Key OT Teachings

[GWH]

The next OT prophecy is cited in Matt. 2:18, "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children, because they are no more" (Jer. 31:15).

This verse is followed by Jer. 31:16-17, which says not to weep, because the children will return.
This hope is stated in terms of returning to their land as a reward for good works,
but in the NT this hope is amended in terms of going to heaven as the reward for saving faith.
(Rom. 8:24-25, 1Cor. 15:19, Col. 1:27, 1Thes. 5:8, Tit. 1:2 & 2:13)

There is no known OT prophecy stating that Messiah would be a Nazarene, so we will skip Matt. 2:23 and cite Matt. 3:3,
which quotes Isa. 40:3, "A voice of one calling in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him"
(cf. Mal. 3:1). Even in the Isaiah passage the reference is obviously metaphorical, and Isa. 40:9-11 connects it with the
proclamation of good news concerning divine reward for God's flock. Thus, this Isaiah passage certainly warrants inclusion
in the list of key OT teachings:

Isa. 40:3 & 9-11. Verse 3 is quoted in Matt. 3:3 with reference to John the Baptist in the Judean wilderness,
and verses 9-11 mention good news regarding the rescue of Judah, described as the flock of God their Shepherd,
which foreshadows the preaching of Jesus in John 10:11-16.

 

[GWH]

The next OT passage cited in Matthew is by Jesus in Matt. 4:4, where he cites Deut. 8:3b, "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Not sure how this key doctrine was overlooked in the initial listing, but it will be added now.

We should note that Jesus indicated that Satan's temptations are resisted by learning GW; this is how we come near to God (cf. Jam. 4:7, 2Tim. 3:15-17, Eph. 4:11-15 & 6:14-17).

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 4:6 the devil quotes Psa. 91:11-12 to suggest that Jesus prove his divine Sonship by jumping off the highest point of the temple, but Jesus countered by citing Deut. 6:16, which I have listed as

TOJ #4: Harmonize all truth. [Matt. 4:7a] Jesus implied this important logical principle to apply when seeking the correct understanding of GW by saying, “It is also written”. If the Spirit of God inspired the biblical writers (2Pet. 1:20-21) and created the world (Gen. 1:1-3), then the best interpretation of a TOJ should harmonize the totality of revealed and scientific knowledge. In his second temptation the devil quoted Scripture (Psa. 91:11-12) as though he were heeding the TOJ about LGW, but he attempted to deceive Jesus with a false interpretation so He would perform a miracle. Although Jesus did perform miracles, it was only as necessary in order to establish His church so that Christians could preach salvation via saving Faith in the Gospel/kerygma. (See TOJ #77 & #78.)

Not sure why I did not list this key teaching previously, but I will do so now:

DT 6:16. Do not test the Lord God. Jesus cited this verse after the devil had challenged him to prove his divine Sonship by jumping off the highest point of the temple by quoting Psa. 91:11-12, saying “It is also written…”. This encounter illustrates the importance of harmonizing Scripture rather than practicing proof-texting. Also, the Bible indicates that the purpose of this life is rather for humans to prove to God they are worthy of—or qualify for—heaven (cf. Jam. 1:2-4, Psa. 66:10, Pro. 17:3).

 

[Prycejosh1987]

I believe the universe is eternal like God, but the worlds in our solar system are young.

 

[GWH]

I believe the universe is eternal like God, but the worlds in our solar system are young.

Why in the world/universe would you believe that?
Of course, the age of either does not matter as long as God created matter.

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 4:6 the devil quotes Psa. 91:11-12 to suggest that Jesus prove his divine Sonship by jumping off the highest point of the temple, but Jesus countered by citing Deut. 6:16, which I have listed as

TOJ #4: Harmonize all truth. [Matt. 4:7a] Jesus implied this important logical principle to apply when seeking the correct understanding of GW by saying, “It is also written”. If the Spirit of God inspired the biblical writers (2Pet. 1:20-21) and created the world (Gen. 1:1-3), then the best interpretation of a TOJ should harmonize the totality of revealed and scientific knowledge. In his second temptation the devil quoted Scripture (Psa. 91:11-12) as though he were heeding the TOJ about LGW, but he attempted to deceive Jesus with a false interpretation so He would perform a miracle. Although Jesus did perform miracles, it was only as necessary in order to establish His church so that Christians could preach salvation via saving Faith in the Gospel/kerygma. (See TOJ #77 & #78.)

