SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/21/2020 11:14 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Security
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 5:40
Message of the verse: “40 “If anyone
wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.”
Some
versions of the Bible use the word “shirt” instead of “tunic” which is found in
the NASB95, and the shirt is a type of tunic worn as an undergarment and the
coat was an outer garment that also served as a blanket at night. I am not sure that many people today in our
country would use a coat as a blanket, but perhaps in the olden day of our
country. In the Mosaic law it was
required for the tunic to be returned at the end of the day “before the sun set”
as seen in Exodus 22:26-27.
MacArthur
writes “Jesus is not speaking of a robbery, in which a person tries to steal
your clothes, but of the legitimate claim of ‘anyone who wants to sue you.’ When a person had no money or other
possessions, the court often would require the fine or judgment be paid by
clothing. The attitude of a kingdom
citizen, one who is truly righteous, should be willingness to surrender even
one’s coat, his extremely valuable outer garment, rather than cause offense or
hard feelings with an adversary. The
court could not demand the coat, but it could be voluntarily given to meet the
required debt. And that is precisely
what Jesus says we should be willing to do.”
It
is MacArthur’s feelings that if a person today has a legal judgment against
them that they should even do more that what the judgment has against them as
this would show the love of Christ and that we are “sons of our Father who is
in heaven” as seen in verse 45. Paul
writes about this in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, something unfortunately I have become
all too familiar with in recent years. “1
Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law
before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the
saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not
competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not
know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you
have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges
who are of no account in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is
it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to
decide between his brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that
before unbelievers? 7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you
have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be
defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this
even to your brethren.” What Paul
is saying among other things is that it is better to be defrauded than to be
resentful and spiteful. In summing up
this section MacArthur adds “Paul alter instructs Christians regarding lawsuits
in 1 Cor. 6:1-8, emphasizing a similar principle of willingness to forfeit one’s
due rather than be vengeful.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Doing what Jesus and what Paul says can only
be done by the work of the Holy Spirit living in me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to give me peace in a very un-peaceful
world that I am living in.
9/21/2020 11:33 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment