How to navigate freedom of expression in a polarised world
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Universities: theatres for the exercise of the independence of the mind
How to navigate freedom of expression in a polarised world
The Queen ‘Cancelled’ … At Oxford University?
It is considered the Number One, or Two, university in the world. She is the most well-known and respected leader on the earth today. They both live in the same country – indeed, they are within 1-2 hours distance from each other. Like horse and carriage, they are synonymous with the greatness of their nation.
Yet we are in a culture war with ‘political correctness,’ ’historical revision,’ ‘defund the police,’ with continuous attacks on national borders, traditions, and institutions. Part and parcel of cultural Marxism and the culture war is ‘cancel culture,’ which seeks to silence, de-platform, and, if possible, destroy, the object of its scorn. It doesn’t just target the little guy; even the rich and famous have been in its cross-hairs, like JK Rowlings, Donald Trump, and Franklin Graham (none of these have disappeared yet).
Did Queen Elizabeth II get ‘cancelled’ at Oxford University? It depends on how your perspective.
Perspective, Please
Here’s what actually happened. Magdalen College, one of the top schools of Oxford, has a ‘Middle Common Room’(MCR) for the graduate students. At a June 2021 meeting, 17 of the 250 MCR members, most of them international students, debated whether a 1952 portrait of the Queen should stay or be removed from the wall. The student president of MCR, Matthew Katzman, aged 25, from Maryland USA, led the charge for removal.
Katzman said the MCR should be a welcoming neutral place for all members regardless of background, demographics or views. The portrait of the Queen is ‘unwelcoming’ because its ‘depictions of the monarch and the British monarchy represent recent colonial history. Patriotism and colonialism are not really separable ….’ Being an American, Katzman would be unfamiliar with royal things and Magdalen, founded in1458, as well as the historical city of Oxford, are full of royal items, sculptures, and art.
It needs also to be noted the portrait has only been in the MCR since 2013; apparently, before that date there was no picture of the monarch. What the students were doing was simply exercising their democratic right to decorate their common room as they see fit. After all, if you can’t have freedom of speech in a university, what hope do we have for the rest of society (Note: Freedom of speech at university level is under threat … but that’s a separate matter).
The President of Magdalen, Dinah Rose QC, supported the students right to make that decision, in part because of the need to protect free speech in the face of cancel culture. Rose expressed personal admiration for the Monarch and the British values she upholds. These include debate and the right of freedom of expression, even if such is offensive and wrong. In conclusion, Rose said, ‘I strongly support the MCR’s exercise of that right, and their right to take democratic decision about their own affairs, including the decoration of their own space in college.’[1] Sounds reasonable.
So let’s not make this bigger than what it is — the portrait of the Queen will not be ‘hanging out’ with the Magdalen students. This is not Bastille Day.
Please Consider
Freedom of speech means the ability to speak your mind without censure; but it also means being ready to handle a response. Please consider the following:
RIGHT OF REPLY: In former times, public statements could be countered by opposing arguments. That’s part of the deal. Yet in today’s highly triggered, thin-skinned, prima donna snowflake world, you can’t have people exercising free speech, only to bubble wrap and whisk them to a ‘safe space’ so they can’t hear counter arguments. It doesn’t work like that.
Magdalen’s MCR decision did get some high-profile and negative responses.
UK Education Gavin Williamson called the decision ‘absurd’ and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed. Oxford Chancellor Lord Patten called the student vote ‘offensive and obnoxiously ignorant.’
Harry Mount, a graduate of Magdalen, wrote in The Daily Mail, that the student decision to remove the portrait was ‘the latest example of knee-jerk wokery’ (here’s a new word for you) and got him thinking how ‘how stupid very clever people can sometimes be.’
TIMING: Part of the outraged response has to do with timing and the monarch herself. Britain has just gone through a long lock-down, with all the trauma and stress it entailed. ‘Cancel culture’ has struck like a hand-grenade tossed into a crowd. The Queen had just lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, on 9 April 2021, two months shy of his 100th birthday. Then there are the continued actions and statements of Harry and Meghan, even from far away California. The Queen is a strong survivor but it is still a lot to bear on a 95 year old woman. British people are feeling extra protective of the Her Majesty at this time.
