Seder 108: Investigating Psalm 108 in Canonical Context

 Psalm 108 is an often-neglected psalm.  Its first five verses are largely a repetition of Psalm 57:7-11, and verses 6-13 come from Psalm 60:5-12.  To save space in long commentaries on the psalms, commentators frequently treat Psalm 108 briefly by saying, "See my comments on Psalm 57 and Psalm 60."  

In a recent dissertation, Wyatt Graham takes a close look at Psalm 108, paying attention both to the slight changes the psalm makes in the material from Psalm 57 and Psalm 60, and to the placement of this psalm within the psalter.  With regard to the placement of Psalm 108, Graham observes that Book IV of the psalter ends in Psalm 106:47 with a plea for restoration from exile.  The at the beginning of Psalm 107, those redeemed from exile rejoice and give thanks to God (107:1-3).

Then Psalm 108 follows with David's confident prayer and statement of God's sovereignty, with a promise that God will again bring victory to his people in the future.  After that come the imprecatory Psalm 109, which has traditionally been associated with the betrayal of the Messiah: and Psalm 110, which pictures the Messiah ascending to the right hand of God and serving as a priest like Melchizedek.  Graham sees Psalm 108 contributing to the Psalm 108-110 trilogy., which looks forward to the coming of the Messiah to bring salvation and further restoration.   

The superscriptions for Psalm 57 and Psalm 60 associate those psalms with particular times in David's life when God was with him.  In Psalm 108, David seems to be looking ahead and anticipating future deliverance.  We can see Psalm 108 fitting into the overall "story" being told by the psalter as a messianic prophecy.

Seder 107: Numbers 6:22-27---Numerical Patterns and Pronoun Ambiguity in the Priestly Blessing

The literary beauty of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:22-27 has often been observed.  In the three lines of the blessing, there are 

• three Hebrew words in line 1, five in line 2, and 7 in line 3;
• 12 syllables in line 1, 14 in line 2, and 16 in line 3;
• 15 consonants in line 1, 20 in line 2, 25 in line 3.

Commentator Michael Morales notes that three of the words in the blessing are the divine name.  There are 12 additional words, he says, "reflecting YHWH's presence among the twelve tribes of Israel."

This section concludes with a summary in verse 27:  "So shall they put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them."  In context, "they" in "so shall they" refers to Aaron and his sons, the priests.  In "I will bless them," the pronoun "them" could presumably refer to either the priests or the Israelites in general.  As Kyle Kettering pointed out in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 14, 2026, it is a great privilege to be used by God to bless others.

Seder 106: Samson---An Anomalous Nazirite

Usually a Nazirite undertook his or her vow voluntarily, for a specified period of time, and had to carefully avoid contracting ritual uncleanness through contact with a human corpse.  

But it was different in the case of Samson in Judges 13-16.  In what may have been the first recorded prenatal dietary counseling, the angel of the Lord announced to the wife of Manoah, 

"Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son.  No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines" (Jdg 13:3-5).

Samson's mother went on to explain to her husband that "the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death" (verse 7).  So Samson had no choice in the matter.  He would be a Nazirite, and not just for some short specified period, but for his entire life.  

We might also tend to think of a Nazirite as someone who would achieve some measure of self-control through abstinence from alcohol, and who would seek to develop a strong relationship with God.  But Samson ended up being a violent, passionate warrior who had difficulty curbing his desires and did not possess much spiritual awareness.  

During his time as a warrior he was in frequent contact with dead bodies, leading some to conclude that in his special case, he was exempt from the normal Nazirite requirement to avoid human corpses.  Otherwise he would have needed to cut his hair and restart his vow frequently (Num 6:9-12), which he does not seem to have done (Jdg 16:17).  Samson was not your typical Nazirite.

Seder 105 and 106: The Message of Numbers 5-6

 In the book of Numbers, narrative sections are interspersed with ritual and moral instruction.  For example, in Numbers 1-4, the camp of Israel is organized.  Then the narrative pauses in chapters 5-6 for instructions on ritual purity in the camp (5:1-4), reparation offerings (5;5-10), a case where a husband becomes jealous after his wife has been alone with another man (5:11-31), instructions for a Nazirite vow (6:1-21), and the priestly blessing (6:22-27).  On a first reading, the arrangement can seem rather random.

However, commentators have discerned an underlying structure in Numbers 5-6.  Michael Morales explains that Numbers 5-6 deals with the spiritual state of the Israelite camp:  

• 5:1-4----ritual purity of the camp.
• 5:5-10---purity in the realm of society.
• 5:11-31---purity in marriage and family.
• 6:1-21---purity of individuals before God.
• 6:22-27---purity in these realms leads to blessing from God going out through the camp.

Morales also sees in the juxtaposition of 5:11-31 and 6:1-21 a contrast between two possible paths for Israel, God's bride.  Israel can either stray from God, like the wife in 5:11-31; or Israel can grow in relationship with God, like the Nazirite in chapter 6.  

Moreover, Morales sees Israel functioning as a kind of Nazirite during its wilderness sojourn.  In the wilderness Israel does not have access to wine or grape products, but they are living with God in their midst and have an opportunity to draw closer to him.

Seder 104: Isaiah 45:15-25---The Only Source of Salvation

 Isaiah 45:15-25 declares that the God of Israel is the one true God, the only source of salvation.  Anything else that humans might worship is something created by God.  One day everyone will submit to God.  

Christians and Jews agree on these things when they read Isaiah 45. But there also are differences in the way they understand this passage.  

For Christians the one God is triune.  The passage emphasizes salvation, and Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus, means salvation.  Christians have always affirmed that one day all will submit to God by submitting to Jesus (Phil 2:9-11).    

Jews disagree, and in response to persecution by Christians have sometimes identified the "wooden idols" and "god that cannot save" in verse 20 with the cross and Jesus.

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on February 21, 2026, Kyle Kettering discussed the relationship between these two religions that have a tremendous amount in common along with important differences.  He posted a quote from Daniel Boyarin:  "Judaism in all its forms and Christianity in all its forms were part of one complex religious family, twins in a womb, contending with each other for identity and precedence, but sharing to a large extent the same spiritual food, as well."  

