Wednesday, February 28 Baxter
At each table there will be one or two of the ten commandments, a Bible, and a "stone tablet"
Pentateuch -- the first five books of the Bible, thought to have been written by Moses
Torah -- also refers to the first five books, but also can refer to the laws themselves or teaching
What is in the Torah, or Pentateuch?
The history of God’s dealings with humankind from creation to the death of Moses.—Genesis 1:27, 28; Deuteronomy 34:5.
The regulations of the Mosaic Law. (Exodus 24:3) That Law is made up of more than 600 statutes. Prominent among them is the Shema, or Jewish confession of faith. One portion of the Shema says: “You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Jesus described this as “the greatest and first commandment.”—Matthew 22:36-38.
Some 1,800 occurrences of the divine name, Jehovah. Rather than prohibit the use of God’s name, the Torah contains commands that require God’s people to pronounce it.—Numbers 6:22-27; Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:8; 21:5.
At each table:
Read and discuss the commandment that is at your table. Try to put it into words that a third-grader could understand.
Using the Bible at your table, look at a section of the ordinances.
Exodus 20:22 through Exodus 31:17 is a list of ordinances organized by type given to Moses on Mount Saini before Moses is given the stone tablets.
Slaves (155-156)
Violence (156)
Property (156-157)
Restitution (157-158)
Social and Religious Laws (158)
Justice for All (158-159)
Choose two or three and write them on the “stone tablet” at your table.
Look at your commandment and the ordinances that you chose. Discuss what the difference might be between a commandment and an ordinance.
If time allows, peruse the ritual ten commandments.
The ritual ten commandments: Exodus 34:10-28 (177-178)
Exodus 20:1-17 (pp 153-154, Lutheran Study Bible)
The Ten Commandments
20 Then God spoke all these words,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.[c]
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Wednesday, February 21 (Saron)
Genesis 17:1-8, 15-16
The Sign of the Covenant
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;[a] walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram,[b] but your name shall be Abraham,[c] for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding, and I will be their God.”
15 God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her and also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
This is the second of God's covenants. The first was the covenant with Noah that God would never again send a flood to destroy mankind or the animals.
The covenant with Abraham establishes the People of Israel -- Abraham's descendants, who will be more numerous than the stars or the grains of sand on a beach. After Abraham shows his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, 15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” These, the chosen people, will be led out of Egypt by Moses and will witness God's covenant with Moses. This covenant also foreshadows the "New Covenant" where the word of God will be written on our hearts and we will be God's people and He will be our God.
Our Lenten journey this year takes us through all of these covenants and up to the covenant that we repeat in the words of institution, a new covenant in Christ's blood, shed for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, this week's discussion has the rather daunting task of introducing the overarching idea of the Covenant relationship as well as the covenant with Abraham, which is essential to understanding who those named variously as "the Chosen People, the People of Israel, and the Jews" in scripture.
Possible Questions for at the Tables:
1, A covenant is similar to a contract. In a contract, both sides agree to terms. Think of, for example, a rental agreement. Beyond providing the space, what else might a landlord promise? Besides paying rent, what else might a tenant promise?
2. In the covenant with Abraham, what promises does God make? What is expected of Abraham? (this part is implied -- what is expected of an ancestor? the father/mother of nations? a king?)
3. How is our covenant relationship with God demonstrated here at church?
4. How is your personal relationship with God like a contract? How is it different?
5. What questions do you have about this text, the Covenant relationship, Lent, or the story of Abraham?
At each table there will be one or two of the ten commandments, a Bible, and a "stone tablet"
Pentateuch -- the first five books of the Bible, thought to have been written by Moses
Torah -- also refers to the first five books, but also can refer to the laws themselves or teaching
What is in the Torah, or Pentateuch?
The history of God’s dealings with humankind from creation to the death of Moses.—Genesis 1:27, 28; Deuteronomy 34:5.
The regulations of the Mosaic Law. (Exodus 24:3) That Law is made up of more than 600 statutes. Prominent among them is the Shema, or Jewish confession of faith. One portion of the Shema says: “You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Jesus described this as “the greatest and first commandment.”—Matthew 22:36-38.
Some 1,800 occurrences of the divine name, Jehovah. Rather than prohibit the use of God’s name, the Torah contains commands that require God’s people to pronounce it.—Numbers 6:22-27; Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:8; 21:5.
At each table:
Read and discuss the commandment that is at your table. Try to put it into words that a third-grader could understand.
Using the Bible at your table, look at a section of the ordinances.
Exodus 20:22 through Exodus 31:17 is a list of ordinances organized by type given to Moses on Mount Saini before Moses is given the stone tablets.
Slaves (155-156)
Violence (156)
Property (156-157)
Restitution (157-158)
Social and Religious Laws (158)
Justice for All (158-159)
Choose two or three and write them on the “stone tablet” at your table.
Look at your commandment and the ordinances that you chose. Discuss what the difference might be between a commandment and an ordinance.
If time allows, peruse the ritual ten commandments.
The ritual ten commandments: Exodus 34:10-28 (177-178)
Exodus 20:1-17 (pp 153-154, Lutheran Study Bible)
The Ten Commandments
20 Then God spoke all these words,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.[c]
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Wednesday, February 21 (Saron)
Genesis 17:1-8, 15-16
The Sign of the Covenant
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;[a] walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram,[b] but your name shall be Abraham,[c] for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding, and I will be their God.”
15 God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her and also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
This is the second of God's covenants. The first was the covenant with Noah that God would never again send a flood to destroy mankind or the animals.
The covenant with Abraham establishes the People of Israel -- Abraham's descendants, who will be more numerous than the stars or the grains of sand on a beach. After Abraham shows his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, 15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” These, the chosen people, will be led out of Egypt by Moses and will witness God's covenant with Moses. This covenant also foreshadows the "New Covenant" where the word of God will be written on our hearts and we will be God's people and He will be our God.
Our Lenten journey this year takes us through all of these covenants and up to the covenant that we repeat in the words of institution, a new covenant in Christ's blood, shed for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, this week's discussion has the rather daunting task of introducing the overarching idea of the Covenant relationship as well as the covenant with Abraham, which is essential to understanding who those named variously as "the Chosen People, the People of Israel, and the Jews" in scripture.
Possible Questions for at the Tables:
1, A covenant is similar to a contract. In a contract, both sides agree to terms. Think of, for example, a rental agreement. Beyond providing the space, what else might a landlord promise? Besides paying rent, what else might a tenant promise?
2. In the covenant with Abraham, what promises does God make? What is expected of Abraham? (this part is implied -- what is expected of an ancestor? the father/mother of nations? a king?)
3. How is our covenant relationship with God demonstrated here at church?
4. How is your personal relationship with God like a contract? How is it different?
5. What questions do you have about this text, the Covenant relationship, Lent, or the story of Abraham?