After four months, I have come to the end of the first big chunk of the Old Testament (whilst simultaneously covering Psalms, Proverbs & the New Testament).
Plenty of thoughts & questions have popped into my head in these past weeks. It has actually been quite fun to read passages I was never familiar with. And it has been difficult for me to reflect on everything - even on a weekly basis.
Therefore I've decided to note down a few things that stood out and reflect on them:
The 5 Books of Moses
Throughout the Jewish journey towards the Promised Land, one cannot help but wonder why God's people constantly lacked faith. After all, God made the impossible possible...He performed miracles...MORE than ONCE!
He freed them from slavery. He brought them across an entire sea. He provided food and drink in the desert. He protected them from their enemies. He promised them a better life.
Sure, he made them wait. And due to their disobedience the wait was extended. He didn't ask for much. He offered them laws to abide in, so that their lives would be improved - not limited in their freedom. He asked them to put Him first...and demonstrated this by literally having them carry His spirit within an ark.
The Ark of the Covenant became the symbol that God was with the Jewish nation. Amazingly, it's a progression from Noah's wooden Ark, in which God's people were saved, to a small wooden Ark, in which God placed His spirit to protect Israel's children.
Something vaguely similar followed later, when God's House was built in the form of the Temple, and later replaced by Jesus, as the living temple of God. And through Jesus, the spirit was finally released upon the earth, to roam freely and accessible to all who believe in its divine power.
The Law is a significant factor in the Torah. But God asked for more than obedience to His laws. He asked for faith! And everybody - including Moses - fell short of being perfect and following God. That is why God did not allow Moses to experience the Promised Land.
Talk about a tragic season finale: what could be sadder than watching a man sacrifice his entire life to lead a people to this Promised Land...having to put up with all their rubbish...for 40 years...and then not enter the Land of Milk & Honey. One can only feel sorry for Moses as he reaches the top of the mountain where he dies...seeing that golden country in the distance.
Yet Moses was welcomed into an even greater Kingdom - with a reserved seat at God's banquet table.
Today, a country's law is still a major part of everyone's lives. Obeying these laws, we are told, is to make sure our freedom and safety is guarded. I suppose we ought to be happy that these laws exist. But anybody, at any time, can break the law. If somebody wants to commit murder, he is "free" to do so. The law cannot take away God's first true gift to us: Free Will.
With 'free will' comes great responsibility. We are encouraged to consult God, that it is His will we are doing! We are asked to show respect and pay tribute to our Maker, the one who gave us our freedom. For all our decisions there are consequences - sometimes even ramifications.
As Christians, we learn about 'Grace'. And it is such a meaning-filled word. When you read the witness accounts of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and juxtapose them with the 5 Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), it seems that Grace replaced Law. Jesus' death did not only break the curtain in the temple; it broke the nature of our relationship with God. It returned us to the pre-Apple-eating times, where humans had a direct link to God.
Grace is more than Love & Mercy combined. It is God's second greatest gift to mankind after 'free will'. It is the enabling of a reverse process, whereby we can LIVE in God's presence, be FILLED with His spirit, and get to KNOW Him as our father and creator.
More Random Thoughts
Plenty of thoughts & questions have popped into my head in these past weeks. It has actually been quite fun to read passages I was never familiar with. And it has been difficult for me to reflect on everything - even on a weekly basis.
Therefore I've decided to note down a few things that stood out and reflect on them:
The 5 Books of Moses
Throughout the Jewish journey towards the Promised Land, one cannot help but wonder why God's people constantly lacked faith. After all, God made the impossible possible...He performed miracles...MORE than ONCE!
He freed them from slavery. He brought them across an entire sea. He provided food and drink in the desert. He protected them from their enemies. He promised them a better life.
Sure, he made them wait. And due to their disobedience the wait was extended. He didn't ask for much. He offered them laws to abide in, so that their lives would be improved - not limited in their freedom. He asked them to put Him first...and demonstrated this by literally having them carry His spirit within an ark.
The Ark of the Covenant became the symbol that God was with the Jewish nation. Amazingly, it's a progression from Noah's wooden Ark, in which God's people were saved, to a small wooden Ark, in which God placed His spirit to protect Israel's children.
Something vaguely similar followed later, when God's House was built in the form of the Temple, and later replaced by Jesus, as the living temple of God. And through Jesus, the spirit was finally released upon the earth, to roam freely and accessible to all who believe in its divine power.
The Law is a significant factor in the Torah. But God asked for more than obedience to His laws. He asked for faith! And everybody - including Moses - fell short of being perfect and following God. That is why God did not allow Moses to experience the Promised Land.
Talk about a tragic season finale: what could be sadder than watching a man sacrifice his entire life to lead a people to this Promised Land...having to put up with all their rubbish...for 40 years...and then not enter the Land of Milk & Honey. One can only feel sorry for Moses as he reaches the top of the mountain where he dies...seeing that golden country in the distance.
Yet Moses was welcomed into an even greater Kingdom - with a reserved seat at God's banquet table.
Today, a country's law is still a major part of everyone's lives. Obeying these laws, we are told, is to make sure our freedom and safety is guarded. I suppose we ought to be happy that these laws exist. But anybody, at any time, can break the law. If somebody wants to commit murder, he is "free" to do so. The law cannot take away God's first true gift to us: Free Will.
With 'free will' comes great responsibility. We are encouraged to consult God, that it is His will we are doing! We are asked to show respect and pay tribute to our Maker, the one who gave us our freedom. For all our decisions there are consequences - sometimes even ramifications.
As Christians, we learn about 'Grace'. And it is such a meaning-filled word. When you read the witness accounts of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and juxtapose them with the 5 Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), it seems that Grace replaced Law. Jesus' death did not only break the curtain in the temple; it broke the nature of our relationship with God. It returned us to the pre-Apple-eating times, where humans had a direct link to God.
Grace is more than Love & Mercy combined. It is God's second greatest gift to mankind after 'free will'. It is the enabling of a reverse process, whereby we can LIVE in God's presence, be FILLED with His spirit, and get to KNOW Him as our father and creator.
More Random Thoughts
- Religion is community. A community is full of people who aren't perfect. That's why religion cannot be perfect. Religion is a structure of believers, where faith can grow. Religion is the "greenhouse of faith", so to speak. As imperfect people we are called to love one another as sister and brother.
- Numbers 35:26-33 - There is talk of blood being avenged. From this passage, I can take away another subtle prophecy that one will come whose blood is more valuable than any other sacrifice. This Avenger of Blood is Jesus. He is atonement for God's bloodshed over the promised land!
Comments
Post a Comment