Not sure why I did not list this key teaching previously, but I will do so now:

DT 6:16. Do not test the Lord God. Jesus cited this verse after the devil had challenged him to prove his divine Sonship by jumping off the highest point of the temple by quoting Psa. 91:11-12, saying “It is also written…”. This encounter illustrates the importance of harmonizing Scripture rather than practicing proof-texting. Also, the Bible indicates that the purpose of this life is rather for humans to prove to God they are worthy of—or qualify for—heaven (cf. Jam. 1:2-4, Psa. 66:10, Pro. 17:3).

In Matt. 4:10 Jesus cited Deut. 6:13, so it also will be added to the key OT teachings:

Deut. 6:5&13. "Worship/love the Lord your God and serve Him only." It should be noted that what Jesus said was not an exact quote;
the NIV translates the verse thusly: "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name." We can see that
Jesus viewed worship as motivated by love per Matt. 22:37 (cf. Deut. 6:5), and he commanded people not to swear oaths in Matt. 5:34-37.

 

[GWH]

The next OT citation is in Matt. 4:14-16, which is Isaiah 9:1-2 and already included in the list of key OT teachings.
The next OT citations occur in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matt. 5:21 Jesus cited Exo. 20:13, and in Matt. 5:27 he cited Exo. 20:14, which are already in the list.

In Matt. 5:31 Jesus cited Deut. 24:1, which permits a husband to divorce his wife if he writes her a certificate, but Jesus contradicted
that law and said divorce is only allowable when the wife has been sexually unfaithful, so this verse will not be added.

In Matt. 5:33 Jesus apparently cited Deut. 23:21-23 (cf. Deut. 6:13 & 10:20), which commands a person to keep oaths they make in the Lord's name, but Jesus also contradicted this command by saying we should not swear at all, presumably because we have a reputation for telling the truth. Thus, this passage also will not be added.

In Matt. 5:38 Jesus cited Deut. 19:21/Lev. 24:20/Exo. 21:24 regarding punishing crimes by applying the principle of "eye for eye", but again Jesus countermanded this OT teaching by saying we should not resist evil people, although he does not define the crimes he had in mind as including murder and rape, for example. However, because this is such an important issue, we will include it with that footnote.

EX 21:24 (= LV 24:20 & DT 19:21). In cases of serious physical injury, although it would be technically just for the same injury to be done to the perpetrator, Jesus indicated that it would be better to apply the principle of trying to avoid/prevent crime by such such tactics as settling arguments out of court (Matt. 5:25), being shrewd (Matt. 10:16), and not quarrelling (cf. Pro. 15:1).

 

[GWH]

LV 19:15. "Do not pervert justice; do not show favoritism." Paul implied this principle by teaching that God does not show favoritism (in Rom. 2:11, Col. 3:25), and James also taught this in his epistle (Jam. 2:1).

LV 19:18. "Love your neighbor as yourself." James taught this moral principle (in Jam. 2:8), and Jesus cited it (in Matt. 5:43), although he applied it also to enemies (Matt. 5:44), which makes divine love universal or "omni" (John 3:16, Rom. 5:6-8).

 

[GWH]

The next reference by Jesus to the OT is in Matt. 7:12, where he states that the what is known as the golden rule (treat others like you want to be treated) sums up the Law and Prophets, which he connects with Lev. 19:18 by saying (in Matt. 22:39) that the greatest commandments in the Law and Prophets are "love the Lord/God" and "love your neighbor as yourself". However, the next citation of a specific OT Scripture is Matt. 8:17, which cites Isa. 53:4, which is already in the list of key OT teachings, so we move on to Matt. 9:13, which cites Hos. 6:6a, which was not in our list, so it will be added now.

