Acts 5:29-42

Lectionary Text for March 31, 2014

The First Lesson

Acts 5:29-42

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. [1]

“We must obey God rather than men.” What a confession of faith which Peter gives.

In the time of Easter, what would normally be our Old Testament Lesson is taken from the book of Acts.  The Second Sunday of Easter’s First Lesson then starts with these great words of Peter.  In order to simply understand why Peter is saying this, we should simply give a brief summary of the events just prior to this confession.

The Church has become an unstoppable force and is making waves in Jerusalem and all of Judea.  People are hearing the Gospel and are coming to faith in Christ.  People are likewise being freed of their religious grip that has held them by the Jewish religious leaders.  Naturally then, the religious leaders do not like this.  To be faith some do not like it for evil reasons and some do not like it because they consider it to be a denial of the one true God. 

In either case, the Gospel is spreading by the preaching of the Gospel.  So, they arrest Peter and the other apostles and throw them in prison.  Miraculously, they are released from this prison and continue to preach the Good News. 

When they are caught once again (caught is not a good term as they were not doing anything deceptive, but proclaiming the Good News openly and in the Court Yard of the Temple) they are brought before the council as the High Priest demands that they stop preaching.

This is where we pick up our lesson with Peter’s response… “We must obey God rather than man.”  It is important to see then how bold of a statement this truly is.  They just killed Jesus for doing the same thing, what’s to stop them from doing the same to the apostles?

Here is where it really gets interesting and compelling for the Christian faith.  An opponent to the faith, Gamaliel, stands up and gives a soliloquy about all of the apparent messiah’s which had risen up in the recent years and that when they had died, so did their following.  What is interesting is that the council knows that Jesus had risen from the dead, so some were trying to do whatever they could to stop the spreading of this message.  But others, those who knew their history and also trusted greatly in God, did not want to be found on the side fighting against God.  So, Gamaliel’s words are profound in this case when he says, “38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,” 

The council listens to him, and they beat the apostles which only strengthens them even more because they found that being persecuted for the sake of the Gospel was a blessing. 

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ac 5:29–42.

Isaiah 50:4-9

Lectionary Text for April 14, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Isaiah 50:4-9a

4  The Lord God has given me

the tongue of those who are taught,

       that I may know how to sustain with a word

him who is weary.

       Morning by morning he awakens;

he awakens my ear

to hear as those who are taught.

5     The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious;

I turned not backward.

6     I gave my back to those who strike,

and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;

       I hid not my face

from disgrace and spitting.

7     But the Lord God helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

       therefore I have set my face like a flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

8         He who vindicates me is near.

       Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

       Who is my adversary?

Let him come near to me.

9     Behold, the Lord God helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

       Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;

the moth will eat them up. {C}[1]

Our Old Testament lesson for Palm Sunday guides us swiftly into Holy Week.  It is a beautiful poetic prophecy from Isaiah that at once turns our minds to Christ and our thoughts to his suffering. 

The reading is begun abruptly in the chapter probably because the first three verses can be rather confusing.  To be very simple in its explanation, we are pushed into verse four with the idea that we are barren and alone.  Nothing is good and we are left wanting in our own sin looking and clinging to God.

Verse four points us to Christ and gives us a look at the eloquence of his teaching.  In the same breath, we ourselves must understand that these words have been put into our mouths to speak in the times of trial on this earth and for the sake of bringing those who are weary a sustaining word. 

Verse five shows us the sinlessness of Christ in that He was not rebellious to the Word of God. 

Verse six then reminds us of the suffering of Christ on our behalf.  He who was without sin, became, or took on the punishment, of our sin for us.  We are struck by the utter humiliation of Christ in this verse.  Christ gave himself over to this torture willingly and without regret.  The words in verse five, “I turned not backward” and verse six, “I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting” remind us of the position Christ took in saving his people.

