Genesis 18:1-15, Genesis 21:1-7, Psalm 116:1-2, Psalm 116:12-19, Exodus 19:2-8, Psalm 100:1-5, Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-8, Matthew 10:9-23.
A). THE SON OF LAUGHTER.
Genesis 18:1-15, Genesis 21:1-7.
1. The promise (Genesis 18:1-15).
This passage is described as an encounter in which “the LORD” (= YHWH, Hebrew) “appeared unto” Abraham when he was having his siesta “in the heat of the day.” When he lifted up his head, suddenly, there were three men standing by him. As if waking with a start, he “ran” to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the ground (Genesis 18:1-2).
Abraham addressed his speech to “Adonai” = “my lord” (singular). “If I have found favour in thy sight,” he begged, “do not pass by thy servant.” Abraham offered “a little water” to wash your feet, “rest” under the tree, and in a masterstroke of understatement, “a morsel of bread” (Genesis 18:3-5a).
(‘You’ll come in for a wee cup of tea,’ offered the Minister to the student. ‘A wee cup of tea’ turned out to be a table spread with all sorts of goodies, both savoury and sweet. All to be served with the obligatory ‘wee cup of tea!’)
One of the marks of true Christianity is hospitality. Jesus singled out our attitudes to the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger, when He was separating the ‘sheep’ from the ‘goats’ (cf. Matthew 25:34-35). Paul suggests ‘given to hospitality’ as a qualification for an overseer (cf.1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8).
The hospitality being accepted, Abraham “hastened” into the tent to Sarah, telling her to make ready “quickly” cakes upon the hearth. Abraham himself “ran” unto the herd to choose out a suitable calf, and gave it to one of his young men to prepare. Then Abraham personally served his guests, and stood by them under the tree while they ate (Genesis 18:5-8).
We may wonder here whether Abraham was ‘unaware’ that he was ‘entertaining angels’ (cf. Hebrews 13:2). The narrative itself quickly moves on to the subject of Sarah’s long promised but yet to be conceived son (cf. Genesis 17:16).
“THEY (plural) asked him, Where is Sarah thy wife?” Abraham seemed unsurprised that they knew his wife’s name. “And he said, Behold, in the tent” (Genesis 18:9).
“HE (singular) said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life, and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” (Genesis 18:10a). (“He” here seems to be the spokesman of the three, introduced as “the LORD” back in Genesis 18:1.) Sarah overheard what the LORD had said as she stood behind Him in the tent door (Genesis 18:10b).
It had been a long wait already (Genesis 18:11), and seemed impossible. “Sarah laughed within herself” at the thought that this old couple should yet have a child (Genesis 18:12).
The LORD was well aware of Sarah’s scepticism, and asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the LORD?” He then repeated the promise, “At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son” (Genesis 18:13-14).
This question contained a gentle rebuke for Sarah, who answered for herself: “I did not laugh.” But the LORD asserted again, “Nay, but thou didst laugh” Genesis 18:15).
2. The fulfilment of the promise (Genesis 21:1-7).
When Abraham had first heard that Sarah was to have a son, Abraham ‘fell upon his face and laughed’ (cf. Genesis 17:17). When the promise was repeated, Sarah “laughed within herself” (Genesis 18:12). However, ‘with God nothing is impossible’ (cf. Luke 1:37): what God has promised, He will fulfil.
“And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken” (Genesis 21:1). It all happened “at the set time” exactly how the LORD had promised (Genesis 21:2). The sense of amazement continues as Abraham names “his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to Him, Isaac” (Genesis 21:3).
Abraham circumcised “his son Isaac” being eight days old, as God had commanded him (Genesis 21:4). “And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him” (Genesis 21:5).
The name “Isaac” means, “he shall laugh.” Now the laughter turned from scepticism to celebration as Sarah shared the story with her neighbours, that they may also laugh with her (Genesis 21:6-7).
B). HE HEARD MY VOICE.
Psalm 116:1-2, Psalm 116:12-19.
If I was asked why I love the LORD, I might well answer: because He heard and answered my prayer (Psalm 116:1).
Yet this may, at first glance, appear self-serving: what would I have to say for myself if my prayers had not been answered in the way that I had hoped? Experience teaches us that there will be such times, but our love must rise above that: we should be like Job, who said, ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him’ (cf. Job 13:15).