It’s one thing to protest and oppose an unpopular king like James II, who spawned the Glorious Revolution of 1688. It is another thing to show ‘seeming disrespect’ to the longest serving and most popular monarch in British history. While the MCR students may not have intended any kind of insult towards the Queen, the timing during all these events was unfortunate and can be easily misinterpreted.
IGNORANCE: Though the graduate students at Magdalen can do what they want with their common room, at least offer a proper reason. To say that Elizabeth II represents ‘recent colonial history’ truly is absurd (Note: Cultural Marxist often throw around the word ‘colonial’ to make it synonymous with ‘racism’).
In her long reign, the Queen has presided over the peaceful decolonisation of the British Empire, from which emerged the Commonwealth of Nations. Many of these former colonies are enthusiastic participants in the Commonwealth, which consists of fifty-four sovereign nations, 2.4 billion people, of which 60% are under the age of 30. It is a big global multinational, multiracial family. The Queen is the titular head of the Commonwealth and greatly loved by its members; it is perhaps her finest individual achievement. To the students of MCR, you are free to do what you want in your common room, but come up with a better reason.
TREND: The MCR controversy is just a blip on the radar compared to a much bigger civil war brewing at Oxford University. Cancel culture includes toppling of statues, which has happened in the USA and UK. Historical figures are being ‘cancelled’ because of alleged links to slavery, however tenuous they may be. The National Trust, caretaker of historic homes and mansions throughout the UK, have 93 of their sites blacklisted because of supposed links to slavery by the original owners.
One reviled figure is Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902), whose statue is displayed prominently high up at Oriel College, a school he helped fund. Rhodes scholarship comes from him. The Left see Rhodes as an oppressive coloniser, while the other side said he is a historical figure; toppling his statue would ‘erase history’ and ‘censor the past.’ A head of one college at Oxford is boycotting cooperation with Oriel and tutoring its students until the statue is removed (Honest question: How does removing a statue help oppressed people?).
BIGGER THREAT: The monarchy faces a bigger threat than the removal of a portrait from a common room or Cecil Rhodes statue. Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have gone on record saying publicly ‘racism’ and ‘deception’ are found in the monarchy, the Commonwealth, the British press, and other unsubstantiated claims. These pronouncements may die down and be forgotten, which is the preferred outcome, or they could flare up again, either by the Sussexes or someone else who picks up the torch.
From a Biblical perspective, God is not in the business of cancelling out people, but of redeeming them from sin, giving them an abundant life in this world, and hope for the world to come. The things that gets cancelled include ‘sin, shame, and death.’
That’s the glory of the Gospel.
[1] ‘Now PM hits out over students’ outrageous attack on the Queen, by Josh White and Glen Keogh, The Daily Mail, June 10, 2021, page 6.
The end of an era? Israel’s New Government
He has been a towering figure in Israeli and even global politics for fifteen non-consecutive years (1996-1999; 2009-2021). Many younger Israelis have known no other leader than him. It is reported that, apart from the American President, he received more world leaders than anyone else. While increasingly a polarising figure at home, he was received with great honor in places like Washington, Moscow, and Beijing.
Our course the man in question is Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu, who is Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister. On Sunday, 13 June 2021, Netanyahu ceded, most reluctantly, the prime ministership to a new Change government.
Assessing Netanyahu
From an objective point of view, Netanyahu has been an effective leader. As Finance Minister and Prime Minister, he presided over the growth of the economy, helping to make Israel a start-up capital and Middle Eastern Silicon Valley. When it comes to issues of national security and counter-terrorism, Israelis trust him most. More than any other person Netanyahu has been sounding the alarm over Iran’s nuclear program.
On the diplomatic front, he quietly built relations with Arab world, particularly Saudi Arabia and some of the Gulf Countries, something that was unthinkable a few years ago. Evolving from a ‘no recognition of Israel’ to a cautious embrace, they have been attracted to its technology and also as a serious counterweight to Iran. Eventually, under the supervision of US President Trump, came the Abraham Accords in October 2020, where the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, have all agreed to make peace with the Jewish state. Others Arab nations are expected to follow. Netanyahu’s eloquence – in English and Hebrew – is unrivalled.
