Psalm 136. God s Graciousness to Israel in her History

Transcription

1 :1 26 God s Graciousnss to Isral in hr History Outlin of Chaptr 136 vv. 1 3 Introduction vv. 4 9 God s majsty and grac in cration vv God s grac in lading Isral from Egypt to th Land of Promis vv God s grac in providing for us Charts and Maps v. 9 Thoris of Cration v. 10 Outlin of th End of 136 Introduction: W do not know who wrot 136 or vn from what tim priod it hails. W hav a continual vrs-by-vrs rptition of th phras for His grac is vrlasting. This psalm taks us all th way from cration to th xodus from Egypt to Isral ast of th Jordan, although argumnt could b mad for vv to apply to th wst as wll. Thrfor, an idal tim to tach this psalm would b at th nd of Num. 21. Bcaus of its limitd historical bradth, it would not b out of lin to suggst that this was vn writtn during th tim of Moss. On th othr hand, on might assrt that David is th author of this psalm, and thrfor tach it somtim during th taching of th book of Samul. A third viwpoint would b to tach this around Ezra 3:10 11, a tim whn this (and 118) wr undoubtdly sung in clbration and for inspiration. Barns writs: This psalm also has no titl to indicat th author, or to xplain th occasion on which it was composd. It is a psalm of vry pculiar construction, and stands alon in th form of its potry. Th pculiarity consists in rpating at th clos of ach vrs th languag For his mrcy ndurth for vr. This is a kind of rfrain, and may hav bn dsignd, in public worship, to b a rspons by a choir, or by th popl. That is may hav bn intndd to b so usd cannot b disprovd, nor can any on show that such a rspons in public worship is, itslf, impropr or wrong. It is not crtain, howvr, that it was mant to b so usd; and it should not, thrfor, b appald to as proving that such rsponss ar propr in public worship, whatvr may b tru on 1 that point. In II Chron. 7:6, w gt th imprssion that such a rspons from th Lvits and th prists was a part of worship. And th prists stood at thir posts and th Lvits, with th instrumnts of music to Y howah which King David had mad for giving prais to Y howah For His grac is trnal whnvr David gav th prais by thir hand, whil th prists on th othr sid blw trumpts; and all Isral would stand (II Chron. 2:6). And in th tmpl, thr was a group of Lvits spcifically to sing and to play music to God (II Chron. 5:11 13). <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> 1 Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p. 277.

2 Chaptr Introduction Litrally: B causd to giv thanks [or prais] to Y howah bcaus H [is] good; [or, B causd to giv thanks to Y howah bcaus this is good,] bcaus forvr [is] His grac 136:1 Smoothr English rndring: It is good to giv thanks and prais to Jhovah, nd W bgin this vrs with th 2 prson masculin plural, Hiphil imprativ of yâdâh (ä Èãé) È [pronouncd yaw- DAWH], which has svral manings. It primarily mans to cast or throw (Zch. 1:21 Lam. 3:53), a us actually not found too oftn in th Bibl. In th Qal and th Hiphil, it mans to profss, to confss. Whn you throw somthing, your hand is xtndd. Gsnius suggsts that this looks as though you ar pointing at somthing, so hr you ar pointing somthing out ( 32:5). It is ithr followd by an accusativ, as in 28:13; or by th prposition al (ì òç ) [pronouncd al],which mans concrning. Th primary maning of yâdâh is to giv thanks, to prais, to clbrat; sinc ths things naturally follow th acknowldgmnt or confssion of bnfits rcivd. It is usd in this way and followd by an accusativ in Gn. 29:35 49:8 7:18; and whn followd by th lâmd prfixd prposition, as in 75:2 I Chron. 29:13 Ezra 3:11. It is usd to prais th nam of Y howah in I Kings 8:33 54:8. In th Hithpal, it mans to confss, to show onslf as guilty (Dan. 9:4). It can also man to prais, to clbrat n th Hithpal (II Chron. 30:2). Strong's #3034 (3027) BDB #392. Th corrsponding noun cognat is tôwdâh (ä ãè ) [pronouncd to-daw], which mans thanksgiving; prais; a giving of prais to; a thanksgiving choir, procssion, lin, confssion. W will covr this word in grat dtail in Joshua 7:19. Strong s #8426 BDB #392. b b Th adjctiv usd to dscrib God is þôw v (á è) [pronouncd to v], which mans plasant, plasing, agrabl, good. It is usd to dscrib that which is good; th goodnss and kindnss of God ( 65:12); Goods, walth (Nh. 5:10); and, wlfar, happinss ( 16:2 106:5). Hr it rfrs to th inhrnt goodnss of God. Strong s #2896 BDB #373. Th first lin of this psalm is: Giv thanks [or, b causd to giv thanks] to Y howah bcaus good. This is rndrd in svral diffrnt ways by various translators: Giv y thanks to Jhovah, For good, for to th ag s His kindnss (Young); Giv y thanks to Yahwh For h is good (Rothrham); It is good to giv thanks to th LORD, (REB). Th lattr is probably th closst in maning, as w do not hav a prsonal pronoun hr. I was surprisd as to th varitis of translations of th scond lin, so, bfor w xgt this vrs, lt m giv you a tast as to how th various translators handld th rfrain: Th Amplifid Bibl Barns (litrally) Th Emphasizd Bibl Kil and Dlitzsch KJV NASB NIV NJB NKJV Own's Translation TEV Young's Lit. Translation...for His mrcy and loving-kindnss ndur for vr; For unto trnity his mrcy. For ag-abiding is his lovingkindnss. For His goodnss ndurth for vr....for his mrcy ndurth forvr. For His lovingkindnss is vrlasting. His lov ndurs forvr....for his faithful lov ndurs for vr....for His mrcy ndurs forvr....for forvr his stadfast lov....his lov is trnal. For to th ag is His kindnss. Th nxt lin bgins with th conjunction kîy (é ò) [pronouncd k], which mans whn, that, for, bcaus. Strong's #3588 BDB #471. This is followd by th lâmd prfixd prposition, which mans to, for, followd by th masculin singular noun ôwlâm (í ìè ò) [pronouncd ìo-lawm], a word indicating long duration, pr p tuity, antiquity, futurity. With th lâmd prposition it mans forvr (Eccls. 1:4). Strong s #5769 (& #5865) BDB #761.

