26 July 15
TOUCHING BASE 280
Series: The Book, Part 13
Too Many Stop Signs
Acts 15:1-21
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Our message Sunday July 26th was on Acts 15:1-21, with the Big Idea that we need to “Build Bridges, not Barriers.” Early in June this year, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its report after being asked to tell Canadians about the history of residential schools and their impact on Aboriginal people and how the process of reconciliation needs to take place.(1) This touching base references an online document titled, “What we have learned: Principles of Truth and Reconciliation.” I strongly encourage every Canadian to take a couple of hours and read it. The link can be found in the endnotes of this TB. The other things I write about come from things I have learned at Constance Lake, and from speaking with local writer and author Bob Wells.
The direct link between the Big Idea - Build Bridges, not Barriers - and the report is that massive barriers were built in Canada between the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and non-Aboriginal people of Canada. The report calls this barrier that was built, “cultural genocide”, and I quote from the report: “It was a cultural genocide. People were beaten for their language, people were beaten because ... they followed their own ways." (2)
Residential schooling started in the 1860’s under Prime Minister Sir John A MacDonald. This of course was in the day when getting a letter from Ottawa to Vancouver took 6 weeks. It did not take long before the Canadian Government asked the churches of Canada to run the schools for them. Aboriginal children were then sent to schools far away from home. Having the churches run these schools often meant what took place at these schools was done in a religious way. From visits to Constance Lake First Nation I have noticed that the community is deeply spiritual - I have only met one person who would consider themselves an atheist - the rest all believe in God, or are theists. Can we begin to picture, then, what it must have been like for children who were aware of spiritual things, and in some cases, Christ followers, to attend a school run by the church, where there would be cultural genocide? In many schools, this created deep spiritual abuse, creating huge barriers between Aboriginal children, their parents, and God.
Of course there would have been times when godly Christ-following believers did not spiritually abuse children. My mentor’s parents, who now live in the Kingston area, were asked to run a residential school in Red Lake, Ontario. They reported to me that the parents were grateful for the care they were able to provide as it allowed the parents to do trapping in the wintertime, which required them to travel. However, these positive testimonies are not the norm. The report recognizes that the “central element of the education provided at these schools would be directed towards the destruction of Aboriginal spirituality.(3) One residential school survivor, Mary Courchene, reports “Their only mandate was to Christianize and civilize; and it’s written in black and white. And every single day we were reminded.” (4)
The abuse, however, was more than spiritual. Students were also often punished for speaking their own native language.(5) The education had nothing to do with Aboriginal culture or teachings, but what has taught was that the only good people on earth were white Christians.(6) There was abuse with food, where not only students were forced to eat food of little nutritional value, they were also forced to eat their own vomit after throwing up the school’s food.(7) Nor will be ever know how many students died in residential schools: “The most serious gap in information arises from the incompleteness of the documentary record. Many records have simply been destroyed.” (8)
I could go on what the reports of abuse stated in the document I am referencing, but I think I also need to share with you information from the stories I have heard while visiting Constance Lake and the effects of residential schooling I see there.
When children are raised at schools hundreds of kilometres away from home, they rarely get to see their parents. One of the effects of not being raised by their parents is that children do not learn how to properly be parents themselves. Students who went to residential school had no choice but to do their best with their own children, with next-to-no training. These students are now Elders in Constance Lake, and many are in their eighties. From my limited perspective, they don’t seem angry, but have deep grief over what happened at the schools.
Their children, however, seem much angrier. They are angry that their parents did not have what they needed to provide for them and their siblings. In order to cope with this enormous emotional wound, many people who never went to residential school, but who are living through its effects, have turned to alcohol and drugs as a way of self-medicating the pain. The next generation, and the next generation after that, are the children and youth we serve in our youth and day programs in the community. These children know very little about their own culture, and other than the odd word; they are unable to speak Cree, their native language. The youth we work with do not always use drugs because they are angry but because they are very available and accessible and for many youth, drug use is normal within their families. This, of course, causes even more social problems.
Am I angry? Yes, I’m very angry, and I’m very sad that even though we live in Canada, a land that proclaims freedom, many of our Canadian Aboriginal people are still suffering from the damage caused by Non-Aboriginal (Canadian) people.
