Efésios 5
William Barclay · Citado em PreceptAustin
Efésios 5:18
Barclay writes that Paul "goes on to draw a contrast between a pagan gathering and a Christian gathering. The pagan gathering is apt to be a debauch. It is significant that we still use the word symposium for a discussion of a subject by a number of people; the Greek word sumposion literally means a drinking-party. Once A. C. Welch was preaching on this text: "Be filled with the Spirit." He began with one sudden sentence: "You've got to fill a man with something." The heathen found his happiness in filling himself with wine and with worldly pleasures; the Christian found his happiness in being filled with the Spirit. (Daily Study Bible) The Bible Background Commentary has an interesting note that... Many people in the ancient world believed that drunkenness could produce a sort of inspiration or possession by Dionysus, god of wine. Dionysus’s most active worshipers yielded control of themselves to him and performed sexual acts or acts full of sexual symbolism (often to the distaste of conservative Romans). Here Paul may contrast this behavior with inspiration by God’s Spirit. People did not think of Dionysus every time someone became drunk, however; drunkenness was more commonly associated simply with loss of self-control. It was standard practice in both the late-night banquets of the rich and the taverns of the poor. Wine Nave's Topical Bible Made from grapes, Gen. 40:11; 49:11; Isa. 25:6; Jer. 40:10, 12; from pomegranates, Song 8:2. Kept in jars, Jer. 13:12; 48:12; in skins, Josh. 9:4, 13; Job 32:19; Matt. 9:17; Luke 5:37, 38; in bottles, Josh. 9:4, 13; Job 32:19; Jer. 13:12; 48:12; Matt. 9:17; Luke 5:37, 38. Cellars for, 1 Chr. 27:27. New, Hag. 1:11. Old, Luke 5:39. Medicinal use of, Prov. 31:6, 7; recommended by Paul to Timothy, 1 Tim. 5:23. Used at meals, Matt. 26:27-29; Mark 14:23. Made by Jesus at the marriage feast in Cana, John 2:9, 10. Ceremonial use of, Matt. 26:27, 28, 29; Luke 22:17, 18, 19, 20. Forbidden to priests while on duty, Lev. 10:9; Ezek. 44:21; to Nazirites, Nu 6:2, 3; Abstinence from, of Daniel, Da. 1:5, 8, 16; 10:3; of courtiers of Ahasuerus, Est 1:8; 1Ti 5:23. Samson's mother forbidden to drink, Jdg. 13:4, 5. Forbidden to kings, Pr 31:4. Denied to the Israelites in the wilderness, that they might know that the Lord was their God, Dt 29:6. Offered with sacrifices, Ex. 29:40; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5, 10; 28:7, 14. Given by Melchizedek to Abraham, Gen. 14:18. Fermented, Lev. 10:9; Num. 6:3; 28:7; Deut. 14:26; 29:6; Prov. 23:31, 32; Mark 2:22. Refined, Isa. 25:6; Jer. 48:11. Of staggering, Psa. 60:3. Inflames the eyes, Gen. 49:12. Commerce in, Rev. 18:13. Banquets of, Esth. 5:6. Given to Jesus at the crucifixion, Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:23; Luke 23:36; John 19:29. Intoxication from the use of, Psa. 104:15; Prov. 4:17. Instances of Intoxication from Noah, Ge 9:21; Lot, Ge 19:32; Joseph Ge 43:34; Nabal 1Sa. 25:36; Amnon, 2Sa 13:28, 29; Ahasuerus, Est 1:10; kings of