Author: Calleen Hough

Turning aside from the way

Shortly before Jesus’ crucifixion, he encouraged his disciples by giving them a glimpse into their future with him in heaven. Jesus told them:

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6, NLT)

When Jesus referred to himself as the way, he was talking about himself as “the author and medium of access to God and eternal life (John 14:6).” The Greek word that is translated way, hodos (hod-osˊ) refers to “the route” or “a traveler’s way,” a means of getting somewhere. Metaphorically, hodos speaks “of ‘a course of conduct,’ or ‘way of thinking’” (G3598). In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word derek (dehˊ-rek), which is also translated way, is associated with one’s “destiny,” “the overall course and fixed path of one’s life” (H1870).

The Israelites journey out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land was directed by God. It says in Exodus 13:17-18, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way (derek) of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’ But God led the people around by the way (derek) of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.” It also says in Exodus 13:21-22, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way (derek), and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” God not only charted the Israelites’ course, but went along with them to make sure they reached their destination or you might say, their destiny.

Late in Israel’s Old Testament history, a prophet by the name of Malachi reminded God’s chosen people of his love for them (Malachi 1:2-5) and warned the priests about turning aside from the way. Malachi said:

For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction. (Malachi 2:7-9)

The Hebrew word that is translated turned aside, suwr (soor) “is used metaphorically to describe turning away from the Lord because of a rebellious heart (Jeremiah 5:23)…Its meaning extends further to indicate falling away, as when one is enticed to fall away from following the Lord to pursue other gods (Deuteronomy 11:16; 1 Samuel 12:20; Psalm 14:3). We are told in the book of Acts that Judas, the disciple that betrayed Jesus, “turned aside to go to his own place” (Acts 1:25). Jesus’ explanation of the purpose of his parables gives us some insight into what it means to turn aside and go to your own place. Jesus said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:11-12). Judas knew the word of God, but it had no effect on him.

The book of Ecclesiastes was written at a time in Solomon’s life when he had the ability to look back over the course of his life and could see the end result. Solomon concluded his message with some advice for young people who still had their lives ahead of them. “Solomon had failed miserably in restraining his fleshly desires. His many pagan wives had turned his heart away from serving God (1 Kings 11:1-8). He therefore encouraged young people to follow the Lord while they were still in their youth. The temporary pleasures of this life cannot compare to the joy that comes from living for God” (note on Ecclesiastes 12:1). Solomon exclaimed, “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

Solomon’s recommendation to follow your heart and do what appears to be right according to your own viewpoint was followed by a reality check on what he expected to happen afterward. Solomon understood that in the end, God decides whether or not we have done the right thing, if we have fulfilled our destiny. Solomon went on to say, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Solomon had experienced first-hand the result of turning aside from the way and wanted others to know that it wasn’t a good idea for them to do what he had done. Solomon concluded his message by stating, “The end of the matter: all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Life is unpredictable

One of the underlying themes of Solomon’s gospel was that life is unpredictable. As a result of his pursuit of all that life had to offer him, Solomon concluded, “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). What Solomon meant by this statement was that God created humans with a specific purpose in mind, a course that they are intended to follow, but we would rather chart our own course and do as we please. It says in Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way.” The Hebrew word that is translated turned, panah (paw-nawˊ) “is a verb of either physical or mental motion…Used in intellectual and spiritual turning, this verb signifies attaching oneself to something…In an even stronger use this verb represents dependence on someone” (H6437). Therefore, when we turn to our own may, we are depending on ourselves to work out a situation as we would like it to be. There is a lack of dependence on God.

Solomon said of humans, “They have sought out many schemes” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). A scheme is something that requires mental calculation. The Hebrew word that is translated scheme, chishshabown (khish-shaw-boneˊ) is derived from the word châshab (khaw-shabˊ). “Generally, this root signifies a mental process whereby some course is planned or conceived. It means ‘to think, account, reckon, devise, plan’” (H2803). Chashab is used in Genesis 15:6 where it says the LORD counted Abraham’s belief in him as righteousness. In other words, Abraham’s belief in God, his reliance upon God’s promise of redemption, caused God to devise a plan of salvation that would result in Abraham being saved or being made right with God. The problem with us seeking out schemes to save ourselves is that it’s impossible for us to meet God’s standard of righteousness. Isaiah said, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6, NLT).

Solomon came to the conclusion that behavior does not determine the outcome of one’s life. Solomon said, “In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?” (Ecclesiastes 7:15-16). The Hebrew word that Solomon used that is translated destroy, shamem (shaw-mameˊ) means “to stun (or intransitive grow numb), i.e. devastate or (figurative) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense)…What one sees sometimes is so horrible that it ‘horrifies’ or ‘appalls’” (H8074). The point that I believe Solomon was trying to make was that someone who is overly righteous, someone who has done everything right, or at least thinks that he has done everything right, will be shocked or perhaps even horrified if/when a tragedy occurs in his life. His response might likely be outrage, “How could this happen to me!!!? I’ve done everything that God expects of me!!! How could God let this happen!!!?” When Job realized that he had lost everything, it says in Job 1:20-22:

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

“Job’s expression was not a fatalistic submission to the inevitability of events; it was an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty. Solomon advised his readers, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him” (Ecclesiastes 7:14). According to Solomon, prosperity and adversity are both a part of the course that God has planned out for each of us to follow so that we can’t figure out what’s going to happen next, life is unpredictable.

Solomon warned his readers against the vanity of wealth and honor (Ecclesiastes 5:8-17) and advised them to find enjoyment in what God had allotted to each individual. Solomon said, “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, NLT). Solomon went on to explain that the future had already been determined, and it would continue to be unknown to each person, what would happen after he died. Solomon said:

Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?