Christians from the nations owe much to the Jewish people, as the apostle Paul reminded his congregations (Eph 2:1-13; Rom 11:17-24).  Paul also foresaw a reconciliation between these brother religions in the future (Rom 11:25-36).  In the meantime, Christians can promote reconciliation by loving the Jewish people.  

Seder 104: Psalm 90---Moses' Humble Prayer for Wisdom and Mercy

 The superscription of Psalm 90 identifies it as "a prayer of Moses, the man of God."  Psalm 90 is the only psalm attributed to Moses, but a midrash on this psalm (90.3 in Midrash Psalms) proposes that Psalms 90-100 were all written by Moses and relate to the eleven tribes that he blessed in Deuteronomy 33.  This midrash relates Psalm 90 to the tribe of Reuben, seeing a call to repentance in Psalm 90:3:  "Return, O children of man!"  Psalm 91 is linked with the tribe of Levi, which "dwells in God's shadow" in its work at the tabernacle and temple.  Psalm 92, with its emphasis on singing praises to God, is associated with the tribe of Judah.  

Moses begins by praising God as eternal creator, ruler, and protector (verses 1-2).  Human beings, on the other hand, have a fleeting existence and are prone to sinfulness (verses 3-11).  Our proper response to this reality is to submit to God and learn wisdom (verse 12).  Moses also prays for mercy, and asks for help so that we might accomplish something of value in our short lives.  

We recognize Moses' humility (Nu 12:3) in this prayer. He learned much about God, human nature, and reality during his life, and we see these things in Psalm 90 as well.

Seder 104: Numbers 3:1---The Twelfth "Toledot Verse"

 Numbers 3 begins, "These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time that the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai."  

Numbers 3:1 has the same form as eleven verses in the book of Genesis that begin, "These are the generations of...;" or, in the case of Genesis 5:1, "This is the book of the generations of..."  All of these verses feature the Hebrew word toledot ("generations").  They focus the narrative on particular families.  Commentator Michael Morales observes, "By use of the toledot formula the Pentateuch's narrative builds a highway from Adam (as archetypal priest) to Aaron the high priest (as cultic Adam)..."

There is a thirteenth toledot verse in Ruth 4:18:  "Now these are the generations of Perez..."  The final paragraph of the book of Ruth traces the line of Judah (and of the Messiah) from Perez to David.  

In the Christian Bible there is a fourteenth toledot verse in Matthew 1:1, which has wording that echoes Genesis 5:1 in the LXX:  "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ..."  It's wonderful that this turns out to be the fourteenth one, given the importance of the number 14 in the genealogy of Matthew 1.  Rob Wilson of Church of the Messiah has often pointed out the significance of Matthew 1:1 as a toledot verse.

Seder 103: Luke 11; Matthew 12, 16----The Sign of Jonah

 In the Bible a "sign" is something, miraculous or otherwise, that carries a message.  Prophets can be signs, for example.  Isaiah says in Isaiah 8:18, "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion." 

Recall that Isaiah's children had special names.  The name of his son Shear-Jashub (Isa 7:3) conveyed the message that Judah would suffer exile, and a remnant would return.  (The name means, "a remnant will return.")  The name of his son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz predicted that Damascus and Samaria would soon fall to the Assyrians (Isa 8:1-4).  

A generation or so before Isaiah, Jonah was another prophet who was a sign.  Jesus stated that "Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh" (Lk 11:30).  The Ninevites responded to Jonah's warning of coming judgment with sincere repentance (Jonah 3:4-5).  

An important aspect of the sign of Jonah is the fact that Jonah was rescued from death after being swallowed by a giant fish.  Jesus stated that this miracle pointed forward to his own coming resurrection from the dead (Mt 12:38-40).  

What was it about Jonah that made him a sign to the Ninevites?  Old Testament scholar Eugene Merrill addresses this question in an interesting 1980 paper.  

Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of the northern kingdom of Israel (793-753 BC).  He was from Gath-hepher (2 Ki 14:25), about 3 miles northwest of Nazareth.  

Merrill explains that Assyria faced a number of external and internal challenges during the first half of the eighth century BC.  Perhaps their difficulties during this period made them more receptive to Jonah's message than they might have been otherwise.  

Merrill also points out that the name "Nineveh" seems to have meant something like "Fishtown," and there were legends that "Assyria's arts and sciences were brought from the Persian Gulf by a half-man, half-fish deity called in the Greek Oannes" (p. 27 of the paper).  Given this background, we can see why the Ninevites would have been interested to hear from someone who had been regurgitated by a large fish.  Was Jonah's God more powerful than Oannes?  

At Church of the Messiah on February 14, 2026, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon on the sign of Jonah and signs in general.  In Matthew 16:1 Jesus, who had performed many miracles, was asked for a "sign from heaven.''  Those who asked him may have been hoping for some encouraging news about when Israel's restoration would come.  Jesus replied that they should have been better able to discern "the signs of the times" (verse 3).  They were in a time, like that of Jonah, when repentance was called for.  People who understood the signs of the times would heed Jesus' message, as the Ninevites had heeded Jonah (verse 4).  

When we look at the times we live in, we see lots of discouraging things.  Kyle encouraged us to set an example that would be a positive sign to those around us.  

Seder 102: Psalm 29---Praising God and His 7 Thunders 18 Times

 Psalm 29 is a song of praise.  Commentators mention that it is written in the style of the Ugaritic Baal Cycle and propose that it was written to emphasize that the God of Israel is the real "storm god", not the Canaanite deity Baal.

With its mention of the voice of God shaking the wilderness in verse 8, this psalm has been associated with God's Sinai revelation and with the festival of Shavuot/Pentecost.  At Sinai God was said to have been accompanied by his heavenly host, which is encouraged in verse 1 to praise him.  Rashi's interpretation of Psalm 29 reflects an association with Sinai and Pentecost.

On the other hand, the superscription for this psalm in the Septuagint reads, "A psalm of David commemorating the feast of Exodus, of the temple" (Lexham English Septuagint).  The "feast of Exodus" here is the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast associated with Israel's wilderness sojourn.  At the Temple the recitation of this Psalm accompanied sacrifices on Yom Teruah and at the Feast of Tabernacles, according to the Talmud (b. Rosh HaShanah 30b; Sukkah 55a).  One can see how the references to rain and storms in the psalm would go with the prayers for rain that were part of Sukkot celebration during the Second Temple period.  Scholar Bert Polman points out that the sevenfold reference to the voice of God in the psalm could go well with the seven trips around the altar taken by the water libation procession on the seventh day of the Feast.   

