Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Bible Reading Challenge Week 12 Day 2

Our reading challenge for the day is Deuteronomy 11-15. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?

Deuteronomy 11 - Sometimes I hear that Christian young people should be encouraged to go to a college where they will have the opportunity to take Bible and theology courses in addition to their course of study toward another vocation. Proponents of this view ask where else they will have opportunity to talk about theology and study the Scriptures. This chapter puts that in the context of the home and community. I for one would love to recapture that. Let’s talk about Scripture.

Deuteronomy 12 - Worship of God is distinctive from the worship of the nations. Why do we try to imitate the rest of the world in what we do?

Deuteronomy 13 - Purity in worship is a matter worth fighting for. What are the implications of this in the New Testament? Jesus does not present his people as waging war and killing others for the sake of pure worship.

Deuteronomy 14 - There are many distinctions here. God’s people are to eat a special diet and engage in planned giving. People have suggested many possible reasons for the particulars of the diet. The best reason to accept, though, is that God is making a difference between his people and those who are not his people. Recall the dietary laws have passed away in the New Testament revelation.

Deuteronomy 15 - The Sabbatical year is a sign of how we labor only temporarily. In the last day God gives a true day of rest. We are not to harden our hearts against others during the time of labor knowing the time of rest will come. Rather we all do what we can. In the New Testament Jesus is presented as our Sabbath rest. This law has been fulfilled in Christ, as we who believe enter into rest from our sin and strife.

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