Yet, there is always the challenge when a person has been in power for a long time, namely the threat of corruption. Netanyahu is currently being tried for that very thing. Of course, he should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, but it is a drag on the entire country. There has been the political stalemate with four elections in two years, and being the powerful person he is, it is fair to say that he is the epicentre of it. Then, his attacks on the incoming government have been described as unfair and virulent.
Introducing Naftali Bennett
Who is the man who replaced Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel? His name is Naftali Bennett, leader of the New Right Party (Yamina). Bennett was born in March 1972 in Haifa, the son of Jewish migrants from the United States. A very successful business owner and multi-millionaire, he is an observant Orthodox Jew. Bennett is married to a professional pastry chef named Gilat and they have four children.
Politically, he is right of Netanyahu and described as an ‘ultra-nationalist.’ He is against a Palestinian state ‘in the tiny land of Israel,’ believes in cutting taxes, reducing regulation, and encouraging small business. While he affirms homosexuals have the same human rights as anyone else, he is against same-sex marriage or the advancement of the gay agenda. Many of his coalition partners, and even Netanyahu, are far more ‘gay-friendly’ than Bennett.
Israel’s proportional representation democracy means that every election results in a hung parliament; thus rendering all Israeli governments a coalition. Under Netanyahu, there were right-wing and religious parties in his coalition. Under Bennett, the religious and right-wing parties are gone and secular, centrist, leftist have replaced it. For the first time ever, the Arab parties, called Joint List, are part of an Israeli coalition government.
The Challenges Ahead
Bennett’s main partner is Yesh Atid (there is a future) secular centrist party, led by Yair Lapid. They have a revolving agreement: Bennett will serve as Prime Minister from June 13, 2021- to 27 August, 2023. On the latter date, Lapid will become Prime Minister until November 2025.
That’s if the coalition last that long, and it is a big ‘IF.’ Prospects are not good. Bennett’s Change Government has 61 Knesset (Israel’s parliament) seats and Netanyahu has 59. If just one member of Bennett’s coalition defects, the whole government will come crashing down, triggering a new election.
Then there is the Netanyahu factor: He will not go away nor will he be cancelled. He continues to serve as leader of the Likud Party and Opposition Leader. It is no secret that he aims to do what he can to undermine the new government, and considering its ultra-thin majority, that won’t be hard to do.
And it won’t be necessarily just Netanyahu who will put the new Change government to the test. Two days after Bennett took office, Hamas deployed fire balloons from Gaza, which have started 30 fires in Israeli areas near the border.
When it comes to the Middle East, especially Israel, expect the unexpected. In the meantime, there is something you can do: pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). Jew and Arab, Christian and Muslim, will all be better off because of it.
#yamina #naftalibennett #netanyahu #psalm122 #psalm122v6 #teachallnations #
Covid-19 & Fauci Emails: A Smoking Gun?
During the height of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, he was the face of America’s national response. His name became a household word. Many considered him ‘America’s Doctor,’ having served as the chief medical advisor to every US President since Ronald Reagan.
The man: Anthony Fauci, scientist, physician, and immunologist. He is the Director of the American National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He was the lead member of President Trump’s White House Coronavirus Task Force. An anxious nation looked to his voice of reason, calm, and knowledge to get through the scourge of the pandemic. Fauci enjoyed great favour with the mainstream media.
Is that image changing? With the release of 3,200 pages of emails through Buzzfeed thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it appears there is another side to this ‘respected and trusted’ face of Fauci. Though there is still much to sort through and the emails are redacted, yet things look questionable, if not ominous
Remember at the outbreak of the pandemic? The world was told that Covid-19 came from bats in the Wuhan wet market. Yet, this explanation did not satisfy. Reports came that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) may have been the source. Fauci denied it and the mainstream media criticised anyone advocating this position as a ‘conspiracy theory.’ Of course, since Donald Trump was the biggest proponent of the ‘lab leak,’ the media was even more insistent that it was wrong.
Then Wall Street Journal reported that in November 2019, just before the outbreak of the pandemic, three researchers at WIV had been infected with Covid like symptoms. This put more credence into the theory. This report may have lit the fuse.
