Avsnitt
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NUMBERS 12-13:
In Numbers 10 we heard about the signals given to the people using two silver trumpets, and about the first journey leaving Mount Sinai. Then we heard of the start of the grumbling against Moses and God. Moses appointed 70 leaders, and God sent quail in response to the people's complaints. Even Moses said some things that sound like complaining to me. But remember the name Kibroth Hattaavah. We have strong evidence that God doesn’t like complainers.PSALM 33:
This psalm is full of important wisdom for us! This is the 4th Psalm without a title given by the rabbis.LUKE 21b:
Chapter 21 starts with the short account about the widow's offering exceeding (according to heavenly reckoning) the large gifts of the rich. Most of the chapter is Jesus' important prophecies about signs that will occur before he returns.NLT Translation notes:
27 Then everyone will see [Me,/0] the Son of Man, coming on a cloud with power and great glory.
36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before [me when I come as//0] the Son of Man.”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NUMBERS 10-11:
Yesterday we heard about the position of the lamps on the lampstand in the Holy Place, and the Levites were dedicated for service. The second Passover was celebrated. The Israelites received their marching orders based on when the cloud moved from over the sacred tent.PSALM 32:
Psalm 32 gives essential spiritual principles conveyed in David's testimony. I encourage every listener to camp out a while in this psalm.LUKE 21:
In the last confrontation in Luke 20, Jesus soundly refuted the Sadducees. After this, his teaching further embarrassed and offended the religious teachers.NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 32:1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven [by You, Lord//0],
[and] whose sin is put out of [your/0] sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those[, oh Lord/0],
whose record [you have//the LORD has] cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!====
Luk. 21:27 Then everyone will see [Me,/0] the Son of Man, coming on a cloud with power and great glory.
36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before [me when I come as//0] the Son of Man.”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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NUMBERS 8-9:
In Numbers 7, we heard about the gifts given by the leaders of Israel following the dedication of the sacred tent.Translation note: How the ‘waving’ of the ‘wave offering’ was done is variously interpreted in 8:13. And it could be taken simply as a presentation, because it would be rather hard to ‘wave’ some objects.
NLT: Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the LORD.
HCSB: … and you are to present them before the Lord as a presentation offering.
CEV: They will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will dedicate the Levites to me.
GNT: “Dedicate the Levites as a special gift to me, and put Aaron and his sons in charge of them.PSALM 31:
Psalm 31 is a desperate, yet confident, prayer for protection. This prayer models the secret of effective prayer— praying with full belief in the Lord.LUKE 20b:
Yesterday’s reading in first part of Luke 20 showed how the Jewish leaders tried to confront and discredit Jesus. I remember reading these passages in the summer after 6th grade and being so impressed with Jesus' wisdom.NLT Translation notes:
Num. 8:13 [NLT Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the LORD.//
HCSB: … and you are to present them before the Lord as a presentation offering.]]
CEV: They will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will dedicate the Levites to me.][Who it is who does the ‘waving’ in this ‘wave offering’ is variously interpreted.]
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Ps. 31:21 Praise [you/the] LORD,
for [you have//he has] shown me the wonders of [your/his] unfailing love.
[You have//He] kept me safe when my city was under attack.
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Luk. 20:8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you [either/0] by what authority I do these things.”
16 “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”
[His listeners protested, “Oh, may such a thing never happen!”//“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen.”]
19 The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they [did nothing because//0] they were afraid of the people’s reaction.
23 He saw through their [duplicity/trickery] and said, 24 “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped [here/0] on it?”
37 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord d as ‘[the God Abraham worships//the God of Abraham], [the God Isaac worships//the God of Isaac], and [the God Jacob worships//the God of Jacob].’
41 Then Jesus presented them with a [problem/question]. [“Note that there is a problem with the teaching that the Messiah will come as a descendant of David.”//”Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?”]
44 Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ [it is clear that the Messiah cannot just be his descendant!//how can the Messiah be his son?]”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NUMBERS 7:
Yesterday we heard how people had to follow through with God’s commands, and those with defiling diseases were expelled from their camp until such time as they could be declared ritually clean again. And we heard about cleansing for issues involving the conscience, and what a man might do if he suspected his wife of unfaithfulness. (A man would have to be a terrible jerk to do this to his wife if he didn't have good reasons for his suspicions!) The 6th chapter dealt with the Nazarite vow, and the ended with the famous Aaronic blessing.In today’s chapter 7 of Numbers, the GNT has done a beautiful job of giving the complete information in a way that is clear, precise, and that reduces repetition.
