Post by M.R. Hagerty on Feb 6, 2023 12:32:43 GMT -7
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
Again the contrast between the two periods, which some refer to as dispensations. The period of the Law was characterized by its legalism and its works, with major themes of truth veiled in symbolism, feasts and prophecy. The period of Christ’s life and ministry is that of Grace and Truth fully revealed.
It is claimed that Moses saw God hence the shining of his face, and that this is a contradiction to the above. But in Exodus we find that God placed His Hand over Moses as He passed by so that he only saw Him from the backside, consistent with the condition that no man can see God and live. So we learn that the peculiar seeing of God that is inherently dangerous is the seeing of His Face, and in this regard, no man has ever seen it at anytime. Yet God condescended to allow a reflection of Himself to be visible in His only begotten Son, whose appearance and life explained Him to all mankind.
This is what Jesus meant in saying, “He who has seen the Son has seen the Father.”
The Birth of John the Baptist and Jesus
Luke 1:5-25
5 “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
14 "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb. 16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18 Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years." 19 The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 "And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time." 21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute.
23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 "This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men."
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Commentary
Luke 1:5-11
5 “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, . .
At the close of the OT we find Persia in control of the domains formerly under Babylon, including the land of Israel. Judah has been allowed to return to its homeland from the Exile begun by Nebuchadnezzar in the time of Daniel.
When we open the pages of the NT, we find Rome on the scene, “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.”
A further puzzlement in this verse is that we are told that Herod was king of Judea, yet this is now a Roman world. What has happened between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New?
Persian rule eventually gave way to the Greeks. At the death of Alexander the Great, the dominions of the Mediterranean, Asia and the East were divided among his generals. Palestine was won back and forth between Macedonian rulers of Egypt and Syria, under Greek rule.
Eventually, the offenses of Greek kings so offended the Jews that they successfully threw off foreign rule in the Maccabaean revolt in the 160’s B.C. Judah lived independently for about 70 years, but internal schisms and conflicts over rule eventually resulted in Rome coming in to settle the squabbling, simultaneously making Palestine a Roman province as their fee.
The Romans were very magnanimous when it came to new provinces, especially those that were won without a war. They allowed local rulers to administer these provinces and even maintained designations like “king” (which meant ‘client king’).
Enter Julius Caesar. While in Egypt, an assassination attempt was made and a man named Antipater managed to save Caesar’s life. Antipater’s home country was Judaea. He was therefore granted rule over Judaea. Antipater’s son was Herod the Great, who inherited rule and also won designation as King from the Senate under Augustus.1 That is why we find an Idumean ruler named as king over Jewish land and Jewish citizens in an empire where Rome ruled the world.
1 F.F. Bruce, New Testament History, Doubleday, 1969, p. 13
Again the contrast between the two periods, which some refer to as dispensations. The period of the Law was characterized by its legalism and its works, with major themes of truth veiled in symbolism, feasts and prophecy. The period of Christ’s life and ministry is that of Grace and Truth fully revealed.
It is claimed that Moses saw God hence the shining of his face, and that this is a contradiction to the above. But in Exodus we find that God placed His Hand over Moses as He passed by so that he only saw Him from the backside, consistent with the condition that no man can see God and live. So we learn that the peculiar seeing of God that is inherently dangerous is the seeing of His Face, and in this regard, no man has ever seen it at anytime. Yet God condescended to allow a reflection of Himself to be visible in His only begotten Son, whose appearance and life explained Him to all mankind.
This is what Jesus meant in saying, “He who has seen the Son has seen the Father.”
The Birth of John the Baptist and Jesus
Luke 1:5-25
5 “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
14 "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb. 16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18 Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years." 19 The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 "And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time." 21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute.
23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 "This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men."
_____________________________________________________________
Commentary
Luke 1:5-11
5 “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, . .
At the close of the OT we find Persia in control of the domains formerly under Babylon, including the land of Israel. Judah has been allowed to return to its homeland from the Exile begun by Nebuchadnezzar in the time of Daniel.
When we open the pages of the NT, we find Rome on the scene, “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.”
A further puzzlement in this verse is that we are told that Herod was king of Judea, yet this is now a Roman world. What has happened between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New?
Persian rule eventually gave way to the Greeks. At the death of Alexander the Great, the dominions of the Mediterranean, Asia and the East were divided among his generals. Palestine was won back and forth between Macedonian rulers of Egypt and Syria, under Greek rule.
Eventually, the offenses of Greek kings so offended the Jews that they successfully threw off foreign rule in the Maccabaean revolt in the 160’s B.C. Judah lived independently for about 70 years, but internal schisms and conflicts over rule eventually resulted in Rome coming in to settle the squabbling, simultaneously making Palestine a Roman province as their fee.
The Romans were very magnanimous when it came to new provinces, especially those that were won without a war. They allowed local rulers to administer these provinces and even maintained designations like “king” (which meant ‘client king’).
Enter Julius Caesar. While in Egypt, an assassination attempt was made and a man named Antipater managed to save Caesar’s life. Antipater’s home country was Judaea. He was therefore granted rule over Judaea. Antipater’s son was Herod the Great, who inherited rule and also won designation as King from the Senate under Augustus.1 That is why we find an Idumean ruler named as king over Jewish land and Jewish citizens in an empire where Rome ruled the world.
1 F.F. Bruce, New Testament History, Doubleday, 1969, p. 13