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ALL ABOUT YOU:
GIDEON, CHAPTER 31 STONY GROUND
EXAMPLES: JUDAS ISCARIOT AND LOT’S WIFE
05-16-04 JUDAS ISCARIOT: A MAN WITH A HEART OF STONE (Mat
26:20-25) Now when the even was
come, he sat down with the twelve.
And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and
began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and
said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray
me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom
the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been
born. Then Judas [Iscariot],
which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou
hast said. 1.
(Mat 22:35-40) Then one of
them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets. 2.
(John 12:1-8) Then Jesus six
days before the passover came to Bethany
[“in the house of Simon the leper” (hearing sinner): Mark 14:3], where
Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they
made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at
the table with him. Then took Mary [sister of Lazarus and Martha] a
pound of ointment of spikenard [“myrrh”:
perfumed oil], very costly, and
anointed the feet of Jesus [and His
head: Mat 26:7; Mark 14:3], and
wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour [fragrance]
of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas
Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment
sold for three hundred pence[approximately
a year’s wages], and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared
for the poor; but because he was a
thief, and had the bag [treasury],
and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against
the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have
with you; but me ye have not always. 3.
(John 13:1-5) Now before the
feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he
should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil
having now put into the heart of Judas
Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had
given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel
[a "linen" cloth, apron (i.e.
the priestly office: Ezek 44:17,18)], and girded himself [to bind about]. After that
he poureth water into a basin [symbolizing
the brasen laver (basin): Exo 30:17-21],
and began to wash [nipto:
to cleanse (espec. the hands or the feet or the face)] the
disciples' feet [“with the washing
of water by the word” Eph 5:26],
and to wipe them with the towel [priestly
office] wherewith he was girded.
//// (John 13:14,15) If I then,
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye
also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an
example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 4.
(Luke 8:11-13) Now the
parable is this: The seed is the word of God [John
1:14]. Those by the way side [road]
are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out
of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on
the rock [“stony places” Mat 13:20; “stony ground” Mark 4:16] are
they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no
root [“root of Jesse” Isa 11:10; Rom 15:12; “I am the root…” Rev
22:16], which for a while believe, and in time of temptation [testing] fall
away [revolt; desert: depart, withdraw self]. 5.
rock = Dict: 1. a large mass of stone forming an eminence, cliff, or the
like. 2. Geol. mineral matter of various composition, consolidated or
unconsolidated, assembled in masses or considerable quanities in nature, as by the
action of heat. 3. stone in the mass. 6.
(Mark 4:14-17) The sower
soweth the word. And these are they by
the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan
cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts [“lest they
should believe and be saved” Luke 8:12]. And these are they likewise
which are sown on stony ground; who,
when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And
have no root in themselves, and so
endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for
the word's sake, immediately they are offended
[entrapped, i.e. tripped up (fig. stumbles
or enticed to sin, apostasy)]. LOT’S WIFE: A WOMAN WITH A HEART OF STONE (Gen
19:23-26) The sun was risen upon
the earth when Lot entered into Zoar [little].
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom [perverted
doctrine] and upon Gomorrah [perverted
works] brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew
those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that
which grew upon the ground. But his wife
looked back from behind him, and she
became a pillar [something
stationary, a statue] of salt. 1.
salt = Dict: a crystalline compound, sodium chloride, NaCl, occurring as a
mineral… and used for seasoning food, as a preservative, etc. (Mat
5:13) Ye
are the salt [prudence]
of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith
shall it [the earth] be salted? it is
thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden [to
trample down; fig. to be rejected with disdain] under foot of men. 1.
prudence = Dict: cautious practical wisdom; good judgment;
discretion (note: attempted provision against possible contingencies. Prudence
is care, caution, and good judgment, as well as wisdom in looking ahead). 2.
discernment = Dict: faculty of discerning; discrimination; acuteness
of judgment. 3.
(1 Ki 3:9,10) Give therefore
thy servant an understanding heart to
judge thy people, that I may discern
between good and bad: for who is able
to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord,
that Solomon had asked this thing. 4.
discern = Heb: to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e. (gen.)
understand:--attend, consider, be cunning, diligently, direct, discern,
eloquent, feel, inform, instruct, have intelligence, know, look well to, mark,
perceive, be prudent, regard,
(can) skill (-ful), teach, think, (cause, make to, get, give, have) understand
(-ing), view, (deal) wise (-ly, man). 5.
savour = Gk: to become insipid; fig. to make as a simpleton:--become fool
/// dull or stupid (as if shut up), i.e. heedless, (mor.) blockhead, (appar.)
absurd:--fool (-ish, X -ishness). (Mark
9:49,50) For every one shall be
salted with fire, and every sacrifice
shall be salted with salt. Salt is good:
but if the salt have lost his saltness [i.e.
prudence (discernment)], wherewith will ye season it [your
sacrifice - you]? Have salt [prudence
(discernment)] in yourselves, and have peace one with another. 1.
(Rom 12:1) I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. 2.
season = Gk: to prepare, i.e. spice (with stimulating condiments). (Luke
14:33-35) So likewise, whosoever he be of you that
forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be my disciple [a learner, i.e.
pupil (student)]. Salt [prudence
(discernment)] is good: but if the salt have lost his savour [i.e.
has become a fool], wherewith shall it [i.e.
your sacrifice as a pupil] be seasoned? It [your
sacrifice] is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill;
but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Amen |