repaid

April 21, 2019

The resurrection of the just (Lk 14:14-14:14)

“You will be blessed!

Because they cannot

Repay you.

You will be repaid

At the resurrection

Of the righteous!”

 

καὶ μακάριος ἔσῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἀνταποδοῦναί σοι· ἀνταποδοθήσεται γάρ σοι ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν δικαίων.

 

Luke uniquely has Jesus explain why inviting the poor, the lame, the crippled, and the blind was a good thing to do.  Jesus said that they would be blessed, happy, and fortunate (καὶ μακάριος ἔσῃ).  These unfortunate people would not be able to repay them with another reciprocal dinner party, (ὅτι οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἀνταποδοῦναί σοι).  However, they would be repaid (ἀνταποδοθήσεται γάρ σοι) at the resurrection of the righteous (ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν δικαίων).  In other words, they would receive a heavenly reward at the end times.  They should not be that concerned about getting an earthly reward of another dinner invitation, when an eternal reward was available.  Will you be blessed now or at the resurrection of the righteous?

April 21, 2019

Diner invitations (Lk 14:12-14:12)

“Jesus said

To the one

Who had invited him.

‘When you give

A luncheon

Or a dinner,

Do not invite

Your friends!

Do not invite

Your brothers!

Do not invite

Your relatives!

Do not invite

Rich neighbors!

Otherwise,

They may invite you

In return.

You would then

Be repaid.’”

 

Ἔλεγεν δὲ καὶ τῷ κεκληκότι αὐτόν Ὅταν ποιῇς ἄριστον ἢ δεῖπνον, μὴ φώνει τοὺς φίλους σου μηδὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου μηδὲ τοὺς συγγενεῖς σου μηδὲ γείτονας πλουσίους, μή ποτε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀντικαλέσωσίν σε καὶ γένηται ἀνταπόδομά σοι.

 

Finally, Luke uniquely had Jesus turn to his Pharisee host.  Jesus spoke to the one who had invited him (Ἔλεγεν δὲ καὶ τῷ κεκληκότι αὐτόν).  He told him that when he would give a luncheon or dinner (Ὅταν ποιῇς ἄριστον ἢ δεῖπνον), he should not invite (μὴ φώνει) his friends (τοὺς φίλους σου), his brothers (μηδὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου), his relatives (μηδὲ τοὺς συγγενεῖς σου), nor rich neighbors (μηδὲ γείτονας πλουσίους).  Otherwise, they might invite him back in return (μή ποτε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀντικαλέσωσίν σε), in order to repay him (καὶ γένηται ἀνταπόδομά σοι).  In other words, do not invite your friends or relatives because they would probably invite you back again as a repayment.  That actually is the normal course of things.  Dinner parties usually circulate so that there is no undue burden on any one person.  But Jesus, via Luke, did not like that way of doing things.  Who do you invite to your parties?

October 8, 2017

The example of Jacob (Hos 12:2-12:6)

“Yahweh has an indictment

Against Judah.

He will punish Jacob

According to his ways.

He will repay him

According to his deeds.

In the womb,

He tried to supplant

His brother.

In his manhood,

He strove with God.

He strove

With the angel.

He prevailed.

He wept.

He sought his favor.

He met him

At Bethel.

There God spoke

with him.

Yahweh!

The God of hosts!

Yahweh is his name!

But as for you,

Return to your God!

Hold fast

To love!

Hold fast

To justice!

Wait continually

For your God.”

Here Hosea referred to the stories about Jacob in Genesis, chapters 25, 28, 32, and 35. Somehow, this is an indictment against Judah and not Israel. Jacob should have been punished and repaid for his bad deeds. He had tried to supplant his brother. He actually tricked his father, but there is no mention of that. He wrestled with God or an angel, and won. Yet he wept and sought out God at Bethel. There, God spoke to him to tell him that his name was Yahweh. He wanted Jacob, Judah, Israel, and Ephraim to hold fast to love and justice. They were to continually wait for God.

December 3, 2016

Yahweh is against all countries (Jer 25:13-25:14)

“Jeremiah prophesied

Against all the nations.

Many nations

With great kings

Shall make slaves of them also.

I will repay them

According to their deeds

With the work of their hands.”

Yahweh wanted Jeremiah to prophesize against all the countries. Many nations and kings would make the Babylonians slaves. They would be repaid according to their deeds and the works of their hands. In the following chapters there are different numbers in the Greek translation of the Septuagint. This section is equivalent to chapter 32 of the Septuagint.

January 8, 2016

The results of actions (Prov 11:29-11:31)

“Those who trouble their household with disorder,

They will inherit wind.

The fool will be a servant to the wise.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.

But violence takes away lives.

If the righteous are repaid on earth,

How much more will the wicked and the sinners!”

