LSW Biblical Eyes and Ears Graphics
Living In The Spiritual World
Biblical Eyes and Ears Graphics
Recently, podcaster Joe Rogan told his friends that he was attending a church and enjoyed going.
I do too. It's a bunch of people that are going to try to make their lives better," he said. "They're trying to be a better person, and they're trying to — I mean for me at least, the place that I go to — they, you know, they read and analyze passages in the Bible. I'm really interested in what these people were trying to say because I don't think it's nothing."
What do you think of this comment?
There's a lot of, like, atheists and secular people that just like to dismiss Christianity as being foolish. You know, ‘It's just fairy tales.’ I hear that amongst, you know, self-professed intelligent people, like, ‘It's a fairy tale,’" Rogan said.
Like, I don't know if that's true. I think there's more to it. I think it's history, but I think it's a confusing history. It's a confusing history because it was a long time ago. And it's people telling things in an oral tradition, then writing things down in a language that you don't understand in the context of a culture that you don't understand. And I think there's something to what they're saying."
How are we to discern and apply the message of the Bible?
There is a gulf between ourselves and the people to whom we go in service. There is an even treater gulf between the Bible’s historical and cultural setting and contemporary life. How do we bridge these gulfs and make possible the effective cross – cultural and cross-historical communication of the gospel?
Clearly, we need to understand the Gospel in its historical and cultural setting. Without this, we have no message. We also need a clear understanding our ourselves and the p[people we serve om diverse historical and cultural contexts. Without this, we are in danger of proclaiming a meaningless and irrelevant message.
Dr Paul Heibert Anthropological Insights for Missionaries page 14
Here’s the Challenge:
First: Understand the Bible in its historical and cultural context;
Second: Extract Biblical Truth that we can apply to our own lives.
Then we are qualified to proclaim this Message and give this Truth to those around us.
As Peter declares (1 Peter 2:9), we are a nation of priests. We have all been given the right to read and personally interpret the Scriptures. Our interpretation must be accurate and faithful to the Biblical text. It cannot be viewed only through our modern cultural perspective, but must be understood within the context of when it was originally presented.
Principle: We are given responsibility to read and personally interpret the Bible.
As we do this it is important to remember that the Bible has a culture of its own: the values, moral, and truths of the Bible stand alone and above all other “cultures”.
Principle: The Bible has a culture of its own which stands above all other cultures.
When we open the Bible, we literally step out of the 21st century and back into time.
Principle: The writers of the Bible wrote to a particular audience who lived 3500 to 2000 years ago who spoke a different language and lived in a different cultural and historical setting.
They never realized there would be people 2000 years later reading their books and letters. However, the Holy Spirit did! This audience spoke a different language and thought in a different manner than we do.
Principle: The Bible was not written to you but for you.
Dr Randall Smith:
The reality is this: There is not one word of Scripture written to me personally, but every word of Scripture was written for me. When God spoke, He spoke to a specific people at a specific time in a specific place to benefit me much later- but not to me. He said it to them in a way that they would understand it.
I’ve got to do something more than just read it and believe it.
It’s like putting a tea bag into hot water- I’ve got to allow the Scripture to permeate my “water” and change who I am by the principles involved in it.
I’ve got to squeeze out of the story of God with Abraham, God with Moses, and God with David specific things:
Who is God in this story? What does He want from David or Moses?
It is the principle behind the cultural practice that I am after.
What everlasting truth can I draw from this story that is relevant and applicable to my life today?
Look at a simple example from Leviticus 1:
Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.
‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. Leviticus 1:1-3
Wilderness Tabernacle Study Center, Israel 1999-2009
In verse one, we see God calling out to Moses. From this I know God often takes the initiative in His fellowship with mankind. This is an important principle for me to remember when I am feeling far from God.
In verse two, God orders the people to bring an offering from their own herd or flock. I can conclude that God wants me to return to Him some of the things He has freely given me. This is a good principle of relationship between God and me, and an important principle of God’s economics.
In verse three, God says to bring an animal without defect.
From this I see God wants my best; He will not be happy with a half-hearted response from me.
If He asks me to give $100 to the missionaries, He will not be pleased if I give only $50. If I am to paint the widow’s house, He wants me to use the best paint I can afford.
