Reading for Today:

• Isaiah 11:1 Chapter 11 1 And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit. –12:6
• Psalms 106:6-18 6 We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. 7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; They remembered not the multitude of thy lovingkindnesses, But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea. 8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, That he might make his mighty power to be known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: So he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness. 10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11 And the waters covered their adversaries; There was not one of them left. 12 Then believed they his words; They sang his praise. 13 They soon forgat his works; They waited not for his counsel, 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert. 15 And he gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. 16 They envied Moses also in the camp, `And' Aaron the saint of Jehovah. 17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And covered the company of Abiram. 18 And a fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.
• Proverbs 25:3-5 3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4 Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner: 5 Take away the wicked `from' before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness.
• 2 Corinthians 2:1-17 Chapter 2 1 But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me? 3 And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is `the joy' of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love that I have more abundantly unto you. 5 But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all. 6 Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was `inflicted' by the many; 7 so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you to confirm `your' love toward him. 9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things. 10 But to whom ye forgive anything, I `forgive' also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes `have I forgiven it' in the presence of Christ; 11 that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 12 Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord, 13 I had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia. 14 But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. 15 For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; 16 to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.

Notes:

Isaiah 11:1 stem…roots. With the Babylonian captivity of 586 B.C., the Davidic dynasty appeared as decimated as the Assyrian army. A major difference between the two was the life remaining in the stump and roots of the Davidic line. That life was to manifest itself in new growth in the form of the Rod and Branch. Jesse. Jesse was David’s father through whose line the messianic king was to come ( Ruth 4:22 22 and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. ; 1 Sam. 16:1, 12, 13). Branch. This is a title for the Messiah (see 4:2).

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD. As the Spirit of the Lord came upon David when he was anointed king ( 1 Samuel 16:13 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. ; Ps.51:11), so He will rest upon David’s descendant, Christ, who will rule the world. Spirit…the LORD…Him. This verse refers to the 3 persons of the Holy Trinity (see 6:3).wisdom and understanding…counsel and might…knowledge and…fear of the LORD. These are Spirit-imparted qualifications that will enable the Messiah to rule justly and effectively.

Isaiah 11:10 in that day. The time of universal peace will come in the future reign of the Lord. Gentiles shall seek Him. The Root of Jesse will also attract non-Jews who inhabit the future kingdom (49:6; 52:10; 60:3; 66:18). Paul saw God’s ministry to Gentiles during the church age as an additional implication of this verse (Rom. 15:12).

2 Corinthians 2:2 Although Paul was sensitive to the Corinthians’ pain and sadness from the past confrontation, because of his commitment to purity he would confront them again if necessary. “The one who is made sorrowful” refers to one convicted by his sin. In particular, there was apparently on Paul’s last visit, a man in the church who confronted him with the accusations taken from the false teachers. The church had not dealt with that man in Paul’s defense, and Paul was deeply grieved over that lack of loyalty. The only thing that would bring Paul joy would be repentance from such a one and any who agreed with him, and Paul had been waiting for it.

2 Corinthians 2:17 not, as so many. Or, “not as the majority.” This specifically refers to the false teachers in Corinth and to the many other teachers and philosophers of that day who operated by human wisdom (1 Cor. 1:19, 20). peddling. From a Greek verb that means “to corrupt,” this word came to refer to corrupt hucksters or con men who by their cleverness and deception were able to sell as genuine an inferior product that was only a cheap imitation. The false teachers in the church were coming with clever, deceptive rhetoric to offer a degraded, adulterated message that mixed paganism and Jewish tradition. They were dishonest men seeking personal profit and prestige at the expense of gospel truth and people’s souls.

DAY 10: What was Paul’s rationale for forgiveness?

Second Corinthians 2:5–11 is one of the best texts in all of Scripture on the godly motivation for forgiveness. Paul said, “If anyone has caused grief” (v. 5). The Greek construction of this clause assumes the condition to be true—Paul is acknowledging the reality of the offense and its ongoing effect, not on him, but on the church. With this deflection of any personal vengeance, he sought to soften the charge against the penitent offender and allow the church to deal with the man and those who were with him objectively, apart from Paul’s personal anguish or offense.

“This punishment…inflicted by the majority” (v. 6). This indicates that the church in Corinth had followed the biblical process in disciplining the sinning man (Matt. 18:15–20; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14). The Greek word for “punishment,” used frequently in secular writings but only here in the New Testament, denoted an official legal penalty or commercial sanction that was enacted against an individual or group (city, nation). “Is sufficient.” The process of discipline and punishment was enough. Now it was time to show mercy because the man had repented (Matt. 18:18, 23–35; Gal. 6:1, 2; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13; Heb. 12:11).

“You ought rather to forgive and comfort him” (v. 7). It was time to grant forgiveness so the man’s joy would be restored (Ps. 51:12,14; Is. 42:2,3). Paul knew there was—and is—no place in the church for man-made limits on God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness toward repentant sinners. Such restrictions could only rob the fellowship of the joy of unity (Matt. 18:34, 35; Mark 11:25 25 And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. , 26). “Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.”

From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.

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