In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone? (Ecclesiastes 6:10-12, NLT)

Solomon’s conclusion that everything had already been decided was echoed by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul indicated that God had already decided who would receive his gift of salvation “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4), and when he raised Christ from the dead, God “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21).

Solomon’s solution to the unpredictability of life was to recognize the power and position of God and to render him proper respect. Solomon said, “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him” (Ecclesiastes 8:12). Fearing God has to do with our attitude toward him and our willingness to do what he wants us to. “The people who were delivered from Egypt saw God’s great power, ‘feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses’ (Exodus 14:31). There is more involved here than mere psychological fear. The people also showed proper ‘honor’ (‘reverence’) for God and ‘stood in awe of’ Him and his servant, as their song demonstrates (Exodus 15). After experiencing the thunder, lightning flashes, sound of the trumpet, and smoking mountain, they were ‘afraid’ and drew back; but Moses told them not to be afraid, ‘for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not” (Exodus 20:20)” (H3372).

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat begins with the statement, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant” (Luke 1:46-48). Mary went on to say, “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:48-50). Mary connected the fear of God to obtaining his mercy. The Greek word that Mary used, eleos (elˊ-eh-os) is “spoken of the mercy of God through Christ, i.e. salvation in the Christian sense from sin and misery (Jude 21, ‘the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ’ means salvation through Christ; see Romans 11:31)” (G1656). In his letter to the Romans, Paul talked about the mystery of Israel’s salvation. Paul said, “For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all” (Romans 11:30-32).

Paul’s explanation of how God’s mercy works was likely a startling revelation to those who were hoping to outwit God. The Pharisees in particular thought that they had mastered the art of bending God’s rules to suit their own objectives. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28). Solomon echoed Jesus’ sentiment when he said, “that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous” (Ecclesiastes 8:14). Solomon’s conclusion that your behavior does not determine the outcome of your life because God’s sovereignty causes life to be unpredictable is based on the fact that God is able to discriminate between good and evil and can choose out the good. Paul declared in his letter to the Romans, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33).

The preacher

The book of Ecclesiastes is the Old Testament’s version of a gospel message. It could be referred to as “The Gospel According to Solomon.” Solomon opened his message with the declaration, “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). The term preacher is used by the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:14 where he asks, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (KJV). The Greek word that is translated preacher, euaggelizo (yoo-ang-ghel-idˊ-zo) means “to announce good news (‘evangelize’) especially the gospel” (G2097). One of the differences between the Old Testament’s version of the gospel and the New Testament gospel that was preached by Jesus and his disciples was that Solomon’s message didn’t appear to be good news. On the contrary, Solomon began his message with the statement, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). “The theme of the book of Ecclesiastes is that ‘under the sun’ (i.e., apart from God), everything is ‘vanity,’ a key word that occurs thirty-five times in the book. The term is used to describe outward and tangible things (Ecclesisastes 1:14; 2:11, 17) as well as inward thoughts (Ecclesiastes 2:15, 19). ‘Vanity’ is a translation of the Hebrew hebel (H1892), which emphasizes that which is empty and passing. The phrase ‘vanity of vanities’ denotes the Hebrew way of expressing a superlative and could be translated ‘most futile’” (note on Ecclesiastes 1:2, 3).

“The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a ‘mist,’ ‘vapor,’ or ‘mere breath,’ and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive (with different nuances depending on the context)” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 footnote). The reason why Solomon began by emphasizing the elusiveness or most futile nature of life on earth may have been because he wanted his audience to know that there was something missing, that there had to be more to life than what we typically experience on a day to day basis. Jesus told his disciples, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The Greek term perissos (per-is-sosˊ), translated abundantly, is derived from the word peri (per-eeˊ), which is properly translated as “through (all over), i.e. around” (G4012), “(in the sense of beyond); superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); (by implication) excessive” (G4053). The difference between the abundant (perissos) life that Jesus promised and Solomon’s experience was that Solomon pursued an excessive kind of lifestyle that he thought would bring him satisfaction, whereas Jesus indicated that the way to experience abundant life was by forsaking everything and following him (Matthew 19:21, 29).

Solomon’s conclusion that all is vanity isn’t surprising given that he pursued everything under the sun; that is apart from God, but some of his discoveries pointed to the underlying logic behind God’s plan of salvation. Solomon said, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV). “God causes all things to happen in their ‘seasons,’ according to his purpose and his timetable. God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt on the ‘very day’ (Exodus 12:41) he had in mind when he promised deliverance to Abraham 430 years earlier (see note on Genesis 15:12-16). Christ was born ‘when the fullness of time had come’ (Galatians 4:4), accomplishing the Father’s will…God knows all the events that have transpired in the past as well as all things that will occur in the future. Man is incapable of finding out ‘what God has done from the beginning to the end,’ but God has established the outcome of history and determined how each piece fits into his plan. It is therefore wise for man to trust completely in God” (notes on Ecclesiastes 3:1and 3:11).

Solomon’s insight into how to deal with the evil that is under the sun is consistent with Paul’s approach to successfully preaching the gospel. Solomon said:

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Throughout Paul’s ministry, he always had a companion to encourage and support him. By contrast, Solomon, unlike his father David who spoke of his deep affection for his friend Jonathan, never mentions being close to anyone in any of his writings in the Bible. This seems to be a differentiating characteristic between the two preachers and may be an indicator of whether or not someone has received the abundant life that Jesus promised. Do you have someone by your side that lifts you up when you fall down or does it seem like getting up again is a most futile effort?

