Psalm 5: Prayer for Divine Help 1 For the leader; with wind instruments. A psalm of David. I 2 Give ear to my words, O LORD; understand my sighing. 3 Hear my cry for help, my king and my God! To you I pray, O LORD; 4 at dawn you will hear my voice; at dawn I will plead before you and wait. II 5 You are not a god who delights in evil; no wicked person finds refuge with you; 6 the arrogant cannot stand before your eyes. You hate all who do evil; 7 you destroy those who speak falsely. A bloody and fraudulent man the LORD abhors. III 8 But I, through the abundance of your mercy, will enter into your house. I will bow down toward your holy sanctuary out of fear of you. 9 LORD, guide me in your justice because of my foes; make straight your way before me. IV 10 For there is no sincerity in their mouth; their heart is corrupt. Their throat is an open grave; on their tongue are subtle lies. 11 Declare them guilty, God; make them fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many sins; for they have rebelled against you. V 12 Then all who trust in you will be glad and forever shout for joy. You will protect them and those will rejoice in you who love your name. 13 For you, LORD, bless the just one; you surround him with favor like a shield. Psalm 6: Prayer in Distress For the leader; with stringed instruments, “upon the eighth.” A psalm of David. I 2 Do not reprove me in your anger, LORD, nor punish me in your wrath. 3 Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak; heal me, LORD, for my bones are shuddering. 4 My soul too is shuddering greatly— and you, LORD, how long…? 5 Turn back, LORD, rescue my soul; save me because of your mercy. 6 For in death there is no remembrance of you. Who praises you in Sheol? II 7 I am wearied with sighing; all night long I drench my bed with tears; I soak my couch with weeping. 8 My eyes are dimmed with sorrow, worn out because of all my foes. III 9 Away from me, all who do evil! The LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 10 The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will receive my prayer. 11 My foes will all be disgraced and will shudder greatly; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.
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7:1 This is not a prohibition against honest recognition of others' faults, but rather a warning against passing judgement in a spirit of arrogance, or while forgetting one's own faults. 7:3 'Splinter' is also translated as mote; and in this case, refers to light sins. 7:5 While 'hypocrites' most commonly refers to scribes and Pharisees (in Matthew), here it is applied to those erring Christian disciples who ignore their own serious offenses while focusing on the minor faults of others. 7:6 'Dog and swine' were Jewish terms of contempt for Gentiles; in light of other Matthew teachings, we read this to apply to obstinately unrepentant fellow Christians. Some commentators (Haydock among them) expand it to refer to those who are enemies to the truth of Christ. 7:8 "Whatever we ask necessary to salvation with humility, fervour, perseverance, and other due circumstances, we may be assured God will grant when it is best for us. If we do not obtain what we pray for, we must suppose it is not conducive to our salvation, in comparison of which all else is of little moment." (Haydock) 7:12 In the 18th century, dubbed the "Golden Rule," it is found in both negative and positive forms, in both pagan and Jewish sources, both earlier and later than the gospels. Thus we can perhaps conclude it is a universal wisdom that humans come to. "For this is the law and prophets" means "this is the sum of the law and of the prophets, the whole law of the Jews" (Menochius). 7:13-28 These verses are a series of antitheses, contrasting two ways of living within the Christian community: those who follow the words of Christ and those who don't. 7:15-20 As in the OT, those who claimed to speak in the name of God were called prophets. And also like the OT, there were both true and false ones. 7:17-18 These verses are not to say that a man cannot change and start to bear good fruit, nor that a man once producing good works always remains so. It is to show that as a man is in a certain state (sin or grace), the fruit he bears will be marked by this. 7:28-29 'When Jesus finished these words'...this or similar words used by Matthew to conclude each of the five great discourses. Due to the fact that people often ask the same general questions about the Bible and Christianity, I've decided to add a section to the website dedicated to answering these questions. This is a project I am working on as time permits. I'll add content as I research questions that readers request & I run across during my research. This will be a long-term work-in-progress. Thank you for your understanding as this section of the website is slowly built. If you have your own Bible questions -or- a different take on how I've answered a question, please let me know! I'll link back to your site if you have a good answer and/or something to add. Judging Others 1 “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. 2 For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. 3 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? 5 You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. Pearls before Swine 6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. The Answer to Prayers 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, 10 or a snake when he asks for a fish? 11 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. The Golden Rule 12 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets. The Narrow Gate 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14 How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few. False Prophets 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So by their fruits you will know them. The True Disciple 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’ The Two Foundations 24 “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26 And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” 28 When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Before we go further, let's define our terms. The tension-loaded "Apocrypha" as a term solely for the deuterocanonical books (Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiastes, and Baruch) and using the term to mean 'un-Biblical' is a Protestant trend. The original term "apocrypha" is medieval Latin, from Late Latin, neuter plural of apocryphus secret, from Greek apokryphos obscure, from apokryptein to hide away, from apo- + kryptein to