3 A Insrt for th Book of Numbrs 3 What follows is th masculin singular of chçd (ã ñ ç ) [pronouncd KHEH-sd], which mans grac. rd Strong's #2617 BDB #338. With this w hav th 3 prson masculin singular suffix. Our scond lin is: bcaus forvr His grac. Vry fw of us raliz just how gracious God is and how gracious H is to us. Our ntir soul is in rblion against Him Who mad us and against th God Who sustains us. That is our natural inclination. For thos of us who ar blivrs, this is still our natural inclination, vn though w will spnd trnity in th prsnc of God. Sinc God is gracious, and bcaus w will spnd trnity with Him, and bcaus H will rmain gracious to us forvr, thn it is good that w prais Him and thank Him. Barns: [God s grac and mrcy ar] vr th sam; thy nvr chang; thy ar nvr xhaustd; thy ar found 2 in all his dalings in all his acts towards his craturs, and vr will b. As McG put it, Th Lord has plnty 3 of mrcy. H will nvr run out of it. As Eph. 2:4 rads: God is rich in mrcy, bcaus of His grat lov with which H lovs us, vn whil w wr dad in our transgrssions, H mad us aliv togthr with Christ (by grac you hav bn savd), and H raisd us up with Him, and satd us with Him in th havnlis in Christ Jsus. McG: I want mrcy from God, and H is r ic h in it. I rciv many lttrs from folk s who tll m thy hav committd som sin. Thy ask, Do you think God will forgiv m? Frind, H is rich in mrcy. Hav you calld on Him? If you rally want forgivnss, H will giv it to you. H dals with us according to His mrcy. 4 This could b a vry popular rfrain at th rstoration of Isral. W rad in Jr. 33:10 11: Thus says Y howah, Yt again thr will b hard in this plac, of which you say, It is a wast, without man and without bast, in th citis of Judah and in th strts of Jrusalm that ar dsolat, without man and without inhabitant and without bast, th voic of joy and th voic of gladnss, th voic of th bridgroom and th voic of th brid, th voic of thos who say, Giv thanks to Y howah of th armis, for Y howah is good, Whn David had bn brought to th city of David, David had quit a clbration. In th midst of I Chron. 16, w hav a psalm which could hav bn composd by David, by Asaph or on of his sons, or it could hav bn around for awhil. It corrsponds in part to 105 (at last th first 15 vrss); howvr, as a part of this psalm in I Chron. 16:34, w rad: Giv thanks to Y howah bcaus trnal is His grac. It is xactly th sam as v. 1 of this psalm. In fact, David chos crtain mn to continu to giv thanks to God, as His grac is forvr (I Chron. 16:41). As w hav oftn sn, th first lin in a hymn is oftn usd as its titl, or at last a quick and dirty way of figuring out whr th hymn is. Thr is th implication that this first lin was also takn as its titl in II Chron. 20:21 22: And whn h had consultd with th popl, h appointd thos who sang to Y howah and thos who praisd Him in holy attir, as thy wnt out bfor th army and said [or, sang?], Giv thanks to Y howah, bcaus His grac is trnal. And whn thy bgan singing and praising, Y howah st ambushs against th sons of Ammon, Moab, and mount Sir, who had com against Judah; so thy wr routd. My thinking is that song was chosn to b sung on that occasion. This vrs almost rplicats 106:1: Prais Y howah! Giv thanks to Y howah, for H is good; for His grac is trnal. Th only diffrnc btwn th two vrss is that 106:1 bgins with Halllujah. Th similarity of this phras and th subjct matrial found in s 105, 106 and 136 could indicat th sam author and tim priod (although this is not dfinit, a strong cas could b mad for this viwpoint basd mor upon subjct mattr than similarity of this on rfrain). Both 107 and 118 bgin similarly; and th matrial in 118 could b applid to Isral; howvr I think th tru application is David. Th concpt of bing surroundd by nmis both in th tim of Isral and th lif of David is analogous to our situation in th world. Now, you might think that you gt along with vrybody and that is a good trait; howvr, on all sids, if you ar growing in grac and th knowldg of our Lord Jsus Christ, you ar surroundd by dmons you hav nmis on all sids of you. Howvr, do not far thy can do nothing to you apart from th prmission of God. 2 Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p I took som librtis with this quot and wnt from singular to plural on all of th vrbs. 3 J. Vrnon McG; s chaptrs ; Thomas Nlson Publishrs; 1991; p J. Vrnon McG; s chaptrs ; Thomas Nlson Publishrs; 1991; p. 140.

4 Chaptr B causd to giv thanks [or, prais] to a God of th gods bcaus forvr [is] His grac. 136:2 Giv prais and thanks to th God of all gods W hav a rptition of th vrb, which is followd by th lâmd prposition, th construct of th noun w know as Elohim (God) followd by th dfinit articl and lohim again. This is a plural noun (w know that bcaus of th im nding); and is proprly, in th Hbrw, ìlôhîym (îéäòéì àá ) [pronouncd l-o-heem] and this word can rfr to th Godhad or to forign gods. Contxt invitably points out whthr this is th God, th Crator of th Univrs, or forign gods. Strong's #430 BDB #43. it is by intrprtation that w rndr this first God and thn gods. By intrprtation, th first God rfrs to th ssnc of God His trnal powr, His omniscinc, His trnal lov and graciousnss; to God our Crator, th Crator of th univrs. Th scond us of th word gods rfrs to all anglic cration, including th lct and th falln angls. W find a similar usag of this word in 8:5 and 82:1, 6 as wll. Thir powrs and abilitis ar byond what w can imagin, xcpt to say that it would b th asist thing in th world for an angl, lct or falln, to kick Suprman s butt. Ovr all that is in th univrs, thr is only on God, our Crator, Who is ovr all; and it is to Him that w giv thanks. Moss, whn spaking to th popl, said, For Jhovah your God is th God of gods and th Lord of lords, th grat, th mighty, and th aw-inspiring God Who dos not show partiality nor tak a brib. (Dut. 10:17). A ky issu in th Old Tstamnt is th xclusivity of th God of Isral. To you it was shown that you might know that Y howah, H is God thr is non othr bsids Him...Know thrfor today, and tak it to your hart, that Jhovah, H is God in havn abov and on th arth blow; thr is no othr. (Dut. 4:35, 39). Do not trmbl and do not b afraid; hav I not long sinc announcd it to you and dclard it? And you ar My witnsss. Is thr any Bod bsids M? Or