Doing God’s Will with a Bold Surrender

[10] Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) [11] So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

[12] So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

John 18:10–12 ESV

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You Say That To All The Deities

Hosea 2:11  I will put an end to all her celebration:
her annual religious festivals,
monthly new moon celebrations,
and weekly Sabbath festivities –
all her appointed festivals. Look at what is on this list–It’s all of the religious things that Israel was doing! Somebody might say, “Wait, didn’t God ask them to do all of these religious things?”…

Judaism at the time of Paul

Here is an interesting quote from the opening pages: “Temples were still erected for the old gods, priest continued to serve and sacrifice to be offered, but these were obsolete; and the myths about the gods were a spent force, no longer capable of satisfying the individual’s longing fr protection and blessing, salvation and redemption, in this world and the next. … “This is the background against which we have to view Judaism with all its differences and strangeness, its belief in the one, invisible God, Lord of heaven and earth, the rigor of its law, its ethical and ritual commandments (observance of the Sabbath, the dietary laws, etc.), its uniform way of life throughout the whole world, the venerable antiquity of its history, its call to turn away from all idolatry and moral confusion, and its proclamation of the judgment about to overtake the impenitent and of the peace and righteousness which the Messiah, soon to come, would bring in his train.” – p.7 It kind of boggles my mind to realize that people were attracted to the rule of law and the moral standards of Judaism.