Commentary on Psalm 37

This is a Psalm of David who was king of Israel from ca[1] 1010-971 B.C. Some of the main themes in this Psalm are:

a.       The fate of the righteous and the wicked

b.       The future of the righteous and the wicked

c.       The relationship of the righteous and the wicked

d.       God’s relationship with the righteous vs the wicked

David at this time is an old man and has seen the faithfulness of the Lord. He has witnessed the preservation of the righteous, and the destruction of his enemies. He is qualified to give testimony to God’s power to his readers (vv 25, 34-36).

David admonishes his readers not to be alarmed when wicked men prosper because their good times will soon run out, and their destruction will come suddenly and finally (vv 2, 9-10, 20,38).

By contrast, the righteous will inherit the earth, and dwell in it forever. There is an eternal future for those who put their trust in the Lord.

These verses provide a clear picture of two lives: Those who are righteous against those who are wicked.

Simply put, the righteous in God will endure forever – meaning even when they die physically, God will resurrect them to life eternal to live in glory with Him. Remember David’s words in the 23^rd Psalm, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Also, remember the words of our Lord Jesus to Martha in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he may die, he shall live. And whoever believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Now, what is ironic about this verse is at the time Jesus spoke these words Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus had been dead for four days. So what did Jesus mean when He said that a person that believes in Him would never die?

He had to have meant that a believer in Him would not die finally – we die physically, but at the end of the age we will be resurrected and live eternally.

For the wicked the opposite is true – they will prosper for only a little while, then they will perish and never recover. Their end is destruction and forever separated from their creator. Why? Because they refuse to trust in the Lord, and do good. They have never committed their ways unto the Lord (vv 3-5).

Proverbs one also describes the fate of the wicked. It says:

“How long you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour my Spirit on you. I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded. Because you have disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke. I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me and I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel, and despised my every rebuke” (Proverbs 1:22-30).

What is amazing to me is how such a big God and can conceal Himself from those He does not desire to talk to. What also is very clear here is God’s desire to reconcile with the wicked by stretching out His arms to Him so that he might be saved. When man refuses to receive God’s salvation, the only thing left for him from God is judgment.

If you do not remember anything in this article please remember this: God is active in saving souls, He is never reactive – meaning God is the aggressor in salvation. When it comes to reprobation or judgment, God is reactive or passive, meaning He judges man after man rejects Him.

So in the final analysis, salvation is contingent upon God alone. Whereas judgment is contingent upon man alone.

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[1] ca means about or approximately

Why did Jesus throw out the Moneychangers?

Money changers in the Bible were brokers – those that would exchange one currency for another. The word moneychangers are derived from two Greek words. The first is kollobistēs which literally means clipped. Also means a small coin or rate of change. The second Greek word is kermatistēs which means to cut into small pieces, or to make small change.

In the court of the Gentiles during Passover week (see diagram), animals and other items were sold for sacrifice. In addition, Pilgrims coming from distant lands would come annually to pay the required redemption temple tax which had to be paid with the prescribed money. Since Rome was the ruling power during Christ’s time, many had to exchange their coins which had the image of the Emperor Tiberias Caesar on them for the required half-shekel prescribed by the Mosaic law way back in back in Exodus 30:13. Using money with an image of a pagan ruler was considered idolatry by the Israelites. Plus, the money used to the pay the tax had to be of the purest silver. Other coinage of that day was impure. This is where the moneychangers would come in. It was not a problem that the moneychangers were brokering deals and earning a commission, but they were charging exorbitant rates when transacting the exchange. This meant keeping most of the money being exchanged in their pockets which should have been given to the customer so they could pay the temple tax in obedience to the law and rightfully worship God with this required giving. That was one problem happening during that time. The other problem was that Hebrews were coming from far countries like Mesopotamia, Persia, 

Greece, and other places were coming and obviously could not bring their sacrifices with them had to purchase their animals (particularly the Passover lamb) in these same outer courts. The animals being purchased were under the control of the priests (namely Annas and his sons ruled 6-15 AD) who also were charging exorbitant rates for their already-approved animals ready for sale. Also important worth mentioning is during Passover which was one of three feasts required by males 12 years old and above to attend, the population in Jerusalem swelled to as much as 2-3 million people. This would have been a sales bonanza for the moneychangers and for those that sold animals like oxen, doves, pigeons and sheep.  

