Lessons #279 and 280
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Defense of Paul’s right of support and marriage (1 Cor 9:4-14)
... 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
Let me refresh your mind regarding the message of the first half of the ninth chapter of 1 Corinthians which is that ministers of the gospel of Christ have the right of support from believers. We have been considering the defense of Apostle Paul of his right to support and to marriage. We indicated that the apostle provided five assertions or declaration in support of his rights in verses 4 to 14. His first assertion that we studied in our last study given in verses 4 to 6 is that he and Barnabas have the right of support and specifically him of right of marriage as the other apostles and other gospel workers. So, we continue with the apostle’s second assertion.
The second assertion of Apostle Paul in defense of his right to support by the Corinthians is that people get rewarded from their services as he argued in verses 7 to 10. The concept that people get rewarded from activities related to their services is supported in two ways: from human activities and from the Scripture. We begin with the first support from human activities that is given using three rhetorical questions in verse 7 that each requires the answer “no one.” Because of the nature of the expected answer to the three rhetorical questions, we will present the first support the apostle provides in regarding the concept that people are rewarded from their services as consisting of three positive statements derived from human activities.
The first positive statement from the apostle’s rhetorical question that supports the concept that people get reward from human services is that soldiers receive support for their activity or work from those they serve. This positive statement is derived from the first rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 9:7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? The expression “serve as a soldier” is translated from a Greek word (strateuomai) that literally may mean “to serve as a soldier” as the word is used by Apostle Paul to indicate that those in military service do not get involved in civilian affairs in 2 Timothy 2:4:
No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.
Figuratively, the word may mean “to engage in a conflict” hence, may mean “to wage battle” as Apostle Paul used it in explaining how believers, despite living in the world, do not conform to the world standards, especially as they wage spiritual battle, as we read in 2 Corinthians 10:3:
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
Figuratively, the word may mean “to fight” as in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18:
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:7, it is used in a literal sense of “to serve in the army” or “to do military service.”
The nation that a soldier serves takes care of such an individual by providing material support as reflected in the phrase his own expense. The word “expense” is translated from a Greek word (opsōnion) that authorities tell us originally referred to cooked rations given to soldiers, but in time it came to connote the money given for the purchase of such rations thus the word means “pay” as in the instruction of John the Baptist to soldiers who came to him regarding being content with their pay as a sign of repentance in Luke 3:14:
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
Figuratively, the word may refer to the end result from some activity, viewed as something which one receives in return and so means “result” and so it is used in the sense of wages or compensation of sin in Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The word literally may mean “support” as Apostle Paul used it in 2 Corinthians 11:8
I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:7, it is used in a literal sense of “expense” or “money for support to cover one’s needed living expenses.” Thus, when a person is enlisted in an army the nation that the individual serves is responsible for taking care of the person in the sense of providing their living expenses. It would be unusual for a soldier to serve a nation without the nation taking care of the individual. Even in the case of mercenaries (soldiers for hire that are usually foreigners to the army that hires them) they are paid by the nation they serve. It is for this reason that we read in the OT of King Amaziah of Judah hiring mercenaries from Israel, that is, the northern kingdom, although the Lord did not approve of it, but the point is that he paid for the services of mercenaries, as we read in 2 Chronicles 25:6:
He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
Anyway, the apostle states that soldiers are supported by the nation they serve. The point of the apostle then is that since the nation that soldiers serve support them then the church of Christ should support those who serve in the gospel ministry.
The second positive statement from the apostle’s rhetorical question that supports the concept that people get rewarded from human services they render is that those who plant fruit trees eat the fruit from the trees that result from their work. This second statement is derived from the second rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 9:7 Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes?
A question arises as to who the apostle had in mind in this second rhetorical question, that is, how the relative pronoun who should be interpreted. There are two possibilities. It could refer to an owner of a vineyard or a hired worker. Those who take the later interpretation support it by saying that such interpretation parallels the first mentioned worker, that is, a soldier who serves others. While that makes sense, it does not seem that the apostle was particularly concerned with whether the one who plants a vineyard is the owner or a hired help. This is because the apostle could have had in mind the instruction that Israel was given regarding those who may not go into battle with others. One of those to be exempted from going to war is one who owns a vineyard but has not enjoyed its fruit, as we read in Deuteronomy 20:6:
Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it.
There is also the fact that one who cultivates or takes care of fig tree is supposed to eat its fruit as we read in Proverbs 27:18:
He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.
So, the apostle was concerned more with the principle than with the identification of the relationship of a worker to the vineyard.
