Matthew (Written)

Monday, 18 August 2025

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Matthew 12:31

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Through this, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy, it will be forgiven men, but the ‘Spirit blasphemy’ not it will be forgiven men” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said that the one not being with Him is against Him, and the one not gathering with Him scatters. Now, to build upon that thought, He says, “Through this, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy, it will be forgiven men.”

The word blasphémia is introduced. It signifies vilification, especially against God. The meaning of Jesus’ words is that sins occur and people blaspheme. These things are a part of being human. People may be uninformed, misinformed, etc. Similarly, people get frustrated, tempted, over-exerted, etc. When these things occur, stamina is weakened, thoughts and emotions get distorted, and so forth.

People can be forgiven of these things through the correction of their heart attitude. The weakness of the flesh might be what disrupts a right attitude. Through being reinvigorated, stamina and mental clarity arise in place of what is evil. Through self-evaluation, a pro-abortionist can redirect his thinking to understand the wrong thought process he previously held.

Such examples as this are understood by God, and when a change to right thinking with a turning from sin and blasphemy, restoration is possible. However, Jesus next says, “but the ‘Spirit blasphemy’ not it will be forgiven men.”

Jesus’ words, although understood by Christian thinking, reflect a separation that exists within the Godhead. There is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Israel at the time was unaware of these tenets.

Clues to the nature of God may be found in the Hebrew Scriptures, but without the introduction of New Testament theology, such things would remain unclear and obscure at best. What Jesus is saying is in accord with what a Hebrew thinker would understand. God’s Spirit, the same Spirit who hovered over the waters in the creation, was known to those hearing Jesus’ words.

What He says about “Spirit blasphemy” would have been understood because of this. The Pharisees were accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebul. They were ascribing the work of the Spirit of God to the devil.

Whether this, in and of itself, can be considered as “Spirit blasphemy” is debatable. The reason for this is that after being so accused, Jesus corrected their words, and thus (hopefully) their thinking, with a logical reason why it could not be so.

People can do, say, and think things that seem to be beyond the pale, but they may not have any idea of the ramifications of what they are saying or even understand the thought process behind their actions.

The fact is, however, that Jesus’ words set a bar that, when it is reached, equates to “Spirit blasphemy.” At that point, there will be no forgiveness obtainable for that person. As the Topical Lexicon rightly states –

“Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-30 locate the unpardonable sin in attributing the unmistakable work of the Spirit to satanic power. It is not a single rash word but a settled verdict against the light, revealing a heart hardened beyond repentance.”

Life application: People often wonder if they have committed blasphemy of the Spirit, worrying about the state of their eternal souls for something they thought or did. The very fact that they are concerned about that should tell them it has not happened.

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of incredibly bad theology taught in seminaries and churches concerning this issue. True story: A group of young boys was outside of a charismatic church where women were rolling on the ground, disgracing themselves through false manifestations of the “Spirit.” The boys laughed at them. One of the women said to them, “You can never be saved. You have blasphemed the Holy Spirit.”

One of the boys lost hope, became a drunk and a rebel in life. In the military, he heard the message about the King of kings and realized the lie that he had heard was nonsense. He gave his life to Christ and became a missionary, telling others about the goodness of God.

The women, not the boys, were much closer to blaspheming the Spirit. They were ascribing their ridiculously stupid actions, showing off in public, and acting like fools to the work of the Spirit.

If someone, we’ll say a Muslim, says, “The Bible is the work of the devil.” Is that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? The Bible is inspired by the Spirit. Therefore, someone could make the claim. But what if the Muslim never read the Bible and was just repeating what he had been told? He had no idea what the Bible said concerning God, the Spirit, Christ, or the Christian faith.

He is condemned because he is not in Christ, just like any other human. But what if, after saying what he said, he got the desire to check out the claims of the Bible? In reading it, he realized that he was wrong, that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and that Jesus is the Christ. Can he be saved? Yes. His words about the Bible, although incorrect, did not meet the bar set by Jesus.

Keep your fingers from pointing. Paul, a Pharisee who heard all about Jesus, did everything he could to destroy the faith. And yet, despite all he had done, he was not only forgiven by God, but he was given an appointment as His ambassador and apostle.