A love song

God’s relationship with the nation of Israel was intended to be based on a mutual love that was reflected in the interaction between the two parties. Not long after they had been delivered from slavery in Egypt, Moses reminded the people of Israel:

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

Moses said that God had chosen the people of Israel because he loved them. The Hebrew word that is translated chosen, bachar (baw-kharˊ) “is used 30 times in Deuteronomy, all but twice referring to God’s ‘choice’ of Israel or something in Israel’s life.” Bachar is “a verb whose meaning is to take a keen look at, to prove, to choose. It denotes a choice, which is based on a thorough examination of the situation and not an arbitrary whim. Although the word rarely means to prove, it does communicate that sense in Isaiah 48:10, where it describes the way God tested Israel in order to make a careful choice: ‘I have tested you in the furnace of affliction’” (H977).

“God’s binding love for Israel is described as unmerited love (Deuteronomy 7:7)” (H2836). The Hebrew word that Moses used in Deuteronomy 7:8, ʾahabah (a-hab-awˊ) “signifies a powerful, intimate love between a man and a woman (Genesis 29:20; Song of Solomon 2:4, 5, 7); love between friends (2 Samuel 1:26); God’s love for His people (Isaiah 63:9; Hosea 3:1). Frequently, it is associated with forming a covenant, which enjoins loyalty (Deuteronomy 7:8)” (H160). David described his love for his friend Jonathan as extraordinary. David said in his lament after Jonathan’s death, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me, your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women” (2 Samuel 1:26). The Hebrew word that is translated extraordinary, pala’ (paw-lawˊ) means “to do something wonderful, to do something extraordinary, or difficult. It frequently signifies the wondrous works of God, especially his deliverance and judgments (Exodus 3:20; Psalm 106:22; 136:4; Micah 7:15). The book of Hosea reveals that God’s extraordinary love for his chosen people wasn’t mutual. It says in Hosea 3:1, “And the LORD said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.”

The Song of Solomon depicts an extraordinary, mutual love between a man and woman in the context of human circumstances that interfere with them consummating their relationship. In the midst of their struggle to be together, the woman says to her companions, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases” (Song of Solomon 2:7). The Hebrew word that is translated stir up and awaken in this verse, ‘uwr (oor) has to do with seeing the naked truth or seeing things exactly as they are “through the idea of opening the eyes” (H5782). The connotation of the word ‘uwr suggests that love can be a harsh experience if the one who loves another is not prepared to see the person as he or she truly is. This sentiment is expressed by Hosea as he describes the LORD’s love for Israel in Hosea 11:1-11. In his conclusion of this section, Hosea indicated that the relationship between God and Israel would ultimately be restored, but the dynamic between these two parties was permanently altered because of Israel’s unfaithfulness (Hosea 11:10-11).

Part of the mystery and perhaps misunderstanding of the Song of Solomon is due to its context being human love. “The typical interpretation acknowledges the historical setting but believes that the characters and relationships are typical of Christ and the church” (Introduction to the Song of Solomon). This makes sense from the standpoint that Christ’s relationship with the church is referred to as a marriage (Revelation 19:7-8) and Paul compares Christ’s role to that of a husband and the church to a wife (Ephesians 5:23-27). The problem lies in trying to understand Christ’s relationship with the church from a human perspective with sexual intercourse being a primary objective. The thing that may be missed in this interpretation of the Song of Solomon is that the physical and emotional intimacy between the man and woman in Solomon’s song does not actually result in sexual intercourse.

The final chapters of the Song of Solomon focus on the union of the man and woman as husband and wife. The two are depicted as being together in the garden of love, but it is unclear what the husband and his bride are doing there. The woman says, “Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits” (Song of Solomon 4:16) and then, “My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies” (Song of Solomon 6:2-3). The Hebrew word that is translated grazes, raʿah (raw-awˊ) means “to tend a flock, i.e. pasture it…generally to rule.” The husband is in the role of a shepherd and is taking care of his flock in the garden of love when he and his bride are united. This seems to suggest that the church will be, is in the process of, or has already been united with Christ through the teaching of God’s word. When Paul talked about the roles of the husband and wife in his letter to the Ephesians and compared them to Christ and the church, it was in the context of purification through God’s word. Paul said:

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5:25-30)

Paul went on to talk about the mystery of two becoming one. Paul said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:31-33). The mystery of two becoming one seems to revolve around the concept of sanctification and how God’s word cleanses us from our sins. If sin separates us from God, then being cleansed from our sin, or what is referred to in the Bible as sanctification, can be thought of as a process that brings us closer and closer to God until eventually there is nothing between us, believers are viewed by God and treated as a single entity with Christ.

Like the husband and wife who are physically joined together through sexual intercourse, the joining together of Christ and his church will result in spiritual ecstasy. The marriage supper of the Lamb, which is recorded in Revelation 19, includes a brief love song of praise that encapsulates this moment of ecstasy. Revelation 19:6-8 states:

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

The Greek word basileuo (bas-il-yooˊ-o), which is translated reigns in Revelation 19:6, refers to the co-reign of Christ and the church, the outcome of marriage supper of the Lamb. Basileuo is spoken of Christians multiple times in Revelation “who are to reign with Christ, i.e. enjoy the high privileges, honors, and felicity of the Messiah’s kingdom (Romans 5:17; Revelation 5:10; 20:4, 6; 22:5). Similar to the Song of Solomon, which concludes with the bride longing for her beloved, the final chapter of Revelation looks forward to Christ’s return. Jesus promises, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Revelation 22:12) and in Revelation 22:17, it states, “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take from the water of life without price.”

