Week 24, One Year Bible Challenge: “Foreign Influences”

Discussion Questions

Old Testament

New Testament

  1. Why was it so difficult for Jewish believers to accept that the good news of Jesus Christ was intended for the gentiles too? Acts 11:1-3.
  2. What was the meaning of Peter’s dream with all of the animals on the sheet? Is there anything Christians are NOT allowed to eat? Does the meaning extend beyond food? Acts 10:9-15.

Notes and Commentary

Old Testament

Solomon’s wisdom was unmatched. So why did he end up worshiping foreign gods? 1 Kings 11:3-8.
1 Kings 11:3-8 (WEB). [3] He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. [4] When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. [5] For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. [6] Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and didn’t go fully after the LORD, as did David his father. [7] Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. [8] So he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.
God had warned His people about the danger of intermingling and intermarrying foreigners with foreign gods. Solomon’s fall into open idolotry clearly shows the reason for God’s policy.
[Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible]
There is not a more melancholy and astonishing instance of human depravity in the sacred Scriptures, than that here recorded. Solomon became a public worshipper of abominable idols! Probably he by degrees gave way to pride and luxury, and thus lost his relish for true wisdom. Nothing forms in itself a security against the deceitfulness and depravity of the human heart. Nor will old age cure the heart of any evil propensity. If our sinful passions are not crucified and mortified by the grace of God, they never will die of themselves, but will last even when opportunities to gratify them are taken away. Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. We see how weak we are of ourselves, without the grace of God; let us therefore live in constant dependence on that grace. Let us watch and be sober: ours is a dangerous warfare, and in an enemy’s country, while our worst foes are the traitors in our own hearts.
[Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary (1871)]
Some, considering the lapse of Solomon into idolatry as a thing incredible, regard him as merely humoring his wives in the practice of their superstition; and, in countenancing their respective rites by his presence, as giving only an outward homage—a sensible worship, in which neither his understanding nor his heart was engaged. The apology only makes matters worse, as it implies an adding of hypocrisy and contempt of God to an open breach of His law. There seems no possibility of explaining the language of the sacred historian, but as intimating that Solomon became an actual and open idolater, worshipping images of wood or stone in sight of the very temple which, in early life, he had erected to the true God.

New Testament

Why was it so difficult for Jewish believers to accept that the good news of Jesus Christ was intended for the gentiles too? Acts 11:1-3.
Acts 11:1-3 (WEB). [1] Now the emissaries and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. [2] When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him, [3] saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men, and ate with them!”
The whole history of the Jews as God’s people included the concept of them being separate and apart from all of the rest of the people of the world. In this week’s readings of the Old Testament, for example, consider that Solomons sin of idolotry arose from the influence of his foreign wives and concubines.
The Jews understood the gentiles to be unclean. Not only were the gentiles considered unworthy of God’s kingdom, but the Jews found them personally revolting or disgusting. Imaging being invited into the home of a family who ate cockroaches for a typical breakfast, and you will begin to understand the concept. Refering to v. 3 (“You went in to uncircumcised men, and ate with them!”), Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible states, “In a Jew, this was no small offense; and, as they did not know the reason of St. Peter’s conduct, it is no wonder they should call him to account for it, as they considered it to be a positive transgression of the law and custom of the Jews.”
Next weeks reading, records the debate as to whether Christianity required circumcism (See Acts 15). That is, must one first become a Jew, before one could be a Christian? The short answer was “no.”
What was the meaning of Peter’s dream with all of the animals on the sheet? Is there anything Christians are NOT allowed to eat? Does the meaning extend beyond food? Acts 10:9-15.
Acts 10:9-15 (WEB). [9] Now on the next day as they were on their journey, and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon.  [10] He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.  [11] He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth,  [12] in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky.  [13] A voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!”   [14]  But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”   [15]  A voice came to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”
 [Barnes’ New Testament Notes] If God has commanded you to do a thing, it is not impure or wrong. Its use is lawful if he has commanded it. Perhaps Peter would have supposed that the design of this vision was to instruct him that the distinction between clean and unclean food, as recognized by the Jews, was about to be abolished, Acts 17. But the result showed that it had a higher and more important design. It was to show him that they who had been esteemed by the Jews as unclean or profane--the entire Gentile world--might now be admitted to similar privileges with the Jews. That barrier was to be broken down, and the whole world was to be admitted to the same fellowship and privileges in the gospel. See Eph 2:14; Gal 3:28. It was also true that the ceremonial laws of the Jews in regard to clean and unclean beasts was to pass away, though this was not directly taught in this vision. But when once the barrier was removed that separated the Jews and Gentiles, all the laws which supposed such a distinction, and which were framed to keep up such a distinction, passed away of course. The ceremonial laws of the Jews were designed solely to keep up the distinction between them and other nations. When the distinction was abolished-- when other nations were to be admitted to the same privileges--the laws which were made to keep up such a difference received their death-blow, and expired of course. For it is a maxim of all law, that when the reason why a law was made ceases to exist, the law becomes obsolete. Yet it was not easy to convince the Jews that their laws ceased to be binding. This point the apostles laboured to establish; and from this point arose most of the difficulties between the Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity. See Ac 15, Rom 14, Rom 15.
[Family Bible Notes from the Nazrene Users Group] Under this symbol of the abolition of the Jewish distinction of clean and unclean animals, is signified the breaking down of "the middle wall of partition" between Jews and Gentiles, and the admission of the latter to common privileges with Israelites.
[Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary, 1871] The ceremonial distinctions are at an end, and Gentiles, ceremonially separated from the chosen people (Ac 10:28), and debarred from that access to God in the visible ordinances of His Church which they enjoyed, are now on a perfect equality with them.
Paul addresses the eating of meat which had been sacrificed to animals. However, the context of his words are important. The food itself is not prohibited. Rather, Christians should be sensitive to doing things that might be misunderstood by others.
1 Corinthians 10:27-28 (WEB). [27] But if one of those who don’t believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience. [28] But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” [29] Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other’s conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience? [30] If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced for that for which I give thanks? [31] Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. [32] Give no occasions for stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God; [33] even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.

Random Quotes

“I can’t really remember the names of the clubs that we went to.”
– Shaquille O’Neal, basketball player, on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece
"A picture is worth a thousand words but it takes 3,000 times the disk space."
— unknown
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
— Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919)
"All philosophies, if you ride them, are nonsense, but some are greater nonsense than others."
— Samuel Butler (1835 – 1902)

Notes:

© Tom Truex 2014, Davie, FL