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³ although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” 1 Timothy 1:12, 13

O God, help us to learn and rightly apply sound doctrine to our lives. Help us to not get swayed by false or manipulative people. Rather, lead us in understanding You, Your word, and what is correct as we live our lives in Your presence. Amen.

Sunday, 17 August 2025

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. Matthew 12:30

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“The ‘not being with Me,’ he is against me. And the ‘not gathering with Me,’ he scatters” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of binding the strong man before his goods can be plundered. With that thought complete, He now poignantly states, “The ‘not being with Me,’ he is against me.”

There is a great deal of dissension about who Jesus is speaking of in this verse. Some say it is a word against the Pharisees, others say it is referring to Satan, others that it is anyone at any time as they interact with the cause of Christ, etc. Checking the surrounding verses gives us the answer.

A man who was demon possessed, blind and mute, was brought to Him. He healed the man (vs. 23). The people asked if He could be the Son of David (vs. 24). He was accused by the Pharisees of casting out by Beelzebul (vs. 24). From there, Jesus gave His words on kingdom division, authority to cast out demons, and binding a strong man (vss. 25-29).

In verses 31 & 32, He will speak of blasphemy against the Spirit, stating that speaking a word against the Son of Man is forgivable, but speaking against the Holy Spirit is not. But Jesus has said in verse 28 that if He casts out demons by the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God has come upon them.

He is clearly stating that He and what He does are in accord with the Spirit. Therefore, when someone speaks against His actions, they are speaking against the work of the Spirit. As anyone opposed to the Spirit is under the authority of the devil, those opposed to Christ’s works are not in accord with the Spirit.

The general words, “the not being with Me,” indicate the devil and those who are his. There is “what God is doing,” and “what the devil is doing.” That is the totality of what is happening in the universe around us. Understanding this, He next says, “And the ‘not gathering with Me,’ he scatters.”

A new word, skorpizó, to dissipate, is introduced. It is derived from skorpios, a scorpion. A scorpion penetrates its prey, causing a dissipating effect. One can think of a grenade being tossed into a room, and those in the room scatter, causing a dissipating effect.

When the Spirit of God is present, there will be one effect. When the presence of the devil is present, there will be another. Bengel rightly ties the thought of gathering to the word qoheleth, Teacher or Preacher, found seven times in Ecclesiastes. The word is derived from qahal, to convoke or assemble.

Through the teaching of the Teacher, there is a gathering effect that takes place in the kingdom of God. Through opposition to it, there is a scattering effect. God is teaching us through the work of the Spirit. As Jesus is filled with the Spirit of God in the fullest sense, what He does is the ultimate gathering for the kingdom that can be realized.

Life application: Jesus’ words are not speaking of the general state of any of us on a given day. One day, we may be on fire for Jesus and out telling all about Him and His goodness, handing out tracts and blaring Christian music from our car stereo. The next day, we may be in a grumpy mood and completely ineffective in our witness.

This is the normal way of life. Being a Christian does not change that. We are physical, chemical, and biological beings. Variations in those aspects of us can change our whole attitude. But this does not change our state in Christ. If we have accepted the gospel, we are sealed with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13, 14).

Those who have not believed the gospel are incapable of being “with” Christ because they do not have the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit that testifies to Jesus Christ. He inspired Scripture, and all Scripture points to Jesus. Jesus’ life is documented in Scripture. We can either accept that He is who Scripture claims or reject that. The gospel is given in the word, and it can be explained by man (Romans 10:14-18).

To reject the gospel is to reject what God is doing in redemptive history in and through His Son. The issue Jesus is referring to is being a part of one kingdom or another. If one moves from the devil to Jesus, he is with Jesus, and he gathers with Him because he has the Spirit of God.

If Jesus is rejected, the person who rejects Him is not with Him. Therefore, his being, his existence, stands in opposition to the work of the Spirit. This is an all-encompassing thought. It is not a Jew/Gentile issue. It is not a Russian/Ukrainian issue. It is not an “I support Israel” or “I don’t support Israel” issue, nor a democrat/republican issue. And so forth.

We have our own divisions for various things we want or desire. At times, what we do may or may not align with God’s plans as they are being worked out in human history. This may be because of stubborn rebellion, poor doctrine, etc. However, the main division of all things comes down to Christ.