There is an interesting midrash on Psalm 29 which builds on the fact that the name of the God of Israel is mentioned 18 times in the psalm, the same as the number of sections in the Jewish Amidah prayer.  The midrash says that David wrote the psalm as a sort of "call and response" song, basing this interpretation on Deuteronomy 32:3:  "For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!"  Every time the psalm praises the name of God, the congregation is to respond with its own praise in the form of the corresponding section of the Amidah.

Esther Menn and David Sandmel give a good explanation of the midrash in an article from a book giving a variety of perspectives on Psalm 29.  

This book describes a number of interpretations and traditions related to the psalm.  A chapter on patristic exegesis explains that early church fathers saw in verse 3 a reference to the voice that came from heaven when Jesus was baptized as the power of the Holy Spirit descended on him (Mt 3:16-17 and parallels).  

Some traditions are associated with the seven times that the "voice of the Lord" sounds in the psalm:  For example:

• The seven thunders of Revelation 10:2-4 often have been seen as a reference to them.
• Roman Catholics have related them to the seven sacraments.
• Protestants have associated them with gifts of the Spirit.

Seder 101: Judges 11---More on Jephthah and his Vow

 The account of Jephthah's rash vow in Judges 11 leaves readers shaking their heads, as I have noted previously.   Before going to battle against the Ammonites, he promises God, 

"If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering" (Jdg 11:31).    

When Jephthah returns victorious, it is his daughter who greets him, and he ends up carrying out his vow (verse 39).  Commentators are of two opinions on what he ends up doing.  In particular, the medieval Jewish commentators fall into two camps, as Shera Aranoff Tuchman explains.  Some, like Rashi and Ramban, go with the majority view that Jephthah kills his daughter, engaging in human sacrifice.  Others, like Abarbanel and Radak, believe that she lives a kind of cloistered existence in service to God, never marrying.  (I lean toward the majority.)  

What all agree on is that this vow should never have been carried out.  Some argue that the vow is incoherent, since a number of the creatures that would come to greet Jephthah do not belong to the category of sacrificial animals.  In any case, any person dedicated to God could be redeemed according to the guidelines laid out in Leviticus 27:1-8.  God, of course, hates human sacrifice (Lev 20:1-5, e.g.)

Because the laconic narrative leaves us with lots of questions, it is natural to propose possible scenarios about what happened.  One thing that is communicated in Judges 11-12 is that Jephthah was an argumentative, stubborn kind of guy who came from a tough background and didn't have much knowledge of what God was like or what God wanted from him.  It's possible that a priest or Levite tried to teach him but found him unwilling to listen.  

One problem that is evident in Judges is a vacuum of leadership and spiritual guidance from the priests and Levites.  This could be the fault of negligent teachers, unwilling students, or most likely a mixture of both.  Jephthah was not the only Israelite who ignored the Torah during the period of the Judges.

There is a midrash on Judges 12:7 suggesting that God punished Jephthah for his disobedience.  As the ESV footnote mentions, the MT in this verse says that when Jephthah died, he was buried "in the cities of Gilead."  How can a person be buried in a number of cities?   The midrash proposes that God struck Jephthah with a disease that caused him to lose one body part at a time.  The parts were then buried in the towns where they fell off.  

Seder 100: Lev 26:26 and Matthew 14:13-21---Reversing a Curse by Faith

 In Leviticus 26 the Israelites are told that if they turn their backs on God's covenant, God will discipline them with hardships that will escalate if they persist in rebellion.  One of the hardships is famine, as described in verse 26:  

"When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied."

This verse pictures a group of people having to share an amount of food that is only enough for a tenth as many people.  The Israelites could avoid this kind of scenario by turning to God in repentance (vv 40-45).  

The punishments listed in Leviticus 26:14-39 were the opposites of  blessings that would come to the Israelites in the Promised Land.  We can contrast the famine in Leviticus 26:26 with the blessings described by Moses in Deuteronomy 8:10:  "And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you."  

Israel would continue to receive such blessings if they maintained their faith in God.  In particular, they would be blessed for taking care of those who were in need--Dt 14:29; 26:12.  Note the example of Ruth, who was helped by Boaz, in Ruth 2:14:  "So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain.  And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over."  

Another interesting example is in 2 Kings 4:42-44, where a man brings a firstfruits offering to the prophet Elisha.  Elisha has the man share the food with a large group.  Even though the group is large, there is enough food for everyone, with some left over.  In contrast to Leviticus 26:26, people ate are were satisfied.  

The miracle in 2 Kings 4:42-44 prefigures Jesus' feeding of 5000 in Matthew 14:13-21, where 5 loaves and 2 fish fed a large crowd, with much left over. In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 24, 2026, Kyle Kettering focused on this miracle to illustrate what can be accomplished when we place our trust in God.  

Seder 100: Leviticus 26:3-13---Interlocking Categories of Blessing

 In Leviticus 26:3-13, God presents to the children of Israel a vision of what is possible for them if they embrace his covenant with them.  Sharon Rimon summarizes the promised blessings under five headings (A-E below).  These five are interspersed with some additional blessings (a)-(d). 

A.  Productivity of the Land (vv 4-5)

      (a). "and dwell in your land securely" (v 5)

B. Peace and Tranquility (v. 6)

      (b). "and the sword shall not go through your land (v 6)

C. Victory over Enemies (vv 7-8)

D. Human Fertility (v 9)

     (c). "and will confirm my covenant with you" (v 9)

     (d).  "You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new" (v 10)

E. God's Presence with his People (vv 11-12)

Rimon points out that items (a)-(d) function as bridges between categories of blessing.  Dwelling in the land securely is made possible by the productivity of the land.  When crops are good, people are not forced to sell their land or travel elsewhere in search of food.  And dwelling in the land securely is part of living in peace and tranquility.  So item (a) is a sort of bridge between A and B.  

In (b), the sword could stand for fighting among Israelites, which would disrupt peace and tranquility; or it could stand for attacks from enemies and relate to victory over enemies.  Item (b) links B and C.