is thr any Rock bsids M? I know of non. (Isa. 44:8). I am Jhovah and thr is no othr bsids M; thr is no othr God. (Isa. 45:5a; s also Isa. 46:9 135:5 Dan. 2:47). W find th sam xclusivity in th Nw Tstamnt: For vn if thr ar so-calld gods, whthr in havn or on arth, as indd thr ar many gods and many lords, yt for us, thr is on God, th Fathr, from Whom ar all things, and w ar His; and thr is on Lord, Jsus Christ, through Whom ar all things, and w ar His. (I Cor. 8:5 6). And thr is no salvation in anyon ls; for thr is no othr nam undr havn that has bn givn among mn, by which w must b savd. (Acts 4:12). For thr is on God and on Mdiator btwn God and man th man Christ Jsus, Who gav Himslf as a ransom for all, th tstimony its own dispnsation (I Tim. 2:5 6). In Hidnhim s Psaltr, this psalm is split into two columns, as h also dos with Dut. 32. Although thr is no manuscript prcdnt for this, nor is this th tradition, it radily suits th structur and rhythm of th psalm. 5 With rspct to th rfrain, Barns writs: Th ground of prais hr is, that it is a charactristic of th suprm God that h is a mrciful Bing; that thr is blndd in his charactr trnal mrcy with infinit powr. Mr powr might fill us with drad; powr mingld with mrcy, and abl to carry out th purposs of mrcy, must lay th foundation for prais. 6 B causd to giv thanks [or, prais] to a Lord of th lords bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:3 Giv prais and thanks to th Lord of lords Th word for Lord hr is th masculin plural construct of âdôwn (ï ã àè ) [pronouncd aw-dohn], th word w oftn know as adonai; and this word mans lord, mastr, ownr, suprior, sovrign. It is a word usd of both man and God; and hr of God. As a plural, w can ithr intrprt this as rfrring to th trinity or as an intnsification of th noun. In th plural, whn applid to man, rfrs to all of his supriors. Strong s #113 BDB #10. Again, th capitalization and th us of th singular first and thn th plural is a mattr of intrprtation. V. 2, litrally, would b Gods of th gods and v. 3 would b Lords [or, sovrigns] of th lords [or, sovrigns]. W liv in a world whr 5 As pr Kil & Dlitzsch s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; 1966 Hndrickson Publishrs, Inc.; Vol. V, p Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p. 277.

5 A Insrt for th Book of Numbrs 5 thr ar all kinds of authoritis and sovrigns ovr us; God is sovrign ovr all. This sam phras is applid to Jsus Christ in I Tim. 6:13 16: I charg you in th prsnc of God, Who givs lif to all thins, and in th prsnc of Christ Jsus, Who tstifid th good confssion bfor Pontius Pilat, that you kp th commandmnt without stain or rproach, until th apparing of our Lord Jsus Christ, which H will bring about at th propr tim H Who is th blssd and only Sovrign, th King of kings and Lord of lords. And in I Tim. 1:16 17, w rad: And yt for this rason I found mrcy, in ordr that in m as th formost Jsus Christ might dmonstrat His prfct patinc, as an xampl for thos who would bliv in Him for trnal lif. Now to th King, trnal, incorruptibl, invisibl, th only God honor and glory forvr and vr, Amn. And just so w know that w ar rfrring to Jsus Christ, without a doubt: Ths will wag war against th Lamb and th lamb will ovrcom thm, bcaus H is Lord of lords and King of kings, and thos who ar with Him ar calld th chosn and faithful. (Rv. 17:14; s also Rv. 19:11 16). Again, Barns on th scond lin: Th ground of prais hr, as in th prvious vrs, is, that this God, th Suprm Rulr ovr all th potntats and magistrats of arth, is a mrciful Bing. H is ind and bnignant towards thos rulrs, and through thm to mankind. 7 <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> God s Majsty and Grac in Cration To him doing grat wondrs bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:4 Giv prais and thanks to th On Who dos xtraordinary and unusually difficult things This vrs bgins with th lâmd prposition and th masculin singular construct, Qal activ participl of âsâh ( ä È òè ) [pronouncd ìaw-sawh] which mans to do, to mak, to construct, to fashion, to form, to prpar. In th Qal activ participl, it can man a dor, a makr, making, doing. Strong's #6213 BDB #793. This is followd by th fminin plural, Niphal participl of pâlâ (à ì È È ) [pronouncd paw-law] which, in th participl, this bcoms a substantiv (Ex. 3:10 Nh. 9:17 Job 37:14), maning that which is xtraordinary, that which is xtrmly difficult to do; wondrs, miracls, admirabl things. Strong's #6381 BDB #810. Th first phras of this vrs is somwhat of a summary of what is to follow, both of cration and of God s dlivring th Jws out of Egypt. Rcall th phras, sufficintly advancd tchnology is indistinguishabl from magic? God has st up crtain laws for this physical univrs and what H dos vn within th confins of thos laws is byond our comprhnsion. And this is whn God chooss to work within th vry physical laws that H has ordaind (which H dos mor oftn than w raliz). Sinc H dvisd ths laws, H is not subjct to thm. For, whatvr Jhovah plass, H dos, in havn and in arth, in th sas and in all th dpths ( 135:6). With rfrnc to cration, w rad: It is H Who mad th arth by His powr, Who stablishd th world by His wisdom, and by His undrstanding, H strtchd out th havns (Jr. 51:15). With rfrnc to Egypt, Moss said: Jhovah showd grat and distrssing signs and wondrs bfor our ys against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his houshold. (Dut. 6:22). With rgards to His works in gnral, w rad in Job: Who dos grat things, unfathomabl, and wondrous works without numbr. (Job 9:10). And with rgards to cration, Isaiah wrot: Lft up your ys on high and s Who has cratd ths stars. Th On Who lads forth thir host by numbr and H calls thm all by nam bcaus of th gratnss of His might and th strngth of His powr (Isa. 40:26). In fact, it is in His cration that som mn com to know God: For sinc th cration of th world, His invisibl attributs, His trnal powr and divin natur hav bn clarly sn, bing undrstood through what has bn mad, so that thy ar without xcus (Rom. 1:20). Th havns spak of th glory of God and thir xpans dclars th work of His hands ( 19:1). 7 Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p Bnignant [pronouncd b-nig-nant] mans kind, gracious; it is particularly usd of supriors toward thir infriors.