A Revival

The spiritual decline of Israel reached its climax during the reign of Manasseh, the king of Judah who “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kings 21:2). Manasseh’s idolatry was denounced by God (2 Kings 21:10-15) and he was brought to Babylon with hooks and bound with chains until he “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers” (2 Chronicles 33:11-12). Manasseh’s repentance sparked a revival in Judah that was instigated by Josiah, who was only eight years old when he began to reign in Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:1). As a result of repairs that were being made to the house of the LORD (2 Kings 22:3-7), it says in 2 Kings 22:8, “And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.” “The book given to Josiah may have included the whole Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). The blessings and curses detailed in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 as well as the promises in Deuteronomy 29 and 30 were instrumental in beginning Josiah’s revival” (note on 2 Chronicles 34:14-19).

The reading of the Book of the Law to the people of Israel was supposed to occur every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:10-11), but it is likely that no one had read the book since the temple was built and dedicated by Solomon hundreds of years earlier. It says in 2 Kings 23:21-22, “And the king commanded all the people, ‘Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.’ For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah.” Just before King David died, he commanded his son, Solomon to keep God’s commandments (1 Kings 2:2-3), but “when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4). As time went on, the kings of Israel and Judah were corrupted by the kings of the surrounding nations and idolatry replaced their worship of God as was predicted by Moses (Deuteronomy 31:27-29).

The central theme of Deuteronomy 29 and 30 was repentance and forgiveness. These chapters included the promise that God would restore the Israelites’ fortunes if they turned to the LORD with all of their hearts and obeyed his commandments. Moses said:

“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. And the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you. And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 30:1-10)

The Hebrew word shuwb (shoob) appears in this passage seven times. Shuwb means “to turn back…’to return or go back, bring back.’ The basic meaning of the verb is movement back to the point of departure…The process called conversion or turning to God is in reality a re-turning or a turning back again to Him from whom sin has separated us, but whose we are by virtue of creation, preservation and redemption” (H7725). God used the word shuwb when he told Solomon, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn (shuwb) from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It says of Josiah in 2 Kings 23:25, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned (shuwb) to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.” This verse indicates that Josiah’s turning was an inward turning. Josiah turned toward God with all his heart, all his soul, and with all his might, “according to the Law of Moses.” What this might suggest is that Josiah became obsessed with obeying God’s commandments, but what was actually going on with Josiah had more to do with him falling in love with and being devoted to God than following the rules and regulations that were recorded by Moses on Mount Sinai. When Josiah inquired of the LORD about what he had read in the Book of the Law, Huldah the prophetess told him:

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore my wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched. But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.’” (2 Chronicles 34:23-28)

Josiah knew that he couldn’t change the outcome of his situation. Rather than trying to get God to relent, Josiah’s revival was intended to make the most of the time that was left before God’s people were taken into captivity. The hope that Josiah likely held onto was that he would be spared from the tragedy that was ahead and had been assured by God that he would experience life after death (2 Chronicles 34:28; Hebrews 12).

Upside down

God’s intention in delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt was for them to become a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). “God made a conditional promise to the Israelites that if they would obey him and keep his covenant, he would regard and treat them in a special way. The people chose instead to make a golden calf and forsake the God who rescued them from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 32:1-24). That event, as well as persistent infidelity throughout most of their history, greatly limited the extent to which the Israelites could realize these promises” (note on Exodus 19:5, 6). Near the end of King David’s dynasty, God intervened in Israel’s circumstances in order to correct the nation’s course so that his plan of salvation for the world would not be disrupted. It says in 2 Kings 21:10-13:

And the Lord said by his servants the prophets, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

The phrase “wiping it and turning it upside down” was intended to express the process God would use to transform the situation that Manasseh had gotten himself and his kingdom into. The Hebrew words mâchâh (maw-khawˊ), hâphak (haw-vakˊ), and pânîym (paw-neemˊ) have to do with changing a person’s countenance or the look on one’s face (H4229/2015/6440). In English, we might tell a person who is smiling about breaking a rule or law to “wipe that look off your face,” meaning that the person’s expression is inappropriate for a person who has done something wrong. Manasseh showed no remorse for the atrocities he had committed (2 Kings 21:16) and so, God was going to do something about it.

It says in 2 Chronicles 33:10-13:

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

Manasseh’s repentance was rewarded by him being returned to Jerusalem. It says that Manasseh humbled himself greatly before God and prayed to him (2 Chronicles 33:12-13). In other words, Manasseh was converted, he became a believer.

Manasseh’s distressful situation caused him to turn away from his sin and toward God. When God said that he was going to “wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down” (2 Kings 21:13), he was talking about emptying the city and its king of their pride. The Hebrew word pânîym, which is translated upside down, is derived from the word pânâh (paw-nawˊ). Pânâh means “to turn; by implication to face, i.e. appear, look etc…Most occurrences of this verb carry the sense ‘to turn in another direction’; this is a verb of either physical or mental motion…Used of intellectual and spiritual turning, this verb signifies attaching oneself to something…In an even stronger use this verb represents dependence on someone” (H6437). The Hebrew word hâphak, which is translated turning in 2 Kings 21:13, is used in 1 Samuel 10:6 to describe Saul’s conversion. “The meaning of ‘transformation’ or ‘change’ is vividly illustrated in the story of Saul’s encounter with the Spirit of God. Samuel promised that Saul ‘shalt be turned into another man’ (1 Samuel 10:6), and when the Spirit came on him, ‘God gave him another heart’ (1 Samuel 10:9).