In the 1980’s the churches began to apologize for the harm caused at residential schools, including the destructive impact of missionary work.(9) Most of us will remember that in 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with the full support of Parliament, apologized on behalf of Canada.(10)
How do we continue to reconcile? From the report: “In 2015, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada wraps up its work, the country has a rare second chance to seize a lost opportunity for reconciliation”.(11) One of the greatest ways you can help Canada reconcile is to know and understand the issues. Read, listen, dig into this issue and draw your own conclusions. As believers we can pray through this issue. Those of us who have opportunities with Canadian Aboriginal people need to spend our energy listening, and creating respectful relationships.(12) Lastly, on October 19th consider voting in our federal election for the party that you believe is going to best serve the Aboriginal people of Canada.
Thank you for taking the time to read this TB. If you have any questions I would be happy to speak with you. Again, for further reading and information please see the link below. Let’s build bridges, not barriers.
Fred Grendel
fred@kingston.net
1 “What we have learned: Principles of Truth and Reconciliation” found online at http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Principles%20of%20Truth%20and%20Reconciliation.pdf, p.99
2 Ibid, p107
3 Ibid, p27
4 Ibid, p46
5 Ibid, p52
6 Ibid, p53
7 Ibid, p59
8 Ibid, p60
9 Ibid, p98
10 Ibid, p99
11 Ibid, p113
12 Ibid, p126
Friday, July 24, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Touching Base - Part 279
21 June 15
Series: The Book
Part 8
Standing in the Breach
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
I’m a psychiatrist, and sometimes in my clinic distressed patients will wonder why God is doing this to them, or say God doesn’t care. I might then ask how they imagine God and what He is up to. Invariably, the view of God is one-dimensional and quite nebulous – a receptacle to pour anger and bitterness and blame into, but nothing more. He is, then, a God who serves an immediate purpose but is otherwise not real or relevant.
The Big Idea in the sermon this Sunday is the opposite: God is real and relevant. And, perhaps paradoxically, we’re going to use some of the more unusual and obscure parts of the Bible – the prophets – to emphasize the relevance and reality of God.
The world of the Old Testament prophets is a different world from ours. Isaiah walked around Jerusalem naked and barefoot for 3 years to illustrate how the Assyrians would carry off the rebellious. Jeremiah strapped a wooden yoke on to represent Judah’s oppression by Babylon. Ezekiel burned and scattered his hair and lay 390 days on his left side and 40 days on his right to bear the guilt of the people.
Question: How do we make sense of this? Can this be relevant to the 21st century? Think of a time in history you have either lived through or know about that seems so foreign as to be seemingly irrelevant now.
Many of us might think of a prophet as someone who foretells the future. That isn’t much of the story here. Or we might think of an Old Testament prophet as someone who is given a message by God to give to the people at large – the prophet as intermediary between God and the people. Usually this message is one of warning and coming judgment because of the people’s behaviour. This view is accurate and certainly a major role of most prophets.
Question: Think of examples in the OT of prophets and their messages. The delivery system goes, God-prophet-people. (Think: Jonah)
The prophet has another major role, however; one that is often overlooked. It’s when the delivery system goes in reverse: people-prophet-God. The prophet delivers his message of warning to the people, but then turns to face his boss and, as an intermediary in the opposite direction, asks, prays, persuades, and urges God Himself to change His mind. The Jewish scholar and theologian, Yochanan Muffs, has written brilliantly about this in Love & Joy (1992).
Read Genesis 20:1-7 and 18:22-33.
Abraham was a prophet (Genesis 20:7) and prays in this way for Abimelech. He then boldly petitions God about destroying the city of Sodom, and gets God to say He’ll relent if there are 50, then 45, then 40…right down to 10 righteous people within its walls.
Read Exodus 32:7-14 and Numbers 12:1-13.
The prophet Moses’ whole life was seemingly one long series of prayers, petitions, cunning arguments, and pleadings for God’s wrath to be withheld. He’s quite good at it. Psalm 106:23 records, “Therefore he [God] said he would destroy them – had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him.” Samuel is another prophet who does this often.
Question: What do these concrete and gritty stories tell us about God? Is He a nebulous and amorphous being who is unknowable? Or is He only too real?