6 Chaptr Barns on th scond lin: For all ths mighty wondrs ar prformd in carrying out purposs of mrcy. So th wondrs which wr don in Egypt wr for th dlivranc of an opprssd popl; so th miracls prformd by th Saviour and his apostls wr to rmov disas and pain, and to stablish a rligion of mrcy; so th Divin intrpositions among th nations ar to assrt th principls of rightousnss, to scur th rign of ordr and lov, and to promot th wlfar of mankind. 8 To Him making th havns by undrstanding bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:5 Giv prais and thanks to th On Who maks th havns in undrstanding Th nxt phras is intrsting bcaus it is also th Qal activ participl of âsâh (ä È òè ) [pronouncd aw-sawh], but it is not th construct. Thrfor, it dos not translat to Him makr of th havns but it should b rndrd to Him making th havns. Th implication is that thr is som sort of an ongoing procss. This is a tad bit confusing, as God in an instant cratd th havns and th arth (Gn. 1:1). In six days, H rstord th havns and th arth. Th implication is that thr is som kind of a continual procss which is still occurring which God has st into motion in trnity past. This is followd by th bêyth prposition, which mans b ( ) [pronouncd b]' Ó and it dnots proximity. It is translatd in, among, into, against, with, at, through, by. Bêyth is usd hr in its third class us, which may b calld th bêyth of accompanimnt or of instrumnt, and is rlatd to th notion of narnss. Hr, bêyth may b rndrd with or by. With can dnot ithr instrumntality or accompanimnt. b No Strong s # BDB #88. It is followd by th fminin singular of t vûnâh (ä ð È á ) [pronouncd t voo-nawh], Ó which mans undrstanding. Strong s #8394 BDB #108. With this vrs bgins th cration of th univrs and its rstoration. What w hav hr is a summary of th cration of th univrs. In th bginning, God cratd th havns and th arth (Gn. 1:1). Howvr, this was not a cration by a simpl, mindlss xplosion. God s cration involvd grat and manifold wisdom. Jhovah, by wisdom, foundd th arth; by undrstanding, H stablishd th havns (Prov. 3:19). In Provrbs 8, w hav a prsonification of wisdom; th m of this chaptr rfrs to wisdom. Jhovah possssd m at th bginning of His plan, bfor His works of old. From vrlasting, I was stablishd, from th bginning, from th arlist tims of th arth. Whn thr wr no dpths, I was brought forth; as whn thr wr no springs abounding with watr. Bfor th mountains wr sttld, bfor th hills, I was brought forth. Whn stablishd th havns, I was thr as whn H inscribd a ratio on th fac of th dp (Prov. 8:24 27). Barns xpounds on this scond lin: Th making of th havns was a manifstation of mrcy and goodnss as furnishing an abod for unfalln and holy bings; as a dwlling plac for rdmd sinnrs whn thy shall b rmovd thr from th arth; and as, by thir ordr, thir bauty, thir harmony, and thir happy influncs, tnding to promot th happinss of man on arth. 9 To th trading down of th arth upon th watrs bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:6 Giv prais and thanks to th On Who trad down th arth upon th watrs This vrs bgins with th masculin singular construct, Qal activ participl of râqa (ò Ç øè ) [pronouncd raw-kah or raw-kahg], and it mans to bat, to stamp, to bat o u t, to sp r a d out, to consolidat, to trad down. Strong s #7554 BDB #955. This is followd by fminin singular arth (with a dfinit articl) th prposition upon, ovr, against and followd by th masculin plural of watrs. This is an intrsting us of th vrb. It givs th imprssion that God shapd th land, pounding it out, so that som rmaind dry and som was troddn down dp nough for watrs. Othr dscriptions ar as follows: Gn. 1:9: Thn God said, Lt th watrs blow th havns b gathrd into on plac, and lt th dry land appar ; and it was so. On of th rarst compounds in th univrs is watr. Th tmpratur rang for watr is amazingly narrow. Whn God took th arth frozn in 8 Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p. 278.

7 A Insrt for th Book of Numbrs 7 ic, th ida of gathring th ic in on plac and th land in th othr smd untnabl. Howvr, in th liquid stat, this maks sns. 24:1 2: Th arth is Jhovah s and all that it contains; th world and thos who dwll in it. For H has foundd it upon th sas and H stablishd it upon th rivrs. Th pictur hr is that God mad all lif dpndnt upon this watr. Th basis for all lif is th watr which supports it. Prov. 3:20: By His knowldg, th dps wr brokn up and th skis drip with dw. God dsignd th ocans to b sparat and dsignd th watr cycl, absolutly ncssary to support lif. Isa. 44:24: Thus says Jhovah, your Rdmr, and th On Who formd you out from th womb, I, Jhovah, am th Makr of all things, strtching out th havns by Myslf and sprading out th arth all alon. God chos to mak a plac for man to liv and to provid for all of man s nds. To th Makr of grat lights bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:7 To th On Who mad th grat lights Hr is a phnomnal thing. W all know th lights rfr to th sun, moon and stars. To us thy appar far away and small. Howvr, thy ar modifid by th adjctiv gâdôwl (ì ã È ) [pronouncd gaw-dohl], which mans grat (in magnitud, xtnt and numbr). Strong s #1419 BDB #152. Today, bcaus of tlscops and mathmatics, w hav an ida as to th trmndous magnitud and numbr of th stars in th havns; in th Bibl, th sam is said right hr. This vrs rfrs primarily to th sun and moon, which ar takn up individually vrss which follow. Th rlatd Scriptur: Gn. 1:14: Thn God said, Lt thr by luminaris in th xpans of th havns to sparat th day from th night, and lt thm b for signs, and for sasons, and for days and yars; and lt thm b for lights in th xpans of th havns to giv light on th arth. And it cam to pass. Anothr rlatd vrs is 74:16: Th day is yours; th night is yours. You hav prpard th light and th sun. Also, Jams 1:17: Evry good thing bstowd and vry prfct gift is from abov, coming down from th Fathr of lights, with Whom thr is no variation or shifting shadow. Barns on th scond lin: As manifstd in all that has followd from th cration an diffusion of light, (all th bauty in th univrs as sn; all th lif, bauty, and vigour in th vgtabl and animal world; all that thr is of lif and happinss in th univrs for thr could b nithr if darknss rignd vrywhr); light, th mblm of happinss; th sourc of joy; th producr, in a grat masur, of th bautis of th univrs, and th rvalr of thos bautis vrywhr. How can a man think of light and not prais its Author? 10 Th sun to rul in th day bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:8 Th sun which ruls ovr th day Hr w dfin th grat lights. Th first is th sun and it is followd by th lâmd prposition and th fminin singular construct of mm shâlâh (ä ì È È îó î ) [pronouncd mm -shaw-law], which mans rulr, dominion, ralm; in th plural, our bst rndring would b ralm. Strong s #4475 BDB #606. With th lâmd prfixd prposition, th most common, it may b usd to introduc a purpos claus, a rsult claus, or a tmporal claus. I hav rndrd this noun as though it wr th infinitiv construct of a vrb. W could hav rndrd this as th sun to [b] a rulr in th day or th sun to [hav] dominion in th day. Barns: That is, to control, as it wr, th day; to 11 dtrmin its lngth its bginning its nding to mak it what it is. Th ist, givn that our focus tnds to b upon ourslvs, spnds but on vrs on th arth (v. 6) and svral on what w find in th havns. And God mad th two grat lights, th gratr light to govrn th day and th lssr light to govrn th night; and th stars. And God placd thm in th xpans of th havns to giv light on th arth and to govrn th day and th night, and to sparat th light from th darknss; and God saw that it was good (Gn. 1:16 17). 10 Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p. 278.