hide. It was generally used by the early church fathers (and Jewish scholars before them) to indicate that EITHER the books were not used by them during their own particular liturgies OR that the books had questionable value and/or contents. Its very earliest usage has been obscured by the passage of time, but it is "highly probable that in its original meaning an apocryphal writing had no unfavorable import, but simply denoted a composition which claimed a sacred origin, and was supposed to have been hidden for generations, either absolutely, awaiting the due time of its revelation, or relatively, inasmuch as knowledge of it was confined to a limited esoteric circle." There are many, many, many Apocryphal writings: among these are the 1st and 2nd books of Adam and Eve, Testament of Reuben, and Gospel of Thomas. The sole reason I have labeled this section of the website "Apocrypha" is because that is- for better or for worse- what the deuterocanonical books have come to be called. Canon originally meant that it was a valid scripture and used during the liturgy. I'm going to quote from Catholic Bridge.com because they explain this concisely and it matches with what I've read elsewhere. Specifically note that I have read this same thought/ideas/facts at multiple other sources…this is simply a concisely put together definition: "Before the late 4th Century, each city-church had its own, local "canon" of the Bible, and these local canons differed from city-church to city-church ---some local canons including books which are currently excluded from our present Bible (such as 1 Clement to the Corinthians, or the Epistle of Barnabas, or the Book of Enoch, etc.), and some local canons excluding books which are currently included in our present Bible (such as the Epistle of James, and Hebrews, and 2 Peter, and 2 & 3 John, Jude, and Revelation). The reason that city-churches had different local canons is because city-churches had different local Liturgies --that is, the Liturgy (form of worship) in the city-church of Rome was different from the Liturgy (form of worship) in the city-Church of Corinth, or the city-church of Ephesus, or Antioch, or Jerusalem, etc. This included the yearly Liturgical calendar, with different city-churches celebrating different local feast days on any given date." http://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/orthodox/why_orthodox_bible_is_different_from_catholic.php For another, exhaustive, very long history of the term canon, see: http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Canon_of_the_Holy_Scriptures Now, obviously, the term canon has grown to mean more. Currently, the term 'canon' is seen as identical with "Scripture" and/or "inspired" (aka- "official" Word of God). As I'm writing to an educated, but not scholastic audience, I am going to use the current "Apocrypha" and "canon" to mean "deuterocanonical books" and "official Scripture." This is both for ease of understanding and because, as times change, our word usage changes. Post 1 of this series was "Septuagint: Introduction and Basic Definition" The material for these posts will probably end up filling many pages when I'm done, but I'll be posting as I go along in "quick bites" for people who are interested in such things. But this means that I won't have read everything or know everything (if such a thing is possible) when I write each blog post. I'm learning as I continue to research. Should you find an error, please let me know! Please, please, reference "Canon History" for the most up-to-date, accurate information! 6:1-18 We are warned against doing good in order to be seen, and are given three examples: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. In each, the conduct of the hypocrites is contrasted with the conduct demanded of the disciples. The reference to the heavenly Father makes it clear this is a moral exhortation. 6:1 In later Judaism, almsgiving had become a bit legalistic. Thus it was not the giving itself that was condoned, but the attitude towards it. Those who today say "Well, I gave my 10%" [towards church] are displaying the same poor attitude. Alms were given via 1) "alms of the dish" (food and money received daily for distribution) and 2) "alms of the chest" (coins received on the Sabbath for widows, orphans, strangers, & the poor. (4) 6:2 Hypocrites is often referenced as the scribes and Pharisees (alms/charitable gifts were given in the synagogues on the sabbath). This attitude shows not only the controversies during Jesus' time but also displays some of the tension between Pharisaic Judaism and the church when Matthew was written. 6:2 Saint Basil expounds upon this: "Let us avoid vain glory, the agreeable plunderer of our good works, the pleasant enemy of our souls, which presents its poison to us under the appearance of honey." 6:4 Here, as elsewhere in the Bible, is the clear indication that good works are meritorious. We are to do them by direct command of the Lord. 6:5 As with almsgiving, the "stand and pray" was a normal, expected part of Jewish life. Adult Israelite males were to pray at morning and evening and before and after meals. 6:7 It is not long prayer (as long prayer sessions were displayed many times in the Bible) that is warned against here, "but rhetorical and elaborate prayer, as if we thought to persuade God by our eloquence" (12). 6:9-15 Matthew's form of the Lord's Prayer follows the liturgical tradition. Luke's less developed form is probably closer to the original words of Jesus. See "Bible Questions: The Lord's Prayer" for details/theology on each verse. 6:16 The only fast prescribed/required in Mosaic law was that of the Day of Atonement, however, fasting had become a regular religious practice in later Judaism. 6:24 'Mammon' is an Aramaic word meaning wealth or property. We cannot serve both God and the world; the spirit and the flesh; justice and sin. The retention of the Aramaic word emphasizes the word (wealth) personified becoming an evil Master (and thus the person worshipping it a slave). 