The term upside down is also used in the New Testament in reference to the effect of the Apostle Paul preaching the gospel. Acts 17:1-7 tells us:

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

The Jews who were jealous of Paul said that he and Silas had “turned the world upside down.” In this instance, upside down was intended to refer to being disturbed or unsettled, but the Greek word anastatoo (an-as-tat-oˊ-o) carries with it the connotation of a spiritual uprising or a spiritual awakening. Anastatoo is derived from the word anistemi (an-isˊ-tay-mee), which means “to stand up” (G450). Jesus used anastatoo to refer to his resurrection. Jesus told his disciples, “The Son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise (anastatoo)” (Mark 9:31).

Manasseh’s conclusion “that the LORD was God” (2 Chronicles 33:13) was the result of him being returned to Jerusalem after having been captured with hooks and bound with chains and brought to Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:11). Manasseh’s world had literally been turned upside down. The fact that Manasseh was restored to his former position and served the LORD faithfully afterward (2 Chronicles 33:14-17) shows that God’s intended purpose was accomplished, even though the process was painful and Manasseh’s circumstances were severe. Following a brief reign by Amon, Manasseh’s son who abandoned the LORD (2 Kings 21:22); Josiah, Manasseh’s grandson, who was only eight years old when he began to reign, led Judah through a period of great revival. It is said of Josiah in 2 Kings 23:25, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

The prostitute

One of the key themes that is found throughout the Bible is faithfulness. Faithfulness and believing are connected in that the Hebrew word âman (aw-manˊ) is translated both ways. It says of Abraham in Genesis 15:6 that he believed (âman) in the LORD (KJV) and of Moses in Numbers 14:11 that he was faithful (âman) to God. The opposite of course is unbelief or faithlessness (G570) which was identified numerous times by Jesus as the cause of Israel’s and more specifically, his disciples lack of spiritual success (Matthew 13:58; 17:20; Mark 6:6; 9:24; 16:14). Israel’s unfaithfulness was linked to their continual involvement with idolatry. Israel was forbidden from making covenants with the inhabitants of the Promised Land because of their tendency to worship other gods. The people of Israel were told before they entered the Promised Land:

“Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.” (Exodus 34:11-16)

The LORD used the phrase whoring after their gods to describe idolatry. The Hebrew word that is translated whore, zânâh (zaw-nawˊ) means “to commit adultery… (figurative) to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah)” (H2181). Zânâh appears in most of the Major and Minor Prophets’ writings in conjunction with God’s judgment of Israel and the surrounding nations that influenced her to practice idolatry. Isaiah said of Jerusalem, “How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers” (Isaiah 1:21).

One of the principal influences that led to Israel’s downfall was Assyria’s world dominance. At the height of the Assyrian Empire’s success, the king of Assyria, referred to as Sennacherib, defied the LORD and challenged King Hezekiah to give up his faith in God. The king of Assyria sent a message to King Hezekiah stating “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Razeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’” (2 Kings 19:10-13). Sennacherib compared Hezekiah’s God to the gods of other nations that had failed to protect their worshippers from Assyrian attacks. Hezekiah took the letter from Sennacherib and spread it out before the LORD and asked him to intervene because Sennacherib had mocked the living God (2 Kings 19:16).

Isaiah recorded God’s response to King Hezekiah’s prayer. Isaiah 37:21-32 states:

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, she scorns you—
    the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
    the daughter of Jerusalem.

“‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
    Against the Holy One of Israel!
By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
    and you have said, With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
    to the far recesses of Lebanon,
to cut down its tallest cedars,
    its choicest cypresses,
to come to its remotest height,
    its most fruitful forest.
I dug wells
    and drank waters,
to dry up with the sole of my foot
    all the streams of Egypt.

“‘Have you not heard
    that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
    what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
    crash into heaps of ruins,
while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
    are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
    and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
    blighted before it is grown.

“‘I know your sitting down
    and your going out and coming in,
    and your raging against me.
Because you have raged against me
    and your complacency has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
    and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
    by which you came.’”

“And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

God pointed to the return of the exiles from Babylon as a sign of his future judgment of Assyria. The prophet Nahum’s entire message concerns the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. “Nahum prophesied in the time between the Assyrian capture of No (Thebes) in Egypt (see Nahum 3:8-10), which is known to have occurred in 661 BC, and the final destruction of Nineveh in 612 BC (Nahum 2:8-13). Since verse fifteen of chapter 1 suggests that the feasts were being observed in Judah, it is probably that he ministered during or just after Josiah’s revival. This means he would have prophesied around 620 BC, or about the time of Habbakuk, Zephaniah, and the early part of Jeremiah’s ministry” (Introduction to Nahum).

It says in 2 Kings 19:35 that an angel struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians the night after Isaiah’s prophecy about Sennacherib’s fall. It states, “And when the people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.” Nahum referred to this incident in his condemnation of Nineveh. Nahum wrote:

Woe to the bloody city,
    all full of lies and plunder—
    no end to the prey!
The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel,
    galloping horse and bounding chariot!
Horsemen charging,
    flashing sword and glittering spear,
hosts of slain,
    heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
    they stumble over the bodies!
And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute,
    graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
    and peoples with her charms.

Nahum used the Hebrew word zânâh when he referred to Nineveh as the prostitute whose countless whorings had brought about God’s destruction of the Assyrian army. The prostitute is mentioned in Revelation 17:1-6 in connection with the martyrdom of Christians during the great tribulation. It states:

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

According to Bible teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee, the great prostitute is the antichurch or false religion that is established for the purpose of worshiping antichrist. The references to sexual immorality have to do with idolatry, the worship of false gods (G4203). John indicated that a name was written on the forehead of the prostitute, “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations” (Revelation 17:5). John wanted his readers to understand that the antichurch would be the culmination of all false religions and would serve the purpose of leading a revolt against God that would threaten the existence of believers in Jesus Christ. Immediately following his discussion of the great prostitute and her relationship to antichrist, John went on to talk about the fall of Babylon (Revelation 18) and Christ’s return to earth (Revelation 19), suggesting that Antichrist’s brief world dominance will trigger the end times events that shift the balance of power back to worshippers of God.