8 Chaptr Barns on th scond lin: By all th blssings of day as distinguishd from night and darknss, by all that th sun in his daily cours dos to diffus lif, joy, pac, comfort, happinss on th arth, by all that ar warmd by its bams, chrd by its light, guidd in labour, guardd from dangrs, do w driv an argumnt for th mrcy of God; by all this thr is laid a foundation for his prais. 12 Th moon and stars to [b] rulrs in th night bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:9 Th moon and stars which rul ovr th night What you do not s in ithr this vrs or th prvious is th untranslatd sign of th dirct objct which prcds thm both. This mans that thy ar th dirct objct of a vrb, which would tak us back to th makr of. W find th fminin plural of th noun mm shâlâh (ä ì È È îó î ) [pronouncd mm -shaw-law] again. With th plural, w hav to r-think th translation. Most translators tratd mm shâlâh as a vrb again, and just rndrd this to rul as though is wr a vrb which agrd in numbr with th subjct of th vrb. Howvr, moon and stars ar dirct objcts of a vrb, maning that thy don t also act as subjcts. Th bottom lin is that this is potry and th author oftn taks artistic licns with Hbrw grammar. That is, w cannot hold th author to th sam standards that w hold a writr of narrativ to. Howvr, I wantd you to b awar of what was going on hr. This scond lin, as abov, also nds with a similar phras, in th night. Barns on lin two: by all th bauty of th moon and stars in thir cours through th havns, by all that thr is in th harmony and ordr of thir movmnts, by all that thr is to mak night lss hidous and farful, by all that thr is to rval a countlss numbr of worlds whos xistnc could not hav bn discovrd but for th night, by all that thr is to guid th marinr on th ocan, nabling him to dtrmin his position and to mark his cours whn on th dp, and thrfor, by all th blssings of navigation and commrc, binding th diffrnt parts of th world togthr, by all that thr is in th North-star, fixd and tru in guiding thos who fl from bondag, by all ths and kindrd things without numbr, do w s th bnignity, th goodnss, th mrcy of 13 God, in forming th moon and starts to rul by night. Lt m add on tiny addition to th bauty hrin namd. On of th most njoyabl things for m to do in th spring, summr and fall is th jog along th golf cours in th middl of th night during a full moon. It is quit, pacful and thr is an intns, fragil bauty to a night ruld by moon and stars. Jrmiah sums up ths last fw vrss: H Who mad th arth by His powr; and Who stablishd th world by His wisdom; and by His undrstanding, H has strtchd out th havns. Whn H uttrs His voic, a tumult of watrs in th havns and H causs th vapor clouds to ascnd from th nd of th arth. H maks lightning for th rain and H brings out th wind from His storhouss (Jr. 10:12 13). W hav not lookd at th squnc of vnts for a long tim. Thr ar svral various thoris daling with th cration of th havns and th arth and thy hav bn dalt with in grat dtail whn w covrd Gn. 1. Howvr, lt s rviw thm. <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> Thoris of Cration (1) Th Day-Ag Thory tachs that ach crativ day of Gnsis corrsponds to a long priod of tim and that th first chaptr of Gnsis is mor potic than it is how should I put this? accurat. This viw is takn mostly by blivrs who hav bn takn in by th prvasiv taching of volution. W ar told in vry scintific trms that th arth is vry old (billions of yars old) and man and proto-man hav bn on this plant for at last a million yars; and priodically, that tim priod gts kickd back. W hav svral problms hr. On is that w hav plants and vgtation all xisting during a priod of tim whn thr 12 Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; pp

9 A Insrt for th Book of Numbrs 9 Thoris of Cration is no sun. Th plants and vgtation occur on day thr and th sun on day four. If ths ags rprsnt long priods of tim, thn this rading of Gnsis bcoms vn mor uslss, as th writr got th ordr wrong. Now, had Gnsis bn writtn by somon modratly familiar with agricultur who spok of cration potically, it would b logical that this pot would hav mntiond th watr and sun first and thn th vgtation. What th first chaptr of Gnsis bcoms is somthing which is vry illogical and poorly ordrd by th standards of ancint man as wll as modrn man. Lt s approach this from a diffrnt standpoint. If you, th writr of Gnsis, wantd to gt across th ida that w ar daling with litral twnty-four hour days, how xactly would you hav r-phrasd th first chaptr of Gnsis so that it could not b intrprtd any diffrntly? Do you s th problm? Evn if you start talking in trms of twnty-four hours, that still dos not liminat somon taking an hour to mans a long block of tim in a crativ day, anothr long block of tim. If you spnd too much tim daling with th tim lmnt, thn you compltly los th focus of this chaptr, which is God s cration of our habitat. Now, if you want to hold to this thory until you hav had a chanc to xamin th vidnc in favor of spcial cration as vrsus volution, that is not going to ncssarily slow your spiritual growth that much. In fact, if you hold to this day-ag thory, you might find th dbat btwn cration and volution quit involving. I v prsonally rad a dozn or so books on th topic and hav thoroughly njoyd bing prsuadd. In fact, lt m rcommnd Bons of Contntion by Marvin Lubnow publishd in 1995 by Bakr Books; Evolution: th fossils Still Say No! by Duan Gish, publishd by (I bliv) th Institut for Cration Rsarch in 1995; and Cration Scintists Answr thir Critics by Duan Gish, also publishd by th Institut for Cration Rsarch in I also rcommnd Hnry Morris s writings, but with th warning that h blivs in th scond thory, which I am about to prsnt, which, although that viw has its mrits (mor than th day-ag thory), it is still incorrct. His writings rflct this incorrct viw; but ar nonthlss hartily rcommndd. Furthrmor, in on of his books (I forgt which on), h lists roughly fifty diffrnt ways th ag of th arth is masurd, and this is fascinating. Som support his viw and som do not. Howvr, it is th most thorough listing of this information anywhr. (2) Th Six-Day Cration Thory is probably th viw which most Christians tak. God cratd th havns and th arth in svn days. Although I am not compltly familiar with th Institut for Cration Rsarch, I bliv that this is thir dominant thory with rspct to cration. Gn. 1:1 can