Attitudes began to change when a delegation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) went to WIV in January 2021 to inspect the facility. They were only allowed three hours in the facility by their Chinese hosts and faced other limitations. This visit breathed new life into the ‘lab leak’ theory. Then, in May 2021, eighteen prominent scientists signed an open letter asking for a full investigation of the WIV.
Dr. Fauci denied there was a lab leak for the longest time. Only recently he said that he is ‘not convinced’ that Covid-19 developed naturally (meaning, through bats at the wet market). It is beyond the scope of this article to go into all the details – they are massive, being processed, and redacted – but please consider: Fauci’s NIAID, via the Ecohealth Alliance, gave money (in the millions) to WIV and deny the virus leaked from the lab. Why the donations to WIV and why the denial?
Fauci finally admitted to doing the funding but said it was to avoid an outbreak on American soil. Since this was the case, if the lab leak theory is true, then America basically helped fund a pandemic!
One of the main issues is ‘gain-of-function’ (GOF), where you juice up a virus and make it potent, either to develop a vaccine to counter it or weaponise it for bio-terror. We may never know the true motivation since much documentation was destroyed. However, the emails appear to show that Fauci knew about the GOF at WIV and approved it.
In summary, what have we learned about Fauci and the emails?
1. He knew that school age children were not at risk; yet, he advocated the closure of American schools;
2. He went from saying masks obtained in the store do not work, yet he then became a zealous masker;
3. He ignored the sound and common sense advice from his own scientific colleagues (isolate the vulnerable, let the healthy develop herd immunity, get back to normal) and appeared to prefer the fear and drama of locking up healthy people nationwide.
4. Contrary to his public denials, Fauci probably knew early on the virus started from a lab leak at WIV.
5. The USA under Fauci funded dangerous research which was banned at WIV – in essence, creating viruses that never existed.
6. In 2012, USA wanted to ban ‘GAF’ research (it later did), Fauci said such research should continue and was ‘worth the risk of a pandemic.’
7. Fauci was warned that Wuhan was not telling the truth regarding the data and virus- and ignored the warnings.
8. According to the Daily Telegraph, Dr Fauci knew that Covid-19 was potentially engineered – yet he said nothing in the early months of the pandemic. Others had to bring this to light.
9. Could his knowledge, indeed, complicity in dangerous ‘GAF’ research in Wuhan make him liable to civil lawsuits or criminal penalty? Only time will tell.
He knew about the uselessness of masks and of the lab leak, but he was prepared to tell the supportive media keep the myth of masks and Covid’s ‘natural wet-market origin’ for months. They were his
rockweiler to anyone who strayed from this narrative.
THE BIG QUESTION: However, there is a really big question that has nothing to do with the emails. Just days before Donald Trump was inaugurated US President in January 2017, Anthony Fauci predicted that the incoming administration would face a major public health challenge in the area of infectious disease and there would be ‘a surprise outbreak.’ In essence, he predicted the 2020 pandemic three years before it happened.
How did he know for sure it would happen?
Why was he so confident it would happen?
Most telling, why did he not use his knowledge and good office to fight this thing? According Sky News Australia’s Sharri Markson: quote ‘Fauci is the man solely responsible for lifting the US ban on this risky research in 2017.’
What were the results of it all?
The United States (and the world) was locked up, masked up, with a wounded once-healthy economy. People lost income, jobs, businesses and their health. Lives were turned upside down, school children were kept from the classroom – the price was enormous. And Anthony Fauci was a key influence behind these decisions.
What does all this mean?
Former (US) Center of Disease Control (CDC) Director Robert Redfield: I was threatened and ostracised because I proposed another hypothesis (to the origin of Covid) … I expected it from politicians, I did not expect it from science.’
Beyond Anthony Fauci, what can we learn from this? By now we know that political correctness, spawned by cultural Marxism and postmodernism, has had a significant and adverse effect on society. However, if you think that it is only limited to politicians and mainstream media, think again. PC and playing politics is found in all areas of life, including Christendom and science.
While we have been led to believe that scientists are paragons of objectivity in research, the Fauci emails offer a different view. Scientists can have the same pre-conceived prejudices as anyone else. Even when they want to be unbiased, the pressure of obtaining funding for research projects is so great that they feel the need to ‘bow the knee’ to the PC party line.’ Remember that next time you are told there is ‘scientific consensus’ and ‘settled science’ vis a vis man-made global warming or evolution.
