Yesterday, I said that the heart of the Bible’s message is simple. But if that’s true, what do we do with some of the puzzling Bible passages and statements made by Jesus and others? Is it possible to better understand them and if so, how?
And speaking of puzzling Bible passages, why would God command such an elaborate system of laws and regulations in the Old Testament? What does all of it have to do with us and the laws of our land?
Welcome to Soul Survival where I blog through the Bible in a Year along with Bible studies and other Christian living posts. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each Bible in a Year post. And … this year I’m also reading through the Bible on YouTube. You can check out my channel here. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up.
Today’s Readings:
Exodus 21 & 22
Psalm 18.46-50
Proverbs 6.26-29
Matthew 23.1-22
Understanding Puzzling Bible Passages
Matthew 23:1-22
Digging Deeper
As I mentioned in the introduction, yesterday’s post was about the simple heart of the Bible’s message. But we would all admit that there are truths contained in its pages that require digging deeper.
Sometimes passages must be studied in the light of other verses and passages. And we have to be careful to read the Bible in context. If we take one or two verses and isolate them, we can easily read more into them or something different from what was intended.
Often, we need to understand what verses meant to the original hearers. That might involve a better understanding of local customs and expressions, whether the writer was using a parable to illustrate a Bible truth or whether he is using hyperbole, exaggeration, analogy, or even sarcasm. Understanding the bigger picture often makes puzzling passages much easier to understand.
In today’s New Testament reading, Jesus told the hypocritical religious leaders some things that require a little of that deeper understanding. So, let’s look at a couple of them.
Titles & Authority
In verses 8-10, for instance, Jesus said:
… do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
Was Jesus condemning titles?
By going to other passages, we can see that the Apostle Paul called himself a “father” to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4.14-15). And in Ephesians 4:11-12 where Paul is talking about spiritual gifts, he says:
He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
So, Jesus was not condemning titles, He was condemning the religious leaders who set themselves up as the final authority on spiritual matters as if they were the source of the truth. God through His Word must always be our source of truth. No man or woman is infallible, only God, and He speaks to us through His Word.
Even with teachers that we have come to trust, we must filter all that we hear through the Word of God. That requires being familiar with our own Bibles, taking them to church with us, and following along. It also means that if we are not sure of the truthfulness of some teaching, we search out the truth for ourselves. We need to be like the Bereans who, “… received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17.11).
Swearing & Oaths
Going back to our reading, let’s look at verses 16-22:
16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
At first glance, it might seem that there is some elaborate system of things by which we should swear and somehow the Pharisees had it wrong.
But let’s go back to one of our earlier readings in Matthew.
Let Your “Yes” be “Yes”
In chapter 5, Jesus said:
Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one (Matt. 5:33-37).
In reality, we shouldn’t be swearing by anything. But if we do make a promise, take an oath, or give our word, we should remember just how important promises are in God’s eyes. As believers, we should be faithful keepers of our word.
The issue with the Pharisees was that by making this elaborate system of swearing, they were in effect giving themselves loopholes to not keep their word. Let’s be careful that we don’t do the same whether we’re dealing with our children, our spouses, customers, employers, or anyone else.
Learning to Study the Bible
The bottom line is that we need to be good students of God’s Word as Paul told his protege, Timothy:
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2.15).
If you’d like to read more on this subject, you might check out, “10 Principles for Effective Bible Study.”
There are, also, good books about how to study the Bible. One that I’m familiar with is John MacArthur’s, How to Study the Bible.
And there are ministries like Simeon Trust that helps pastors and others learn to study the Bible better. They offer workshops and some online courses at very reasonable prices.
Today’s Other Readings:
And now a few comments about today’s other readings …
Exodus 21 & 22
A Framework for Living
After giving the people the basics of the moral law in Exodus 20, God laid out a rather elaborate system of commands by which the people should live (Ex. 21.1). These were to be a framework for living and resolving conflicts. They covered everything from property rights, violent crime, and animal control laws to rape and personal injury.
Even though there are cultural conditions addressed here, if you study it, you’ll see how much of our law is based on the principles it contains. Our nation’s founders understood that for a society to be truly free it had to be regulated by certain moral standards.
Real Freedom
Someone has said that real freedom is the freedom to do what is right. Living under the rule of law and showing respect for the authority under which God has placed us allows us to live in that freedom and demonstrates our trust in God. Romans 13 says this:
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.
Living by God’s standards, including respect for civil authority, leads, not only to true freedom, but also peace, joy, and blessedness.
Psalm 18:46-50
The Lord Lives!
The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted (v. 46).
What a cause for rejoicing! The Lord lives and because He lives and is the God of our salvation, we can live with Him forever if we have embraced the gospel.
We can rejoice when things go well, but we can also rejoice in our trials and sufferings. To do that we must understand some things about God’s love for us and His work in our lives. That requires us to get to know Him through the regular intake and study of His Word. Everything in the Christian life comes back to that.
Proverbs 6:26-29
Built-in Consequences
These verses address the sin of adultery. Adultery, like many other sins, has the consequences built-in. For some momentary pleasure, a person’s reputation is reduced to the value of a crust of bread. Adulterers devalue their families and their covenant relationships and end up being devalued themselves.
Once again, it’s God’s standard, His framework for living that is best.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about religious pretenders, how to shine the light of Christ, how some of us might be trying to make minimum payments on sin when the debt has been paid, sheep and goats in the church, and what it really means to be a friend of God.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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