Israel, Hos 7:5; falsely charged against the disciples, Acts 2:13. Figurative Of the divine judgments, Psa. 60:3; 75:8; Jer. 51:7. Of the joy of wisdom, Prov. 9:2, 5. Of the joys of religion, Isa. 25:6; 55:1; Joel 2:19. Of abominations, Rev. 14:8; 16:19. Symbolic Of the blood of Jesus, Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:23, 24; Luke 22:20; John 6:53-56. Unclassified Scriptures Relating to Deut. 14:26; Deut. 33:28; 2 Kin. 18:32; 2 Chr. 32:28; Neh. 10:39; Psa. 4:7; Psa. 104:14, 15; Prov. 31:6, 7; Eccl. 2:3, 11; Isa. 56:12; Hos. 2:8, 22; Hos. 7:14; Joel 1:5; Joel 2:24; Joel 3:3; Amos 6:6; Hab. 2:5; Hag. 1:11; Zech. 9:17; Zech. 10:7; 1 Tim. 5:23 Admonitions Against the Use of Lev. 10:9; Num. 6:3; Jdg. 13:4; Prov. 20:1; Prov. 21:17; Prov. 23:29-32; Prov. 31:4, 5; Isa. 5:11, 22; Isa. 24:9; Isa. 28:1, 3, 7; Jer. 23:9; Jer. 35:2-10, 14, 18, 19; Ezek. 44:21; Hos. 4:11; Luke 1:15; Rom. 14:21; Eph. 5:18; Tit. 2:3 FOR THAT IS DISSIPATION: en o estin (3SPAI) asotia: (Matthew 23:25; 1Peter 4:3,4) For that is dissipation - for that is debauchery and it will ruin your life. The 1828 Webster's Dictionary defines dissipation as The act of scattering; dispersion; the state of being dispersed. Scattered attention; or that which diverts and calls off the mind from any subject. A dissolute, irregular course of life; a wandering from object to object in pursuit of pleasure; a course of life usually attended with careless and exorbitant expenditures of money, and indulgence in vices, which impair or ruin both health and fortune. Lawrence Richards paraphrases it... don't live under the influence of alcohol but under the influence of the Spirit. How important that we drink deep of Him, and let Him give direction to our lives. (Bible Reader's Companion) Dissipation (riot, KJV) (810) (asotia [word study] related to ásotos which in turn is derived from a = negative + sozo = save which describes something devoid of saving quality) literally means that which cannot be saved. Strictly speaking asotia refers to the disposition of an ásotos or prodigal. It is the picture of having no hope of safety, then describing the act of one who has abandoned himself to such reckless behavior. Asotia conveys the idea of waste that is irretrievable. There are only 3 uses in the NT - Ep 5:18; Titus 1:6; 1Pe 4:4 Beet describes this as... a reckless waste of money and of life itself. A typical example is the prodigal son, touching whom a cognate word is used in Lk 15:13, living dissolutely. Paul says that in drunkenness is reckless waste of all we have and are. (Ephesians 5:17-18 Commentary) Luke uses the related word ásotos in his description of the prodigal son writing... And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose (ásotos) living." (Luke 15:13) Comment: More literally this reads "living in a wild, abandoned manner and so living recklessly, riotously, loosely" Asotia is one who cannot save and thus is one who extravagantly squanders his means. Then it chiefly denoted a dissolute, debauched, profligate manner of living.
