From a message by a Curious Questioner--
>CQ> Subj: SPIRIT & LAW
>>QU> You make it sound like the sacrifices offered after Messiah's death and resurrection, in unbelief, until the Temple's destruction were honored by HaShem.
>CQ> But there were sacrifices were offered after the Messiah's death and resurrection, and not in unbelief. Paul himself offered sacrifices at the Temple at the request of the "Elders of the Church". Are you suggesting that Paul was in error?
There is no mention of Paul offering sacrifices in Acts 21. And yes, Paul was "in error" to go to Jerusalem after it was said to him "through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem." And even while he was in the temple, the Lord Jesus appeared unto him and flat out told him to: "Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem..." (Acts 22:18p) but Paul delayed to obey the Lord, and the Lord let the Jews capture him and begin to "kill him", and the Lord directed the chief captain with soldiers to come rescue Paul. The soldiers had to lift him up in their hands above the crowd, to protect him from "the violence of the people."
>CQ> Acts 21:18-27 recounts how Paul was charged to take four men who had a Nazarite vow on them, and purify himself with them. He did this. And following the requirements of the Law of purification he and they made offerings for every one of them.
Acts 21 doesn't use the word Nazarite, but does say they had a "vow on them", so we can conclude they were Nazarites. Paul was not a Nazarite though, and had not been defiled by a dead body, so he was not in the same strait as them. His part was to "be at charges with them", since a man who was clean had to sprinkle the "water of separation" on them, (see Num.19:11) and take a bath, wash his clothes, and his charges were to be brought to the door of the temple to make their offerings at the end of the days of separation.
In Numbers 6, verses 1 thru 8 are the instructions for what the Nazarite is supposed to do and not do during the days of his vow. Verses 9 thru 12 are for the Nazarite that gets defiled before his days are fulfilled; and verse 13 thru 21 pertain to the Nazarite that fulfills his days without being defiled, and who needs no cleansing from defilement. The undefiled Nazarite does not have to spend 7 days in cleansing. The defiled Nazarite loses the days of his separation before his defilement but is given the consolation of the 7 days special separation, before his head is shaven.
The water was to be sprinkled on the 3rd and 7th day of the defiled Nazarite's special days of separation, and they were to shave their hair on the seventh day, and then on the eighth day was when the offerings were to be made. Paul apparently became involved just before the 7th day, and clearly he was captured "when the seven days were almost ended", and therefore was removed before the sacrifices were made on the eighth day.
With great plainness of speech, we therefore say that Paul did not participate in bloody sacrifices, but only assisted with cleansing. Regardless, he was not supposed to be in Jerusalem to begin with! Grace be to your heart with understanding in receiving the word of God as it is written in truth, for Jesus' sake. Amen. --Richard
From a message by a Curious Questioner--
>CQ> Subj: [1/2] NAZARITE SACRIFICES
>>RC> Subj: Nazarite sacrifices
>>RC> There is no mention of Paul offering sacrifices in Acts 21.
>CQ> But there "is" mention of Paul offering sacrifices in Acts 21.
No, the scriptures of truth say no such thing about Paul himself.
>CQ>[Acts.21:20p] And when they heard it, they...
(Some claim only James advised Paul, but "they" includes elders. :)
>CQ> [21:21p] "...neither walk after the customs."
(See what Stephen was accused of, regarding "customs". Acts.6:14 :)
>CQ> 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: we have four men which have a vow on them;
>CQ> 24 Take them, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads:
IT says, "they may shave". (Not Paul's head, "their heads:" :)
>CQ> [Acts 21:] 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
>CQ> read verse 26 again, it specifically says that "an offering" should "be offered for every one of them". This included Paul!!!
The "them" was who Paul!!! was "with". Their entering the temple signified the accomplishment of the days, the "seventh" of the seven days, when the four men shaved their heads. The sacrifices were to be made for the 4 Nazarites the "eighth" day. The Lord had Paul taken out before the sacrifices were made for the four men.
>CQ> The "vow" that Paul also made himself earlier required that he make a sacrifice, and the description of the vow demonstrates quite clearly that it was a "nazarite vow".
Acts 18:18 does not say WHAT his vow was, and does not say that he shaved his head, rather that in Cencrea he had "shorn" his head. It doesn't say he had a vow on his head, only that he had a vow. People were vowing vows before the law of Moses. (ref.Gen.28:20 :) (Possibly "must by all means keep this feast" indicates his vow? :)
And there is no mention of him making sacrifices there. He went to Jerusalem for a feast, saluted the church, and went to Antioch. And it doesn't say feast of the Jews, but just feast. (The churches had feasts of charity.) And it doesn't say he went to the temple, but that he went up and saluted the church. And Acts 18:18-22 was four, maybe five years before the Acts 21 events.
(Please see next message. Thanks. :)
From a message by a Curious Questioner--
>CQ> Subj: [1/2] NAZARITE SACRIFICES
>>RC> Subj: Nazarite sacrifices
>>RC> And yes, Paul was "in error" to go to Jerusalem after it was said to him "through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem."
>CQ> Richard I used to think this also, however...
However, my quote was a direct quote of the scriptures of truth in Acts 21:4p, not 21:10-14. After the Holy Spirit told Paul that he should not go up to Jerusalem, and Paul decided to go anyway, the Lord sent Agabus the prophet, not to again tell him not to go, but to show Paul what was indeed going to happen to him in Jerusalem.
Notice verse 12, "And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem." The "we" was Luke and other of Paul's travelling companions and the "they" were those of the house of Philip, etc. Agabus was not of Paul's company or of Philip's group, but came down from Judæa. He didn't tell Paul not to go, but only told him what was going to happen because his heart was already set on going contrary to what he had already been commanded by the Lord back in verse 4. (Be not deceived; The Lord is that Spirit, as it is written. :)
>CQ> These were the "feelings" of the people who wanted the prophecy they had received about what was to happen to Paul to fail.