Solution? In the natural, we need to demand more transparency and accountability from public figures. A professional, impartial media based on true journalistic standards, would be a great place to start. Private citizens can exercise this prerogative and have more power that realised. Some of them, with a phone camera and healthy curiosity, are becoming ‘citizen journalists.’
More importantly – and effectively – is a widespread latter day outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17). Wait on God and pray fervently, knowing that God’s best is worth the wait!
#fauciemails #politicalcorrectness #revivalnow #acts2v17 #originofcovid #originofpandemic #covid-19origin
The Eighth Commandment: More than Ever
It was a most unsettling thing. At the age of seventeen, I went on a visit to the stunningly beautiful Oregon coast in the United States for a short holiday break. There I caught up with two young ladies who attended my high school, Hudson’s Bay in Vancouver, Washington. One of them graduated with me. We went to visit the local convenience store; while one of them was having a friendly chat with the owner at the cash register, the other was piling foodstuffs into her purse. ‘We have to do it this way,’ she told me later. ‘We don’t have enough money and if we didn’t do this we would starve.’
My reaction? Horror! I had never seen someone brazenly steal first-hand. They didn’t seem to have a problem with it, either. As a new Christian, and even before becoming born again, I knew that stealing was wrong. What I didn’t realise at the time is that you don’t have to be Christian to know that stealing is not just wrong — it’s a crime. Most cultures understand this, but Western Civilisation was built on the ten commandments, so it is especially pertinent.
As we continue our series into the ten commandment, we now focus our attention on the eighth commandment, found in Exodus 20:15: You shall not steal! The Hebrew word for ‘steal’ is ganav, which means thief, steal, obtain something illegitimately, often (though not always) by stealth. We know stealing is wrong thanks to the eighth commandment.
While the eight commandment is short, the ramifications are large. You will be amazed how vast and complicated the network of stealing is today, and what we can do about it.
In North Wales, United Kingdom, is a charming (Irish) seaside town called Llandudno. Enjoy a walk on the pier or boardwalk; but beware, the seagulls of Llandudno are the most aggressive you will find anywhere in the world. My wife was eating a wrap for lunch. While she turned her head for just a moment, the seagull swopped down and took the entire wrap from her hand. Gone. As for me, the same thing happened except I managed to keep most of my wrap; the seagull managed to get a big bite.
Or, what about your adorable two year old granddaughter finding the cookie jar and helping herself to as much as she likes?
Question: Did the seagull ‘steal’ my wife’s wrap? Did the two-year old granddaughter steal the cookies? Most people would say, ‘No.’ The seagull was hungry and did what any seagull would do. Young children may not know any better, though you would be surprised how quickly they learn.
But what if it was a teenager or adult who grabbed my wife’s wrap, instead of a bird? What about the two high school friends in the Oregon Coast convenience store? Did they steal. No doubt about it, the answer is an unequivocal ‘Yes.’ What are the implications?
1. Private property: Biblically speaking, people have a right to private property. Scripturally speaking, it all belongs to God and we are mere stewards, but legally and naturally, we are the owners. (Note: Part of the resistance to socialism is that the governing elite fights against private property: What is yours is actually ours; What is ours is ours (though usually invoking that everything they do is for ‘the people’ but in reality the ruling elite benefit from taking what belongs to others.’ No one should be denied their rightful property except by due process of law. Apart from that, it is theft and a denial of justice.
2. Image of God: From the very beginning, it is understood that God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26). While the meaning of this label is subject to discussion, it clearly means moral responsibility and a clear conscience.
3. Crime: It is universally recognised that theft is a crime and there are severe penalties if caught and convicted. We will learn that theft is not just the petty shoplifter: it can be a sophisticated work in the highest echelons of business, government, culture, and, sadly, sometimes in the church. All of these are crimes. Remember Bernie Madoff, an American financier who was once chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange? He ran the largest Ponzi scheme in history, by ‘payment for order flow,’ a form of kickback. The scheme was worth around $65 billion and people lost life savings over it. Madoff was sentenced for 150 years and died in prison.