That aside, we generalized the second question by referring to those who plant fruit trees so someone may say that our generalization is not valid because the word “vineyard” is used. It is true that the word “vineyard” is used but in this second question, we contend that the apostle was thinking in a general sense of planting fruit trees in an orchard and not merely a vineyard. We say this because the word “vineyard” is translated from a Greek word (ampelōn) that no doubt refers to a vineyard as the word is used several times in the parables of our Lord Jesus as we find, for example, in the Parable of the Tenants in Mark 12:1–2:
1 He then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
However, in another parable of our Lord, the sense of the Greek word is “an orchard” and not a vineyard as we read in Luke 13:6:
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.
Notice that here a fig tree is said to be planted in a vineyard according the NIV and majority of our English versions. It is unlikely that the Greek word means “vineyard” here because figs are not to be planted in a vineyard. We say this because of the prohibition given to Israel in Deuteronomy 22:9:
Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.
The verbal phrase will be defiled is alternatively translated be forfeited to the sanctuary to indicate that both the fruit from the fig and wine from the vineyard would belong to the Lord in that they would be taken to the temple instead of the individual enjoying them. Nonetheless, the point is that although the Lord spoke a parable in Luke 13:6, He was aware of this requirement of not planting two kinds of seed in a vineyard. Therefore, He probably meant an orchard in his parable and not a vineyard. The translators of the Revised Edition of the NAB recognized this interpretation that they used the word “orchard” instead of “vineyard” in their translation of Luke 13:6 and that may also be the reason the Living Bible used the word “garden” instead of “vineyard.” This being the case, we are correct to indicate that in 1 Corinthians 9:7, Apostle Paul was not merely limiting his illustration to grape that grows in a vineyard but to fruit plants in general. Another reason we argue for understanding the second question of the apostle in a general sense of planting fruit trees is that the word “grapes” in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 9:7 its grapes does not appear in the Greek. There is a Greek word (staphylē) that means “grape” as the word is used in Luke 6:44:
Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
But in our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:7, Apostle Paul used a Greek word (karpos) that has as one of its meanings “fruit,” that is, produce from crop bearing plants and trees. One wonders why the apostle did not use the Greek word that means grape instead of the one that means fruit. Thus, we contend that the apostle meant to convey that those who labor to plant fruit trees will eat from the fruit of the trees they plant. All the same, the point of the apostle is that those who plant fruit trees are rewarded by them eating of the fruit of their labor. Thus, the apostle argues that he has the right to be supported by those who are believers in Christ, especially the Corinthians that responded to the gospel message through his ministry and so are the fruit of his ministry.
The third positive statement from the apostle’s rhetorical question that supports the concept that people get rewarded from human services they render is that those who raise animals benefit from them. It is this statement that is conveyed in the last rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 9:7 Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?
By the way, the same problem of how to interpret the pronoun who also applies in this third question of the apostle. It could refer to a shepherd who works for another or owner of the flock. Again, it does not seem that the apostle was concerned with specific identification of whether a shepherd or owner of a flock is in view but with the principle of enjoying that which results from work that a person is engaged.
Anyway, we stated the positive statement of the rhetorical question of tending flock and drinking its milk in a general sense of benefitting from raising animals. Before we justify such generalization, let us consider the word “tend” used in the English translation. The word “tends” is translated from a Greek word (poimainō) that may mean “to look after sheep,” that is, “to tend” as it is used in Luke 17:7:
“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’?
Figuratively, the word is used of activities that involves protecting, ruling, and guiding other people so may mean “to shepherd.” It is figuratively that the word is used by the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to describe the responsibility of elders of the church in Ephesus towards believers in Acts 20:28:
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
The shepherding of believers is the same as taking care of them as the Lord Jesus used the same Greek word in His instruction to Peter regarding his responsibility of leading, guiding, or ruling believers, as we read in John 21:16:
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:7, it is used in the sense of to function as a shepherd of sheep or goats hence means “to tend” or “to pasture.”
The object a person tends, or pastures is described in the NIV as flock. The word “flock” is translated from a Greek word (poimnē) that may mean “flock,” that is, a collective for a group of sheep and/or goats as it is used to describe shepherds who were carrying out their function the night that Jesus was born, as recorded in Luke 2:8:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
Figuratively, the word may be used for “follower of Christ” as in 1 Peter 5:2:
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:7, it is used literally with the meaning “flock” as herd of sheep or goats.
