Day 30 | Matthew 6:9-13 | The Lord’s Prayer

Passage: Matthew 6:9-13

9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b]
but rescue us from the evil one.[c]
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Let’s first look at some of the background and cultural understanding of the time…

Mat_6:9-10

Jewish people commonly addressed God as “Our heavenly Father” when they prayed, although such intimate titles as “Abba” (Papa) were rare (see comment on Mar_14:36). One standard Jewish prayer of the day (the Kaddish) proclaimed, “Exalted and hallowed be his … name … and may his kingdom come speedily and soon.”

Jewish prayers recognized that God’s name would be “hallowed,” or “sanctified,” “shown holy,” in the time of the end, when his *kingdom would come, as the Bible also said (Isa_5:16; Isa_29:23; Eze_36:23; Eze_38:23; Eze_39:7, Eze_39:27; cf. Zec_14:9). In the present God’s people could hallow his name by living rightly; if they lived wrongly, they would “profane” his name, or bring it into disrepute among the nations (cf. also Exo_20:7; Jer_34:16; Jer_44:25-26; Eze_13:19; Eze_20:14; Amo_2:7).

It was understood that after his *kingdom came God’s will would be done on earth as in heaven.

Mat_6:11

This verse alludes to God’s provision of “daily bread” (manna) for his people in the wilderness after he first redeemed them. Prayers for God to supply one’s basic needs — of which bread and water are the ultimate examples — were common in the ancient world (cf. Pro_30:8).

Mat_6:12

Jewish teaching regarded sins as “debts” before God; the same *Aramaic word could be used for both. Biblical law required the periodic forgiveness of monetary debtors (in the seventh and fiftieth years), so the illustration of forgiving debts would have been a graphic one (especially since Jewish lawyers had found a way to circumvent the release of debts so that creditors would continue to lend).

Mat_6:13

Parallels with ancient Jewish prayers, and possibly the *Aramaic wording behind this verse, suggest that the first line means: “Let us not sin when we are tested” — rather than “Let us not be tested” (cf. Mat_4:1; Mat_26:41 in context; cf. Psa_141:3-4). Some scholars have suggested an allusion to the final time of suffering here, which was expected to precede the coming *kingdom. Because Jewish prayers were commonly used in liturgical contexts that ended with a statement of praise, later texts’ addition of the benediction (“Thine is the kingdom….”) to the original text of Matthew is not surprising.

Mat_6:9-10
Jewish people commonly addressed God as “Our heavenly Father” when they prayed, although such intimate titles as “Abba” (Papa) were rare (see comment on Mar_14:36). One standard Jewish prayer of the day (the Kaddish) proclaimed, “Exalted and hallowed be his … name … and may his kingdom come speedily and soon.”Jewish prayers recognized that God’s name would be “hallowed,” or “sanctified,” “shown holy,” in the time of the end, when his *kingdom would come, as the Bible also said (Isa_5:16; Isa_29:23; Eze_36:23; Eze_38:23; Eze_39:7, Eze_39:27; cf. Zec_14:9). In the present God’s people could hallow his name by living rightly; if they lived wrongly, they would “profane” his name, or bring it into disrepute among the nations (cf. also Exo_20:7; Jer_34:16; Jer_44:25-26; Eze_13:19; Eze_20:14; Amo_2:7).It was understood that after his *kingdom came God’s will would be done on earth as in heaven.Mat_6:11This verse alludes to God’s provision of “daily bread” (manna) for his people in the wilderness after he first redeemed them. Prayers for God to supply one’s basic needs — of which bread and water are the ultimate examples — were common in the ancient world (cf. Pro_30:8).Mat_6:12Jewish teaching regarded sins as “debts” before God; the same *Aramaic word could be used for both. Biblical law required the periodic forgiveness of monetary debtors (in the seventh and fiftieth years), so the illustration of forgiving debts would have been a graphic one (especially since Jewish lawyers had found a way to circumvent the release of debts so that creditors would continue to lend).Mat_6:13Parallels with ancient Jewish prayers, and possibly the *Aramaic wording behind this verse, suggest that the first line means: “Let us not sin when we are tested” — rather than “Let us not be tested” (cf. Mat_4:1; Mat_26:41 in context; cf. Psa_141:3-4). Some scholars have suggested an allusion to the final time of suffering here, which was expected to precede the coming *kingdom. Because Jewish prayers were commonly used in liturgical contexts that ended with a statement of praise, later texts’ addition of the benediction (“Thine is the kingdom….”) to the original text of Matthew is not surprising. IVP Bible Background Commentary