4. Sin: Whatever form it may be, theft is not just a crime … it is a sin, too. Not every thief will be caught and tried in a human court, yet all will stand before the great white throne judgement of Revelation 20. The punishment here is far, far worse, than Madoff’s 150 years – it is for eternity.
As we continue to look at this important topic, realise that theft is far more extensive than merely shoplifting. It can happen electronically and online. During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, scammers were raking in big money all by text messaging and internet. Underage carjackers, emboldened by the Left’s attacks on the police, bail reform which means ‘no bail,’ and leftist district attorneys who basically don’t enforce the law, are proliferating in American cities. Marxist activists are teaching how to take over an entire Walmart store with ‘only ten people,’ or how to block a highway ‘with only five people.’
Realise this: God’s King and Kingdom are coming. You will never have to worry about being a victim of theft in the kingdom. But in the meantime, we need to know more about the eighth commandment, why people steal, how to stop it, and begin to lay the foundations of an honourable life.
#eighthcommandment #8thcommandment #dontsteal #theft #stealing #tencommandments #10commandments #bible #lawofmoses #jesuschrist #revelation20 #greatwhitethronejudgment
TO BE CONTINUED>
How to Handle Troubled Times & Prosper: Lessons from David
Here’s the truly good news: The kingdom of God is coming; Jesus Christ is coming, and God’s will is truly being done. Yet, the road to the fulfilment of God’s perfect plan has a few potholes along the way. Indeed, just before your breakthrough and fulfilment, there will be a a challenge – call it the ‘splat’ – that will try to stop you reaching the desired haven (Psalm 107:30).
Of course, perseverance is the key. David had numerous ‘splats’ but he kept going, pressed into God, ‘encouraged himself in the Lord,’ and served his generation by the will of God (Acts 13:36f). Distress was the labour pains that brought David into a bigger and better place in God (Psalm 4:1; 18:19).
Last time we learned that in the midst of a heart-wrenching disaster at Ziklag, where wives, children, and property were taken by the Amalekites while the men were away, David practiced self-encouragement, heard from God, and revived. Some of the key activities involved in this include focusing on the person, promises and works of God. In addition, remind yourself of past victories, offer praise and thanksgiving for who you are and where you stand in God.
David did all of these things and came out of the secret place strengthened, motivated, and ready to fight again – in God. To this, we add:
• Seek God (1 Samuel 30:7): David called the priest Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, and asked for the ephod. This could have been the ‘urim and thummin,’ the precious stones on his breastplate. David was now going to enquire of the Lord, a smart thing to do in any season. The end goal was to receive direction from the Almighty. After all, if anyone has the answers to every situation, it is the Maker of heaven and earth.
• A word from God (1 Samuel 30:8): Seek God until He gives you a word. David was a blessed man, compared to his predecessor Saul. Whereas Saul enquired of the Lord (belatedly) and got no divine answer, David asked and received encouraging instruction from the Almighty. He enquired if he should pursue the marauders? If so, would he overtake them? God graciously and promptly answered: Pursue them, you will overtake them. And most encouragingly of all, God added, you will ’Without fail recover all.’ This Word from God would strengthen anyone.
If you want to win the natural battle, you first have to win in the spiritual realm. That’s what David did. Now that he was equipped with a sure word from Lord, he was ready to see its fulfilment.
Though God will fight for you, He may still require for you to come to the battlefront and see for yourself His hand at work. Yet, even when you and the troops are deployed, God is present, goes ahead of you, and works in a way that unmistakably points to His presence and power.
In David’s case regarding the destruction of Ziklag, a young Egyptian who was abandoned by his masters, the marauding Amalekites, because he was sick. The young man helped lead David and his mighty men to the enemies’ base camp. They were eating, drinking, dancing because of their great victory at Ziklag. This non-stop party mode rendered them tired, drunk, and distracted, making them an easy target for David’s men.
The Israelite attack was launched and lasted for a full day. Not only did David recouped the people and possessions the Amalekites had taken away – thus recovering all – but he ended up with even more spoil, including flocks, herds, and cattle, than he had before. David and his mighty men went from defeat, dejection, and despondency to total victory – all by ‘encouraging themselves in the Lord.’
Go and do likewise.