According to some teachings, I could throw out Leviticus by saying “We are not under the Law!”, but I then would miss many of God’s Truths that apply very well to my life today.
If we read the Scriptures, searching for the principles and truths behind the specific cultural practices, then we begin to receive life from the Word of God, not just dusty, out-of-date commandments.”
The Bible declares:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Principle: “ALL SCRIPTURE” contains principles that allow us to know God and ourselves better, understand our purpose for our lives and guide our lives in a manner pleasing to our Lord.
What about Tattoos?
My friend Webb on Utila told me that he heard from a pastor that if you have a tattoo you are going to hell. Webb has a few himself. So I quoted the verse from Leviticus 19
“Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards. Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:27-28
According to this complete passage of Scripture, if I insist that Christians cannot have tattoos, then I must insist that they let the hair on the side of their head grow long and they not shave but grow long ZZ Top/Duck Dynasty style beards.
So why did God tell his people this? There must be some logical reason for this admonition. On face value, it seems very random and senseless. But it has been my experience that when I encounter something like this in the Bible, it is worth investigating. Usually there is an explanation that gives me understanding to the principle behind a seemingly random statement.
First let’s place this verse in its literal and historical context to see if that helps us make sense of this.
This passage actually begins in Leviticus 18:1:
Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. 3 So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. 4 You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. 5 If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.
Here is what God is saying:
“Don’t be like the Egyptians nor like the Canaanites. Their standards of morality and behavior are corrupted. I will show you how to live safe, satisfying lives that are productive for now and eternity. Just follow my directives. The principles behind them are everlasting because they originate from me.”
Principle: Don’t be like the Egyptians or the Canaanites. Don’t think like them, don’t act like them, and don’t even look like them.
Then God tells us how He feels about sexual relationships. It is an exhaustive declaration of what is good for us and our relationships with the people around us and with God. He did design us after all. He does know how we think. He does know what is best for us. He is the greatest lover of mankind and me.
Then He continues telling us what He thinks of other moral choices that we will make by beginning with this:
“The Lord also said to Moses, ‘Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy’“. Leviticus 19:1-2
This word “Holy” has often been a nebulous term used by many to blur the theme of relationship with God and instead promote codes of behavior.
Holy: Qadosh: “Displaying a morality that is different than the people around you and is of a Divine origin.”
“Qadosh / Holy” does mean set apart; it means being different; but the standards of apartness and difference must come from God Himself, not man.
From Egyptian tomb art, we see Egyptian men as mostly clean shaven with shaved areas on the sides of their heads. They made cuts and tattoos on their bodies for religious reasons to honor false gods. Therefore the principle behind Leviticus 19:27-28 is
“Don’t act like the Egyptians or Canaanites. Don’t follow their customs. Don’t think like them. Don’t use your bodies to worship their gods. Don’t even try to look like them!”
Can we take that principle and apply it to our situation in this world today. Of Course!
Principle: We are instructed in the Christians Scriptures not to “conform to this world in our thinking or actions”), but instead to be renewed in our minds and in our actions and be “Qadosh / Holy”.
(Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Principle: There is a differance between narrative and instructional Scripture.
We often hear people say “If it is in the Bible, then I believe it”.
They read about the lives of the Biblical characters, their thinking, and way of life.
Sometimes we think that we should imitate the lives of those God – followers, in all aspects.
But the Bible is filled with men and women interacting with other men and women, and what we see it is often not pretty.
Eve believes the serpent, and disobeys God, while her husband stands idly by, and then he joins her.
Cain kills his brother Abel.
Noah gets drunk and passes out naked in his tent.
Abraham tries to pass off his wife Sarah as his sister in order to gain favor.
Joseph’s brothers plot to kill him, and then decide to sell him as a slave.
Judah goes to a prostitute and has sex, only to discover later that it was his daughter-in-law.
And this is all in the first book of the Bible.
Here is an example of Narrative Scripture:
Late one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent for her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. 2 Samuel 11:2
Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 He had written in the letter, saying, “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.” 16 So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died. 2 Samuel 11:14-17
David committed Adultery and Murder
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:13-14
Instructional Scripture is different:
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Ephesians 5:18
This is a clear instruction of how to handle alcohol beverage.
Principle: The writers assumed that you, the audience, knew certain things, many of which we have forgotten today.
Cultural Context:
26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:26-29
In Hebrew culture, breaking and eating bread and drinking wine was a manner of making covenants.
