(1) Overview
(NET) This section concerns religious duties of the people of God as they worship by giving thanks to God for their blessings. The principles here are: God requires his people to allow the poor to share in their bounty (10–11); God requires his people to provide times of rest and refreshment for those who labor for them (12); God requires allegiance to himself (13); God requires his people to come before him in gratitude and share their bounty (14–17); God requires that his people safeguard proper worship forms (18–19).
Note, see how the law of the rest and the law of worship were put together without any transition v.10-12, 13.
Note, see how the law of the rest and the law of worship were put together without any transition v.10-12, 13.
23:13 “Pay attention to do everything I have told you, and do not even mention the names of other gods—do not let them be heard on your lips.
In other words, our rest do a purpose in letting the poors to have food to eat v.11 and letting those who work for us to have a chance to rest v.12, but our rest is related to worshipping God v.13. The day that God mandated for rest is not for us to pursue other gods. Do we use our free time to pursue other idols in other lives? Or we use the time to worship God?
In other words, our rest do a purpose in letting the poors to have food to eat v.11 and letting those who work for us to have a chance to rest v.12, but our rest is related to worshipping God v.13. The day that God mandated for rest is not for us to pursue other gods. Do we use our free time to pursue other idols in other lives? Or we use the time to worship God?
(2) Letting the land to rest involve monetary loss of the owner. Instead you are providing a chance for the poor people and the animal to enjoy your fruits/grains v.10-11. Is it difficult for you to share? Particularly to people you do not know?
(3) Following the law of worshipping God v.13, God told us the 3 feasts v.14-17 and the law of sacrifices v.18-19. 2 laws seem to be hard to understand:
v.18 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast; the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning
(NAC) The fat portions were separated from the muscle meats and were supposed to be presented as burnt offerings on the altar to God... Canaanites and other pagan peoples did not necessarily burn all the animal fat as a divine offering at the time of cooking animals on their altars: thus the temptation of the Israelites to imitate their neighbors instead of following God’s decrees and the need specifically to obviate such an approach.
v.19b “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
(NAC) Since mother’s milk (the milk of the goat doe) was what made the goat kids grow big and strong, the folk theory developed that doe’s milk employed in the process of a sacrifice (in this case by boiling rather than by roasting on an altar)259 would somehow impart strength to the goat flock, making the whole flock more fertile. Such nonsense, if believed, could have led the Israelites to conclude that the power to shape their destiny and to live the abundant life was to be found in magical practices and fertility religion rather than in the only true, alive God. Even if all other people groups known to them practiced these sorts of rituals, the Israelites could not. As Yahweh’s people, they were to be above such things, attributing all life to the single Source thereof
Reflection: Do we use false religion's practice to worship God? Do we try to imitate our neighbours and copy what they did in their worship and use that to worship our God? Do we care what God like/dislike? Or we care more about what other people like/dislike more?
Audrey
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