I send my thanks to Ashlee Smith for reading the part of Rebecca in Genesis today.
In yesterday's reading we read the history of Isaac and Rebecca's
family before the narrative focuses on their dissimilar twin sons,
and especially Jacob.
https://www.bible.com/bible/116/gen.27.nlt
We know a lot more than Job did. One thing was shown yesterday. Job asked,
14 Can the dead live again?
If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,
and I would eagerly await the release of death.
https://www.bible.com/bible/116/job.15
After coming down the mountain with three of his disciples, Jesus met his other disciples who were having two difficulties simultaneously with people arguing with them and with failing to heal a man’s son, who was possessed by an evil spirit or a demon. I would like to say a few words about demons. In Greek, ‘demon’ is daimonia and the other term, ‘evil spirit’, is more literally ‘unclean spirit’. As someone who has worked in another culture and seen what has happened over my lifetime in the USA, I hope it will be helpful to some listeners if I share about this topic. Some my audience— particularly those of the older generation in the USA, will say, “What people called demons in Jesus’ day were just what we call mental illness.” While, paradoxically, it is the younger generation in the USA who more readily believe that demons actually exist. I think the younger generation have it right this time. Demons do exist. Here’s what I have observed: Where demons are not believed in, they are happy to stay in the background— where they are very adept at promoting falsehood and sin. Where demons are feared, worshipped, where people listen to satanic music and take part in occult rituals, demons come out to increase people’s fear of them and to manipulate people more openly. As believers in Jesus, remember that Jesus has complete power over Satan and all demons. We who belong to Jesus should not fear them. Nor should we seek communication with such beings. Remember two things from yesterday’s story: The father wisely cried out, “Help my unbelief!” So the first thing to remember is to fully believe in Christ Jesus. The second is the answer Jesus gave to the disciples question: Prayer is of vital importance in this area of spiritual warfare! I bet some of you will have questions or comments. The Digging Deeper Forum is the place for that!
Today we start by reviewing part of that story.
Translation notes:
22The [demon/spirit] often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil f spirit. “Listen, you [demon/spirit]
[who/that] makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he
said. “I command you to come out of this child and never
enter him again!”
26 Then the [evil/0] spirit screamed and threw the boy into
another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared
to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said,
“He’s dead.”
29 Jesus replied, “[That/This] kind can be cast out only by
prayer. ”
heading at 38:
[Doing thing for Jesus' cause//Using the Name of Jesus]
38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using
your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop
because he wasn’t in our group.”
31 for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “[I, the//The] Son of Man, [am/is] going to be betrayed into the hands of [my/his] enemies. [I/He] will be killed, but three days later [I/he] will rise from the dead.” 32 [However/0] they didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a
miracle [on my behalf/in my name/using my name] will soon be able to speak evil of me.
One thing I do not like about the NLT is the translation of 'in my name' as 'using my name' in places having to do with prayer like John 16. In v38 here, it works well. For believers in this age, when we pray 'in Jesus' name', the meaning is not
simply that we end our prayers with an automatic 'in Jesus name'. The meaning of praying in Jesus' name is that we pray things for the cause of Jesus, on behalf of Jesus, or for Jesus' glory. This is why I end so many prayers on these podcasts with the idea of Jesus’ glory!
https://www.bible.com/bible/116/mrk.9
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