The priests became rich through extortion – double dipping by selling animals and rejecting all animals being brought by pilgrims along with charging usury in the exchange rates market. The house of God became a swap meet, a flea market, a shopping mall instead of a house of worship and prayer. The noise and stench of the animals, the hustling of the bankers along with all the tourists and refugees made God’s house a “den of thieves” instead of a place where the Gentiles (and dispersed Hebrews) could worship. All of these activities could and should have been conducted outside of temple grounds, but the greedy opportunists knew the people would come to worship so they capitalized through monopoly and exploitation. Jesus obviously knew about the monetary abuse being conducted in God’s house. This angered Jesus who made a whip of chords and drove out the moneychangers, overturned their tables, and drove out the animals and said to those who sold the pigeons[i], “Take these things away; do not make My Father’s house a house of trade or merchandise” (John 2:16).  In Mark’s account we read this, and they came to Jerusalem. 

And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And He would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And He was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers” (Mark 11:15-17. Quoted from Jeremiah 7:11). What Jesus did was not malicious or cruel. He was jealous for the sanctity of God’s house and cleansed it from the abuse it was suffering. He also fulfilled prophecy: In Psalm 69:9 it says, “For zeal of your house has consumed Me, and the reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen on me.”

Jesus would have to cleanse the temple a second time after Palm Sunday during His triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:12).

What Jesus was also saying by cleansing the temple twice is that He had authority over the priests, and that He was the Messiah – calling the temple “My Father’s house”. This no doubt angered Annas the High Priest.[ii] Jesus was challenging his authority along with his corrupt profiteering enterprise.

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[i] I believe Jesus particularly singled out those that sold pigeons because the offering of pigeons or turtledoves was for those who were extremely poor in the land. Jesus own Mother offered this same offering when He was twelve years old (Leviticus 12:6-8; Luke 2:24). According to extra-biblical sources, these dirty merchants were charging highly inflated prices for the sale of pigeons which would have obviously impoverished the poor even more. It was clear the merchants were not there to assist the consumer in the worship of God, but rather they were there to line their own pockets. This was a prime example of the “Love of Money”! This obviously incensed Jesus to act swiftly to cleanse God’s house and restore order. God will never accept improper worship or conduct in His house. Anyone that does that even today should be removed from the assembly.

[ii] Annas along with his five sons and son-in-law Caiaphas were priests and of the political-religious members of the Sadducees. They were the aristocrats of the day, strictly adhered to the Mosaic law. They did not believe in the resurrection, angels or the spiritual realm. They were naturalists. Hellenists and loyal to Rome. They were literally “filthy rich”. They had most of the seats in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court of that day. They were for the most part opponents of their religious counterparts the Pharisees until both parties conspired to condemn Jesus to death.

Can someone still go to hell after Jesus died for their sins?

To some this may be an illogical question, but for others there may be lingering doubts about what will happen to them when they die. I would like to settle the matter once and for all.

So, answering the title question, “can someone still go to hell after Jesus died for their sins?” Absolutely not!!

Why?

Because that is why the Father sent the Son, to be a propitiation (or satisfaction) for the sins of all who would believe. And what are we to believe? That by confessing Jesus is Lord, and that God raised Him from the dead, we would be saved (Romans 10:9-10). The soul salvation that God grants to the believer is only an eternal salvation.

What profit is it for Jesus to die for us to only receive a salvation that is temporal in nature? God would have wasted His time sending the Son to die a despicable, humiliating death, and what good is it for us to receive a redemption that does not only save us in this life, but also in the life to come.

