paul received. Paul was in prison, but knew the grace of God in that situation. He also proclaimed the gospel and knew the grace of God in doing that as well. Paul was not in any way superior, he did not have some special knowledge. For the Philippians were partakers of the same grace. They were both saved by the same grace, and enabled by that grace to do the work of Christ.

1:8

Paul had wanted to be able to visit the Philippians, but events, not least of which was his imprisonment, precluded him from doing this. Failure to visit could have led to some doubting Paul’s commitment to them. In Corinth the upset of Paul’s plans caused some trouble. So here he is assuring them that he longs to be with them. There has been no loss of affection or commitment to the Philippian church.

Deuteronomy 4:27-29 - The Lord will scatter you

4:27,28

Jerusalem would be destroyed and the people scattered among the nations. This happened first of all to the northern Kingdom of Israel under the Assyrians, and then to Judah under the Babylonians. In the places to which they would be scattered they would worship worthless idols. Idols can neither see nor hear, they can do nothing. Why worship the worthless, when we can worship the living God?

4:29

Moses has warned them quite clearly about the dangers of not following the Lord, and has effectively prophesied that the apostasy and the ensuing judgements would happen. But that is not the end of the story as he now starts to talk about repentance. God’s plan, or the mystery as it is sometimes called by Paul in his letters, confronts sin head on, and where sin abounds grace abounds all the more. So here Moses says that if in the place of exile they seek the Lord they would find Him, if they seek Him with all their heart (Matt 7:7).

Philippians 1:5,6 - He who began a good work

1:5

So why does Paul have this attitude of thankfulness and joy? It is because the Philippians have been partners with him in the gospel. They supported him when he first went to Philippi, and while he was in prison they sent money to him. Churches are always wanting to build up unity, and often go about this in ways which are focused on unity itself. The Biblical way is that unity is achieved (or, perhaps better expressed as saying “maintained”, Eph 4:3) by our being Christ focused, and focused on doing the work of the gospel.

1:6

There may have been concerns that the Philippians were struggling,maybe losing their first love. Paul will later give them instruction relating to this, but he is confident that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion”.  Note that Paul’s confidence is founded in God. Christ is our basis for everything. We should be looking and praying for God to work in people’s lives. It does not mean that we don’t do anything, far from it! Rather it means that unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain (Ps 127:1).

Deuteronomy 4:23-26 - Be careful not to forget the covenant

4:23,24

Moses reminds them not to forget the covenant of the Lord. The covenant that God made with Israel is the only grounds that they had for having hope. It was the basis for their existence. Likewise, the covenant that Jesus made with His blood is the only grounds that we have for our hope. And a very stable and reliable ground it is too! Following on from this Moses warns them against idolatry. Idolatry would lead the people away from the Lord. They are then reminded that God is a consuming fire. This is something that is still true (Heb 12:29)!

4:25,26

Moses foresees them living in the land for a long time, but also knows that their failure to keep the commands given in the previous two verses is almost inevitable. Afterall, Moses had had many years of leading the Israelites and knew all too well what was in their hearts. They would become corrupt and would make idols, and a lot of the rest of the Old Testament testifies to this. Moses gives them a very severe warning. If they do forget the Lord and turn to idols, then they will be ejected from the land and would be destroyed. This happened under the Babylonian conquest.

Philippians 1:2-4 - I thank my God

1:2

“Grace and peace” features in the introduction to most of Paul’s letters. As does the fact that the source of this grace and peace is “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. We live under grace. We have not earned our right to be children of God, this has been freely given to us by God through Jesus Christ. This is why we have peace with God. We may encounter various sorts of trouble in the world, but we have peace with God.

1:3,4

Paul begins the letter by telling the Philippians that he gives thanks to God every time he thinks of them. Later Paul will have various instructions for them. He will not be giving these instructions from a critical spirit or with a carping attitude.  Moreover, Paul prays for them with joy. Joy features heavily in this letter. Joy is different from happiness. Being happy depends upon our circumstances, i.e. it depends on what happens. But joy is in the Lord, and He does not change. So we can be joyful in all situations.