The reference to the covenant in verse 9 could have in mind the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, including the promise of numerous offspring (Ge 15:5, e.g.).  On the other hand, it also connects with the enhanced relationship with God described in category E.  Item (c) is connected to both D and E.

Verse 11 relates to productivity of the land as well as to the fact that God will provide food for a larger number of people as the population of Israel increases.  Item (d), then, relates to both A and D.  

The structure of verses 3-13 as outlined by Rimon suggests that wholeness (shalom) has several interrelated facets, all of which need to be present for blessing to be complete.  It is this complete blessing that God desires for his people.  "I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, Open you mouth wide, and I will fill it," God declares in Psalm 81:10.  "Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!" he adds.  "I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes" (verses 13-14).

Seder 99: Leviticus 25:38-43---Slaves of God

 Leviticus 25 instructs the Israelites that they are not to mistreat impoverished members of their community.  Verse 42 gives an important reason for this instruction:

"For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves (ESV).  

When God delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, they changed masters.  Instead  of being slaves to the Egyptian Pharoah, they were slaves of God.  As a result, Israelites were not to be slaves to any other master.

Dr. Edwin Yamauchi has shown that the metaphor of being a slave of a deity was a familiar one in the ancient world.  In particular, it is used in both the Old and New Testaments.

Interestingly, English translations of the Bible traditionally have hesitated to use the word "slave" in this way.  In the King James Version, the words slave or slaves are only used a couple of times (Jer 2:14; Rev 18:13).  Yamauchi explains that at the time when this translation was carried out, the word "slave" in English tended to be restricted "to the extreme case of a captive in fetters."  

English has changed a lot since 1611, but English translations have tended to stick to the word "servant" rather than "slave" when talking about a believer's position of submission to God.  We see this, for example, in the verse quoted above, Leviticus 25:42, where the same Hebrew word is translated "servants" and "slaves."   

In the New Testament, there are a number of words for "servant" but only one word for "slave"---doulos.  Modern English translations typically will use "slave" to translate doulos when servitude to another person, or to sin, is in view.  However, servant is usually used for doulos in the case of a doulos to Christ or to God.  

There are historical reasons for the hesitance of English Bible translations to embrace this metaphor. In Britain and the United States, we are still wrestling with our history of slave-holding.  

What does it mean to be a slave of God?  New Testament scholar Murray Harris explains that a slave is "someone whose person and service belong wholly to another."  Slavery to God involves 

• humble submission to him.
• unquestioning obedience to his will.
• an exclusive preoccupation with pleasing him.

This is an accurate description of some important aspects of our relationship with God, so there is no reason to shy away from identifying ourselves as "slaves of God" or "slaves of Christ."

Ths is, of course, not the only metaphor used for our relationship with God.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 117, 2026, Kyle Kettering reminded us that we are also friends of Christ (Jn 15:14-15) and adopted children of God (Gal 4:1-7; Rom 8:14-17).

Seder 98: Matthew 13:44---The Treasure in the Field

 The thirteenth chapter of Matthew's Gospel records a number of parables of Jesus about the nature of God's kingdom.  One of them is in verse 44:

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

As Kyle Kettering explained in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 10, 2026, the parable is about someone who comes to see that submitting to God's reign is the highest priority in life, coming ahead of everything else.  Following God opens up to us a world of freedom, including freedom from want and fear.  

Kyle also mentioned that some have worried about possible ethical problems in the scenario presented in the parable.  Is it such a great idea to search through someone else's field and bury the treasure that one finds there without telling the owner of the field?  But with parables, we can miss the point if we get bogged down in the incidental details.  Jesus wasn't proposing that we go looking for items worth lots of money on other people's property.  

Symbolic readings of parables are often not the best option.  As an example, Kyle mentioned an interpretation of the parables in Matthew 13:44-46 given by popular dispensationalist teacher Warren Wiersbe (see Be Loyal, his commentary on Matthew).  Wiersbe saw in the parable of the hidden treasure Jesus' work to save the people of Israel, God's treasured possession (Ex 19:5).  He viewed the parable of the pearl of great price as representing Jesus' work on behalf of the church.  This is an imaginative reading that carries some lessons, but probably isn't what Jesus was talking about.  

Seder 98: Isaiah 24-25---Eschatological Destruction, Then Restoration

 In the late eighth century BC, the kingdom of Judah was threatened by the powerful and cruel Assyrian Empire.  Isaiah urged the kings and people of Judah to place trust in God, rather than in political alliances with neighboring nations, to deal with this threat.

Isaiah also had messages to convey to these other nations---e.g., in chapters 13-23.  All of them were accountable to the God of Israel for their conduct and would one day face judgment.  The messages to the other nations also spoke indirectly to Israel:  If God rules all nations, in whom should Israel be relying?

Chapter 24 goes even further, showing that God does more than just respond to what Middle Eastern nations do.  As the creator of all things, he can "uncreate" if he chooses.  Isaiah 24 presents a picture of universal destruction.

The Hebrew word eretz appears repeatedly in Isaiah 24.  This word can refer either to the whole world or specifically to the land of Israel.  It might appear initially that verse 5, with its references to laws, statutes, and the everlasting covenant, is mainly about Israel.  But in this chapter, the thrust is universal. All nations are accountable for basic morality, as Romans 1:18-32 implies.  In this context, the "everlasting covenant" in view could be the Noahic covenant. 

Several things in Isaiah 24 point to an eschatological setting, including

• the reference to "on that day" in verse 21;
• the judgment of "the host of heaven"---rebellious heavenly beings---who are punished after being "shut up in a prison" for "many days" (vv 21-22);
• the reference to heavenly signs in verse 23.

Verses 14-16 picture rejoicing and praise to God for his justice.  On the other hand, the prophet mourns the suffering that will be involved (vv 16-18).  

The judgment described in chapter 24 will bring a number of people to repentance.  In Isaiah 25:1-5, God is praised not just by the righteous, but also by "strong peoples" and "ruthless nations" (verse 3). 

 Judgment in chapter 24 is followed by hope and restoration in chapter 25.  Isaiah 25:6-9 pictures a future messianic banquet for all nations, with the defeat of sin and death.  Those who repent and submit to God will celebrate, while those who remain in rebellion are described as swimming in liquid manure (vv 10-12).  