We generalized the activity of tending a herd of sheep and goats to a general concept of raising of animals. This is in part because of what the one who is involved in such work benefits. The apostle indicated that such a person would be rewarded by drinking the milk from the flock. However, there are several other benefits that one who tends to flock may derive. A person who raises a sheep, for example, may enjoy the benefit of clothing material that results from the shearing of the sheep, that is, wool as was the benefit that Laban went to reap when Rachel stole his household gods, as we read in Genesis 31:19–20:
When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.
A person who tends to sheep and goats also eats meat of such animals, but the apostle focused on milk only. He did not mean that only milk is derived from tending animals. Thus, he probably was thinking of the full benefit that one who raises animals would enjoy. We should remember that those who raise chickens eat the eggs as well as the meat. The point of the apostle is simply to make us aware that those who tend to animals derive great benefit from such activity. This being the case, the apostle was concerned with the general principle that a farmer who raises farm animals will benefit from such an activity. Hence, the apostle stated that the concept of those involved in human activities of the type he referenced are benefited by them. Again, this concept of people benefitting from their activities of raising animals support his defense for the need for the Corinthians to support him and others who labor in the ministry of the word of God.
The Holy Spirit directed Apostle Paul to support the concept that people get rewarded from human services by referring to two activities of military and husbandry. It seems that the Holy Spirit did this through him to focus our attention to two factors. The first factor concerns the attitude of those who are in the ministry of the word of God. They are to learn from military reference of what is expected of them. The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul had stated an important fact about those in the military, which is their devotion to their duty without being distracted by civilian affairs as in the passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Timothy 2:4:
No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.
Thus, the reference to military activity should remind those in the ministry of the word not to become entangled with things of this life in such a way that they are distracted from their focus on the ministry of the word. An implication of this requirement is that those who are in the ministry of the word should not be entangled with the politics in any nation as that will certainly be a distraction to them in carrying their activity. Of course, the other side of this point is that if those in the ministry of the word of God expect support from believers, they should be totally devoted to the ministry so it can be said they are to be fully supported by those to whom they minster the word of God. The support a local church provides should be determined by what the church can afford and the devotion of pastors to their duty. As I have indicated in the past, if a local church is filled with affluent believers, then their pastors should be taken care in such a way that reflects it. This does not mean that pastors are to live luxuriously but they should be adequately compensated based on the local church’s ability and not in comparison with any other congregation because a local church is not a business entity where workers are compensated based on the profitability of the business entity. I am saying that if believers are to share what they have with their teachers as Scripture requires then a person who is wealthy would share more with a pastor than one that is poor. Hence, the point that it is the financial status of a local church that determines the level of support it provides its pastor.
The second factor about the Holy Spirit directing Apostle Paul to support the concept that people get rewarded from human services by referring to two activities of military and husbandry concerns human evaluation of the activities of those in the ministry. Believers are to be careful in how they evaluate those who minister the word of God. This is because, on the one hand, it may not be easy to see what those who minister the word of God do and on the other hand, what they do may be easy to perceive. You see, most often people do not see what a soldier does until there is war in which they go into battle even then people will still not know what a soldier does in the war except they know that some will die while others would not. So, a person may wrongly judge a soldier in peace time as doing nothing other than being in a military camp, but people do not see the continuous training they undergo. Thus, it is possible to think that ministers of the word do not do much but that may not necessarily be the case. I realize that there are many cases where it can be said that many pastors are not effectively engaged in spiritual exercise of intense study of the word of God, but we still must be careful in using a blanket statement to cover every pastor. At other times, the activity of pastors may have impact on believers in an individual basis. In other words, unlike picking some fruit from a tree or getting milk from an animal, it is not always easy to see how the work of a pastor affects believers in general but individually the effect of their ministry may be felt or recognized. I mean if you find yourself growing spiritually, you will recognize that your pastor is working hard to ensure that he teaches the word that will enable you to grow but if you are not then you will probably think that your pastor does nothing. My point is that based on the two areas of activities the Holy Spirit directed Apostle Paul to use to support his concept of people getting rewarded from human activities they engage; we should be careful not to be quick in judging or measuring those involved in the ministry of the word. This is in keeping with what Apostle Paul had already written to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4:5:
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
In any event, we have considered the first way Apostle Paul supported the concept that people get rewarded from their services which concerns human activities where people who carry out military activity or are involved in husbandry are fully supported by their activities. This is in support of his defense of his right to support by the Corinthians and so in general the right of support of those who are engaged in the ministry of the word of God by those to whom they minister the word of God. Thus, we consider the second way the apostle supported the concept that people are rewarded from their activities related to their services.
