THE NEW TESTAMENT - THE BOOK OF MATTHEW - CHAPTER # 8

THE BOOK OF MATTHEW  CHAPTER # 8 (ESV) _8:1__9:38 The Authoritative Power of the Messiah: Kingdom Power Demonstrated. Jesus has shown himself as the Messiah in word through his teaching (CHAPTERS 5__7) and now shows himself to be the Messiah in deed through the performance of many miracles, demonstrating that the kingdom of God truly has arrived.
8:1__9:8 _Healings, Discipleship, and Overpowering Satan's Strongholds. Jesus mission involves ministering to the marginalized (8:1__17), disappointing the messianic expectations of some who wanted to follow him (8:18__22), and overthrowing Satan's strongholds (8:23__9:8).
8:2__3 _leper. The OT provided specific guidelines for the examination and treatment of those with a variety of skin diseases, generally called leprosy, many of which were highly contagious (See LEVITICUS 13__14). Lord (Greek kyrios) is the title to respect (similar to "Sir") that people commonly used when they came to Jesus for aid, though in contexts that show knowledge of its OT background it can be an affirmation of deity (See 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4__6). make me clean Not only was leprosy a disease, it made the leper as well as anyone who touched him ceremonially unclean (LEVITICUS 13:45__46; NUMBERS 5:2__4; LEVITICUS 15). But when Jesus touched him, he was healed, and Jesus did not become unclean.
8:4 _show yourself to the priest. Jesus instructs the man to do what the law required for lepers to return to society. say nothing to anyone. Jesus carefully avoids stirring up a misunderstanding of his messianic identity. Although miracles attest to the authenticity of his message concerning the kingdom's arrival, he does not want to draw crowds who come simply for the sake of miracles. For other instances of what some have called the "messianic secret," See 9:30; 12:16; 17:9.
8:5__7 _centurion. A Roman officer in charge of a hundred men. In Luke's account (LUKE 7:1__5), others came to Jesus on his behalf, but Matthew does not mention them. The accounts are not contradictory; Matthew, as is often the case, simply abbreviates the story. He actually reports what the centurion said through his messages, based on the idea that what a person does through an agent is what the person himself does (See JOHN 3:17).
8:8 _Addressing Jesus as Lord (verse 2), the Roman centurion reveals a remarkable sensitivity for Jewish traditions, saying that he is unworthy of receiving Jesus into his Gentile home. A Jew who entered the home of a Gentile became ceremonially unclean (See ACTS 10:28).
8:10 _The centurion seems to understand what no one in Israel understands: Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus marveled, commending the centurion for his exemplary faith and censuring Israel for lack of faith.
8:11__12 _recline at table. The peoples of the earth who respond to Jesus ministry will join the patriarchs at the end-time messianic banquet in the kingdom of heaven (REVELATION 19:9), fulfilling God's promise to Abraham (GENESIS 12:3). But the sons of the kingdom (a Semitic term for national Israel) will lose their claim to the kingdom unless they follow the centurion's example of faith. weeping and gnashing of teeth. This description of terrible suffering in hell appears several times in Matthew (MATTHEW 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30) and in LUKE 13:28).
8:14 _The home belonged to both Peter and his brother Andrew (MARK 1:29). Peter's mother-in-law was afflicted with a fever, perhaps malaria.
8:16__17 _He took our illnesses and bore our diseases. A reference to Isaiah's prophecy of the servant (ISAIAH 53), focusing on Jesus messianic role as healer (See ISAIAH 53:5; MATTHEW 11:3__5). The fact that not all sicknesses have a demonic origin is seen in the distinction between the healings of the sick and the casting out of spirits from those oppressed by demons.  
8:19 _scribe. An expert in handling written documents. in Israel, scribes duties included teaching, interpretation, and regulation of the law (See 2:4).
8:20 _Son of Man (See JOHN 1:51; DANIEL 7:13) is Jesus favorite self-designation, indicating the true meaning of his idenity and ministry: (1) _the humble servant who has come to forgive common sinners (MATTHEW 9:6); (2) _the suffering servant whose atoning death and resurrection will redeem his people (16:13, 27__28); and (3) _the glorious King and Judge who will return to establish God's kingdom on earth (25:31; 26:64). nowhere to lay his head. Since believers can expect to be treated as Jesus was (JOHN 15:18; 16:33), the Christian life will not be one of ease and comfort.
8:22 _leave the dead to bury their own dead. While Jesus dearly upholds the biblical command to honor father and mother (See Verses 15:1__9), the call to follow him rises above all other allegiances. Anything that hinders unqualified commitment to him and to the new covenant family of faith must be set aside.
8:23__24 _great storm (Greek seismos, "violent shaking, earthquake"). Athrough the Sea of Galilee is located in the earthquake-prone Jordan Rift Valley, Matthew also mentions "winds" (verse 26), which points in the direction of a powerful stormthe created large waves that shook the boat. This boat may have been similar to the one discovered in Galilee in 1986.
8:26 _Little faith (Greek oligopistos) is not "no faith" (GREEK apistos), but "ineffective," defective," or "deicient" faith (6:30). Jesus calls the disciples to a clearer understanding of who he is rebuked. Jesus is able to command even the forces of nature, just as God in the OT "rebukes" the sea, showing his sovereign control over the natural world (2 SAMUEL 22:16; PSALM 18:15). 
8:27 __Marveled (Greek thaumazo, "to wonder, be amazed") is different from the term used to describe the reaction of the crowds ("astonished," 7:28), yet even the disciples do not yet fully grasp Jesus identity. 
8:28 __Other side often marks the movement from a Jewish to a Gentile territory and vice verse 14:22; 16:5). Gadarenes refers to both the town of Gadara (modern Umm Qais), about 6 miles (9. 7 km)southeast of the Sea of Galilee, and also the surrounding region (See MARK 5:1). 
8:29 __Son of God. The demons recognize that one of Satan's strongholds, the spirit world, is being invaded and overpowered. before the time. The demons know that they will be judged and punished at God's appointed time. 
8:30__34 __The herd of pigs would have been raised for food in this Gentile region on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee, and the local people were very upset(all the city ... begged him to leave) at the loss of this large herd (about 2,000, MARK 5:13). The pigs 'fate in the sea prefigures and pictures the final fate of demons, when God defeats Satan and throws him into the lake of fire (REVELATION 20:10). Jesus accomplished the decisive defeat of Satan in his earthly resurrection (JOHN 12:31; COLOSSIANS 2:15; HEBREWS 2:14__15). 