Believe it or not

Abraham appears to be the first man that God communicated with after Adam sinned and was cast out of the garden of Eden. Their initial encounter is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3. It states, “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” Later, Abraham questioned God’s faithfulness and was challenged to believe something that seemed impossible. Genesis 15:1-6 states:

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

The King James Version of the Bible indicates that Abraham “believed in the LORD.” The Hebrew word that is translated believed, âman (aw-man´) means “to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in” (H539). Âman is translated faithful in Numbers 12:7 where God said that Moses had been faithful to him and in Deuteronomy 7:9 where it says, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them.”

Faith and believing are linked together in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the author starts out by defining faith and then, goes on to give numerous examples of what faith looked like in the lives of people in the Old Testament who had believed in God. Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” and then, the author stated, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

Abraham’s faith was tested by his obedience to God’s command to offer his son as a sacrifice even though it seemed to contradict the promise that God had made about blessing all the families of the earth through his offspring Isaac (Genesis 12:3, 15:4). When Isaac asked his father where that lamb for the burnt offering was (Genesis 22:7), Abraham answered, “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). Abraham understood that there was a need for a sacrifice for sin and believed that God would provide for that need himself. During his institution of the Lord’s Supper, after he had taken the cup and given thanks, Jesus told his disciples, “Drink of it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).

On numerous occasions, Jesus warned his disciples that he was going to be killed, but assured them that he would be raised him from the dead (Matthew 20:19). After Jesus’ resurrection, an angel appeared to Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother Mary and told them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you” (Mark 16:6-7). Mark goes on to say:

Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. (Mark 16:9-11)

Mark indicated that Jesus’ disciples would not believe that he was alive. In other words, those who had been with Jesus when he instituted the Lord’s Supper, and were told numerous times that he would come back to life the third day after he was crucified (Matthew 20:19), refused to believe that he had actually done what he said he would.

Mark’s account of Jesus’ resurrection emphasized the point that some people believed and some did not when they were told about Jesus’ resurrection. Mark stated, “After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking in the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe him” (Mark 16:12-13). It was not only Mary’s testimony that wasn’t believed, but also the testimony of two others to whom Jesus had appeared. The Greek word that is translated did not believe, apisteo (ap-is-teh´-o) means “to betray a trust, be unfaithful” and by implication to “disobey…i.e. without faith in God and Christ (Mark 16:16; Romans 3:3); to break one’s faith, to prove false (2 Timothy 2:13)” (G569). A person that is apisteo is an unbeliever (G571).

Paul considered the possibility that the disciples and other Jews’ unbelief could nullify the effect of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Paul argued:

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,
    and prevail when you are judged.”

But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. (Romans 3:1-8)

Paul concluded that whether we believe it or not, Christ’s death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of every person in the world and his resurrection demonstrated that God had provided the lamb himself as Abraham believed he would (Genesis 22:8). Paul used himself as an example to convey the point that a person’s unbelief justifies their condemnation because the truth is that everyone knows they are a sinner (Romans 3:9-20), but only those who are willing to admit the truth about themselves to God and others can and will be saved (Matthew 25:37-46; John 3:19-21; 1 John 1:9).

King of the Jews

The first prophetic vision that pointed to Israel’s Messiah in the Bible is recorded in the book of Numbers. Not long after the Israelites disobeyed God’s command to enter the Promised Land and take possession of it (Numbers 14:1-12), a false prophet by the name of Balaam was hired to curse God’s people. Because of Balaam’s interaction with Balak the king of Moab, God intervened and it says in Numbers 24:2 that the Spirit of God came upon Balaam, “and he took up his discourse and said:

‘The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
    the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
    who sees the vision of the Almighty,
    falling down with his eyes uncovered:
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
    your encampments, O Israel!
Like palm groves that stretch afar,
    like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
    like cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,
    and his seed shall be in many waters;
his king shall be higher than Agag,
    and his kingdom shall be exalted.
God brings him out of Egypt
    and is for him like the horns of the wild ox;
he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries,
    and shall break their bones in pieces
    and pierce them through with his arrows.
He crouched, he lay down like a lion
    and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
Blessed are those who bless you,
    and cursed are those who curse you.’” (Numbers 24:2-9)

The mention of a king whose kingdom shall be exalted indicated that God’s plan of salvation was going to be fulfilled in a way that people didn’t necessarily expect. The Hebrew word that is translated exalted, naçah (naw-sawˊ) “is used of the undertaking of the responsibilities for sins of others by substitution or representation (Exodus 28:12; Leviticus 16:22; Isaiah 53:12; cf. 1 Peter 2:24)” (H5375). After Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross, God exalted him to a position of honor. Peter and the apostles who were with him told the council that had arrested them for preaching the gospel, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:30-32).


Mark’s gospel tells us that after the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, “they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate” (Mark 15:1). The first question that Pilate asked Jesus was, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Mark 15:2). The wise men who came to Jerusalem after Jesus’ birth asked a similar question, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). It is possible that Balaam’s prophecy about a king whose kingdom would be exalted was intended to alert the secular world to the fact that a Savior was coming and that they as well as the Jews should anticipate the arrival of their Messiah. John’s gospel elaborates on Jesus’ interaction with Pilate. John 18:33-40 states:


So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”


After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Jesus differentiated his servants from the Jews and indicated that his kingdom was not from the world. (John 18:36). What Jesus meant by his kingdom not being from the world was that his kingdom came from, and only existed at that time, in the spiritual realm. Jesus went on to explain to Pilate that the reason why he was born was so that we would know that the spiritual realm exists. Jesus referred to the spiritual realm as truth because it is the reality (G225) that the physical realm is based on or you might say patterned after (Hebrews 8:5).