PSALM 30:
This is a wonderful song of thanks to God.LUKE 20b:
Yesterday in the second half of chapter 19, Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem. While on the road he wept over Jerusalem because of the spiritual blindness of the leaders, and he cleansed the temple of commerce.NLT Translation notes:
8 I cried out to you, O LORD.
I begged [You, Lord,//the Lord] for mercy, saying,
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8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you [either/0] by what authority I do these things.”
16 “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”
[His listeners protested, “Oh, may such a thing never happen!”//“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen.”]
19 The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they [did nothing because//0] they were afraid of the people’s reaction.
23 He saw through their [duplicity/trickery] and said, 24 “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped [here/0] on it?”
41 Then Jesus presented them with a question. [“Note that there is a problem with the teaching that the Messiah will come as a descendant of David.”//”Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?”]
44 Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ [it is clear that the Messiah cannot just be his descendant!//how can the Messiah be his son?]”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NUMBERS 5-6:
Yesterday we heard the assignments for the Kohathite, Gershonite, and Merarite clans in regard to the care and moving of the sacred tent, all under the direction of Aaron's sons.PSALM 29:
This is one of my personal favorite psalms because of the response of the people in the temple to God's glorious revelations of himself in nature.LUKE 19b:
In yesterday's reading, Zacchaeus— a notorious sinner, dramatically came to Jesus. Then Jesus told a very thought-provoking parable. He is the King who will return and He will ask for an accounting from each of us— his servants.NLT Translation note:
Num. 6:27 Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel [on my behalf//in my name], I myself will bless them.”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NUMBERS 4:
Yesterday we learned that the Levite clans were given separate tasks in the care of the sacred tent. The 22,000 Levites became substitutes for Israel's 22,273 first-born sons.PSALM 28:
David cries out to the Lord with all his heart. I love the imagery of the Lord as David’s ‘rock’, ‘shield’, and ‘shepherd’. (v1, 7, 9) Bible translators who translate into ethnic languages often need to make the difficult choice of whether to retain a figure of speech more literally, or just to give its meaning. For instance, at the first of v1 and 7, the GNT chose to give the meaning without using metaphors, but the NLT translated David’s metaphors more literally.Luke 19a:
Yesterday in Luke 18, we heard of Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man, Jesus again predicted his death, and blind Bartimaeus (as named in Mark) was healed at Jericho.NLT Translation notes:
[This psalm starts out speaking directly to the Lord. But starting in verse 5, many English readers will think the psalmist suddenly starts talking _about_ the Lord. This is probably not the case! I interpret the Hebrew here as using the third person as an honorific while still speaking to the Lord. Similarly in English, it is possible to use the third person “Mr. President ... he...” when speaking formally to our president. (I suspect this is seldom done these days.) In my dialect of English, I much prefer making it clear that the psalmist is still speaking to the Lord, not just about the Lord. All the changes below are simply changing ‘he/his’ to ‘you/your’, and ‘the LORD’ to ‘you, LORD’.]
5 They care nothing for what [You, LORD, have] done
or for what [your] hands have made.
So [You] will tear them down,
and they will never be rebuilt!
6 Praise [You] LORD!
For [You have] heard my cry for mercy.
7 [You,] LORD [are] my strength and shield.
I trust [in You] with all my heart.
[You help] me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
8 [You, LORD, give your] people strength.
[You are] a safe fortress for [your] anointed king.Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NUMBERS 3:
Yesterday we heard about the organization of Israel's camp, having three tribes on each of the four sides of the tabernacle. This also determined their marching position when the whole group moved.PSALM 27:
This is a beautiful song, expressing David's confidence in the Lord’s protection, and he asks the Lord to vindicate him. The Hebrew of this psalm can be interpreted as a personal prayer addressed to the Lord all the way through. I have reworded the NLT to be more like the CEV in this regard.LUKE 18b:
Yesterday in the first half of the chapter, Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow and the one about the Pharisee and the tax collector. And we heard Jesus' surprising response to the rich young man.NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 27:10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
[you, LORD,//the LORD] will hold me close.