Deuteronomy 4:20-22 - The Lord took you and brought you out

4:20

Moses then reminds the people who they are. We were not created in order to worship idols. Israel was taken out of Egypt by the Lord. And they were rescued in order to be “the people of His inheritance”. Likewise, we were saved for a purpose.

4:21,22

Moses then goes back to his being banned from entering the Promised Land. “The Lord was angry with me because of you”. Again, Moses seems to blame the people. Now they were indeed a disobedient lot and no fun to lead. However, this does not excuse Moses. We must acknowledge the Lord as holy whatever the opposition might be. So Moses would not enter the Promised Land, instead he would die in the place where they were now. Even so, the people of Israel are to enter the land and take possession of it.

Philippians 1:1 - To all the saints

1:1

It is believed that Paul had good relations with the church in Philippi. This is one of the few letters where Paul does not introduce himself as an apostle. This is probably one of the earlier letters, and it is likely that questions of Paul’s authority had not become an issue yet, unlike in Galatia and Corinth where he was under attack. Though Paul’s life was far from trouble free, and there were some troublemakers. Timothy is specifically mentioned alongside Paul in the introduction, and it is likely that Timothy was held in high regard by the church at Philippi. Another somewhat unusual feature of the introduction is the mention of “overseers and deacons”. There are various explanations offered for their inclusion, none of them are wholly convincing, so it may be best not to read too much into it. Throughout the letter there is a stress on servanthood, and Paul introduces himself and Timothy as servants of the Lord Jesus. If we ever forget that we are servants of Christ any ministry that we have is likely to go awry.

Deuteronomy 4:15-19 - You saw no form of any kind

4:15-18

We now come to explicit warnings against idolatry, beginning with a reminder that when God spoke to them at Horeb they “saw no form of any kind”. No idol can represent God, it will be a thing that cannot do nor say anything. God is a God who acts and who speaks to His people. An idol would be made in the form of an animal or some other creature. The golden calf fiasco is a clear demonstration of this. 

4:19

Creating images of creatures that can be seen is one form of danger. Though a moment's thought should highlight the stupidity of it all. Mind you, there are plenty equally stupid ideas floating around today that some seem to take seriously. The other danger was to worship the sun or moon. In one sense worshipping these is less stupid than worshipping images of animals, for we are actually dependent upon the sun for life. But the sun, moon and stars were all created by God. We must worship the creator not the created. And these things were created by God for all the nations (see Matt 5:45).

Philippians - Introduction

Philippi was an important city in Macedonia, and was a Roman colony.  As well as the indigenous population, many Romans had settled there as well. It was located on the main highway from the eastern provinces to Rome. It had the same legal rights as Italian cities. Various suggestions are made as to the date of the letter, ranging from AD 53 to about AD 61, and various locations are suggested for Paul’s imprisonment at the time of the letter. These include Rome, Ephesus and Caesarea. The most favoured option is a Roman imprisonment with a date of AD 61.

Paul wrote the letter partly to thank the Philippians for their kind gift, but also to encourage them. In particular, he wants to encourage them to stand firm in the faith, and to have a servant heart. There are also warnings against Judaisers and antinomianism. Joy is one of the recurring themes in the letter. Interestingly, it contains no direct Old Testament references.

At the time of writing these notes on Philippians I am reading the following commentary:

Philippians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), Moises Silva, Baker Academic (2005)

Deuteronomy 4:11-14 - You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain

4:11,12

The people of Israel had been at the foot of the mountain and had seen it blazing with fire, and had seen the black clouds and deep darkness. Experiencing things does not necessarily mean that we learn from them. The Lord spoke to them out of the fire, but they saw no form, they just heard the voice. This is very important in relation to warnings against idolatry, which will play an important part in what Moses says, and were often the downfall of the nation. In the ten commandments they are forbidden to make any graven image. The only image of God is us, we were made in His image. Of course, that image is now corrupted by sin, but in Christ we see what man is meant to be like. Any other “image” will serve only to lead us astray.

