2024.10.18 Hopewell @Home ▫ Numbers 25

Read Numbers 25

Questions from the Scripture text: Where was Israel camping (Numbers 25:1)? What did the people do with whom? And what did these women do (Numbers 25:2)? With what effect (Numbers 25:2-3)? What did YHWH tell whom to do (Numbers 25:4)? For what purpose? But what did Moses do (Numbers 25:5)? What were Moses and all the people doing in Numbers 25:6? But what did someone still do? Who saw it in Numbers 25:7? What did he do (Numbers 25:7-8)? With what effect? How many had died (Numbers 25:9)? Who spoke to whom in Numbers 25:10? What does He say Phinehas has done (Numbers 25:11)? With Whose zeal? And what result? What does YHWH do for him (Numbers 25:12)? And for his house (Numbers 25:13)? What were the names and statuses of the perpetrators (Numbers 25:14-15)? Who spoke to whom in Numbers 25:16? What does He say to do (Numbers 25:17)? Why (Numbers 25:18)?

What provokes and stops God’s wrath? Numbers 25 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eighteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that sin provokes God’s wrath, but Christ turns it away.

One last trial to display unconditional election. Israel are at Shittim (“Acacia Grove,” NKJ, Numbers 25:1), camped across from Jericho, from where Joshua will later send out spies (cf. Joshua 2:1). And now, after all of the grace and patience that we have seen thus far, Israel commits a “grand finale” of sins. They commit harlotry. This would be bad enough within Israel, but they commit this harlotry even with Moabite women! For the last three chapters, we have been privy to both Moab’s treachery/cursedness and God’s marvelous faithfulness and goodness to Israel. And it is against this backdrop that we see the events of chapter 25. The climax of the book of Numbers affirms, one more time, that Israel’s election by God is not at all for anything good in them!

Something worse than harlotry: idolatry. The wickedness of relations without marriage is bad enough, and to do that with Moabites is even worse. But it gets even worse in Numbers 25:2. The Israelites eat and bow down to the Baals of Moab. The language may imply that they weren’t worshiping “from the heart”—just going through the motions of religion and enjoying a feast of meat (cf. Numbers 22:40). But the logic of the verse implies that the immorality of the harlotry in itself is secondary to the immorality of the idolatry to which the harlotry led (cf. Exodus 34:16). Numbers 25:3 confirms this: the incident isn’t described by harlotry with Moab’s women but by marriage to Moab’s god! Let us take note of how God treats dabbling in the religious rituals that men have invented. It is worse than rampant extramarital immorality!

A crisis of leadership. YHWH tells Moses to hang the heads of the people out where everyone can see (Numbers 25:4). The reason given is not as a warning to those who might commit idolatry but to turn away God’s wrath. It is evident that, at this point, the plague has begun.  The word “judges” in Numbers 25:5 is not the same as the word “heads” in Numbers 25:4; the text doesn’t give us cause to think that Moses has disobeyed. It may well be that the judges are a different group than those heads/elders. The mourning of the whole congregation in Numbers 25:6 may well be due to executions, as much as due to plague. 

Whatever the case, it is not enough. The idolatry and the plague both continue! The Midianite in Numbers 25:6 is no better than a Moabite; it is still a question of idolatry. The word for “tent” in Numbers 25:8 is actually “inner chamber,” a reference to the inner room of a shrine (the most unholy, idolatrous equivalent of the Holy Place in the tabernacle). And it is almost identical to the word “body” in the same verse. They had gone into the belly of the shrine, and Phinehas had thrust the javelin through the belly of the harlot. It turns out that the offending Israelite was himself a leader of the Simeonites (Numbers 25:14). And the woman was from a leading family of the Midianites (Numbers 25:15), for which reason YHWH marks the Midianites as enemies, just as much as the Moabites (Numbers 25:16-18).

We must be careful about usurping authority or position simply upon dissatisfaction with what we consider to be inaction. But in this case, there was an actual plague raging among the people of God. Phinehas was not among the judges, but no one else was acting, and thousands were dying, so he took action.

Where leadership came from: grace. YHWH Himself identifies the source of Phinehas’s zeal: it was the Lord’s own zeal (Numbers 25:11). The word is the same as “jealous” in Exodus 20:5. God graciously produced His own zeal in Phinehas’s heart. And Phinehas is commended and rewarded for taking action (Numbers 25:12-13). Throughout the kingdom period, even many kings who cut down Baal worship were “docked” for not ending worship at the high places (cf. 1 Kings 15:14, 1 Kings 22:43; 2 Kings 12:3). It is the duty of those in leadership to purge manmade worship from the church (cf. WLC 108). And this depends upon the grace of God. Ultimately, Christ is the One Who is full of God’s own zeal for His worship (cf. Psalm 69:9; John 2:17), and He is the One Who is hung (cf. Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:23) and thrust through (cf. John 19:34–37;  Zechariah 12:10; Revelation 1:7) to turn away His wrath against sinners!