Efésios 5:18
Barclay - The man who is ásotos is incapable of saving (Ed note: this does not mean God can't save him because He can); he is wasteful and extravagant and pours out his substance on personal pleasure; he destroys his substance and in the end ruins himself. One who is ásotos is the old English scatterling, the Scots ne’er-do-well , the modern waster . Aristotle who always described a virtue as the mean between two extremes, declares that on the one hand there is stinginess, on the other there is asotia , reckless and selfish extravagance, and the relevant virtue is liberality. The household of the elder must never be guilty of the bad example of reckless spending on personal pleasure. (Daily Study Bible) Asotia carries ideas of prodigality, profligacy, and even of rioting (KJV). It was commonly used of drunken revelry at pagan festivals. Additional ideas inherent in asotia include wasteful expenditure, intemperate living, especially excessive drinking and acts of self-indulgence. Aristotle who always described a virtue as the mean between two extremes, declares that on the one hand there is stinginess, on the other there is asotia, reckless and selfish extravagance, and the relevant virtue is liberality. Charles Hodge writes that to get drunk with wine... is an example of folly, a lack of sense, especially inconsistent with the intelligence of the true believer. The person who has correct discernment will not seek refreshment or excitement from wine but from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the apostle adds, instead, be filled with the Spirit. In drunkenness, he says, there is debauchery—“revelry,” “riot,” whatever tends to destruction. The word is derived from a word which means “what cannot be saved,” one given up to a destructive course of life. (Ephesians 5:17-18 Commentary) John Eadie writes that... There is in the vice of intemperance that kind of dissoluteness which brooks no restraint, which defies all efforts to reform it, and which sinks lower and lower into hopeless and helpless ruin. It is erroneous, therefore, on the part of Schoettgen, to restrict the term to lasciviousness...The connection between the two vices is notorious; but libidinous indulgence is only one element of the asotia. This tremendous sin of intemperance is all the more to be shunned as its hold is so great on its victims, for with periodical remorse there is periodical inebriety; the fatal cup is again coveted and drained; while character, fortune, and life are risked and lost in the gratification of an appetite of all others the most brutal in form and brutifying in result. There are few vices out of which there is less hope of recovery—its haunts are so numerous and its hold is so tremendous. (Ephesians 5:17-18 Commentary) As Ephesus was a commercial town and busy seaport, its wealth led to excessive luxury, and Bacchus (See Bacchus the Roman god of wine & intoxication = Dionysus = Greek god) was the rival of Diana. The women of Ephesus, as the priestesses of Bacchus, danced round Mark Antony's chariot on his entrance into the city. Drunkenness was indeed an epidemic in those times and lands. Alexander the Great, who died a sacrifice to Bacchus and not to Mars, offered a prize to him who could drink most wine, and thirty of the rivals died in the act of competition! Plato boasts of the immense quantities of liquor which Socrates could swill uninjured; and the philosopher Xenocrates got a golden crown from Dionysius for swallowing a gallon at a draught. Cato often lost his senses over his choice Falernian. The “excess” or dissoluteness attendant on drunkenness and the other vices referred to in the previous context, is also illustrated by many passages in the Miles Gloriosus of Plautus, the Latin version of an older Greek drama. The “braggart captain,” a citizen of Ephesus, is described in the prologue by his own servant as “a vain, impudent, foul fellow, brimful of lying and lasciviousness.” Another character of the piece thus boasts—“Either the merry banterer likewise, or the agreeable boon companion will I be; no interrupter of another am I at a feast. I bear in mind how properly to keep myself from proving disagreeable to my fellow-guest,” etc. . . . “In fine, at Ephesus was I born, not among the Apulians, not at Animula”—(there being in this last term a difference of reading). (Ephesians 5 Commentary) BUT BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT: alla plerousthe (2PPPM) en pneumati,: (Ps 63:3, 4, 5; Song 1:4; 7:9; Is 25:6; 55:1; Zech 9:15, 16, 17; Lk 11:13; Acts 2:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18; 11:24; Gal 5:22, 23, 24, 25) Related Resource: Walking By the Spirit - Galatians 5:16 But (235) (alla) marks a contrast - In contrast to a state of intoxication with wine be intoxicated by the Spirit. Drunken and Spirit-filled people have one thing in common -- they are both controlled people. Their lives and their behavior are radically changed by that which fills them. Paul is saying stop living under the controlling influence of alcohol but instead be continually living under the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. How important it is for us to "drink" deeply of Him (cp Jn 7:37, 38, 39), yielding to Him, and letting Him give direction to our lives. Ray Stedman calls being filled with the Spirit is "the great secret of real