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Wave Offering
[Bible]The wave offering was a rite of Old Testament worship in which an offering was presented to the LORD by being waved before Him. The breast of the peace offering, the sheaf of firstfruits, and the two loaves of the Feast of Weeks were among the offerings presented in this way.
Palm Tree
[Bible]In the Bible, the palm tree is the date palm. It is associated with the joy of the Feast of Tabernacles, the flourishing of the righteous, and the decoration of the temple. In Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and in the heavenly worship of Revelation, it signifies welcome and victory.
Gleaning
[Bible]Gleaning was an Old Testament legal institution requiring that fallen ears of grain and leftover fruit be left at harvest for the poor and the stranger to gather. It is best known from the Book of Ruth, where Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz.
Matthew 5:44
[Bible Verses]Matthew 5:44 records Jesus' command, "Love your enemies... and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." It is regarded as one of the most radical passages in Jesus' ethical teaching and is applied broadly, from personal forgiveness to questions of national division and reconciliation.
Ramoth-gilead
[Bible]Ramoth-gilead was a city in the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. It was a city of refuge in the territory of the tribe of Gad, and Israel and Aram fought over it repeatedly. It is known as the place where Ahab was killed in battle and where Jehu was anointed king.
Hyssop
[Bible]Hyssop is a plant used in Old Testament purification rites to sprinkle blood or water. It appears in connection with the Passover, the rite for cleansing from leprosy, Psalm 51, and the crucifixion scene in the Gospel of John.
Land Flowing with Milk and Honey
[Bible]An Old Testament idiom describing the abundance of the land of Canaan, which God promised to give to Israel. It first appears in Exodus 3:8 and recurs throughout the Pentateuch and the Prophets.
Adultery
[Bible]Adultery is sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her spouse. The Bible forbids it in the Ten Commandments, and the prophets also used the term as a metaphor for forsaking God to serve idols.
Sacred Pillar
[Bible]A sacred pillar (Hebrew matstsebah) was a standing stone erected in ancient Canaan to worship or commemorate a deity. The Old Testament commands Israel not to erect pillars associated with pagan worship and to break them down.
Firstfruits
[Bible]Firstfruits were an Old Testament offering to God of the first grain and produce harvested from the land each year. In the New Testament the term is used figuratively for the risen Christ and for those who were the first to believe.
Numbers 1
[Bible]Numbers 1 records how, in the second year after the Exodus, Moses and Aaron numbered the men of the twelve tribes in the wilderness of Sinai who were twenty years old and upward and able to go to war, arriving at a total of 603,550. The tribe of Levi was excluded from the count and given charge of the tabernacle.
Holiness
[Bible]Holiness is a central biblical concept denoting that which belongs to God and is set apart for Him. It refers first to the nature of God and extends to the people, places, times, and objects dedicated to Him, as well as to the life of His people.
2 Corinthians 7:1
[Bible Verses]A verse in which Paul urges the Corinthian church, on the basis of God's promises, to cleanse themselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness. It is frequently cited in discussions of sanctification and holiness, and scholars debate the placement of the passage that precedes it.
Anointing
[Bible]Anointing is a biblical rite in which oil is poured on or applied to a person or object to set it apart for God. In the Old Testament it was performed when priests, kings, and prophets were installed, and the titles "Messiah" and "Christ" derive from this term.
Casting Lots
[Bible]Casting lots was a customary way of settling matters that people found difficult to decide for themselves by drawing marked objects. In the Bible it was used to divide land, assign duties, and choose an apostle, and its outcome was accepted as the will of God.
Stumbling Block
[Bible]A stumbling block is a stone or obstacle that catches the foot and causes a person to fall. In the Bible, the term refers to anything that causes a person to fall into sin or unbelief. The New Testament also describes Christ as a stone that becomes a stumbling block to those who do not believe.
Leaven
[Bible]Leaven is fermented dough used to make bread rise. In the Old Testament it appears in the regulations for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and for sacrificial offerings. In the New Testament it serves as an image both of the kingdom of God and of evil teaching and sin.
Acts of the Apostles
[Bible]The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the New Testament. It records how, after the ascension of Jesus Christ and with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church began in Jerusalem and spread as far as Rome.
The Sabbath and the Lord's Day
[Controversies]A discussion of whether Christians should observe the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath or the first-day (Sunday) Lord's Day, and whether the Lord's Day should be kept in the manner of the Old Testament Sabbath.
The Church and Politics
[Controversies]The question of how the church and individual Christians should engage in politics. Views differ on the meaning of the separation of church and state, the boundary between preaching and political speech, and the proper forms of the church's social engagement.