THE GREETING: ROMANS 1:1-7

The Greeting

1:1-7

The first word of the letter tells us the author is the apostle Paul. Very few scholars dispute this. 

Paul dictated the letter to Tertius who wrote it out. (16:22) He was Paul’s “amanuensis”. 

Paul grew up in Tarsus, a city of culture and education, in Celicia (modern day Turkey). It was the capitol of the province, steeped in the culture and religion of Rome and Greece. 

Although he was a Roman citizen, Paul was Jewish. He was an educated Pharisee, studying in Jerusalem under a famous Rabbi. (Acts 22:3) He was zealous. He persecuted Jewish Christians. He held the coats of those who stoned Stephen and probably had a role in organizing the execution. (Acts 7:58)

You can read about Paul’s conversion in Acts 9. After his encounter with the risen Christ, and being blinded for three days, the Lord told Paul he had chosen him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel. (Acts 9:16) Paul was then baptized. He immediately began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues in Damascus. 

We believe Paul wrote the letter to the Romans between AD 55 and 58 while he was in Corinth collecting funds for a gift to Jerusalem. He stayed with Gaius. (16:23; 1 Corinthians 1:14) 

Paul described himself in three ways in verses 1-6. First, he was a servant of Christ. Christ was his lord and master. He was fully devoted to serving him. 

All of that zeal that Paul previously directed to persecuting Christ followers as apostate Jews, he now directed to serving Christ.

Second, Paul was an apostle. He was called by Christ. We know from Acts 9 that he saw the risen Christ and was called by him into service, qualifying him as an apostle. Being an apostle, he had the authority to proclaim God’s word so that people would come into obedience to Christ. 

Third, Paul was set apart for the preaching the gospel. He was to preach the gospel to all the nations. (5) In fact, God set him apart before he was born. (Galatians 1:15) This reflects the calling of Jeremiah. God told him: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations”. (Jeremiah 1:4)

Paul’s intended audience was the church (or churches) in Rome. He intended to go to Rome after delivering the gift to the church in Jerusalem. He did so, but under arrest and awaiting trial before the emperor. (Acts 28:14-16)

Paul also described the gospel in three ways. 

First, it is the gospel of God. It is the good news from God that he provided a way of salvation through his son, Jesus. It was not something Paul made up. 

Second, the gospel was promised beforehand through God’s prophets in the holy Scriptures. This is an important statement, especially for the Jewish people. Salvation through Christ was always God’s plan. 

It is first told in Genesis 3:15, as God said he would send one who would defeat Satan. Moses said God would raise up a prophet like himself that would speak God’s word and to whom people should listen. (Deuteronomy 18:15-22) It continues in Isaiah 53, where the servant and his suffering are described in detail.  There are many other references. 

Third, the gospel concerns God’s son. (3) His son was descended from David according to the flesh. This is particularly important for the Jews and God fearing Gentiles who knew the promise of God to David. (2 Samuel 7) He was declared to be God’s son by his resurrection from the dead. 

Paul did not start the church in Rome. We do not know who did. But, the Roman church in general did not know him, so this letter serves as an introduction to Paul and his teaching about the gospel. Paul did know several people in the Roman church, though. He mentioned several in Chapter 16.  

There appear to be two main reasons for the letter. First, Paul wanted to bring unity to the Roman church, unity between Jewish and Gentile believers. It is believed that the majority of believers there were Gentiles, but with a significant number of Jews. 

There were significant differences between the Jewish and Gentile believers that could destroy their unity. There was religious history, Judaism versus the Greek\Roman religion. In addition, the Jews of various sects, such as Pharisees and Sadducees, did not approve of each other. 

The Jews resented the Greeks for invading their land and defiling their temple. They resented Roman dominion over their country. The Romans tended to see the Jews as trouble makers and disrupters of the peace. 

There were racial and cultural differences, too. People from all over the Roman empire migrated to Rome, bringing their own customs, religions, and prejudices with them. 