Question: How can a human seem to change the mind of God?
When we come to the “major” prophets, a slight change occurs. After a list of His people’s sins, God says to Jeremiah, “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me…” (Jeremiah7:16). Don’t attempt the usual petitions, God says. In fact, abandon that prophetic role, don’t try it. “Do not pray for the welfare of this people” (Jeremiah 14:11). Poor Jeremiah.
Even later, in Ezekiel, God says, “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30).
When defending an ancient city, when the wall had given way to the enemy’s onslaught and a hole – a breach – appeared, someone would stand in it to defend those inside from the attackers. The wall for Israel was their faithfulness in keeping God’s law. If that gave way, God’s wrath could be expected to pour through. The prophet stood in the breach and protected the people with his petitions. He did not argue their innocence; he argued their guilt, but asked for God’s mercy. See Thomas Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets (2007), p45.
Finally, after so much failure and sin, in Ezekiel 22, God cries out, rhetorically, “Who will stand in the breach?” An answer is hardly expected. But then a hand goes up at the back of the class and quietly these words come in response: “Lo, I come to do your will, O God.” (Psalm 40:7-8/Hebrews 10:7).
Read the parable of the vineyard and the tenants in Luke 20:9-16.
The “heir,” the beloved son of the vineyard’s owner is finally sent, and He stands in the breach once for all. In the parable he is killed. In history, He is, too. He stood in the breach to protect the sinners from God’s punishing wrath. The petitions and arguments of the prophets were over. Judgment had been delayed over and over because of the prophets, but justice never served. So then Jesus stood in the breach.
Does the God of the prophets sound real? Yochanan Muffs writes this of Moses’ petitions on behalf of the Israelites: “Other gods would not have been moved by such…a human argument. But a God who turns toward man and is interested in man’s destiny and in man’s reaction to His commandments leaves Himself open…” (12-13).
Does the God who stood (and died) in the breach sound relevant? A God who is interested in the destiny of human beings did indeed leave Himself open – to the possibility that His own Son would willingly stand in the breach.
Eric Prost
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER
While we don’t know a huge amount about Ezekiel, here is one way the venerable International Standard Bible Encyclopedia sums him up… Ezekiel was one Busy Man(!):
- Mystic and Visionary (his book opens with his “visions of God”; see also ch. 8-10. 37:1-10, Ch. 40-48)
- Member of the Elijah School – could Elijah have been carried away by a fiery chariot similar to the one described by Ezekiel (Ch.1)?
- Sound in body and mind: this was no recluse, but a man preaching in his time and place, among the exiles (Ch.1)
- Herald of individualism: this prophet not only calls for repentance, but repentance for personal sins (Ch. 18)
- Deuteronomic reformer: he emphasized the need for worship at the Jerusalem temple (Ch. 20) and denounced leaders for allowing the people to go astray on hilltops with occult shrines (Ch. 34)
- Priest: he condemned the nation for despising the “holy things” (Ch.22) but also spoke of a renewed temple and sacrifices (Ch. 40-48)
- Internationalist: why condemn your own people when you can also let ‘er rip again Tyre and Egypt as well, and remind Israel that aliens will have rights they are not being given now (Ch. 28, 29, 47)
- Herald of National Renewal: he proclaimed God’s gracious plan to bring back his dispersed people (Ch. 11, 34, 36)
- Poet and Dramatist: his vivid message was created using many literary forms, dramatic devices, allegories and poetry (Ch. 4, 5, 15, 17…)
- Prophet of the Word: he was told to “eat” the very words of lamentation and woe which he would speak to the people, absorbing them into his very being (Ch.2)
Not too shabby for a young man initially carried away to Babylon at the age of 25, just one in a crowd of thousands!
RESOURCES
NEW Leclerc, Thomas L. Introduction to the Prophets: Their Stories, Sayings, and Scrolls. (New York, 2007)
NEW Muffs,Yochanan. Love and Joy: Law, Language, and Religion in Ancient Israel. (New York, 1992)
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
Series: The Book
Part 8
Standing in the Breach
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
I’m a psychiatrist, and sometimes in my clinic distressed patients will wonder why God is doing this to them, or say God doesn’t care. I might then ask how they imagine God and what He is up to. Invariably, the view of God is one-dimensional and quite nebulous – a receptacle to pour anger and bitterness and blame into, but nothing more. He is, then, a God who serves an immediate purpose but is otherwise not real or relevant.
