- Deuteronomy 18:1 - 20:20
- Proverbs 12:10
Deuteronomy 18:1 - 20:20
Moses instructs the people of Israel on a variety of topics today. These topics range from the Levites, to cities of refuge, to judgement and punishment of people's crimes, to prophecy and witchcraft. The part I want to focus on is in Chapter 18, verses 10 & 11:
Do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.What I find most interesting about verses like these is the confirmation that things such as witchcraft, sorcery, and communicating with the dead certainly exist. I recall how shocked I was, when reading the story of the Exodus from Egypt, of how the Pharaoh's sorcerers were able to perform many of the things Moses had done (though to a much lessor extent) using magic.
I am finding that being a Christian and truly studying the Word of God shows that there is more to the spiritual world than many people believe there is. In the New Testament we are told of the casting out of demons and sickness. In the Old Testament we are told of sorcery and of communication with the dead. And that's just the parts of the bible that I've studied, which is only 1/4 of the bible. I can't even imagine all that I will learn by the time I am done with this first thorough study of the bible.
Proverbs 12:10
The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.This is a seemingly odd verse out, and at the moment I'm not sure how to interpret it right it this second. As visions of puppies and kittens are dancing in my head, I have to first stop and realize that the bible is likely referring to livestock in this case -- aka, work animals -- not fuzzy little kittens.
This verse is also hard for me to interpret when I apply the definition of a "wicked" person as being a person without salvation. But from my studies of the bible so far, I see being wicked as being more of a condition of the heart. If your heart is wicked -- if you long to spite people, cause trouble, speak rudely to those around you, spread mischief and rumors, hurt others, etc -- then I can't imagine that you'd treat your work animals very well either.
So when I take this verse under the conditions that (1) animals == work animals and (2) wicked == a condition of the heart; then the verse finally makes more sense to me.
Conclusion
I am 1/4 of the way through this bible study! I have complete read: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Matthew, and Mark. I am currently studying Deuteronomy, Luke, Psalms and Proverbs. I have learned and questioned so mch around me. I have opened up spiritually in ways I have not before. In short, this experience is fulfilling. It's enlightening. It's outstanding. It's life changing.
No comments:
Post a Comment