The response of the Psalmist to this question does not stop at what he has experienced: but moves through that to promise (Psalm 116:2), and celebration (Psalm 116:16-17).
A testimony may well begin, “I love the Lord because…” (Psalm 116:1), or ‘Truly God is good to Israel’ (cf. Psalm 73:1), but we must also colour in the circumstances which led to that conclusion. “He inclined His ear” (Psalm 116:2), yes: but how did that get to the point where I could pledge ever after that I “will call upon His name” (Psalm 116:17)?
I see beyond these words of testimony the experience of Another, who made the impassioned plea: ‘O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.’ Yet to this there came no audible answer. He knew within His holy heart what He must do, and conceded: ‘Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done’ (cf. Matthew 26:39).
Because of what Jesus has done for me, in dying and taking away my sins - and for all His other ‘gracious benefits’ (cf. Psalm 103:2) - “What shall I render to the LORD” (Psalm 116:12)?
I must grasp with both hands the salvation thus freely offered (Psalm 116:13). How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation (cf. Hebrews 2:3)?
I must recall and repay all those vows that I made in the heat of the moment (Psalm 116:14).
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of” His Faithful One (cf. Psalm 116:15) - and our death in Him (cf. Romans 6:8).
He “loosed my bonds” (Psalm 116:16), and because of this I pledge myself to serve Him. He brought Israel out of Egypt for exactly this reason: ‘to serve Him in the wilderness’ (cf. Exodus 7:16).
In order that I do not go back on my promise, says the Psalmist, I declare my loyalty to Him anew before the congregation of His people (Psalm 116:18).
This happens “In the courts of the LORD’s house: in your midst, O Jerusalem” (Psalm 116:19).
“Praise ye the LORD.”
C). THE ARRIVAL AT SINAI.
Exodus 19:2-8a.
EXODUS 19:1-2. The first thing which the children of Israel were expected to do after escaping from Egypt was to make their way to Mount Sinai, as the LORD had instructed Moses (cf. Exodus 3:12). This was not the promised land, that is for sure, but here in this wilderness they would dwell for nearly a year. They arrived there “in the third month,” (“the same day” possibly signifying the very day of the new moon) of the first year (cf. Exodus 12:2). They left ‘on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year’ (cf. Numbers 10:11-12).
EXODUS 19:3. It must have been with a sense of purpose that Moses “went up unto God” before “the LORD called unto him out of the mountain.” The LORD condescends to draw near unto those who would draw near to Him. When the prodigal son was on the way back to his father, the father ran out to meet him (cf. Luke 15:20).
Moses was commissioned to be the mouthpiece of God for the people of Jacob/Israel. The doubling of the names served to remind them of their origins, and of what they had become (cf. Genesis 46:8; Exodus 1:1).
EXODUS 19:4. First, Moses was to remind the people of what God had done. They had seen what the LORD did unto the Egyptians and how, like the eagle with her young, the LORD protected and guarded His people, and brought them to Himself. In other words, He redeemed them!
EXODUS 19:5. So we have a redeemed people, already brought unto the LORD, whom, second, He now requires to “obey my voice indeed” and “keep my covenant.” It is clear here that this is not a covenant of works, but a covenant of grace, already established by the LORD (cf. Exodus 2:24). The words that will follow are not a way for unsaved people to get into the good books with God, but rather a call to saved people to demonstrate their gratitude to God for what He has already done to procure our salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It should be noted that there is an “if” clause at the beginning of Exodus 19:5a. “IF you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, THEN…” Thus we move on from what the LORD has done, through what the LORD requires, to what the LORD, thirdly, promises. Beginning here with “ye shall be a peculiar (or ‘personal’) treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5b).
EXODUS 19:6. What a privilege to be the chosen people of the LORD (cf. Deuteronomy 7:7-8). To be ‘chosen in (Christ) before the foundation of the world’ (cf. Ephesians 1:4). To be, not only His peculiar people, but also “a kingdom of priests and an holy nation.” ‘That ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light’ (cf. 1 Peter 2:9).
EXODUS 19:7-8a. Moses conveyed the LORD’s message through the elders of the people, laying it open to their consciences how they should respond. “And all the people answered together, and said, ‘All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.’”