TO BE CONTINUED
#christianliving #victoriouschristianliving #kingdavid #prosperity #difficulttimes #bible #propheticencouragement #wordofgod #seekgod
Bible Study Tips: Gospel of Matthew Part 02 (also called: The Kingly Messiah: Why Study the Gospel of Matthew Part 02)
The glorious, indispensable, history-making Gospel of Matthew plays an incalculable role in explaining how Jesus of Nazareth, from the tribe of Judah, is the long prophesied Messiah of Israel and the world. His knowledge of Jewish things, including Old Testament prophecy, is extensive. We continue our introduction of Matthew to assist you in your own personal or small group Bible study.
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST IN MATTHEW
Lion, Kingly Messiah, Son of David, son of Abraham
(1:1) Christ,
(1:21) Jesus
(1:23) Emmanuel
(2:2; 21:5) King of the Jews
(2:6) Governor
(2:23) Nazarene
(4:3) The Son of God
(8:19) Master
(8:20) Physician
(9:15) The Bridegroom
(9:19) The Friend of sinners
(12:18) The Beloved
(13:3) The Sower of Seed
(27:37) King of the Jews
THEME OF THE BOOK OF MATTHEW
Theme of the Gospel of Matthew is, as our sub-title suggests, Jesus Christ the Kingly Messiah. After being rejected by the Jewish leadership in Chapter 11, there is a central point and proof of Messiahship in Chapter 12 and beyond.
Another summary is the very first verse of Matthew (1:1): The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. These are not just two famous Old Testament characters; they also represent two of the important covenants in the Bible.
‘Son of David’ means He is the heir of David who will sit on his throne forever (Luke 1:33). To call him the ‘Son of David’ is a synonym for ‘The Messiah/Christ,’ ‘The Anointed One.’
God promised Abraham three key things: land, seed (descendants), and universal blessing. ’Son of Abraham’ means Jesus is the promised seed who brings blessing to the world (Genesis 17:7-9). Yet, like Abraham’s son Isaac, who was nearly sacrificed in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22:1-18), Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of the world on the same ridge, something explained in Matthew 26-28.
KEY VERSES OF MATTHEW
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven – Matthew 16:15ff-19
18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen — Matthew 28:18-20
SUMMARY OF MATTHEW
The New Testament begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, starting with His connection with David and Abraham. To the original readers, this meant everything: Jesus of Nazareth is connected and the total fulfilment of the covenant with Abraham (blessing the world) and the covenant of David (the king who rules forever). Both men are mentioned again in the actual genealogy, as well as four women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba). Inclusion of women in Jewish genealogies was unusual, but then, these four women were very special.
From the very outset, Matthew seeks to establish Jesus’ Jewish and Messianic credentials. There are constant references to fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. We also get information and events found no where else, like the visit of the wise men and the flight of the holy family to Egypt.
Jesus’ ministry commenced after His baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist; followed by his forty day temptation in the wildness. Much of His ministry was around the NW and northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. During the early period He was wildly popular. Proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God wherever He went, Christ also backed up his preaching with signs and wonders.
Jesus also taught about the kingdom of God through parables. While He made many friends and led many followers, His success spawned resentment and envy, too. Indeed, Jesus made some powerful enemies, particularly among the Jewish religious establishment, even though His doctrine was similar to that of the Pharisees. Rather than welcoming Him with open arms, the religious elite fought the ministry every step of the way, to the point they wanted to kill Him.
After His public Messianic, triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the opposition intensified. Jesus had no problem cleansing the temple and confronting the religious establishment regarding their hypocrisy. This sealed His fate. They would do whatever it took to destroy Him.
Before his arrest at Gethsemane, Jesus had a private briefing with His disciples called the Olivet Discourse, were He spoke of prophetic end-time events preceding His second coming and the judgement of the nations (chapters 24-25).
In graphic detail, Christ’s passion is laid bare: His arrest, trial, condemnation, humiliation, journey to Golgotha, crucifixion, and burial. For His followers, it was a time of intense darkness and distress. Yet, the faithful women who followed Him to the cross and tomb were the first to discover the empty tomb. Jesus manifested Himself as very much alive, courtesy of the resurrection of the dead. The Gospel of Matthew ends with Christ giving the Great Commission and promising to be with all disciples to the very end of the age.
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