In what manmade worship or religious practices might you be in danger of dabbling? How should your praying for your leaders in home/church/nation be informed by their duties in this passage? How should your submission to them follow it? What does it look like to consider as enemies, of God and His church, those who tempt believers into manmade religion? But what are we commanded to do with our enemies?

Sample prayer:  Lord, give us to hate harlotry, adultery, and all other sin. Especially give us to hate idolatry. Help our leaders to love You and the purity of Your worship. Don’t let us act as those who hate You and bring our sin upon three and four generations of our children. Thank You for giving Your Son to be the Priest Who has turned Your wrath from us. For His sake, help us against our sin, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP69A “Save Me, O God” or TPH341 “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed”

The Harm of Neglecting Church Discipline [Family Worship lesson in Jude v12–19]

What sorts of people should we be watching against in the church? Jude v12–19 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we should not share our life with those who give evidence of not having the Spirit. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.10.17 Hopewell @Home ▫ Jude 12–19

Read Jude 12–19

Questions from the Scripture text: What does Jude 12 now call the ungodly (Jude 4) dreamers (Jude 8)? What don’t they do? Whom do they serve? What metaphors describe the falsehood and deadness of their appearance? What metaphors describe the results of their actions (Jude 13)? What illustration does he use for what happens to the ungodly (Jude 14-15)?  What two things does Jude 16 call them? How do they walk? How do they talk? But of Whose words does he now remind them (Jude 17)? Whom had He said there would be (Jude 18)? How would these walk? What do they cause, and what do they lack (Jude 19)? 

What sorts of people should we be watching against in the church? Jude 12–19 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we should not share our life with those who give evidence of not having the Spirit.  

It is a great problem that the dreamers of Jude 8-11 “creep in unnoticed” to churches (cf. Jude 4). Though they appear to be Christians, they do not fear God and bring impurity into the worship and fellowship of the church (Jude 12). Since they do not serve God, then they cannot truly serve others. No one can keep the second great commandment if he is not a keeper of the first great commandment.

Jude uses several illustrations for what sort of death this causes. Imagine a land dying under drought, but when the clouds come there is no rain. Or people starving for the harvest, but when there should be ripe fruits, they find no fruit and only dead trees. Rather than a current that might carry a ship forward, their activity is only so much frothing of waves (Jude 13; how many churches are full of frothing, but no real engagement of the true God!). Christianity must come from His grace; the only thing that can come from us is shame. They may even seem like they are able to guide others (as stars did), but what they take people to is utter and eternal darkness.

Again, Jude uses an illustration from a book that is not Scripture. It may be that an oral tradition was preserved about Enoch, which the Spirit now authenticates as He carries Jude along. Or, it may be that Jude is again arguing from the lesser to the greater, using a book with which his readers were familiar, but understood was merely earthly (Jude 14-15)—and then affirming the reality of the situation by the higher authority of the apostles of Christ (Jude 17-18). In either case, the point is that his readers know that holiness is the true mark of fellowship with God. The true grace of God does not produce lewdness (cf. Jude 4). It has been producing holiness in believers since the very beginning (n.b. “seventh from Adam” in Jude 14), when there was a man who walked with God in such holiness that God took him (cf. Genesis 5:21–24).

So, it is important to recognize people who are throwing off the lordship of Christ, lest we stumble with them and end up in destruction. Jude gives some diagnostic help. Watch for grumblers and complainers (Jude 16). Watch for those who are always trying to enjoy whatever they want (verse 16) instead of serving others (Jude 12). Don’t be moved if their speech seems impressive, or flattering, because that is a common trait that they have (Jude 16). 

Most of all: watch against those who are unspiritual (a more literal translation than “sensual persons” in Jude 19), not having the Spirit. This allows us to import the lists in Galatians 5:19–21 and Galatians 5:22–25 to determine with whom we ought to share our lives. This explains one way in which they “cause divisions” (Jude 19). When there are those in the church who are full of worldliness or fleshliness, then others in the church who are genuinely called and consecrated (cf. Jude 1) simply find it difficult to share their lives together. But, stick to walking with the Lord and to those who are marked by doing the same. And let the elders of the church follow biblical instruction for church discipline, so that these stains (Jude 12), or leaven (cf. 1 Corinthians 5), are purged and do not threaten the spiritual life of the rest of the body.

If someone were applying the diagnostics of this passage, what is there in your life that would most discourage them from the fellowship of sharing their life with you? 