But Paul believed they could all be unified in Christ when they understood Christian doctrine. He believed and taught that Christ himself is the peace of the church, having made both Jew and Gentile one body, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility between the two. (Ephesians 2:14)

Takeaways

I have heard it said that, if Paul could see the church today, we would be getting a letter! Certainly, there are many divisions. But, Jesus is our peace just as he was Paul’s. We can unite in Christ despite our different taste in music and worship styles, our diversity of races, ages, and economic statuses. And that will get the attention of the world. 

COVENANTS KEPT & BROKEN - 2 SAMUEL 21

 

The Famine

21:1-2

Israel suffered under a famine for three years. Famines were usually associated with droughts (periods of no rain). 

This story may not be in chronological order. The time reference is vague: “in the time of David”. Given what David does here with regard to Mephibosheth, the events may have occurred shortly after the events of chapter 9. 

In the third year of the famine, David sought the Lord. He asked the cause of the famine. Drought and famine were some of the curses for disobedience. (Leviticus 26:19-20) 

The Lord answered him: there is bloodguilt on the house of Saul because he killed a number of Gibeonites. 

Gibeon was an area about six miles northwest of Jerusalem in the hill country. When the Israelites invaded Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, it was a Canaanite city. The Israelites had been instructed to defeat and destroy the cities of the Canaanites. They had already done that to Jericho and Ai. 

The people of Gibeon did not believe they could win a battle against Israel. So, they resorted to deceit. You can read about this in Joshua 9. They met the Israelis and convinced them they were people from a distant country. 

They convinced Israel to make a covenant with them to spare them. Israel’s swore by the Lord to let them live. Swearing by the Lord’s name invites him to impose consequences for breaching the covenant. 

That covenant did not expire with the passage of time. “…even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.” (Galatians 3:15)

The area of Gibeon was allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was a member of that tribe. Despite the covenant, Saul attacked and killed many of the Gibeonites, wanting to purge them from the area. Since this killing was unjustified, due to the covenant, Saul and his family had “blood guilt”. 

David Seeks Atonement For Israel

21:3-9

David engaged the Gibeonites, asking what it would take to make this right, to relieve the blood guilt. They Gibeonites wanted seven sons of Saul to be given to them to be hanged at Saul’s home town, and capitol, of Gibeah. The number seven was probably a symbol for all of the tribe of Benjamin, or even Israel, as the perfect retribution for blood guilt. David agreed to do this.

David did spare Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, because of the oath he swore to Jonathan. Notice the contrast: Saul is the covenant breaker; David is the covenant keeper. 

David delivered seven other descendants’s of Saul to the Gibeonites, who hanged them. It is likely they hanged them as an act of symbolism, because a man who was hanged was cursed by God. These descendants bore the curse incurred by Saul. 

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 says:

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.”

This is similar to Paul’s reasoning for the crucifixion. In Galatians 3:13, he wrote:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, ‘cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree…”

David Buries The Dead

21:10-14

Rizpah, the mother of two of the hanged men, went to mourn at the tree. She also protected the bodies from carrion birds. The bodies of the hanged men had been left unburied, probably to show they were executed as an act of judgment. 

When David heard about this, he went and gathered the bodies of the hanged men, along with the remains of Saul and Jonathan, and had them buried in the tomb of Fish, Saul’s father. 

Once this was all accomplished, God relented from punishing Israel, ended the famine and brought rain. (14) 

David And The Philistines

21:15-17

David, now older, went out again to fight the Philistines. He was attacked by one of the giant men. David got tired as he fought, making him vulnerable to being killed. Fortunately, Abishai, who had always be loyal to and protective of David, came to his rescue and killed the Philistine. After this, David’s men did not want him to go into battle and risk being killed. 

More Battles With Philistine Giants

21:18-22

Israel continued to have battles with the Philistines. Several really large men fought Israel. Yet, the Israelites were able to overcome this and kill the giants. Even one of David’s nephews killed a giant. God continued to raise up men to protect his people and preserve the kingdom. 

Takeaways

So, we see that God continued to keep his covenant with Israel.

And that tells us God will keep his covenant with us, those who believe in his Son, giving us eternal life.

A REBELLION SUPPRESSED - 2 SAMUEL 20

 

Amasa Fails To Do His Duty

20:4-5

David saw Sheba and his followers as a threat to his reign. He wanted to suppress the rebellion immediately. He may have overestimated the strength of the rebels, be he took it seriously and acted decisively.

