131 And Abram goeth up from Egypt (he and his wife, and all that he hath, and Lot with him) towards the south; 2 and Abram 'is' exceedingly wealthy in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he goeth on his journeyings from the south, even unto Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the commencement, between Bethel and Hai— 4 unto the place of the altar which he made there at the first, and there doth Abram preach in the name of Jehovah.
5 And also to Lot, who is going with Abram, there hath been sheep and oxen and tents; 6 and the land hath not suffered them to dwell together, for their substance hath been much, and they have not been able to dwell together; 7 and there is a strife between those feeding Abram's cattle and those feeding Lot's cattle; and the Canaanite and the Perizzite 'are' then dwelling in the land. 8 And Abram saith unto Lot, 'Let there not, I pray thee, be strife between me and thee, and between my shepherds and thy shepherds, for we 'are' men—brethren. 9 Is not all the land before thee? be parted, I pray thee, from me; if to the left, then I to the right; and if to the right, then I to the left.'
10 And Lot lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the whole circuit of the Jordan that it 'is' all a watered country (before Jehovah's destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, as Jehovah's garden, as the land of Egypt,) in thy coming toward Zoar, 11 and Lot chooseth for himself the whole circuit of the Jordan; and Lot journeyeth from the east, and they are parted—a man from his companion; 12 Abram hath dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot hath dwelt in the cities of the circuit, and tenteth unto Sodom; 13 and the men of Sodom 'are' evil, and sinners before Jehovah exceedingly.
14 And Jehovah said unto Abram, after Lot's being parted from him, 'Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and look from the place where thou 'art', northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; 15 for the whole of the land which thou are seeing, to thee I give it, and to thy seed—to the age. 16 And I have set thy seed as dust of the earth, so that, if one is able to number the dust of the earth, even thy seed is numbered; 17 rise, go up and down through the land, to its length, and to its breadth, for to thee I give it.' 18 And Abram tenteth, and cometh, and dwelleth among the oaks of Mamre, which 'are' in Hebron, and buildeth there an altar to Jehovah.
141 And it cometh to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim, 2 they have made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which 'is' Zoar. 3 All these have been joined together unto the valley of Siddim, which 'is' the Salt Sea; 4 twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings who 'are' with him, and they smite the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-Paran, which 'is' by the wilderness; 7 and they turn back and come in unto En-Mishpat, which 'is' Kadesh, and smite the whole field of the Amalekite, and also the Amorite who is dwelling in Hazezon-Tamar. 8 And the king of Sodom goeth out, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which 'is' Zoar; and they set the battle in array with them in the valley of Siddim, 9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with the five. 10 And the valley of Siddim 'is' full of bitumen-pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah flee, and fall there, and those left have fled to the mountain. 11 And they take the whole substance of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the whole of their food, and go away; 12 and they take Lot, Abram's brother's son (seeing he is dwelling in Sodom), and his substance, and go away.
13 And one who is escaping cometh and declareth to Abram the Hebrew, and he is dwelling among the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they 'are' Abram's allies. 14 And Abram heareth that his brother hath been taken captive, and he draweth out his trained domestics, three hundred and eighteen, and pursueth unto Dan. 15 And he divideth himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smiteth them, and pursueth them unto Hobah, which 'is' at the left of Damascus; 16 and he bringeth back the whole of the substance, and also Lot his brother and his substance hath he brought back, and also the women and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom goeth out to meet him (after his turning back from the smiting of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings who 'are' with him), unto the valley of Shaveh, which 'is' the king's valley. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem hath brought out bread and wine, and he 'is' priest of God Most High; 19 and he blesseth him, and saith, 'Blessed 'is' Abram to God Most High, possessing heaven and earth; 20 and blessed 'is' God Most High, who hath delivered thine adversaries into thy hand;' and he giveth to him a tenth of all.
21 And the king of Sodom saith unto Abram, 'Give to me the persons, and the substance take to thyself,' 22 and Abram saith unto the king of Sodom, 'I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah, God Most High, possessing heaven and earth— 23 from a thread even unto a shoe-latchet I take not of anything which thou hast, that thou say not, I—I have made Abram rich; 24 save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who have gone with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they take their portion.'
151 After these things hath the word of Jehovah been unto Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not, Abram, I 'am' a shield to thee, thy reward 'is' exceeding great.'