Jesus told Pilate, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). Being of the truth means that you have conformed to the nature and reality of things (G225). It says in Romans 8:29 that those whom God foreknew he also predestined “to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” The Greek word summorphos (soom-mor-fosˊ) means “jointly formed that is (figuratively) similar” (G4832). It also says in Romans 12:2 that you should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” In this instance, the Greek word that is translated conformed is suschematizo (soos-khay-mat-idˊ-zo) which means “to fashion alike, i.e. conform to the same pattern” (G4964). Suschematizo has to do with the external condition of a person, whereas summorphos has to do with the person’s internal nature. Therefore, being of the truth means that you have been internally conformed to the nature and reality of things, as opposed to externally conforming to the pattern of the world around you.

The Jewish religious leader’s decision to deliver Jesus over to Pilate is evidence that they were not only conforming to the pattern of the world around them, but were also trying to negate the reality of God’s existence in the physical realm. It says in Mark 15:29-32 that the Jews derided and reviled Jesus. The Greek word that is translated derided, blasphemeo (blas-fay-mehˊ-o) means “to blaspheme” (G987) and oneidezo (on-i-didˊ-zo), which is translated reviled, means “to defame” (G3679) or ruin someone’s reputation. Oneidezo is derived from the word onoma (onˊom-ah) which is “spoken of God, where His name is said to be hallowed, revealed, invoked, honored” and “spoken of Christ as the Messiah where His name is said to be honored, revered, believed on, invoked” (G3686). Mark said of Jesus’ crucifixion:

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. (Mark 15:29-32).

There is no doubt that the Jews knew who Jesus was, they referred to him as the Christ, the King of Israel, but not in way that was respectful or even appropriate for the situation. The Jews made it clear that they did not want to be identified as God’s servants, their allegiance belonged to Caesar (Luke 23:2)

Mark tells us that the inscription of the charge against Jesus read, “The King of the Jews.” It was as if Jesus’ true identity was the only thing that the Jews could hold against him. In Mark’s record of Jesus’ death, he noted that others believed who Jesus was in spite of the Jewish leaders’ defamation of his character. Mark wrote:


And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:33-39)

Jesus’ death was not the death of an ordinary man. The centurion who stood facing him saw Jesus stop breathing and declared, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The King James Version of Mark 15:39 says that the centurion saw that Jesus “so cried out, and gave up the ghost.” Giving up the ghost is explained in the Amplified Bible as being fully in control. It states, “When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). Jesus voluntarily, rather than involuntarily, stopped breathing when he took his last breath.

Jesus explained to his disciples that he had the authority to give up his life if he chose to. He told them, “The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:10-18). Jesus later told his disciples, “Greater love has no one that this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), and then, concluded his explanation with this statement, “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (John 16:25-28).

Jesus’ physical departure from earth is recorded in Acts 1:6-11. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Jesus didn’t answer their question, but instead talked about his disciples receiving power when the Holy Spirit had come and their mission of spreading the gospel to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). We don’t hear anything more about Jesus’ position as King of the Jews or God’s kingdom in the New Testament until we get to the book of Revelation, except for a brief mention of it in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Paul told Timothy, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:15-17). Paul concluded his letter to Timothy with an admonition to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12) and then stated, “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:13-16).

Missing the Mark

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was followed by a series of events that resulted in him being executed by the Roman government. It might seem like Jesus’ crucifixion was a tragic mistake, but it was planned by God before the foundation of the world that his Son would die for the sins of the world (John 3:16-17; Ephesians 1:3-5). The role that the nation of Israel played in God’s plan of salvation was to establish a kingdom that would facilitate God’s rule and reign over all people on earth under a single government system. This kingdom was intended for the Messiah, “an epithet of Jesus” (G5547). God told King David through the prophet Nathan:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (2 Samuel 7:8-17)

Verse 13 of 2 Samuel 7 “refers initially to Solomon but was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the ‘Son of David’ (Luke 1:31-33; Acts 2:25-35) who reigns at God’s right hand (Psalm 2:7; Acts 13:33)” (note on 2 Samuel 7:13). Mark stated in his narrative of Jesus’ triumphal entry, “And many spread their cloaks on the ground, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who were before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Mark 11:8-10).

A short while later, Mark tells us about the plot to kill Jesus. Mark said, “It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people’” (Mark 14:1-2). The dramatic shift from Jesus being heralded as Israel’s Messiah to a hunted criminal was linked to a parable that Jesus told about a man who planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants (Mark 12:1-11). Isaiah indicated that the vineyard was the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:7) and said about it, “They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands” (Isaiah 5:12). At the conclusion of his Parable of the Tenants, Jesus said that the owner of the vineyard sent his beloved son to the tenants, but “those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard” (Mark 12:7-8). Afterward, Mark said of the chief priests and the scribes and the elders who were listening to the parable, “And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away” (Mark 12:12).

Israel’s pattern of rejecting God’s authority was established over hundreds of years during the reigns of the kings that followed in David’s footsteps. One king in particular, King Ahaz was singled out for leading the people of Judah away from God. It says in 2 Kings 16:7, “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, ‘I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me,’” and in 2 Kings 16:10-14 that King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser, and there he saw an altar that he had replicated and placed in the temple of God. “Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. And the bronze altar that was before the LORD he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the LORD.” It says of Ahaz’s idolatry in 2 Chronicles 28:22-23, “In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, ‘Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.’ But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.”