Are we in Christ because of our acceptance of the Spirit’s working in Him, or are we of the devil, having never been converted to accepting the Spirit’s marking Him as God’s chosen Servant to bring us back to Him?

“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:8, 9

O God, help us to clearly identify the battle that is raging in the world. The devil has his kingdom, and Christ Jesus has His. Help us to effectively communicate the gospel for others to see this and to call out to You through Jesus. May You strengthen us for this at all times. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Saturday, 16 August 2025

Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. Matthew 12:29

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Or how, any, he can enter into the house of the strong and his goods seize, if not first he should bind the strong? And then, his house he will through-seize” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus emphatically declared to the Pharisees that if He casts out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon them. Next, He questions them with the words, “Or how, any, he can enter into the house of the strong and his goods through-seize?”

His question contains a new word, diarpazó. It is derived from dia, through, and harpazó, to seize. Thus, a literal, albeit clunky translation would be to through-seize. Some Greek texts use the word harpazó here and then diarpazó later in this verse.

Jesus’ question is concerning ability. There is a house owned by a strong man. If someone wants to rob this guy, how is he going to do it? Jesus provides the answer in the next clause, saying, “if not first he should bind the strong.”

If the house of a strong man is to be plundered, the strong man has to first be bound. His strength must be dealt with, or it will be impossible for someone to rob him. Instead, he will get a good pounding and maybe a trip to the hospital. But if he is bound up, Jesus continues with, “And then, his house he will through-seize.”

When that which interferes with one’s plans to take an action is removed, the ability to take that action can then go forward. The point of Jesus’ words is built upon what He has already said. This is introduced with the word translated as “or.”

His first question in this regard was that if Satan casts out Satan, he divided himself. If so, then his kingdom cannot stand. Thus, the word “or” continues to refer to this concept. Speaking again of Satan, he calls him “the strong.”

Some equate the house with the demon-possessed man. But this is too limited. Satan’s house, in this questioning, is his place of rule. Thus, it is the Earth. This is the same as the “house of David” being the scope of David’s rule. Satan has already been shown to have authority over the earth (Matthew 4:9).

Therefore, the strong, meaning Satan, must be bound. From there, a person can then thoroughly plunder his house. How did God do this? He sent Jesus, born without sin, into the world. This is why Satan attempted to get Jesus to sin right at the start. But Jesus prevailed over his temptations. Remaining sinless, Jesus has bound Satan’s authority.

Therefore, Jesus can now thoroughly plunder his house. One step at a time, this will take place until, at the cross, he is entirely defeated. The sinless death of Jesus is the proverbial final nail in the coffin of Satan’s ability to come against Him. In His death, the law is fulfilled. Therefore, the thing that stood against man and which Satan used against man, law, will no longer be an implement to cause saved humanity to fall again.

Life application: The importance of the issue of law versus grace is not to be diminished. Law, a violation of it, is what brought sin into the world. Through sin, man died. That state of sin and death spread to all men. This is recorded by Paul in Romans 5.

In Christ, the issue of law, and thus the issue of the imputation of sin, has been dealt with. This is why those who have come to Christ can adamantly avow that they have been saved. They have moved from a position of “under law” in Adam to a position of “in grace” in Jesus.

It is also why salvation, once it has been granted, is eternal. It is true, we may ignorantly reimpose law on ourselves after being saved, but we are still in Christ. Therefore, sin is not being imputed, even for the blunder of placing oneself under law. However, in our state of salvation, we will receive no rewards for a life lived under law, even if we remain in grace. By our actions, we are excluding the chance to be rewarded for our conduct.

On the other hand, those who never believe the gospel, but continue under law, cannot be saved. Only by rejecting self, accepting Christ’s full atonement through His sacrificial death, which is proved by the resurrection, can someone be moved from “under law” to “in grace.”

Once that move takes place, it should be the person’s goal and desire to live for God, loving Him, and being obedient to His guidance as outlined under the New Covenant in order to receive rewards. This is not for being saved or continuing to be saved. That was dealt with in Jesus’ work. It is for rewards and losses in our state of salvation.

Let us learn the lesson of law and cling to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ always.