4:13,14

God then gave the people His covenant, the Ten Commandments, and these Commandments were written on stone. Moses then proceeded to teach the people the laws and decrees that they were to follow when they possessed the Promised Land. The fact that God spoke is significant, no other gods spoke to their people. The Lord is the only true God, and God’s people should never forget this.

Ephesians 6:23,24 - Peace, grace and love

6:23

“Peace be to the brothers.” Let’s say a few words about translations here. Some translations will have “brothers and sisters”, and the ESV (which has “brothers”) has a footnote saying it refers to brothers and sisters. Some people get very het up about gender neutral language, on both sides. My own view is that it is best to stick with the original, but in places like this where it quite clearly applies to both men and women I am not overly concerned if a translation puts “brothers and sisters”. But there are places where gender is very important and adds meaning (and not just in “contentious” places). The Message has “Goodbye friends”, and I think that overly familiar language loses something of the original meaning. 

Anyway, back to the passage! The point is that God the Father and Jesus Christ send peace and love towards us. We do well to remember that.

6:24

The final verse expresses the complete trustworthiness of the Lord’s love. We dwell in the midst of God’s love, that is the environment that we live in. There may be many storms going on around us, but we are anchored in God’s love. It is also another pointer to the divinity of Chris, that He is the final word in the letter.

Deuteronomy 4:9,10 - Be careful and watch yourselves

4:9

Moses now warns them to remember the things they have seen, and to teach them to their children. It is easy to forget what the Lord has done, or to let the immediate drown out the things the Lord has done for us. We need to actively remember and remind ourselves, and to teach our children. Learning from what the Lord has done in our lives is a vital part of following Christ.

4:10

The Lord had given the law to Moses and had addressed the whole nation at Horeb. They needed to learn to fear the Lord. The fear of the Lord is a recurrent concept throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament. We tend to downplay the fear of the Lord today, this is a big mistake. We often talk about not dreading the Lord, but having reverence for Him. There is truth in this, but it is not the whole story. There are many things that will arise in our lives that will seek to put fear in our hearts, and our natural tendency is to seek to please or appease the thing we fear. We need to know that the Lord is the one who has ultimate say in our lives, and disobeying Him is a far riskier exercise than anything else we might do. Sometimes fear means fear.

Ephesians 6:21,22 - Tychicus

6:21

We now come to the final greetings. Tychicus has a few mentions in the New Testament. There is a very similar reference in Col 4:7, perhaps supporting the idea that Ephesians was written shortly after Colossians and was intended as a circular letter. There is a mention of a Tychicus in Acts 20:4. And also in 2 Tim 4:12 and Titus 3:12. We do have to be a little careful with names as it is possible that there are several people with the same name, but from the context it would seem reasonable to assume that they are all the same person. What we can be certain about is that the Tychicus mentioned here is a trustworthy servant of the Lord and is trusted by Paul. His immediate task was to give an accurate account of what has been happening to Paul. “Fake news” is nothing new! Paul wants his readers to have an accurate account.

6:22

“Fake news” or disinformation or gossip can cause all sorts of trouble, and this can (and does) happen in churches. So proper communication of accurate and truthful information is a vital part of maintaining unity within the church. Paul also wanted his readers to be encouraged. Paul knew that he was in the Lord’s will, and things were going according to God’s plan.

Deuteronomy 4:7,8 - The Lord our God is near us

4:7

One of the key features of Biblical religion is the nearness of God. Even in the Old Testament God was near to His people. We read of Him conversing with Abraham and the like. Then He came to dwell amongst us as a man. Through the Holy Spirit He comes to live within us. This is quite different from any other god. And prayer is a great privilege, which so often we don’t properly appreciate.