The Big Idea in the sermon this Sunday is the opposite: God is real and relevant. And, perhaps paradoxically, we’re going to use some of the more unusual and obscure parts of the Bible – the prophets – to emphasize the relevance and reality of God.
The world of the Old Testament prophets is a different world from ours. Isaiah walked around Jerusalem naked and barefoot for 3 years to illustrate how the Assyrians would carry off the rebellious. Jeremiah strapped a wooden yoke on to represent Judah’s oppression by Babylon. Ezekiel burned and scattered his hair and lay 390 days on his left side and 40 days on his right to bear the guilt of the people.
Question: How do we make sense of this? Can this be relevant to the 21st century? Think of a time in history you have either lived through or know about that seems so foreign as to be seemingly irrelevant now.
Many of us might think of a prophet as someone who foretells the future. That isn’t much of the story here. Or we might think of an Old Testament prophet as someone who is given a message by God to give to the people at large – the prophet as intermediary between God and the people. Usually this message is one of warning and coming judgment because of the people’s behaviour. This view is accurate and certainly a major role of most prophets.
Question: Think of examples in the OT of prophets and their messages. The delivery system goes, God-prophet-people. (Think: Jonah)
The prophet has another major role, however; one that is often overlooked. It’s when the delivery system goes in reverse: people-prophet-God. The prophet delivers his message of warning to the people, but then turns to face his boss and, as an intermediary in the opposite direction, asks, prays, persuades, and urges God Himself to change His mind. The Jewish scholar and theologian, Yochanan Muffs, has written brilliantly about this in Love & Joy (1992).
Read Genesis 20:1-7 and 18:22-33.
Abraham was a prophet (Genesis 20:7) and prays in this way for Abimelech. He then boldly petitions God about destroying the city of Sodom, and gets God to say He’ll relent if there are 50, then 45, then 40…right down to 10 righteous people within its walls.
Read Exodus 32:7-14 and Numbers 12:1-13.
The prophet Moses’ whole life was seemingly one long series of prayers, petitions, cunning arguments, and pleadings for God’s wrath to be withheld. He’s quite good at it. Psalm 106:23 records, “Therefore he [God] said he would destroy them – had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him.” Samuel is another prophet who does this often.
Question: What do these concrete and gritty stories tell us about God? Is He a nebulous and amorphous being who is unknowable? Or is He only too real?
Question: How can a human seem to change the mind of God?
When we come to the “major” prophets, a slight change occurs. After a list of His people’s sins, God says to Jeremiah, “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me…” (Jeremiah7:16). Don’t attempt the usual petitions, God says. In fact, abandon that prophetic role, don’t try it. “Do not pray for the welfare of this people” (Jeremiah 14:11). Poor Jeremiah.
Even later, in Ezekiel, God says, “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30).
When defending an ancient city, when the wall had given way to the enemy’s onslaught and a hole – a breach – appeared, someone would stand in it to defend those inside from the attackers. The wall for Israel was their faithfulness in keeping God’s law. If that gave way, God’s wrath could be expected to pour through. The prophet stood in the breach and protected the people with his petitions. He did not argue their innocence; he argued their guilt, but asked for God’s mercy. See Thomas Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets (2007), p45.
Finally, after so much failure and sin, in Ezekiel 22, God cries out, rhetorically, “Who will stand in the breach?” An answer is hardly expected. But then a hand goes up at the back of the class and quietly these words come in response: “Lo, I come to do your will, O God.” (Psalm 40:7-8/Hebrews 10:7).
Read the parable of the vineyard and the tenants in Luke 20:9-16.
The “heir,” the beloved son of the vineyard’s owner is finally sent, and He stands in the breach once for all. In the parable he is killed. In history, He is, too. He stood in the breach to protect the sinners from God’s punishing wrath. The petitions and arguments of the prophets were over. Judgment had been delayed over and over because of the prophets, but justice never served. So then Jesus stood in the breach.
