2008 MAY

Greetings to all on 8 May 2008

Word for the Day
Get - Hebrew for certificate of divorce. You are hereby permitted to marry again.

Quote for the Day
We depend on plans, programs, vision statements - but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning.
D. A. Carson

Website for the Day
http://www.walk-this-way.com/
Visit this site to read some good articles.

Thought for the Day
Last month we considered the possibility of contradictions being an avenue for spiritual growth. It’s such a different mind set to even admit to that possibility rather than default into fabricating an explanation.

This month I will share a final example. [1] In Deuteronomy 24.1-4 we read about the laws for marriage and divorce. If you’re not familiar with this passage, go back and read it sometime. Keep in mind that only recently (in some countries) have women gained equal legal status. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, a woman must have permission from a male relative before she can see a doctor. So, when we read the laws in the Tanakh, they are all male oriented. Actually, the Mosaical Law was very progressive in granting women the right to be free from a husband who divorced her. In some cultures, the man could return years later and demand her back. (This was one of David’s early sins; remember that story?)

Under the Mosaical Law, the divorced woman had a certificate (get) which proved that she was released from the previous marriage and, therefore, free to remarry. The “why” of her divorce was of no consequence and the husband could not take back the divorced wife. She was considered to be polluted from the ex-husband’s perspective. So when Jesus addressed the audience on the mount, they already knew that anyone could remarry. But, I digress; that’s a topic for a future article!

Now let’s go to Jeremiah 3.1- 10. Here we find ADONAI, speaking through his prophet, lamenting the behavior of his children. They have committed adultery with reckless abandon. To use an old phrase, they have “gone a-whoring.” As we continue to read through chapter three, notice that ADONAI says he will take them back. In case you were thinking that this was just a legal separation, notice in verse 8 that “I had sent her away and given her a divorce document.” Wait a minute, didn’t the Law forbid the husband from taking back the “sent away” wife? Can ADONAI break his own law?

Perhaps the greatest contradiction of all is Jesus hanging on the execution stake. The Law says, “... a hanged man is accursed by God.” [DEU 21.23] Paul reflects on this when he says that “Christ ... became a curse for us.” [GAL 3.13] Apparently, love trumps law.

Remember when you were first in love? We probably all did some things we had sworn we would never do. I had a fear of heights and was sure that I would never fly. Just as my luck would have it, the only way to get to my wedding was to fly. Yes, I got on the plane.

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Lori Moores, ed.

There is no June issue; see you in July.

1. Based on a message by Tod Vogt at Christ Journey church, Burleson TX , 6 APR 2008