4:8

The decrees and laws of the Lord are righteous and life giving. Some may complain about the Old Testament laws, but any fair comparison of them with contemporary law systems shows how liberal they are. They showed concern for slaves, they gave rights to foreigners, they showed concern for the poor and for justice. Again, the church is so foolish when it abandons God’s ways in favour of the world’s ways.

Ephesians 6:19,20 - Proclaiming boldly

6:19

Paul includes himself in those that the Ephesians should be praying for. In particular he wants them to pray that God will “give him the words to say”, to use a typical Christian phrase. As Paul puts it here, “boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel”. Too often we seek to soft-pedal the gospel. While we should use common sense and not be stupid, soft-pedalling is a mistake, and represents a misunderstanding of what we are meant to do. The mission is a God led, God centred mission. Our “success” depends entirely upon the Holy Spirit, and so we should proclaim the gospel clearly and boldly.

6:20

Paul reminds them that he is “an ambassador in chains”. Paul was probably in prison when he wrote this letter. Even though he was in prison, Paul knew he was where God wanted him to be.And he was representing God in those circumstances. His task, was to declare the gospel boldly.

Deuteronomy 4:5,6 - So that you may follow them in the land

4:5

Frequently in Exodus to Numbers we read that God said something to Moses and then told him to relay the information to the people of Israel. Moses had faithfully taught the Israelites what the Lord’s commands were. The purpose of this was so that they could follow them in the land they were entering. God decides how we should live, and in order to live in His kingdom we need to live according to His ways. All too often the church thinks it can choose to alter some of God’s commands.

4:6

Sadly much of the church seems to think it can show its wisdom and understanding to the world by following the world’s ways. This is utter foolishness. It is by following the Lord’s commands that we will demonstrate our wisdom and understanding to the world. The world’s ways are hopelessly flawed, and worse. They lead to destruction. We are to be different, following the Lord’s ways, and then the world will see.

Ephesians 6:17,18 - The sword of the Spirit

6:17

The helmet of salvation protects our heads. We can think of this as protecting our minds. Our understanding is vital. We need to know that we are saved and why we are saved. Our natural inclination, and one that the enemy will always try to make us focus on, is to look to ourselves. This will result only in defeat, for there are no grounds within ourselves for our being saved. Christ alone is the basis for our salvation. A lot of the armour is concerned with protection and we need protection, but our life is not to be one of just lying low, fending off various attacks. We are to also go on the offensive, and the first weapon we have is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. Note that it says it is “the sword of the Spirit”. It is not the word in an abstract sense, but it is the Holy Spirit that uses the word of God. We are not wielding a weapon on our own, rather we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

6:18

The second weapon is prayer. We pray “in the Spirit”, once again we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit. God’s plan is to involve us in the battle, and in the victory.  Note that both prayer and the word are spiritual weapons. In 2 Cor 10:3,4 Paul says that we do not fight with the weapons of this world, but with godly weapons which have divine power. And we pray with all sorts of prayers. So we are to keep alert. Remember that the disciples failed to keep alert in Gethsemane when Jesus asked them to pray with Him. And we are to pray for “all the saints”.

Deuteronomy 4:1-4 - Hear the decrees and laws

4:1,2

Moses is now preparing the people for living in the Promised Land, so he will remind them of the commandments. If they followed these commands then they would take possession of the land, and would live there. He also reminds them the Lord is the God of their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being particularly in mind. They were not to add nor subtract from the Lord’s commands. Rev 22:18,19 contains a similar warning, though in that case it is probably referring specifically to Revelation itself. 1 Cor 4:6 also warns us not to go beyond what is written.

4:3,4

Now there is a specific warning against idolatry, and the history of Israel provides a demonstration of the seriousness of this. After the Balak incident they had been led astray and worshipped idols. Those who had worshipped idols had been destroyed, those who had refused to do so were alive and ready to go into the Promised Land. Idol worship was to be a constant snare to the Israelites throughout their history, and John closes his first letter with the instruction for his readers to keep themselves free from idols.

