works and comfort

comfort and works

In the Old Testament, God's people were able to come to Him by obedience to the law that He laid down. He gave them comfort by telling them that He had plans to be good to them. Good things were coming!

In the New Testament, we are able to come to God because of the work that Jesus has already done. Interestingly, when God speaks of the plans He has for us, it's a race to run and good works prepared in advance for us to do!

There seems to be a switching of the order of things. Before, knowing God required works and obedience, which He then followed by promised of comfort and good things. Now, He gives us the comfort of His salvation, and in the light of that comfort, He calls us to run and work.

clearly, this is not a comprehensive study, just something interesting that I noticed...

compare and contrast

A worker's appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on. Proverbs 16:23

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. Philippians 3:19

may contain traces of puns

consider yourselves warned

Q: What do you call a robot that makes fun of itself?
A: Self-deprecating

Q: What do you call a robot that celebrates the new year by throwing itself down a flight of stairs?
A: Self-depreciating

micah

"With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on High?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly before your God?
Micah 5:8

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
Isaiah 58:6-9

the purpose

of riches

So He brought His people out with joy,
His chosen ones with singing,
He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
that they might keep his statutes and observe His laws.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 105:43-45

Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who bought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the the house of slavery.
Deuteronomy 8:11-15