b takn as a titl or as a thought which would b xpandd upon or as part of th first day. In th bginning, God cratd th havns and th arth. Our problm hr is with v. 2a: And th arth was a wast and barrn. In Isa. 45:18, w rad: For thus says Jhovah, Who cratd th havns (H is th God who formd th arth and mad it. H stablishd it and did not crat it a wast plac; H formd it to b inhabitd), I am Jhovah, and thr is non ls. Now, this can b intrprtd that aftr th first fw days of th cration procss, th arth was not a wast or barrn. Howvr, that also rndrs th vrs insipid, maning, why includ it in th first plac? If you hold to this thory, you will not find yourslf spiritually hamprd in any way. (3) Th Gap Thory (or Rstoration Thory) is th corrct viw of cration. God, in an instant, cratd th havns and th arth. And H did not crat th arth as a wast plac or as barrn, but H had formd it to b inhabitd. It was not dsignd, howvr, to b inhabitd by man not at first but by anglic cration. Now, on th following, I am not an xprt, but my guss is that th dinosaurs wr part and parcl of th arth as originally cratd. With th fall of Satan, who took with him a third of th angls, God chos to covr th arth in an ic pack. This is v. 2 of Gn. 1: And th arth was [or, had bcom] a wast and barrn and darknss ovr facs of dp; and a Spirit of God hovring [or, possibly, brooding] ovr facs of th watrs. In th Six-Day Cration Thory, whn God first cratd th arth, H cratd it a wast and barrn, and thn h improvd on that situation. In th Gap Thory, God cratd th havns and th arth with th arth not a wast and rady to b inhabitd. Th packing of th arth in ic was our ic ag. It took from th intns bauty of th arth, making it no longr a plac that th falln angls dsird to liv. Th tim priod btwn th cration of th havns and th arth, th arth bcoming barrn and a wastplac, to th tim of th Spirit hovring ovr th arth, is unknown to us. W do not know th mans of light for arth at that tim, but I would lan toward God as th light sourc. This dos not man that thr wr

10 Chaptr Thoris of Cration not stars as wll; but th primary light sourc of th plant was God, bcaus H is light. And God said, lt thr by light, and so ligh t wa s. And so G od saw th light that it was good, and so H svrd [or, distinguishd btwn] th light and th darknss (Gn. 1:3 4). Th viwpoint of th writr appars to b from th plant arth in v. 3 and possibly hovring abov th arth in v. 4. On th arth, it was dark, a wast and barrn. Th Spirit of God hovrd ovr th frozn arth, warming it, until light from abov pircd th dsolat darknss. Th light sourc is not givn hr. Also, notic that God is not said to crat or to mak a light sourc hr. H calls th light into bing. This indicats that th light is coming from God or God is using an alrady availabl sourc. Morris proposs that th arth was covrd with a canopy of moistur, which would not b th unlikly th rsult of a suddn warming ovr th glob. And God calld th light day and th darknss night; and so vning cam to pass and morning cam to pass day on (Gn. 1:5). God distinguishd or sparatd light and darknss by naming thm. Day on did not actually bgin until God calld for light to occur. This and th Spirit brooding ovr th dp causd a suddn tmpratur ris and w continu with th rstoration of th arth on th rmaining fiv days. <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> My purpos hr was not to xgt th first fw vrss of Gnsis, but to lay a basic foundation for th thr diffrnt thoris prvalnt today. And, with this vrs, w suddnly lav cration in Gn. 1, and jump to th signs and wondrs prformd through Moss bfor th pharaoh of Egypt, culminating in th xodus out of Egypt in Ex God s Grac in Lading Isral from Egypt to th Land of Promis To a Strikr of Egypt in thir firstborn bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:10 To th On who struck down th first born of Egypt Again, th Hbrw is a littl clumsy bcaus this is potry. W bgin with th lâmd prposition and th masculin singular construct, Hiphil participl of nâkâh (ä ëè ðè ) [pronouncd naw-kawh] which mans smit, assault, hit, strik. It is not found in th Qal, so th Hiphil dos not ncssarily carry with it causativ action. Strong #5221 BDB #645. Litrally, this rads: To a strikr of Egypt in thir firstborn. It is intrsting that w go immdiatly from God s provision for mankind in gnral to th striking down of th firstborn of Egypt. This was so God s lct would b dlivrd. Although God providd vry thing ncssary for man to liv in bliss on this arth, man chos against God. Thrfor, man s only hop was to b rdmd by God. Th vnts which took plac ar as follows: Moss, as God had instructd him, wnt to Pharaoh and told Pharaoh to rlas th Isralits, who had bn slavs to Egypt for svral hundrd yars. Pharaoh would rfus, thn God would inflict a plagu upon Isral by th hand of Moss. Th last plagu was th dath of th firstborn of Egypt. It was a gospl call. In ordr to avoid dath, that night, th family would tak som blood of a slain lamb and splash it on both sids of th door fram, and on top of th door fram (so that it would drip down). Th rsult would b th blood would b found in th sam four placs on th door sill as it was on Jsus Christ whn H did for our sins. Th blood flowd from His palms, His ft and His had. Thos who wr undr th blood in th hous whr th blood had bn applid to th door fram wr dlivrd; that is, thir firstborn childrn wr not takn from thm by dath. This ritual was calld th Passovr, as dath passd ovr thos who wr undr th blood. Thos who wr not undr th blood lost th firstborn in vry family. Now it cam to pass at midnight that Jhovah struck all th firstborn in th land of Egypt, from th firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his thron to th firstborn of th captiv who was in th dungon, and all th firstborn of cattl (Ex. 12:29; s also 78:51 135:8). Th final judgmnt, which brought rlas to th Isralits, was fortold long bfor it occurrd. And Jhovah said to Moss, Whn you go back to Egypt, s that you prform bfor Pharaoh all th wondrs which I hav put in your powr; but I will hardn his hart so that h will not lt th popl go. Thn you will say to Pharaoh, Thus says