Glorious God, how grateful we are for what You have done for us in Christ. The power of Satan was bound in our lives, and we have been plundered from His hand. We are now under a new Master who will continue to forever protect us from the power of the devil. As this is so, help us to stay away from evil and always strive for what is good and pleasing in Your sight. Amen.

Friday, 15 August 2025

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:28

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And if in God’s Spirit I, I eject the demons, then it preceded upon you, the ‘God’s kingdom’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus trapped the Pharisees with a question concerning the casting out of demons by their sons, meaning their disciples. With that complete, He now states a proposition to be accepted or rejected by the hearer, beginning with an emphatic statement, “And if in God’s Spirit I, I eject the demons.”

Jesus has just clearly demonstrated that He cannot be ejecting demons by Beelzebul, something the Pharisees would have to grant based on His logic. Understanding that it is not by Beelzebul, then it must be from another source. In fact, it can only be from one source. And so He says, “then it preceded upon you, the ‘God’s kingdom.’”

Here is a new word, phthanó (ff-than-oh), to precede, as in arriving ahead of time. Because of this, it is an arrival “before something which indicates priority in importance or sequence” (HELPS Word Studies).

The use of this word by Jesus indicates that He had already been on the scene, performing healings and miracles while preaching the gospel, but the people didn’t realize that He was who He, in fact, turned out to be. One might paraphrase the thought, “Jesus walked among us, and before we knew it, He had revealed Himself to be the Messiah.”

The sense of the word can be seen from Paul’s description of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 –

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede (phthanó) those who are asleep.”

Jesus cast out demons. He was accused of having derived His authority from Beelzebub. He demonstrated that such could not be the case. Therefore, what He had accomplished was evidence that what He did was from God, and thus God’s kingdom had already come upon them.

As usual, the spiritual leaders of Israel missed the boat in understanding the significance of the events around them. Today, two thousand years later, they sit in synagogues and miss the fact that God’s kingdom has come, rejecting Jesus, and thus rejecting their only hope of salvation.

Life application: It is common in evangelical Christian circles for people to give Jews a pass on not accepting Jesus, as if they are ok without Him. This comes in varying degrees. The most extreme case of this heresy is that of dual covenantalism, something preached by John Hagee. It is also the set doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. Even if it is not openly taught, it is in their doctrinal writings.

Others may not openly understand or accept this doctrine, but they still hold to it in their thinking, trying to rationalize away why Jews are ok with God because they are “God’s people,” even while understanding that Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., are condemned without Jesus.

This attitude stems from a failure to understand who “God’s people” are at a given time. Hosea prophesied of a time when His people would no longer be His people, but those who were not His people would be His people. Paul explains this in Romans 9-11.

While the Jews are out of God’s favor, they are “God’s people” only in anticipation of restoration. However, they are not His people for salvation. Rather, that belongs to those -Jews and Gentiles – who have received Jesus. They are a part of the church.

That day will end at the rapture, and a simple question clears up the heretical notion that the Jews today are “God’s people.” Will the Jews who don’t believe in Jesus be taken at the rapture? The answer is obvious, “No.” Rather, they as a collective group will go through the tribulation. This proves that they are not now “God’s people” except in anticipation of restoration.

The Christian community would do far better by evangelizing Jews than by proclaiming that they are God’s people, thus bolstering the idea in their minds (meaning the Jews) that they think Christians believe they are right with God. Without Jesus, there is no salvation. Remember the basic equation –

In proper theology, one plus one will always equal two.

“‘I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.’
³⁹ They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’
Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. ⁴¹ You do the deeds of your father.’” John 8:37-41

Being a descendant (physically descended from) Abraham does not mean one is a child of Abraham from a spiritual perspective. Rather –

“Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ ⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” Galatians 3:5-9

Glorious God, help to get our thinking right in relation to what You are doing in redemptive history. Too many reject Israel because of their misdeeds, as if they no longer have the promises of the prophets. But too many fail to acknowledge that without Jesus, the Jews stand condemned. Help us to have clarity of thought, and to pray for and evangelize to this beloved, set-aside group of people. Amen.

