Tag Archives: Bible Study

Jesus says to live for today (Matthew 6: 24-34)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd during the Sermon on the Mount, “No one can be a slave of two masters; he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” He says not to worry about food, drink or clothes. Life is more than that. God feeds the birds and clothes wild grass – “that is here today and gone tomorrow” – and wild flowers with beautiful colors. You of little faith should not worry about tomorrow, but be concerned with what God requires of you, and then He will provide all you need.

My Thoughts:

Serving two masters: You cannot serve God and money. Hmm? I have heard people use this phrase to admonish the rich for accumulating wealth and not sharing through charity, but Jesus did not target the rich in this part of the story. His message was very basic – down to food and clothing – that refers to every man, woman and child.

Worry and Stress: The real message is about worry and stress, which doctors today are confirming can shorten your life. Jesus tells everyone not to worry about tomorrow that God will provide enough of your basic needs as long as you serve Him.

Life is short: Jesus essentially said to live for today since life is short – “here today and gone tomorrow.” You really only have today, this moment. All the guilt or concern over what you did or failed to do, or wrongs that happened to you in the past are just that, in the past. There is nothing you can do to change what happened then. And, the future is but a dream. Planning is good so you have a road map where you would like to go – your hopes and dreams – but they are only accomplished by living and acting upon them today. So, start those dreams today, even by taking just small steps in that direction. God is looking for you to answer his call – start now.

God gives rules about health issues (Leviticus 13, 14, 15)

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Bible Summary:

God gives Aaron and Moses rules about managing skin diseases. Anyone with a sore on the skin, boil, burn, spots, or are balding must visit the priest. The priest either isolates the person for a week for reexamination or deems the person unclean, and sends them to live outside the camp, uncombed and in torn clothes. Once the skin heals, the priest examines the person, deems them clean, and then conducts ritual offerings. The healed person washes their clothes, shaves their head, and then moves back into camp, though lives outside their tent for a week before being deemed completely clean.

God also provides rules about managing mildew. The people of Israel tell a priest if they find mildew on their clothes or in their house. Clothes are held and reexamined in seven days. If the mold spreads, they must burn the clothes. They must lock up a house with mildew for a week. If the mold spreads, they must replace the stones. If the mold persists they must tear down the house.

God also gives rules about men with discharge or semen and women during their periods.

My Thoughts:

Roles of the Priests: Priests were spiritual leaders, judges and even doctors in the time of Moses, examining patients and prescribing treatment.  They also ruled on heath care issues, like mildew management.

Quarantine: The priests quarantined diseased people outside the main community to stop the spread of the disease. Affected people were not exiled, but allowed to reenter the community once they become clean, unless the disease persisted like leprosy.

Do not hide your disease: I am sure afflicted people felt like outcasts back then and were very relieved when the symptoms cleared. Many cancer patients today distress over what people think about their baldness from chemotherapy and hide behind a wig. I understand no one wants pitied, but displaying your disease has two benefits: it shows you are fighting it head on and it let others know so they can pray for you. So, do not hide your disease, wear it like a medal so everyone can see how strong you are in the fight. This may seem easier for men, but I have seen many women, beautiful women, adorned with beautiful scarves. No matter what you decide, my prayers are with you!

Jesus says to focus on riches in heaven (Matthew 6: 19-23)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount to store up riches in heaven instead of the ones on earth that can be destroyed or stolen. He says, “Your heart will always be where your riches are” and your eyes are a lamp of your body, so see light and your body will not be in darkness.

My Thoughts:

You receive what you focus on: Focus on money and you will receive money, but maybe at a high price – sacrifice of your family, your honor, and your soul. Storing up riches in heaven means casting aside the concern for money and focusing instead on making life better for as many other people as possible.

Enough: So, know when you have enough – food, shelter, clothes, and other possessions – to live in this world, and then focus all of your time on doing good. It will make all the difference in your life.

God’s rules for women after childbirth (Leviticus 12)

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Bible Summary:

God gives Moses regulations for women after childbirth since they are ritually unclean for forty days after the birth of a boy and eighty days for a girl. They must not touch anything holy or enter the sacred Tent. After this purification period, they must offer a burnt sacrifice to the priest so God can take away the impurity. God provides for a lesser offering for women who cannot afford the standard one.

My Thoughts:

Male Dominance: Women are unclean during their periods, longer after childbirth, and even more so for having a daughter. This is only a small sign of the male dominance that continues to influence our world even today.

I wonder how many wars, deaths, drive-by shootings, business hostile takeovers, layoffs, and other aggressive behaviors will happen before women “put their foot down” and tell all the adult boys to play nice. Charitable organizations like Care and UNICEF focus on educating women around the world because they are more responsible and likely to make an impact on future generations, including their sons!

Jesus teaches not to draw attention (Matthew 6: 16-18)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus teaches the crowd during the Sermon on the Mount not to draw attention to themselves during fasting, but to wash their faces and comb their hair so people cannot tell, since fasting is a private matter with God.

My Thoughts:

Compliments: Sometimes we all want to be noticed, to be told we look nice, that we are successful, that we are doing something right. If we do not receive compliments then we will seek attention in other ways. People do not seem to give out compliments enough, so try to start a trend and maybe it will come around to greet you at a later date.

God lists animals that may be eaten (Leviticus 11)

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Bible Summary:

God gives Moses and Aaron a list of animals the people of Israel may eat and ones to avoid.

Animals they can eat:

  • Land animals with divided hoofs that chew cud, except camels, rock badgers, or rabbits.
  • Any fish with fins and scales, but nothing else in the waters.

