The Christ-like life is compared to a race, but it’s not a cut-throat competition against our fellow believers. We are to help one another reach the ultimate goal. The “fruit of the Spirit” that are given to us by God to help us and others in this life are not a “grab bag” that we can pick and chose which fruits we want. We should want them all and use them all and we should share them with our fellow believers and the world at large. We are also called to understand that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has one plan for the salvation of man, not two, three for four versions.
Category: Discussions
The book of Leviticus is not about laws but about how to be a priest. A lot of these lessons are physical but there’s more of the Spirit in these chapters than a cursory view might suggest.
This story has a story within a story. It begins with the death of Nahash, the king of Ammon (1st Samuel 11). David was touched by Nahash’s death and sent a condolence party. The prince of Ammon treated this party poorly and that insult was the beginning of the end of Ammon’s power.
This chapter seems like a reiteration of the prior chapters but there’s more to this chapter than repetition. Every time the text says, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying…,” you have a new edict from the Lord. Many of these edicts were only for the sons of Aaron, and not for the general public.
Paul’s discussions of circumcision, mainly in Galatians, Philippians and Romans, have been interpreted as being condemnation against the Torah, because the Law calls for circumcision for newborns and those wanting to participate in key parts of worship of God.
However, it must be remembered that circumcision by the first century A.D. had become an “identity marker” separating Jews from non-Jews. Like observance of Shabbat, circumcision was listed among the “works of [the] law” in the Dead Sea Scrolls that defined those separate from the corrupt religious system around the time of the first century. The rite of circumcision could be behind the division between Jewish and “unconverted” non-Jews that Paul dressed down Peter and the Galatian congregations in chapters 2 and 3 of this letter.
When we commit “unintentional” sins and are later made aware of them, this text teaches us that we can’t simply say “oops” and ignore the revelation of that sin. This text shows us that when we become aware of some fault or sin, we must address the issue with repentance, restitution and restoration.
Chiastic structures for the Messiah in the Prophets are not pictures of the Messiah, but rather “Shadows” of the Messiah. The TaNaK (Torah, Prophets and Writings) frequently uses thematic equivalents to indicate who and what the Messiah will be. The chiastic structure we will be looking at today focuses on love and adoption. There are multiple chiastic structures in this chapter alone.