It may sound like Moses is condoning divorce, but he really isn't.....it is recognizing a practice already in existence.....this was intended to prevent casual remarriage after a "frivolous" separation......all of these decrees were intended to help interpret the original ten commandments....they are generally referred to as "decrees and ordinances".
In 24: 19-21...we learn about second harvesting or "gleaning" so that those without food could have some. This will be seen again in the book of Ruth when we get there. You'll also see what is called a "levirate" marriage which is a widow to the brother of her dead husband....this is what Tamar fought for in Genesis 38...this is so the husband's name is not forgotten through children which was a huge part of Isrealite culture.
Now, for dearest Bonnie, I must admit I was intrigued about why the heck 25: 11 states, "If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity"......why would this random yet specific instruction be here? It must be important if it is there. Surely, there is a reason...and I got this study note from the NSRV...Another man's wife must not intervene in a fight, especially by seizing the genitals, which is evidently understood as an attempt to permanently damage the man's procreative capacities and perhaps bar him from the assembly of the Lord (see 23:1)....so apparently, catfights have gone on since the dawn of man, and are quite ugly no matter how you look at it.....
You'll see in Isaiah, that eunech (a castrated male....in Esther, a eunech is over the king's harem....can you figure out why this may be?) can't be in the assembly of God, along with foreigners (gentiles, non-jews)....but then, just wait, Jesus comes and the gospel is for everyone since the Jews rejected him.......all these things come together.....
And finally consequences of obedience and disobedience are reinforced with a liturgical response.....a declaration and a response from the assembly.....later, the Psalms will be acted out in this way at worship.
Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
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OK....got behind this week but now caught up....and boy did I miss some stuff.
ReplyDeleteMoses is really laying out the law for this new generation....and he is very specific and not leaving room for not understanding....
Now I would have lost a bet if someone asked me it talked about cross dressing in the Bible....yep...Carol....you would have loved my expression on my face when I saw that.....and all the rules on sexual morality...boy some people would be in trouble if this applied today!
One thing I don't understand is why an illegitimate birth cannot go to an assembly of the Lord....what if this birth happened because of force and not because of the mother being a harlot?
Now, I was just a bit grossed out in Ch. 25 where is states that if a man is married and he dies and has a brother, then the brother is to do the husband duties to give her a son. That completely grosses me out. If my Barry dies, I sure do not want his brother to come see me...GROSS!
And, again, I was shocked (as Carol knew I would be ) about the woman grabbing the privates of a man part.......she gets her hand cut off........YIKES.....if you sinned you definitely had consequences.....which is something our society is missing......
Now in my Bible right before Ch 22 it has a life prinicple page that I really like.
It states that we are God's servants everyday...and we need to remember this in our work. Many do not do their best at work because they think management is not fair, they think they are not paid enough, etc.... but we need to remember our work is work for God. To get the most our of our work, we should (1) view yourself as a servant of God 920 Realize that we work for the Lord 930 Realize our pay comes both now and hereafter..
Very cool Bonnie....makes you put work into a different perspective when you know who you really work for....looks like we get a raise eventually LOL
ReplyDeleteOh my word!! I just randomly decided to read yall's posts and wow!! That's some crazy stuff. I mean-crazy! Ill see yall finally Wed night.
ReplyDeleteHa! It is some wild stuff, Esther!!!!! I didn't get any of this in my Sunday School classes growing up!!!!!
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