THE OLD TESTAMENT - THE BOOK OF GENESIS - CHAPTER # 11

THE BOOK OF GENESIS - CHAPTER 11 !!!!!!! (EVS)

11:1__9 __The Tower of Babel. This episode is significantly more important than its length suggests. It presents a unified humanity using all its resources to established a city that is the antithesis of what God intended when he created the world. The tower is a symbol of human autonomy, and the city builders see themselves as determining and establishing their own destiny without any reference to the Lord. (The tower story may also be a polemic against Mesopotamian mythology. Eridu Genesis, a fragmentary text found at Ur, Nippur, and Nineveh, describes the goddess Nintur's calling for humanity to build cities and to congregate in one place. Her desire, according to this text, is that humans be sedentary and not nomadic. Yahweh demands just the opposite, so that the earth would become populated.)

11:1 _The opening desciption of the whole earth having one language indicates that the present episode is not placed chronologically after the events narrated in chapter 10, which specifically mention nations and languages. This incident, however, may have occured during the broad period covered in chapter 10, especially if it is linked to the naming of Peleg in 10:25 (See 10:21__32).
11:2__4 _Come, let us build ourselves a city . . .and let us make a name for ourselves. The Babel enterprise is all about human independence and self-sufficiency apart from God. The builders believe that they have no need of God. Their techology and social unity give them confidence in their own ability. and they have high aspirations, constructing a tower with its top in the heavens (11:4). Contrary to God's plan that people should fill the earth (1:22, 28; 9:1, 7), the city-building project is designed to prevent the population from being dispersed over the face of the whole earth (11:4). By showing God's continued interest in his creatures, this episode provides the setting for the call of Abram out of this very region, to be the vehicle of blessing to the whole world.
11:5__8 _With irony, the narrator points out that it was necessary for the Lord to come down in order to see the city and the tower (verse 5). Acknowledging the potential danger of a unified, self-confident humanity (verse 6), God intervenes by confusing their language so that they cannot understand one another. This has the desired effect of dispersing the people thoughout the world (verses 8__9).
11:9 _This verse links the name of the city, Babel (HEBREW babel), with the verb balal, which means "to confuse, to mix, to mingle." But babel is also the name used in the OT for the city of Babylon. As a city, Babylon symbolizes humanity's ambition to dethrone God and make the earth its own (See REVELATION 17__18).
11:10__26 _Shem's Descendants. Resembling the list of Adam's descendants in 5:3__31, the present linear genealogy traces Noah's line through Shem down to Terah, the father of Adam, Nahor, and Haran. While the pattern is almost identical to that used in chapter 5, the final element, "Thus all the days of A were Z years, and he died," is missing. Also unlike chapter 5, no additional information is inserted. Consequently, the list moves swiftly from Shem to Terah. While the periods mentioned are still unusually long, they gradually become somewhat shorter. The length of time during which these men live is much shorter than is recorded for men living before the flood (5:1__32). This is similar to the pattern found in a clay tablet from the Mesopotamian city of Uruk, called the Sumerian king list (See 5:1__32). It was inscribed by a scribe during the reign of king Utukhegal, about 2100 B. C. it tells of kings who reigned for extremely long times. A flood then came, and subsequent kings ruled for vastly shorter times.
11:26 _The regular pattern of the genealogy is broken with the naming of Terah's three sons. Before this, only the son through whom the linear genealogy is traced is specifically named in each generation. Abram comes first in the list because the ongoing family line is traced through him.
