Tag Archives: Bible Study

Jesus teaches against revenge (Matthew 5: 38-42)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount not to seek revenge as the old “eye for an eye” laws say, but to offer the other cheek to your aggressor, to give the thief your coat as well, and to give whenever someone asks.

My Thoughts:

Teaching meekness?: It sure seems Jesus is teaching everyone to be meek, to roll over and accept all the bad in life with a smile on their face. In reality, he is teaching them the strength of not allowing their emotions to take over a situation, getting them further into trouble. He is also teaching them not to seek revenge to remove the strife which can last for generations as long, drawn-out feuds between families where the descendants do not even know the original reason for the disagreement.

Teaching Followers Non-Violence: I believe Jesus had the foresight to realize his followers would be persecuted by the authorities for his beliefs which were different than the established laws and customs of the time. It does not matter that he was teaching good, just that it was different. To reduce this persecution, he conducted the first campaign of non-violence that set in motion a religion that would dwarf the Jewish faith and now encompasses one-third of the people around the world.

Mohandas Gandhi copied these non-violent methods to free India from British rule and Martin Luther King, Jr. copied them to gain civil rights for all Americans regardless of race, religion, or any other reason to separate people.  Non-violence works.

Walk Away: So the next time you are in a quarrel, put yourself in good company like Jesus, Dr. King, and Gandhi, and be strong enough to walk away until the other person cools off.

Payments for Sins (Leviticus 3,4,5,6,7)

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Bible Summary:

God gives Moses detailed regulations for fellowship, unintentional sins (by the High Priest, the whole community, the ruler or one of the common people), sins, repayments, burnt, and grain offerings, including animals to offer and steps to take in each case. A guilty person must confess the sin and bring the required animal offering, which the priest will offer as sacrifice for the man’s sins.

Sins include witnesses not showing in court when summoned, someone touching anything humanly or ritually unclean, like dead animals, and someone making a careless vow. Repayment offerings are to include the repayment plus an extra 20 percent. And, if anyone eats the fellowship offering without being ritually clean will no longer be one of God’s people.

My Thoughts:

Chance for Redemption: God gives the people of Israel opportunities to make amends for their wrongdoing by making offerings to receive forgiveness for their sins.

Unclean: This is the first reference in the Bible to uncleanliness. Keeping food clean may be what saved them from the plagues that killed so many in Egypt. The unclean here sound like the Untouchables of India who handle the dead.

First Late Fee: God introduces the first late payment fee of 20%. Luckily it is only a flat fee now, unless you have a low balance.

Jesus says not to break promises (Matthew 5: 33-37)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount to not break a promise or swear a vow by God or heaven, just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

My Thoughts:

Promises: Jesus distinguishes between a vow and a promise. It seems a vow – where you swear to God – is much more binding, though we are still not to break our promises. I guess if you promise something, you can get out of it for extenuating reasons, but a vow you must do everything in your power to complete it – including risking your life.

Military, Firefighters and Police: I guess the best examples are the men and women who serve in the military and as firefighters and police officers. They have made a vow to protect the citizens and are willing to risk their lives. They do not run away, but push through the fear to save others. Thank you all for this vow to keep us safe!

Offering Grain and Bread to God (Leviticus 2)

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Bible Summary:

People offering grain to God must first grind it into flour and then place olive oil and incense on it before giving it to the priest. If the offering is bread, whether baked in an oven, on a griddle, or in a pan, it must be made without yeast. The priest is to burn part of the offering on the altar and then keep the rest. The people are also to offer the first grain of the harvest to God each year, salted to represent the covenant with God.

My Thoughts:

I never knew they had ovens, griddles and pans 3500 years ago in which to make unleavened bread. I guess I always knew about the brick ovens, but not the pans.

Bread: the offering of bread during the religious ceremony goes back to Moses?  I never really connected that.  This is so eye opening and interesting.

Salt Preserves: I believe the salt in the grain “preserves” the covenant with God just as much as it preserved the grain. Salt has been important to the history of humans for thousands of years. Next time you grab some food, look at the sodium content to see how much salt is in your food.

Rules for Burning Sacrifices (Leviticus 1)

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Bible Summary:

God gives Moses rules for the Israelites to follow when offering sacrifice. The animal – cow, sheep, goat or bird – must be without defects. Upon presentation at the entrance of the Tent of God’s presence, the man is to touch the animal’s head and the offering will be accepted as a sacrifice to take away his sins. The animal will be killed; the priest will throw the blood against the altar; and then they will burn the animal. The odor of this food offering is pleasing to God.

My Thoughts:

God through Moses establishes specific rules for the Israelites to live by, including sacrificing animals to Him. Sounds like the roasted beef smelled good!

Bible Translation: I never realized the Old Testament mentioned “take away his sins,” so I looked up Leviticus 1:4 in fifteen different Bibles at Bible.com plus Catholic.org and that language is never used. The most common translation is “make atonement for him”. This shows how different translations can add to the confusion of discussing the Bible.

Note: I am using the Good News Bible, Catholic Study Edition.

Jesus teaches about adultery and divorce (Matthew 5: 27-32)

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Bible Summary:

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that even looking at a woman and wanting to possess her is committing adultery. He then says if your right eye or hand causes you to sin, then you should throw it away. It is better to lose an eye or limb instead of having your whole body thrown into hell.  He also says a married person can only divorce if his or her spouse is unfaithful; otherwise the person is guilty of causing the spouse to commit adultery.

My Thoughts:

Marriage is Sacred: Jesus makes a very graphic point about married people not looking at (pluck your eyes out) or touching (cut off your hands) other people than their spouse. He also says divorce is only justified if the other person is unfaithful.