Some of the themes and imagery of Isaiah 25 are picked up in the final chapters of the book of Revelation, which describes the "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7-9) as well as the contrasting fates of those who choose life and those who choose death (20:6, 14; 21:8; 22:11).  

Seder 97: Psalm 52---Trust in God's Faithfulness and Justice

 Most of the psalms do not come to us with information about the original occasion of their composition.  But some do.  In particular, some psalms linked to events in the life of David are clumped together in Book 2 of the Psalter in Psalms 51-52, 54, 56-57, 59-60, 63.

The arrangement of these psalms does not seem to be random.  In his book The Message of the Psalter, David C. Mitchell mentions the observation of medieval commentator David Kimchi (a.k.a. Radak) that  Psalms 52 and 54 deal with trials faced by David when he was fleeing from Saul, while Psalm 53 in between affirms that God made his kingdom stand firm in the face of these trials.  

Psalm 52 expresses confidence that God will judge the wicked and uphold those who place their trust in him.  The song's superscription gives a face to the wicked person described in verses 1-4, associating this wicked man with Doeg the Edomite, whose words and actions were responsible for the deaths of 85 priests and much of the rest of the population of Nob (1 Sa 21-22) during the reign of King Saul.

"Why do you boast of evil. O  mighty man?", David begins his prayer.  I sense that there are implied air quotes around the phrase "mighty man."  Doeg may think that he is mighty in having so many killed, but he should be aware that "the steadfast love of God endures all the day."  

This is not the only place in the Bible that refers ironically to "mighty men."  Isaiah 5:22 says, "Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink."

David continues, "Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit" (verse 2).  He adds in verse 4, "You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue."  Certainly Doeg caused great harm with his words.  

The midrash on Psalm 52 includes reflection on the harm that can be brought about through malicious speech.  The passages quoted include

• Proverbs 18:21---"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."
• Psalm 34:13---"Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit."
• Proverbs 21:23---"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."

The sages observe that those who engage in slander are denying God's authority, based on Psalm 12:4.  They also say that slander is more damaging than murder, since slander destroys three people---the speaker, the listener, and the subject of the slander.  Doeg's speech is given as an example.  It led to the deaths of Ahimelech (1 Sa 22:16), Saul (1 Ch 10:13), and eventually Doeg himself (Ps 52:5).

David closes the psalm with faith and confidence.  "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God...I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly" (verses 8-9).  Note that it is "in the house of God" and "in the presence of the godly" that David says he will flourish.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 3, 2026, Kyle Kettering emphasized the importance of a church community for the growth and flourishing of disciples of Jesus.  

Seder 96: Joel 3---A Harvest of Judgment

A number of biblical passages speak of harvests of salvation.  Jesus used this kind of metaphor in John 4:34-38 and Matthew 9:35-38.  

Harvest imagery is also used in the Bible in prophecies of eschatological judgment.  For example, Joel 3 looks ahead to Israel's restoration in the Day of the Lord and the judgment of nations that have oppressed her.  In verse 13 we read, "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.  Go in, tread, for the winepress is full.  The vats overflow, for their evil is great."  Commentator David A. Hubbard explains, "The wickedness...of the nations is so great that they are as ripe...for judgment as grapes would be for harvest at the peak of their season."

Other passages that use similar imagery for judgment are Isaiah 63:1-6 and Revelation 14:14-20.  In his Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on Joel and Amos (1989), Hubbard notes that the passage in Revelation 14 "draws heavily upon this scene in Joel."

Seder 95: Questions about Leviticus 22:28

 Leviticus 22:28 states, "But you shall not kill an ox and a sheep and her young in one day."  Since this commandment appears in the middle of a section of rules on sacrifices, one question that has been raised about it is whether it applies to all slaughter of animals, or just to animals that are sacrificed.  Jewish halakhic tradition says it is the former. (b. Hullin 78a).   

Another question has to do with the rationale for this rule, which appears right after the stipulation that a sacrificial animal must be at least eight days old (verse 27).  One proposal to explain both verse 27 and verse 28 is that the love of a mother animal for her offspring is one of the highest and "most human" aspects of the life of an animal, and that human use of animals should honor this aspect and not blot it out.  An animal sacrifice should not disrespect the animal's self-sacrifice for her offspring.  

In general, the Bible teaches kindness toward animals.  In Proverbs 12:10 we read, "Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."  Midrash Tanchuma  sees in Proverbs 12:10 a contrast between God's mercy in Leviticus 22:28 and the cruelty of the wicked as exemplified by the Assyrian Empire.  Hosea 10:14 states that  "mothers were dashed in pieces with their children" by Assyrian military forces.  We are to imitate God and not the cruel Assyrian monarchs.  

Provisions like those in Leviticus 22:28 and Deuteronomy 22:6 may also have sustainability in mind.  If some kind of animal is overharvested, there is danger of its becoming extinct.  This is not just a trendy concern of the present moment.  Such concerns were raised, for example, by Ramban (Nachmanides) in the thirteenth century AD.  This is all part of man's "working and keeping" the Garden (Ge 2:!5).

Seder 95: 1 Peter 2:3-4---Affirming the Deity of Jesus

 One way in which the writers of the New Testament epistles affirm the deity of Jesus is by applying passages from the Tanakh about the God of Israel to Jesus.  We see one example in 1 Peter 2:3-4, where Peter brings together two passages of scripture.

First Peter 2:3 references Psalm 34:8 ("Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!), a verse about the God of Israel.  

Then in verse 4, Peter says that the Lord is "a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious." Here Peter is thinking of Psalm 118:22, which he later quotes in verse 7, as a reference to Jesus.  Jesus had been rejected by Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (Mt 21:42; Ac 4:10-11) but was resurrected to eternal life.  

So Peter makes an identification between the God of Israel and Jesus the Messiah, as the New Testament writers often do. 

Seder 95: 1 Peter 2:5---Spiritual Sacrifices in a New Temple

 Peter probably wrote his first epistle in the early 60s AD, several years before his martyrdom and within a decade of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.  Peter must have known at that point that the temple soon would be destroyed, since Jesus had told him about 30 years before that this would happen within a generation (Mk 13:3, 30).  

Peter wrote to congregations in northern Asia Minor that would have included both Jewish and Gentile believers.  He encouraged them to live faithful lives in an environment that was often hostile to their counter-cultural beliefs and practices.  

