ChristadelphianBooksOnline
George Booker
By The Way

Section III

The following mnemonic serves as an aid to listing the judges in order:

Our	Othniel
Endeavors	Ehud
shall	Shamgar
diffuse	Deborah
great	Gideon
and	Abimelech
true	Tola
joys,	Jair
joys	Jephthah
innumerable,	Ibzan
eternal,	Elon
and	Abdon
satisfying.	Samson

* * * * *

Why should we expect God to do for us miraculously what we can do for ourselves in the ordinary course of things?

* * * * *

Judges 13:25: In one description, G.A. Smith summarizes the up-and-down life of Samson:

"Over the low hills beyond (Zorah and Eshtaol) is Timnah where he (Samson) found his first love and killed the young lion. Beyond is the Philistine plain.... the Philistine cities are but a day's march away, by easy roads. And so from these country ways to yonder plains and the highways of the great world — from the pure home and the mother who talked with angels, to the heathen cities, their harlots and their prisons — we see at one sweep of the eye the course in which this uncurbed strength, at first tumbling, and sporting with laughter like one of its native brooks, like them also ran to the flats and the mud, and, being darkened and befouled, was used by men to turn their mills." (Historical Geography of the Holy Land)

* * * * *

It is one thing to look for the coming of Christ, but quite another to be prepared.

* * * * *

Of Hannah it is said that "the Lord had shut up her womb" (1 Sam. 1:5). From this, and her consequent behavior, we learn that long years of meekly endured trial may be the divine training for subordinating natural gratification to great spiritual ends. If God had immediately given Hannah a child, she might have been as selfish as Peninnah, and certainly would never have given him to the Lord.

* * * * *

The extremely large number of men in 1 Samuel 6:19 (according to the AV: 50,070) may perhaps be translated "50 out of a thousand, even 70 men" — that is, one out of every twenty, or 70 out of a total population of 1,400 men.

* * * * *

1 Samuel 14: Jonathan's victory over the Philistines' garrison: "During the Palestine campaign in World War I, the Allies were at the same spot where these events occurred. One recalled that this was referred to in Scripture, a Bible was obtained, and the experiences of Jonathan and his armorbearer proved profitable to the advancing Allies." (I. Collier, Where It Happened)

* * * * *

Superstition makes everything of the ordinance.
Infidelity and mysticism make nothing of the ordinance.
Faith uses the ordinance according to divine appointment.

* * * * *

"A lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow" (2 Sam. 23:20): Probably nowhere else in the world would a lion and snow come together. This lion strayed up out of the Jordan river valley and was trapped by a sudden snowfall. (G.A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land)

* * * * *

How to reconcile 1 Kings 7:26 and 2 Chronicles 4:5? The Jewish Targum specifies: "3,000 baths dry measure; 2,000 baths liquid measure."

* * * * *

A discrepancy between 2 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 21:25? The price of the threshing floor alone was 50 shekels of gold, while the price of the entire "place" (that is, the holy place or sanctuary) of mount Moriah was 600 shekels of gold.

* * * * *

Concerning Athaliah (2 Chronicles 22): "The influence of a woman over a man may be tremendous, either for good or evil. It is a power that is unique. Applied in the right direction it can work wonders of transformation, and the quiet operation of this power for good may be many a woman' s crown of salvation. But it is a two-edged sword and Athaliah portrays the other edge. How important, then, is marriage 'only in the Lord'!” (G.V. Growcott).

* * * * *

The baby in the manger uttered his first cry, and thereby his Father staked a claim upon our lives. Thereby the Mighty God of all creation became also "Abba" — the tender Father of a little child; and OUR Father as well!

The God whose son was born in that stable, amidst the simple farm animals, ceased being (if He ever was!) a God of remote abstractions and technical theories.

He is now, for us, a God who loves PEOPLE, a Father who is not willing that any should perish, who holds back no blessing from His "children", who searches out and loves even the least worthy and most neglected.

A tiny cry in a manger. It was truly a miracle. It was the greatest of all miracles — the birth of God's own son!

