Lucas 16
James Montgomery Boice · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 16
Boice adds that "Mammon came from a Hebrew verb meaning "to entrust" or "to place in someone's keeping." The noun, therefore, referred to the wealth one entrusted to another for safekeeping. At this stage the word did not have any bad connotations. If something bad was meant, it was necessary to put another word with it, as in "mammon of unrighteousness." Yet as time went by, the meaning of mammon (wealth) shifted from the passive sense of "that which is entrusted" to the active sense of "that in which one trusts." When that happened, the word originally spelled with a small "m" came to be spelled with a capital "M," as designating a god, which is why the New International Version capitalizes the word Money! As an aside, how ironic it is that the saying on our coin says "In God We Trust." The saying that typifies our age would be better stated "In Gold We Trust!" Unrighteousness (93)(adikia from a = not + dikê = right) is a condition of not being right, whether with God, according to the standard of His holiness and righteousness or with man, according to the standard of what man knows to be right by his conscience, etc. Adikia encompasses the idea of ungodliness but focuses on the result. Adikia is the same word Luke used to describe the "unrighteous steward' Lk 16:8, or later, the "unrighteous judge" Lk 18:6. Luke records that the traitor Judas Iscariot "acquired a field with the price of his wickedness (adikia)." (Acts 1:18). Fails (1587)(ekleipo from ek = out or an intens. + leípō = to fail, to leave out or off) means to leave out, leave off, by implication to cease. Transitive = to relinquish, desert. Intransitive = to leave off, to fail, cease (Lk 22:32; Heb. 1:12 quoting Ps 102:27) BDAG has (1) to be no longer in existence, fail, give out, be gone of money (2). to go away from a place, depart - some manuscripts have ekleipo in Acts 18:19 but not in the more reliable like Nestle-Aland. (3). to cease as state or event, fail, die out - of faith (Lk 22:32) In classical Greek applications of ekleipō meant “to abandon a responsibility or a thing,” consequently, “to desert an army or abandon a city.” Figuratively, the sun might “eclipse”; someone might “fail,” “faint,” or even “die.” In the Septuagint ekleipo can mean - to forsake, to desert = Jdg 5:6; to die = Ge 49:33; to faint = Ge 25:29; to cease = Ge 18:11; to fail = Ge 25:8; to remain, to be left = 2 Ki 7:13; Pr 24:31 = forsaken, destitute for "thorns". Water “evaporates” or is used up (Ge 8:13; 21:15); a number of things do or do not “cease” (Exodus 13:22; Isa 7:8; 54:10); travelers “abandon” highways (Jdg 5:6). People “die” (Jer 42:17; 44:18). (See also uses in bold font in the list of 179 verses below) Ekleipo - 4x in 4v - come to an end(1), fail(1), fails(1), obscured(1). Luke 16:9 "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Luke 23:45 because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Hebrews 1:12 AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END." Ekleipo - 194x in 179v in the Septuagint - Gen. 8:13 = "the water was dried up from the earth"; Ge 11:6 LXE = "nothing shall fail from them of all that they may have undertaken to do"; Gen. 18:11 = " Sarah was past (ceased) childbearing."; Gen. 21:15; Gen. 25:8 = "Abraham breathed his last"; Gen. 25:17 = (Ishmael) "breathed his last"; Gen. 25:29; Gen. 25:30; Gen. 35:29 = "Isaac breathed his last"; Gen. 47:13; Gen. 47:15; Gen. 47:16; Gen. 47:18; Ge 49:10 = “The scepter shall not depart from Judah"; Ge 49:33 = "breathed his last (died)"; Ex. 13:22 = "He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night"; Nu 11:33; Dt. 15:11 ="the poor will never cease to be in the land"; Dt. 28:65 ="failing of eyes"; Deut. 32:36; Jos. 3:13 =" the waters of the Jordan will be cut off"; Jos. 3:16; Jos. 4:7; Jos. 5:12 = "The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land"; Jos. 9:23 "you (the deceiving Gibeonites) shall never cease being slaves"; Jdg. 5:6; Jdg. 5:7; Jdg. 8:5; Jdg. 8:15; 1 Sam. 2:33; 1 Sam. 9:7; 1 Sam. 16:11; 2 Sam. 3:29; 2 Sam. 20:18; 1 Ki. 17:14; 1 Ki. 17:16; 2 Ki. 7:13; 2 Chr. 4:18; 2 Chr. 6:16; Est. 9:28; Job 6:15; Job 13:19; Job 14:7; Job 21:19; Job 31:26; Ps. 9:6 = "The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins"; Ps. 12:1 ="Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be"; Ps. 18:37; Ps. 31:10 = "For my life is spent with sorrow"; Ps. 37:20; Ps. 39:10 = "Because of the opposition of Your hand I am perishing"; Ps. 55:11; Ps. 64:6; Ps. 68:2; Ps. 69:3 = "My eyes fail while I wait for my God"; Ps. 71:9 = "Do not forsake me when my strength fails"; Ps. 71:13; Ps. 72:20; Ps. 73:19; Ps. 73:26 - "My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. "; Ps. 78:33; Ps. 84:2 = "My soul longed and even yearned (LXE = "fainted") for the courts of the LORD"; Ps. 90:7; Ps. 90:9; Ps. 102:3; Ps. 102:27; Ps. 104:29; Ps. 104:35; Ps. 107:5; Ps. 119:81; Ps. 119:82 = "My eyes fail with longing for Your word,"; Ps. 119:123 = "My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation"; Ps. 142:3; Ps. 143:7 ="Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails"; Prov. 3:3 = " Do not let kindness and truth leave you"; Prov. 4:21; Prov. 10:20; Prov. 24:10; Prov. 24:31; Isa. 7:8; Isa. 15:6; Isa. 19:5; Isa. 19:6; Isa. 19:13; Isa. 21:16; Isa. 29:20; Isa. 38:14; Isa. 51:6; Isa. 53:3; Isa. 54:10; Isa. 55:13; Isa. 56:5; Isa. 58:11; Isa. 59:21; Isa. 60:20; Jer. 4:31; Jer. 6:4; Jer. 6:15; Jer. 6:29; Jer. 7:27; Jer. 9:10; Jer. 14:4; Jer. 14:6; Jer. 15:10; Jer. 18:14; Jer. 24:10; Jer. 27:8; Jer. 31:40; Jer. 35:19; Jer. 36:23; Jer. 36:29; Jer. 37:21; Jer. 42:17; Jer. 42:22; Jer. 44:12; Jer. 44:18; Jer. 44:27; Jer. 46:28; Jer. 48:11; Jer. 51:30; Jer. 51:58; Lam. 1:19; Lam. 2:11; Lam. 4:17; Lam. 4:22; Ezek. 15:4; Ezek. 22:15; Ezek. 24:11; Ezek. 34:16; Ezek. 34:21; Ezek. 47:12; Hos. 4:3; Hos. 13:2; Amos 8:13; Jon. 2:7; Nah. 1:4; Hab. 2:13; Hab. 3:17 = "Though the yield of the olive should fail"; Zeph. 1:2; Zeph. 1:3; Zeph. 2:9; Zeph. 3:6; Zech. 11:9; Zech. 13:8 = "“It will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it." = in the Time of Jacob's Trouble! Receive (Welcome)(1209)(dechomai) means to receive with the sense of welcoming one as when they visit your house. It means to "put out the welcome mat" so to speak. In this context the "welcome mat" leads to our eternal home with our brothers and sisters who are there to welcome us because of our role in their redemption story. Incredible! Jesus used dechomai to describe the way that humble, childlike believers (Mt 18:5), faithful preachers of the gospel (Mt 10:14), and the gospel itself (Luke 8:13; cf. Acts 8:14; 17:11) should be received. It is interesting that dechomai is used 4x in Luke 16 - twice for receiving a "bill" (Lk 16:6,7) and twice for welcoming into another's presence - Lk 16:4 "when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes" and here in Lk 16:9. So just as the unrighteous manager makes plans for his future to assure that he is "welcomed" into the earthly homes of the debtors, we as "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1-2) will be "welcomed" into our eternal dwelling by those souls who were impacted by our God-honoring handling of the Gospel. Dechomai - 45v - accept(2), accepted(3), receive(16), received(12), receives(15), take(3), taken(1), took(1), welcome(2), welcomed(1). Matt. 10:14; Matt. 10:40; Matt. 10:41; Matt. 11:14; Matt. 18:5; Mk. 6:11; Mk. 9:37; Mk. 10:15; Lk. 2:28; Lk. 8:13; Lk. 9:5; Lk. 9:48; Lk. 9:53; Lk. 10:8; Lk. 10:10; Lk. 16:4; Lk. 16:6; Lk. 16:7; Lk. 16:9; Lk. 18:17; Lk. 22:17; Jn. 4:45; Acts 3:21; Acts 7:38; Acts 7:59; Acts 8:14; Acts 11:1; Acts 17:11; Acts 22:5; Acts 28:21; 1 Co. 2:14; 2 Co. 6:1; 2 Co. 7:15; 2 Co. 8:17; 2 Co. 11:4; 2 Co. 11:16; Gal. 4:14; Eph. 6:17; Phil. 4:18; Col. 4:10; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Thess. 2:10; Heb. 11:31; Jas. 1:21 Eternal (166)(aionios from aion) means existing at all times, perpetual, pertaining to an unlimited duration of time (Ro 1:20 - God's power, Mt 18:8 - God's place of judgment, Ro 16:26 - God's attribute). Thayer = without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be. Luke uses aionios elsewhere in his writings only in reference to eternal life - (Lk 10:25; 18:18, 30; Acts 13:46, 48). Dwellings (4633)(skene) is a tent, booth, hut, tabernacle, any covered or shaded place. Friberg - tent, booth; (1) generally, of transitory, movable lodging places for nomads, pilgrims, herdsmen, soldiers, constructed of various materials tent, lodging, dwelling (Heb 11.9); (2) as the portable divine sanctuary Tabernacle, Tent (Heb 8.5); (3) as referring to the temple in Jerusalem (Heb 13.10); (4) as referring to the outer and inner rooms of the Tabernacle, comprising the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (Heb 9.2-8); (5) as a portable case for an idol shrine (Acts 7.43); (6) figuratively, of the heavenly dwelling place of God, sanctuary (Rev 13.6); (7) plural, as the eternal habitations of the righteous dwellings, homes (Lk 16.9); (8) figuratively, as a ruling dynasty or lineage ruling family, kingdom (Acts15.16) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Skene - 20v - dwellings(1), tabernacle(15), tabernacles(3), tents(1). Matt. 17:4; Mk. 9:5; Lk. 9:33; Lk. 16:9; Acts 7:43; Acts 7:44; Acts 15:16; Heb. 8:2; Heb. 8:5; Heb. 9:2; Heb. 9:3; Heb. 9:6; Heb. 