Hos. 6:6a. "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Jesus sandwiched this verse in between, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" and "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners". This is in the same vein as John 9:41, "Because you claim you can see, your guilt remains." The guilt to which Jesus apparently referred (per John 9:35) was not believing he was the Son of Man or God's Son (per John 10:36). As Jesus said in John 6:29, "The work of God is to believe in the one he has sent". Thus, Hosea 6:6a can be understood to mean "Salvation is not attained via sacrificial works, but by receiving divine mercy via belief in God's Messiah."

 

[GWH]

IS 7:14. “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Jesus was a human being like you and me, but in order to fulfill this prophecy and show that Jesus was the Messiah, apparently the Holy Spirit implanted a specially created embryo in the virgin Mary, who had not yet consummated her marriage to the virginal Joseph (MT 1:18&25).

Immanuel means "God with us", which refers to the incarnate Word in John 1:14. Mark omits the birth of Jesus, beginning with the gospel about Jesus Messiah, the "Son of God" (Mark 1:1). Luke's account is the longest, beginning with an angel of the Lord named Gabriel
announcing to a priest named Zechariah the pregnancy of his wife Elizabeth (with a son who should be named John, who would be filled with the HS from the womb) and making him mute because of his doubt that this would happen (Luke 1:5-20).

Six months later Gabriel also visited Mary to announce her impending pregnancy with a son who should be named Jesus, meaning the Anointed One (referring to Messiah, who would save his believers from their sins per Matt. 1:21), and who would be called the "Son of the Most High". Luke also tells about Elizabeth being filled with the HS as Mary greeted her when arriving for a three month visit, about Mary voicing praise to the Lord, and about Zechariah also being filled with the HS and praising the Lord for a son who would be a prophet and prepare the way for the Lord by pronouncing forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:26-79).

Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus skips from the angel's annunciation to the arrival of three Magi from the east (Matt. 1:24-2:12), but Luke mentions the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem and the annunciation of an angel of the Lord to shepherds about the birth of Christ the Lord and their visit to the manger in a stable (Luke 2:1-20). Luke also tells about Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for consecration to the Lord and being greeted by an old man named Simeon to whom the HS had revealed he would see the Lord's Messiah and light to the Gentiles, after which an elderly prophetess named Anna also greeted them and thanked God for their son, the redemption of Israel. After this Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth rather than escaping from Herod to Egypt until his death as Matthew relates (Matt. 2:13-23).

 

[GWH]

References to the OT in Matt. 8:17 and 9:13 are already in the list, so the next new citation is of Micah 7:6 in Matt. 10:35-36;

"A son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man's enemies are the members of his own household."

Jesus applied this verse to his own ministry, which might necessitate a person choosing to love God more than their family.
The verse might also be understood in connection with John 8:42-44 to mean that some fellow Jews would deny Jesus is Messiah.

 

[Watchman22]

In this thread I invite discussion of teachings that are encountered as one KISSes the OT from Genesis to Malachi. I say KISSed, because my intent is NOT to summarize historical or descriptive sections, but only mine them for significant and prescriptive material.

For example, Genesis 1:1-3 begins with “God created the heavens and the earth” by saying “Let there be…”, which indicates that the supernatural world manifests the Word of God in an impersonal way.

As Paul teaches in RM 1:20, “Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

And John says in JN 1:14, “The Word became flesh [human] and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The scientific “big bang” theory regarding the origin of the universe is quite compatible with the biblical story, theorizing that just before the beginning all matter in the universe was compressed to a “singularity”.

The point of GN is not how the world was created or how long it took, but who created it and why. It is concerned with metaphysics rather than mere physics.

Are there any other comments on GN 1:1-3, and if not, would someone like to lead discussion of the next key topic that would seem to be found in GN 1:4-25?

Do you think the ones just watching Steven be stoned were any less guilty than the ones throwing them?

I was hoping you could get through that fear.