To take a brief excurses from the text and pause here, we must examine our Christian lives.  We do not want to take on the idea that because Christ suffered so much, or the moral of the story idea that says we can do what Christ has done.  However, we are challenged by these words as they apply to Christ in us.  Are we willing to take such a stand for our faith?  Are we so comfortable that we take a “back seat” position in our faith?  The sad thing about our culture is that though many are convicted in their faith, few have the courage to stand for it even in the midst of such harsh persecution. 

Verse seven and following takes us both out of this excurses with a promised, and sends us forward in Christ in the text.

We are given the amazing statement, “But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced’ therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”

This amazing and comforting statement reminds us of the strength given by God to us.  Though we fall under the weight of our sin, we know that Christ suffered even death for us.  We also know that through his grace and forgiveness, we are given the strength to meet the trouble of today with confidence and courage.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 50:4–9.

Isaiah 42:14-21

Lectionary Text for March 31, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Isaiah 42:14-21

14    For a long time I have held my peace;

I have kept still and restrained myself;

       now I will cry out like a woman in labor;

I will gasp and pant.

15    I will lay waste mountains and hills,

and dry up all their vegetation;

       I will turn the rivers into islands,

and dry up the pools.

16    And I will lead the blind

in a way that they do not know,

       in paths that they have not known

I will guide them.

       I will turn the darkness before them into light,

the rough places into level ground.

       These are the things I do,

and I do not forsake them.

17    They are turned back and utterly put to shame,

who trust in carved idols,

       who say to metal images,

“You are our gods.”

Israel’s Failure to Hear and See

18    Hear, you deaf,

and look, you blind, that you may see!

19    Who is blind but my servant,

or deaf as my messenger whom I send?

       Who is blind as my dedicated one,

or blind as the servant of the Lord?

20    He sees many things, but does not observe them;

his ears are open, but he does not hear.

21    The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake,

to magnify his law and make it glorious. [1]

This Scripture is chosen for this Sunday because of its correlating Gospel text from John 9.

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”3 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” [2]

The two can be seen simultaneously synced in that the Pharisees, though they profess to have faith in God alone, have created for themselves an idol of the law.  While on the other hand, Christ has overcome the curse of the law and made the blind to see.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 42:14–21.

[2] Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009).

Exodus 17:1-9

Lectionary Text for March 23, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Exodus 17:1-9

Water from the Rock

17 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” [1]

The account of the water from the rock is marked as a pivotal time in the leadership of Moses.  In chapter 16 we read how the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron for not having any food.  In verse three we hear the people of Israel say, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”[2]  God answers their grumbling with Manna from heaven and satisfies their needs.  Then in chapter 17 they become thirsty and once again grumbled against Moses.  Interestingly enough, after having been freed from Egypt and witnessed the miracle at the Red Sea and given food out of nothing, they still complain saying, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”[3] 

Moses goes to God in prayer.  His prayer is one of a broken and lost leader who knows that he cannot do this on his own.  His cry, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me,”[4] is a cry of desperation.

It is more than ironic that both Moses and the people would react the way that they do.  The people, who have seen the wonders of God and still react as though God would not take care of them.  Their grumbling is one that is had today when we think we know best and come to conclusions on our own.  There notion that God has just brought them out to die is one that can almost be heard by the reader and even seen.  The reader can picture the story of how God is going to leave the people to die, and Moses is going to return to Egypt and live in the palace once again.  That this has been one giant carefully orchestrated plan to kill them people of Israel and bring Egypt into a money making war.  Now, the gossip has spread like wild fire and Moses, the timid leader, is lost in knowing how to get the people to listen.  His words of desperation are a clear reminder that Moses is not in charge, though he has grown a little too fond of his position.  He asks, “What shall I do with this people?” as though he has the power of himself to do anything. 

God gives Moses the task of bringing the people water by standing before the Rock of Horeb (this is not only the place where Moses will climb later and encounter God, but it becomes a place where God sends His mercy) and to strike the rock.  Moses does and water, life giving water, flows.