Second Chronicles 28:19 indicates that God humbled Judah, “because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the LORD.” The Hebrew word that is translated unfaithful, ma’al (maw-alˊ) is “a verb meaning to violate one’s duty. The term is used often as a synonym for sin; however, this word almost always denotes a willing act (Numbers 5:6; Ezekiel 14:13)” (H4603). Isaiah’s account of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness suggests that it was a turning point, you might say the tipping point that was responsible for Israel rejecting their Messiah when he arrived. Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz with a message from God that he was not to be afraid of the Syrians (Isaiah 7:4). Isaiah 7:10-14 states:

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

“The famous prophecy of Christ’s virgin birth is contained in this verse. The events of chapter 7 occurred about 734 BC. Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz with a reassuring word concerning the planned invasion of Judah (Isaiah 7:4-9), but Isaiah’s word also challenged him to exercise faith in God during this crisis (cf. Hezekiah’s response in Isaiah chs. 36-38). The Lord generously offered to grant a sign to Ahaz to bolster his faith (v. 11). Ahaz chose to trust not in God, however, but in his alliance with Assyria (cf. 2 Kings 16:7-9)” (note on Isaiah 7:14).

Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son illustrated God’s willingness to forgive and forget the transgression of Israel. In this famous parable, Jesus said that the younger son “came to himself” (Luke 15:17). You might say that this son realized who he was or more importantly, he recognized within himself the character of his father and knew what he needed to do in order to make things right. Luke 15:17-19 states, “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’” The Greek word that is translated sinned, harmartano (ham-ar-tanˊ-o) is properly translated as “to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize)” (G264). One of the key principles of Christianity is fellowship or what is referred to in the Greek language as koinonia (koy-nohn-eeˊ-ah). Koinonia means “to share in,” the “act of partaking, sharing, because of a common interest” (G2842). Missing the mark means that a Christian is no longer receiving their share of God’s blessing, as well as the rewards that will be given to those who have served him faithfully (Matthew 25:14-30). Paul told the Philippian believers, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14, KJV).  

All of Jesus’ twelve disciples were selected from the Jewish population that was in Israel at the time of his birth. The twelve disciples all accepted Jesus’ invitation to “follow me” (Matthew 4:19; 8:22, 9:9), but there was at least one other Jewish man that was given the opportunity to follow Jesus and did not do so (Matthew 19:21-22), and one of the twelve that had accepted Jesus’ invitation later betrayed him. Mark tells us, “Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him” (Mark 14:10-11). Judas admitted that he had missed the mark when he decided to surrender Jesus to the chief priests (Matthew 27:4). Matthew 27:3-5 states:

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesuswas condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

The fact that Judas changed his mind after he saw that Jesus was condemned suggests that he didn’t intend for Jesus to be crucified, but the sin that Judas committed wasn’t about him getting Jesus killed, it was about Judas’ attitude toward doing God’s will. When Judas decided to betray Jesus, he was taking matters into his own hands. Judas thought Jesus would escape punishment because he was innocent, but Judas was wrong.

Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Paul explained to the Romans that we are made right with God by his grace so that he might be the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Paul wrote:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

Paul indicated there is no distinction because all have sinned. The distinction that Paul was referring to was the distinction between the Jews and everyone else. Paul clarified this point later in his letter. Paul said, “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:11-13).

Calling upon the name of the Lord is similar to what the Prodigal Son did when he decided to return home. The Greek word epikaleomai (ep-ee-kal-ehˊ-om-ahee) means “to entitle, (by implication) to invoke (for aid, worship, testimony, decision, etc.)” (G1941). The Prodigal Son needed food. He went home to his father because he thought to himself, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). The thing that caused the Prodigal Son to go home was not just his hunger, but also a realization that he had sinned, that he was missing the mark and could restore fellowship with his father at any time. Jesus told his disciples that while the Prodigal Son was still a long way off, “his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The Greek word that is translated saw, eido (iˊ-do) means “to see face to face, to see and talk with, to visit, i.e. to have acquaintance and relationship with.” Eido comes “from the Hebrew, with the idea of volition: to know and approve or love; hence spoken of men: to care for, take an interest in (1 Thessalonians 5:12; Sept.: Genesis 39:6). Of God: to know God, i.e. to acknowledge and adore God (Galatians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Titus 1:16; Hebrews 8:11; Sept.: 1 Samuel 2:12; Job 18:21; Jeremiah 31:34)” (G1492).

The writer of Hebrews cautioned believers not to neglect meeting together, “as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). The writer went on to say:

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

The writer of Hebrews compared a person who was guilty of breaking the covenant that God made with the Israelites to a believer who had walked away from his relationship with God and asked the question, how much worse punishment do you think the believer will receive? Peter echoed this sentiment, but took it one step further by comparing the believer to a fallen angel. Peter said:

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. (2 Peter 2:4-10)

Peter’s harsh words of criticism toward those who despise God’s authority were spoken by one who had the experience of denying the Lord three times (Mark 14:66-72). Mark tells us that Peter “began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak” (Mark 14:72), when he was confronted the night of Jesus’ trial. Peter concluded his second letter with a word of encouragement for those who had missed the mark and wanted to get back on track. Peter said, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). The Greek word that Peter used for repentance, metanoia (met-anˊ-oy-ah) when used in a religious sense, implies “pious sorrow for unbelief and sin and turning from them unto God and the gospel of Christ” (G3341). Peter’s statement implied that repentance was necessary for a believer’s relationship with God to be restored. Given that missing the mark is something that we all do, every believer should be able to recall at least one time in their life when they have repented of their sin.