"Agreed." (And what was to happen, did happen! :)
Paul was indeed bound with a chain on his feet and a chain on his hands; and if you listen between the lines, you can hear the rattle when he "beckoned with the hand unto the people." (21:40p :)
Paul was still in error to disobey the commandment of the Spirit of the Lord that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Sure, the Lord by foreknowledge knew that Paul would go anyway, since Paul's "heart's desire" toward his kinsmen was so strong that he could have wished himself accursed that they might be saved. Look at the foreknowledge and prophecy in the Lord's commandment to Adam:
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen.2:17) He was both told not to eat of it and surely the Lord knew that he would eat, and prophesied what would happen. (He didn't say if thou eatest. The Lord knew Paul's heart too. :)
Grace be with your heart, in love for Jesus' sake. Amen. --Richard
From a message by a Curious Questioner--
>CQ> Subj: [2/2] NAZARITE SACRIFICES
>>RC> Subj: Nazarite sacrifices
>>RC> Acts 21 doesn't use the word Nazarite, but does say they had a "vow on them", so we can conclude they were Nazarites. Paul was not a Nazarite though, and had not been defiled by a dead body, so he was not in the same strait as them. His part was to "be at charges with them", since a man who was clean had to sprinkle the "water of separation" on them, (see Num.19:11) and take a bath, wash his clothes, and his charges were to be brought to the door of the temple to make their offerings at the end of the days of separation.
>CQ> Num. 15:3 And will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow,
You can only apply that to the "four men" with a vow in Acts 21.
>CQ> Now read Acts 21:26 again. It says that an offering was offered for every one of them!
No, it does not say "an offering was offered", but rather says, "until that an offering should be offered for every one of them." Paul was taken out before the four men's seven days were ended, and was no longer with them for their eighth day sacrifices.
>CQ> Paul however amply demonstrated that he was still a Pharisee and still a law abiding Jew. Acts 23:6.
"But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." (Acts 23:6)
THE LORD amply demonstrated, by restraining the soldiers until Paul was in danger of being "pulled in pieces" that, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and Paul repented for the "evil" he had done. (See Acts 24:20,21, and note Acts 26:5p, "...I lived [past tense] a Pharisee." He didn't dare make such an "I AM" claim again.
>CQ> In Acts 24:17 when Paul is making his defence before Felix he says that he had come to Jerusalem after many years in order to bring alms and offerings. They were not an afterthought.
Forethought! (Acts 19:21; 20:2; 1Cor.16:3,4; 2Cor.9:5, etc. :)
Acts 24:11, "Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship." That shows you that Paul could not have been there for the whole seven days of separation of the "four men", but went with them into the temple on those men's seventh day, and was captured before that day ended, before the eighth day sacrifices were made.
(The twelve days: [1] Acts 21:15, [2] 21:18, [3] 21:26, [4] 22:30, [5] 23:12, [6] 23:32, [7,8,9,10,11] "five days" of 24:1; and the 12th was "after" five days, and Paul cheerfully spoke to Felix. :)
(Be of good cheer... only one more message from here. Thanks. :)
From a message by a Curious Questioner--
>CQ> Subj: Reply to NAZARITE SACRIFICES
>>RC> Subj: Nazarite sacrifices
>>>CQ> Acts 21:18-27 recounts how Paul was charged to take four men who had a Nazarite vow on them, and purify himself with them.
>>RC> ...and his charges were to be brought to the door of the temple to make their offerings at the end of the days...
>CQ> 1. "To be at Charges" means to bear the cost of the men who had the vow. Therefore Paul paid for their sacrificial offerings.
The text does not say Paul paid "for" anything, but that he was to be at charges with them. He was in charge of bringing them to the temple. "Then Paul took the men...into the temple..." (21:26p) "...Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle..." (Num.6:13) Paul took them, "to signify the accomplishment of the days..." (And you yourself said, "Paul was charged to take four..." etc. :)
(If Paul were a Nazarite, then he couldn't bring them, but would have needed to be "brought" there by someone else. :)
>CQ> 2. Numbers 19:1-22 is speaking of the sacrifice of the "red heifer". Not of a Nazarite vow.
Numbers 19:11+ deals with those defiled by a dead body & concerning the seven days of separation and cleansing. Numbers 6:9 deals with a Nazarite defiled by a dead body and instructs him to wait until the seventh day of his cleansing from defilement to shave his head.
>>RC> Verses 9 thru 12 are for the Nazarite that gets defiled before his days are fulfilled; and verses 13 thru 21 pertain to the Nazarite that fulfills his days without being defiled, and who needs no cleansing from defilement. The undefiled Nazarite does not have to spend 7 days in cleansing.
>>RC> ...and they were to shave their hair on the seventh day, and then on the eighth day was when the offerings were to be made. Paul apparently became involved just before the 7th day, and clearly he was capture "when the seven days were almost ended", and therefore was removed before the sacrifices were made on the eighth day.
>CQ> Paul did not become involved when the seven days were almost ended, he became involved at the beginning of the seven day period.
We've already accounted for the "twelve days since" (Acts 24:11p), and it was Paul's 3rd day in Jerusalem that he took the men to the temple on those men's 7th day when their heads were shaved. Paul was captured when the four men's "seven days were almost ended," which was before the sacrifices of the eighth day. There's not the slightest hint that Paul participated in bloody sacrifices there.
Grace be unto you in understanding for Jesus' sake. Amen. --Richard
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