In 1 Peter 2:4-10, he told these believers that they were "living stones" in a spiritual temple, a temple in which the resurrected Messiah is the chief cornerstone.  Furthermore, they constituted a holy priesthood whose purpose was to "offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

A spiritual sacrifice presumably is once carried out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Other passages in the New Testament epistles say more about these sacrifices.  Paul says in Romans 12:1-2 that our bodies should be "living sacrifice," transformed by the Holy Spirit to obey the will of God. Hebrews 13:15-16 adds that acceptable sacrifices include praising God, doing good, and sharing what we have.

Peter added in verse 9, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."  

Here Peter brought together two passages, Isaiah 43:20-21 and Exodus 19:6, which describe Israel's priestly mission to be a light to the nations.  He told these believers that their spiritual priesthood would be carrying on with that mission, representing God with their words and their lives.  They would not be replacing Israel but assisting Israel in that mission.  

First Fruits of Zion has a good way of describing the New Testament people of God with its proleptic radial ecclesiology.

Seder 94: Luke 9:57-63---Setting Priorities

 In chapters 9-19 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem, where he will face his crucifixion.  On the journey, he prepares his disciples for what lies ahead.  

Jesus lets his disciples know that following him will mean facing rejection.  "Foxes have holes, and bird of the air have nests," he tells a potential disciple, "but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (9:58).  

Disciples will also have to make God's Kingdom their highest priority.  One potential disciples responds to Jesus' invitation by saying, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father" (v. 59).  Jesus responds, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead.  But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God" (v. 60).

Different explanations have been offered for what Jesus means by the saying, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead."  Perhaps Jesus is saying, "Leave the spiritually dead to bury the dead."  Another explanation is based on first-century burial practices in Jerusalem.  If a family had a family tomb, they placed the body there.  A year later they gathered up the bones and placed them in a stone ossuary.  In this context Jesus may be saying that the other bodies in the family tomb should take care of these details.  

In any case this is one of Jesus' "hard sayings," because taking care of a parent's burial was an important part of honoring a parent.  Jesus is saying that one's commitment to God is even more important than that commitment to parents. 

The following exchange is similar to this one.  Another potential disciple says, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home" (v 62).  Jesus answers, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (v 63).  

This answer reminds us of an incident from the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha (1 Ki 19:19-21).  When Elijah picks Elisha to succeed him, Elisha is doing some plowing.  Elisha asks Elijah for permission to first wrap up some details, including saying farewell to his parents.  Elijah agrees, and Elisha quickly settles his affairs.  Here Elisha is not trying to delay; he is clearly committed to accepting his calling.  Disciples of Jesus can look to his example and imitate his commitment.  Jesus is not telling us to neglect our families, but to have our priorities in order.

New Testament scholar Paul Sloan points out that in Jewish tradition, if one is authorized to carry out some important task, the things needed to carry out that task take precedence over other Torah obligations.  Jesus had been sent by the Father as a herald of the Kingdom of God to the nation of Israel (see Luke 4:43).  People's lives depended upon their response to his message (Lk 13:3).  So the task of proclaiming the kingdom was even more important than the responsibility of burying one's father.  Jesus was not showing disdain for the Torah here, as some commentators have claimed.  

Seder 93: Luke 13:6-9---The Parable of the Unproductive Fig Tree

 In the parable of Luke 13:6-9, a man has a fig tree in his vineyard that has not borne fruit for three years.  When he asks his vinedresser to cut it down, the vinedresser recommends giving the tree one more year while he applies some additional fertilizer.  

In Luke's narrative, the parable appears right after a discussion of people in Judea and Galilee who have suffered misfortune.  Jesus explains that those people were not worse than anyone else; they had not been singled out for punishment.  But anyone who did not repent would be subject to judgment.  

The parable reminds us of John the Baptist's words in Luke 3:9 as part of his call to repentance:  "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

The context of the parable in Luke 13 and some elements of the parable suggest that the parable is, at least in part, saying something about national judgment.  Certainly a fig tree and a vineyard can be symbols for Israel in the prophets (Isa 5:1-7; Jer 24:1-8; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1).. 

It is possible, though, to take the search for symbolism too far, trying to find some kind of symbolic meaning in every detail of the parable.  This is a hermeneutic inappropriate for the parable genre.  Scholar Allan W. Martens gives an example, noting that some have stretched things too far in proposing that

• vineyard = Israel
• fig tree = Jerusalem
• vinedresser = Jesus
• three years = Jesus' ministry

But we can say that the parable is about the need for repentance, a message applicable to all readers of the parable.   

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 22, 2025, Kyle Kettering asked another question about the parable:  Is the parable implying that the interceding vinedresser is more merciful than the fig tree's owner?  In other words, is the one symbolized by the vinedresser more merciful than God?  

Certainly the answer is no.  Those who have played the intercessory role, like Abraham (Ge 18:23-33), Moses (Ex 32:10-12), and Jesus (Lk 23:34), do so because God is merciful (Lk 6:35-36).  Kyle urged us to bear fruit and help others to do so.  

Seder 93: Leviticus 19:23-25----More on "Uncircumcised" Fruit

  When the Israelites planted a new tree in the Promised Land, they were not to eat any fruit that happened to grow during the first three years.  This initial fruit was considered to be "uncircumcised."  

The adjective "uncircumcised" (Hebrew arel) is applied in a figurative way to several things in the Bible:

• fruit (Lev 19:23);
• lips (Ex 6:12, 30);
• hearts (Lev 26:41; Jer 9:26; Eze 44:7, 9);
• ears (Jer 6:10).

In each case there is some "blockage" that needs to be removed or improvement that needs to be carried out. 

Jewish teacher Sharon Rimon relates a midrash in which a Roman official asks Rabbi Akiva why boys are not born circumcised.  Akiva observes that there are a number of instances where God gives people things to do.  He gives us grain, from which we make bread; he gives us flax, from which we make linen, etc.  In general, God gives us these things to do so that we can be partners with him in creation and grow in the process.  

Seder 92: Understanding the Case in Leviticus 19:20-22

 A number of the legal cases presented in the Torah are challenging for today's readers, since they were presented to a culture much different from ours.  

One example is the case given in Leviticus 19:20-22.  Commentator Jay Sklar gives a possible explanation for the scenario under discussion.  

