There are three main words in the Old Testament which are often translated with some form of “perfect.” Strongs # 08549 is first used to describe Noah (Gen. 6:9).
The word is often translated as “without blemish/spot,” “perfect,” “upright/ly," “blameless.” It appears 85 times in the OT according to a computer survey done with the Online Bible.
The word is usually used with reference to the condition of sacrificial animals. Noah, Abraham and David are either commanded to be perfect or described as such using this word in the following passages:
Ge 6:9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless <08549> in his time; Noah walked with God.
Ge 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless <08549>;.
2 Sam 22:23 "For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 "I was also blameless <08549> toward Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 "Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness before His eyes.
26 "With the kind You show Yourself kind, With the blameless <08549> You show Yourself blameless <08552>.
<8552> is a root word from which <08549> is derived. <8552> is used a few times in the sense of <08549>.
Jacob and Job are described by Strong’s # 08535. Like the word <08549> which is used with reference to Abraham, Noah, and David, # 08535 is derived from the root word <08532>. The basic idea of this word has to do with something being finished, used up, or completed.
Ge 25:27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain <08535> man, dwelling in tents. Note that Jacob is described as perfect because he lived in tents.
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect <08535> and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
This word is used in parallelism with the Hebrew word for justify in the following verse:
Job 9:20 If I justify <06663> myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect <08535>, it shall also prove me perverse.
The books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles use an entirely different word for “perfect.” Numerous individuals are described with that word, including, David, Asa, Hezekiah.
1Ki 15:14 But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect <08003> with the LORD all his days.
2Ki 20:3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect <08003> heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
Although David prayed that Solomon would have a perfect heart, he failed to maintain one throughout his life:
1Ch 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect <08003> heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
1Ki 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect <08003> with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Showing posts with label perfection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perfection. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
David and Perfection
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his heart was not wholly devoted [perfect, KJV] <08003> to the LORD his God, like the heart of his father David.
4 But for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem;
5 because David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15).
4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly <08003> devoted <08003> [perfect,KJV] to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been (1 Kings 11).
David had numerous wives concubines (2Sam. 5:13).
He became enraged at Nabal, intending a massacre (1Sam. 25:34).
He/his wife kept an idol in their home (1 Sam 19:13).
He feigned madness in order to escape Achish (1Sam. 21:13).
He was considered a man of blood and not allowed to build the temple (1 Chron 22:8, 28:3).
Scripture says that the heart of David was perfect all his days except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Perfecting the Conscience
The perfection of the conscience is introduced in Hebrews 9:
8 ¶ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
One unfortunate shortfall of the Jewish ritual system was that it did not actually cleanse the conscience of the worshipper. The ritual washings could only clean the body, not the mind. Christ’s sacrifice was far superior because his blood actually purges the conscience of the believer:
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God (Hebrews 9:13,14 NRSV)!
Chapter 10 continues to elaborate upon the cleansing of the believer’s conscience:
1 ¶ For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?
3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.
Hebrews is making its point by reference to the Day of Atonement. The cultic worshippers were never really cleansed from their sin. They were reminded each year on the Day of Atonement. And then the cycle started again. The people never really had rest from their sin. It was not purged from their conscience. They knew they would face it again on the DoA
To be perfect is to have no more remembrance or consciousness of of sins, as Hebrews 10:1,2 states. The conscience could not be cleansed like this in the Jewish ritual.
Christ, by one offering, has perfected forever them who are sanctified (Heb.10:14).
Verses 1 and 2 define perfection as having “no more consciousness of sins” Verse 14 tells us that we are perfected forever . The sanctified, according to Hebrews 9:13,14 are those whose conscience has been purged by the blood of Christ. They will never again face their sin, as the Jews did every year on the Day of Atonement.
Hebrews tells us that those whose conscience has been purged or cleansed by the blood of Christ [sanctified] will never again face their sins or call them to remembrance.
8 ¶ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
One unfortunate shortfall of the Jewish ritual system was that it did not actually cleanse the conscience of the worshipper. The ritual washings could only clean the body, not the mind. Christ’s sacrifice was far superior because his blood actually purges the conscience of the believer:
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God (Hebrews 9:13,14 NRSV)!
Chapter 10 continues to elaborate upon the cleansing of the believer’s conscience:
1 ¶ For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?
3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.
Hebrews is making its point by reference to the Day of Atonement. The cultic worshippers were never really cleansed from their sin. They were reminded each year on the Day of Atonement. And then the cycle started again. The people never really had rest from their sin. It was not purged from their conscience. They knew they would face it again on the DoA
To be perfect is to have no more remembrance or consciousness of of sins, as Hebrews 10:1,2 states. The conscience could not be cleansed like this in the Jewish ritual.
Christ, by one offering, has perfected forever them who are sanctified (Heb.10:14).
