MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/12/2026
9:36 AM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-3
“The Setting”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke
4:14-15
Message of the verses: “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the
power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding
district. And He began teaching in their
synagogues and was praised by all.
I want to pick up where I left off this morning, as we
were talking about the synagogues found in the New Testament time. These synagogues had no full-time pastors or
teacher; the policy known as the “freedom of they synagogue” and this allowed
for anyone approved by the ruler of the synagogue to teach. Thus, if a noted teacher was available, he
would likely be invited to preach, as was Paul seen in Acts 13:14-15; “14 ¶ but they went on from Perga and came to
Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat
down. 15 After the reading from the Law
and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers,
if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.’” Now in the absence of a guest teacher, any of
the men in attendance who were approved to do so might teach. The synagogues were ruled by elders as seen
in Mark 5:22, “22 Then came one of the
rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet.” Now the chief of which was the archisunagogos,
or ruler of the synagogue (Luke 13:14; Acts 18:8). It was his responsibility to conduct the
worship service and to approve the teachers.
There was another officer besides the ruler of the synagogue and the
elders, the chazzan. He was the keeper of the scrolls of which the
Scriptures were written, and was responsible for getting the proper scrolls out
for each day’s reading and returning them to the chest where they were
stored. In addition to serving as places
of worship, the synagogues also provided instruction for children, much like
today’s elementary schools, and served as local courts.
John MacArthur writes “The order of
worship in a typical synagogue of Jesus’ day may be reconstructed as follows:
1. Thanksgivings
or ‘blessings’ spoken in connection with (before and after), the Shema: ‘Hear,
O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One, and you shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.’
2. Prayer,
with response of ‘Amen’ by the congregation.
3. Reading
of a passage from the Pentateuch (in Hebrew, followed by translation into
Aramaic)
4. Reading
of a passage from the Prophets (Similary translated)
5. Sermon
or word of exhortation
6. The
Benediction pronounced by a priest, wo which the congregation responded with ‘Amen.’ When no priest was present a Closing Prayer
was substituted for the Benediction. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary:
The Gospel of Mark [Grand Rapids; Baker, 1975], 75-76)
“Luke’s account of Jesus’ visit to
the synagogue in Nazareth began with Him reading a passage from the prophets (in
this case Isaiah), and then giving the exposition.”
Spiritual
Meaning for my life today: In
reading sections like this I am happy to learn the things that were done during
the time Jesus was on the earth, so that I can learn and grow in the Lord.
My Steps
of faith for today. I am trusting in the Lord that He will guide
my wife in choosing a new doctor to help her defeat this cancer in her body.
5/12/2026
9:59 AM
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