14 [I say to myself://0] Wait patiently for the L ORD.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, I will wait patiently for [you, LORD!//the LORD.]
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Luk.18:8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when [I,/0] the Son of Man returns, how many will [I/he] find on the earth who still [believe in Me//have faith]?”
28 Peter said, “[How about us?!//0] We’ve left our homes to follow you!”
31 Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning [me,//0] the Son of Man will come true. 32 [I/He] will be handed over to the Romans, and [I/he] will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon.
33 They will flog [me/him] with a whip and kill [me/him], but on the third day [me/him] will rise again.”
41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see [again/0]!”
42 And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! [It is because you fully believe in me that you are healed.//Your faith has healed you/]”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NUMBERS 2:
Yesterday in chapter 1, God ordered a census of the men capable as soldiers in war. And we heard the list of the clan leaders of the 12 listed tribes— excluding Levi. (The number of tribes remains at 12 because the tribe of Joseph is split in two.)PSALM 26:
This poem is a personal lament. It is similar to Psalm 25, but does not contain confession. David asks for God’s vindication because of his personal integrity, and shows his love for God by his devotion to God’s sanctuary.LUKE 18a:
Yesterday we heard about the suddenness of the coming of Jesus as the Son of Man, and that believers will be suddenly taken out of a context that looks like ‘business as usual’. Jesus again says that first He must suffer and be rejected.I want to challenge everyone to dig deeper in God’s Word— including myself. The last verse of Luke 17 says,
37 The disciples asked him, “Where, Lord?” Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will gather.”
Greek does not differentiate between ‘vulture’ and ‘eagle’. Because of the presence of the word ‘dead body’, translators chose to translate ‘vulture’, but how would it change your ideas if we read this as ‘eagles’? Also, it is possible that Jesus’ response was a common proverb. If that is so, what did Jesus mean by quoting that proverb? See the Shovels page at dailybiblereading.info for web sites that will help you in researching such things.NLT Translation notes:
Luk. 18:8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when [I,/0] the Son of Man returns, how many will [I/he] find on the earth who still [believe in Me//have faith]?”
28 Peter said, “[How about us?!//0] We’ve left our homes to follow you!”
31 Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning [me,//0] the Son of Man will come true. 32 [I/He] will be handed over to the Romans, and [I/he] will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon.
33 They will flog [me/him] with a whip and kill [me/him], but on the third day [me/him] will rise again.”
41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see [again/0]!”
42 And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! [It is because you fully believe in me that you are healed.//Your faith has healed you/]”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NUMBERS 1:
Numbers is the 4th of Moses' 5 books. And this is the one that I have looked forward to as the hardest book of all to read in the podcast! In this book we will see that unbelief hinders God's blessings for Israel. HC Mears says, “Numbers might be called the Wilderness Wanderings,” because it chronicles the journey. And “Numbers might be called the book of the March and the Roll Call. ... It might, too, be called the Book of Murmurings, because from beginning to end it is filled with the spirit of rebellion against God.”“Leviticus dealt with the believers' worship— Numbers deals with the believer's walk. In Leviticus we see the believer’s privileges— in Numbers the wilderness is the drill field.”
Important lessons from the Book of Numbers:
We must trust God, not people. God will supply all we need, including food, meat, water, leaders, and land. We must worship God according to his instructions.PSALM 25:
This is our first acrostic poem. Verse 14 is translated as ‘secret’ by older translations which followed the KJV, but is better translated as ‘friendship/friend’. Here we read of the privilege of an intimate relationship with the Lord. I am reminded of a few years ago when things were not going well for me in relation to the leaders of my organization. Psalms like this were very comforting to me.LUKE 17b:
Yesterday in 17a Jesus taught about the importance of forgiving others, the importance of believing fully and being humble servants. Then we heard of the healing of 10 men who had a contageous/dreaded skin disease.
NLT Translation notes:
Luk. 17:3 So watch yourselves! “If your fellow believer sins, rebuke [him//that person]; then if [he repents//there is repentance], forgive [him/0].
[I don’t mind some gender sensitivity, but NLT goes overboard here.]
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our [our level of believing in God//faith].”
