NU 6:24 " ` "The LORD bless you
and keep you;
NU 6:25 the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
NU 6:26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '
This Aaronic blessing we recite in Hebrew every lesson. Only in the Hebrew is it obvious that the "you" is the singular "you", as if addressed to an individual. Yet this was a blessing given to Aaron to speak over the people of Israel. Why so? Think about it....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think it's because the Jewish-Christian faith is ultimately a community one. Every good thing we receive from God is a personal experience of a corporate reality i.e. I am only a son of God because I belong to the Israel of God, who is God's Firstborn Son (Exod. 4:22). I love Paul's image of branches being grafted into a Tree, which suggests s strongly that "salvation" is, for him, entrance into the community of God...
ReplyDeleteGosh...do I sound Catholic there? :P
-- Chris
i must agree with you there. Our God is multi-sighted. No problem of 'missing the wood for the trees'. His is BOTH the big picture AND the small picture. When He looks at Israel, He also looks into the eyes of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Chris ....
ReplyDeleteRina
Another observation - Israel understood their God in a community context - the God of Israel. We, modern Christians, start off with a understanding of God as a personal God. We both have to widen our understanding to encompass both.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I realised the potential that the personal/community dynamic has to further our understanding of certain issues in Pentecostal Theology, like Spirit Baptism. I take Spirit Baptism to be first and foremost a community experience: the Israel of God is immersed in the Spirit. Individual Spirit Baptism is only a personal experience of a corporate reality. This goes some way to explaining why Paul can speak of the Corinthian CHURCH as being baptised in the Spirit, and why Luke can urge individuals to seek it.
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistaken, F.F. Bruce might have leant this way too, as he thinks the Lukan promise of Spirit Baptism is solely fulfilled at Pentecost, and all subsequent Spirit experiences in Acts are an overflow of it. My take on it would be: the initial community of God is baptised, and the effects flow over to the individuals who join it...
Heck, if this applies to the experience of Sonship, why not to the experience of Spirit Baptism too?
But to reiterate the point: this dynamic has great promise in helping us understanding the Judeo-Christian faith better...
-- Chris
wow - never realised the ramifications. Worth thinking about.
ReplyDeleteRina