Introduction

• II John 1:9
• We want to simply look at the Bible and do what it says.

Local churches are authorized to provide for the preaching of the gospel.

• Acts 11:21-23 – “they sent Barnabas”
• Acts 13:1-3 – “teachers … they sent them”
• Acts 14:26-28 – “commended … they began to report”
• Acts 15:1-3 – “sent on their way by the church”
• I Corinthians 9:1-18 – “get their living from the gospel”
• I Corinthians 14 – “for edification”
• II Corinthians 11:7-9 – “I robbed other churches”
• Philippians 1:3-5; 4:14-18 – “participation in the gospel”
• I Thessalonians 1:6-10 – “sounded forth from you”
• In the New Testament, churches sent money directly to the preacher. There was no “sponsoring church” arrangement.
• In the early days of the church, the pattern from the New Testament was followed. Over time, a hierarchy developed in some local churches, which eventually led to the Catholic organization, with one Pope over all Catholic churches.

Local churches are authorized to provide for needy Christians.

• Acts 2:44-45
• Acts 4:32-35
• Acts 6:1-3
• Acts 11:27-30
• Romans 15:25-27
• I Corinthians 16:1-3
• II Corinthians 8:3-4, 14
• II Corinthians 9:1
• I Timothy 5:16, 5 – “widows indeed”

Local churches are authorized to provide for worship and edification.

• The local church is a group designed for mutual encouragement as we serve God together.
• I Corinthians 14:3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 17, 26, 31
• Lord’s Supper – I Corinthians 11:26
• Studying / preaching – I Corinthians 14:26
• Giving – I Corinthians 16:1-2
• Praying – Acts 12:5
• Singing – I Corinthians 14:26
• Assembling – Hebrews 10:24-25

Significance

• Descriptive?
  • “From Dan to Beersheba”
    • Meaning the entire length of Israel
    • Judges 20:1; I Samuel 3:20; II Samuel 24:2, 15
  • Reference from united kingdom
• Relevance to northern kingdom?
  • Dan on northern frontier
  • Bethel on southern frontier
  • Same idea
• Opposites of Dan and Bethel
  • Topographically opposite
  • Geographically opposite
  • Spiritually opposite

Bethel

• First excavated in 1927
• Continuous digs to 1960
• One find posited to be Abram’s altar
• Canaanite tombs, houses, olive presses
• Canaanite temple
• Fortified around 1750 BC – Luz
• City gates were found in pieces
• Destroyed early 12th century BC
• New settlement built after destruction
• Skip to later – captured by Vespasian in 69 AD
• Crusades
  • Crusaders took it in 12th century AD and built churches there
• The name means, “House of God”
• Today it is the village of Beitin
• First seen in scripture in Genesis 12
• Lies in the very rocky terrain of Israel’s central ridge
  • Jacob’s vision – Genesis 28:10-22
    • He used a stone as a pillow for his sleep.
    • After the vision, he consecrated the stone – poured oil on its top
    • Named it “God’s House” or Bethel
  • “Mansion over the hilltop”
• Jacob flees to Bethel – Genesis 34-35
• Canaanites had a king there
  • Defeated by Joshua and sons of Israel
  • Ceded to Benjamin
• Border town
  • Between Ephraim and Benjamin
  • Between Israel and Judah after split
• During conquest, Benjamites failure
  • Didn’t drive out Jebusites
  • House of Joseph went up against Bethel
  • The Lord was with them – Judges 1:21-22
• Later (Judges 20-21)
  • Bethel center of ops – Israel versus Benjamin
  • Place of council in aftermath
• Deborah judged Israel (Judges 4:5)
  • From under a palm tree
  • Between Ramah and Bethel
• Samuel – circuit judge (I Samuel 7:15-17)
  • Four-town circuit
  • Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, Ramah
• Saul’s encounter after being anointed by Samuel