6 The Lord answered, “If your [belief in him is tiny, just as tiny as// had faith even as small] as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting [over and over again//0], “Praise God!”
19 And Jesus said to the man, “[You may stand//Stand] up and go [now/0]. [It is because you believe fully in Me that you have been healed.//Your faith has healed you.]”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the [I—/0] Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it.
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when [I—] the Son of Man [come/comes].
26 “When [I return as//0] the Son of Man [0/returns], it will be like it was in Noah’s day.
30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when [I—] the Son of Man[, am//is] revealed.
37 “Where will this happen, Lord?”i the disciples asked. Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows [clearly that//there is] a carcass [is somewhere//0] nearby, so [the signs that indicate the end will be obvious//so these signs indicate that the end is near].”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 26-27:
Yesterday we heard about the Sabbath year and the year of Restoration/Jubilee. Before the Year of Restoration, property could be bought back//redeemed. In the Restoration year property was returned to the original owners and poor people who had become enslaved were set free. I suspect these laws were never done in all of Israel's history. If they were, perhaps only once— fifty years after Israel entered the land of Canaan.PSALM 24:
This Psalm is one of the most majestic psalms! This ends with the song for welcoming the triumphant Messiah into Jerusalem.LUKE 17a:
Yesterday in chapter 16 we heard two longer parables— both very insightful: The parable of the shrewd manager, and the one about the rich man and Lazarus. Both of them show this lesson:Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they (those friends) will welcome you to an eternal home.
NLT Translation notes:
Luk. 17: 3 So watch yourselves! “If your fellow believer sins, rebuke [him//that person] ; then if [he repents//there is repentance], forgive [him/0].
[I don’t mind some gender sensitivity, but NLT goes overboard here.]
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our [our level of believing in God//faith].”
6 The Lord answered, “If your [belief in him is tiny, just as tiny as// had faith even as small] as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting [over and over again//0], “Praise God!”
19 And Jesus said to the man, “[You may stand//Stand] up and go [now/0]. [It is because you believe fully in Me that you have been healed.//Your faith has healed you.]”
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when [I—] the Son of Man [come/comes].
26 “When [I return as//0] the Son of Man [0/returns], it will be like it was in Noah’s day.
30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when [I—/0] the Son of Man[, am//is] revealed.
37 “Where will this happen, Lord?”i the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows [clearly that//there is] a carcass [is somewhere//0] nearby, so [the signs that indicate the end will be obvious//so these signs indicate that the end is near].”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 25:
Yesterday we heard about the seven important yearly celebrations of the Jewish religion. Then we heard about oil and bread for the tabernacle, and then there was the example of a law-breaker who was stoned to death for his crime of blasphemy.PSALM 23:
Today we read the most famous psalm of all. My wife has often said: Psalm 23 is so often quoted at funerals, but this is a psalm about living, not dying!LUKE 16:
Yesterday in Luke 15, we heard the three-part parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son. There is much treasure to dig for there! Consider taking some time to reflect on that wonderful chapter.NLT Translation notes:
6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘[My dear friend, take//Take] the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’
7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here, [my friend,/0]’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’
9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make [heavenly/0] friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Today I would like to give pointers for understanding Jesus’ parables. I consider the parable to be one of the greatest of all teaching devices, and a legacy of the Greatest Teacher. I will end this episode by sharing a non-Biblical parable.
One little detail to understand is that the word ‘parable’ (Greek paraboles) had a wider meaning than we normally think of in English, and you may see this sometimes in the New Testament. In English, we normally think of a parable as a story that points to some deeper meaning. However, as an example, the word ‘parable’ is used for a one-sentence figurative teaching in Mark 7:17 where it refers back to Jesus’ statement in verse 15:
GW “Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It’s what comes out of a person that makes him unclean.”
In verse 17, the disciples ask Jesus to explain that ‘parable’.
With that footnote, I want you to know that I will really just be talking briefly about what we normally think of as parables, the story type.
In the episode notes, I give links to more complete and scholarly information than what I will present to you. In particular, I recommend viewing the 6 minute video from bibleproject.com entitled The Parables of Jesus. Also in the episode notes, I have links to both a video and a good summary about Interpreting Parables by Bob Utley.