Ephesians 6:15,16 - Take up the shield of faith

6:15

If we are full of guilt then we are paralysed, we do not feel able or worthy to do anything, so we do little or nothing. But the gospel gives us peace with God, we are worthy because of Christ. Therefore we are ready to engage in the battle, not to hide away.

6:16

At all times we are to take up the shield of faith. Many flaming darts will be directed at us. We need to learn to expect this, to be ready for it. And we deal with it by faith. All the darts will not have accounted for what Christ has done for us on the cross. And the work that He has done, His death and resurrection annuls every one of these flaming darts. The cross deals with all those that are attacks on our identity, character or worthiness. Other darts will threaten our physical or material condition. Our faith in the love that the Father has for us deals with these.

Deuteronomy 3:26-29 - The Lord was angry with me

3:26

The Lord was angry with Moses and told him not to raise the matter again. It i quite remarkable that the Lord has this sort of conversation with Moses, and that it is recorded in the Bible! Now why was God angry with Moses? There is, of course, the original sin, Moses’s failure to honour the Lord as holy before the people. Maybe it is also because what we see under the old covenant is merely a shadow of the real thing, and Moses was being too fixated in the Promised Land, when something far greater lay ahead?

3:27-29

However, God does seem to make some concessions to Moses. He takes him to the top of Pisgah where he can look out over the Promised Land. However, he is told again that he is not the one to take them into the land. Moses is to commission Joshua to take the people into the land, and he is to encourage him. Moses has learnt much from God and about God, he is to pass this experience on to Joshua,

Ephesians 6:13,14 - Take up the whole armour of God

6:13

There are three things we learn from this verse. The first is that we are to put on the full armour of God. We do not pick and choose, we need all of it so that we are fully equipped. Secondly, there is an evil day. This does not mean a single day, but rather that there are times of evil. Finally, we are to withstand the evil day and to remain standing. Any picture of Christianity that presents a view that it is all nicey, nicey, or that we have an easy life is just so much nonsense. Life’s a battle, but we win.

6:14

So we are to fasten the belt of truth and to wear the breastplate of righteousness. The meaning of this can be taken in various ways. The belt of truth could be taken as our living and speaking the truth. We certainly must do this, and if we don’t we will be found out and severely embarrassed. Alternatively, and probably the more likely, it could mean having our lives governed by the truth of the gospel, with this truth framing the whole context of our lives. This would go better with the breastplate of righteousness. Through Christ we are justified, declared righteous. One of the things that usually happens in battles is that we become all too aware of our weaknesses and shortcomings, and the reality of sin within ourselves. We then feel unworthy. But our worthiness comes from Christ, not from ourselves.

Deuteronomy 3:21-25 - Do not be afraid of them

3:21,22

We now come to Moses and Joshua. Moses speaks to Joshua. All the Israelites had seen many miracles and, more recently, how the Lord had given victory to Israel in battles. Unlike most of Israel, who learnt nothing from these events, Joshua was a man who did learn from them. Joshua had seen the Lord do these things, and Moses assures him that the Lord will continue to do these things. Joshua is not to be afraid, for the Lord would fight for them in the Promised Land. Our God is an active God.

3:23-25

Moses knows what the Lord’s judgement upon him was, but here he pleads to be allowed to “go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan”. He uses the term “Sovereign Lord”, which literally means “my Sovereign Lord”. The Lord is his God, there is a personal relationship. His words can be seen as buttering up God (which didn’t work!), or a genuine expression of faith in the Lord. It is probably a mixture of both. Moses desperately wants to see the Promised Land, the land to which he has led the people for forty years, and knows something of who the Lord is.