The atonement of Christ was completely efficacious – meaning that what Christ came to do, He accomplished. He could not have failed because He is God in the flesh, and God always does whatever He wants to do (Psalm 115:3).

Why do we doubt the promises of God?

The answer to that question is simple, because we lack faith, and we are fragile creatures who’s feelings vacillate like a double-minded man. Rest assured child of God, the Lord knows we are but dust, and he continually grants us His mercy – thank God!!

Once again, let us run to the scriptures so I can prove that those whom Jesus saves, He saves them forever. In John 10:27-30 we hear Jesus saying, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish (emphasis added), no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Matthew 1:21 says that Jesus will save (not might save, but will save) His people from their sins.

Galatians 1:3-5 says, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In Ephesians 1:7 we read, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of His grace.”

Of course, there are numerous other passages I could site, but I believe you get the idea. We must not trust our feelings rather we are to totally trust what the Lord has done and declared regarding our salvation. Anytime we rely on our feelings, doubt will dominate our minds, and subvert the authority and immutability of the scriptures.

I will admit doubts plagued me for years regarding whether I was truly saved or not. But once I listened to men of God who were authorities in scripture, and through my own diligent study, I gain more confidence in God and His promises, and most assured of my eternal salvation. If I wasn’t sure, I would not be writing this article right now.

What would be the ramifications if Christ’s atonement wasn’t enough to keep people out of hell?

If Jesus sacrificial death was not enough to save souls, it would be as if He never rose from the dead. I will say it another way: For those that trusted their lives in the care of Christ, that is believed He saved them, for them to die in sin and suffer the flames of the eternal Lake of Fire means God the Father’s plan to send the Son to suffer and die failed. Jesus in essence, died for nothing when He was actually sent to earth to die for mankind’s sins.

If our sins are greater than God’s grace, then man’s evil is greater than God’s goodness (Romans 5:20b-21). That would make man more powerful than God. It would also mean that God’s salvation was impotent to defeat sin totally and finally at the cross – that somehow our sin gained an advantage over the efficient sacrifice of Christ.

Let’s take it a step further, If Jesus actually forgave our sins through His death, cleansed us and brought us into the family of God, made us His children only for us to die and still go to hell what good was His atonement for us? It was worthless. Because in the final analysis, Jesus suffered for mankind’s sins in vain, and then we die to suffer for eternity for our own sins in the Lake of Fire. That would make God the Father and Son liars, and this would be the worst hoax in human history! It would also be awful cruel of the Father to send Jesus to die for our sins for nothing (if in fact when it is all said and done we die and go to hell anyway). That’s not love. We would have been better off never hearing the gospel repenting of sin, believing in Jesus for forgiveness of sins when they are powerless to save.

Does any of this make sense? We all know the answer to that question.

It is utterly impossible for God’s plan to have not happened exactly the way He determined it.

God through the prophet Isaiah said, “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times thing not yet done, saying ‘my counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’” (Isaiah 46:10).

Verse 11 says, “I have spoken, and I will bring to pass; I have purposed, I and will do it.”

Since it was God’s pleasure to save some of mankind (an enumerable number), He has and is doing that salvific work even as I write this (Ephesians 1:5,11).

God’s plan succeeded. All those who have genuinely repented of their sins, believe that Jesus is Lord, and that God the Father raised Him from the dead are saved, and will be forever saved because that was God’s plan before He created the entire Universe (Ephesians 1:4).

Our salvation is secure so walk in victory and turn away from sin (2 Timothy 2:19b). We are now free to serve God because we are secure in Christ. Our salvation must never be a license to sin because we have been delivered from sin (Romans 6:1-2).       

Is there any proof Jesus rose from the dead?

This is a monumental question; one that has to be supported with empirical evidence. Christians do not (or at least should not) question the resurrection of Christ. Why? Our eternal destiny depends upon Him rising from the dead. Otherwise, why in the world should we bother celebrating Easter or attending any worship services on Sunday or any other day?