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Bob Utley’s Special Topic page on Interpreting Parables:
http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/special_topics/parable_interpretation.htmlBob Utley’s video on Luke 15:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f76EvjGy7JwDon’t miss the cool video from BibleProject.com! Title: The Parables of Jesus
I appreciated the original thinking and humorous examples in this short article:
https://www.1517.org/articles/understanding-jesus-parables=======
As I was thinking about what to mention to you, I was reading a historically-interesting commentary by Christopher Wordsworth from 1856, and I almost stumbled into a common error in interpreting parables, which is thinking of them as allegories. An example of this is Luke chapter 15, where we have the parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. Wordsworth gives an allegorical interpretation, assigning an identity to all the characters. In this case, the shepherd is Christ, who searches for his lost sheep. That’s not too bad. But seeing the woman who loses one of her coins as a picture of the church, is definitely stretching things. Similarly in the Parable of the Lost Son, the father is interpreted as God, the younger son as the Gentiles who repent, and the older son as the Jews.
One of the things that leads people to take an overly allegorical approach to the parables has to be Jesus himself, in his foundational teaching about the parables found in Mark 4, Mat. 13, and Luk. 8. In Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower, He might almost contradict my last point about allegorical interpretation. It just happens that the Parable of the Sower (also called the Parable of the Different Kinds of Soil) has clear allegorical elements (the birds, path, rocky soil, etc), whereas for many other parables it doesn’t help to seek an allegorical identity for the various participants. A second thing that is unusual in the Parable of the Soils is that it has clear multiple teaching points, whereas most parables have a single, simple point.
I have mentioned all this heavy stuff to bring us around to this simple point: When we get too fancy in our interpretation of parables, we tend to miss the main point, which is to ask, “How does this apply to me?” The cool thing about parables is that Jesus intended them to be multi-purpose. People who were ready to believe in Jesus would get one interpretation, and the religious leaders criticizing Him would understand Jesus’ meaning very differently. Both groups got a correct interpretation, as Jesus intended, even though the interpretations were different.
This propensity of parables to be interpreted differently has a plus side and a negative side. On one hand, we must remember that parables are not good for determining doctrine. Let’s not decide the timing of Jesus’ second coming based on parables, but some of the parables clearly illustrate something about Jesus’ second coming. The plus side is that the Holy Spirit may use Jesus’ parables to say something very pointedly appropriate for you.
I have been amazed that in the Parable of Different Kinds of Soil I sometimes find that I am dangerously close to living amongst thorns, way too concerned with the cares of this life. But in a few months when I come across the parable again, I find that I have moved over to the rocky soil, meaning that I might glibly say that I love God’s Word, but on that day if I am honest, I have to admit that my roots are dangerously shallow.
Another illustration of a personal application for me is this, which I don’t think I have ever shared with anyone before: When I read the story of the prodigal son, I am reminded that I acted like the prodigal son, when I was young and thoughtless, by asking for part of my inheritance early. I didn’t realize that this was tantamount to wishing my father dead. How this must have hurt him! I wish I could tell him how sorry I am that I ever did that.
Don’t look to parables for decisions about moving to another city, quitting your job, or selling your house. That’s not what I mean by a personal application.
Finally, here are three final pointers:
Understanding the context and the audience Jesus was speaking to is key to understanding what Jesus was saying. You can see a progression in Luke’s Gospel that leads from more general parables about the Kingdom of God, to Jesus’ identity as the king who will return, and to whom everyone will give an account. Look to see if the Gospel writer or Jesus himself tells what He was driving at. And also take note of any surprising twist in the story. Such twists often give an important clue to the meaning.Let me illustrate that idea of a surprising twist found in some parables. One of my favorite booklets that we printed to display our translation in Indonesia is a collection of 25 parables. If I am in Indonesia, I like to have that booklet handy in my bag. There was one devout Islamic taxi driver that took me to my home at least six times. Because of frequent traffic jams in Jakarta, a 20 minute trip can take two hours on bad days. So I started reading the parables to him. He was interested, and it was way better than trying to debate with him about our religions. After many of the parables he would say, “OK, yeah. I think we Muslims could agree with that one.” That continued until we got to the Parable of the Vineyard owner in Matthew 20. That’s the one where the vineyard owner gives all the workers the same pay for a full day’s work, even though some workers only worked for one hour. He responded, “What?! He did that? That’s crazy. That’s unfair!” This gave me an opportunity to talk about God’s kindness. We call it grace. God wants to be generous with us, because none of us can manage to earn our salvation. God designed this counterintuitive situation so that all glory would go to our Savior, and none would go to us.