When a young man proposed marriage to his beloved, after negotiating the price of the bride with the father, he took some bread, broke off a piece and passed it to the woman, and they both ate. Then he took a cup of wine and blessed it and drank from the cup and passed it to the lady. With this gesture, he was culturally saying “I want you to be my wife and spend the rest of your life with me.”
If she took the cup and drank from it, she was accepting his marriage proposal.
Political Context:
On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” John 12:12-15
Palm trees appear on coins minted during the Jewish revolt of the First Century. Apparently they were a symbol of the Jewish nation.
Hosanna: hōsanná; an interjection, meaning save now, help now, or save we pray thee.
The crowd is waving the national flag and shouting “Save us now”. They want to make Jesus their king and a political riot is about to start.
Cultural Context: The first day of the Passover week was when Jews came to Jerusalem to select their lamb for the Passover sacrifice. Jesus was presenting Himself as the Perfect Passover Lamb.
Geographical context:
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16:13-18
Caesarea Philippi- Banyas was a cultic worship center where Pan was worshiped through sexual acts and animal sacrifice and curses were invoked against enemies at the Temple of Nemesis, as well as other cultic activities.
This was a large rock cliff formation at the base of Mt Hermon.
Here are a two Greek words that help us understand this passage:
“Peter”: Greek petros, a stone
“Rock”: Greek petra, large rock; bed-rock
Jesus told Peter he was a small rock but upon this big rock- bedrock, He was joining to build His church.
Principle: Jesus is going to build His church on top of those engaged in idol worship.
Principle: It is only God that is going to reveal the identify of Jesus to us.
Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures Luke 24:44-46
Open: dianoígō; To open what before was closed, open as the firstborn opens the womb, To open the ears, eyes, understanding, heart, to open the mind, the heart, i.e., to make able and willing to understand, receive, to open the Scriptures, to explain, expound.
Understand: suníēmi; To comprehend, understand, perceive. The comprehending activity of the mind denoted by suníēmi entails the assembling of individual facts into an organized whole, as collecting the pieces of a puzzle and putting them together.
( I pray) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might. Eph 1:16-19
To Know Him Is to Love Him
Reflect upon any relationship that you value. . . . think about the ways that you got close to that person.
We learn a lot about someone by knowing their history, the things that they like and dislike, and mainly just by spending time with them. Learning what they think—how they think or behave—makes a big difference in our knowledge of them and how we will respond.
The Hebrew Scriptures depict our God in such grandeur and detail. We cannot adequately understand His ways or His character until we understand Him via the Hebrew Scriptures. We cannot be altogether ready to receive His greatness or person until a full view is acquired.
The Jesus we know in the Christian Scriptures becomes One we can truly embrace with complete appreciation when we see Him in light of all that went before Him in history¾a history that is revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures.
He has written words to touch the very core of our being and is inviting us to be a part of Him, His plans, and His purposes for our lives.
An incredible continuity exists within our inspired book, from the beginning to the end. To understand the Book of Hebrews, you must first know the Book of Leviticus. To receive from the Book of Revelation requires a knowledge of the words of Daniel. To truly catch the significance of Jesus on the cross, it is important to know why God commanded Moses to place a serpent on a pole. We must grasp the beginnings before we can comprehend and savor that which is to come.
God gave His people a portrait of Himself in the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures, in a cultural language that they could understand. He then made His appearance in the pages of the Christian Scriptures, giving visual and physical confirmation of what was previously said. God reveals Himself to us specifically and lovingly as we seek Him in Scriptures. His Holy Spirit brings revelation to us individually in ways that He knows we will understand, appreciate, and put into practice.
God desires relationship with His people. He has written to all of us and is inviting you to step into a special intimate place with Him.
Let us strive to know our God and Father in His entirety.
Randy Smith at Qumran with the Dead Sea Scrolls
Principle: We can know God in a more experiencial manner as we understand Him through our study of His Word.
We have discovered that the Bible is a reliable historical document.
We have seen the difference between Narrative and Instructional Scripture.
We understand that the politics, geography and culture of the Bible often help us in our interpretation of the text.
Let's see how God will speak to us as we read His Word.
Principle: God always speak to mankind in a way that they will understand
God speaks your language. Isn’t this a comforting thought? God speaks your language! He speaks to the characters in the Bible in words and symbols that they understand. Here is one example.