So, if someone were to challenge you and say, “prove Jesus rose from the grave!” What would you tell them? Here are some Biblical proofs you could give them.

1.       The empty tomb – The angel said to the two Mary’s, “Do not be alarmed and frightened, for I know that you were looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay” (Matthew 28:5-6).

2.       The ardent disbelief of the Apostles and subsequent radical conversion - The disciples’ willingness to boldly preach the gospel would have never occurred if Jesus had not risen from the dead. It would have been foolish for them to suffer persecution and death for Christ’s sake if Jesus had remained entombed.  But, by virtue of the fact that their boldness in Christ was turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6) was a clear indication that Jesus was alive, otherwise all their preaching would have been pointless, and no one would have taken them seriously.

3.       The testimony of the non-believing religious leaders -  When a crippled man was healed by the hands of Peter and John the religious leaders said, “What shall we do with these men? For a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it” (Acts 4:16).

Even the religious leaders knew the power of God was with the Apostles. Had Jesus remained dead, no power would have been given to Peter and John to perform miraculous signs like Jesus did. This once again proves Jesus had raised from the dead.

3a. Also, by virtue of the fact the religious leaders paid the Roman soldiers to lie and say the disciples stole Jesus’ body proves the resurrection (Matt 27:63-64). Why does anyone tell a lie? To cover up the truth. The religious leaders perhaps had more confidence in Jesus resurrection than the disciples who did not believe in the resurrection at all (merely conjecture on the writer’s part).  The religious leaders and the Roman soldiers who fell down as dead when the angel came down and rolled away the stone had to save face (Matt 28:2-3); the leaders had to make sure word did not get out to the masses that Jesus actually rose from the dead or else that would have ruined their reputation and influence on the people. For the soldiers, the lie was good for them because for a Roman soldier to fall asleep at their post, and to lose a dead prisoner from a sealed tomb (which obviously never happened before ever) would bring certain embarrassment at the least, and at the worse death. The Roman legions were the best-trained soldiers on earth. They would not have let a live prisoner escape let alone a dead one get stolen. This proves something miraculous happened – the resurrection. If the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body, Pilate or the religious leaders could have demanded they produce it so they could either burn it or hack it to pieces and put the matter to rest once and for all.

4.       Jesus was seen by over 500 followers – Paul declares that over 500 followers saw Jesus alive at the same time (I Corinthians 15:5). There have been critics who have made erroneous accusations saying these people were hallucinating which is ridiculous! When have that many people hallucinated the same vision? Never! The reality that many believers testified to His resurrection proves He was alive.  It would have been utter nonsense for that many people to gather together to worship a dead man.     

5.       Jesus prophesied His own death and resurrection – Numerous times in scripture Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection:

a.       From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised (Matthew 16:21).

b.      As they were gathering in Galilee Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered in the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day” (Matthew 17:22-23a).

c.       And taking the twelve, He said to them, “See we are going to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging Him, they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise (Luke 18:31-33).

d.      “Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father (John 10:15-18).

Jesus’ self-testimony proves His resurrection. The resurrected Lord rebuked the disciples for their unbelief for He told them numerous times that He would die and rise again (Mark 16:14). Another clear proof of His death and resurrection were the marks of Jesus’ humiliation in His body; the pierced hands and feet along with His pierced side which Jesus invited His disciples to examine (Luke 24:36-43).

The resurrection is absolutely central to the gospel. Without it, there is no good news; no one could ever be saved without Jesus raising from the dead. No resurrection, no salvation, and no hope. We all would die in our sins and spend eternity in the lake of fire. It’s tragic and utterly blasphemous to disbelieve in the resurrection! Anyone who does not believe the testimony of Jesus’ resurrection will spend eternity without Him.

All of the above is obviously from the written Word of God. It gives the most vivid accounts of Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection. All four gospels testify to the resurrection along with every NT book (27 infallible proofs).

