The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:32)
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20: 4-6)
Some folks think that the Bible describes two gods. The god of the Old Testament, known as Jehovah or Yhwh, is judgmental, harsh, and demanding. The god of the New Testament is sweet and loving and wouldn’t hurt a fly (well, except those times in the temple courts when He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and drove the livestock out with a home-made whip. And when He told Peter “Get behind me, Satan….” And maybe a few other times, but… wouldn’t hurt a fly!)
Jesus’ “greatest commandments” of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength and loving your neighbor as yourself? Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.
There are differences between the Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic, and Solomonic Covenants, and the New Covenant. They are treaties made with different groups of people. The Mosaic covenant was made with a bunch of slaves who had just been set free. The Davidic and Solomonic Covenant were made with a nation that had recently developed a new social structure by rejecting God as their king. The New Covenant, on the other hand, is made with individual believers.
I read a little about religion last night. Tribal religions are religions that one is born into. People are bound to it by blood. Open religions are religions that one chooses. Judaism was/is both tribal and open. Christianity is open. The covenants are different, but they were made by the same God. If I were to draw up a contract with you to do something, and a contract with someone who lives across town, those contracts might not look the same in their details, but they would likely have the format required to be considered a contract, and they would share elements that are characteristic of me…things for which I will take responsibility, things for which I won’t, etc. They would also have things for which the client would be responsible. They would not necessarily be the same, but they would be consistent with me.
The Old Testament and the New are legal contracts between two different clients. One is a nation, the other with individuals. They aren’t identical. The national covenant included lots of cultural and ritual elements, things like not eating pig and not wearing clothing made of two fabrics. The New Testament lays those aside, but God is still God.
Jesus’ “greatest commandments” of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength and loving your neighbor as yourself? Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.
There are differences between the Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic, and Solomonic Covenants, and the New Covenant. They are treaties made with different groups of people. The Mosaic covenant was made with a bunch of slaves who had just been set free. The Davidic and Solomonic Covenant were made with a nation that had recently developed a new social structure by rejecting God as their king. The New Covenant, on the other hand, is made with individual believers.
I read a little about religion last night. Tribal religions are religions that one is born into. People are bound to it by blood. Open religions are religions that one chooses. Judaism was/is both tribal and open. Christianity is open. The covenants are different, but they were made by the same God. If I were to draw up a contract with you to do something, and a contract with someone who lives across town, those contracts might not look the same in their details, but they would likely have the format required to be considered a contract, and they would share elements that are characteristic of me…things for which I will take responsibility, things for which I won’t, etc. They would also have things for which the client would be responsible. They would not necessarily be the same, but they would be consistent with me.
The Old Testament and the New are legal contracts between two different clients. One is a nation, the other with individuals. They aren’t identical. The national covenant included lots of cultural and ritual elements, things like not eating pig and not wearing clothing made of two fabrics. The New Testament lays those aside, but God is still God.
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