Christianity." Ray Pritchard writing about the contrast between wine and the Spirit considers this as... the most basic point of the verse. There is a direct parallel drawn between being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit. What precisely is the point of comparison between wine and the Holy Spirit? Doubtless the issue is influence or control. A person under the influence of wine experiences altered behavior. He may say or do things he would not ordinarily do. Emotions may be heightened for a brief period, causing the person to experience anger followed quickly by elation followed quickly by depression. If the person drinks enough wine, his mental processes will be affected and decision making ability radically altered-almost always with a negative result. Likewise, the filling of the Holy Spirit produces a change in behavior. In the Book of Acts, once timid disciples became flaming evangelists for Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 5:19, 20, 21, Paul mentioned three practical results of the filling of the Spirit: Singing, a thankful heart, and an attitude of mutual submission. The last result is most significant because true submission always involves giving up your right to be in control in every situation. When we submit from the heart, we are saying, "I don't have to have my way all the time." Only a heart touched by the Holy Spirit can maintain such an attitude in every relationship of life. (Ephesians 5:18: Filled with the Holy Spirit?) Be filled with the Spirit - It is important to retain the standard of sound doctrine in regard to the Holy Spirit one should be careful to avoid 3 common misconceptions regarding the filling with the Spirit. First, it is not an emotional experience per se, although filling clearly does not preclude emotions of joy as indicated by Eph 5:19 (note). Secondly, filling with the Spirit is not reserved for a few special Christians, because this command applies to every believer. Third, filling although associated with some controversial teaching, should not be dismissed on that account. Every believer is in desperate need of sound doctrine regarding filling with the Spirit. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, and He is the One Who brings out Christ's presence in our lives. G C Handley Moule Let the Holy One, your Sealer and Sanctifier, so surround and possess you that you shall be as it were vessels immersed in His pure flood; and then, yielding your hearts without reserve to Him, you shall be vessels not only immersed but open; "in Him," and "filled" in Him," as He, continually welcomed, continually occupies and hallows all parts of your nature, all departments of your life. Let us remember well that this great clause is not a teaching merely but a precept. As distinctly as it is enjoined upon us not to be intoxicated with wine, so is it enjoined upon us to seek, in earnest, "fulness in the Spirit." May nothing blind us to the fact and the significance of that precept (Ed: In a general sense, any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action; but applied particularly to commands respecting moral conduct. Webster's 1828 Dictionary ); no, not the unwise and perhaps even fanatical things which have been sometimes heard in the Church in connection with the sacred Fulness. We may be very sure that the command means nothing which shall "unhinge" the Christian's life, and cast it loose from the noblest sanity and the most steadfast order. As a fact, we find it here imbedded amongst precepts laying down the great laws of self-control, and it comes just before the special directions which the Apostle gives for the quiet sanctities of the Christian home. It must be a thing, whatever it is, full of all that is just, true, lovely, and of good report; full of virtue and of praise (Phil. 4:8-note)....Paraphrased, Let in the holy atmosphere to your inmost self, to your whole will and soul. Let the Divine Spirit, in Whom you , believing, are, pervade your being, as water fills the sponge. But then, all the while, it is a thing supernatural. It is a state of man wholly unattainable by training, by reasoning, by human wish and will. It is nothing less than—God in command and control of man's whole life, flowing everywhere into it, that He may flow fully and freely out of it in effects around. O Thou from Whom all holy desires do proceed," give us the great gift of the desire, ever deeper, for "fulness in the Spirit"; that we may with joy lay claim to the mighty, benignant gift. For Thou hast promised "Thy Holy Spirit to them that ask Thee. It is the unspeakably vital requisite to the full blessing of the soul. It is that which the Church needs with a need that cannot be uttered. We must not forget meanwhile that the thought of this Fulness is here connected, in a special degree, with that of the joy of the Lord and its expression. As the miserable exhilaration of the drunkard comes out in the song of "riot," so the "calm excess" of the man "filled in the Spirit" will come out in song too. It will come out always in the song of the life, the melody and harmony of a character and conduct gladdened by the blessed Presence. But it will tend often too to come out in the song of the lips, and above all when Christians, thus "filled," meet together before their Lord. (Ephesians 5:15-21 Holy Results of Heavenly Blessing -goto p274) Wayne