Ephesians 6:12 - We do not wrestle against flesh and blood

6:12

Paul then describes the nature of the battle. We do not fight against flesh and blood. It is so easy to see men and women as the enemy, and Satan’s attacks will most often come through men and women, but we need to recognise who the real enemy is. Maybe we can draw an analogy with the war against drugs. People who take drugs and small-time dealers are easy to spot, and they do indeed need to change their ways. They are guilty. However, arresting users (which rarely happens these days) or even small-time dealers has virtually no impact on the drug problem. It is the drug barons that need to be defeated in order to make a real impact. The battle we are involved in is somewhat like that. We are fighting against rulers and authorities and cosmic powers. Against the spiritual forces of evil. We should note that the spiritual world is real and has an impact on the material world. Also, note that Paul refers to the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. He started the letter by saying that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms.

Deuteronomy 3:12-20 - The Lord your God has given you this land

3:12-17

Next comes the division of the land. While Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land itself, he did oversee the division of the land to the tribes who had asked to have the land before crossing the Jordan. This was the land given to the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

3:18-20

Moses had allowed the tribes to have this land on the understanding that they would still fight with their fellow Israelites in taking the Promised Land itself. So here Moses reminds them that their able-bodied men must go up and fight. Their wives and children, along with their livestock, could remain in the towns allocated to them. The able-bodied men could only return once the battle for the Promised Land was won. Note the phrase “until the Lord gives rest”. The Israelites had to fight, but it was the Lord who determined the outcome.

Ephesians 6:10,11 - Be strong in the Lord

6:10

We now move on to ground that everyone is familiar with, and raises far fewer hackles than all the talk about submitting!  Paul starts by outlining the nature of the battle. The first, and most important thing, is that we are to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might”. Life is a battle, but we win, if we fight in the strength of the Lord. When we face battles we become aware of our weaknesses and failings, and our sinfulness. But we are not called to fight in our own strength. 

6:11

So we are to put on the whole armour of God. In a few verses time Paul will go into some detail about the armour of God, which is multifaceted. We need to be fully equipped. We do this in order that we are able to “stand against the schemes of the devil”. The devil is real, we need to take him seriously (Jesus and all the new Testament writers did), but we have no reason to fear. If we are strong in the Lord then we are well able to stand against him.

Deuteronomy 3:1-11 - We took all his cities

3:1-4

Sihon had engaged Israel in battle and lost, now Og of Bashan sought to defeat Israel. God assured the people that the victory over Sihon was not a one-off. They would gain victory over Og and his army. Israel duly defeated Og and took all the cities of his land. We should note that the “cities” referred to would not be anything like the size of what we think of as a city today.

3:5-11

3:5 notes that the cities were well fortified. The things that had contributed to the fear that the ten spies had, and passed on to the people, were totally unfounded. The cities were indeed well-fortified, but the Lord would give them victory all the same. 3:11 indicates that some of these people were giants, another of the factors that struck fear into the ten spies, and another fear that was unfounded. Note that the fears were unfounded because of what the Lord would do. The cities were indeed well fortified, and there were strong and powerful people in the land, but the Lord is more powerful than all, and He can grant victory to His people.

Ephesians 6:8,9 - There is no partiality with God

6:8

Our human masters may appreciate and reward us properly, or they may take advantage of us, or take us for granted. Whatever the case, we know that we will ultimately receive a just reward from the Lord. The guiding principle in all of the teaching in Ephesians (and the whole Bible for that matter) is that God is God. He has the final say in all things. So if we serve well, even if unappreciated by the world, we do not lose heart, because we know that God sees all that we do. Knowing this enables us to persevere in all circumstances.

6:9

Attention now turns to masters. “Do the same to them”. Masters are to treat their slaves or bondservants properly, knowing that God sees all that they do. In particular they are not to use threatening behaviour. Presumably threatening behaviour was considered normal practice in those days. They are to behave like this because while they may have power in human terms, both slave and master are answerable to God, and He shows no partiality. One might naively ask why doesn’t the Christian master just stop having slaves. Well, in effect this is what is happening! As mentioned earlier, the Christians were in no position at the time to overturn the system, so instead they do this indirectly. The master treats the servant or slave as an equal, as someone with equal importance and equal rights before God. Therefore they treat the person well.