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testallthings · 01-20-2016, 08:07 PM

Mat. 3:4 Now this John had his garment of camel's hair and a leather girdle around his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (RcV)

Footnote 4.1, after saying what John (as a priest) should have eaten, wore, and lived, concludes in this way, “All this indicates that he had wholly abandoned the Old Testament dispensation...His intention was to introduce God's New Testament economy....”

Imagine John the Baptist wearing priestly garment of fine linen preaching repentance! Imagine the same person eating the best food and preaching repentance! How fit was for John to show by practice what he preached.
Was he abandoning the OTD? Was that his mission? Wasn't he called to prepare the way of the Lord?

“In his own person he embodied, so to speak, the Old Testament dispensation in its legal bearing, just as the Virgin Mary embodied and represented the evangelical aspect of the Old Testament as set forth in Abraham and the prophets. John was the personification of Old Testament righteousness according to the law; Mary was the personification of Old Testament faith in the promise, and of deep and earnest waiting for the promised salvation. Hence John appeared in Israel as the preacher of repentance, and the baptist.”

“In one respect, however, the baptism of John resembled the sacrificial services of the priests, as John administered the rite of submersion himself; whereas, in ordinary lustrations, the person to be baptized sprinkled himself with the water of baptism.”

Lange's Commentary on the NT

Without clear statements, from John or from others, it is too much to conclude that he was abandoning the OTD.

“had his raiment of camel's hair; not of camel's hair softened and dressed, which the Talmudists (z) call צמר גמלים "camel's wool"; of which wool of camels and of hares, the Jews say (a) the coats were made, with which God clothed Adam and Eve; and which being spun to a thread, and wove, and made a garment of, they call (b) חמילה, and we "camlet"; for this would have been too fine and soft for John to wear, which is denied of him, Mat_11:8 but either of a camel's skin with the hair on it, such was the "rough garment", or "garment of hair", the prophets used to wear, Zec_13:4 or of camels hair not softened but undressed; and so was very coarse and rough, and which was suitable to the austerity of his life, and the roughness of his ministry. And it is to be observed he appeared in the same dress as Elijah or Elias did, 2Ki_1:8 in whose spirit and power he came, and whose name he bore, Luk_1:17.”
John Gill's Exposition of the entire Bible

If the fact that John living in a wilderness and not in Jerusalem, with the holy temple, implies that he was abandoning the OTD, if we apply the same logic, the fact that the Lord Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit, we have to conclude that they were going back to the OTD.

01-20-2016, 08:07 PM	#6
testallthings Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 297	Re: Putting To Test The Recovery Version Mat. 3:4 Now this John had his garment of camel's hair and a leather girdle around his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (RcV) Footnote 4.1, after saying what John (as a priest) should have eaten, wore, and lived, concludes in this way, “All this indicates that he had wholly abandoned the Old Testament dispensation...His intention was to introduce God's New Testament economy....” Imagine John the Baptist wearing priestly garment of fine linen preaching repentance! Imagine the same person eating the best food and preaching repentance! How fit was for John to show by practice what he preached. Was he abandoning the OTD? Was that his mission? Wasn't he called to prepare the way of the Lord? “In his own person he embodied, so to speak, the Old Testament dispensation in its legal bearing, just as the Virgin Mary embodied and represented the evangelical aspect of the Old Testament as set forth in Abraham and the prophets. John was the personification of Old Testament righteousness according to the law; Mary was the personification of Old Testament faith in the promise, and of deep and earnest waiting for the promised salvation. Hence John appeared in Israel as the preacher of repentance, and the baptist.” “In one respect, however, the baptism of John resembled the sacrificial services of the priests, as John administered the rite of submersion himself; whereas, in ordinary lustrations, the person to be baptized sprinkled himself with the water of baptism.” Lange's Commentary on the NT Without clear statements, from John or from others, it is too much to conclude that he was abandoning the OTD. “had his raiment of camel's hair; not of camel's hair softened and dressed, which the Talmudists (z) call צמר גמלים "camel's wool"; of which wool of camels and of hares, the Jews say (a) the coats were made, with which God clothed Adam and Eve; and which being spun to a thread, and wove, and made a garment of, they call (b) חמילה, and we "camlet"; for this would have been too fine and soft for John to wear, which is denied of him, Mat_11:8 but either of a camel's skin with the hair on it, such was the "rough garment", or "garment of hair", the prophets used to wear, Zec_13:4 or of camels hair not softened but undressed; and so was very coarse and rough, and which was suitable to the austerity of his life, and the roughness of his ministry. And it is to be observed he appeared in the same dress as Elijah or Elias did, 2Ki_1:8 in whose spirit and power he came, and whose name he bore, Luk_1:17.” John Gill's Exposition of the entire Bible If the fact that John living in a wilderness and not in Jerusalem, with the holy temple, implies that he was abandoning the OTD, if we apply the same logic, the fact that the Lord Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit, we have to conclude that they were going back to the OTD.