5 minute Bible

Two stone tablets stood in the Holy of Holies of the little Judean temple at Arad. (See http://www.ebibletools.com/israel/arad/)

This reflection focuses on two things from this reading, the significance of calling Israel (in the context of making a covenant) a priestly kingdom and a holy nation, and how we should read/understand the ten commandments. (For that part it may help to listen to some of the podcasts here, in particular Casuistic and apodictic: part 1: What the terms mean.) We’ll also end by realising what it means to say Yahweh is a jealous God, and very briefly start thinking about what that jealousy means.

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Despite its title this five has little about the law, and not enough about the covenant (binding agreement) to which this law belongs. The selection of passages (the first time I have strongly differed from the choice made by the organisers) is weighted towards American Evangelical favourite Sunday School stories. Having got that gripe off my chest, we’ll notice how in these readings we learn (again) about what it does and does not mean to be God’s chosen people. And we will discover more in those Sunday School stories than they taught in my Sunday School ;) And incidentally I will promise again that I will deal with the problem of God’s repeated orders for brutal and seemingly indiscriminate killing – but can’t do that topic justice without breaking the format of either the E100 or the 5 Minute Bible or both :(

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