Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terms, the concept of "prescribed" often relates to commands, statutes, or ordinances that are set forth by God for His people to follow. These prescriptions are integral to understanding the covenant relationship between God and His people, as they outline the expectations and standards for living a life that is pleasing to Him.
Old Testament ContextIn the Old Testament, the term "prescribed" is frequently associated with the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. These laws were not merely suggestions but were divinely ordained instructions that the Israelites were to adhere to as part of their covenant with God. The Book of Leviticus, for example, contains numerous prescriptions regarding sacrifices, dietary laws, and rituals for maintaining purity.
Leviticus 7:36 states, "The LORD commanded that the Israelites give these portions to the priests as their perpetual share from the day they were anointed."
The Psalms also reflect on the importance of following God's prescribed laws.
Psalm 119:4 declares, "You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently." This verse underscores the belief that God's laws are not arbitrary but are established for the well-being and spiritual growth of His people.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the concept of what is prescribed shifts focus from the ceremonial and civil laws of the Old Testament to the moral and ethical teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus emphasized the spirit of the law rather than the letter, prescribing love, mercy, and justice as the core principles of His teachings. In
Matthew 22:37-40 , Jesus prescribes the greatest commandments: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
The Apostle Paul also speaks to the prescriptions of Christian living in his epistles. In
Romans 12:1-2 , he urges believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, which is a prescribed way of worship and living that aligns with God's will.
Prescribed Worship and PracticesThroughout the Bible, prescribed forms of worship and religious practices are evident. In the Old Testament, the construction of the Tabernacle and later the Temple came with specific instructions from God, as seen in
Exodus 25-27. These detailed prescriptions were meant to ensure that worship was conducted in a manner that honored God's holiness and majesty.
In the New Testament, while the physical structures of worship are less emphasized, the prescribed practices of the early church include the observance of the Lord's Supper and baptism. These sacraments are seen as outward signs of inward grace and are prescribed as essential elements of Christian faith and community.
ConclusionThe concept of "prescribed" in the Bible highlights the importance of divine instruction and the expectation of obedience to God's commands. Whether through the detailed laws of the Old Testament or the moral imperatives of the New Testament, what is prescribed serves as a guide for living a life that is in harmony with God's will and purpose.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
imp. & p. p.) of Prescribe.
Greek
1485. ethos -- custom, a usage (prescribed by habit or law)... custom, a usage (
prescribed by habit or law). Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: ethos Phonetic Spelling: (eth'-os) Short Definition: a custom
...5342. phero -- to bear, carry, bring forth
... Scotch , 'bear,' " J. Thayer, Curtis) -- properly, to bear, carry (bring) along,
especially temporarily or to a definite (prescribed) conclusion (defined by...
Strong's Hebrew
2706. choq -- somethingprescribed or owed, a statute... 2705, 2706. choq. 2707 . something
prescribed or owed, a statute. Transliteration:
choq Phonetic Spelling: (khoke) Short Definition: statutes.
...2708. chuqqah -- somethingprescribed, an enactment, statute
... 2707, 2708. chuqqah. 2709 . somethingprescribed, an enactment, statute.
Transliteration: chuqqah Phonetic Spelling: (khook-kaw') Short Definition: statutes...
4687. mitsvah -- commandment
... Definition commandment NASB Word Usage command (15), commanded (7), commandment
(34), commandments (118), commands (2), obligation (1),prescribed (2), terms (1...
4941. mishpat -- judgment
... right (8), rightful place (1), rights (2), rule (1), sentence (2), sentenced (1),
standard (1), trial (1), unjustly* (1), verdict (1), wayprescribed (2), what...
3789. kathab -- to write
... root Definition to write NASB Word Usage decreed (1), describe (3), described (1),
inscribed (1),prescribed (2), record (3), recorded (7), registered (3...
Library
Whether all Acts of virtue arePrescribed by the Natural Law?
... OF THE NATURAL LAW (SIX ARTICLES) Whether all acts of virtue areprescribed
by the natural law? Objection 1: It would seem that...
Why Choice of Meats wasPrescribed.
... Chapter XX."Why choice of meats wasprescribed. "Moreover, you were
commanded to abstain from certain kinds of food, in order...
Touching a Special Sort of Internal PrayerPrescribed by Antonio...
... CHAPTER VII. Touching a special sort of internal prayerprescribed by Antonio de
Rojas?... A soul is not to be obliged to use the same preparationsprescribed....
On Particular Acts of Obedience, or those which arePrescribed in...
... DISPUTATION LXXIII ON PARTICULAR ACTS OF OBEDIENCE, OR THOSE WHICH AREPRESCRIBED
IN EACH PRECEPT, OR CONCERNING THE DECALOGUE IN GENERAL....
On the Power of the Church in Enacting Laws
... The laws which may beprescribed to the church, or which may be considered as having
beenprescribed, are of two kinds, distinguished from each other by a...
On the Material Object of the Precepts of the Law in General
... in the abstract, is the formal object of all the precepts of the divine law, so
the acts in which the obedience that must be performed isprescribed, are the...
On Obedience, the Formal Object of all the Divine Precepts
... The obedience which is the formal object of all the divine precepts, and which is
prescribed in all of them, is properly and adequatelyprescribed to the will...
Cyprian's Orthodoxy Undoubted.
... Or did he not remember what the apostle said about the Church without spot, that
heprescribed that no one ought so to flatter himself in respect of a pure and...
The Comforts Belonging to Mourners
... He is like a foolish patient who, having a pillprescribed him, licks the sugar
but throws away the pill. The libertine is all for joy and comfort....
On the Precepts of Divine Worship in General
... worship of God, the most commodious way and method seems to be this " to follow
the order of the commands of God in which this worship isprescribed, and to...
Thesaurus
Prescribed (31 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Prescribed (31 Occurrences). Luke 1:8 Now while he was
doing priestly duty before God in the
prescribed course of his class, (WEY).
...Diet (2 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A course of food selected with reference to a particular state of
health;prescribed allowance of food; regimenprescribed....
Prescribe (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To direct, as a remedy to be used by a patient; as, the doctor
prescribed quinine. 3. (vi) To give directions; to dictate....
Ablution
... (3.) There were washingsprescribed for the purpose of cleansing from positive
defilement contracted by particular Acts. Of such...
Nazarite (8 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (Hebrews form Nazirite), the name of such Israelites
as took on them the vowprescribed in Numbers 6:2-21....
Rule (291 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) That which isprescribed or laid down as a guide for conduct or action;
a governing direction for a specific purpose; an authoritative enactment; a...
Ceremony (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) An act or series of acts, often of a symbolical character,prescribed by
law, custom, or authority, in the conduct of important matters, as in the...
Lutheran
... An Authoritative Command (2) A Clear Declaration of the Object in View (3) A Definite
Promise (4) A Plain Indication of the Scope (5) APrescribed Formula for...
Doctrine (52 Occurrences)
... An Authoritative Command (2) A Clear Declaration of the Object in View (3) A Definite
Promise (4) A Plain Indication of the Scope (5) APrescribed Formula for...
Nonimmersionist
... What is hereprescribed in the Didache seems to have been the practice usually
followed in the early centuries of the Christian church....
Resources
What is the biblical pattern of church leadership? | GotQuestions.orgHow is the Islamic idea of jihad different from the violence in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about stoning? | GotQuestions.orgPrescribed: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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