Thus they showed a willingness to submit to the LORD’s covenant, although perhaps with a little too much self-confidence. As the golden calf incident would later show (cf. Exodus 32:1-4).
In the excitement of a moment it is easy to make hasty promises, which we might not be able to keep. It is better that we count the cost, as Jesus instructed (cf. Luke 14:28-30).
D). MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE.
Psalm 100:1-5.
PSALM 100:1a. This “Psalm of praise” is known in some liturgical circles as ‘Jubilate,’ after the first word of the Latin version. The English translation of the original Hebrew is “Make a joyful noise.”
(Similarly, Psalm 95:1-2 twice calls upon us to “make a joyful noise”: ‘to the Rock of our salvation’ [God/Jesus], and ‘unto Him with psalms.’)
PSALM 100:1b. This is an imperative, calling us to exuberant worship of the LORD. It is addressed to “all the earth.”
(Psalm 98:4 addresses the same call, to ‘Make a joyful noise unto the LORD’ to “all the earth”: ‘make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.’)
(Psalm 92:1 encourages us that, ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD,’ and to sing praises to His name.)
(By Psalm 150:3-6, the whole orchestra is engaged in this service. There is nothing dull about the worship of God!)
PSALM 100:2. The type of service enjoined here clearly includes what we call ‘worship.’ As we “come before His presence,” it includes singing. All of our service should be “with gladness,” but perhaps especially our ‘worship.’
PSALM 100:3. Worship is based in knowledge. Hence the word “Know” at the beginning of this verse. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, ‘You (all) worship what you (all) do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews’ (John 4:22).
So why do we worship? It is because “the LORD, He is God.” “He made us” - both in Creation, but also in Covenant: “we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”
(Psalm 95:7 states that ‘He is our God; and we the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.’)
PSALM 100:4. “Enter into His gates” suggests a processional: perhaps pilgrims going up to the Jerusalem Temple. But it also a metaphor of our whole approach to God.
We “enter His gates” with “thanksgiving,” acknowledging God’s goodness. We “enter His courts” (another way of saying the same thing) with “praise” (e.g. with Psalms upon our lips). We are “thankful unto Him,” and “bless (speak well of) His name.”
When we bless or praise God, we add nothing to Him: but there is healing power when we take stock of our blessings and honour Him. It does wonders for us, and, like the Old Testament priest, we magnify Him before the people. True worship, after all, is God-centred.
PSALM 100:5. Again we are given reasons for this exuberance:
1. “For the LORD is good.” It is the LORD who puts gladness in our hearts (cf. Psalm 4:7).
2. “His mercy (covenant love) is everlasting” (endures forever, never fails).
3. “His truth” (faithfulness) will continue “to all generations.”
‘God commends His love towards us, in that, while we yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8). ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). There is nothing, but nothing that will ever separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus (cf. Romans 8:38-39).
Read Romans 11:33-36.
E). BUT GOD...
Romans 5:1-8.
ROMANS 5:1. The “Therefore” of Romans 5:1 links with the argument in the previous chapter, whereby it is established that ‘to him who does not work (to establish his own salvation) but believes (like Abraham) on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted as righteousness' (Romans 4:5). So, “Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace” (Romans 5:1a).
Isaiah spoke of this long beforehand: ‘And the work of righteousness (Jesus’ righteousness!) shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever’ (Isaiah 32:17). Now, what peace is this but “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1b)? Peace with the Father, through the ministration, at great cost to Himself, of the Son.
How was this peace accomplished? Well to answer this question, again we do not have to look far beyond the preceding context. Righteousness ‘shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus from the dead, who was delivered up for our offenses, and was raised because of our justification’ (Romans 4:24-25).
ROMANS 5:2. “Through Him,” Paul continues, “we have admission by faith into this grace in which we have taken our stand” (Romans 5:2a; cf. Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 3:12). The boldness of our access to God, far from being presumptuous, is based in our introduction into His presence by Jesus. There we can firmly take our stand without fear of reproach because of what Jesus accomplished at the Cross on our behalf.
Here, too, we “boast in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2b). Christian “hope” does not mean nebulous desire, like a child’s craving for an ice cream which may or may not be given him. It is more certain than that, because it is based in the promises of God (e.g. Titus 2:11-13; 1 John 3:2-3; Romans 8:16-17). And the object of our hope is the glory of God Himself (Habakkuk 2:14).
