At the end of Mark IX, it mentions how everyone will be seasoned with fire and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. In verse L, the Bible tells us to have salt in ourselves and be at peace with one another. In context, does salt refer to encouragement for believers? What is the sacrifice refering to? Any thoughts?
Paul mentions that everyone's works will be tested with fire to see if they endure. Is this what it means to be seasoned with fire? Any thoughts?
These are very good questions. Here are my initial thoughts. When Jesus says 'you are the salt of the earth,' He is speaking about the life of the new man in the Holy Spirit which has those same qualities that salt has: it preserves things from going rotten, it promotes healing, and it makes things tasty. This is what the Christian is to be in the world.
As for the connection between fire and that salt, I think the fire is the trials and difficulties we go through, which form Christ in us more and more. So as we submit to the fires of tribulation and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us, we become more "salty", i.e. more beneficial to the world around us.
The testing by fire which Paul speaks of in 1 Cor. 3, he says is to reveal the quality of each one's work at the end. So this fire is not so much formative, but more final, to show how much we allowed God to form Christ in us through the troubles we endured in our lives.
Exodus 29.37 “whatever touches the altar shall be holy” Pondering that in the light of Romans 12.1 “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…” When we lay ourselves on the altar, He makes us holy, set apart for Him.
In Proverbs Chapter III, it talks about finding Wisdom and gaining understanding. I think it is worth noting that there are two different types of wisdom. There is the wisdom of the world and the Wisdom of God. Proverbs chapter III tells us to keep sound wisdom. Wisdom that is not sound, is wisdom of the world.
In Genesis chapter III, Eve was deceived. She saw that the Tree was desirable to make one wise. Was this worldly wisdom? Sound wisdom is stable Wisdom and it is the Wisdom of God. It is not faulty. "Keep sound wisdom and discretion." I believe these go together. Discretion involves being discerning and discretion comes from God.
In Matthew chapter twenty, Jesus mentioned His Cup and His Baptism. Which Cup was this? Which Baptism was this? If it was "The Cup" of the Lord that was mentioned in the Garden of Gethsemane, how could we drink it? He told them that they would drink His Cup and be baptized with His Baptism. Jesus prayed to the Father, asking Him to remove this Cup from Him, if it was His Will, yet it was the Father's Will that Jesus would die to make atonement for the sins of mankind. Was He mentioning the Communion Supper, which He instituted so we could remember His Death? The Baptism; Was this a foreshadowing of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which was given on the Day of Pentacost? The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a Dove after He was baptized by John, but He was not fully given to mankind until the day of Pentacost. Or was the Baptism what Christians are commanded to do as one goes down into the water and comes back up to represent Christ's Death and Resurrection? Any thoughts?
@anya I think in context the cup and baptism are both referring to His sufferings. And Peter and Paul show and say that we partake in His sufferings as His followers.
It seems to me that Abel is a type of Christ, in that he was a keeper of sheep and Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Abel was killed for obeying God and Jesus laid down His Life for the sheep.
Was Cain's lament true Repentance or was he making excuses?
The Gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus pointed to the Fact that He was appointed to be the Savior and Deliverer of Mankind.
Psalm 2 also seems to point to the crucifixion, the deliverance of mankind, and the Victory of Jesus when He ascends into Heaven and sits down at God's Right Hand.
@anya I’m not sure there can be repentance for fratricide(brother murder). There is only the crime and its punishment. A significant part of repentance would be to “make right” the wrong you did. There is no way for Cain to do that. His wrong is permanent.
It also significant to note that urging of people to “change their ways,” but rather they are warned BEFORE against sinning.
What does the LORD mean when He says, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake…?’ Is this in reference to the original curse recorded in 3:17?
The Lord was ‘grieved in His heart’ and ‘the Lord said in His heart..’ Some would suggest that God is very ‘other,’ but He created us in His image and for relationship with Him. It would be good if our hearts were freed from evil intents so that we might be in closer harmony with our Father. How is this to happen? The heart realm is very contested ground.
I think there is a great parallel to be drawn between Abel’s vocation “a keeper of sheep” and Cain’s response to God “am I my brother’s keeper?”
I also think it’s fascinating that it is implied that God walked the Earth, so to speak, and talked with men. Cain’s lament that part of his punishment is to be separated from “the face of God” also seems to support this.
This seems to become rarer with time till Enoch, who “walked with God.”
@johannes - I had never noticed that connection between Abel's vocation, and Cain's response. In Hebrew they are 2 different words...translations again.
Yes, I agree. God walking and conversing with men appears to be the first estate which was lost in great degree. Adam and Eve were able to communicate freely with the Lord God until they rebelled and ate.. then they tried to hide themselves for something had seriously changed in their very beings. 😔@johannes
Genesis 22, known as "the binding of Isaac" - verse 8 “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” אֱלֹהִ֞ים יִרְאֶה־לּ֥וֹ הַשֶּׂ֛ה The Hebrew is ambiguous - it can mean "God will provide for Himself the lamb", but it can also mean "God will provide Himself - (as) the Lamb." I believe the Holy Spirit is conveying both!
And it is here on Mount Moriah where the temple will be built, whose sacrifices will point forward to the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of world."
I’m finding it helpful with these passages to read it quickly, then read it again after reading the footnotes before reading it a third or fourth time.
Day 39 · Leviticus 3–5 · Mark 9 · Proverbs 5:1–14
At the end of Mark IX, it mentions how everyone will be seasoned with fire and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. In verse L, the Bible tells us to have salt in ourselves and be at peace with one another. In context, does salt refer to encouragement for believers? What is the sacrifice refering to? Any thoughts?
Paul mentions that everyone's works will be tested with fire to see if they endure. Is this what it means to be seasoned with fire? Any thoughts?