2 And Abram saith, 'Lord Jehovah, what dost Thou give to me, and I am going childless? and an acquired son in my house is Demmesek Eliezer.' 3 And Abram saith, 'Lo, to me Thou hast not given seed, and lo, a domestic doth heir me.' 4 And lo, the word of Jehovah 'is' unto him, saying, 'This 'one' doth not heir thee; but he who cometh out from thy bowels, he doth heir thee;' 5 and He bringeth him out without, and saith, 'Look attentively, I pray thee, towards the heavens, and count the stars, if thou art able to count them;' and He saith to him, 'Thus is thy seed.' 6 And he hath believed in Jehovah, and He reckoneth it to him—righteousness.
7 And He saith unto him, 'I 'am' Jehovah who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give to thee this land to possess it;' 8 and he saith, 'Lord Jehovah, whereby do I know that I possess it?' 9 And He saith unto him, 'Take for Me a heifer of three years, and a she-goat of three years, and a ram of three years, and a turtle-dove, and a young bird;' 10 and he taketh to him all these, and separateth them in the midst, and putteth each piece over against its fellow, but the bird he hath not divided; 11 and the ravenous birds come down upon the carcases, and Abram causeth them to turn back.
12 And the sun is about to go in, and deep sleep hath fallen upon Abram, and lo, a terror of great darkness is falling upon him; 13 and He saith to Abram, 'knowing—know that thy seed is a sojourner in a land not theirs, and they have served them, and they have afflicted them four hundred years, 14 and the nation also whom they serve I judge, and after this they go out with great substance; 15 and thou—thou comest in unto thy fathers in peace; thou art buried in a good old age; 16 and the fourth generation doth turn back hither, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.'
17 And it cometh to pass—the sun hath gone in, and thick darkness hath been—and lo, a furnace of smoke, and a lamp of fire, which hath passed over between those pieces. 18 In that day hath Jehovah made with Abram a covenant, saying, 'To thy seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Phrat, 19 with the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, 20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, 21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.'
51 And having seen the multitudes, he went up to the mount, and he having sat down, his disciples came to him, 2 and having opened his mouth, he was teaching them, saying:
3 'Happy the poor in spirit—because theirs is the reign of the heavens. 4 'Happy the mourning—because they shall be comforted. 5 'Happy the meek—because they shall inherit the land. 6 'Happy those hungering and thirsting for righteousness—because they shall be filled. 7 'Happy the kind—because they shall find kindness. 8 'Happy the clean in heart—because they shall see God. 9 'Happy the peacemakers—because they shall be called Sons of God. 10 'Happy those persecuted for righteousness' sake—because theirs is the reign of the heavens. 11 'Happy are ye whenever they may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you falsely for my sake— 12 rejoice ye and be glad, because your reward 'is' great in the heavens, for thus did they persecute the prophets who were before you.
13 'Ye are the salt of the land, but if the salt may lose savour, in what shall it be salted? for nothing is it good henceforth, except to be cast without, and to be trodden down by men.
14 'Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid; 15 nor do they light a lamp, and put it under the measure, but on the lamp-stand, and it shineth to all those in the house; 16 so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who 'is' in the heavens.
17 'Do not suppose that I came to throw down the law or the prophets—I did not come to throw down, but to fulfill; 18 for, verily I say to you, till that the heaven and the earth may pass away, one iota or one tittle may not pass away from the law, till that all may come to pass. 19 'Whoever therefore may loose one of these commands—the least—and may teach men so, least he shall be called in the reign of the heavens, but whoever may do and may teach 'them', he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens. 20 'For I say to you, that if your righteousness may not abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye may not enter to the reign of the heavens.
21 'Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment; 22 but I—I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire. 23 'If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee, 24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go—first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift. 25 'Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly, while thou art in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver thee to the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and to prison thou mayest be cast, 26 verily I say to thee, thou mayest not come forth thence till that thou mayest pay the last farthing.
(Read Matthew 5:1-2)
None will find happiness in this world or the next, who do not seek it from Christ by the rule of his word. He taught them what was the evil they should abhor, and what the good they should seek and abound in.