9:8; Heb. 9:11; Heb. 9:21; Heb. 11:9; Heb. 13:10; Rev. 13:6; Rev. 15:5; Rev. 21:3 There is a great old song entitled Thank You (which won the Song of the Year prize at the 1990 Dove Awards) -- give it a listen (be sure and watch in full screen view for best experience), pondering the truth of Jesus' words as you listen and don't be surprised you have a tear in your eye by the end of the video! I dreamed I went to heaven And you were there with me; We walked upon the streets of gold Beside the crystal sea. We heard the angels singing Then someone called your name. We turned and saw a young man running And he was smiling as he came. And he said, "Friend you may not know me now." And then he said, "But wait, You used to teach my Sunday School When I was only eight. And every week you would say a prayer Before the class would start. And one day when you said that prayer, I asked Jesus in my heart." Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave. Then another man stood before you And said, "Remember the time A missionary came to your church And his pictures made you cry. You didn't have much money, But you gave it anyway. Jesus took the gift you gave And that's why I'm here today." Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave. One by one they came Far as the eye could see. Each life somehow touched By your generosity. Little things that you had done, Sacrifices made, Unnoticed on the earth In heaven, now proclaimed. And I know up in heaven You're not supposed to cry But I am almost sure There were tears in your eyes. (see Rev 7:17, 21:4) As Jesus took your hand And you stood before the Lord. He said, "My child, look around you. Great is your reward." Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave. Investing in Others Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves. Luke 16:9 Today's Scripture & Insight: Luke 16:1–12 When a corporation offered one thousand frequent-flier miles for every ten purchases of one of their foods, one man realized their cheapest product was individual cups of chocolate pudding. He bought more than twelve thousand. For $3,000, he received gold status and a lifetime supply of air miles for himself and his family. He also donated the pudding to charity, which netted him an $800 tax write-off. Genius! Jesus told a controversial parable about a cunning manager who, as he was being fired, reduced what debtors owed his master. The man knew he could rely on their help later for the favor he was doing them now. Jesus wasn’t praising the manager’s unethical business practice, but He knew we could learn from his ingenuity. Jesus said we should shrewdly “use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9). As “the pudding guy” turned twenty-five cent desserts into flights, so we may use our “worldly wealth” to gain “true riches” (v. 11). How have you recently helped meet someone’s physical needs? Why is your charity an investment? Loving God, help me to invest in the poor, for Jesus’ sake and Yours. Big Money Read: Luke 16:1-15 Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that . . . they may receive you into an everlasting home. —Luke 16:9 Some athletes and entertainers receive astronomical salaries. I can understand why they would take all they can get, but I wonder about a culture that spends so much to be entertained when countless people in the world are homeless and hungry. Our attitude toward money and how we use it is a barometer of our spiritual state. It reveals whether we are foolishly thinking only of the present or wisely looking to eternity. Jesus told a story about a money manager who knew he would soon be fired because he had wasted his employer’s funds. So he went to the debtors and issued a “paid in full” receipt for a partial payment. This put him in their good graces so that when he lost his job he could go to them for help and not have to beg. No doubt his employer was unhappy about not receiving all that was owed him, but he commended the man for his shrewdness. That story illustrates the wisdom of spending money with eternity in view. We can use our money now to help spread the gospel, and the people who receive Christ will be our friends forever and will greet us when we enter heaven. Some think that they have everything When riches come their way, But that they're poor will be revealed On God's accounting day. —HGB The wise use of money pays eternal dividends. Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. BGT Luke 16:10 Ὁ πιστὸς ἐν ἐλαχίστῳ καὶ ἐν πολλῷ πιστός ἐστιν, καὶ ὁ ἐν ἐλαχίστῳ ἄδικος καὶ ἐν πολλῷ ἄδικός ἐστιν. KJV Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. NET Luke 16:10 "The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. CSB Luke 16:10 Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. ESV Luke 16:10 "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. NIV Luke 16:10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. NLT Luke 16:10 "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. NRS Luke 16:10 "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. YLT Luke 16:10 'He who is faithful in the least, is also faithful in much; and he who in the least is unrighteous, is also unrighteous in much; GWN Luke 16:10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with a lot. Whoever is dishonest with very little is dishonest with a lot. NKJ Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. NAB Luke 16:10 The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. MIT Luke 16:10 One who is faithful in small matters is also faithful in great responsibilities. One who is dishonest in small stuff is also dishonest with great obligations. NJB Luke 16:10 Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great; anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great. ASV Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. DBY Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in the least is faithful also in much; and he that is unrighteous in the least is unrighteous also in much. BBE Luke 16:10 He who is true in a little, is true in much; he who is false in small things, is false in great. He who is faithful in a very little thing Luke 16:11,12; 19:17; Mt 25:21; Heb 3:2 he who is unrighteous in a very little thing Jn 12:6; 13:2,27 Luke 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 16:1-13 How to be Truly Rich - Steven Cole Luke 16:1-13 Investing Earthly Finances with an Eternal Focus - John MacArthur AN AXIOMATIC TRUTH FAITHFUL IN LITTLE AND BIG This maxim is essentially a proverbial statement that is generally true in every aspect of life. When a person is faithful in little matters, he will tend to be faithful when he has greater responsibilities. If he is irresponsible in small matters, you can mark it down, he will be irresponsible in greater matters. Why is this maxim true? It is because character of a person affects the way he handles responsibility and ideally (and usually) a person's character does not change when he is given greater responsibility after showing faithfulness in lesser responsibility. Rod Mattoon - The greatest ability that you can have is dependability. When people can count on you to do what they need you to do or what you have promised to do in a excellent manner, they will be interested in your services and abilities. Dependability, discipline, and diligence in doing a good job will lead to promotion, because those are traits of a good leader. They are traits that employers look for in their managers that serve under them. Faithfulness is important to men, but it is also important to the Lord. Your faithfulness as a Christian, with what God has entrusted to you, will determine the responsibilities you are rewarded with in His kingdom one day. One of the key hindrances to being faithful to Christ is when a Christian has a greater love for money than for the Lord. When money becomes the dominating factor in your decisions, when it causes you to compromise with corruption or cool off spiritually in your devotion to Christ, it in essence has become your master. You will be unable to play both sides of the fence. The Lord makes it clear that you cannot serve two masters. (Treasures from the Scriptures) What the Bible teaches - The person who can be trusted in small things where there is little accounting, can be trusted in larger responsibilities. It is also true that dishonest acts seldom begin with large thefts. Conscience is usually fed the opiate of small dishonesties until there is a graduation to greater crimes. (What the Bible teaches – Luke) Circumstances don't determine faithfulness, character does. -- John MacArthur He who is faithful (pistos) in a very little thing is faithful (pistos) also in much - NIV = "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much." This is a truth that is self-evident. A man or woman with integrity who manifests godly (god-like) character will be faithful in handling God's money whether they have a little or a lot. Don't say if I had more, I would give more! For most people that is a lie if you are alluding to percentage-wise giving. "Some, like the poor widow described in Luke 21:1-4+, who have nothing give everything; others who have everything give nothing." (MacArthur What the Bible Teaches - When we are "faithful" we are yielded to God and His Spirit, with Christ as the pattern. It means that the most insignificant task that springs from a heart devoted to His will has