-
92) 1Cor 9:7-12 . .Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants
a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not
drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't
the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: Do not
muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is
concerned?
. . . Surely he says this for us, doesn't He? Yes, this was written for us,
because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to
do so in anticipation of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed
among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
Detractors sometimes find it necessary to criticize the Bible's Jesus for free-
loading and imposing on people's hospitality wherever he went. But when
you think about it; the Lord earned every so-called free meal he ever got.
His miracles healed and/or cured thousands of people in Israel during a time
when health care and medical technology were all but non-existent. His
countrymen owed the Lord a huge national debt of gratitude; just as the
Hmong family next door owed Walt Kowalski a debt of gratitude for
protecting them from gang-bangers in Clint Eastwood's movie Gran Torino.
93) 1Cor 9:13-14 . . Don't you know that those who work in the Temple get
their food from the temple, and those who serve at the Altar share in what is
offered on the altar? In the same way, The Lord has commanded that those
who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
The covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God in the Old Testament
doesn't allow Levitical priests to own land where they can provide
themselves sustenance by working their own farms. It's God's decree that a
number of the sacrifices and offerings that the priesthood's constituents
bring are dedicated to not just sustaining a friendly association with God, but
also to nourishing the priests. (e.g. Ex 29:31-32, Lev 2:1-10, Lev 7:11-15)
Obviously then, 1Cor 9:13-14 is saying that Christian congregations ought to
pitch in and help provide their churches' full-time pastors with a decent
standard of living. This is not optional; no, it's something that "The Lord has
commanded."
NOTE: I would say that Christians whose pastors rarely, if ever, preach the
94) 1Cor 9:24-25 . . Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but
only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown
that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
The "prize" that Olympians won back in those days wasn't much. No medals:
just a simple garland for the head consisting of a wreath made with wild
olive leaves from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus at Olympia. In time
the leaves dried out and crumbled.
The important thing to note in 1Cor 9:24-25 is that the prize isn't a pass into
the kingdom of God. No; the prize is an award rather than a wage; and
there is more than one kind; e.g. Php 4:1, 1Tim 4:8, Jas 1:12, 1Pet 5:4, Rev
14:14.
95) 1Cor 10:6-7 . . Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is
written: The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play.
The Bible doesn't provide much detail at Ex 32:1-6 as to what went on in
camp while Moses was up on the mountain. But one thing we know for sure
is that there was a golden calf; and the "eat and drink" to which the apostle
refers was a ritual where people sacrificed to the calf and afterwards
consumed the sacrifice as an act of communion with it; sort of like an old
fashioned Passover.
"to play" in Ex 32:6 is from the Hebrew word tsachaq (tsaw-khak') which
means: merriment; viz: pagan songs and dances dedicated to the calf; a
kind of worship revelry; the likes of which in the ancient city of Corinth no
doubt culminated in a drunken orgy. Apparently some of the religions in the
Roman world were pretty wild and sensual, and as a result; very popular. In
comparison; Christianity was dull and boring. Those pagan religions really
gave you your money's worth, while Christianity has very little to offer in the
way of entertainment, except maybe for Catholicism. David Letterman says
they put on a pretty good show.
96) 1Cor 10:8 . . Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them
committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
That event took place at Num 25:1-9. The fornication he's talking about
wasn't believers with believers. It was believers with unbelievers. In other
words; Christ's followers need to avoid getting romantic with unbelievers lest
unbelievers lead his followers down the primrose path into something
shameful and very unbecoming.
97) 1Cor 10:9 . .We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-- and
were slain by snakes.
That event took place at Num 21:5-9. It's noteworthy due to the fact that
Christ appropriated it at John 3:14-18 to illustrate the necessity, and the
efficacy, of his crucifixion. But anyway, the lesson is that it's not a good idea
to complain about the quality of God's providence.
NOTE: Providence is valuable not only as a source for one's needs; but also
protection from one's own stupidity. For example: with the help of God's
intervention, a few of the Old Testament saints dodged some pretty big
bullets of their own making.