Dan

• Near headwaters of Jordan
• Occupied more than 6,000 years ago
  • Abandoned about that time
  • Rebuilt 1,000 years later
• Free-standing mud brick arches
  • Oldest ever found
  • Called Abraham’s gate
• Conquered by Tuthmosis III in 15th century BC
• Tel Dan Stele – 9th century BC
  • Stele heralded initial conquest
    • Assyrian Tiglath-Pileser III
    • Included “David King of Israel”
    • Other Historical info confirming scripture
  • Digs confirm idolatrous practices
• Little mention prior to Jeroboam’s rule
  • Abram defeated forces of Sodom and Gomorrah there
  • Descriptive “north-to-south” statements
  • Center of northern migration of tribe of Dan
• Danites impatience – spies go north (Judges 18)
  • Find Laish
  • Take small force
  • Seize Levite and the idols of Micha
  • Capture Laish, named it Dan

Jeroboam

• Jeroboam’s concern
  • Life, power – I Kings 12:26-33
  • Made two golden calves
  • Places them in Bethel and Dan
  • Designated a feast
  • Posted priests
  • Made sacrifice
  • Prophecy of Josiah’s reforms – I Kings 13

The abominable calves

• Major subject of idolatrous worship
• Multiple regional cultures used calves, bulls
  • Egypt – where Israel spent 400 years
  • Crete – where Philistines frequented
  • Persia – to the east
  • Anatolea – to the north
  • India – farther east

Some lessons

• Don’t hang our hat on a town’s reputation
• Don’t compromise faith for life or power
• Don’t have a “when in Rome” attitude

Introduction

• II Timothy 1:16-18 – Onesiphorus is only mentioned in three verses.
• III John 1:12 – Demetrius only gets a commendation in one verse, but it’s a good one!

“He often refreshed me.”

• Contrast II Timothy 1:15 – These men turned away from Paul in Asia.
• Am I refreshing or am I something else?
• I Corinthians 16:17-18
• Philemon 1:4-7, 20-21
• Proverbs 6:19
• II Corinthians 12:20
• Let us be refreshing and give people comfort and hope.

“Was not ashamed of my chains”

• II Timothy 4:6 – Paul had no expectation of release.
• Nero blamed the great fire in Rome (AD 64) on Christians and took that opportunity to persecute Christians. History tells us that Paul was executed in the days of Nero. It was certainly not safe to associate with Christians in those days, especially high profile ones like Paul.
• Romans 1:15-16
• Onesiphorus was not ashamed!
• Am I ashamed of Christ, His Word, or His people?
• Luke 9:26
• Psalms 119:46
• I Peter 4:12-19

“He eagerly searched for me and found me … and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.”

• Do I only help people when it’s convenient?
• Romans 12:10-13

Deuteronomy 23

• Deuteronomy 23:1-8 – Those excluded from the assembly of the Lord
  • It is not entirely clear what is meant by “assembly” here. Possibly, they were to be excluded from the nation of Israel.
• Deuteronomy 23:9-25 – More miscellaneous laws
  • Deuteronomy 23:15 – Slaves could find refuge in Israel.
  • Deuteronomy 23:19 – Interest on lended money cannot be charged to fellow Israelites.
  • Deuteronomy 23:24-25 – Travelers were allowed to take from the land on their way through, but not harvest.

Deuteronomy 24

• Deuteronomy 24:1-4 – Divorce and remarriage
  • God set up laws even around things that were not supposed to happen in the first place. Compare Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Perhaps this was a contingency plan to limit the damage once the wrong path had been chosen. See Matthew 19:3-9. Matthew 13:8 would lend support to the idea that this was a contingency plan. See also Matthew 5:31-32.
• Deuteronomy 24:5-22 – Miscellaneous laws
  • Deuteronomy 24:7 – Human trafficking was a capital offense!
  • Deuteronomy 24:16 – Everyone shall answer for his own deeds.

Last week

• Onesimus
  • Runaway slave
  • Converted by Paul
  • Sent back
• Slavery in 1st Century Rome
  • How one came into slavery
  • Where slaves were employed
  • Laws protecting slave owners, not slaves
  • Treatment of slaves

Treatment of slaves under Rome

• Fair treatment was economically sound
  • Hard work often came with an allowance (peculium)
  • Some allowed to marry
  • Some made wills
  • Some held property
  • Some became close to household members

Celebrity slaves – gladiators

• Usually POWs or convicted criminals
• Physically fit
• Sent to special school
  • Trained by ex-gladiator trainers
  • Learned combat plus protocol
• Did not always die in the fight
  • Fighting a good fight was prerequisite for living
• Some became well-known celebrities
• Could be granted freedom

Paths to freedom

• Process called manumissions – several types
  • Most common – magistrate ceremony
  • Master’s will
  • Declared free by master – apply for citizenship
  • Slave women
    • Marrying their masters
    • Allowed children to be born free
  • Least common – buying one’s own freedom
• Some who gained freedom also did very well.
  • Eurysaces: a freed slave who opened a baking operation that made him rich.
• Although being a slave in Rome made life difficult, it was not always a hopeless situation.