utmost importance and eternal value. "Faithfulness in that which is least" was epitomised by Abraham in his words to the king of Sodom, "I will not take from a thread to a shoelatchet ..." (Gen 14:23). On the positive side, this faithfulness would include voluntary work in the care of a building where the believers meet; a gospel tract given to a stranger; a kind deed done for a needy person in the Lord's name; a careful preparation in prayer and study before sitting down with a little Sunday school class and much more. (What the Bible teaches – Luke) Here's a little ditty that is very convicting! Mighty deeds as we had thought them, He may show us were but sin. Little deeds that we'd forgotten, He will tell us were for Him. As
Lucas 16
Boice has an interesting story - "You cannot serve both God and Money," says Jesus. We like to think we can; we are great compromisers. Or we think we are serving God by making money. True, we can use our money to serve God. Some do. But if our hearts are set on our possessions, which is probably an accurate description of most of us, we are not actually serving God whatever we may suppose we are doing. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells of a farmer who reported happily to his wife that his best cow had given birth to twin calves, one red and one white. He said, "You know, I have been led of the Lord to dedicate one of the calves to him. We will raise them together. Then when the time comes to sell them, we will keep the money from the one calf and give the money from the other to the Lord." His wife asked which one he was going to dedicate to the Lord, but he answered that there was no need to decide that now since he was going to treat both of them alike. Several months later he came into the kitchen looking very sad. When his wife asked what was troubling him he answered, "I have bad news. The Lord's calf is dead." "But you had not decided which was to be the Lord's calf," she objected. "Oh, yes," he said. "I had always determined that it was to be the white one, and it is the white one that has died."[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967, vol. 2, 95-96] Sadly, it is always that way with us—it is always the Lord's calf that dies—unless we decide from the beginning that we are here to serve God above everything else and that everything we possess has been given to us by God and is to be held in stewardship for him. If we make such a decision, we will find when we die that we have actually been laying up eternal spiritual treasure in heaven and that nothing has destroyed it. Many people may think they possess mammon or wealth, but Jesus shows that more often the mammon owns the person. People end up serving mammon rather than mammon serving them. They are possessed by their possessions! Mammon is a stern master who holds its subjects firmly in its grip as it did the rich young ruler in Mt 19:21-23 who had asked "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"… Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 19:21-23) Mattoon - There is no passage or command anywhere in the New Testament asking the believer to make Christ "Lord of his life" after salvation. The very experience of receiving Christ as Savior is looked upon throughout the Scriptures as an acknowledgment of His lordship and ownership. When you receive Christ as your Savior, you are acknowledging Him as your Lord. If you are not, then your decision is not sincere or genuine.... Be Submissive to God's will in your life—The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signal-man to send a message, "Alter your course 10 degrees south!" Promptly a return message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north." The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south—I am the captain!" Soon another message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north—I am seaman third class Jones." Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: "Alter your course 10 degrees south—I am a battleship." Then the reply came "Alter your course 10 degrees north—I am a lighthouse."In the midst of our dark and foggy times, all sorts of voices are shouting orders into the night, telling us what to do, how to adjust our lives. Out of the darkness, one voice signals something quite opposite to the rest—something almost absurd, but the voice happens to be the Light of the World, and we ignore it at our peril. The smartest thing we can do is be submissive to God's will for our lives. This was David's attitude for most of his life. (Treasures from the Scriptures) In ancient times "two masters rarely shared slaves, but when they did it always led to divided interests." (Bible Background Commentary)