As I will not be living in the same place in Jakarta when I go back (in July 2022), it is not likely that I will take that route again with the same taxi driver. It is not appropriate for me to share his name. But you can join me in praying for that taxi driver that I read parables to.
To give you a chance of hearing a parable for the first time (like Jesus’ followers had), I’ll read The Innovator by G. Williams Jones, from his book with the same name, published by Abingdon Press, copyright 1969.
The complete name of the book is The Innovator and Other Modern Parables.
Announcement: If anyone knows of any of the heirs of G. William Jones, please ask them to contact me.
May the Lord bless you ‘Real Good’!
Phil
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LEVITICUS 23-24:
Yesterday we heard two chapters of regulations for the priests, all for the purpose of preserving their holiness. Again and again the Lord says, “I am the Lord”, emphasizing that, as He is holy, so the priests and the people of Israel must be holy.PSALM 22:
We turn to a famous psalm today, Psalm 22. This is one of the chief Messianic psalms, containing moving prophetic words about how Jesus would die on the cross. And then words about what Jesus has done and is doing even now.LUKE 15:
Today we read the three-in-one parable chapter. Yesterday in Luke 14, Jesus healed on the Sabbath, taught about humility and the cost of being his disciple, and gave the parable of the great feast.Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 21-22:
Yesterday we heard various laws that are for preserving the holiness of God's people, and various kinds of punishment for disobedience.PSALM 21:
This poem is a companion to yesterday's, which was for the nation and the king in time of war. Today’s poem is the corresponding victory song.Luke 14:
As we heard yesterday, Luke chapter 13 containes 4 parables. Jesus warned the people sternly to repent, and he grieved for the persistent stubbornness and hardness of heart of the people of Jerusalem. In both that chapter and today’s chapter, Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, using those occasions as opportunities to teach and rebuke his enemies.Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 19-20:
Yesterday we learned about the rule that all sacrifices be done at the tabernacle, the prohibitions of eating anything containing animal blood, and forbidden sexual practices.PSALM 20:
This is a prayer for the nation of Israel and their king, asking for national security in time of war.LUKE 13:
In the second half of Luke 12, Jesus taught about being ready for his return, and warned us to be ready for suffering. He prophesied about the suffering that now happens because of divisions between those who believe and obey Jesus, and those who do not.NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 20:7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
but we boast [because of the reputation //in the name] of the LORD our God.
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Luk. 12:18 [Then Jesus introduced his teaching by asking, “What is the Kingdom of God like? Here is how I illustrate it.//Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it?]
[Even though English does use rhetorical questions, we don’t often use them to introduce teachings like Jesus did. Many languages in the world only use rhetorical questions for rebuking. Often translators do as I have done here so that Jesus doesn’t sound like he is groping around for what to say.]
20 [Next he said, “Here is another illustration of the Kingdom of God.//He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like?]
31 At that time some Pharisees said to him, “Get away from here if you want to live! [King/0] Herod Antipas wants to kill you!”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 17-18:
Yesterday we learned about regulations concerning uncleanness caused by bodily discharges of all kinds. Then we heard the procedures for the high priest to perform yearly on the day of atonement.PSALM 19:
Today’s Psalm is a famous poem celebrating the heavens and God's creation, and secondly celebrating the perfection of God's Word.LUKE 12b:
In yesterday’s reading in this chapter, Jesus warned about hypocrisy, and one of our biggest fears— fearing what other people will think of us. I want to read a clear version of these three verses:
Luk. 12:8 [PET “I tell you the truth, everyone who says publicly here on earth, ‘I am a follower of Jesus’, I, the Son of Man, will also acknowledge them as my followers in the presence of God’s angels.
9 But those who deny me here on earth, saying they are not my disciples, I will also say that they are not my disciples in the presence of God’s angels.//GNT “I assure you that those who declare publicly that they belong to me, [I,] the Son of Man will do the same for them before the angels of God. 9 But those who reject me publicly, [I,] the Son of Man will also reject them before the angels of God.]