Sklar proposes that the master in this case has promised a slave woman to another man in marriage.  But before the betrothal is finalized, the man has sexual relations with the slave woman.  This scenario would be rather similar to the one in Deuteronomy 22:28-29, since the woman is not yet betrothed at this point.  The Deuteronomy passage suggests that the master should marry the slave woman if she consents to the marriage.  

The master has also broken his promise to the other man, a promise that may have been made with an oath.  So the master brings a guilt/reparation offering because of the broken promise.

Seder 91: Paul's Use of Leviticus 18:5 in Galatians 3:12

 In his epistle to the Galatians, the apostle Paul tells Gentile followers of Jesus that they should not make a full conversion to Judaism.  They have already been baptized and received the Holy Spirit.  Like Jewish followers of Jesus, they have been saved by grace through faith (Acts 15:7-11).  

In Galatians 3:10-14, Paul quotes several scriptures in making his argument.  Here are the first three:

• Deuteronomy 27:26 is quoted in verse 10.  Paul points out that making a conversion to Judaism means joining the Sinai covenant community, which collectively faces curses when it is disobedient (see Deuteronomy 28).  Sadly, over the centuries that community had too often suffered those curses.
• Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted in verse 11.  The Gentile Christians in Galatia are already part of the new covenant community and should continue to walk in faithfulness to God as part of that community.
• Leviticus 18:5 is  quoted in verse 12:  "The one who does them shall live by them."  In its original context, this verse tells members of the Sinai covenant community that they can enjoy abundant life in the Promised Land by being faithfully obedient to God.  Too often Israelites had missed this opportunity, and over the centuries Leviticus 18:5 had come to be a reminder of that unrealized potential (Ezekiel 20:11, 13, 21; Neh 9:29).  New Testament scholar Joel Willitts suggests that Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5 in Galatians 3:12 with that connotation in mind.  Making a full conversion to Judaism would not add anything to the current status of the Gentile believers.

Seder 91: Paul's Use of Leviticus 18:5 in Romans 10

 In Leviticus 18, God cautions the Israelites at Mount Sinai not to follow the ways of the peoples around them, in particular the Egyptians and Canaanites.  In verse 5, he states:

"You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them:  I am the LORD."  

The sentence "I am the LORD" is repeated often during the Exodus.  It is a shorthand form of Exodus 20:2:

"I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the household of slavery."

Because God has delivered Israel from slavery, the Israelites have exchanged masters.  Now they owe allegiance to God.  Leviticus 18:5 says that if the Israelites are loyal to him, then they will enjoy abundant life in the Promised Land.  

This isn't a matter of the Israelites earning God's favor.  God is committed to his covenant with Israel.  But whether particular Israelites and generations of Israelites experience the full blessings of the covenant will depend on how well they follow its stipulations (see Lev 26 and Dt 28, which contrast the blessings and curses that will follow from Israel's obedience or disobedience).  

In the context of Leviticus 17-20, the implications of Leviticus 18:5 actually go beyond the nation of Israel.  The principles stated in these chapters are not just for Israelites, but are also for people from the nations who choose to live among them (Lev 17:8, 10, 13; 18:26; 20:2).  Remember that God called the Israelites for the ultimate goal of blessing the nations (Ge 12:3; Isa 42:6; 49:6).  

In this context, the reference in Leviticus 18:5 to "a person" is not restricted to Israelites, but refers to "any person."  Rabbi Meir, a famous second-century rabbi, took such a view, arguing that "even a Gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a high priest" (b. Sanhedrin 59a).  

The apostle Paul seems to be emphasizing this universal aspect of Leviticus 18:5 when he quotes the verse in Roman 10:5.  In Romans 10, Paul asserts that the ultimate goal of the Torah is the sending of Jesus the Messiah for the salvation of all nations.  In verses 5-13, he quotes several passages from the Hebrew Scriptures to emphasize the accessibility of salvation to all.  

I think that Paul's use of Leviticus 18:5 in Romans 10:5 is often misunderstood, as evidenced by the fact that the conjunction in Romans 10:6 is rendered "but" in almost all of our English translations.  It is widely believed that Paul is contrasting a "righteousness that is based on the law" and a "righteousness based on faith" in Romans 10:5-6.  However, in that case Paul would be pitting two scriptures against each other.  He would also seem to be saying that Leviticus 18:5 is about salvation by works, or at least that some first-century Jews thought so.    

I would argue that "moreover" (as in the CJB) or "and" (as in YLT) would be a better translation than "but" in Romans 10:6, with Leviticus 18:5 intended to contribute to his argument.  In this reading, the "righteousness that is based on the law" is the "righteousness first announced in the Torah" that blessing is available for all who trust in the God of Israel.  

Seder 90: Leviticus 17-18 as Precursor of the Apostolic Decree in Acts 15

 At the Jerusalem Council described in Acts 15, the leaders of the early Jesus movement decided on basic requirements for Gentiles whom God had added to their ranks.  In a letter to congregations, the council stated, 

"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:  that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.  If you keep these, you will do well.  Farewell" (vv 28-29).

The four basic requirements are stated in shorthand, and the Jerusalem church sent emissaries along with its letter to unpack for congregations what was entailed in these four items.  It seems that these requirements had two basic purposes:  

• to enable unified fellowship between Jewish and Gentile members, who would be eating meals together.
• to lay out basic moral principles, cautioning against sinful behavior that was considered to be acceptable in the Greco-Roman world.

Scholars have looked for antecedents of this list in biblical and Jewish tradition, as scholar David Instone-Brewer discusses in a 2009 paper.  One possible precursor comes from Leviticus 17-18, a section of Leviticus that lays out instructions for holy living for both Israelites and resident aliens in the land of Israel.  Those instructions include prohibition of 

• idolatry (17:1-8);
• blood (17:10-16);
• sexual immorality (18:1-20, 22-23);
• child sacrifice, a form of infanticide (18:21).

Instone-Brewer proposes that "things strangled" may refer to both improper butchering of meat and to infanticide, which was a common birth control practice in the Greco-Roman world.