ROMANS 5:3a. “Boast” is the same word in the following verse, where we “boast” in our “tribulations” (Romans 5:3a). This is not worldly boasting, as if we accomplished anything by ourselves, but is rather a part of our testimony as to what God has done for us. When the Lord said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made manifest in weakness;’ Paul’s response was, ‘Most gladly then will I boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me’ (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The “tribulations,” however, spoken of here in Romans 5:3a are a synonym for the hostilities faced by Christian people in every age. Jesus said, ‘In this world you will have tribulation (same word): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33).
ROMANS 5:3-4. Like it or not, we are called to ‘suffer with Christ,’ but not without recompense (Romans 8:17-18; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Suffering is not an end in itself: “Suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character; and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4; cf. Romans 15:4).
ROMANS 5:5. And hope reassures us, because “God’s love is shed abroad in our hearts (as from an ever-flowing fountain) by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5).
So, peace with God is the retrospective fruit of our having been justified by faith in God’s Son. Our being able to make our stand in grace is the present fruit of our justification by faith in God’s Son. And our boast in hope of the glory of God points to the prospective fruit of our justification by faith in God’s Son.
ROMANS 5:6. Mankind stands in great need. From the very beginning of the world we have rebelled against God. Collectively, the more we try to put things right, the worse mess we make of this beautiful world that God has created. Individually, we find that we cannot know true peace of mind in our daily lives. Spiritually, we are ‘dead in trespasses and sins’ (Ephesians 2:1). We cannot change the world. We cannot change ourselves. What is to be done?
It is here that God breaks into history: “While we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). The whole of history pivots on the single event of the death of Jesus. All previous sacrifices point to this one great, ultimate, full, final sacrifice. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, “Christ died for the ungodly.”
ROMANS 5:7-8a. Mere men might hesitate to give their lives on behalf of those they see to be morally lacking, But (not so) God …!
ROMANS 5:8. “But God …” Instead, there is a great outpouring of love from God to man in the self-sacrifice of Jesus. It is God’s love that provided His own Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus overcame the power of death on our behalf by rising from the dead. Now those who believe in Him are accepted into God’s heavenly family (Galatians 4:4-5; John 1:12; 1 John 3:1).
F). I). A COMMISSION OF COMPASSION.
Matthew 9:35-10:8.
The first thing we notice as we look at this introduction to what has been styled ‘The Little Commission’ (as distinct from the better known ‘Great Commission’ of Matthew 28:18-20) is that all true Christian mission is based in the teaching and the example of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 9:35; cf. Matthew 4:23). Jesus was no stranger to the ills of the people and ministered accordingly. Furthermore He knew their much deeper spiritual needs and preached the glad tidings of the kingdom to them (cf. Matthew 11:5).
Then we see Jesus’ compassion (Matthew 9:36). The word translated “compassion” is a deep, almost gut-wrenching, expression of emotion. As Jesus looked at the crowds, his heart was thus moved within Him. He saw them as “wearied and cast away, as sheep not having a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36b).
The shepherd motif is interesting. Without a shepherd, sheep are prone to wander, or to follow one another into all sorts of difficulties (cf. Ezekiel 34:5-6). But Jesus comes as the good shepherd (cf. John 10:27).
In a change of analogy, Jesus speaks of a plenteous harvest, ripe for the picking. Mission commences with prayer (Matthew 9:37-38). And sometimes when we pray, we become the answer to our own prayers.
Commissioning follows (Matthew 10:1-4). And this commissioning sees the disciples now named “apostles” or “sent ones” (Matthew 10:2). They are given the same power and authority “over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and over ALL sickness and ALL kinds of disease” (Matthew 10:1) as Jesus had Himself already displayed.
These apostles are sent first of all, reverting to the earlier analogy, “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). This limitation is a matter of history. The Great Commission will follow in due time (cf. Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16).
So what does this ‘little mission’ involve? It involves the Apostles doing as Jesus has been doing. It is the beginning of an extension of His own ministry of compassion (cf. John 14:12). Their message is the same as His (Matthew 10:7; cf. Matthew 4:17). Notice that the good news comes first, ahead of the ‘signs’ (as the Apostle John would later repeatedly call miracles).