But isn't every birth a "miracle", and a mystery? Isn't every child a "holy" child, because he or she receives life from the God who is holy? Isn't every child a "gift" from God, showing His continuing love for man, showing that even yet He has not "given up" on us?

And shouldn't every child be a special child like Samuel or John or even Jesus — who should be dedicated by righteous parents to the service of God?

Like Mary and Joseph, many of us have been entrusted by God with future kings and queens — who will one day, by God's grace, sit upon thrones and apply to the nations the lessons learned in their parents' homes.

And, in fact, aren't we ALL — from youngest to oldest — children of God, begotten by His love... children who manifest our "sonship" by our love for one another? If there is a lesson in the Christmas story, it is this: the preeminence of love. We love him, because He first loved us. For, after all, "sonship" is not what we do, but what we receive. Not what we earn, but a gift. Thanks be to the Father in heaven, that through His special Son we have received the gift of knowing what it means to be His children.

* * * * *

"There are questions whose agitation is hurtful, because they are doubtful in themselves and unimportant in their bearings when solved, while the agitation of them interferes with the spiritual result called 'godly edifying'." (Robert Roberts)

* * * * *

Men and women are very different in many ways. The modern world, in its godlessness, ignores this fact. And the distinction between the sexes grows more obscure each day. Each sex has its own special weakness and its own special strength. Each has its own place and function in the Body of Christ. To the extent a sister of Christ departs from either of the divine requirements of modesty and silence (1 Tim. 2:9-15; 1 Pet. 3:1-5), to that extent she cheapens herself and lessens her true spiritual usefulness in the Body.

* * * * *

"What shall I do then with Jesus?" (Matthew 27:22):

Jesus is standing in Pilate's hall,
Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all.
Hearken, what meaneth the sudden call:
“What will you do with Jesus?"

Jesus is standing on trial still.
You can be false to him, if you will,
Or you can be faithful through good or ill.
"What will you do with Jesus?"

"What will you do with Jesus?"
Neutral you cannot be.
Someday your heart will be asking,
"What will He do with me?”

* * * * *

Just because God blesses us does not mean He is pleased with what we do.

* * * * *

God's commandment to Abram in Genesis 12:1 defined a three-part separation:

"Get thee out of thy country" — i.e., from Ur to Haran (11:31);
"And from thy kindred" — i.e., from his father, Terah (12:4);
"And from thy father's house" — i.e., from Lot (13:9).

It was only after his separation from Lot that Abram was shown the land (cp. 12:1 with 13:14)!

* * * * *

“Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?” (Jer. 2:32). We must not forget those spiritual garments which will insure the approval of the Bridegroom:

Item	Significance	Reference
Gown of wrought gold	Faith by works (1 Pet. 1:7)	Psa. 45:13,14
Gown of needlework	Painstaking labor	Psa. 45:13,14
Girdle, or sash	Constant readiness and careful walk (Luke 12:35,36; 1 Pet. 1:13)	Isa. 61:10
Ornaments and jewels	Wisdom (Job 28:18,19; Prov. 3:13,15) and modesty (1 Pet. 3:3,4)	Isa. 61:10
Sandals	Preparation (Exod. 12:11; Eph. 6:15) as for a march or military operation (Isa. 5:27)
Headdress and veil	Humility, modesty and deference — in the woman (1 Cor. 11)

* * * * *

“To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.” (Disraeli)

* * * * *

"The denial of public speech to women is as far as we are justified in repressing them. I have seen tyrannical and unsympathetic men wrongly using Paul's authority to put down and quench godly women more qualified than themselves to exercise judgment and give counsel. Let woman certainly be modest, but let her not be reduced to a cipher, which God never intended. She is intended as a comrade and a help, which she greatly is, when enlightened and treated rightly. We ought to be thankful when women turn up who are able to help with wise suggestion. To object to such on the score of ‘ruling the ecclesia’ is to evince either a shameful misconception of duty or an itch for headship which disqualifies for true service of the ecclesia. No man who wants to be head is fit to be head. The headship that comes from service is the only headship that is either useful or tolerable, or, in the long run, possible. Where the spirit of exalting each other, instead of exalting ourselves, prevails (as Christ commands), there is little danger of difficulties arising, and an easy settlement of them when they do arise." (Robert Roberts)

* * * * *

Self-satisfaction is a very dangerous luxury.