Paul argued in I Corinthians 15:12-20, “Now if Christ is preached that He has risen from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up – if in fact the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And, if Christ is not risen, then your faith is futile, you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep (a euphemism for death) in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and we have become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

And finally, when Jesus met up with two disciples on the road to Emmaus they did not recognize the Lord. They were discussing with Jesus the things that happened leading up to his crucifixion. Jesus rebuked them for not believing in the resurrection (Luke 24:25-27).

As a result, Jesus had to give these two men an OT Bible study. In Luke 24:27 it says, “And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, He expounded to them all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

With the reality that Jesus is alive and standing at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Acts 7:55-56), His resurrection proves without doubt that He is also God. For only a God-Man could raise 

Himself from the dead.

No other religious leader at any time in human history has ever raised themselves from the dead.

The Peace of God

Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world give I give to you.”

What Jesus gave to His disciples was a forever promise.

The word peace in Greek is eirēnē. The Hebrew is salom or shalom. It appears about 429 times in the King James Bible.

The word has several meanings: wholeness, completeness, welfare, health, freedom from war, unharmed, prosperity, et al.

It’s a wonderful thing that Jesus would leave His peace with us, but what is His peace? Does everyone have this peace? Can anyone obtain it? Peace is such a broad term.

God’s peace is varied.

Ultimate or Godly peace would have to be connected to salvation. No one can have true peace unless their soul is saved. The peace the world gives is temporal, a mirage. It will ultimately fail.

The peace that God gives is an everlasting peace. His peace gives us assurance in this life and the next.

I want to explore some wonderful features of God’s peace.

In Ephesians 6:15 says we are to have our feet shod with the gospel of peace. This is part of our spiritual armor when we war against our unseen demonic enemies in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12). So in this verse, God’s peace is an adjective for it describes the gospel.

Why is the gospel called the gospel of peace?

Let’s go back in the book of Ephesians to chapter two: “Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in the place of the two so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and peace those who were near (vv 12-17).

The word peace appears four times in these six verses. The first appearance declares Christ is our peace. Peace is personified – a pronoun. The second appearance He made peace by bringing Jew and Gentile together in one body, one family – peace is a verb. And the third and fourth appearances He preached peace – peace is a noun.

Any wonder why the prophet Isaiah called Jesus the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6)?

  

Another way God offers peace is through prayer. In Philippians 4:6-7 we read, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

In these two verses God is telling us to place all of our cares on Him for He cares for us (I Peter 5:7). We are to petition Him in prayer with thankfulness with the full confidence that whatever we are going through His peace will sustain us – a wonderful comfort and reality.

What is peace with God?

Romans 5:1 declares we have peace with God because of our justification in Christ Jesus. Peace with God grants the believer complete access to God as priests whereby we can go to throne of God anytime we want to and offer spiritual sacrifices to our Heavenly Father by faith. God will not grant anyone this access to Him unless they are sanctified, washed and cleansed in the lamb of God’s blood.

Peace with God is synonymous with forgiveness of sins when one believes on the completed work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross.

Summation

We live in a world full of turmoil. Civil unrest, poverty, slavery, human trafficking, disease, starvation, war and death. With all of this evil, it seems impossible we can experience any level of peace, let alone an everlasting peace. When I look at the news, there is an ongoing war between the Israelis and Palestinians (Arab Muslims). They are shedding blood over a small piece of real estate less than 200 miles long from north to south – the land of Israel. Both nations say they have rights to it.[1] The Oslo Accords peace agreement of 1993 failed between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat because of the wickedness of Arafat – it was a false peace. The four-year terror war ensued shortly thereafter between 2000-2004.

The peace of God delivered to us came at an incalculable cost – the cost of the life of the Son of God. I must go back to Isaiah 53:5, “He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.”

Our peace cost the Father His only begotten Son, and it cost the sinless, spotless lamb of God His life.

Jesus had to be punished as if He was a sinner to satisfy the Father’s wrath for our sins ( 2 Cor 5:21).            

