THE PRIESTLY GARMENTS

Exodus 28:1-5

New International Version (NIV)

The Priestly Garments

28 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. ² Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. ³ Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. ⁴ These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. ⁵ Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

              Israel’s High Priest

Aaron, Moses’ brother was the first high priest. The high priest was head over all the other priest. He was in charge of the sacrifices in the tabernacle, either doing them himself or making sure they were properly done. He was the only priest allowed to enter the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle, and that was allowed only once each year on the Day of Atonement. The high priest was the one who discovered God’s will with the use of the Urim and Thummin (see Exodus 28:30).

 In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

SILENCING UNBELIEF

Joshua 6:10 We know that there are many texts in God’s Word instruct us to "wait on God," and to stand still, to be silent before Him (Moses, Ex.14:13,14; Jehoshaphat, 2 Chr. 20:15-17; David, Ps. 37:7,8). In this text, Joshua commands the children of Israel to maintain total silence as the walk around the city of Jericho. The memory that Israel’s 40-year punishment in the wilderness was a result of the people’s murmuring in unbelief was doubtless in Joshua’s mind.

At that time, the spies had returned with a report motivated by what man sees without Holy Spirit-given vision. Their unbelief that they could take the land had sealed their fate in the wilderness.

Now, with the lessons of history in mind, Joshua’s directive to keep silent is a precaution that teaches us, when facing great challenges, do not permit your lips to speak unbelieving words. Prohibit demoralizing speech from your lips. Words can bind up or set free, hence the order to silence! Later, they would see the salvation of the Lord pursuant upon their shout of triumph (6:20).

We cannot help what we see and hear, but our refusal to speak doubt and fear will keep our hearts more inclined to what God can do, rather than what we cannot (see Prov. 30:32).

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

GENESIS AND EXODUS (1)

GENESIS 1-2 

CREATION of the UNIVERSE and MAN

Key Passage: Gen. 2-4-25

Dear Friends,

For the next few Sundays, we will take a stroll through the Books of Genesis and Exodus.

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

GOD'S OLIVE TREE (4)

A WARNING TO GENTILES -2

Romans 11:18-22

For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. (Rom.11:21)

RE-CAP   They must always remember that "you do not support the root, but the root supports you." Simply put, God has called Gentiles on the basis of His grace, nothing more.

RESUME      Recalling God’s Olive Tree (3), yesterday’s post, the Gentile ought to fear, Paul says, because "if God did not spare the natural branches, He may no spare you either." The Gentiles should remember that before God began to call large numbers of them, He chose to withhold His saving call from the majority of Jews.

 And they should remember that He can change the focus of His effectual call once more. The Jews were cut off because of unbelief, their stubborn refusal to accept Christ as the Messiah. And so, the door was opened for the Gentiles, who were no more deserving. They must remember God’s goodness to them and continue in it by faith.

It is vital that we remind ourselves once more that Paul is not speaking if individuals in this difficult passage, and hence he is not inferring that anyone can lose salvation. His use of such expressions as "cut off" has to do with primary direction of God’s calling, which once was toward Jews (but included some Gentiles) and now is toward Gentiles (but still includes some Jews).

 Anyone, whether Jew or Gentile, who comes to faith in Christ is saved with certainty. But we must never presume upon the Grace of God. Rather, we must show forth the reality of His work in our lives by loving Him and serving Him through all the days He grants us on this earth.

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

GOD'S OLIVE TREE (3)

A WARNING TO GENTILES

Romans 11:18-22

For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. (Rom.11:21)

A horticulturist wants to nurture healthy, fruitful, and beautiful trees. To that end, he might prune withered, unfruitful branches away. Or he might graft stronger, healthier branches from one tree to another. Obviously, it makes sense for the horticulturist to graft in the best branches he can find. But this logic does not apply to God’s work of "horticulture." 

When He chose to graft Gentiles into the Olive tree of the household of faith, He did not do it because the Gentiles came from better stock than the existing "branches," of the Jews. And that is something Paul wants his Gentile readers to keep in mind.

"Do not boast against the branches," the apostle admonishes the Gentiles, lest they think the other branches were pruned away only to make room for them. They should never be so "haughty," for they have no reason to think God extended His call to them because of anything in them. They must always remember that "you do not support the root, but the root supports you." Simply put, God has called Gentiles on the basis of His grace, nothing more……to be contd

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

GOD’S OLIVE TREE (2)

  

RE-CAP: When Paul speaks of "branches," "he is talking about either individuals or nations specifically, but only about the masses of Jew and many Gentiles."

and

God has ceased to call many Jews, instead extending His call mainly to Gentiles, "grafting in" those who believe on Christ.

RESUMING: It is unnatural to graft wild olive branches into a cultivated tree. The Jews were natural branches in that they were "set-apart ones," part of the people to whom God gave great gifts and blessings (Rom.9:4-5). But these things constituted only the outward call to faith. In His providence, God has now chosen to allow most Jews to remain in their sin and to call many Gentiles to faith in Christ. And so, the Gentiles came out of their spiritual darkness and became partakers "of the root and fatness of the olive tree.," As Paul put it earlier in Romans, they became spiritual children of Abraham, the father of the faithful (4:13-18)....to be contd

CORAM DEO

We Gentiles ought to consider again the blessings we enjoy as we partake of the "the root and fatness" of the household of faith: adoption by God, the presence of God, the covenants, the law, worship, divine promises, a magnificent heritage (Rom. 9:4-5), and much more. Let’s take time today to thank God for grafting us to His olive tree.

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

GOD’S OLIVE TREE (1)

Resuming with the root-branch imagery he introduced in verse 16, the apostle Paul now begins to build a metaphor centered on the image of an olive tree. This metaphor is difficult to interpret and has led to all sorts of misunderstandings and conclusions that contradict other Scriptural passages. We will try to break it down piece by piece and to understand it in the light of the whole counsel of God’s Word.

We saw on September 16^{th https://bibletimestabletalk.blogspot.com/}  that the "root" of verse 16 is Abraham, and the fact that he was "holy" or "set apart" by God, means that his descendants (the Jews) are also set apart. 

Now Paul’s image of the root grows into an olive tree from which branches have been "broken off" to make way for the ingrafting of branches from a "wild olive tree." The broken-off branches are clearly Jews, descendants of Abraham, while the wild branches are clearly Gentiles, but what does Paul mean by "broken off." 

The easy conclusion is that he is saying that God withdrew His grace from some Jews, causing them to lose salvation. But this interpretation is precisely what Paul is arguing against in chapters 9-11, the idea that God has proved Himself untrustworthy by casting out individuals who were saved. And more important, Scripture leaves no doubt that true faith cannot be lost.  

When Paul speaks of "branches," "he is talking about either individuals or nations specifically, but only about the masses of Jew and many Gentiles." This interpretation fits with the context of chapter 11. No saved Jew has been condemned to make room for the Gentile. But God has ceased to call many Jews, instead of extending His call mainly to Gentiles, "grafting in" those who believe in Christ.

                                                   …to be cont.

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

SOLOMON'S SONG OF SONGS (8)

 

⁶ Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Director/Screen Writer

Producer/Gospel Lyricist/Author

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

SOLOMON'S SONG OF SONGS (7)

LOVE’S DESIRE

11 I belong to my lover; his yearning is for me. 12 Come, my lover! Let us go out to the fields, let us pass the night among the henna. 13 Let us go early to the vineyards, and see if the vines are in bloom, If the buds have opened, if the pomegranates have blossomed; there will I give you my love.

                                                                                     …to be contd

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.