* * * * *

"Thou fool!" — Luke 12:20: God made an assessment of the man. "Thou fool" — clear and emphatic and true; for the folly was apparent in that he had no power over his own life, when that was required of him. He was planning for "many years" ahead, but God said, "this night". What then of his plans, his barns, his fruits, his goods? They ceased to be his — they were only his till the 'lease' expired; wealth cannot buy off death. "No man can redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom that he should not taste of death" (Psa. 49:7). The rich man, used to finding in his wealth the key to all doors, stands helpless before the door to the Kingdom of God.

* * * * *

"A doctrine may be quite beautiful, and nevertheless be false."

* * * * *

The Scriptures abound in warnings against alien marriage: The sons of God marrying the daughters of men resulted at last in the Flood. Abraham and Isaac, faithful sojourners looking for the Kingdom, opposed such marriages for their sons (Gen. 24:3; 28:1). The Law forbade the yoking together of the clean ox and the unclean ass (Deut. 22:10). Moses said to take no alien spouses (Deut. 7:3,8). Solomon's alien wives turned his heart from God (1 Kings 11:1-11). Ezra (chapters 9 and 10) and Nehemiah (13:23-29) tell us of the evils of such alliances, and Paul has stressed the deviation of such a union (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

* * * * *

The strait and narrow way gets most of its wear along the edges.

* * * * *

The day will soon come when before the Lord of all the earth will be gathered his flock (Matt. 25:31-46), his one flock — for they will then be treated as one, all the man-made barriers swept away. It is then that the true force of the King's question will come home to each of us: "What have you done for my brethren? for my sheep?" How confident would we feel with the following reply?: "Lord, I did the best I could for a little while, but then I heard of a false doctrine somewhere or other, and I left as quickly as I could. After that I really don't know what happened to them."

* * * * *

"Beloved brethren, human nature is always tending to extremes and transcending what is written. As the saying is, it will strain at gnats and swallow camels by the herd. It set up the Inquisition and is incessantly prying into matters beyond its jurisdiction. It is very fond of playing the judge and of executing its own decrees. It has a zeal but not according to knowledge, and therefore its zeal is intemperate and not the zeal of wisdom or knowledge rightly used. It professes great zeal for the purity of the Church, and would purge out everything that offends its sensitive imagination. But it is not a good thing to have a church without tares, black sheep, or spotted heifer? Yea, verily, it is an excellent thing. But then it is a thing the Holy Spirit has never yet developed, and cannot be developed by any human judiciary in the administration of spiritual affairs. There are certain things that must be left to the Lord's own adjudication when he comes..." (John Thomas).

* * * * *

Any course that is taken wisely will turn out good in the end.

* * * * *

There is a simple, common-sense lesson we must all learn. It is a lesson in humility and patience and faith among other things. The ecclesia does not exist in order to keep the Truth pure as a theory (i.e., "The purer our ecclesia, the better!"). The Truth (as an abstract principle, or a set of principles communicated from God) cannot be anything but pure! The ecclesia does exist to help pure men and women (with imperfect beliefs and impure ways) to move toward purity, even if their progress is slow.

There is no point in an ecclesia existing if it does not understand and confidently accept this duty. If perfect "purity" (i.e., non-contamination) is all the members of the "Body" desire, then the best course would be to disband the ecclesia and break bread at home. Chop the "Body" into a hundred separate pieces and isolate each piece in a hermetically-sealed container! And spend your spare time wondering what happened to the love, the joy, the fellowship and the family feeling you once so fleetingly enjoyed.

* * * * *

We cannot be holy just lying in bed, if we have the power to get up and do something.

* * * * *

Psalm 22:6: "I am a worm". Yes, he was a worm (Job 25:6). Shrouded in insuperable weakness, his words might well have been those of Job:

"I have said to the worm, Thou art my mother and my sister " (Job 17:14).