Thursday, 14 August 2025

And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. Matthew 12:27

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And if I, I eject demons in Beelzebul, your sons – in whom do they eject? Through this they, they will be your judges” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told the Pharisees that if Satan were to cast out Satan, he would have divided himself. If so, his kingdom could not stand. Now, with a kind of “in your face” question for His accusers, Jesus emphatically asks, “And if I, I eject demons in Beelzebul, your sons – in whom do they eject?”

In this question, the “sons” are those who sit under the authority of the Pharisees, specifically meaning their disciples. There are two main points to consider in this question. The first is that their disciples must have claimed that they cast out demons. Otherwise, Jesus would not have even bothered with the question. Therefore, it is certain that they claimed this power.

Second, Jesus does not say they actually did it. Rather, He is affirming that they practiced the casting out of demons. An example of Jews doing this is found in Acts 19. Other than being a priest, it doesn’t say what position their father held, be it a Sadducee or Pharisee, but the matter is documented by Luke –

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ ¹⁴ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’
¹⁶ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸ And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.” Acts 19:13-18

People like this made claims that they were able to cast out demons. Jesus has established through His question that He knows the Pharisees’ disciples made such claims. If this is so, the claim would be that they did it under God’s authority. However, if the argument of the Pharisees was that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebul, then their own disciples must be allied with Beelzebul.

They have now placed themselves in an impossible trap. Therefore, they have to either retract their claim, which will then validate Jesus’ ministry, or they will have to restate their claim and simply acknowledge that Jesus’ authority is of God. If they don’t, “Through this they, they will be your judges.”

The words are again emphatic. The claims and actions (whether real or fake) of the disciples bear witness against the words of the Pharisees. Either they are really casting out by God’s help and thus Jesus is as well, or they are faking it and are charlatans. Either way, they cannot be casting out by Beelzebul because if they were, Beelzebul would have divided himself and fallen.

Life application: The Pharisees must have known that their disciples were falsely casting out demons. Having seen Jesus casting them out and realizing that what He was doing was true and effective, it cast on them the certain knowledge that He was able to do something they could not do. Therefore, they projected their failings on Him by adding an unsupportable accusation.

This, therefore, is essentially the fallacy known as projection. In essence, their thinking is as follows:

We are not really casting out demons. It is just a Benny Hinn show to dupe the masses.
We see Jesus really casting out demons. However, we are (surely!) on God’s side.
Therefore, He must be doing this at the hand of Beelzebul!

However, because they are lying about their abilities, they are actually doing the work of the devil, because their lying certainly isn’t of God. Therefore, they project their own failing on Jesus by ascribing His successes to Beelzebul.

This is a common practice among wicked people. They are corrupt, and yet they take what they are doing and ascribe it to their foes. As a modern example of this, which occurs daily in the US, the democrat party and individual democrats do exactly what they accuse their opponents of doing. In doing this, they project their own failings on those with whom they are at variance.

Unfortunately, shallow people who are unable to clearly process the events as they occur will often accept the words of such people without attempting to reconcile the words against the actions. It is a sort of brain-dead state where their hatred of a person or ideal completely blinds them to the reality in which they exist.

Much of this is a result of a lack of critical thinking, which is no longer taught in schools. Without the ability to see and then rightly process what is actually going on, subjective feelings become a person’s hold on reality. As they already cannot properly process reality, they have nothing but enmity welling up in them toward whoever is being falsely accused.

Jesus used critical thinking when dealing with the Pharisees. He was able to cut through their unsupportable accusations and shine the light back on those who made them, exposing their hypocrisy.

To rightly understand the accusations of the left, listening to well-trained critical thinking people such as Thomas Sowell, Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, and others will help you process what is really going on in the minds of the left.

The same is true in Christian circles. Be willing to listen to sound teachers who have taken the time to learn Scripture and rightly process when someone is giving an invalid argument from it. What God says and does is logical. Nothing illogical will issue from Him. Therefore, when something is illogically presented, even if it sounds right at first, it cannot be.

“With Him are wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.” Job 12:13

Lord God, give us wisdom and understanding to rightly process Your word. Help us to possess this in the world around us as well. There is so much unclear thinking out there. Give us clarity of thought, discernment, and the ability to critically evaluate what is presented so that we can then rightly consider and act on what we are told. Amen.