10 “Whoever says a word against [Me,] the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 19:3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never [actually/0] heard.
8 The [commands/commandments] of the LORD are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
11 They are a warning to [me,/0] your servant,
a great reward for those who obey them.
13 Keep [me,/0] your servant, from deliberate sins!
Don’t let them control me.
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Luk. 12:6 “What is the price of five sparrows— [maybe/0] two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.
8 “I tell you the truth, everyone who [says publicly here on earth 'I am a follower of Jesus', I, the Son of Manc will also acknowledge them as my followers in the presence of God’s angels.//acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels.]
9 But [those who deny me here on earth, saying they are not my disciple, I will also say that they are not my disciples in the presence of God’s angels.//anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.]
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a [very/0] fertile farm that produced fine crops. “[You lucky guy//My friend], you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you have [hoarded up for ourself/worked for]?’
[See the footnote in the NET for this verse.]
28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you [— you my friends with so little faith!!//Why do you have so little faith?]
[Here I let the word ‘faith’ stand. Maybe like this, following my normal pattern: “— you my friends who so weakly believe that the Father will help you.” Note that using ‘believe’ kind of requires that the translator add an object. For the sake of clarity, this is a good thing. Some readers will feel that this is going too far, but translators routinely do this in languages which don’t have any abstract nouns, or in situations like this for languages like Indonesian and English.]
40 You also must be ready all the time, for [I—/0] the Son of Man, will come when least expected.”
46 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut [that evil//the] servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.
52 From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. [As the Scripture says,//0]
54 Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a [rain/0] shower.’ And you are right.
56 You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, [so why can't you figure out how to interpret the signs of the present time?!//but you don’t know how to interpret the present times.]Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 15-16:
Yesterday we heard about sacrifices following the healing of skin diseases and after getting rid of house mildew. Chapter 15 is about defiling bodily discharges. Chapter 16 is about the Day of Atonement, and the chapter contains a translation problem in the word or name ‘azazel’. If you are interested in this problem, see the Translate notes in today’s episode notes.PSALM 18:
This poem reveals David’s intimacy with God. Even though he frequently refers to himself, we see that God— and not himself, is the center of his spiritual life.LUKE 12a:
Jesus definitely gained enemies by his teaching at the end of chapter 11, which was against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and religious experts.NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 18:34 He trains my hands for battle;
he strengthens my arm [so that I can draw back a
bronze bow of bronze//to draw a bronze bow.]
41 They called for help, but no one came to their rescue.
They even cried to [you, LORD, but you//the LORD, but he] refused to answer.
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Luk. 12:6 “What is the price of five sparrows— [maybe/0] two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.
8 “I tell you the truth, everyone who [says publicly here on earth 'I am a follower of Jesus', I, the Son of Manc will also acknowledge them as my followers in the presence of God’s angels.//acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels.]
9 But [those who deny me here on earth, saying they are not my disciple, I will also say that they are not my disciples in the presence of God’s angels.//anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.]
10 Anyone who speaks against [me,/0] the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a [very/0] fertile farm that produced fine crops. “[You lucky guy//My friend], you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you have [hoarded up for yourself/worked for]?’
[See the footnote in the NET for this verse.]
28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith [in Him]?
[Here I let the word ‘faith’ stand. Maybe like this, following my normal pattern: “— you my friends who so weakly believe that the Father will help you.” Note that using ‘believe’ kind of requires that the translator add an object. Some readers will feel that this is going too far, but translators routinely do this in languages which don’t have any abstract nouns, or in situations like this for languages like Indonesian and English.
40 You also must be ready all the time, for [I—/0] the Son of Man, will come when least expected.”
46 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut [that evil//the] servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.
52 From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. [As the Scripture says,//0]
54 Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a [rain/0] shower.’ And you are right.
56 You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, [so why can't you figure out how to interpret the signs of the present time?!//but you don’t know how to interpret the present times.]Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 14:
After hearing about the serious skin diseases yesterday, today we hear of the regulations if someone is healed from one. Note that these regulations were probably almost never done— until perhaps when Jesus caused a wave of men who had been healed to come with offerings.Note that our modern translations use either ‘serious skin disease’ or ‘contagious skin disease’ instead of calling these ‘leprosy’ as in older translations. Leprosy— also called Hanson’s Disease, is a very different disease from the ones described in Scripture.
