You shall not bring the wages of a harlot nor the price of a dog to the house of Yhwh your God for any vowed offering, for both of these are an abomination to Yhwh your God.
The Bible verse of the week is from Deuteronomy 6: "These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them to your children." And I wondered, "What words? What words did Moses say to which he is referring here?"
So Monday I skimmed Deuteronomy to see what the words were. All rules? Anything about the promises? Anything about the sacrificial system? What?
And as I skimmed, my eyes happened to notice this one verse. "You shall not bring the wages of a harlot to the house of Yhwh." My first thought was that this verse must be the reason why some pastors say they wouldn't accept an offering that was given from a lottery/gambling winning.
But then the second thought slammed me. What about Mary Magdalene? She was one of the women who provided for Jesus and the apostles (Luke 8:1-3). And some of her money was ill-gotten gains. Nevertheless, her money provided for the tabernacle of Yahweh.
Romans 10:4 -- For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
By that time Mary Magdalene had repented and was forgiven, right? And do we know where her money had come from at that point in her life? A few women did inherit back then...perhaps that was the source of her funds. Interesting question.
ReplyDeleteBTW, we are now WI residents, too. And I read John Stossel's column today about the WI state senate approving socialized medicine (to be paid for by businesses, of which we have two), and I have to wonder what this will mean down the road. Sigh. Do you know if this is likely to pass?
Magdalena was no longer earning income from her former profession at this point. That's true. But she had money to support Jesus' ministry. And she had earned money before.
ReplyDeleteShe was indeed forgiven. She was a new creation. The old had passed away. And I think even her money could be used for God's house -- OT laws notwithstanding.
As for socialized medicine in WI, I don't know where it stands in the Assembly, but I know my senator is a big proponent of more taxes for health care. People with businesses tend to leave Wisconsin, not migrate to the State. I was told when we first moved here that it's very "progressive." That doesn't necessarily equate to being "liberal," but it does mean that Wisconsin is willing to try some ideas that other states wouldn't touch. And some of those ideas are quite socialist.