Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Introduction

• Gehazi is the third leper in the Bible.
• He appears in 2 Kings 4, 5, 8.
• Chapter 4 gives us insight into the kind of person Gehazi was: not as spiritually aware as Naaman.

Scriptural study: 2 Kings 5:15-27

• Elisha will not be enriched by a Gentile (although now Naaman is within the covenant). Similar to Abraham’s stance in Gen 14.
• Notice how he is critical of Elisha, his master.
• In running after Naaman, Gehazi isn't seeking something for Elisha, but for himself alone.
• A total lie (v.22)! Knowing Naaman’s new-found respect for Yahweh and his prophets, this particular lie was intended to manipulate.
• He asks for just a small fraction of what Naaman has (only 10% of the silver). This is probably intended to trigger a more generous counteroffer. And it does (v.23).
• Gehazi secretes his loot on the back side of a hill, out of the line of sight of Elisha.
• His actions should make us all think: What behaviors do we conceal?
  • What things do we do only when there is no one around to see us? (Forbidden fruit? Sneaking food… or something else that we would be ashamed of reaching for were there witnesses?)
  • Or, on the other side, do we act like Christians only when there are witnesses to our behavior (like praying only when someone is watching)?
• And he tells another lie (v.25).
• But Elisha is God’s man, a prophet, and has supernatural insight (v.26).
• He knows the things Gehazi plans to purchase with his ill-gotten gain (v.27). His materialism is redolent of Ecc 2.
• And so Gehazi becomes a leper, a divine punishment.
• This will affect his descendants. (“Forever” normally means without cessation within a particular frame of reference. No lepers today are descended from Gehazi, as far as we know.)

Challenges

• Am I behaving furtively or sneakily? Is there something I'm hiding?
• Similar to Miriam and Aaron vis-a-vis Moses, Gehazi has a critical spirit towards his master. Am I harboring a critical spirit?
• Are there traces of materialism or envy in my heart? (Ecclesiastes 4:4)
• Is there any deceit in my life? Am I living a double-life in any sense at all?
• Consider the long-term, lifelong consequences of my actions!
• Fortunately, it wasn’t the end for Gehazi.
  • We encounter him one last time in the OT in 2 Kings 8.
  • So perhaps, like Naaman’s leprosy, his affliction was lighter than full-blown leprosy; he could still go about his daily work.
• But that’s not a rationalization for his sin, only recognition that the Lord tempered his punishment of Gehazi, the Bible’s third leper.

For more on Gehazi, listen to OT Character Podcast 36.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Scriptural study: 2 Kings 5:1-19

• Note: Naaman is also mentioned in the NT (Luke 4:27).
• Syria = Aram = Syria, not Assyria
• His qualities:
  • Leadership
  • Courage
  • And the flaw of leprosy (both visible and humiliating).
• Physical and spiritual health are found in the land of Israel (not Syria, where false gods are worshipped).
• See how God works through circumstances, through people, through conversations!
• Naaman is willing to pay! He knows that cleansing is worth it! (Do we?)
• He proceeds to the king of Israel, to whom this looks like a trap.
• Elisha finds out what has happened, and invites Naaman to come to him (v.8).
• Elisha's instructions are humbling. In the presence of Naaman's entourage, to follow the prophet's instructions would have been humiliating.
• Instead of responding in humility, Naaman has a strong and negative emotional reaction. Furthermore, his reasoning is defective.
• He received some sound counsel – again, from a servant (v.13). Notice the role servants play, as opposed to the roles of the powerful!
• The miracle leads to his conversion.
• It is also a nice prefiguring of baptism, as the early Christians did not fail to notice (Irenaeus of Lyon, fragment 34).
• He was probably already circumcised so didn’t need to be circumcised again!SeeCircumcision in ancient Syria.
• Naaman requests a double load of Israelite dirt – so that he may worship "in" the land of Israel.
• The problem of his accidental bowing when his master enters the temple of the god Rimmon could be a problem, but Elisha tells him to go in peace.

Application

• Cleansing comes when we obey God’s message.
• God’s messengers are often humble persons. Don’t be too proud to listen.
• When we are cleansed, the proper response is a life of devotion towards God.
• All of us who are true Christians have been cleansed from spiritual leprosy.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Introduction

• 19 lepers are healed in the Bible, several in the OT and even more in the NT (though there's no healing of lepers in John and Acts).
• Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) can be cured, with multi-drug therapy -- and cheaply!
• The first leper in the Bible was Moses’s sister, though you could also argue it was Moses himself (Exod 4:6).
• In the case of 3 of our lepers, the person begins healthy, and then contracts leprosy suddenly, as a punishment for sin. That is not the normal order: when we meet the leper, he or she is already leprous, and then is healed.

