Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Book of Jonah Part 5

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - FRIEND(S)

FRIEND(S)

It is evident from history that most, if not all, cultures throughout our past have developed religious practices. Religion has always been man’s attempt to reach out to and placate the gods. In many cases these practices have included elaborate rituals, fairly rigid rules regarding lifestyle, ways and times of prayer, and food and dress restrictions. In addition, in many cases, such practices have also included sexual activities and/or sacrifices in the form of infants, children, or young persons in an attempt to make things right with the gods.

The gods to whom a large part of the world gives worship are aloof and distant and seem to exist to keep those under their influence in a state of anxiety and trepidation. The names by which they are known are usually suggestive of power and loftiness.

Fortunately, such gods, even though worshiped by many, do not really exist. It is also fortunate that the true God is unlike those mentioned above. The Bible states that the true God is our Father, an intimate term, and that:

 

God is love. 

(1 John 4:8)

It is also reported that, in the book of Hosea, God said:

…I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

And the knowledge of God more than [sacrifice]. 

(Hosea 6:6)

This comes from the One who is not distant or aloof but intimate and concerned about those who respect and worship Him. This is the God of Christianity who wishes a relationship with those who love Him and to whom He returns love. Those who have the wisdom to fear Him in awe and humility have no need to be in a state of anxiety or trepidation in their relationship with Him for the Bible says that:

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments…

(Ps 111:10)

…But fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

(Proverbs 1:7)

So, with the proper fear of God and the understanding to try and do His will, we can have a relationship with God unlike that in any other religion; a relationship built on love and respect, not anxiety or worry. No other spiritual relationship has had a god come to earth to relate to his people as has God in the form of Christ. More so by realizing and accepting that, we have the promise of not only:

 

…becom[ing] children of God…

(John 1:12)

…children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ… 

(Romans 8:17)

…but also of not being servants, always attempting to please a distant deity. As He said:

No longer do I call you servants, 

for a servant does not know what his master is doing; 

but I have called you friends, 

for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known 

to you. 

(John 15:15)

And                 

Greater love has no one than this, 

that to lay down one’s life for his friends.

(John 15:13)

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. 

(1 John 3:16)

To not be a slave to a distant deity but to be in that relationship which makes one an heir of God and a friend of the creator of the universe truly does give one something to think about and be thankful for.

Roxann Spicer Oct. 13, 2024

Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Book of Jonah Part 4

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - EVED HASHEM

 EVED HASHEM

There seem to be only a few people in the Bible who were given the praise to be called Even HaShem - “a servant of the Lord.” It really means that these people put their own needs well behind the needs of others. It also refers to the fact that servanthood is the essence of a true leader.

David, the king, was apparently such a man. He ruled Israel for forty years and they were among the most successful and prosperous years of Israel’s history. He received this title in Psalm 18 where it states:

 

A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, 

who spoke to the Lord the words of this song 

on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of his enemies 

and from the hand of Saul. 

He said: “I will love you, O Lord, my strength.” 

(Psalm 18:1)

Psalm 36 reinforces the title given to David:

A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord 

(Psalm 36:1)

Joshua, the successor of Moses led the Israelites in the conquest of the Holy Land and died at the age of one hundred and ten years. When he was instructing his followers as to the way they should go, he stated:

If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, 

then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, 

after He has done you good.

(Joshua 24:20)

Now…put away the foreign gods which are among you, 

and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.

(Joshua 24:23)

…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

(Joshua 24:15)

And so Joshua led the people, conquered the Holy Land, and served God, and when he died was called:

…the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord…

(Judges 2:8)

Of course, in the Old Testament, probably no one was more worthy of the title than Moses. He led the Israelites through the desert after he helped achieve their freedom from Egypt. After leading them all day, he would spend both day and night instructing them about God. He was sacrificial in his duty to God to the point that God said:

He is faithful in all my house.
(Numbers 12:7)

And over a dozen times in the Bible, Moses is called a “servant of the Lord.”

But no one could be considered more faithful to God than Jesus Himself. He was totally faithful to the One who appointed Him.

…nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.

(Luke 22:42)

Christ…

…made Himself of no reputation, 

taking the form of a bondservant, 

and coming in the likeness of man.

(Philippians 2:7)

Yeshua, more than anyone else, modeled what it means to be a true and faithful servant of the Lord.*

Now Christ, of course, was without sin and Joshua led faithfully for many years. But David did sin with Bathsheba and caused the death of her husband Uriah. He repented, however, and so, in spite of his indiscretion, he received forgiveness and remained a faithful servant of the Lord.

This is reflected in his Psalm of Repentance when he states:

Have mercy upon me, O God, 

According to thy lovingkindness; 

According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies,

 Blot out my transgressions.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,

And my sin is always before me.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, 

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

(Psalm 51:1-3,10)

Even Moses did wrong. His wrongdoing, however, was trivial compared to that of David, when he apparently, in a fit of anger, disobeyed God and struck a rock to bring forth water rather than speaking to the rock as God had commanded:

“Speak to the rock..and it will yield its water…”

Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod…

Then the Lord spoke…“Because you did not believe Me, 

to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, 

therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." 

(Numbers 20:8,11-12)

Moses prayed for repentance for his people, but not for himself, when he came down from the mountain and saw the golden calf that the people had made. He said:

“…these people have committed a great sin…

Yet now, if you will forgive their sin—

but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.

 (Exodus 32:31-32)

In spite of bring called a “faithful servant” and servant of the Lord, he still endured punishment for what he did not do, and that is repent for his misdeeds. It certainly shows that God can be forgiving and merciful but even for a servant of the Lord repentance is needed for that forgiveness to be full.

It does give one something to think about.  

*Mysteries of the Messiah pg 93 by Rabbi Jason Sobel

Jean Kirk October 6, 2024

Dr. Barclays Bible Study - The Book of Jonah Part 3