Prof Zebulon No E239
J) Doctrine (Sin not punished)
“….therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity
deserveth.” Job 11:6b. As we know, Job was one of God’s most
cherished saints but He didn’t hesitate to put him to the test to thwart Satan’s
attempts to diminish this trusting man of God.
He had three friends who came to consol him and brought with them
several pieces of advice; some were rejected by Job because they were contrary
to what Job believed about his Creator.
However some of their counsel was good and the above verse is one of
them. This statement of God’s holiness
is very appropriate today even if it was spoken thousands of years ago an in a
context completely different than ours.
God hates sin; He hates it so much that
He had to send his beloved Son to eradicate it because no other being could
come even close to paying the penalty that all sinners deserve. Since our God is gracious and merciful but is
also holy and just, He does not punish us in the manner that we should be
because “But he, being full of
compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time
turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they
were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” (Psalm 78:39, 40). He was very tolerant and patient with His
people in the desert and He is just as tolerant and patient with us. The only difference is that Jesus Christ bore
the punishment of our sins whereas those who were disobedient to God in the
desert were not allowed into the Promised Land.
During our stay on earth, we as true
believers sanctified by the Spirit of God, come to realize that sin is
everywhere. Those to whom we witness say that we are fanatics but don’t understand
what Jesus Christ did for mankind on the cross.
They are disillusioned by the fact that somehow they can earn their
salvation by doing goods works and living a good life. If they can earn their salvation, why did Jesus have to die on the cross? It is our duty as born-again Christians to
shatter this disillusionment and “….speak
the truth in love” Eph
M) Jewish Feasts and Customs
(Synagogues)
The synagogue is the Jewish equivalent
of a church, more or less. It is the center of the Jewish religious community,
a place of prayer, study and education, social and charitable work, as well as
a social center. There is no definitive proof of the origin of the synagogue in
the Bible or even in extra-Biblical writings.
We first see the word “synagogue” in the Bible in Psalm
74:8. In ancient times, it was a place
of worship but the temple in
Its traditional functions are reflected
in three Hebrew synonyms for synagogue: bet
ha-tefilla (house of prayer), bet
ha-kneset (house of assembly), and bet
ha-midrash (house of study). Jews can satisfy the obligations of daily
prayer by praying anywhere; however, according to tradition, there are certain
prayers that can only be said in the presence of a minyan (a quorum of 10 adult men).
Non-Jews are always welcome to attend services in a synagogue,
so long as they behave as proper guests. Proselytizing and "witnessing" to the congregation is not proper guest behaviour. Most synagogues also have a social hall for
religious and non-religious activities and the synagogue often functions as a
sort of town hall where matters of importance to the community can be
discussed. In addition, the synagogue
functions as a social welfare
agency, collecting and dispensing money and other items for the aid of the poor
and needy within the community. If
you’re ever present when a synagogue service is over on the Sabbath, you will
notice that the Jewish worshipers walk home and do not use their cars. Very little work or effort is permitted on
the Sabbath day again, according to tradition.