Scriptural study: Numbers 12:1-15

• It seems Moses had taken a second wife, unless Zipporah wasn’t a full Midianite. Aaron and Miriam are miffed!
• Notice the jealousy. “And the Lord heard it.” Nothing we say, or even think, escapes God’s notice.
• V.3 is a hyperbolic statement. The point isn’t about how humble Moses was. It’s about the contrast between him and his older sister.
• The Lord sets up a four-way meeting.
• God’s anger was justified. Miriam should have been afraid to speak up.
  • Yes, God had spoken through her. Technically, Miriam and Aaron were prophets, too.
  • But it's not such a great comparison since God spoke face to face with Moses.
  • Besides, Moses was humble -- in this instance, he wasn't the problem.
• What was the real issue? Something else (Cushite wife -- they didn't like her)
• Punishment of leprosy (v9). How horrible!
• Notice that Aaron feels the punishment – When one part suffers, they all suffer. A close-knit family.
• Notice also the reversal of the normal chain of communication:
  • Usually, God speaks to Moses, and then Aaron relays that message to the people (Exod 7:1)
  • But now it is Aaron speaking to Moses, who in turn beseeches God. Sin can cause all sorts of inversions.
• Though Miriam is punished
, Aaron is the one who seems to have a more humble attitude.
• Moses cares for her (“O God, please heal her—please.”) The text implies that Miriam was healed, though we do not read of this explicitly.
• Yet Miriam still has to go outside the camp. Uncleanness brings about a separation.
• There's no exception because she’s a big-time leader. One standard for all!
• The punishment is temporary, but it slows down the people of God.
• Our sin affects the body of Christ. It affects our relationships, and never more so than when there is ongoing sin in a leader’s life. His or her sin can affect the entire body.

Application
What can we learn? How does this relate to our lives—and our desire to be clean in the presence of God?

• Jealousy, rivalry, envy, resentment: let them never control our lives as God’s people!
• Guilty conscience: affects sleep and thus health.
• Bitterness and a critical can lead to changes in our physical appearance, our behavior (esp. in relationships) and how others perceive us.
  • Usually, sickness doesn’t indicate sin (John 9:1-2), but it may in some cases (psychosomatic connection). In Miriam’s case, it was a punishment.
  • But the leprosy of Miriam also reflected the onset of spiritual decay and dysfunction that come from tolerating sin, including sinful attitudes.
• Inward focus: We don’t go out so much, get exercise. Nor do we want to be with people.
• Sin blunts our effectiveness as ambassadors of Christ.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Introduction

• OT: Purity and cleansing are more about forgiveness than about transformation.
  • Yet, for fairness and balance, holiness was the goal, and then as now involved a quest, a process...
  • E.g, Exodus: facilitation of forgiveness and holiness: laws, priesthood, tabernacle; Leviticus: atonement and holiness; Numbers: the journey of faith continues, with penalties for sin; Deuteronomy: obedient love / loving obedience.
• Two-stage salvation
  • Baptism: past sins
  • Confession and repentance: future sins
• Far too many believers are confused about what it means to walk in the light.

Scriptural study: 1 John 1:6-2:7

• Contrast: light / darkness
• Walking in light assumes some degree of failure
• We do not move to the darkness every time we sin (though we do if we give up on Christ.)
• What is walking in darkness?
  • Darkness is pretense.
  • It's also lack of openness.
  • Those in the dark ignore, twist, or reject God's word.
• How we live -- how we obey Christ -- does matter.
  • Yet if we slip, we have an advocate.
  • Walking in the light is the way of obedience.
  • Walking in light is walking as Jesus walked: openness, honesty, obedience to the Father, a life centered round others (love).
• There's one more key dimension of walking in the light (1 John 3:1-3).
  • Walking in light isn't only ongoing forgiveness and ongoing obedience.
  • It's also ongoing transformation!
  • Protestants tend to see the crucifixion of Jesus as their means of forgiveness, while Orthodox theology highlights the resurrection (the other side of Jesus' atonement) as a source of new life -- becoming like God.
  • We too should appreciate that God's plan is for us to become like Christ (see also Rom 8:29 -- for this we will need to embrace suffering).