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 11:10 Jesus quoted Mal. 3:1, which is already in our list of key OT Scriptures, and neither the children's chant in Matt. 11:17 nor the slanders in Matt. 11:18 seem to have an OT referent, so the next citation is the quote of Hos. 6:6 in Matt. 12:7, which also has been listed previously. This brings us to Matt. 12:18-21, which quotes Isa. 42:1-4, that is not yet included, so let us consider its meaning and add it now. The passage describes the Messiah from God's perspective in eight ways, which are listed with brief commentary:

1. my chosen servant - in Isa. 45:1&4 called Jacob and Israel--and Cyrus!
2. the one I love - John 3:35 & 5:20 say the Father loves the Son
3. in whom I delight - in Psa. 18:19 David says the Lord delighted in him, and Pro. 11:20 says the Lord delights in the righteous
4. on whom I put my Spirit - Isa. 61:1 says the Spirit of the Lord has anointed "me" to preach good news
5. who will proclaim justice to the nations - in Matt. 28:19 Jesus told his disciples to make disciples of all nations
6. who will not quarrel or cry out in the streets - Isa. 53:7 indicates Messiah will suffer his affliction and slaughter silently
7. who will not break a reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until he is victorious - perhaps this refers to Heb. 9:27-28
8. in whose name the nations will put their hope - Isa. 42:6, 49:6 & 60:3 say salvation includes the Gentiles.

 

[GWH]

The next NT allusion to the OT is the story of Jonah (in Matt. 12:39-40), which is already included as a key Scripture.
However, Jesus also mentioned the repentance of Nineveh as significant, so Jonah 3:4-10 will be added.

Jonah 3:4-10. Jonah proclaimed that in 40 days Nineveh would be destroyed because of its wickedness (Jon. 1:2),
and the Ninevites believed him, declaring a fast and putting on sackcloth, including the king, who decreed that
everyone should call on God and stop behaving evilly or violently, so perhaps God would have compassion and
not destroy them--which the people did, and so God relented.

Jesus said the Ninevites were forgiven because they satisfied God's required condition of repenting and seeking
His salvation from judgment (Matt. 7:7, Heb. 11:6), which foreshadowed the preaching of Jesus to Jerusalem--
but without the same success (Matt. 23:37, 13:14-15).

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 13:42-43 Jesus cites the visit by the queen of Sheba in order to learn the wisdom of Solomon as foreshadowing the need for wicked people to learn His message in order to be saved, so we will add 1Kings 10:1 to the list of key OT Scriptures.

1Kings 10:1-9. The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's wisdom and faith in the Lord, so she came to visit and ask him hard questions, which he answered, so she praised the Lord for His love of Israel that was manifested by enthroning such a king to maintain justice and righteousness.

Jesus indicated (in Matt. 13:42-43) that this passage foreshadowed the Father (v.50) sending Messiah, who is greater than Solomon, for the salvation of those who repent of wickedness (v.41).

 

[GWH]

Oops! Make that Matt. 12:42. Moving on, Jesus' quote of Isa. 6:9-10 in Matt. 13:14-15 is already in the Key OT Teachings list,
as is Psa. 78:2 that is quoted in Matt. 13:35, so this brings us to the fifth of the Ten Commandments that is cited by Jesus in Matt. 15:4.
Although it is listed under Exo. 20:1-17, because Jesus and Paul singled it out, we should also:

Exo. 20:12/Deut. 5:16. "Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land God is giving you."

Jesus referred to this commandment and the death penalty for cursing parents (per Exo. 21:17, Lev. 20:9) in Matt. 15:3-6, reproving the Pharisees for nullifying it by their tradition of deeming it to be satisfied when they devoted offerings to God.

Paul noted (in Eph. 6:2-3) that this commandment was the first one with a promise--long life on earth. In Col. 3:20 Paul commanded children to obey their parents in everything, but surely this assumes the parents are godly and do not command wrongly (cf. Acts 5:29, Rom. 13:1-4).

This commandment may be viewed as teaching the importance of familial love and values and also of the family institution as the foundation of stable society and government--the opposite of Cain's attitudes toward Abel and thus his parents and God (Gen. 4:1-16).
Living long in the land can be viewed as signifying being saved when children have the same faith in God as their parents (2Tim. 1:5, 3:14-15). Not honoring and adopting one's parents' faith in God results in being sinful and prodigal (Luke 15:11-19).

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 15:7-9 Jesus quoted Isa. 29:13, so we will add it to the list.

Isa. 29:13. "These people... honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me,
and their worship of me is rules taught by men."