Animals that must not be eaten:

  • Pigs, since they do not chew cud.
  • All animals with hoofs, except those with divided hoofs that chew cud.
  • All four-footed animals with paws.
  • These birds: eagles, owls, hawks, falcons, buzzards, vultures, crows, ostriches, seagulls, storks, heron, pelican, cormorants, or bats.
  • All winged insects, except those that hop like locust, crickets, or grasshoppers.
  • Small animals that crawl or walk on the ground, with four legs or more, including Moles, rats, mice and lizards.

Also, if you touch a dead animal, you must wash your hands and will still be unclean until the evening. If it comes in contact with your clothes, you need to clean them. If a dead animal touches a pot, clay stove or oven, it is to be broken and thrown away.

My Thoughts:

Cultures and Foods: It is interesting how different cultures eat or do not eat certain foods. The people of Israel were not allowed to eat pork, but could eat locust, crickets and grasshoppers. Today, the people in India do not eat cows since they consider them sacred and the people of China seem to eat about anything.

For what it is worth, I have eaten frogs legs, turtle soup, alligator, and rattle snake – and as the joke goes, they do all taste like chicken!

Hygiene: God taught the Israelites about hygiene, to clean after touching dead animals. This may have been in response to the dead animals and disease that killed many of the Egyptians. The ban on pork may also be due to an outbreak of trichinosis back then.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 7-15)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus says not to use a lot of meaningless words when you pray and offers the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

He further says if you forgive others their wrongs then God will forgive you.

My Thoughts:

What a compact prayer that teaches everyone to:

  • Worship God
  • Accept God’s will
  • Live for today – not in the past or the future
  • Know when you have enough – our daily bread
  • Forgive yourself (i.e. don’t beat yourself up over mistakes) and forgive others (they make mistakes too)
  • Help keep us away from temptation
  • Keep us safe – from evil

Amen!

Jesus teaches to do charity anonymously (Matthew 6: 1-6)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount to do religious duties and charitable works privately such that even your closest friends do not know about it.

My Thoughts:

Public Display of Charity: I wrote yesterday about a woman who did 26 random acts of kindness in a day. She posted her experience on Facebook “to inspire more people,” but according to Jesus the woman “will not have any reward from your Father in heaven” because she did the acts publicly. At first, I was thinking the same thing – that she did it for attention, especially handing out balloons to kids in front of Target! But, at the end of her project she posted a summary of what she learned, including tearing up at another woman’s really thankful response to paying for her groceries. So, I think the kindness made its impact on the giver too.

Piousness: I think Jesus was warning everyone about piousness – tell them to not go to church or do charitable works just to show others you are better than them. These are private affairs between you and God that should make you feel good inside just for the doing.

Even though it is best to do good privately, it is better to do them any way you see fit than not at all. So, do not let this warning hamper you from doing an act of kindness directly to someone or in front of others, just don’t brag about it!

Moses ordains first priests (Leviticus 8, 9, 10)

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Bible Summary:

In front of the community, Moses ordains Aaron and his sons as priests using the exact rituals prescribed by God, including a ritual bath, the priestly garments, animal sacrifices, and placing ram’s blood on their right ear lobe, thumb, and big toe.

The next day, at Moses’ request, Aaron presents God separate sin, burnt, grain and fellowship offerings. Aaron finishes, blesses the people, and then enters the Tent of God’s presence with Moses. They return, bless the people, and God appears as dazzling lights. Suddenly, God sends fire that consumes the burnt offering. The people of Israel bow down to the ground.

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu offer coals in fire-pans that are not holy, so God sends fire that burns them to death. Moses tells Aaron not to mourn his sons since he is holy, but to let the people mourn them.

Moses also tells Aaron the rules of being a priest: no alcoholic drinks before entering God’s Tent, they must distinguish between what is God’s versus general use and between what is clean and unclean, and they must teach God’s laws to the people.

My Thoughts:

Blaming bad things on God: Moses consecrates the priests and God is happy so He reveals himself as dazzling lights. The people bow in awe. Later, God burns Aaron’s sons to death over presenting the wrong fire pans. It sure seems this was an accident everyone blames on God. How easy it is to claim victory based on our own abilities, but to blame God when things do not happen as we would like?  Praise Him if you win and praise Him if you do not.  In the end, He will take care of you.

Right Dominant: Interesting that the right dominant aspect of society goes back to biblical times, as shown by the ram’s blood being placed on the right ear lobe, thumb on the right hand, and right big toe. Per Wikipedia, left-handers make up about 10% of the world’s population and four (maybe five) of the last seven U.S. Presidents! (See the “Politics” section near the bottom of the article for details).

Jesus teaches to love your enemy (Matthew 5: 43-48)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. He says God makes sun and rain fall on good and bad people alike so we must become perfect and love everyone too.

My Thoughts:

Non-Violence Training: Jesus continues his non-violence training by going beyond the thought of not seeking revenge to actually loving your enemies. A small group of people cannot change the belief of the majority by force, but has a good chance by following the ways of Jesus.

Love Your Enemies: Now that is a hard pill to swallow. How can you love your enemy when they are causing you grief? Think how angry we get when someone cuts us off on the highway. But, loving your enemy is the only long-term solution. Retaliation causes retaliation and escalation. Instead, look for common ground with your enemy. Find something to talk about. Try to compliment them. The best scenario is to turn them into a friend, then you no longer have an enemy.

Flipping the Lens on Stereotyping: We should be very careful not to stereotype people because of the actions of a few. It was real easy to think badly about all Muslims because of a few extremists who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, but most Muslims are actually very nice, Godly (“Allah” to them) people. Their religion also comes from Abraham and teaches their faithful to believe in Jesus as a messenger of God.