Prayer for purity at the level of:

• Conscience / heart / motives
• Thoughts
• Words
• Actions

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Introduction

• Reminder: purity is a broad concept. Narrowing the definition to a single sin lets us off the hook!
• How are you doing this year (so far) with purity of thought, speech, and lifestyle? How's your focus?
• Just as in OT so in NT...

Scriptural study

• James 1:27
  • The pollution of the world makes us apathetic and self-absorbed
  • Sodom (Ezek 16:48) is a lamentable example of a people polluted by the world
  • Their hallmark sin of sodomy is not even mentioned in this passage (though it is alluded to)
  • Not to care about those in emotional or psychological agony renders our religion impure -- even worthless (Jas 1:26).
• James 3:17
  • This verse appears in the conclusion of a chapter on the tongue.
  • In speech, attitude, fellowship, outreach, interactions at home, response to criticism, etc., we are to stay pure.
• 1 Pet 1:22
  • It's hard to love and give to others with a troubled conscience.
  • Notice also that our hearts are purified by obedience.
  • This is probably also an allusion to rebirth (water, spirit) -- obeying their gospel (Acts 5:32; 2 Thess 1:8; etc).
• 1 Pet 3:2
  • Context: winning over a spouse -- but it has wide application.
  • Winning over anyone who isn't ready for reason and studying the scripture...
• Rev 19:8
  • The imagery of clean garments is opposite that of Isa 64:4-7.
  • In fact, this verse refutes the common Protestant (esp. Calvinist) interpretation. Purity entails obedience and is within reach.
• Rev 19:14 -- from the beginning of the Bible to the end, purity is a crucial concept and essential for our lives as followers of God.

Case study:
Simon the Sorcerer

• What happens when we are careless, heedless as to the condition of our hearts?
• Failure to keep our hearts pure (Prov 4:23) can lead us to a bad, bad place.
• Simon Magus is a colorful and clear example of where we can end up if we neglect to fail to keep a pure heart.
• Acts 8:5-6, 9-10, 12-13, 18-24.
• Did Simon turn the corner and become pure in his devotion? No – later went to Rome and caused a lot of trouble for Peter…..
• Let's keep our hearts pure today!!!

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Pray for purity & cleansing (all four levels):

• Actions
• Words
• Thoughts
• Heart / conscience / motives

Scriptures (Jesus)

• Matt 6:19-24
• Matt 5:8

Scriptures (Paul)

• 2 Cor 6:5-7
• 2 Cor 11:2-3
• Phil 1:10
• Phil 4:8
• 1 Tim 4:12
• 1 Tim 5:2
• 2 Tim 2:22
• Titus 1:15
• Titus 2:5

Challenge

• Thought question: How do we spend our time?
  • That tells us a lot more about our purity than how we may be tempted by various sins does.
  • Where are we invested? How do we spend out time? our money? our lives?
• Reject and eject impurity, which is a poison, a spiritual contaminant.
• Put up a fight! Don't just roll over and let yourself be poisoned to death!

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

God calls us to be
pure on 4 levels:

1. Actions
2. Words
3. Thoughts
4. Heart / Conscience / Motives

Scripture

• Biblically speaking, purity is a broad subject. Impurity isn't just sexual (as in Gal 5:19).
• Prov 15:26 [2,3]; 16:2 [1]; 20:9 [4]; 20:11 [1]; 21:8 [1]; 22:11 [2,4]; 4:23 [4]. These proverbs speak of purity at the designated levels [-].
• Isa 64:5-7. Filthy rags (click for the short article) = religion without the intention of obedience.

Conclusion

• We can be clean. Don't listen to those who state that the best we can do is detestable to God, or that our best efforts are "filthy rags." That is not true, and is a gross misinterpretation of Isa 64:5-7.
• Thought question: What am I doing with my life? Who am I really living for: myself, or the Lord?

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Series Outline: 

• Intro (1 lesson, "Podcast 0")
• Purity & Cleansing (5 lessons)
• Leprosy (7 lessons)
• Exorcism (7 lessons)
• Reanimation (10 lessons)
• Holiness: It's a Decision! (2 lessons)

God calls us to be
pure on 4 levels:

1. Actions
2. Words
3. Thoughts
4. Conscience / Heart / Motives

Scripture

• Like Paul in 2 Tim 2:19-22, Jesus too spoke of the clean cup in Matt 23:25-26. Does the outside of our cup look good, while the inside is full of sin and corruption?
   