Ah, the Lord’s Prayer. Short and sweet and most importantly exactly to the point of our internal struggle. Jesus gives us a simple understanding of what a prayer should be.

Our Father in Heaven (addressing the Creator) hallowed by thy name. (Holy is Your Character) Thy kingdom come soon. (The deepest desire of my heart). Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Your will is perfect, right, and just. If it was done here on earth as it is in heaven all would be well.) Give us this day our daily bread. (Give us what we need for the day, because we need not worry about too far into the future.) And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. (We are able to forgive freely because we have been forgiven much.) And lead us not into temptation. (Help me to avoid places and circumstances that will lead me into temptation). But deliver us from evil. (Protect me from the Evil one) For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Because You are able and because You should be glorified forever. May it be so.)

Prayer:

Thank you Lord for this prayer. Forgive me Lord my sins and give me a heart of forgiveness towards others. Thank you for all that you supply and help me to not worry about the future. Please be with all of the prayer requests on this prayer list. You know what they need…may your perfect will be done in each situation. Please be with my son and help him to learn more clearly and freely. Be with my church and help it to grow in Your Spirit. May your second coming be soon! Amen.

Day 24 | Matthew 5:38-39 | Eye for an Eye | “Passiveness?”

**Please be sure to read all around this passage so that you are getting it in context; and as always, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the understanding that He would have you see.

Passage: Matthew 5:38-39

Thoughts:

This is another example of Jesus trying to correct a misunderstanding that had been made the law of the land. Here is some information from the IVP Bible Background Commentary…

The “eye for an eye” and “tooth for a tooth” are part of the widespread ancient Near Eastern law of retaliation. In Israel and other cultures, this principle was enforced by a court and refers to legalized vengeance; personal vengeance was never accepted in the *law of Moses, except as a concession for a relative’s murder (Num_35:18-21). The *Old Testament did not permit personal vengeance; David, a great warrior, recognized this principle (1Sa_25:33; 1Sa_26:10-11).

It being common practice throughout the land, the idea of eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth had also worked its way into the nation of Israel as well. Jesus was not revealing some new and amazing truth but bringing them back to the original truth given to Moses. This makes me think of (Mat 5:17)…Jesus was not there to abolish the law but to bring us, all of us, then and now, back to the unerring perfect truth that God has given. The devil has a way of destroying the plain simple truths that God gives his people…one reason is that we like to add to it or subtract from it. Ask yourself, do I understand something that God has said His way…or mine?

If it was true that you should really only avenge or kill in matters of murder, Jesus is trying to bring the people back to a sense of  nonresistance, a sense of unselfishness motivated by love for your fellow man. He goes on to explain this further in the next few verses.

I am breaking this whole thought (passage) into 3 or 4 blog entries so that I can discuss each section in detail; but, the whole passage is about one thing. Being unselfish and loving your neighbor.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to be unselfish in all matters and dealing with my friends, neighbors, and even my enemies. Help me to always show you love first!

Please be with all of the prayer requests on the prayer list, especially two of them. Ryan’s father is still struggling to come out of a coma Lord. I ask for a special healing to take place. May you be glorified! Second, please be with Melissa’s mother who is on a ventilator and is also struggling. Lord, please heal her in a special way so that you may be glorified.

Thank you for all that you supply in my life. Lord, forgive my sins and make in my a new heart. I want so much to be less selfish and more like you. Amen.