These are very good questions. Here are my initial thoughts. When Jesus says 'you are the salt of the earth,' He is speaking about the life of the new man in the Holy Spirit which has those same qualities that salt has: it preserves things from going rotten, it promotes healing, and it makes things tasty. This is what the Christian is to be in the world.
As for the connection between fire and that salt, I think the fire is the trials and difficulties we go through, which form Christ in us more and more. So as we submit to the fires of tribulation and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us, we become more "salty", i.e. more beneficial to the world around us.
The testing by fire which Paul speaks of in 1 Cor. 3, he says is to reveal the quality of each one's work at the end. So this fire is not so much formative, but more final, to show how much we allowed God to form Christ in us through the troubles we endured in our lives.
Day 33 · Exodus 29–30 · Mark 3 · Psalm 21
Exodus 29.37 “whatever touches the altar shall be holy” Pondering that in the light of Romans 12.1 “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…” When we lay ourselves on the altar, He makes us holy, set apart for Him.
Day 22 · Exodus 1–3 · Matthew 22 · Proverbs 3:13–26
In Proverbs Chapter III, it talks about finding Wisdom and gaining understanding. I think it is worth noting that there are two different types of wisdom. There is the wisdom of the world and the Wisdom of God. Proverbs chapter III tells us to keep sound wisdom. Wisdom that is not sound, is wisdom of the world.
In Genesis chapter III, Eve was deceived. She saw that the Tree was desirable to make one wise. Was this worldly wisdom? Sound wisdom is stable Wisdom and it is the Wisdom of God. It is not faulty. "Keep sound wisdom and discretion." I believe these go together. Discretion involves being discerning and discretion comes from God.
Day 20 · Genesis 46–48 · Matthew 20 · Psalm 15
In Matthew chapter twenty, Jesus mentioned His Cup and His Baptism. Which Cup was this? Which Baptism was this? If it was "The Cup" of the Lord that was mentioned in the Garden of Gethsemane, how could we drink it? He told them that they would drink His Cup and be baptized with His Baptism. Jesus prayed to the Father, asking Him to remove this Cup from Him, if it was His Will, yet it was the Father's Will that Jesus would die to make atonement for the sins of mankind. Was He mentioning the Communion Supper, which He instituted so we could remember His Death? The Baptism; Was this a foreshadowing of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which was given on the Day of Pentacost? The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a Dove after He was baptized by John, but He was not fully given to mankind until the day of Pentacost. Or was the Baptism what Christians are commanded to do as one goes down into the water and comes back up to represent Christ's Death and Resurrection? Any thoughts?
@anya I think in context the cup and baptism are both referring to His sufferings. And Peter and Paul show and say that we partake in His sufferings as His followers.
Day 10 · Genesis 25–26 · Matthew 10 · Psalm 7
This is well worth reading with YLT (Young’s Literal Translation.
@johannes - YLT is now an option in your Profile.
Day 2 · Genesis 4–5 · Matthew 2 · Psalm 2
It seems to me that Abel is a type of Christ, in that he was a keeper of sheep and Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Abel was killed for obeying God and Jesus laid down His Life for the sheep.
Was Cain's lament true Repentance or was he making excuses?
The Gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus pointed to the Fact that He was appointed to be the Savior and Deliverer of Mankind.
Psalm 2 also seems to point to the crucifixion, the deliverance of mankind, and the Victory of Jesus when He ascends into Heaven and sits down at God's Right Hand.
@anya I’m not sure there can be repentance for fratricide(brother murder). There is only the crime and its punishment. A significant part of repentance would be to “make right” the wrong you did. There is no way for Cain to do that. His wrong is permanent.
It also significant to note that urging of people to “change their ways,” but rather they are warned BEFORE against sinning.
Day 3 · Genesis 6–8 · Matthew 3 · Psalm 3
What does the LORD mean when He says, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake…?’ Is this in reference to the original curse recorded in 3:17?
The Lord was ‘grieved in His heart’ and ‘the Lord said in His heart..’ Some would suggest that God is very ‘other,’ but He created us in His image and for relationship with Him. It would be good if our hearts were freed from evil intents so that we might be in closer harmony with our Father. How is this to happen? The heart realm is very contested ground.
Day 2 · Genesis 4–5 · Matthew 2 · Psalm 2
I think there is a great parallel to be drawn between Abel’s vocation “a keeper of sheep” and Cain’s response to God “am I my brother’s keeper?”
I also think it’s fascinating that it is implied that God walked the Earth, so to speak, and talked with men. Cain’s lament that part of his punishment is to be separated from “the face of God” also seems to support this.
This seems to become rarer with time till Enoch, who “walked with God.”
@johannes - I had never noticed that connection between Abel's vocation, and Cain's response. In Hebrew they are 2 different words...translations again.
Yes, I agree. God walking and conversing with men appears to be the first estate which was lost in great degree. Adam and Eve were able to communicate freely with the Lord God until they rebelled and ate.. then they tried to hide themselves for something had seriously changed in their very beings. 😔@johannes
Day 8 · Genesis 21–23 · Matthew 8 · Proverbs 1:20–33
Genesis 22, known as "the binding of Isaac" - verse 8 “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” אֱלֹהִ֞ים יִרְאֶה־לּ֥וֹ הַשֶּׂ֛ה The Hebrew is ambiguous - it can mean "God will provide for Himself the lamb", but it can also mean "God will provide Himself - (as) the Lamb." I believe the Holy Spirit is conveying both!
And it is here on Mount Moriah where the temple will be built, whose sacrifices will point forward to the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of world."
Day 4 · Genesis 9–11 · Matthew 4 · Psalm 4
I’m finding it helpful with these passages to read it quickly, then read it again after reading the footnotes before reading it a third or fourth time.