We must book end this with what Moses does in Numbers 20.  While here, God instructs Moses to strike the Rock, arguably to simultaneously give Moses the confidence that he is the chosen leader of these people and to lead as such, and to show the people both the power and providence of God as well that God has chosen Moses to be their leader.  However, in Numbers 20, God has a different purpose.  “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water.” [5]  God instructs Moses to not hit the rock, but to simply tell it to spring forth water.  Moses ignores this instruction and takes it upon himself to hit the rock twice.  For this, Moses is given the punishment that he will not enter the Promised Land. 

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ex 17:1–7.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ex 16:3.

[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ex 17:3.

[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ex 17:4.

[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Nu 20:8.

Genesis 12:1-9

Lectionary Text for March 16, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Genesis 12:1-9

The Call of Abram

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.[1]

Our Old Testament lesson draws us to the beginning of God’s chosen people.  The calling of Abram as the father of God’s chosen people is without compromise, a vision of how to understand God’s sovereign choice. 

It must be seen clearly and observed by the trues studier of Scripture that God came and chose Abram.  This is just the same as He made for himself this creation including Adam and Eve; that he chose Noah; and now that He chooses Abram to be the agent through which He will embark on the journey of salvation for His people.  This is not clearer than who is doing all of the “work” in verses 1-3.  The “I” in these verses is clear enough…God is working and not Abram.

Equally so is the parallel Gospel reading for the day which includes the well-known verse of John 3:16, “For GOD so loved the world…”  Even in this verse it must be seen that it is not the believing of God that brought salvation, but that God chose, out of His love, to send His Son to save the world.

Also of interest in this reading is verse 3 and the proclamation of blessing and curse.  Not only is this a proclamation of the result of turning to God for salvation, but it is also a missional stance as equal to that of the Great Commission.  God is proclaiming that His intentions are to save the World and not just the select descendants of Abram.  This promise is also for those who will bless this holy nation for God says, “I will bless those who bless you…”

Lastly, we must render a lesson of faith from our father Abram who upon the calling of God went to a land not his own and left his comfort behind.

In the mission we have been given, we are to do the same.  God is calling you to serve Him where He has placed you in your day to day life.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 12:1–9.

Genesis 12:1-9

Lectionary Text for March 16, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Genesis 12:1-9

The Call of Abram

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.[1]

Our Old Testament lesson draws us to the beginning of God’s chosen people.  The calling of Abram as the father of God’s chosen people is without compromise, a vision of how to understand God’s sovereign choice. 

It must be seen clearly and observed by the trues studier of Scripture that God came and chose Abram.  This is just the same as He made for himself this creation including Adam and Eve; that he chose Noah; and now that He chooses Abram to be the agent through which He will embark on the journey of salvation for His people.  This is not clearer than who is doing all of the “work” in verses 1-3.  The “I” in these verses is clear enough…God is working and not Abram.

Equally so is the parallel Gospel reading for the day which includes the well-known verse of John 3:16, “For GOD so loved the world…”  Even in this verse it must be seen that it is not the believing of God that brought salvation, but that God chose, out of His love, to send His Son to save the world.

Also of interest in this reading is verse 3 and the proclamation of blessing and curse.  Not only is this a proclamation of the result of turning to God for salvation, but it is also a missional stance as equal to that of the Great Commission.  God is proclaiming that His intentions are to save the World and not just the select descendants of Abram.  This promise is also for those who will bless this holy nation for God says, “I will bless those who bless you…”

Lastly, we must render a lesson of faith from our father Abram who upon the calling of God went to a land not his own and left his comfort behind.

In the mission we have been given, we are to do the same.  God is calling you to serve Him where He has placed you in your day to day life.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 12:1–9.