Three of the four items---idolatry, bloodshed, and sexual immorality---are linked together in several contexts.  In Jewish tradition these are three things that one should not do even if one's life is in danger.  These are also three things that will defile the land in which they are committed:  

• sexual immorality (Lev 18:24-25)
• bloodshed (Nu 35:33-34; Dt 21:1-9)
• false worship, especially idolatry (Lev 19:31; Jer 16:18)

Seder 89: Isaiah 6---The Commissioning of Isaiah

 The sixth chapter of Isaiah begins by describing a vision of the heavenly throne room that Isaiah received in around 740 BC.  This vision brought home to Isaiah the great gulf between him and a holy God, a gulf created by his sinfulness. 

God proceeded to cleanse Isaiah and forgive his sins.  God then asked his heavenly host, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"  Encouraged by what God had done for him, Isaiah spoke up, "Here I am!  Send me" (v 8).  

God then let Isaiah know what he was getting himself into.  If Isaiah told people what they wanted to hear, he might become popular.  But he would be telling the nation of Judah what it needed to hear.  As a result, many would tune him out, at least in the short run, and the nation would face judgment.  But a remnant would listen, and the nation would be rebuilt from there. 

Chronologically speaking, this may be the earliest part of the book of Isaiah.  We would normally expect the book to open with this commissioning narrative---see Jeremiah 1 and Ezekiel 1-2.  Commentator John Oswalt proposes that this episode appears where it does in order to model what the Israelites must do in order to address the spiritual problems raised in Isaiah 1-5.  If the people would humble themselves and confess their uncleanness, then God would cleanse them in his mercy.

Another unusual thing about Isaiah 6 is that God does not command Isaiah to serve as a prophet.  Instead, God invites him to volunteer.  

The passage from Isaiah 6 that is most often quoted in the New Testament is verses 9-10.  Jesus and Paul would sometimes find their audiences to be just as spiritually obstinate as Isaiah's.  As human beings, we tend to resist listening to the things we need to hear.

Seder 88: Answering Two Questions about Mark 7

 Mark 7 records a halakhic discussion in which Jesus engaged about a ritual hand-washing practice which was popular in his time.  Jesus was asked why his disciples didn't engage in this practice, which was based on the belief that ritual impurity could spread from a person's hands via a liquid to food, which would then make the person ritually unclean.  

Jesus expressed disagreement with this practice, which he classified as a human tradition that obscured rather than amplified the  teaching of the Torah.  He stated, "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him" (v 15).  

Thinking about the rules for ritual purity in Leviticus 11-15, we can see what Jesus was talking about.  It is things that come out of a person---e.g., bodily fluids like blood and semen---that lead to ritual impurity, not anything a person ingests.  

At first glance, though, there seems to be a possible exception in Lev 17:15:  "And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean."

Biblical scholar Logan Williams addresses this question in a 2024 paper in the journal New Testament Studies.  He explains that the uncleanness may be contracted from handling the dead animal rather than from ingesting the meat.  

Williams also looks at another question about Mark 7, the interpretation of Mark 7:18-19.  He says that here Jesus is saying that the human digestive system is a ritual cleansing agent.  Whenever a person eats meat, one has contact with a dead animal, but eating meat does not, according to Leviticus, lead to ritual impurity.  One way of explaining why that is is to see the digestive system as ritually cleansing the meat. 

A number of English translations of Mark 7:19 end the verse with a parenthetical "thus he declared all food clean."  Williams says that it's better to read that final clause as the end of the previous sentence, as in the KJV.  It's a trip through the digestive system that ritually cleanses the food, not a proclamation by Jesus.

Feast of Tabernacles 2025: Comparing 1 Cor 8-10 and Avodah Zarah

 At the Feast of Tabernacles, we look forward to the time when all nations worship the true God, as pictured in Zechariah 14.  

In the first century the Gospel began to be proclaimed to the nations, an effort that eventually will lead to the fulfillment of Zechariah 14.  Former pagans who joined the Christian movement faced some big challenges negotiating the polytheistic environment of the Greco-Roman world.  Here their Jewish brethren in the Diaspora could provide help based on generations of experience.  We see the apostle Paul providing this kind of help in his epistles---for example, in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10.  

In a lecture at Church of the Messiah on October 11, 2025, Kyle Kettering explained that the guidance Paul gave to his congregations has important parallels with the cases discussed in tractate Avodah Zarah ("works of idolaters") in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Talmuds.  This is not surprising, since Paul 

• was a Pharisee (not an "ex-Pharisee"), as we see in Acts 23:6;
• was a follower of the Torah, as in Acts 18:8; 21:21-24;
• was a teacher of Torah principles.

Both Paul and Avodah Zarah took into account three considerations in navigating the idol-saturated world of the Roman Empire:

1. How a particular thing appeared to others.
2. The significance given to the thing in its setting.
3. How a particular thing was being used.

In regard to appearances, one case discussed by the rabbis involves a coin that is lying on the ground in front of an idol shrine.  Is it OK to pick up the coin?  The sages say no in a situation where doing so would make it appear that one is worshiping the god of the shrine.  Similarly, Paul in 1 Corinthians 8 says that meat that has been offered to an idol should not be eaten if this action would do spiritual harm to a brother---e.g., a Gentile believer who is still struggling with whether to continue in pagan practices that previously were part of his life.  

1 Thessalonians 5:22 as it is translated in the KJV ("abstain from all appearance of evil") may be relevant here, although there is some question about the meaning of this verse.  For example, ESV has "abstain from every form of evil."   

Significance given to an object arose, for example, in the question of the possible use of stones that had been part of an image of a god.  Are these stones still being seen and treated as representing the god?   If so, they should not be reused.  If not, it is OK to recycle them for another purpose. 

The question about how a thing was being used arose, for example, in the question of whether one should go to a Roman bathhouse in which there were idolatrous images.  In one famous ruling, Rabban Gamaliel II said that it was not a problem to go to a bathhouse in which there was an image of Aphrodite.  Gamaliel reasoned that people went to a bathhouse to bathe, not to worship idols.   The idol at the bathhouse was just a decoration, not an object of worship. 

Kyle gave some current examples in which these principles can be applied.  For example, the image on a Starbucks cup is not a part of pagan worship, so there is no reason to abstain from Starbucks coffee.  Similarly, there is no reason to avoid the use of Christmas trees; the people who use them do not do so to follow a false god.  There is no reason to worry about the origins or past use of the "Star of David;" the current intended use of the star has nothing to do with paganism.