• Psalms 24:4; 73:1; 119:9
• 19:7-14: Purity at all levels, from actions (known and unknown) to words to the meditation of the heart.
• 15:1-5: Purity means integrity
  • No shady dealings in the financial realm?
  • Giving contribution even when disillusioned with the church?
  • Torrent of profanity
  • Care for our physical body (reject gluttony; smoking; drinking; sedentary lifestyle; etc)
  • Being known as men and women of our word.
  • Keeping promises, making deadlines
  • A life centered on God
• Let's all strive for purity, for as the Hebrew writer reminds us, “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).

Further study:

• For more on the Psalms, listen to the series of 10 podcasts, or check out my book Thrive!
• Click to learn about Leviticus & Leprosy.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

The Problem
Too many Christians are defeated by:

• the uncleanness of materialism
• the pollution of sexual temptation
• a general lack of holiness & fire for the things of the Lord

It's normal to feel unclean in the presence of God. But once we're cleansed, we should be ready for service (Isa 6:1-9; 2 Tim 2:19-22). Yet at times we all come short in the area of discipleship.

With this in mind, the goal of this series accords with Paul's intention in writing to Timothy (1 Tim 1:5-7). We all need three precious things -- without which we may shipwreck our faith (1 Tim 1:18-19).

• a pure heart
• a good conscience
• a sincere faith

Seekers are attracted to God when they see a truly sacrificial spiritual life (Rom 12:1-2; John 12:32). While none of us wants to shipwreck our faith, the disaster normally begins with (greater and greater) moral compromises.

The Plan
Get ready for an entire month of focus on

• Cleanliness in the OT (Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah)
• Cleanliness in the NT (James, Peter, John, Paul)
• Walking in the Light – a terribly misunderstood concept
• OT & NT lepers
• NT exorcisms
• OT & NT reanimations
• Jesus’ (unique) resurrection
• Purity and Transformation in the history of Christianity

Hence the full title of the 31-podcast series:
CLEAN IN '17 – Purity, Cleansing, Leprosy, Exorcism, & Reanimation.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Atheists

• Wrong thinking
  • They will say that Jesus was a man of his time (yet he was countercultural!).
  • A recycling of ancient myths. But there was no ancient dying / rising god before the time of Jesus. If there was “borrowing,” it took place in the opposite direction!
  • Remember the bad of Christian history, but nearly none of the good.
  • Straw gods (old men in the sky) and distorted Christs.
  • Accuse Christians of being intolerant, whereas in fact quite a few atheists are intolerant.
• Unfortunate experiences?
  • Poor arguments from Christians
    • Bogus science
    • Inconsistent interpretation
    • Ignorance of history
    • Predictable and pro-establishment positions
    • Platitudes and proof-texting
  • Poor examples in Christians
    • Failure to walk the walk
    • Prejudice
    • Lack of social conscience
    • Infighting
  • Yet despite the detrimental effects of poorly thought-through faith, or poorly lived faith, atheists are still responsible (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Romans 1:18-32).
• As Christian leaders working for many years in atheistic climates (universities worldwide but especially in parts of Europe), my wife and I identify two huge needs – two areas in which the atheists are missing Christ.
  • Relationships
  • Evidences. Suggested: Compelling Evidence, as well as a number of other helpful titles.
• So what are the atheists missing?
  • Fundamentally, they’re missing not only a logical understanding of the gospel.
  • They are missing Christ – and missing out on the abundant existence Christ brings to those who put their trust in him (John 10:10). John 3:16-21. Acts 24:25.
• Plenty of atheists do come to Christ!
  • Further passages to inspire us
    • Acts 13:7, 12
    • Colossians 2:4, 8
    • 1 Peter 3:15-16
  • Let's be bold!

Series conclusion

• Elements of the present series:
  • Concept of the two ages
  • How OT shows Christ
  • Concepts of Messiah in time of Christ
  • How NT shows Christ
  • How Christ has been interpreted in the course of Church History
  • How Christ has been refracted in the world
• Suggested complementary continuation: Worship
  • 10 podcasts
  • These lessons are already recorded. Yet even if you’ve already heard them, it might be fruitful to listen again.
  • A focused worship of Christ is all the more appropriate, given the deity of Christ.
• If, as the scriptures teach and as Christians have believed since the beginning, Jesus Christ is God, then a few things follow:
  • Jesus is Lord.
    • He is fully human and fully divine.
    • We are to obey him.
    • His word is authoritative.
• We should strive to do all we can to pursue the theme of Christ through the Ages.
• We need to make sure we are connected to the genuine Christ, and not to a Jesus of our own making. Scripture and history help to anchor us and to give perspective.