Slavery and the Bible

• Old Testament
  • Curse upon Canaan (Genesis 9:25-27)
    • Was the “curse of Canaan” upheld in perpetuity by God?
    • Who were/are the descendants of Canaan and how many generations bore the curse, if it was to be borne?
    • Does God condemn people because of the sins of their ancestors? Ezekiel 18
  • Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers
    • Did God approve or was this part of God’s plan?
    • Did God condone the act?
  • Slaves held by Israelites
  • Law of Moses – Exodus 21-23
    • Treatment of slaves
      • Protects the slaves
      • Not the owners
      • Slaves to be freed after seven years
    • Taking of slaves
      • Allowed
      • Not allowed
  • God stated His distaste for his people being slaves – they were His.
    • Hosea 2:23; I Peter 2:10; I Corinthians 7:21

Did God approve of slavery?

• Did not approve of divorce – stated so
  • Malachi 2:16
  • Mark 10:2-12 (Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9) – “From the beginning”
• Where it starts
  • Exodus 21:16 – To forcibly take a slave = death
  • Appears forced slavery not allowed
  • Not restriction as to nationality or religion
• Fact of slavery
  • We know that God did not condone forcibly taking one into slavery at the time the law was given.
  • He did not want an Israelite to be a slave beyond Jubilee every. Why? Leviticus 25:55
  • God approved of slavery as punishment – Exodus 22:2-4

Caleb

• The familiar account
  • From Numbers 13 and 14
    • Spies chosen – one from each tribe (Numbers 13:2)
    • Caleb chosen from Judah (Numbers 13:4)
    • Contention upon their return (Numbers 13:25-33)
    • Caleb quiets their murmuring (Numbers 13:30)
    • Israel’s rebellion (Numbers 14:1-10)
    • Caleb and Joshua tear their clothes (Numbers 14:6-9)
    • Threat of stoning
    • Glory of the Lord fills the tent of meeting (Numbers 14:10)
    • God condemns Israel (Numbers 14:11-12)
    • Moses contends for Israel (Numbers 14:13-19)
    • God relents, passes judgment (Numbers 14:15-38)
• What follows
  • God’s promises
    • Joshua and Caleb survive (Numbers 32:10-12)
    • Caleb now arbiter of Judah’s inheritance (Numbers 34:16-19)
    • More on why this has come to pass (Deuteronomy 1:34-39)
      • Promise of land to Caleb
      • Note who will possess the land
      • Instructions concerning Joshua – encourage him
• Taking the land
  • Conquests of southern and northern Canaan
  • Conquests east of Jordan
  • Dividing the land (Joshua 14:5)
  • Caleb’s request of Joshua fulfilled (Joshua 14:6-15)
  • He’s got it, now he has to take it
• Taking possession
  • Starts in Joshua 15
    • Caleb takes Kiriath-arba
    • Drives out sons of Anak (remember Numbers 13:33?)
    • Offered his daughter to one who took Kiriath-sepher
    • Othniel wins the prize
• Passing it on
  • Caleb gives Othniel his daughter
    • She convinces Othniel to ask for land from Caleb
    • He agrees, she makes the request
    • Obtains Negev and its upper and lower springs
    • Stays in the family
    • Othniel becomes the first judge over Israel
• Takeaways
  • Caleb had faith in God and His promises
    • Expressed that faith
    • Stood for God when dangerous to do so
    • Continued in his faith
      • Patience for 40 years to enter promised land
      • Patience for 45 years to receive his inheritance
  • God rewarded Caleb’s faithfulness
    • Fulfilled His promise to Caleb
    • Added to that promise – became father-in-law to the first judge of Israel