In Matthew 10:8a we see that the empowering of the twelve (Matthew 10:1) includes those things which Jesus has been doing: healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, casting out devils. Thus they are seen to have been conferred with His authority.
The same pattern remains for the Church, even as the Little Commission opens out into the Great Commission. Our care for souls gives priority to preaching, but there are other ministries in the Church, designed to minister to people in their everyday needs. If we have Jesus’ heart of compassion, we will not only look upon our congregations as so many ‘souls’ to be ‘saved’ but will also have a part to play in ministering to their bodily needs.
May those of us, who have “freely received” so very much from the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ, be ever ready to “freely give” in accordance with the gifts and abilities which He has conferred upon us (Matthew 10:8b). May He grant to His Church, in these challenging days, His own heart of compassion, and the empowering of His Holy Spirit. And to His name be all the praise and all the honour and all the glory. Amen.
F). II). AS SHEEP AMONG WOLVES.
Matthew 10:9-23.
Jesus was extremely specific in His first instructions to the twelve Apostles, that they ‘Go not into the way of the Gentiles,’ nor enter any city of the Samaritans, but seek out none other than ‘the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (cf. Matthew 10:5-6). This is book-ended by Matthew 10:23b, “You (all) shall not have gone over the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Clearly here there is in view not just that first mission of the twelve, however long or short that may have been, but also the continuing mission of the church in Israel, right up until the destruction of Jerusalem in c. 70 A.D.
‘Freely you (all) have received,’ said Jesus. So, He instructed, ‘freely give’ (Matthew 10:8b). This is reflected in the apparent poverty of that first mission (Matthew 10:9), where the Apostles would have ample opportunity to experience His provision of all their necessaries (cf. Luke 22:35).
Codes of dress do have their place in mission work. Cynics could be recognised by their dress: an old cloak and a staff. Essenes were known as ‘Brethren of the White Clothing.’ There are no hard and fast rules for Christian workers, but it is probably best to be smart, well presented, but not looking like we belong to some sect (Matthew 10:10)!
It is interesting to observe that pilgrims entering the Temple were not allowed to wear sandals nor carry a staff. Witnessing is an act of worship. Missions to less-friendly climes and times might expect another instruction (cf. Luke 22:36).
It is a matter of courtesy in our own missions to seek out those who might be deemed “worthy” (Matthew 10:11a) in the place to which we are going. If there is already a church in that place, then it would be presumptuous to come in treading on everyone’s toes.
This was, after all, initially, a Home Mission, where the Apostles might expect to receive at least some courteous consideration. They would preach freely (cf. Matthew 10:8b) and accept hospitality (Matthew 10:11b). When we preach, we need nothing more than the gospel itself (cf. Matthew 6:33).
‘Peace be to all in this house,’ says the Christian Visitor upon entering any homestead (Matthew 10:12). If the household fails to receive the blessing, it will not be because it was not offered (Matthew 10:13). We need not trouble ourselves but must “shake off the dust of our feet” with dignity (Matthew 10:14).
It is well that it is God who is the judge in such matters! But what a terrible thing it is to refuse the light of the gospel. Jesus’ solemn word is, “Amen I say unto you: It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (Matthew 10:15).
“Behold,” says Jesus, as one showing them something remarkable: “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16). We must never presume to go unless we are sure that He is sending us! The challenges of “sheep” among “wolves” are more than mere man can overcome, so we need to be “wise” in not courting persecution, and “harmless” in our behaviour - even in the face of persecution.
“But beware of men,” says Jesus - because there will be persecution (Matthew 10:17-18). The Book of Acts, and the entire history of the Christian church testifies to this. When they are hauled before the courts, or just put on the spot, the Lord often gives an impromptu word in season from the mouth of His servants (Matthew 10:19-20).
Why do people hate Christians so? Why do they slander their preachers? It is because the natural man cannot bear to be confronted with the truth. So even private individuals do despite to the most natural ties of life, causing their own family members to be put to death out of hatred to Jesus, and to the message of the gospel (Matthew 10:21-22a).
There is a permission given here to flee, if necessary (Matthew 10:23a). It has been on record since ancient times that the Christians in Jerusalem DID flee before the fall of the city in c. 70 A.D. “For Amen I say unto you: You (all) shall not have gone over the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:23b).
Yet the promise remains: “they who endure to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22b; cf. Matthew 24:13).