Obviously, marriage was very sacred back then and adultery was a crime punishable by stoning. What a dramatic difference to our day-in-age where over half the marriages end in divorce. I guess the couples are “punished” through divorce court and are a little more cautious the second time around.

Communication: Remember when you first met and just could not stand being away from each other. You asked all about your spouse-to-be: family history; likes and dislikes; favorite color, movie, flowers, sweets, etc. You asked questions, you probed to find out his or her hopes, dreams, and concerns. You listened intently – to every word.

We grow comfortable in marriage, many times too comfortable where we plop down on the couch exhausted after a long day at work and shuttling the kids to activities, too tired to even speak. We turn on the TV and “tune out” until bedtime. If this is you, make changes today.

  • Sneak a love note in her purse.
  • Schedule time alone with him. Yes – I said “schedule” and stick to the appointment like “having to” take the kids to practice.
  • Turn off the TV at least once a week.
  • I’ll have to come up with some more ideas later, but you get the point.

Exodus Summary

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Bible Summary:

A new King of Egypt is even harder on the Hebrew slaves. A compassionate King’s daughter takes in baby Hebrew Moses and raises him. Moses grows up, fights against an injustice, and flees the city. God sends him back to free the Hebrews with multiple plagues on the Egyptians, finally killing all their first-born sons while saving the Hebrews during Passover. The grieving King releases all the Hebrews in the morning, and they are given all of Egypt’s valuables. Later, the King changes his mind and sends his army after them. Moses parts the Red Sea, leads the Hebrews to safety, and destroys the Egyptian army with the water. The Hebrews celebrate until they run out of water crossing the desert. They complain and God provides water and manna. The Amalekites attack the Hebrews, but Joshua’s army prevails with God’s help through Moses’ staff.

With 2.4 million people, the Hebrews are the size of metro Pittsburgh, the 22nd largest city in the United States. With his father-in-law’s advice, Moses appoints judges to handle disputes. God reminds them He freed them from the Egyptians and lays down The Ten Commandments plus many of the civic laws we live by today, like how to handle destruction of someone else’s property. Moses spends forty days with God on Mount Sinai and comes down with the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets, but returns to find the people worshiping a gold calf. He smashes the tablets and has the Levites kill 3,000 people.

Later, Moses convinces God, despite the Hebrews behavior, to come with them on their journey. God has Moses set up the priesthood, first synagogue, Ark of the Covenant to hold the new tablets, a menorah, anointing oils and incense.

My Thoughts:

Jacob’s descendants grow to 2.4 million slaves in Egypt after 430 years causing a concerned King to try to reduce their numbers. The harsh treatment leads to Moses’ rise and God’s wrath against the Egyptians until they release the Hebrews. After a while, the Hebrews forget the miracles God did for them and begin to complain. God provides for them, but they lose faith after Moses is gone forty days to carve the Ten Commandments in stone, and then begin to worship a gold calf. God wants to kill them all and restart with Moses’ descendants, but Moses convinces Him to give them another chance. They build the first worship center and establish the priesthood to honor Him. God is pleased.

God calls Moses to help release the Hebrews. Moses reluctantly agrees. Sometimes God calls people to do great things. We need to be ready to take that call.

God did amazing miracles to release the Hebrews from slavery, but, having grown up believing in a loving God, I had a very hard time relating to a vengeful God that wiped out so many Egyptians and was ready to kill all the Hebrews and start again with Moses.  Maybe this was man’s interpretation of an incredible natural disaster that freed the Hebrews.

The Hebrews lose faith in God even though he continues to provide for them.  Think how hard it is for us to believe when times are tough, then try to imagine what it was like to be a slave, chased by the greatest army of the time, and almost dying of starvation and thirst.  The best mantra to pull the Hebrews out of their slave-mentality was telling them they were the “chosen ones.”

It is also amazing that Moses created the priesthood and many of the laws we live by today, 3500 years later.

 

Jesus teaches about anger (Matthew 5: 21-26)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount that anger is as bad as murder. He warns that calling your brother names can put you in danger of going to hell. It is so important to make peace with your brother that you are to leave the altar to reconcile and then return to offer your gift to God. He also advises to settle any lawsuit before it gets to court or you will go to jail until you pay the whole fine.

My Thoughts:

Anger: Jesus warns us that we will go to hell for our anger. Anger can actually be a living hell for the people who experience the wrath and the person who is angry. The angry person may experience remorse after the incident, but the scars continue long after for the victims. They can become unsure, risk averse, compliant and allow people to walk all over them. They may even continue the cycle and become angry people too, perpetuating the abuse for generations to come. If you have a problem, please seek help now. At least, study anger management books or sign up for a class. If that does not work, then seek professional help. It is worth it for your friends, family, colleagues, and generations to come.

Jesus says to follow God’s Laws (Matthew 5: 17-20)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount they must continue to obey the Laws of Moses and teachings of the prophets if they wish to enter heaven. They must follow the Laws faithfully and do what God requires.

My Thoughts:

Laws of Morality: Every community and religion covers the basic laws of morality like not lying or stealing. These and the other Ten Commandments are the laws that Jesus refers to that people are to follow.

People of Israel complete God’s Requests (Exodus 35,36,37,38,39)

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Bible Summary:

The people of Israel offer all the items God requested of Moses based on the census of 603,550 men twenty years and older, actually too much so that Moses had to ask them to stop. The men build the Tent of the Lord’s presence to house the tablets with the Ten Commandments, the Covenant Box, the table to offer bread to God, the Lampstand, the altar for burning incense, the altar for burning offerings, and the bronze basin. They also make the anointing oil, incense and priests garments, including the breast piece. When all is done, Moses blesses them.

My Thoughts:

Plan into action: A plan is only good when put into action. God plans out in detail what Moses is to have the people of Israel create and they put it into action.

Blessing: we are blessed when we fulfill what God asks of us.