11:27__50:26 _Patriarchal History. The narrative now moves from the general survey of humanity to the specific family from which Israel comes. The narrative style becomes severely matter-of-fact. The narrator devotes much more time to describing the lives of the characters: whereas chapters 1__11 covers many generations in only 11 chapters, the patriarchal history deals with only four generations in 39 chapters. It begins with Abraham and goes on to his son Isaac, and Isaac's two sons Jacob and Esau; the final section focuses on Jacob's sons, especially Joseph. Here the specifics of being Israel are made clear: the land, the people, the blessing, and the calling. The Sinai (or Mosaic) covenant, which the first audience for the chapters receives, will provide the setting in which Israel is to put these patriarchal promises into practice. Thoughout these chapters the readers will see how God has preserved the members of his chosen family, whose calling it is to walk with him, to be the headwaters of a special people and to be the channel by which blessing comes to the entire world. 
11:27__25:18 _Terah's Descendants. A new heading identified by the expression "these are the generations of," introduces the next main section of Genesis (See 2:4). These chapters focus on the immediate family of Terah. Special attention is given to Abraham because the unique family line of Genesis is continued through him.
11:27__32 _A Brief introduction to Terah's Family. Various details pertinent to understanding the subsequent narrative are given: the death of Lot's father, Haran (verse 28); the relocation of the family from southern to northern Mesopotamia (verse 31); and the inability of Abram's wife to have children (verse 30).
# :27 _Abram will later have his name changed to "Abraham" (See verse 17:5).
11:28 _Ur of the Chaldeans is unquestionably the ancient city in Southern Babylonia, the remains of which are located at Tell el-Muqayyar in modern Iraq. Archaeological investigations by Leonard Woolley from 1922-1934 uncovered evidence of a highly developed urban culture in the time of Abram, a culture that developed around 2000 B. C. The term "Chaldeans" probably dates from the period 1000-500 B. C. and has been added to distinguish this Ur from similarly named cities in northern Mesopotamia "Chaldeans" refer to the Kaldu people who settled in southern Babylonia from about 1200 B. C. onward.
11:29 _The name Sarai is later changed to "Sarah" (verses 17:15). Sarai's barrenness is an obvious barrier to the continuation of Abram's family line. The initial barrenness of the patriarchs wives is a recurring motif in  (See Genesis 25:21; 29:31).
11:31__32 _According to the Kultepe Texts from the nineteenth century B. C. (texts composed be Assyrian traders who clearly understood such matters), Haran was an important crossroads and commercial center in the ancient Near East.  
11:31 _Although Terah's ambition is to move his  family from Ur to Canaan they do not complete the journey, but settle in northern Mesopotamia at Haran (the location in Turkey is now called Eskiharran, "old Harran"). The spelling of the town name "Haran" in Hebrew is quite distinct from the name of Terah's third son. (This is the Bible's first reference to "the land of Canaan."But the Ebla archives, found in northern Syria in the 1970s, contain day tablets dating to c. 2300 B. C. They make mention of certain geographical places found in Scripture, such as Sodom and Zeboiim, two cities in the episode of the war of the kings [GENESIS 14:1__16]. In addition, the first time the name "Canaan" is used in extrabiblical literature is at Ebla, in tablets that predate the biblical writings by centuries).
11:32 _By way of completing this short introduction to Terah's family, the narrative records his death at the age of 205. If Abram was born when Terah was 70 years old (See verse 26), and if Abram was 75 years old when he departed for Canaan (See verse 12:4), then Terah died 60 years after Abram's departure (70 + 75 + 60 = 205). In ACTS 7:4, however, Stephen says that Abram left Haran after the death of Terah. A simple way to resolve the chronological difficulty is to suppose that Stephen was following an alternative text (represented today in the Samaritant Pentateuch), which says that Terah died at the age of 145.
 