6:25-34 Jesus is not denying that humans have needs or condemning tending to those needs, but is rather advising against becoming overly anxious about them, thus becoming slaves to them. 6:34 Menochius expounded upon this verse, saying "Christ does not prohibit all care about temporal concerns, but only what hinders us from seeking the kingdom of heaven in the first instance; or what makes us esteem more the things of this world, than those of the next" (12) Whew! I have to admit that constantly doing in-depth Bible study is hard work. And while I will continue to do it (after all, I love it!), an occasional break for humor can benefit us all. As I love cats, I found this great.... Teaching about Almsgiving 1 “[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2 When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Teaching about Prayer 5 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 7 In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. The Lord’s Prayer 9 “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread; 12 and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; 13 and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Teaching about Fasting 16 “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. Treasure in Heaven 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. The Light of the Body 22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be. God and Money 24 “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Dependence on God 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ 32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil. Sadducees- Greek 'Saddoukaioi' means 'followers of Zadak,' perhaps 'righteous.' According to Josephus, there were three major sects within Judaism at the time of Jesus: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. Priestly, wealthy, aristocratic class, centered in Jerusalem. "They enjoyed privileged positions in society and managed to get along well under Roman rule" (6, p.936). In contrast to the Pharisees (in Mark), as the priestly party connected with the Temple, the Sadducees are more directly involved in the death of Jesus, probably due to the fact that they were much more politically minded. Despite their central role in Jesus' death, they did not enjoy the influence among the people that the Pharisees did. "They accepted as scripture only the first five books of the Old Testament, followed only the letter of the law, rejected the oral legal traditions, and were opposed to teaching not found in the Pentateuch, such as the resurrection of the dead." (10, Matthew 3:7). 5:1-2 Unlike Luke's sermon, this is more clearly directed at not only the disciples, but also the crowds. While Luke's sermon doesn't omit the crowds, Jesus still clearly raises his eyes and looks at his disciples when he speaks. In addition, this chapter does not immediately follow the one preceding. Its location in the Book of Matthew is an indication of its importance. 5:3-12 The Beatitudes do match up perfectly between Matthew and Luke. This is not to say that Jesus did not say them all; it is to say that they were recorded differently by different authors. This is logical, as it is unlikely any of the disciples sat taking notes while Jesus talked. In addition, most scholars believe the great discourses recorded to have been combinations of teachings given by Jesus over time...thus while they are a true presentation of the substance, they may not be exact quotes of Jesus. All of the Beatitudes can be viewed in two lights: as literal (aka- those who mourn...those who mourn for loved ones or are sad) and as spiritual (aka- those who mourn for their sins). It depends upon the scholar as to which view (or both) they subscribe to. 5:3 In the OT, the poor in spirit referred to those without material possession, but whose confidence is in God. "In spirit" is meant to be extended to all, whatever their wealth, who recognize their complete dependence on God. We could also read "poor in spirit" as "humble." Luke simply says "blessed are you who are poor." 5:4 Mourn for their sins, not worldly mourning. 5:5 In the OT, "the land" meant the land of Palestine. Here it references the kingdom of heaven. 5:8 We should note the emphasis here between the purity of the heart (which includes thought, intention, emotion, and moral disposition) versus the ritual cleanliness (purity) practiced and required by the law. 5:9 This does not apply just to peacemakers between the nations. It applies to those who try to sow peace in their everyday lives, reducing conflict, etc. 5:10 Righteousness: here, as usually in Matthew, means conduct in conforming with God's will. 5:13-16 By their deeds the disciples are to influence the world for good. If they fail in good works, they are as useless as flavorless salt or a lamp whose light is concealed. 5:17-48 See Bible study for this section. 5:22 The concept of punishment of sinners by fire either after death or after the final judgment is found in Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g. Enoch), but the name 'Geenna' is first given to the place of punishment in the NT. 5:26 The severity of the judge in the parable is a warning of the fate of unrepentant sinners in the coming judgment by God. 5:29-30 No sacrifice is too great to avoid total destruction in Gehenna. Actual physical mutilation is not being advocated. 5:31 In the OT, it is commanded that a bill of divorce be given to a woman; this statement implies the legitimacy of divorce. Here Jesus is making it clear that divorce is NOT acceptable. 5:33-37 It is debatable whether Jesus was prohibiting all oath taking or just the practice of frequent, common oaths that don't respect the seriousness of oath taking. 5:38-42 The OT meaning of "eye for an eye" was intended to moderate punishment; during those times it was common for people to kill in retaliation for theft, for example. In the NT, Jesus goes further and says even this proportionate retaliation is not acceptable. 5:39 What is here commanded is a Christian patience under injuries and affronts and to be willing even to suffer still more, rather than to indulge the desire of revenge. This does not mean one may not calmly go to the law for redress of injury or, perhaps, in some circumstances, sanction war in extreme cases. 5:46 The tax collectors of the time were a set of men, odious and infamous among the Jews, for their extortions and injustice. 5:48 In the gospels, the word 'perfect' occurs only in Matthew, here and in Matthew 19:21. The Lucan parallel demands that the disciples be merciful. We are to imitate, as far as we can with our human limitations, the divine perfection. |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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If you found the information helpful, even a small donation would be wonderful! Thank you & God bless you. ~~~Prayer before Writing-
Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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To my readers & fellow writers,
I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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