QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (112)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   Have you ever overlooked something for so long that once you find it you feel ridiculous?

 

B.   Quest:  a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something.

1.    A quest usually involves travel to a distant place.

2.    The reason the quest is made is because of a tidbit of information has been learned about something important or something valuable.

3.    The quest can take a lot of time and a lot of money to accomplish.

4.    The quest is supposed to end in the information being obtained or rewards being found.

 

C.   The word “question” has as its root the word “quest.” 

1.    A question, therefore, is a quest for information, knowledge, and wisdom.

2.    Spiritual questions are quests for truth as revealed by God in the pages of the Bible.

 

D.   Each month, we have our Q&A Lesson on the first Sunday of the month. 

1.    This is the first Sunday of July, 2025.

2.    We will be examining three questions in this lesson.

 

I.             QUESTION #1:  King Lemuel

 

A.   Who is king Lemuel?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    King Lemuel is mentioned only two times in the Bible.  Both of the references are from Proverbs 31.

a.    Proverbs 31:1

 

The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

 

b.    Proverbs 31:4

 

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine:  nor for princes strong drink.

 

2.    There are two main views regarding this king named Lemuel.

a.    Many are of the assumption that this is another name for Solomon (Ex., Peter, Simon, Cephas).

b.    Others, like Clarke, believe this to be an unknown author. 

1)    Clarke adamantly denies that this is Solomon.  “Most certainly Solomon did not write it” (e-sword).

2)    If it is not Solomon, it does not hurt the book.  Proverbs 30 contains “the words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy…” (v. 1).

3)    The book would be much like Psalms when it comes to authorship. 

a)    David is the primary author of many of the psalms.  There were other authors such as Solomon (Ps. 72), Asaph (Ps. 73), Ethan (Ps. 89), Moses (Ps. 90), and a host of anonymous psalms.

b)    Solomon was the primary author and perhaps chose to include some of the proverbs of others at the close of his book.  In reality, it would have been the Holy Spirit guiding him to include these short, pity statements of truth (2 Pet. 1:20-21).

 

Knowing this first, that the prophecy of the Scripture is not of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man:  but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

 

3.    Lemuel indicates that the words that he proclaims are the prophecy that his mother taught him.

a.    She warned him about the power of women (Prov. 31:3).

b.    She warned him about problems of strong drink (Prov. 31:4-7).

c.    She encouraged him to provide righteous judgment (Prov. 31:8-9).

d.    She set forth the picture of a virtuous woman to him (Prov. 31:10-31).

 

II.           QUESTION #2:  Matthew 19:17

 

A.   Stated:  In Matthew 19:17, why did Jesus not want to be called “good,” even though He knew He was the perfect, sinless Son of God?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    Matthew 19:17

 

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good?  there is none good but one, that is, God…

 

2.    Context:

a.    One came to Jesus with a question (Matt. 19:17).

 

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life.

 

1)    The man did not just refer to Jesus as Master.

2)    He also described Him as the “Good Master.”

b.    When Jesus responded to this man, He was not forbidding him from referring to Him as “Good Master.”

c.    Jesus was stressing a lesson to the man.

1.    Words have meanings.

2.    Sometimes we use words lightly or take them granted.

3.    What Jesus was stressing to this man was this:  “If you are calling me good, and there is only one who is good and that is God, then you are referring to me as God.

4.    Whether or not that was the man’s intent did not change that fact Jesus was truly good and was absolutely God in the flesh.

a.    The Word was God (John 1:1), and the Word was made flesh (John 1:14).

b.    In Jesus dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).

c.    In Hebrews 1:8, we learn that God spoke to His Son with these words:  “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:  a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

 

III.         QUESTION #3:  Luke 22:3

 

A.   Stated:  Luke 22:3 references Satan entering Judas.  Did he actually get possessed by Satan or tempted by him in some way?

 

 

B.   Answer:

1.    Luke 22:3

 

Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

 

2.    For some reason, the moment we read of someone entering or dwelling in another, we believe the literal being entered into the individual.

a.    Satan is a spirit being.

b.    If he literally entered into Judas, then he possessed Judas.

c.    In the New Testament, when a person was possessed by a demon, he was considered to have a serious malady.  It was a condition for which he was not responsible.  It took a miracle for the person to be healed of such a condition.

3.    Another explanation is that when we commit to doing the bidding of Satan, he has figuratively entered into us.

a.    John 13:2 reveals that Satan had put into the heart of Judas to betray the Christ.

1)    Sin begins in the heart.  There comes a time when when we actually commit to engage in sinful actions.  At this time, Satan, not the Lord, is in control of us.

2)    When we commit the sinful acts, it is as good as Satan doing them himself.

b.    Other verses:

1)    Jesus’ words to Peter (Matt. 16:23)

 

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:  thou art an offence unto me;  for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

 

a)    Peter did not literally become Satan.

b)    However, he had sided himself with Satan when he denied that the Lord would suffer, die, and be raised again.

2)    John 8:44

 

Ye are of your father the devil…

 

a)    Back in verse 33, the Jews said:  “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man.”  However, at that time they were in bondage to Rome physically and to Satan spiritually.

b)    In verse 40, Jesus revealed this to the Jews.  “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God…”

c)    Truly, they were of their father the devil.  In John 8:44, Jesus explains that the devil was both a murderer and a liar. 

d)    The actions of the Jews revealed that they possessed the same character traits of Satan himself.

4.    When Judas made up his mind to betray the Christ and made the move to covenant together with the Jews, Satan had entered into him.  Satan was behind his actions (Luke 22:4-6).

 

And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.  And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.  And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

 

5.    LESSONS: 

a.    Satan can enter into us today and influence us to do evil.  You and I can take his characteristics and his mission upon ourselves.  We, like Peter, can look like and act like Satan himself. 

b.    Paul knew the effects Satan can have upon the people of God.  Therefore, he exhorts us to put on the whole armor of God.

1)    Ephesians 6:11

 

Put on the whole amour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 

2)    Ephesians 6:16

 

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   We have looked at three questions that have all come straight from the Biblical text.

1.    Who is king Lemuel? (Prov. 31:1)

2.    What did Jesus mean when He confronted the use of the word “good”? (Matt.

19:17).

3.    What is the meaning of Satan’s entering into Judas in Luke 22:3?

 

B.   One of the interesting things I learned while studying for this lesson is the meaning of the name, “Lemuel.”

1.    It means “belonging to God.”

2.    It also means “for God.”

 

C.   We should all want to become Lemuels today.

1.    We should all want to belong to God.

2.    We should want to be for God.