But for all that, Christ was a very special worm, as the Hebrew 'toolath' indicates. This is the cochineal, a unique worm from which scarlet dye is produced by crushing. The dye was used in the manufacture of the priestly garments and the other fabrics associated with the tabernacle. When the soldiers prepared to lead Christ out to be crucified, they first stripped him and put on him a robe dyed scarlet (Matt. 27:28). Was he not the greatest of all priests and the tabernacle itself, which God pitched, and not man?

The scarlet derived from the 'toolath' was required for the cleansing of lepers and those defiled by the dead (Lev. 14:4; Num. 19:6; Heb. 9:19). As he stood before his executioners in the scarlet robe, Christ was this very "toolath" — lowly and contemptible, yet bringing cleansing to others by his death. "He was despised and rejected"; yet with his bruising we are healed (Isa. 53:3-5), who were once "dead" in the "leprosy" of sin.

* * * * *

We pray for children
who sneak popsicles before supper,
who erase holes in math workbooks,
who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.

And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.

We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed, and never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in church and scream into the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.

We pray for children
who want to be carried and for those who must be.
For those we never give up on and for those who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother... and for those who will grab the hand of anyone kind enough to offer it.

Ina J. Hughes

* * * * *

"If men were more busy judging THEMSELVES, which they are COMMANDED to do, they would not have so much propensity for judging others, which they are forbidden to do." (Robert Roberts)

* * * * *

A Roman mile was 4,860 English feet, or about 12/13ths of an English mile. Milestones were set up on the main roads and distances were measured from the large towns. It was rare for the milestones to have mileage figures marked on them. A ''man in authority" (Matt. 5:41) — a Roman government official or a Roman soldier — could compel a non-Roman subject to carry his baggage or equipment for one mile along the road, a distance easily determined by the mile markers. Jesus's recommendation to his followers to offer twice as much service as was legally necessary would not please the anti-Roman zealots. But "going the second mile", understood metaphorically, is the essence of Christian sacrificial action.

* * * * *

We do not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future.

* * * * *

If we pursue the path of simple faith (as Abraham) we will generally be thrown outside the circumstances of the world. But if we abandon our position of separation (as Lot), to seek a name, a place, and a portion of this world, we must expect then to be caught up in its vicissitudes and convulsions (see Gen. 14:11-12).

* * * * *

Nehemiah 3 enumerates 44 teams who begin the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Each team is assigned its own portion to build. Did some complain about the quality of their brethren's work at other stations? Did others grumble because they could not be everywhere and do everything and supervise? Did some sit down and refuse to help? "We just are not sure that we can approve of all the details of this operation." In the divine retrospective on the work of Nehemiah, all such petty hindrances and worries are put to one side. "Let us rise up and build" was the mandate; this call to the men of the city did not admit of any paltry quibbles. The work was too great to let personalities and prejudices and pride stand in the way.

* * * * *

A philosophy fixed on a human point of view is like a ship moored to a flower.

* * * * *

"And another came, saying, 'Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin; for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man; thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow’” (Luke 19:20,21).

This servant no doubt had the cleanest pound of all, but it had not grown! He had not been totally indifferent to his lord's gift, but his fear of failure had compelled him carefully to "protect" his pound. He had wrapped it in a cloth and laid it up in some safe place, perhaps checking it from time to time, maybe even bringing it out, like some housewives do with fine silver, to polish and admire it.

Our attitude toward the Gospel truth we have received can be similar to the attitude of this man. If we are fearful that we may "lose the Truth" and conscious only of "keeping the Truth pure", we are in danger of forgetting what we are told to DO with it!! The gospel is not a frail greenhouse violet that must have the right temperature and humidity, just the correct amount of light and water in order to survive. In short, it does not need us to “protect” it! The gospel is very hardy; it is meant like the pound to be carried into the "market" of life, to the highways and byways, and to make gain for its user.

We need have no fear for the Truth itself — it springs from God — and is impervious to corruption. We must only be careful that we put it to the use for which it is intended.

* * * * *

Knowledge amazes the simple man, humbles the great man, and puffs up the vain man.