For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
1 Cor. 8
As far as Paul was concerned, what was the problem with eating food offered to idols? Can you think of a similar problem today? We saw yesterday that God does not necessarily change our circumstances when He brings us to His salvation. Instead, He changes us right there in our circumstances. Which means He turns us away from our old ways. Many of the Corinthian believers came from idol worship. They had psychological associations with the practices of temple worship, including the meat from the sacrifices. So eating such meat in front of them was akin to taking an alcoholic to a bar for a chat. Such an action does not help them to put off the old and take on the new.
So Paul essentially asks the question of what matters most. Is it more important for us to cling to our right to do something that neither helps nor hurts us? Or is it better to set aside such rights in order to help our fellow believers? Paul says that the wiser decision lies with loving others over self.
Josh. 19-20
How were the cities of refuge an expression of justice and mercy? What does this tell you about God? Why did the death of the current high priest give a release to the accidental killers residing in the cities of refuge? Such cities were obviously a provision of God’s grace since the shedding of human blood held the consequence of death. As it says in Genesis 9:6a, “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed”. But if that blood was shed unintentionally and without malice, God offered refuge.
It seems that most everything in the Bible reveals God’s plan for our redemption through Jesus Christ. This may well be yet another example of that. I’m not certain of all the implications of that, but what I do see is that it is through the death of our High Priest, Jesus, that we are truly released from the consequences of our sin.