There are consequences to your actions. If you leave your household troubled and disordered, they will inherit nothing but the wind. The fool will turn out to be the servant of the wise one. The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life, the symbol of immortality. Violence takes away life. Thus if the righteous are repaid here on earth, how much more will the wicked and sinners be repaid.

November 18, 2015

Yahweh will help defeat the wicked (Ps 94:16-90:23)

“Who rises up for me against the wicked?

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

If Yahweh had not been my help,

My soul would soon have lived

In the land of silence.

When I thought.

‘My foot slips,’

Your steadfast love held me up.

Yahweh!

When the cares of my heart are many,

Your consolations cheer my soul.

Can wicked rulers be allied with you?

Who are those who contrive mischief by statute?

They band together against the life of the righteous.

They condemn the innocent to death.

But Yahweh has become my stronghold.

Yahweh is my God.

Yahweh is the rock of my refuge.

He will repay them for their iniquity.

He will wipe them out for their wickedness.

Yahweh!

Our God will wipe them out.”

This psalm concludes with the psalmist not worried. Yahweh has already helped him, keeping him from falling. He has risen up against the wicked and the evildoers. He was the consolation of his heart. The evildoers and the wicked joined together to condemn the innocent. However, his God, Yahweh, had repaid them because of their wickedness. They will be wiped out because Yahweh is the rock of his refuge, the stronghold for this psalmist.

September 9, 2015

Praise of Yahweh (Ps 31:23-31:24)

“Love Yahweh!

All of you!

His saints!

Yahweh preserves the faithful!

However he abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.

Be strong!

Let your heart take courage!

All you who wait for Yahweh!”

This psalm ended with David wanting all of the people to love Yahweh. They were the holy saints of Israel. Yahweh had preserved his faithful. On the other hand, Yahweh had repaid all those who acted haughtily. He wanted the faithful to be strong and courageous, as they waited for Yahweh to act.

September 5, 2015

Repay the wicked (Ps 28:3-28:5)

“Do not drag me away

With the wicked!

Do not drag me away

With those who are workers of evil!

Do not drag me away

With those who speak peace with their neighbors,

While mischief is in their hearts!

Repay them according to their work!

Repay them according to the evil of their deeds!

Repay them according to the work of their hands!

Render them their due reward!

They do not regard the works of Yahweh!

They do not regard the work of his hands!

He will break them down.

He will build them up no more.”

David wanted to be separated from the wicked evildoers. He was against those who did evil or pretended to be peaceful but were mischievous in their hearts. He wanted these evildoers to be repaid in full according to the evil works of their own hands. They never regarded the works of Yahweh and his hands. Therefore Yahweh should break them down and not build them up any more.

July 26, 2015

Elihu explains that God is always just (Job 34:10-34:15)

“Therefore, hear me!

You men of understanding!

Far be it from God

That he should do wickedness.

Far be it from the Almighty Shaddai

That he should do wrong.

According to their deeds

He will repay them.

According to his ways

He will make it befall them.

Of a truth,

God will not do wickedly.

The Almighty Shaddai will not pervert justice.

Who gave him charge over the earth?

Who laid on him the whole world?

If he should take back his Spirit to himself,

If he should gather to himself his breath,

All flesh would perish together.

All mortals would return to dust.”

Once again, Elihu turned to the 3 wise men. They should listen to him. God cannot do wickedness. He does not do wrong things. Thus according to your deeds you will be repaid. You will get what you deserve. The almighty God will not pervert justice. He is in charge of the earth and the whole world. If he wanted to take his Spirit back, then all humans would perish and return to dust. The all powerful God had control of everything even human lives.

July 26, 2015

God’s mediator is an angel (Job 33:23-33:28)

“Then, if there should be for one of them an angel,

He would be a mediator.

One of a thousand,

This angel declares a person upright.

He is gracious to that person.

He says.

‘Deliver him from going down into the Pit!

I have found a ransom.

Let his flesh become fresh with youth!

Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.’

Then he prays to God.

It is accepted by him.

He comes into his presence with joy.

God repays him for his righteousness.

That person sings to others.

He says.

‘I sinned.

I perverted what was right.

It was not paid back to me.

He has redeemed my soul from going down to the pit.

My life shall see the light.’”

An angel was sent from God to redeem or interpret God’s words. Later Christians might call him the guardian angel. However, only 1 in 1,000 had this redeeming angel. Somehow the redeeming angel of God ransomed this sinner. Instead of death, this person received their youthful vigor. God had answered this person’s prayer so that he went before God with joy. He was repaid for his righteousness. Then he sang to others that he was a sinner. He was saved from going down into the pit, death. He was redeemed through the light from the angel of God. Obviously this is a view of a special afterlife here on earth with a special emphasis on that guarding angel.