In Genesis 15 we see God making a promise to Abraham and Abraham’s faithful response.
Why did Abraham so firmly believe that God was going to do what He promised?
It was through a very unusual cultural practice that “God sealed the deal”.
And He (God) took him (Abraham) outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.”
8He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?”
9So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13God said to Abram,15“As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.” 17It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. Gen 15:5-17
“What a bizarre scene!” Kill an animal and cut the body in half and spread it out on the ground! Really? There must be something more to this story.
The obvious question to ask is: What significance did the split carcasses have for people of Abram’s time?
We get a clue to the meaning of this seeming strange practice from Jeremiah 34:18-20:
‘I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts—the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the court officers and the priests and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf—I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. And their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. Jeremiah 34:18-20:
Jeremiah explains that in those days, business men, politicians, and friends made pacts by cutting animals in half, and walking together through the split carcass, pausing in the middle and looking at each other saying
“If I don’t keep my end of this deal, may I become like this dead animal.
Apparently God was going to hold The royal officials of Judah to the terms of the covenant they made with Him!
What caused Abram to believe God?
When God passed through the split carcasses by himself, Abraham knew that God’s promises did not depend on whether Abram keep his end of the deal.
What promises has God made to you?
How about these promises Jesus makes?
This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:39-40
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27
Do you think He will keep those promises? Even if you don’t?
Be encouraged by this principle from the life of Abraham
If God speaks your language, what are the languages and cultures of the Bible?
'How did the Biblical Jews and Greeks think?'
One difference is Function vs. Form
Hold up a coffee cup and ask the First Century Greek and Jew to describe it.
The Greek will tell you it’s color, the shape, how tall it is, how wide it is, and what the curve in the handle is like.
The Jew will say simply: “With this I can drink coffee.”
His analysis focuses on function.
Greeks think in terms form- how it appears.
Jews think in terms of function- what it does.
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 1 Corinthians 1:22
This is helpful when it comes to understanding a confusing passage found in the Song of Songs. Here the writer describes his beloved by saying:
Your belly is like a heap of wheat fenced about with lilies. Song of Songs 7:2
The Jewish lover is saying that his beloved will be very fruitful, bearing him many children from her belly- her womb- the heap of harvested wheat.
That is a beautiful thing.
David often refers to God as his “Rock” in his Psalms.
They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!” Psalms 92:15
We read that and naturally imagine what the rock looks like.
Is it black or white? How is it shaped? Is it round or sharp?
What is the size? Is it a boulder or a pebble?
That is form thinking.
What did David do with a rock?
He killed the giant Goliath with a smooth rock.
David built his fortress with rocks.
He ground his wheat with a big rock.
David is thinking functionally.
Form and Function thinking are apparent in the Gospel of John.
We hear Jesus describing himself seven times as “I Am. . .” ,
The Bread of Life,
The Light of the World,
The Door,
The Good Shepherd,
The Way,
The Truth, and
The Life.
These are images John uses to appeal to the Greek thinking person.
How do these images speak to you?
He feeds me;
He illuminates my path;
He opens the door to Heaven for me;
He cares for me;
He is my life journey;
In Him I can discover the Truth; and
He is the source of true life;
I can see it through these images.
Apollo's Temple Corinth Greece
Along with these seven “I Am’s” John also gives us seven miracles:
Turning water into wine,
Healing at a distance,
Raising the paralytic,
Feeding the five thousand,
Walking on water,
Healing the Blind, and
Raising Lazarus from the dead.
This seven “I Do’s” would appeal to the functional, Hebrew-thinking person.
He takes ordinary people and turns them into extraordinary individuals,
He can touch me even when I feel far away,
He can heal the crippled areas of my life;
His provision for me is limitless;
With Him I can do impossible things;
Where I am blind, He can open my eyes to reality;
When I die, He will bring me back to eternal life.
John spend many of his later years living in Ephesus, and his ministry was among both Greek and Jewish cultures.
Words Matter
Some translations from Hebrew and Greek into English do not capture the essence of the meaning of the words, and sometimes we have an incorrect understanding of the verse.
Many Christians believe that woman do not have a role in teaching men and adolescent children, and use this verse to justify this idea called complementarianism.