Only God can bring the world true and lasting peace. That peace must first be within us. So that we can then conquer the world with the gospel of peace, offering the world the love of the Prince of Peace so that they will have peace with God, and possess the peace of God.

The holy scripture is God’s peace treaty. Use it! It never fails.     

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[1] The land of Israel (formerly called Canaan) was given to Abram (later re-named Abraham) and

His descendants. See Genesis chapters 12, 15, 17 and 22. Arab Muslims argue that God promised

The land to Abraham’s son Ishmael (not Isaac) who some believe was the progenitor of the Arab nations.

Are our wills free or do we have free will?

The answer to this question is yes and no. When God created Adam and Eve He created them with a free will, to choose between good and evil. Before the fall, man’s will was absolutely free from sin – it was perfect. However, since man has peccability (i.e. the ability to sin), his will is always challengeable – particularly to sin which Adam and Eve committed plunging the entire the human race into sin and death.

Here is the status of our will/and or choices now; we are still free to choose, but due to our sin nature, we will not always choose what is right. Sadly, our choices are bound because of our sin so in essence our choices are not always free to choose what is ultimately right and good.

Our will is conflicted because of internal evil.  Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words:

“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me (emphasis added).

For I know nothing good in me dwells, that is in my flesh. For I have a desire to what is right, but the not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing (Rom 7:15-19).

This is a masterpiece of instruction by Paul. It gets right to the heart and soul of our problem. 

Paul clearly admits that he desires to do the right thing, but does not because of the sin that dwells in him. His will to do good is bound by his sinfulness. What is the result? He does what he hates to do. In other words, sin often prevails over his desire to do good and please God.

Paul’s will like ours is free to choose, but sadly we often choose evil although within our spirits we desire to do good. Do you understand now how our wills our free and bound at the same time?

Yes, we are free to choose, but because of sin, our wills our incarcerated because of evil.

Is there any wonder Paul cried out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Answer? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Here’s the scenario: I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh the law of sin (Rom 7:24-25).

  

There is another passage worth mentioning to amplify my point regarding the human will. We find it in Galatians 5, but I say, “walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit against the flesh, for these (the Spirit and the flesh) are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (vv 16-18).

This is revelation knowledge here! Once again Paul is revealing to us our dilemma. We as believers have an internal struggle, a tug-of-war going on within our own being. Our flesh is warring against the Spirit of God! Can you guess who’s going to lose?

What’s the answer to winning this war? We MUST walk in the Spirit (the Holy Spirit)!

Terrific! How do we do that?

Let’s look further in Galatians 5, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such things there is no law (vv 23-23).

Practicing these virtues from God, will earn us this victory we need to subject our will to the will of God. This way we want what God desires for us and not our own often selfish desires.

Insisting on our own way is always a losing battle. We see how tragically things ended when Adam and Eve exercised their choice to disobey the Lord – they were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

Yet, we continue to do what we want. Why? Because as Paul stated, sin dwells within me (Rom 7:17,23).  We are wretched human beings (although we sometimes do human benevolent things), that is a fact. No one is essentially good or seeks God (Rom 3:10-12).

Concluding, someone has said our wills our free in the sense that we are only free to choose our sin, but our wills are not free to choose what is good because we are by nature corrupt.

This is a sad commentary of mankind, but is also true.

The person who does not realize this about themselves is blind and will never call on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and salvation of their soul.

The Significance of the Old Testament Offerings

The third book of Moses is called Leviticus. It means, “matters of the Levites” The title and meaning come from the Latin Vulgate version of the Greek OT (LXX or Septuagint which means seventy). The Levites were the priestly tribe of the twelve tribes (or sons) of Israel. The Levites are the descendants of their ancestor Levi who was the third son born to Jacob with his wife Leah (Genesis 29:34b).

Moses and his brother Aaron the High Priest were from the tribe of Levi or the Levites.

Now, what was the purpose of the OT offerings? What did they signify? The short answer is the OT offerings were a foreshadowing that prefigured the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ dying on 

Calvary’s cross for mankind’s sins.

