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But he who trusts in Me shall possess the land and inherit My Holy Mountain" (Isaiah 57:13). |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Paul Before the Sanhedrin [1] Bible Verse:Acts 22:30, 23:1-5 (ESV) "But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them. And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God's high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”" Message:
We meet a new and particularly nasty character here, High Priest Ananais ben Nebedeus, who overcame the nearly dynastic line of Annas to become high priest from 46-59 A.D. It is unfortunate that he has the same name as the great Ananais of Damascus, the man who baptized Paul (and the person usually meant when the simple name “Ananais” is used).
Ananais (son of Nebedeus) was a corrupt, greedy and hypocritical man, an unscrupulous politician who held his post by collaborating with the Romans. He was well-known for his brutality; so when he has a guard hit Paul in the mouth, for nothing more than claiming to live in good conscience before God, it would not have surprised anyone.
Bible Proverbs 11|Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom
Paul calls him a “whitewashed wall”. It is an odd-sounding insult to us, but consider: when we talk about somebody in power covering up wrongdoing, we call it a “whitewash.” (Jesus, Job, and especially Ezekiel used the same expression. See, e.g., Ezekiel 13:11-15.) This is just how Paul means it. Ananais is an entire wall of whitewash, a person completely covered in hypocrisy.
Paul retracts his insult, not because it is untrue, but because the Bible forbids it. Exodus 22:28.
Every religion, at some point in its history, seems to have encountered men like Ananais (son of Nebedeus): dynamic men of little actual faith or integrity, but having enormous political intelligence, who use their talents to become a religious leader for the sole purpose of gaining power and wealth. It is the way of this world.
Ananais did not get away with his hypocrisy forever. In 52 A.D., the governor of Syria had him arrested and sent to Rome for brutality, but Emperor Claudius acquitted him. He returned to Jerusalem, but was eventually hunted down and murdered by Jewish nationalists.
History aside, the passage shows that the Old Testament commandment is still in full force and effect. If we speak evil of the president (prime minister, governor, etc.)—be it Joe Biden, Donald Trump, or whoever else we might dislike—we disobey God and destroy Christian unity. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other, Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)
Meditation : Prayer : Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high priest himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build up myself, and all Christians, in faith and truth, and in all gentleness and in all freedom from anger and forbearance and steadfastness and patient endurance and purity........Amen |
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