PSALM 17:
This is one of David’s poems. Olsen quotes Spurgeon commenting on this psalm: “David would never have been [called] a man after God's own heart if he had not been a man of prayer. He was a master in the sacred art of supplication.”LUKE 11b:
Yesterday in the first half of Luke 11, Jesus taught about prayer, and persistence in prayer, and taught refuting those who slandered him saying that he worked by the power of Satan. Jesus also taught that demons can leave on their own, but spiritual vacuum will result in more demons than before.NLT Translation notes:
Luk. 11:2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray
“Father, [PET: Our Father, may everyone honor You as the Holy God.//may your name be kept You always be regarded as holy.]
May your Kingdom come soon.
[As in many other places, 'name' is a metonymy for all of God. It is not just the name of God that Jesus wants us to hold as holy, but the whole Person of God as well.]
21-22 [PET: “Satan can be illustrated as a strong home owner who— fully armed, always guards his house. He trusts in his weapons to keep all his possessions safe, and to defeat the One who opposes him— which is Me. But I'm stronger than he is! When I attack him, I will certainly defeat him, take all of his weapons, carry away his possessions and distribute them according to My will. //21 For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings. ]
44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.” [So also your defiling corruption is hidden and contagious.//0]Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 13:
Yesterday in Lev. 11-12, we learned the animals considered clean and edible, and those that were considered unclean and detestable. Then we heard about the sacrifices for purification after a woman gives birth.PSALM 16:
E.C. Olsen says that the Old Testament is like a sundial. “It is not difficult to read the hour marks on a sundial. Anybody can read them and at any time, but one can only tell time when the sun shines upon the sundial. Thus, while the Bible is the Word of God and can be read by all at any time, only the man who has received the Lord Jesus Christ is able to tell divine time by the Bible. It is only as the “Son” shines upon the pages of Scripture, particularly the Old Testament, that we are able to understand, to see and to appreciate that Christ is to be found on every page of Scripture.” With the Son shining on it, we see that this is a Messianic psalm.LUKE 11a:
Yesterday in 10b, Jesus agreed with a law expert in the most important commandments, but taught the man the meaning of who is one's neighbor. And Jesus visited Martha and Mary.NLT Translation notes:
Luk. 11:2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, [PET: Our Father, may everyone honor You as the Holy God.//may your name be kept holy//may You always be regarded as holy.]
May your Kingdom come soon.
[As in many other places, 'name' is a metonymy for all of God. It is not just the name of God that Jesus wants us to hold as holy, but the whole Person of God as well.]
21-22 [PET: “Satan can be illustrated as a strong home owner who— fully armed, always guards his house. He trusts in his weapons to keep all his possessions safe, and to defeat the One who opposes him— which is Me. But I'm stronger than he is! When I attack him, I will certainly defeat him, take all of his weapons, carry away his possessions and distribute them according to My will. //21 For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.]
44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.” [So also your defiling corruption is hidden and contagious.//0]Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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LEVITICUS 11-12:
Yesterday in Leviticus, Aaron and his sons started their work, and the glory of the Lord was revealed. But right after that Nadab and Abihu died because they offered an unauthorized kind of fire to the Lord.PSALM 15:
This is a psalm showing the kind of people who will be welcomed into God's presence.LUKE 10:
Yesterday in the first half of the chapter, Jesus sent the 72 disciples out ahead of Him with interesting instructions. A worker will be given his pay as he trusts in the Lord to provide it. And there were strong words for the villages which received most of Jesus' miracles.NLT Translation notes:
3 Those who refuse to gossip or [to/0] harm their neighbors or [to/0] speak evil of their friends.
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Luk. 10:5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are [people who desire God's peace//peaceful], the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you.
23 Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are [your eyes because of what you have been allowed to see.// “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen.]
24 I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you [have been seeing//see], but they didn’t [get to//0] see it. And they longed to hear what you [have been hearing//hear], but they didn’t [get to//0] hear it.”
29 The man wanted to justify his [life-style//actions], so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
36 “Now which of [those/these] three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now [you also//0] go and do the same.”Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
- Visa fler
