Monday, September 25, 2006
While I won't pretend I have how the whole Old Testament law and sacrifice system figured out, I believe that it wasn't perfectly keeping the law and doing every sacrifice to perfection that saved one. It was the belief in Jehovah and faith that there was a coming Messiah that did. Otherwise, to be frank, there won't be a single soul from that era in heaven because since every dang soul is a sinner, no one could possibly keep it ferpectly.
Anyway, there were a couple verses mentioned in the sermon yesterday that I was thinking about.
Romans 9:30-32 30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
I take these to mean that when salvation came to the Gentiles they didn't have a hard time accepting that they could have Righteousness by faith. While the Jews stumbled at this. It's only by faith? What about my own good works? My own attempts at being righteous? Sacrifices were symbolic of the Messiah that was to come. However, since they were imperfect sacrifices, they had to be done over and over until the Perfect Sacrifice came.
On another thought, I was thinking about life being a Gentile in the OT. It seemed that while Israel was always coming back and falling away and back and forth, for the most part, other nations around them were always the utmost of wicked. And while that may be easy to say, we're talking nations. Millions of people. Individuals. How many of them knew of Jehovah? How many were given a chance? We have the example of the whole city of Nineveh being given opportunity to repent. And in Jericho, Rahab being saved. But I wonder how many others were there not mentioned.
Malachi 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen saith the Lord of hosts.
Obviously Jehovah was known in the nations around Israel. Or, the wording does make me ask if it is present or future.
The OT is fascinating, but I have so many crazy questions about how it was. But I'll leave it there for now.
ess spake at
10:52 PM