A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 1 Timothy 2:11-12
Woman – Gr: gune: woman, wife Man- Gr: andros (aner): man, husband
When used together commonly has the meaning of wife and husband
“Let the wife learn in tranquility (peaceable) in her positioning under.” (Spiro Zodhiates translation)
Teach is in the present infinitive meaning continuously.
“I do not allow a wife to constantly teach her husband in public, but to remain tranquil, not disturbed.” (Spiro Zodhiates translation)
Qualifications of church leaders:
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of mone 1 Timothy 3:2-3
Husband of one wife: Gr: mais gunaikos- “a one woman man”
Could refer to polygamy or divorce but is better translated
“ a non flirtatious man who has eyes only for his wife.”
Matthew 5: Jesus seems to say in the Sermon on the Mount that
You must be perfect - no mistakes
Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48
Perfect: GR. teleios, (morally) perfect (Mt 5:48; Jas 3:2), for another interp, see below; 2. LN 73. (physically) perfect (Heb 9:11); complete, finished (Jas 1:4); mature in one’s behavior (Eph 4:13; Mt 5:48), adult (Heb 5:14);
Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Perfect Greek- Teleios : Complete, Perfect, Fully mature
Reading the Bible in the original language brings forth the true meaning of an often confusing passage of Scripture.
Mikaela leading Shariff with Laura and Lukas aboard
Wilderness of Zin Israel 1999
Old Testament - New Testament?
The Old Testament and New Testament are a continuous, linked revelation of God to Mankind.
The ideal of “Old” comes from a passage in Hebrews 8:
When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. Hebrews 8:13
The context of this letter is to Hebrew Christians who were still going to the Temple to offer sacrifices for their sins. The writer of Hebrews says that since Jesus died on the cross you do not need to offer any more sacrifice. That part of the Hebrew Scriptures is old and out of date.
Titus came to Jerusalem a few years later and destroyed the Temple.
I call these two sections of the Bible the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Scriptures
God didn’t change
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
Salvation didn’t change - Mankind always saved by faith
Some believe that the Jews in the Hebrew Scriptures were saved by keeping the Law.
1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:1, 4
The Offerings and sacrifices commanded in the Torah were only coverings for sin,
If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. Leviticus 1:3-4
Atonement: Hebrew kaphar; to cover over, pacify, make propitiation
It was the faith of those Hebrews that saved them, a faith that was demonstrated by obedience to God’s words.
Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6
“Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4
“How essential are these Laws given to Moses in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy to me, the New Testament Christian?”
You may be surprised at the answer Jesus gave which was recorded in Matthew 5:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20
Fulfill: plēroō, come to an end, complete; be completely, give true meaning (Mt 5:17)
Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
It is apparent that in this passage Jesus said that the “Law and the Prophets
1) have permanent validity to everyone in the Kingdom of God, and that
2) The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) should be taught and obeyed by the children of the Kingdom, and that;
3) Entrance into Heaven is dependent on an inner state of righteousness reflected in the teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures.
As we study these laws of Moses, we must ask ourselves what was the purpose of the Law. Why did God give them? Here are four thoughts:
1) He wanted to give His people His standard for morality. They were heavily influence by their world environment, just as we are. God wanted His people to be distinct, to stand apart from the society of Egypt and Canaan.
2) He wanted to give them an understanding of what sin was, and there was a price we would pay for the effects of sin in our lives. His people needed to know they had a need for forgiveness, and ultimately a need for a Savior.
3) God wanted to reveal His Divine Holiness to a people who had unique privileges bestowed upon them for a fulfillment of a high calling. He didn’t want them to become presumptive and take lightly their mission, or Him. He wanted them to understand just who they were dealing with- and it was not the flawed, self-serving gods of the Egyptian and Canaanite culture.
4) God wanted to give His people a manner in which to express their faith in Him. Doing what God wants when you don’t want to do it is a very practical way to display your faith in God through your obedience. Without any laws, how will your faith really be expressed?
God always intended the relationship between Him and His people to be one of trust and faith.
The Law was just a signpost to our sin (Romans 7:7), to our need for Christ (Romans 8:2-4), and a practical guide for our living (Psalm 119:105).
Although its cultural application may be antiquated and irrelevant, the principles behind the laws given through Moses are essential to our spiritual health, and determine our entrance into heaven.
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