THE OLD TESTAMENT - BOOK OF GENESIS - CHAPTER # 10 - ESV

THE OLD TESTAMENT - BOOK OF GENESIS _ ESV _10:1__11:9 The Descendants of Noah's Sons. The next main section of Genesis outlines developments after the flood, focusing on how humanity becomes divided into different nations.

10:1__32 _The Clans, Languages, Lands, and Nations. This entire passage sets out, largely in the form of lists, how the descendants of Noah's three sons populate different regions of the earth. Additional details of special interest are occasionally added. This genealogical-geographical passage is describing a process that covered a long time, as family clans migrated to particular regions. The ancestor after whom the clan or tribe is named may not have lived in the region that later bears his name. Each of the three main parts of this section concludes with a reference to clans, languages, and nations (verses 5, 20, 31).

10:1 _THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF. This distinctive formula marks the start of a new section in (GENESIS 2:4).

10:2__5 _Japheth's descendants are listed first. FROM THESE THE COASTLAND PEOPLES SPREAD (verse 5). This is the only additional remark that is made concerning them; it associates Japheth's descendants with the coastal regions and islands of the Mediterranean Sea.

10:6__20 _Ham's descendants receive considerably more attention than those of Jepheth and Shem. Among them figure many of Israel's enemies, such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, Philistines, and various Canaanite groups. Ham's immediate sons are CUSH, EGYPT, PUT CANAAN (verse 6). Cush and Put are the regions to the south and west of Egypt, respectively. CUSH FATHERED NIMROD (verse 8). This association may seem unusual given that Cush is linked geographically with Africa, and Nimrod with Mesopotamia. Nimrod is of particular interest for several reasons. He is linked to the great cities of Babel (See BABYLON 11:9) and Nineveh in Assyria, whose inhabitants at a later stage would descend in destructive power on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.The military might of the Assyrians and Babylonians may account for the related observations that Nimrod was a might man (warrior) and a MIGHTY HUNTER (108, 9). These descriptions, one of which is linked with irony to the expression BEFORE THE LORD (10:9), are probably to be viewed negatively. Nimrod's aggression as a person runs totally counter to what God had intended when at creation he commissioned humanity to be his vice-regents or representatives. BABEL . . . IN THE LAND OF SHINAR (verse 10). These details link Nimrod with the Tower of Babel episode (See  11:2, 9). Nimrod's kingdom is the antithesis of what God desired THE GREAT CITY (10:12). These probably denotes a region that included both Nineveh and Calah (See JONAH 3:3). The detailed list of Canaan's descendants includes cities that play a significant role in later episodes in Genesis. The specific mention of SODOM and GOMMORRAH (GENESIS 10:19) provides a possible link between the actions of Ham in 9:22 and of the men of Sodom in 19:4__8. The designation "Canaanite" is sometimes used to cover all the different groups mentioned in 10:15__19 (28:1). 

10:21__32 __These verses list the descendants of Shem. These are the people with whom Israelites felt the most affinity, for Abraham was decended from Shem. Insofar as they can be identified, many of these are Arabian tribes or kingdoms. From the outset, Shem's great-grandson EBER is selected for special attention (verse 21), being mentioned even before Shem's own sons are named (verse 22). The designation "Hebrew" (Hb ibri: see 14:13) is derived from "Eber" (Hebrew 'eber). By way of underlining his importance, readers are informed that he called one of his sons PELEG (which may be taken to mean "divison"), for in his days the earth was divided (10:25). This is probably an allusion to the Tower of Babel incident (11:1__9). The line of Shem's descendants from Arpachshad to Peleg is repeated with additional information in 11:11__19.