(Read Matthew 5:3-12)
Our Saviour here gives eight characters of blessed people, which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian. 1. The poor in spirit are happy. These bring their minds to their condition, when it is a low condition. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for them. 2. Those that mourn are happy. That godly sorrow which worketh true repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind, and continual dependence for acceptance on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, with constant seeking the Holy Spirit, to cleanse away the remaining evil, seems here to be intended. Heaven is the joy of our Lord; a mountain of joy, to which our way is through a vale of tears. Such mourners shall be comforted by their God. 3. The meek are happy. The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a soft answer; who, in their patience, keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else. These meek ones are happy, even in this world. Meekness promotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even in this world. 4. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are happy. Righteousness is here put for all spiritual blessings. These are purchased for us by the righteousness of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God. Our desires of spiritual blessings must be earnest. Though all desires for grace are not grace, yet such a desire as this, is a desire of God's own raising, and he will not forsake the work of his own hands. 5. The merciful are happy. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help those who are in misery. We must have compassion on the souls of others, and help them; pity those who are in sin, and seek to snatch them as brands out of the burning. 6. The pure in heart are happy; for they shall see God. Here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for God. Create in me such a clean heart, O God. None but the pure are capable of seeing God, nor would heaven be happiness to the impure. As God cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot look upon his purity. 7. The peace-makers are happy. They love, and desire, and delight in peace; and study to be quiet. They keep the peace that it be not broken, and recover it when it is broken. If the peace-makers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers! 8. Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake are happy. This saying is peculiar to Christianity; and it is more largely insisted upon than any of the rest. Yet there is nothing in our sufferings that can merit of God; but God will provide that those who lose for him, though life itself, shall not lose by him in the end. Blessed Jesus! how different are thy maxims from those of men of this world! They call the proud happy, and admire the gay, the rich, the powerful, and the victorious. May we find mercy from the Lord; may we be owned as his children, and inherit his kingdom. With these enjoyments and hopes, we may cheerfully welcome low or painful circumstances.
(Read Matthew 5:13-16)
Ye are the salt of the earth. Mankind, lying in ignorance and wickedness, were as a vast heap, ready to putrify; but Christ sent forth his disciples, by their lives and doctrines to season it with knowledge and grace. If they are not such as they should be, they are as salt that has lost its savour. If a man can take up the profession of Christ, and yet remain graceless, no other doctrine, no other means, can make him profitable. Our light must shine, by doing such good works as men may see. What is between God and our souls, must be kept to ourselves; but that which is of itself open to the sight of men, we must study to make suitable to our profession, and praiseworthy. We must aim at the glory of God.
(Read Matthew 5:17-20)
Let none suppose that Christ allows his people to trifle with any commands of God's holy law. No sinner partakes of Christ's justifying righteousness, till he repents of his evil deeds. The mercy revealed in the gospel leads the believer to still deeper self-abhorrence. The law is the Christian's rule of duty, and he delights therein. If a man, pretending to be Christ's disciple, encourages himself in any allowed disobedience to the holy law of God, or teaches others to do the same, whatever his station or reputation among men may be, he can be no true disciple. Christ's righteousness, imputed to us by faith alone, is needed by every one that enters the kingdom of grace or of glory; but the new creation of the heart to holiness, produces a thorough change in a man's temper and conduct.
(Read Matthew 5:21-26)
The Jewish teachers had taught, that nothing except actual murder was forbidden by the sixth commandment. Thus they explained away its spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full meaning of this commandment; according to which we must be judged hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. All rash anger is heart murder. By our brother, here, we are to understand any person, though ever so much below us, for we are all made of one blood. "Raca," is a scornful word, and comes from pride: "Thou fool," is a spiteful word, and comes from hatred. Malicious slanders and censures are poison that kills secretly and slowly. Christ told them that how light soever they made of these sins, they would certainly be called into judgment for them. We ought carefully to preserve Christian love and peace with all our brethren; and if at any time there is a quarrel, we should confess our fault, humble ourselves to our brother, making or offering satisfaction for wrong done in word or deed: and we should do this quickly; because, till this is done, we are unfit for communion with God in holy ordinances. And when we are preparing for any religious exercises, it is good for us to make that an occasion of serious reflection and self-examination. What is here said is very applicable to our being reconciled to God through Christ. While we are alive, we are in the way to his judgement-seat; after death, it will be too late. When we consider the importance of the case, and the uncertainty of life, how needful it is to seek peace with God, without delay!