Exodus 24:8-18

Lectionary Text for March 3, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Exodus 24:8-18

8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. [1]

For Transfiguration Sunday in Series A…the Lectionary is divided up into three years and each year has its own designated readings…we get three mountain top readings.  The Old Testament lesson is the one printed above which recalls Moses on Mt. Sinai.  The Epistle lesson is from 2 Peter 1 and recalls Peter’s eyewitness account of Jesus’ Transfiguration on the mountain.  Finally, the Gospel Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration in Matthew 17.

 In our study we are going to draw some parallels between the Old Testament text from Exodus and the Gospel text from Matthew. 

The first thing we notice is verse 8 and Moses sprinkling blood on the people saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”  This odd act is one of pointing toward something.  It would be wrong for us to read the Old Testament in light of ritualistic sacrifices of other cultures.  In most other sacrificial cultures, a living thing is killed and its blood is offered up as something that pleases God.  However, we know from Scripture that these things do not “please” God…

Isaiah 1:11

11    “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the Lord;

       I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of well-fed beasts;

       I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats. {C}[2]

Rather, the blood points to the sacrifice of Christ, which again is not a ritualistic sacrifice of a life, but very real happening where God takes on the result of sin (death) unto himself for his creation.  This is what Christ is heading for after the Transfiguration when he heads down the mountain.

Verse 12 deserves a brief focus simply because of its use of two words we often associate as being the same thing.  12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” [3]  Law and commandment are two different things.  The law is the instruction which God give in order to be able to know how He has commanded the world to work.  Christ then fulfills the Law perfectly, thus the revelation of his Glory on the mountain points back to verse 12.

Finally, as we head into 40 days of Lent, we are both reminded of the Temptation of Christ (the reading for next Sunday’s Gospel) and we are drawn to Moses’ 40 days on the mountain.  Remembering that Jesus is with both Moses and Elijah (Law and the Prophets) on the mountain, it begs remembering that 1 Kings 19 records that Elijah was 40 days and nights to the mountain of God.

All of this is about fulfillment.  God is in the world working to save the world from its sin (separation from God’s plan).  He accomplishes this in Christ. 

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ex 24:8–18.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 1:11.

[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ex 24:12.

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

Lectionary Text for February 24th, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

The Lord Is Holy

19 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. [1]

9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. [2]

Two focus words for this text must be discussed before we can proceed with the study of this lesson.

The first is the word holy.  קָדוֹשׁ    pronounced ‘ka-doshe’ is the Hebrew word for holy.  To be holy is to be set apart. 

The second word is righteousness.  צֶ֫דֶק  pronounced ‘tse-deec’ is the Hebrew word for righteousness.  This word means to do something right or with justice.  It can also be described as a state of being.

In looking at these two words, we might assume that they mean the same thing.  However, they are not the same thing, yet they both come from the same place.  Holiness, with the understanding that only God can truly be holy (set apart from all other things and perfect), is a declarative state by virtue of being made holy.  For instance, a pot may be like any other ordinary pot, but once set apart for the purpose of transporting water, it is holy unto that purpose.  You would not want to transport raw meat in the same pot. That is unless it had been cleaned first. 

Righteousness is the right order of things done to make something holy.  Like our pot, the right thing to do to make it holy for carrying water, would be to clean and disinfect it before using it to carry water.  However, it would be wrong to say that righteousness leads to holiness because to be holy is a declarative state of being that is a meta-declaration (you can’t declare yourself holy).  You can do those things which have been given for holy things to do.

Therefore, verse two resounds with this understand, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  We have been made holy because the Lord is the very essence of Holy. 

What follows are signs of the righteousness we have been given.  Summed up, we take care of one another we are not selfish unto ourselves.  We are reminded of this after each statement of what we are to do by God reminding us of why we do these things, because “I Am the LORD.”  This harkens back then to verse two.

Alongside of this understanding is the drastic contradiction of the world’s wisdom to what God is giving His people to do.  We are not to live for our self, but for our neighbor and we are to treat them as we would have our self treated.  We are not to be partial to anyone, poor or rich (15), but righteousness is to be our guide in carrying out these things.

