Temple - Part 1
August 7, 2022Today's message was given by Pastor Patrick. A video of the message is here. Today's message started a series called "Temple" and was about worship, submitting your will to God. [Conversation Starters will begin again with the start of the next official small groups session in September.]
At the outset, Patrick mentioned the Shema (rhymes with 'dilemma' but with the accent on the last syllable: sh'MA). The name Shema is the first word of the first phrase in Deuternonomy 6:4, Hear! or Listen! The Shema includes: Deuternonomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. It is, as Patrtick described, a centerpiece of Jewish prayer. Today, the various Jewish "denominations" (orthodox, conservative, reform, etc.) build the Shema somewhat differently. Saying this twice daily comes from the scripture itself, "when you lie down and when you rise up." A third time each day was added in traditional prayer books called a Bedtime Shema which includes additional passages. Remember, a Torah "day" starts at sunset.
We've talked before about the meaning of "all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." Briefly repeating... In ancient Hebrew, the "heart" was the center of thinking (feelings were in the kidneys). Soul is "inner core." Strength is "all you've got, yourself, all you own, all you can bring to bear, your 'muchness'." That's submitting!
Patrick mentioned that worship started at altars. But the notion of "that's where God is" may not be entirely accurate even from an OT point of view. God is clearly not confined or confineable to a certain place (1 Kings 8:27, Jer. 23:23, and Ps. 139:8). I think it's more a matter of "wherever you build an altar, I'll be there." In fact, you don't even need a physical thing; wherever you act holy, God will be there. God is totally portable, as it were. Remember the tabernacle of the Israelites in the wilderness.
Another thing about altars... When God provided construction detail, it was generally earthen, no steps, and no "chiseled" stone. Earthen, down to earth, nothing fancy required. No steps was a rebuke of sexual practices in pagan worship (couldn't "look up the tunic" and see nakedness). And the words surrounding chiseled are terms used for making weapons of war; an altar has no place for such violence.
Even in the Creation story can be seen a temple "layer." ANE folk would hear 'rest' and assume an abiding presence (e.g. is located, is in place, here). The pagan world was full of "abodes" for their gods. The "resting" on the 7th day (and subsequent Sabbaths) is not just to be passive, but to also "take up residence with God." It's the same 'rest' as when God's spirit "rests" on the prophet's head prompting him to speak. God rested not from Creation, but rested in Creation. I'm just in the middle of reading a fascinating book, The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One. The book describes fascinating "layers" within the Creation story: Song, Analogy, Polemic, Covenant, Temple, Calendar, and Land. There are two authors, one a geologist and one a professor of Old Testament studies, two of my favorite topics!
The Temple "layer" can be seen throughout scripture, Creation to Revelation. We've talked about Creation here. Patrick mentioned Jesus refering to himself as the Temple of God. And in Revelation, where the intent is made known to spread God's temple presence (dwelling place) throughout the earth. See Rev. 21:3.
Bonus
"How can you take seriously a book that approved of slavery?" This is a common question/argument used by folks who don't want to confront Bible teachings. First of all, what we Americans commonly understand as slavery was impossible, totally prohibited, by Torah law. How? By the commandment to not steal. Thou shalt not steal (in the Ten Commandments) includes the stealing of humans, kidnapping. Without kidnapping, the slavery in America could have never been.
More broadly, however, slavery as known in the ANE is something entirely different from American slavery. It was more like indentured servitude. One ended up a slave to either repay a debt, or being sold to another by someone to whom you had a debt, or voluntarily if a pauper. Regardless of how you got into slavery, the Torah provides many rules as to how you properly treat a slave/servant (unique in the ANE), often noting that "you were a slave in Egypt" (so have empathy) and every human being is in God's image. Examples of Torah "slave" laws include: after 6-years the slave must be sent free with the master providing money and property for the slave to be on his own, a slave who runs away may not be returned to the master, a slave must rest every seven days just like the master, if you injure a slave he goes free, etc. One Jewish saying is "to buy a slave is to buy a master." Slavery eventually died out in Jewish life; it wasn't worth it.
The Hebrew word often translated as slave, eved, can also mean servant. In the verse "Abraham was a servant of God," the same word is used in the Exodus story for slave. There shouldn't be any question that being a servant of God is quite different than being a slave in Egypt.