The negative assertion of the apostle is that his arguments so far that people are rewarded from their human activities is not something that is based purely on human viewpoint of life. This assertion is based on the first question of 1 Corinthians 9:8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Literally the Greek reads not according to a human I say these things...?
The demonstrative pronoun this of the NIV or literally the phrase these things is translated from a Greek demonstrative pronoun (houtos) that means “this, this one” so that it refers either to something that has immediately preceded, or it refers to what follows. In our context, it is used to refer to what preceded, specifically what the apostle wrote in verse 7. In effect, the pronoun this of the NIV refers to the three questions of verse 7 that we indicated are to be recognized as three positive statements which are soldiers receive support for their activity or work; those who plant fruit trees eat the fruit from the trees that result from their work; and those who raise animals benefit from them. These are the things he said are not merely of human standpoint as in the phrase of the NIV merely from a human point of view.
The expression “human point of view” is translated from a Greek word (anthrōpos) that may mean “person” as that is the way the word is used when the concern is to be inclusive of men and women, as in the doctrine of justification by faith Apostle Paul stated in Galatians 2:16:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
Justification is for both men and women so that the phrase a man is to be understood as “a person,” hence the NRSV simply used the phrase a person. The word may mean “a human being” without regard to gender, as Apostle Paul used it to reference the conscience of both men and women in 2 Corinthians 4:2:
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
The phrase man’s conscience refers to the conscience of men and women and so “man” here has the sense of “human being.” The word may refer to the status of being a human with focus on limitations and weaknesses of a human being so may be translated “human” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the argument, he used in the context of Romans 3:5:
But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.)
The word may mean “man” as male person as the apostle used it to describe Jesus Christ in His humanity in Romans 5:15:
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
The word may mean “self” as it is used in the instruction of Romans 6:6:
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
The phrase old self is literally old man. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 9:8, it has the sense of the status of being human with its limitations and weaknesses. However, because our Greek word is associated with a Greek preposition (kata) that has several usages, the Greek phrase used may be translated in a human way or from a human standpoint. Regardless of which way it is translated, there is emphasis on the inferiority of human beings in comparison with God. Thus, the apostle intended to convey that his argument was not based merely on human standpoint that is inferior to God’s standpoint but on something superior. The thing that is a superior basis of his argument or the support for his defense leads to the positive declaration of the apostle.
The word “law” is translated from a Greek noun (nomos) that is used in three ways in the Scripture. It is used for a procedure or practice that has taken hold and so means “a custom, rule, principle, norm, law.” It is in the sense of “principle” that Apostle Paul used it in Romans 7:21:
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
The context of Romans 7:21 indicates that the word “law” refers to “principle” as reflected in the translation of many English versions such as the NASB, the NAB, and many others. The translators of the CEB and the NJB used the word “rule” in place of “law” in their rendering of this passage in Romans. Another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is for describing the first five book of Moses (i.e., Genesis to Deuteronomy) often known as the Torah, as in John 1:45:
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Still another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is as a reference to the entire OT Scriptures. It is in this sense that the word is used in John 12:34:
The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
There are at least two passages that the crowd could have referred from which they heard about Christ ruling forever. A first passage is Isaiah 9:7:
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
A second passage is Daniel 7:14:
He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Of these three usages, which applies to our context? It is in the second meaning that refers to Torah and so refers to Jewish law as contained in the first five books of the OT given by Moses. But the first five books of Moses are part of our Scripture and so we are correct in using the word “scripture” in the rendering the rhetorical question of Apostle Paul into a positive declaration. Again, the positive declaration is that his arguments so far that people are rewarded from their human activities is supported by the Scripture.
That the apostle’s arguments thus far in support of the truth that people are rewarded from their human activities are supported by the Scripture is conveyed in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 9:8 say the same thing. Literally, the Greek reads also say these-things where, of course, these things refer to what the apostle said in 1 Corinthians 9:7 that we have considered.
The apostle was not content with merely claiming that he had scriptural support for his arguments, so he provides an explanation for what he says that is tantamount to a quotation from the Scripture. The reason we said that the apostle provided an explanation to what he said in verse 8 is that verse 9 begins with the word “for” that is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) that has several usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of inference with the meaning “so, then, by all means” or it can be used as a marker of cause or reason for something in which case it may be translated “for, because.” In our context, it is used as a marker of explanation or justification for what is said in verse 8 that the Scripture support the apostle’s arguments.
