The Old Testament is much neglected by Christians bcos the thousands-year gap was huge and it reads more like a law book than a comfy bedtime story before we tuck in for the night. But OT has a crucial message for "come and see" missiology."Laws in any society are made for a purpose. Laws protect interests. Laws restrict power. Laws try to balance the rights of different and possibly competing groups in society. Laws promote social objectives according to the legislators' vision of what kind of ideal society they would like to see. So, in the light of our understanding of Israelite society, we need to articulate as precisely as possible the objective of any specific law. In other words, we are trying to understand, ‘Why was this law there?'...
What kind of situation was this law trying to promote, or prevent? Whose interests was this law aiming to protect?
Who would have benefited from this law and why?
Whose power was this law trying to restrict and how did it do so?
What rights and responsibilities were embodied in this law?
What kind of behaviour did this law encourage or discourage?
What vision of society motivated this law?
What moral principles, values or priorities did this law embody or exemplify?
What motivation did this law appeal to?
What sanction or penalty (if any) was attached to this law, and what does that show regarding its relative seriousness or moral priority?
Find out more on Old Testament Ethics by Chris Wright. Some Agorans will be going for his seminar on Living as God's People for the sake of God's World: Expositions of Deuternomy
26/9/06 Deuteronomy 4:1-40 The Responsibility of Knowing God
27/9/06 Deuteronomy 6:1-25 The Demands of Loving God
28/9/06 Deuteronomy 26:1-19 The Celebration of Covenanting with God
Welcome to the heartbeat of the Old Testament – the book of Deuteronomy! Time: 8:15 pm, nightly
Speaker : Rev Dr Chris Wright
Place: Dewan Tropicana, Clubhouse, Tropicana Golf & Country Club
More details here. Free Admission. David Tan wrote a good review of the KVBC expositions
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