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for warning us against our own sinfulness and against false believers within the church. Forgive us for not being watchful enough against either. And grant unto us the ministry of Your Spirit, that He might bear such fruit in us as to mark us as Christ’s, we ask through Him, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP15 “Within Your Tent, Who Will Reside?” or TPH404 “The Church’s One Foundation” 

2024.10.16 Midweek Meeting Live Stream (live at 6:30p.m.)

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Proverbs 4:10–27 sermon outline

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God's Roaring in Calamity [Family Worship lesson in Amos 3]

How should we respond to calamity? Amos 3 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fifteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must respond to the Lord’s “roaring” in calamity by evaluating and acting according to His Word. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2024.10.16 Hopewell @Home ▫ Amos 3

Read Amos 3

Questions from the Scripture text: How does Amos 3:1 begin (cf. Amos 4:1, Amos 5:1)? What two things does the Lord call them? What does He point out about them in Amos 3:2a? What does this cause (verse 2b)? Why can’t they walk with Him (Amos 3:3)? What illustrations for this Word against them demand immediate action (Amos 3:4-5)? What response does calamity demand (Amos 3:6)? And through Whom does He dictate the response (Amos 3:7)? What must the people do (Amos 3:8a–b)? What must Amos do (verse 8c–d)? Whom does Amos 3:9a–b summon? To where (verse 9c)? To observe what about Samaria/Israel (Amos 3:9-10)? What sentence does God pronounce in Amos 3:11? How does Amos 3:12 describe the surviving remnant? What does He require of the witnesses in Amos 3:13? About what judgment that He will execute on her worship (Amos 3:14)? And what judgment on her pride (Amos 3:15)?

How should we respond to calamity? Amos 3 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these fifteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must respond to the Lord’s “roaring” in calamity by evaluating and acting according to His Word.  

Other nations are accountable to God (cf. Amos 1:3-2:3), but Israel’s sin (not just the northern kingdom, though they are primarily in view here), is much worse because it is against the grace of having been brought into covenant fellowship with God (Amos 3:1-2). Believers, Christian families, and churches, take heed!

But God will not settle for a covenant fellowship that is a paper fiction, or empty rituals for an hour or so each week. Unless we are coming through faith in Christ, so that we are reconciled; and, unless we are living a life of repentance and faith, so that we walk as those who are reconciled; we will not be “agreed” (Amos 3:3). 

Then, instead of enjoying His fellowship, we must receive painful correction. Nations may find themselves destroyed, houses may fall, churches may lose their lampstand. Alas! So many do not take such warnings seriously, which is what the series of questions in Amos 3:4-6 is about. God has filled creation and providence with the evidence of cause and effect. But we must understand the Lord Himself as the ultimate cause of calamity (Amos 3:6b, cf. Isaiah 31:2, Isaiah 45:7). 

But what do we do with the calamities in our life? Or our nation’s life? Are we to interpret them by feel? Or some sort of superstition? No, we must interpret them by the Word of God (Amos 3:7). When we examine ourselves for repentance, it must be by the Word. When we conclude how to respond and what to do, we must reason from the Word. One thing is certain: respond we must (Amos 3:8)!

This chapter as a whole (like each of the next two) begins with a command to “Hear.” It is the language of a lawsuit, a trial. With Amos 3:1-8 as an introduction to the seriousness of this trial, the Lord now summons the Philistines and Egyptians as witnesses to see how great the violence has become in Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom (Amos 3:9-10). He pronounces a sentence of siege and conquering (Amos 3:11), with only a tiny remnant even being exiled (Amos 3:12). His final word to the witnesses (Amos 3:13) is to observe the two great causes for this judgment: the false worship that goes back to the beginning of the northern kingdom (Amos 3:14, cf. 1 Kings 12) and the pride and fleshliness in which they were satisfied with earthly riches in the midst of spiritual poverty (Amos 3:15). 

God takes very seriously whether we are worshiping Him according to His Word and whether we are as serious about our spiritual condition as we are about our earthly prosperity. The Lion has roared! Let us take heed.

What, if anything, in your worship might have originated with man? What is the condition of your walking with the Lord? How much time/effort/care do you give to your spiritual condition, by comparison to your earthly wealth and welfare?

Sample prayer:  Lord, forgive us for how lightly we have taken both the calamities in our life and the warnings in Your Word. Forgive us for being content with heartless, inconsistent walking with You—and even with disobedience. Grant unto us to heed this Word, to turn from our sins, and to walk with You by faith in Christ, we ask in His Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH467 “Cast Down, O God, the Idols”

Kiss the Son [2024.10.13 Evening Sermon in Numbers 22:36–24:25]

You are either with Christ, or against Him; this is the choice between eternal life and eternal death.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

Gentle, Humble, Almighty Savior [2024.10.13 Morning Sermon in Matthew 12:9–21]

Christ, the almighty Victor, distinguishes Himself by gentleness and humility that gives life and joy to His people.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

Christians' Great Liberty [2024.10.13 Sabbath School in Westminster Confession 20—Hopewell 101]

We continue studying through the Scriptural doctrine that our congregation confesses. This week, we come to Westminster Confession chapter 20—Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience. We began Article 1, considering from what Christ has liberated believers.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Seek Your Servant! [Family Worship lesson in Psalm 119:169–176]

What does trouble provide an opportunity for? Psalm 119:169–176 looks forward to opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that trouble provides, among other things, an opportunity to praise the Word and faithfulness of the God Who saves us out of it. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)