Today's Reading
Numbers closes with the settling of another small dispute. This balances out the regulation that was earlier given regarding families who had daughters, but no sons.
Deuteronomy. It took me years to understand the "why" of this book. The name means "second law." Deuteronomy was a detailed re-telling of the events that are listed (primarily) in Exodus and Leviticus. It helps me understand the purpose better by imagining Moses up on the small mountain and looking out across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. He has been told by God that he can't go there. Therefore, here he is, at the end of his days, recalling God's work and words for the past 40 years. He is like a world leader writing his memoirs. He also takes advantage of this last communication before his death to warn the people that they must follow God and not go astray.
Luke. Each of these conversations with Jesus was about conflict with religious leaders. What are your thoughts about them?
Psalm 66 contains two sections that have been a part of my thinking for many years. Verses 10-12 tell God's ultimate design for our trials. Verse 18 warns about the futility of prayer if we aren't honest about our sins.
Proverbs challenges us to grow in our generosity. I want to grow in that area the rest of my life.
How are you doing? Would your share your thoughts and questions today?
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I don't understand what Jesus meant with the illustrations of the old and new cloth and wineskins. What point was he trying to make?
ReplyDeleteLara, I'm sure you understand the "cloth illustration". The wine and wineskins are similar. When new wine was put into a new skin, the skin would expand as the wine did (an effect of aging). However, new wine in an old, dried skin would split the skin as it started expanding. You probably knew that, but all of our readers may not.
ReplyDeleteI can find multiple applications to this illustration. One of them is personal. Jesus told Nicodemus (a religious leader and keeper of the Law) that we must be "born again" or "born from God". Being born again makes us new in spirit (like a new skin) and the new wine in us (the Holy Spirit) can stretch and change us as He pleases. Trying to live the Christian life without Christ would be like trying to grow oranges without water. If, by some miracle, a sickly tree bore an orange or two in that condition, they would be shriveled up and inedible. So is the "Christian" service of those without Christ. The precepts of God turn into legalism; the freedom of Christ turns into licentiousness.
The corporate application is seen perfectly in Judaism. Christ came to fulfill the Law, but they couldn't control Him (old skins) the way they controlled the Law. God created a "new skin", the Body of Christ, to hold this "new wine."
An excellent allegory Sam. Most enlightening
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