Verses 1 and 2 define perfection as having “no more consciousness of sins” Verse 14 tells us that we are perfected forever . The sanctified, according to Hebrews 9:13,14 are those whose conscience has been purged by the blood of Christ. They will never again face their sin, as the Jews did every year on the Day of Atonement.
Hebrews tells us that those whose conscience has been purged or cleansed by the blood of Christ [sanctified] will never again face their sins or call them to remembrance.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Perfection and Mercy
Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (SN#5046).
Luke 6:36 "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (SN#3629) .
The Greek words [teleiov] (SN#5046) and [oiktermov] (SN#3629) are used interchangably in these passages. To be merciful is to be perfect. The context of the passage, in Matthew, says as much. We are admonished to be like our heavenly father, who lets the rain and sunshine fall on the just and unjust.
The word translated "merciful" in Luke is used just one other time in the NT:
Jas 5:11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful <3629>.
The word is used about 60 times in the LXX. It is often used as in the passage in James. It refers to the character of God in his gracious dealings. When David was given choice of judgment, he chose the Lord to judge him because of his mercies:
2Sa 24:14 Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies (SN #3629) are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man."
The term in the Greek OT 2 Sam 24:14 translated "mercies" is the same word or a closely related word translated as "merciful" in Luke 6:36.
Note: The "Apostolic Bible" translation of the LXX by Charles Vanderpool has coordinated the Strong's numbering system with the Greek OT. In Strong's, OT word numbers begin with a "0". In Vanderpool's system, the OT word numbers correspond to the Greek; therefore, no "0" appears in front of the number.
Note the use of the term in the following passages:
Ne 1:11 "O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion (SN#3629) before this man." Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
Ps 37:21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious (SN# 3629) and gives.
Ps 78:38 But He, being compassionate (SN#3629), forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.
Ps 103:13 (102:13) As a father pities (SN# 3629) his children, the Lord pities them that fear him.
Pr 12:10 ¶ A righteous man has pity (SN#3629) for the lives of his cattle; but the bowels of the ungodly are unmerciful.
There is a practical aspect involved with the term translated as merciful. People who are merciful lend, care for their children, their livestock, grant favors and so forth.
Luke 6:36 "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (SN#3629) .
The Greek words [teleiov] (SN#5046) and [oiktermov] (SN#3629) are used interchangably in these passages. To be merciful is to be perfect. The context of the passage, in Matthew, says as much. We are admonished to be like our heavenly father, who lets the rain and sunshine fall on the just and unjust.
The word translated "merciful" in Luke is used just one other time in the NT:
Jas 5:11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful <3629>.
The word is used about 60 times in the LXX. It is often used as in the passage in James. It refers to the character of God in his gracious dealings. When David was given choice of judgment, he chose the Lord to judge him because of his mercies:
2Sa 24:14 Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies (SN #3629) are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man."
The term in the Greek OT 2 Sam 24:14 translated "mercies" is the same word or a closely related word translated as "merciful" in Luke 6:36.
Note: The "Apostolic Bible" translation of the LXX by Charles Vanderpool has coordinated the Strong's numbering system with the Greek OT. In Strong's, OT word numbers begin with a "0". In Vanderpool's system, the OT word numbers correspond to the Greek; therefore, no "0" appears in front of the number.
Note the use of the term in the following passages:
Ne 1:11 "O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion (SN#3629) before this man." Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
Ps 37:21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious (SN# 3629) and gives.
Ps 78:38 But He, being compassionate (SN#3629), forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.
Ps 103:13 (102:13) As a father pities (SN# 3629) his children, the Lord pities them that fear him.
Pr 12:10 ¶ A righteous man has pity (SN#3629) for the lives of his cattle; but the bowels of the ungodly are unmerciful.
There is a practical aspect involved with the term translated as merciful. People who are merciful lend, care for their children, their livestock, grant favors and so forth.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Christian Maturity
In the New Testament, a word derived from the Greek term [telov] (Strong's #5056) is often translated as “perfect.” It is also translated as “mature,” “fulfil,” and “finish”.The [telov] derivative [teleiov], Strong's #5046, is translated as "mature" twice in 1 Corinthians:
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature <5046>; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away (1Co 2:6);
Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature <5046>.(1Co 14:20).
The following passages all use the same Greek word. Some passages translate the Greek as “mature,” some translate it as “perfect.” The meaning is about the same in each passage.
Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature <5046> man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect <5046>, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
Col 1:28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete <5046> in Christ.
Col 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect <5046> and fully assured in all the will of God.
The idea of maturity is more fully developed in Hebrews:
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
But solid food is for the mature <5046>, who because of practice have their senses trained,<1128> to discern good and evil.
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity<5047>, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
And this we will do, if God permits (Hebrews 5:13-6:3).
Note that the mature [perfect] are those who through practice have trained<1128> their senses to discern good from evil. Paul admonished Timothy to train or discipline himself for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7).
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