/
92) 1Cor 9:7-12 . .Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants
a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not
drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't
the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: Do not
muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is
concerned?
. . . Surely he says this for us, doesn't He? Yes, this was written for us,
because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to
do so in anticipation of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed
among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
Detractors sometimes find it necessary to criticize the Bible's Jesus for free-
loading and imposing on people's hospitality wherever he went. But when
you think about it; the Lord earned every so-called free meal he ever got.
His miracles healed and/or cured thousands of people in Israel during a time
when health care and medical technology were all but non-existent. His
countrymen owed the Lord a huge national debt of gratitude; just as the
Hmong family next door owed Walt Kowalski a debt of gratitude for
protecting them from gang-bangers in Clint Eastwood's movie Gran Torino.
93) 1Cor 9:13-14 . . Don't you know that those who work in the Temple get
their food from the temple, and those who serve at the Altar share in what is
offered on the altar? In the same way, The Lord has commanded that those
who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
The covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God in the Old Testament
doesn't allow Levitical priests to own land where they can provide
themselves sustenance by working their own farms. It's God's decree that a
number of the sacrifices and offerings that the priesthood's constituents
bring are dedicated to not just sustaining a friendly association with God, but
also to nourishing the priests. (e.g. Ex 29:31-32, Lev 2:1-10, Lev 7:11-15)
Obviously then, 1Cor 9:13-14 is saying that Christian congregations ought to
pitch in and help provide their churches' full-time pastors with a decent
standard of living. This is not optional; no, it's something that "The Lord has
commanded."
NOTE: I would say that Christians whose pastors rarely, if ever, preach the
94) 1Cor 9:24-25 . . Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but
only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown
that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
The "prize" that Olympians won back in those days wasn't much. No medals:
just a simple garland for the head consisting of a wreath made with wild
olive leaves from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus at Olympia. In time
the leaves dried out and crumbled.
The important thing to note in 1Cor 9:24-25 is that the prize isn't a pass into
the kingdom of God. No; the prize is an award rather than a wage; and
there is more than one kind; e.g. Php 4:1, 1Tim 4:8, Jas 1:12, 1Pet 5:4, Rev
14:14.
95) 1Cor 10:6-7 . . Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is
written: The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play.
The Bible doesn't provide much detail at Ex 32:1-6 as to what went on in
camp while Moses was up on the mountain. But one thing we know for sure
is that there was a golden calf; and the "eat and drink" to which the apostle
refers was a ritual where people sacrificed to the calf and afterwards
consumed the sacrifice as an act of communion with it; sort of like an old
fashioned Passover.
"to play" in Ex 32:6 is from the Hebrew word tsachaq (tsaw-khak') which
means: merriment; viz: pagan songs and dances dedicated to the calf; a
kind of worship revelry; the likes of which in the ancient city of Corinth no
doubt culminated in a drunken orgy. Apparently some of the religions in the
Roman world were pretty wild and sensual, and as a result; very popular. In
comparison; Christianity was dull and boring. Those pagan religions really
gave you your money's worth, while Christianity has very little to offer in the
way of entertainment, except maybe for Catholicism. David Letterman says
they put on a pretty good show.
96) 1Cor 10:8 . . Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them
committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
That event took place at Num 25:1-9. The fornication he's talking about
wasn't believers with believers. It was believers with unbelievers. In other
words; Christ's followers need to avoid getting romantic with unbelievers lest
unbelievers lead his followers down the primrose path into something
shameful and very unbecoming.
97) 1Cor 10:9 . .We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-- and
were slain by snakes.
That event took place at Num 21:5-9. It's noteworthy due to the fact that
Christ appropriated it at John 3:14-18 to illustrate the necessity, and the
efficacy, of his crucifixion. But anyway, the lesson is that it's not a good idea
to complain about the quality of God's providence.
NOTE: Providence is valuable not only as a source for one's needs; but also
protection from one's own stupidity. For example: with the help of God's
intervention, a few of the Old Testament saints dodged some pretty big
bullets of their own making.
/
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