Now, knowing that our nature is to not do these things, God has already declared us to be Holy.  In Christ, He has placed this seal of holiness upon you and made you to be righteous.  Therefore, as we read last week, this is not too great a thing for us, for we are Holy as God is Holy.      

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Le 19:1–2.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Le 19:9–18.

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20

Lectionary Text for February 16th, 2014

Old Testament Lesson

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20

The Choice of Life and Death

11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” [1]

This is a somewhat perplexing text in that it can confuse the reader if we do not understand the context of what God is saying to His people (you) and if we misunderstand the force of the verbs.  So, let’s dive in…

First, we must look at the preceding verses that are not included in the lectionary.  Verse 11-14 are not included in the lectionary reading, though I think they should be.  They set the tone for what God says through His prophet Moses. 

In verse 11 we have the word “commandment” (מִצְוָה) used.  Our English understanding of this word brings with it a lot of baggage.  As 21st century Americans, we really do not like for anyone to command us to do anything.  We also, when we hear this word, go straight to the “Ten Commandments” and think of them.  However, both our disdain for being commanded to do anything, and our lack of understanding of the Ten Commandments interrupts our ability to appreciate the gift of life God is giving us in these words in Deuteronomy 30. 

The word “commandment” would better be understood in our vernacular as gifts, or wisdom.  While I would not suggest translating it as such, the thought in our context or conceptualization of these words would be better.  So that verse 11 would be more comparable to this, “For this gift/wisdom that I gift you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.” 

This is amplified in the place to which God puts these gifts of wisdom in verse 14, “But the word is very near you.  It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” 

One of the overly simplified statements that we have made concerning God’s commandments, especially when it comes to the Ten Commandments, is that we can never truly obey them.  While this is certainly true as it pertains to our sinful nature, we are lost in the statement that we cannot obey them.  God becomes for us a tyrannical creator who has made laws and commandments that we will never be able to keep.  Our default position is then to think, “why would God purposefully make a law that I cannot possibly do?” 

However, on the contrary you certainly can do these things, because of who has put them in you to do.  We have to start with God and not with ourselves.  God has given us these things.  In fact He has put them in our mouth to say them, and in our heart (לֵבָב the concept of this word for the Hebrew is the place of thought and not emotion so this could also be translated in the mind). 

Therefore, with this context in mind, God places before us “life and good” on the one hand, and “death and life” on the other.  The choice is a false choice.  God is not giving us the choice to live or die, though the imperative in verst 19, “choose life” would make it appear that way.  Remember, He has already set life in us.  He has already put these gifts of wisdom in our lives.  They are already there.  Therefore, the only real choice is not to have them, but to deny them.

Verse 16, being the crux of this thought is itself also difficult to translate into English.  A literal translation would look like this, “According to what I am commanding you this day, that is to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and keeping His commandments and His statutes and His judgments (rules), you will live and be blessed in the Land of LORD your God which He is giving you to take possession of it.” 

The emphasis of the original text is on God first and what He has given and done.  We are a passive force in what we do.  On the other hand, verse 17 begins with “If” which is not conditional.  Meaning that the conditions of God’s blessing are not based on what we do.  However, not living in that state brings about bad results.  Therefore verse 17 no longer begins with God, but the construct of the sentence has people as the force and the negative consequences of our own actions away from God are the result.  Verse 18, “you shall surely perish” then is not an indictment or a punishment dished out by God, but is simply a natural result of not living in what God has given us.

All of this then is culminated in Christ.  Because we know that inevitably we fall short of the wisdom and gifts of God which He has placed upon us, Christ who completed and lived perfectly in all of these things becomes the one we look to and that which we receive forgiveness through.  So that we can now say that God has placed the gifts and wisdom of Christ in our mouths through His Word, and in our hearts and minds by His gifts.    

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Dt 30:11–20.

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