This quote echoes what Jesus said in Matt. 7:21-23 (not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven,
because they disobey the will of his heavenly Father but instead are evildoers), and it is in the same vein as John 8:42-44
(those who claim to serve God would love him, but instead they reject him, thereby revealing they are children of the devil),
which aligns with what Paul urged in Rom. 12:1-2, that spiritual worship of God consists of renewing our minds and doing His will.

God's will was summarized by Jesus in Matt. 22:37-40 as loving God and our fellow humans as ourselves (cf. Gal. 5:6, Hos. 6:6).

 

[memberofthebride]

In this thread I invite discussion of teachings that are encountered as one KISSes the OT from Genesis to Malachi. I say KISSed, because my intent is NOT to summarize historical or descriptive sections, but only mine them for significant and prescriptive material.

For example, Genesis 1:1-3 begins with “God created the heavens and the earth” by saying “Let there be…”, which indicates that the supernatural world manifests the Word of God in an impersonal way.

As Paul teaches in RM 1:20, “Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

And John says in JN 1:14, “The Word became flesh [human] and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The scientific “big bang” theory regarding the origin of the universe is quite compatible with the biblical story, theorizing that just before the beginning all matter in the universe was compressed to a “singularity”.

The point of GN is not how the world was created or how long it took, but who created it and why. It is concerned with metaphysics rather than mere physics.

Are there any other comments on GN 1:1-3, and if not, would someone like to lead discussion of the next key topic that would seem to be found in GN 1:4-25?

all matter in the universe was compressed to a “singularity”.

Where did the "matter" come from??

God created "matter" by His Spirit.

We, men, have now discovered the stars are arrange in an organized pattern, there is ORDER even in the vast heaven.
Order proves design and design proves a designer.

 

[GWH]

all matter in the universe was compressed to a “singularity”.

Where did the "matter" come from??

God created "matter" by His Spirit.

We, men, have now discovered the stars are arrange in an organized pattern, there is ORDER even in the vast heaven.
Order proves design and design proves a designer.

Yes, because God is omnipresent (Psa. 139:7-10), God created matter by means of or with His Spirit.
However, this should not be viewed pantheistically as though God were a Quadity, but
only as Paul indicated (in Acts 17:28, Col. 1:17 & Heb. 1:3): that the four physical dimensions
also manifest God (Rom. 1:20).

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 15:7-9 Jesus quoted Isa. 29:13, so we will add it to the list.

Isa. 29:13. "These people... honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me,
and their worship of me is rules taught by men."

This quote echoes what Jesus said in Matt. 7:21-23 (not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven,
because they disobey the will of his heavenly Father but instead are evildoers), and it is in the same vein as John 8:42-44
(those who claim to serve God would love him, but instead they reject him, thereby revealing they are children of the devil),
which aligns with what Paul urged in Rom. 12:1-2, that spiritual worship of God consists of renewing our minds and doing His will.

God's will was summarized by Jesus in Matt. 22:37-40 as loving God and our fellow humans as ourselves (cf. Gal. 5:6, Hos. 6:6).

In Matt. 16:27-17:22 Jesus refers to himself five times as the "Son of Man", a title used in Dan. 7:13-14 to refer to Messiah, so it will be added.

Dan. 7:13-14. "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days and was let into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."

This title is employed in Ezekiel to refer to the prophet (Ezek. 2:1-3, 3:1,3-4, etc.) who was made a watchman for the house of Israel (Ezek. 3:17). The phrase was used in Num. 23:19 to refer to humanness and in Psa. 8:4-6 to compare humanity with angels (cf. commentary on that passage per Heb. 2:6-8). The phrase "the Ancient of Days" obviously means God, who is also described as "the Most High" (cf. Dan. 7:22-27). Reference to coming with the clouds of heaven reminds the reader of Acts 1:9-11, which describes the ascension and second coming of Jesus in a similar way.

The authority of the Son of Man is mentioned also in Phil. 2:9-11 (cf. 1Cor. 15:24). Rev. 7:9 refers to people from every nation and language (cf. Matt. 24:14 & 28:19) standing before the throne of the Lamb, who were saved from the wrath of the Lamb (cf. Rev. 6:1-16). The everlasting kingdom of Christ is mentioned in 2Pet. 1:11 (cf. Luke 1:33, Heb. 1:8 & Rev. 11:15).