Reading 1 - Lev 11:7
"And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you" (Lev 11:7).
"Nowadays, in modern hygienic farms, pigs can be reared without the historically important diseases such as the pork tape worm and the round worm Trichinella spiralis. But in the wilderness setting, as in any uncontrolled environment, the habit of pigs of eating waste and carrion means that they are a considerable risk as food animals. Another disease, trichinosis, is common in parts of the world, and the major culprit is undercooked pork or wild boar. This disease can be fatal" (Stephen Palmer, "Testimony" 71:205). Cp Deu 14:8.
Thus is the wisdom of the Law of Moses seen, in this as in many other particulars -- a wisdom far beyond what might be expected for its day, from any scientific viewpoint. The only real explanation for such "enlightened" laws in ancient times is that they came -- not from man -- but from God Himself.
Reading 2 - Psa 110:6
"He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth" (Psa 110:6).
"The High Priest of the universe, when he comes to rule, is not coming with a narcotic and a lullaby. He is coming with power and with purity. He will make no truce with the things which hurt and harm mankind. He will end the paltry tricks of human government which enslave men behind iron or bamboo curtains. He will destroy those who invent diabolical things for the destruction of the earth which was made to reflect the glory of God" (Dennis Gillett).
Reading 3 - 2Co 4:17,18
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2Co 4:17,18).
"The discipline of human parents partakes of the limitations of human nature; it is exercised as 'seemed good to them', and with the best of intentions it is not always wisely applied. But God's training has none of the deficiencies of the human training: it is directed with unerring wisdom for the benefit of the subjects of it. God's aim is that His children might be partakers of His holiness. When the end is reached and the bodies of His sons are made 'glorious', and when those children exhibit divine holiness in every word and act, it will be seen that the present trial is but a light affliction compared to the eternal weight of glory then enjoyed" (John Carter, "Hebrews" 260,261).
Comments