Reading for December 11
Amos 4:1-6:14
So is this a warning against being overly religious? I know a lot of people who find spiritual comfort through strictly regulated, religious rituals. My belief is that God desires our hearts and not our lip service or hand service or going-through-the-motion service.
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;Then again, the first five books of the Bible are FILLED with commands to follow strict religious rituals.
your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Revelation 2:18-3:6
So this is where the image of the "Book of Life" comes from:
5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.It's such a commonly held image of heaven, I'm surprised its not mentioned sooner in the Bible. Also, the idea of once having your name written in that book - however you achieve that - that it can never be erased is very comforting.
Psalm 130:1-8
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
Proverbs 29:21-22
21 A servant pampered from youth
will turn out to be insolent.
22 An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
I will be sure to pray for you guys..
ReplyDeleteNote about Amos, that passage you quoted was used by MLK in the I have a Dream speech, specifically, "let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Also, God requires both our hands and our hearts to be dedicated to Him. But what our hands do, specifically in rituals, have no meaning if our hearts are lying. So that specific verse is just that -- rituals that have no meaning because they are oppressing the poor and bowing down to idols.
Even the Torah's regulations, for ancient Jews, were not THE way to win God's favor (for Abraham had faith before the Law). Rather, they were an outward sign that the person/community was obedient to God. The specific laws that refer to separating Jews from Gentiles were abolished under Christ not because they were bad, but because they became outdated after Christ came -- the "new Torah" is the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and our doing of the works of the Spirit are the new outward sign that we are obedient/faithful to God.
Oh, and they were abolished because, like Paul says, the wall between Jew and Gentile came down, so it was not right anymore to separate.
ReplyDeleteBut God, from the beginning, clearly wants justice for His children, especially the poor and needy, and true worship only. Thus, the Amos verse.
ReplyDelete