11 A Insrt for th Book of Numbrs 11 Jhovah, Isral is My son, My firstborn. So I said to you, Lt My son God, that h may srv M ; but you hav rfusd to lt him go. Obsrv, I will kill your sons, your firstborn. (Ex. 4:21 23). Ex dalt with th various plagus and Ex dals with th Passovr. Barns: It was in mrcy to his popl. It was th mans of thir dlivranc from bondag, for th Egyptians would not othrwis hav suffrd thm to dpart. By all th rsults of thir dlivranc, both to thmslvs and to mankind, th act was sn to b an act of mrcy to th world. It was bttr for mankind that th Hbrws should b dlivrd vn at this sacrific than it would av bn that thy should not b brought into th promisd land. 14 Although w hav covrd this bfor and will covr this in grat dtail in th book of Joshua, no on dis in God s plan by som fluk or accidnt. First of all, all mn di; and scondly, all mn hav th chanc to b savd. It was probably clarr to th Egyptian popl than any othr group of hathn popl. And crtainly, som did bliv and som wnt with Isral. Howvr, th miracls which wr brought about at th hand of Moss wr invasiv and vry prson in Egypt obsrvd thir rsults first hand. Th watrs wr turnd to blood; th ntir land was infstd with frogs and locusts and all mannr of insct. Evryon was touchd by th boils and th hail. Ths wr not miracls which took plac with a small audinc of royal Egyptians. Evry Egyptian obsrvd thm and this gav vry Egyptian th opportunity to b savd. Whn Passovr instructions wr givn, thr was nothing said about this bing confind to Jws only. Any prson, rgardlss of rac or nationality, could participat in Passovr. Aftr sing a half dozn plagus com to pass at th hand of Moss, th Egyptian popl had no xcus. For th wrath of God is rvald from havn against all ungodlinss and unrightousnss of mn, who supprss th truth in unrightousnss, bcaus that which is known about God is vidnt within thm, for God mad it vidnt to thm. For sinc th cration of th world, His invisibl attributs [i.., His ssnc], His trnal powr and divin natur, hav bn clarly sn, bing undrstood through what has bn mad, so that thy ar without xcus. For in fact whn thy knw God, thy did not honor Him as God, nor did thy giv thanks, but thy rcivd worthlss thoughts in thir spculations, and thir foolish hart was darknd. Profssing thmslvs to b wis, thy bcam fools (Rom. 1:18 22). Outlin of th End of 136 This third portion of th psalm may b furthr subdividd as follows: vv God dlivrs Isral out from th midst of Egypt v. 16 God lads His popl in th wildrnss vv God guids Isral to conqur th grat kings ast of th Jordan vv God givs th land of Canaan to Isral as His gracious gift <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> And so H brought out Isral from thir midst bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:11 And so H rmovd Isral from among thm rd This vrs bgins with th wâw conscutiv and th 3 prson masculin singular Hiphil imprfct of yâtsâ (à éèöè ) [pronouncd yaw-tzawh], which mans to go out, to com out, to com forth; howvr, in this contxt it occasionally mans to rvrt. In th Hiphil, it mans to caus to go out, to lad out, to bring out. Strong's #3318 BDB #422. Th noun which follows is Isral, which, most of th tim would b takn as th subjct of th vrb, as it matchs th vrb in its morphology. Howvr, Isral did not caus somthing to go out of Egypt God causd thm to go out of Egypt. Hnc, th subjct is H. Scriptur says: And it cam to pass on that sam day that Jhovah brought th sons of Isral out of th land of Egypt by thir armis (Ex. 12:51). And th Jwish popl wr firmly admonishd to kp this incidnt in thir mmory. Thn Moss said to th popl, Rmmbr this day in which you wnt out from Egypt, from th hous of slavry, for by a powrful hand, Jhovah brought you out from 14 Barns Nots, s Volum 3, rprintd 1996 by Bakr Books; p. 279.

12 Chaptr this plac. (Ex. 13:3a). This xodus was also fortold: Say, thrfor, to th sons of Isral, I am Jhovah, and I will bring you out from undr th burdns of th Egyptians, and I will dlivr you from thir bondag. I will also rdm you with an outstrtch arm and with grat judgmnts. (Ex. 6:6). By a hand of strngth and by an arm strtchd out bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:12 By His strong hand and His strtch out arm This vrs bgins with th bêyth prposition, which is usd in its instrumntal form. Arm is followd by th fminin singular Qal passiv participl of nâþâh (ä èè ðè ) [pronouncd naw-tawh], which mans to strtch out, to sprad out, to xtnd. Strong s #5186 BDB #639. Hr it functions as an adjctiv. This is a vry gnral dscription of God s aid to Isral. Moss usd this vrbiag whn rminding Isral that what happnd to thm was uniqu in all of history. Or has a god trid to go to tak for himslf a nation from within a nation by trials, by signs and wondrs and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstrtchd arm and by grat trrors, as Jhovah your God did for you in Egypt bfor your ys? (Dut. 4:34). In fact, Moss usd this xprssion on svral occasions (Dut. 5:15 7:19 9:29 11:2). Moss first hard this xprssion from God, but sparatly. Thn Jhovah said to Moss, Now you will s what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand, h will lt thm go and by a strong hand, h will driv thm out of his land...say, thrfor, to th sons of Isral, I am Jhovah, and I will bring you out from undr th burdns of th Egyptians, and I will dlivr you from thir bondag. I will also rdm you with an outstrtchd arm with grat judgmnts. (Ex. 6:1, 6). Th phras strong hand rfrs to God s omnipotnc and a strtchd out arm rfrs to God s grac and His taking an activ rol in history. To His nmis, th strtchd out arm dnots His powr xcutd in judgmnt. W hav two groups of popl who hav bcom quit confusd ovr this. Historically, our founding fathrs wr ppprd with dists; that is, thos who blivd that God cratd th world but is now indiffrnt to it. Som flt that was God s gnral attitud sinc cration; othrs, who blivd in th portion of th Bibl th rad (from Gnsis, through Exodus, and a fw chaptrs of Lviticus), thought that God at on tim took an activ part in man s affairs but no longr has an intrst in what w do. That is, it is up to us to tak it from thr. Th othr distortion is that of th holy rollrs, rspctivly rfrrd to as charismatics. Thy hav dludd thmslvs into sing God s visibl, activ hand in trms of visibl signs and wondrs occurring today. Thir church srvic is a thr-ring circus whr God s miracls ar prformd and popl ar slain in th Spirit, popl ar hald, and popl spak in tongus. Mostly, it is th lattr which occurs. Thim rfrrd to thm as bing on a drunk. Thy bgin to sobr up throughout th wk, and thn thy go back for mor. Thy do