It is not sufficient to claim scriptural support without citation of the passage that supports a person’s claim. Consequently, the apostle quotes from the Scripture. We know that he quotes from the Scripture because he used the formula that is usually used in the NT to reference a passage of the OT Scripture as in the formula it is written of 1 Corinthians 9:9. It is our claim that this formula is one that is used in the NT in quotation from OT Scripture. We find this used several times by the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry. During Satan’s temptation of the Lord Jesus, He quoted from the OT Scripture as we read in Matthew 4:4:
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
The quotation is from Deuteronomy 8:3:
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
The quotation of our Lord is exactly what is given in the passage He cited although the Hebrew text used the word “Lord” instead of “God,” but the Septuagint used the word “God” as it is the source of our Lord’s quotation. That aside, Satan used this same formula in quoting back the Scripture to the Lord as we read in Matthew 4:6:
“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
The quotation is from Psalm 91:11–12:
11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
The Jews of the time of the Lord Jesus in argument with Him used the formula to quote the Scripture as we read in John 6:31
Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
The quotation He gave them bread from heaven to eat does not match any specific passage of the OT Scripture. Of course, what is quoted here in concept is stated in several passages of the OT Scripture. Consider the following:
Exodus 16:4:
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.
Exodus 16:15:
When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.
Nehemiah 9:15:
In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.
Psalm 78:24:
he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.
Again, none of these passages contained the exact wordings of the quotation of the Scripture used by the Jews as they demanded the Lord Jesus to perform more miracles for them. This observation will become important in what we will say shortly about quotation from the Scripture. That aside, our focus is to demonstrate that the formula it is written is one used in quotation of the OT Scripture. So far, we have cited the Lord Jesus and the Jews of His time as using the formula in their quotation of the Scripture, but they are not alone. Apostle Peter used the formula in his speech to the disciples of the Lord Jesus regarding the need to replace Judas Iscariot as that demanded by the Scripture, as we read in Acts 1:20:
“For,” said Peter, “it is written in the book of Psalms, “‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “‘May another take his place of leadership.’
The quotation is from two different passages in psalms. The first is from Psalm 69:25:
May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
The second is from Psalm 109:8:
May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.
Apostle Paul in his sermon in Pisidian Antioch used the formula to quote from psalm as we read in Acts 13:32–33:
32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’
The apostle quotes from Psalm 2:7:
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
The human author of Hebrews used the formula in Hebrews 10:7:
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’”
The quotation is from Psalm 40:7:
Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll.
This same formula for quotation from the Scripture it is written is used by Apostle Paul in our passage of study of 1 Corinthians 9:9“Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” This is quoted from Deuteronomy 25:4:
Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
Before we comment on the apostle’s quotation in the passage of 1 Corinthians 9:9 that we are considering, let me provide guidance to quotation from the Scripture based on the examples of quotation from the OT Scripture that we have considered.
There are generally two ways we should quote from the Scripture. The first method requires us quoting exactly the words of the Scripture. This requires that we commit some passages of the Scripture to our memory. I mean that we should memorize some passages of the Scripture. If you have not done this, it will be beneficial to memorize some passages, especially some promises from the Scripture. It is possible to memorize the content of a passage of the Scripture and forget the exact passage. This should not cause great alarm since we noted that some of the quotations, we cited were recited without mentioning the specific passage they came from. However, we should recognize that at the time of writing of the NT, the Scripture has not been codified in the form we have it today, that is, using of chapters and verses. Thus, those who quoted the OT Scripture in the time of Christ did not often use the name of the book they were quoting from although in a handful cases we have references to the book of OT from which they quoted as for example, Peter referenced quoting from book of psalms. The second method of quoting from the Scripture is to paraphrase the content of a given passage. You may paraphrase a passage of the Scripture that you are quite familiar, but you must be careful not to distort the passage as you paraphrase it. It is helpful if you are able to cite completely the passage that you paraphrased. By this we mean that you should be able to name the book, the chapter and verse that you paraphrase. Of course, even if you do not know the exact verse, it will be useful if you could refer to the chapter of the book so that given time you may be able to locate the passage you paraphrased. Anyway, it is necessary for the believer to try to quote from the Scripture in either of the two ways we stated if the individual would support whatever position the person holds that needed to be justified through the Scripture. Apostle Paul, as we stated, quoted from Deuteronomy 25:4 in support of his arguments that those who render services benefit or that they get rewarded from them. We will continue with the apostle’s quotation from the Scripture in our next study. But let me end by reminding you of the message of the section we are considering which is that ministers of the gospel of Christ have the right of support from believers.
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