quotesfromscripture

[quotesfromscripture]

Never again

"The rest shall hear and be afraid, and a crime such as this shall never again be committed among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

(Deuteronomy 19:20-21 NRSVA, 1995)

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“If a malicious witness comes forward to accuse someone of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days, and the judges shall make a thorough inquiry. If the witness is a false witness, having testified falsely against another, then you shall do to the false witness just as the false witness had meant to do to the other. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”

— Deuteronomy 19:16-19 NRSV

[quotesfromscripture]

Life for a life

"But if someone at enmity with another lies in wait and attacks and takes the life of that person, and flees into one of those cities, then the elders of the killer's city shall send to have the culprit taken from there and handed over to the avenger of blood to be put to death. Show no pity; you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may go well with you."

(Deuteronomy 19:11-13 NRSVA, 1995)

[quotesfromscripture]

Flee to the cities of refuge

"Now this is the case of a homicide who might flee there and live, that is, someone who has killed another person unintentionally when the two had not been at enmity before:

Suppose someone goes into the forest with another to cut wood, and when one of them swings the axe to cut down a tree, the head slips from the handle and strikes the other person who then dies; the killer may flee to one of these cities and live."

(Deuteronomy 19:4-5 NRSVA, 1995)

[quotesfromscripture]

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

(Galatians 1:8-10 NIV, 2011)

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“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?”

— Galatians 3:1 KJV (2022)

[quotesfromscripture]

Taking lives

“Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah… . Lamech said to his wives: 

‘Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;  you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:  I have killed a man for wounding me,  a young man for striking me.  If Cain is avenged sevenfold,  truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.’ ” 

- Genesis 4:19, 23-24 NRSV (1989)

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Undeserved protection

Wayyomer [and said] Cayin to Y— greater is awoni [my iniquity, my wrong] than I can carry

Behold you have driven me out hayyom [this day, from the day] from the face of ha'adamah and from your face I shall be hidden  wehayiti [and I will be] na’ wanad [staggered and drifting] ba'arets [on the land]  wehaya [and it will be] that all who motze'i [find me] yahargeni [will kill me]

And Y— said to him Therefore if any horeg [kill] Cayin he will be seven times avenged And Y— put owt [a sign, a symbol] on Cayin unless any who motze'ow [upon finding him] should strike him

Weyyetse [and went out] Cayin from the face of Y—  wayyeshev [and settled, and dwelt] in the erets Nod [land of Nod, land of Drifting] east of Eden

Genesis 4:13-16

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The curse of Cain

Wayyomer [and he said]  What have you done  The voice of deme [blood] ahika [of your brother] calls out to me from ha’adamah 

We’attah [and now] arur [cursed] attah [you are] from ha’adamah which has opened its mouth to take deme [blood] ahika [of your brother] from your hand 

When ta’avod [you work, you do service to] ha’adamah it shall no longer give you kohah [strength] na’ wanad [staggered and drifting] you shall be ba’arets [on the land] 

Genesis 4:10-12

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The first brothers

And the adam knew Chavvah his wife wattahar [and she conceived] and bore Cayin  wattomer [and she said] caniti [I have acquired, I have bought] ‘ish [a man] from Y— 

Wattoseph [and again she] bore a brother Abel  wayhi [and there was] Abel ro’eh [shepherding] flocks  and Cayin was ��oved adamah [a ground worker, a servicer of soil] 

Genesis 4:1-2

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“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

— Matthew 25:44-46 NIV

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“We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”

— Romans 8:22-23 NRSV

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“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’”

— Matthew 25:41-43 NIV

[quotesfromscripture]

"Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,' and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see."

Revelation 3:17-18 NASB (2020)

The Ten Maidens

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out:��‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ”

- Matthew 25:1-9 NIV (2007)

[quotesfromscripture]

This implies that the red horses go toward the east country, but the red horses are otherwise unaccounted for. It is also odd that the horses and chariots of Zechariah 1 and 6 are described in the same way as the Satan in Job.

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' Satan answered the LORD and said, 'From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.' " (Job 1:6-7 NASB)

They roam the earth and then present themselves before the LORD. The horsemen of Zechariah 1 report that the earth is at peace. The charioteers of Zechariah 6 do not give a report, but the black horses "set my spirit at rest in the north". We do not hear a report from the sons of God in Job, but they present themselves. In fact, it seems like God is the one who gives a report about Job.

First Four Horsemen

And again I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains–mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black horses, the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled gray horses. 

Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 

The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of heaven going out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go toward the west country, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” 

When the steeds came out, they were impatient to get off and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. Then he cried out to me, “Lo, those who go toward the north country have set my spirit at rest in the north country.” 

- Zechariah 6:1-8 NRSV

[quotesfromscripture]

Strike down the horns

"And I looked up and saw four horns. I asked the angel who talked with me, 'What are these?' And he answered me, 'These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.' Then the LORD showed me four blacksmiths. And I asked, 'What are they coming to do?' He answered, 'These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no head could be raised; but these have come to terrify them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.' " (Zechariah 1:18-21 NRSVA)

Study questions:

(1) So far in this chapter Zechariah has described the vision as "I saw..." but when we get to the blacksmiths he says "the LORD showed me..." Why does he single out the blacksmiths in this way instead of saying "I saw four blacksmiths"?

(2) When Zechariah asks about the blacksmiths, who answers him: the angel or the LORD?

(3) Zechariah sees four horns, but the angel only lists three locations that have been scattered (Judah, Israel, Jerusalem). How did the four horns scatter the Jewish people? Do the horns represent four specific enemy nations?

(4) What might the blacksmiths do to terrify the horns of the nations?

[quotesfromscripture]

The state of the earth

"Then they spoke to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, 'We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace.' Then the angel of the LORD said, 'O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?' Then the LORD replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me." (Zechariah 1:11-13 NRSVA)

Study questions:

(1) Zechariah mentioned a man "riding a red horse" and "standing among the myrtle trees" (v 8). When they answer "We have patrolled..." who is speaking? Who is the "we"?

(2) Even though Zechariah is the one who is asking questions about the vision, the speakers give their answer to the angel. Why didn't they respond directly to Zechariah?

(3) Why would they report that "the whole earth remains at peace"? Was this an era of peace? The Jewish people were likely captives of Darius. What are the speakers referring to?