not obsrv any divin involvmnt. At bst, thy ar psychologically ngagd and at worst, thy xprinc dmon activity. Thy sm to hav no grasp of th fact that Jsus would mr touch popl who wr hoplss cass in th ralm of halth and vn His most critical witnsss did not disput th miracls, but dbatd whthr thy wr propr or not. A prsnt-day halr worth his salt today would march into any ICU with mmbrs of his congrgation and touch thos who hav no hop to rval God s powr. Howvr, thy know full wll that thir touching will do nothing for ths popl, xcpt xpos thm for th frauds that thy ar. You may wondr how can ths brothrs of ours in Christ b doing such grat works that is, vigorous and activ church srvics and grat vanglism and yt b so confusd? It is asy. Listn carfully to thir gospl mssag. Rarly if vr to you har a charismatic tach that salvation coms mrly from placing on s trust in Christ. Thy will ncourag you to ask Christ into your hart or lif; thy will tll you to ddicat your lif to Him; thy will tll you to bliv and to ddicat your lif; thy will tll you to com forward; thy will tll you to rpnt of your sins. Thy will tll you to do just about anything xcpt to simply bliv in Jsus Christ. I knw a charismatic who fancid hrslf a charismatic to th stars of Hollywood. Whn I qustion hr thoroughly, sh did not us th words of th Bibl. Whn sh said it was just a mattr of smantics, I pointd out that th Bibl nvr usd th phrass that sh usd and always usd diffrnt vrbiag. I told hr if thr is any qustion at all, thn you go with what th Bibl says, not that that mad any diffrnc. Furthrmor, onc ths charismatics gt thir hands on you, thn thy tach you that you can los your salvation. In othr words, thy tach salvation by works and thy tach that salvation is maintaind or sustaind by human works. You might go into a Baptist church unsavd and

13 A Insrt for th Book of Numbrs 13 attnd that Baptist church for a long tim. Howvr, at som point in tim, you will har th gospl clarly prsntd (I am spaking in thory hr, not in rality, bcaus thr ar som Baptist ministrs who do not hav a clu). Howvr, givn th doctrins of th charismatics, you can attnd thir churchs for a liftim and nvr har th gospl clarly prsntd. In fact, onc you gt thir doctrin that your salvation can b lost, you cannot hold to that doctrin as an unsavd prson and bcom savd. If you can los your salvation, that mans that thr is somthing you can do to los it. That mans thr is somthing you can do to rtain it. Thr is nothing that w can do for our salvation. To us, our salvation is 100% fr and without strings. If w dsir a rlationship with God, it can b ours in a fw sconds and that rlationship will last for all trnity, apart from any initial or sustaining work on our part. All w nd to do is to bliv in Jsu s C h r is t a n d w a r savd, compltly and trnally. Whthr our lif thn rflcts Jsus Christ is anothr and diffrnt mattr which has nothing to do with our salvation. That is, w cannot maintain, sustain, rtain or los our salvation by som subsqunt action on our part. Holding to that is a thinly vild salvation by works. In cas you wr unawar, Satan is in th rligion businss. In fact, Satan is much mor activly involvd in rligion than h is in th pornography industry; in trrorism; in warfar. Satan dsirs to dlud us. If w ar going to go to church thn Satan wants to b crtain that it is going to b a church which kps us from th gospl of God. Th Catholic church and th many varitis of charismatic churchs ar xampls of th is. I h a v known many Catholics and many charismatics and thy ar oftn vry ddicatd to thir faith and staunch in thir dfns of sam. I hav datd many Catholics, who, vn though thir livs do not rflct th tachings of thir church, adhr to and support th tachings of thir rligion. Charismatics ar oftn qually prsistnt if not mor so. In fact, now would b a good tim to xamin th Doctrin of th Similaritis of Catholics and Charismatics not finishd yt!!. Now, if w ar going to b savd, thn Satan wants to mak crtain that w ar nutralizd as blivrs in Jsus Christ. H wants to b crtain that th Bibl is not taught; or, if it is taught, thn it is taught poorly and without scholarly rigor. This is why you can go into churchs with a fairly accurat prsntation of th gospl and hr vry littl dcnt Bibl taching. It is th taching of th Word of God which givs us spiritual growth. To a Dividr of a sa of rushs to parts bcaus forvr is His grac. 136:13 Prais and thanks giving to th On Who dividd th Rd Sa Aftr th lâmd prposition w hav th masculin singular construct, Qal activ participl of gâzar (ø æ Ç È ) [pronouncd gaw-zahr], and this mans to cut, to divid, to dcr. Strong's #1504 BDB #160. Hr it mans a dividr of. What is dividd is th sa of rds. What follows is th lâmd prposition and th masculin plural of th noun cognat gzr (ø æ ) [pronouncd GEH-zr],which mans pics, parts. It is only found hr and in Gn. 15:17. Strong s #1506 BDB #160. Aftr th grat signs and wondrs prformd at th hand of Moss, which culminatd in th dath of th firstborn, Moss ld th popl out of Egypt. Howvr, thy wr pursud by Pharaoh and whn thy cam to th Sa of Rds, thy wr trappd btwn th sa and Pharaoh s forcs. Isral could not b in a mor hlplss situation. At that tim, Isral was wholly unprpard in th fild of warfar and Pharaoh s forcs had bn spcifically traind in th art of warfar. Th mn of Isral wr trrifically scard. Thn thy said to Moss, Is it bcaus thr wr no gravs in Egypt th a t y o u h a v takn us away to di in th dsrt? Why hav you dalt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not th word that w spok to you in Egypt, saying, Lav us alon that w may srv th Egyptians? For it would hav bn bttr for us to srv th Egyptians than to di in th dsrt. Thn Moss said to th popl, Do not far! Stand by and s th dlivranc of Jhovah which H will accomplish for you today; for th Egyptians whom you hav sn today, you will nvr s thm again forvr. Jhovah will fight for you whil you kp silnt. And th angl of God, Who had bn going bfor th camp of Isral, movd and wnt bhind thm and th pillar of cloud movd from bfor thm and stood bhind thm, so that it cam btwn th camp of Egypt and th camp of Isral; and thr was a cloud along with darknss, yt it gav light at night. Thus th on who did not com nar th othr all night. Thn Moss strtchd out his hand ovr th sa; and Jhovah swpt th sa by a strong ast wind all night and turnd th sa into dry land, so th watrs wr dividd.