He told Amasa, commander of the army, to assemble the men of Judah and bring them to Jerusalem to begin an attack on Sheba. It is a stark contrast to his handling of Absalom. 

So Amasa left to do this, but did get it done on time. 

David Turns To Abishai

20:6-7

When Amasa did not return on time, David recruited Abishai to do the job. He had been David’s commander in exile. David was worried about Sheba getting away and starting another war. So Abishai took off in pursuit of Sheba. David wanted him caught before he could take refuge in a fortified city.

Abishai took David’s “servants” with him. These were the men who stayed around David all of the time. There were the Cherethites and Pelethites, David’s personal body guards. 

There were also the “mighty men”, the 30 great warriors. You can read about them in 1 Chronicles 11. Abishai was the chief (leader) of the mighty men as a great warrior. Finally, there were the men of Joab, those fighters who had stayed with him after Amasa was made the commander of the army. 

The End Of Amasa

20:8-13

Amasa finally appeared, meeting Abishai and David’s servants at Gibeon. He may have brought some men from Judah with him. Amasa met them at the great stone in Gibeon. 

Gibeon was about six miles north of Jerusalem. When the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines, the tabernacle was moved from Shiloh to Gibeon. The altar of the tabernacle at Gibeon was used for sacrificial worship (1 Chronicles 16:39; 21:29; 1 Kings 3:2–4), until Solomon brought the tabernacle and its furnishings furnishings to Jerusalem to furnish the Temple (1 Kings 8:4).

The great stone may be the stone Saul set up and made sacrifices on after the people sinned there. (1 Samuel 14:33) It seems to have remained a place of worship. David put Zadok there to offer sacrifices after bringing the ark to Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 16:39) Solomon offered sacrifices there also. (1 Kings 3:4) 

Joab murdered Amasa after greeting him as a brother. He left his body in the road, lying in his blood. Joab then joined his brother Abishai in the pursuit of Sheba.  

Then one of Joab’s “young men” (part of the group that killed Absalom?) rallied the people to follow Joab, either because they favored Joab as commander or because they were loyal to David. (11) They did, after Amasa’s body was removed from the road. The men of Judah followed Joab to pursue Sheba. 

The End Of Sheba

20:14-22

Sheba headed north. His family joined him (the Bichrites). Evidently, the other Israelites declined to follow him. Having just lost a battle against David’s forces, they did not want another confrontation. Sheba and his family made it to the walled city of Abel of Beth-macaah in the far north of Israel.

Joab and his fighters followed and began a siege of the city. They built mounds, or ramps, of dirt and hauled up battering rams to attack the wall. It would only be a matter of time before they breached the wall and sacked the city.

However, a wise woman intervened on behalf of the city. (16) She asked to address Joab and he listened to her. She claimed that she and the others in the city were loyal to the king. She also claimed the city was known for its wisdom. She asked Joab why he would destroy such a city.

Joab denied his desire to destroy the city. He claimed only to want Sheba for opposing David. He offered to withdraw from the city if they delivered Sheba to him. The woman went beyond that. She convinced her people to kill Sheba, behead him, and throw his head to Joab. It worked. Joab withdrew the army.

David’s Administration

20:23-26

The author closes this chapter with a summary of David’s administration. 

Joab resumed his office of commander of the army. This had to be an uncomfortable situation, as Joab has now killed Abner, Absalom, and Amasa in contravention of David’s desires. 

Benaiah, not Joab, was in command of David’s personal guard, the Cherethites and Pelethites. Benaiah was also one of the 30 mighty men. (23:28) 

Adoram supervised the forced labor. These were likely captives kept as slaves. 

There was a recorder and a secretary. Zadok and Abiathar remained as priests, probably sharing the role of high priest. David also had a personal priest named Ira the Jairite. 

Takeaways

David is back to acting like a king. He suppressed rebellion. He established his administration and attempted to stabilize the country.

God has continued to keep his covenant with David, restoring him to the throne. Notice also the grace of God. He protected Israel from other countries while Israel was in turmoil internally. It would have been the perfect time for an enemy to attack Israel, but none did.