#scripture analysis

[welcometotheravenclawcommonroom]

So, it’s been a while since I’ve studied my Torah, so I could be way off base here, but Jewish scripture doesn’t really talk about the devil a lot.

And bear with me as I discuss this, because I promise it’s relevant. I mean, yeah, I’m sure they’re mentioned once or twice (again, it’s been a while), but compared to traditional Christian texts, there isn’t really a lot of mention of him. And I think that’s a major cultural difference between Jews and Christians- this idea of ‘the devil’ as this scapegoat for Christians, this incorporeal, abstract creature that they push all the evil of the world onto, that they use to explain away the atrocities we see in the world. Whereas in Jewish scripture, we see that a lot of the troubles we face are in the form of humanity, and the evils they do to each other. When we were forced to flee from egypt, it wasn’t some evil devil that was enslaving us- it was other humans. Even other Jews- the clan war that drove the Maccabees into hiding in a cave and thus led to the miracle of Hanukkah. And in Christian scriptures, there’s people who do evil, yes, but there’s also a lot of talk of ‘the evil of satan’ and ‘the temptation of satan.’

We Jews are ever a pragmatic lot- we’ve spent our whole existence being pushed out and having atrocities committed unto us by other humans- we were driven out of Egypt, Russia in the 19th century, Italy in the thirteenth, and of course there was the holocaust. And this began in the Torah- a lot of our struggles and origin stories center around the evils of humans. We haven’t had the luxury of being surrounded by mostly good people and thus able to overlook the evil happening to others like those in western-centric, mainstream Christian, middle-and-upper-class communities that have historically made up most of the voice of Christianity since the days of Constantine. This is by no means an educated or informed thesis, since like I said, my family has never been super stringent on studying the scriptures, but from the experience that I HAVE had growing up Jewish and looking at the scriptures that we read whenever we went to temple, I’ve concluded that Jews don’t talk as much about the devil because we don’t see the devil as some creature who lives in hell- we see it as other humans, the ones who have persecuted us for our entire existence. We don’t need to look for a devil down below to blame things on because we have had overwhelming evidence and experience that humanity holds enough evil on their own not to need an external force to push them to evil- we reap it on our own well enough.

[randyfrushour]

Courtroom Style

Book of Micah Chapter 1 verses 5 & 6

To see how Micah pinpoints the sins of Samaria and Jerusalem with remarkable precision, we can examine the text closely and trace the specific indictments embedded in his words.

Micah’s language is sharpened in a courtroom style, where naming the locus of guilt is sufficient to establish the charge.

Micah’s language in chapter 1 verse 5 is not generic prose or rhetorical filler but a pointed indictment that assumes shared, concrete knowledge between prophet and audience; when he asks “What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?” he is not defining sin abstractly but locating it in a known system centered in Samaria—political power, economic exploitation, cultic practices, false prophecy, and elite abuse—which Micah later names explicitly throughout the book (land seizure, violence, dishonest scales, bribed judges, prophets for hire), and by pairing Samaria with Jerusalem he shows symmetry rather than contrast, signaling that Judah’s “high places” are not metaphorical but literal unauthorized worship sites embedded in Jerusalem’s leadership structure, meaning the capital itself has institutionalized covenant breach; this is why Micah does not list sins here—he doesn’t need to—because the cities function as shorthand for a whole catalog already under judgment, a technique shared with Isaiah and Hosea but sharpened in Micah by his courtroom style, where naming the locus of guilt is sufficient to establish the charge, so the force of the passage is precise and accusatory, not literary padding: the sin is visible, public, systemic, and geographically anchored, and Micah’s intent is to strip away any refuge in abstraction by saying, in effect, “You already know exactly what I mean, and where it lives.”

[ck-overanalyzes-scriptures]

July 22-July 28 Scripture Study Thoughts

(Studying Topical Guide: Jesus Christ, Mission of)

Colossians 1:16-17. All things were created by Jehovah. Verse 16 specifically lists thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, which I thought was interesting, as these seem to be man-made constructs. This consideration led to the following thought: It was His mission to create all things and He still causes all things to be. Anything we have is actually His. We may think we have dominion, but its just on loan from Him, so we should take care how we manage and rule over it.

Colossians 1:18-19. It was Jesus's mission to be the first to be resurrected - reborn - from the dead, thus He is the firstborn. Others will come in the first resurrection and be firstborn but He is the first of the first born, showing us the way. It is His mission to lead and rule over the Church. It is His mission to have all fulness.

An adjacently related thought that came to me: I think it's often framed as being part of the first resurrection is a reward for righteousness, which means coming forth in other resurrections is a punishment. I do think the first resurrection is a reward, but the other resurrections being delayed is an act of mercy, not punishment. The first resurrection will take place at the beginning of the Millennium while the others will be at the end. That gives those that didn't qualify for the first resurrection one thousand extra years to repent, change their ways, accept Christ, and have their work done. God will give us every possible chance to change and be with Him.

John 6:37-40. Verse 37 starts with "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me." This phrasing can make it sound like predestination - like the Father has already designated specific people that will be saved while others will not be. That is not supported by our doctrine. Perhaps it could be phrased as "The Father gives Me all those that come to Me." I rephrase it to propose that it may not be that specific people have already been chosen, but that the Father has told Jesus to keep all that sincerely come to Him. That there's not already a set group of "these are Jesus's," but that we become part of the group that belongs to Jesus based on our actions and coming to Him.

John 12:23-28. "Now my soul has become troubled. But what should I do about it? Pray and say 'Father, save Me from this hour?' This hour is the very reason I came! So instead I pray 'Father, glorify Your name.'" Jesus was scared when He faced having to perform the atonement. But he knew it was His very purpose. When the time came, He did ask the Father to let the cup pass from Him (Matthew 26:39), but only if it was the Father's will, only if there was another way. And there wasn't. So He submitted, despite the pain and the fear, focusing on the joy that would result from it (Hebrews 12:2). We may be scared when we face hardship. We may ask the Father to let it pass from us. But if that is not His will, let us submit faithfully, instead praying for strength to do His will and focusing on the joy we will one day have by doing so.