Post by Mark on Aug 29, 2009 5:28:07 GMT -8
I always laugh to myself a little when reading this passage. If we were to interpret this passage as literally and isolated as we attempt with so much of the rest of the Bible, it sounds as though the reasoning for wanting no one to fall is so that they don’t bleed and soil your paint job. Context, including cultural context, is vital to our understanding the Scriptures. To "bring blood upon" means to incur guilt. Yet, it is startling that the guilt is not incurred upon you, the owner of the house; but upon the entire house (meaning everyone inside). This tells us that the responsibility to look out for the welfare of others cannot be passed on to the person "deemed responsible" but is shared by everyone.
and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you. [Numbers 15:16]
