Here is the Verse of The Day Plus study material for today, Thursday, June 07, 2018.

This is another sample of Spreading The Word – Online‘s Verse of the Day Plus. Please leave comments or feedback on our blog here. You can sign up to receive Verse of the Day Plusevery day here.

Text: 
Matthew 14:6-7   But when Herod’s birthday celebration came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and plased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. (TLV)

Comment: 
What is Herod doing? The issues of dancing, lust, incest and many other excesses of the Herodian court are present within this story, but our focus is on Herod’s rash behaviour: he promised with an oath. The Torah is very clear about oaths: “If a man makes a vow to the L–RD or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips” (Numbers 30:3, NJPS). Whether a vow to the L–rd or an oath in another matter, a person must keep their word and do what they have said. This was of such significant value in an oral culture, that the early rabbis forbade anyone who had been discovered in a false oath from ever being a witness in court or taking part in judicial procedings. In a moment of passion, having allowed himself to lose control of his critical faculties, Herod bound himself in a publicly witnessed oath from which he subsequently felt unable to extricate himself, at the collateral and unthinking cost of an innocent life.

Scholar: 
Craig S. Keener:   The Greeks and Romans had stories about mortals or deities who regretfully granted deadly requests on account of their oaths. Jewish scholas had devised ways to release people from oaths that would lead to more evil, so most religious teachers would not have faulted Herod for breaking his oath: life took precedence over oaths. But Antipas was concerned about more than the oath itself. Once Herod has given his oath in front of the dinner guests, his “honour” is at stake; here short-range political considerations take precedence over long-term ones, but Antipas remained captive to considerations of what others thought.

Futher Study Suggestions: 
Matthew 5:33-37
— How does Yeshua’s teaching reflect on this story? Would it actually have made any difference to Herod’s position?
James 5:12
— James follows up on the same lines as Yeshua, but what does he add to the thought process?

Challenge: 
How many times have you found yourself in the same position as Herod? Not perhaps so compromisingly (of course) nor at such a horrific cost – but nevertheless at some personal inconvenience, expense or difficulty. It is all too easy to speak out rashly on the spur of the moment and make a commitment to do something, be somewhere, buy something; and almost before the words are out of your mouth, you realise that was a big mistake. Perhaps it is the peer pressure of the group we are with, not wanting to be different from the rest or to stand out. It might be fear of looking foolish or old-fashioned, or something else of which you know the group will disapprove.

How can we stand against being caught in this way? One option is by taking a decision never to take an oath or make a spur-of-the-moment commitment. Then when a situation crops up, there is no decision to take; you already know that you don’t do that. Another is to cultivate the habit of always taking a deep breath and asking the Holy Spirit for a five or ten second break before you say anything, to allow you to hear His take on the matter.

Professor Craig S. Keener is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Text by Craig S. Keener is taken from Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 0-8028-6498-8 , page(s) 401

Here is the Verse of The Day Plus study material for today, Tuesday, June 05, 2018.

This is a sample of Spreading The Word – Online‘s Verse of the Day Plus.

Text: 
Ezekiel 20:49   Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not a maker ofparables?'” (ESV)

Comment: 
After a long rebuke, lasting the whole chapter from the time when certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me (Ezekiel 20:1), or possible a series of distinct oracles, Ezekiel has reached the conclusion the L–rd has given him to say: that the fire of the L–rd will burn through the area of Israel known as the Negev, the southern lands (Be’er Sheva and southwards) to purge it of its sins and that the people will then know that He is the L–rd. Our text describes the response of the elders: they turn round and say “This is just a parable; just a story. It doesn’t mean anything.” Ezekiel and the word of the L–rd are rejected out of hand.

Hebrew Note: 
The phrase translated by the ESV as “maker of parables” uses the same Hebrew root (mem-shin-lamed) twice in adjacent words. It could be more literally translated “riddler of riddles” or “spinner of spun words”.

Scholar: 
Daniel I. Block:   This verse offers the reader another glimpse into the mental state of the prophet as he pursues his prophetic activity. He expresses his frustration over the obtuseness of his audience first with an exclamatory Ah and then by lodging a formal complaint before YHVH concerning the reputation he is gaining among the exiles. Their description of Ezekiel as a “prattler of parables” reflects more than exasperation over the unintelligibility of his enigmas; it implies disdain for the prophet himself. Neither he nor his utterances are being taken seriously. But in their rejection of him, they are also rejecting the One on whose behalf he has been speaking, thereby casting their lot with the trees.

Futher Study Suggestions: 
Jeremiah 20:7-11
— Consider how Jeremiah feels about his own situation and those around him
Mark 6:7-13
— What is the standard procedure for those who will not listen? What were the consequences of following the procedure?

Challenge: 
Do you find yourself in a similar position to Ezekiel today? Are the things that you are sharing from the L–rd and from His word causing those around you, others in church, to reject you as simply being obsessed or a bit strange, so devaluing the truth of the Bible and what G–d wants to say in these days? Have you developed a bit of a reputation as something of a nut-case or (shock, horror) an extremist about some things? If so, then you are in good company: Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel to name but three, were all there before you.

What can you do about it? Check your facts, make sure your texts are rock solid and that you can’t be accused of quoting out of context and press on. Pray for inspiration and boldness, call upon the Spirit to give you His words and proclaim the truth to all those who will hear and to those who won’t.

Professor Daniel I. Block is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Wheaton College.

Text by Daniel I. Block is taken from Daniel I. Block, The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 1-24, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 0-8028-2535-4 , page(s) 665