The sacrifice was accompanied with great ceremony and had to be executed the right way for God to accept it.

Let us take a look at a couple.

The Burnt Offering

Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock of the herd and of the flock. If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish (italics added for emphasis), he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay the wood in order on the fire. Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar, but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:1-9).

The Sin Offering

Now the Lord spoke to Moses saying, “Speak to the children of Israel saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not be done, and does any of them, if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish (italics added for emphasis) as a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord.

Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting. The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and she shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. He shall take from it all the fat of the bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove, as it was taken from the bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering.

But the bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal – the whole bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned (Leviticus 4: 1-12).[1]

Commentary

As we read, OT sacrifices involved the brutal killing of an innocent animal in place of the person offering it. Depending upon the sacrifice, the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of a bull seven times[2] on the altar of incense before the veil in the holy place if he was making atonement for himself and the people for sinning in ignorance, or if it was burnt offering, a bull or lamb, a male would be sacrificed with the blood being sprinkled all around the bronze altar used for sacrifice.

When one placed his hands on the head of the animal being sacrificed, it was symbolic of the sinner transferring his sins to that animal. As a result, the animal was killed instead of the person. Blood would always have to be shed. Why? Because blood atones for the soul (Leviticus 17:11).

This act of worship would be acceptable to God and the person would be forgiven (Leviticus 1:4).

Keep in mind certain sacrifices were compulsory or obligatory (i.e. the trespass and sin offering. The burnt, peace, and grain offering were freewill offerings).

The sacrifices were also a demonstration of the nation’s faith in their God to forgive them when they obeyed.

God used the most graphic illustration possible; the slaughter of countless innocent (would to have been in the millions over nearly fifteen hundred years) animals to die and shed its blood for the guilty.

Sin always kills.

Why did the Israelites have to offer sacrifices every day for centuries? What was the purpose of brutalizing, and killing so many animals?

The perpetual daily sacrifices were a constant reminder of the nation’s sinfulness, and as a result they needed perpetual forgiveness from God; the one who they kept offending with their sins. When could they stop offering these brutal sacrifices?

When Jesus Christ came and offered up Himself for the sins of the world. Once He died, the OT sacrificial system became obsolete.

In Hebrews we read some revelatory passages regarding the OT sacrificial system vs the sacrifice (singular) of Christ.

Who does not need daily, as those high priests to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself (Hebrews 7:27).

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).

In the OT sins were atoned for; meaning sin was covered with the shedding of an animal’s blood. The blood was the purifying agent.

With the sacrifice of Jesus’ shed blood, sin is removed forever, washed away when one repents and believes (Revelation 1:5).

That means sin is gone from a judicial, legal standpoint as far as God is concerned. Jesus took away our sin debt and placed it on Himself so we would not have to suffer its penalty – eternal death (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Hopefully, the reader sees the significance of the OT sacrificial system. It foreshadowed Christ’s perfect sacrifice for our sins. It was never meant to take away sins; only to drive those who practiced it to the cross, but no further. The OT law was holy and good in that it revealed to man his inability to keep all the commands it contained; reminding him of his sinfulness, and his desperate need for a deliverer – namely a perfect, spotless sin-bearer (Hebrews 7:26; 9:14).

“He will not always strive with us; Nor will he keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. As far as the heavens are high above the earth, so His great mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”

                                                                            Psalm 103: 9-14

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[1] The removal of the dead animal outside the camp of Israel was symbolic of removing sin from their midst since the animal was a sin sacrifice. The law of the sin offering prohibited consumption of the animal if any of its blood was sprinkled on the altar of incense in the tabernacle of meeting before the veil in the holy place. The entire animal had to be burned (Lev 4:13-21). If the animal’s blood was sprinkled on and poured at the base of the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle (not inside it), then a portion of it could be eaten by the priests for it is holy (Lev 6:24-30).

[2] The number seven in scripture represents perfection or completion depending

upon the context.