Does the God of the prophets sound real? Yochanan Muffs writes this of Moses’ petitions on behalf of the Israelites: “Other gods would not have been moved by such…a human argument. But a God who turns toward man and is interested in man’s destiny and in man’s reaction to His commandments leaves Himself open…” (12-13).
Does the God who stood (and died) in the breach sound relevant? A God who is interested in the destiny of human beings did indeed leave Himself open – to the possibility that His own Son would willingly stand in the breach.
Eric Prost
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER
While we don’t know a huge amount about Ezekiel, here is one way the venerable International Standard Bible Encyclopedia sums him up… Ezekiel was one Busy Man(!):
- Mystic and Visionary (his book opens with his “visions of God”; see also ch. 8-10. 37:1-10, Ch. 40-48)
- Member of the Elijah School – could Elijah have been carried away by a fiery chariot similar to the one described by Ezekiel (Ch.1)?
- Sound in body and mind: this was no recluse, but a man preaching in his time and place, among the exiles (Ch.1)
- Herald of individualism: this prophet not only calls for repentance, but repentance for personal sins (Ch. 18)
- Deuteronomic reformer: he emphasized the need for worship at the Jerusalem temple (Ch. 20) and denounced leaders for allowing the people to go astray on hilltops with occult shrines (Ch. 34)
- Priest: he condemned the nation for despising the “holy things” (Ch.22) but also spoke of a renewed temple and sacrifices (Ch. 40-48)
- Internationalist: why condemn your own people when you can also let ‘er rip again Tyre and Egypt as well, and remind Israel that aliens will have rights they are not being given now (Ch. 28, 29, 47)
- Herald of National Renewal: he proclaimed God’s gracious plan to bring back his dispersed people (Ch. 11, 34, 36)
- Poet and Dramatist: his vivid message was created using many literary forms, dramatic devices, allegories and poetry (Ch. 4, 5, 15, 17…)
- Prophet of the Word: he was told to “eat” the very words of lamentation and woe which he would speak to the people, absorbing them into his very being (Ch.2)
Not too shabby for a young man initially carried away to Babylon at the age of 25, just one in a crowd of thousands!
RESOURCES
NEW Leclerc, Thomas L. Introduction to the Prophets: Their Stories, Sayings, and Scrolls. (New York, 2007)
NEW Muffs,Yochanan. Love and Joy: Law, Language, and Religion in Ancient Israel. (New York, 1992)
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Touching Base - Part 278
14 June 15
Series: The Book
Part 7
4 Guys and a Text!
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
Today we move into the section of Scripture called the Prophets. There are “major” and “minor” prophets, making up 17 books in all. We are looking today and next week at the Major Prophets. You can see the book shelf below to see what material we have covered and where we are going.
NOTE:
In the Hebrew Bible these books are known as the Latter Prophets. The term ‘latter’ speaks primarily of their place in the Canon rather than their chronological position. These prophets are sometimes called the “writing prophets” because their authors wrote or recorded their utterances. There were other oral prophets like Nathan, Ahijah, Iddo, Jehu, Elijah, Elisha, Oded, Shemaiah, Azariah, Hanani, Jahaziel, and Huldah who left no records of their utterances. Mostly because of their size, the Latter Prophets are subdivided into the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, Daniel), and the twelve Minor Prophets. These prophets ministered during the History section of the Old Testament. Regarding the Major Prophets, Isaiah ministered from about 740-700 BC. Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria in 722BC. Jeremiah ministered from 627-585 BC. He witnessed the capturing of Judah by Babylon in 605 BC. Ezekiel lived in the superpower Babylon and ministered from 590s-570s BC. Finally Daniel lived in Babylon from 605–538 BC.
What do four Major Prophets have to do with us? Perhaps quite a bit. When you look at one of the Hebrew names for prophet, “nabi’ “ you see that it means to declare or announce. That is exactly what the four Major Prophets did. Prophets were to proclaim the Mosaic Law to the nation. Sometimes this involved judgment, warning, words of comfort and peace. Sometimes their words were predictive (they foretold the future).
The prophets declared God’s instructions in two basic ways: word and symbol. Usually the prophets presented God’s word orally (e.g., Jer. 7:1–8:3) or in written form (e.g., Jer. 36:1–32) to varying types and sizes of audiences. Jesus was the ultimate prophet (check out Hebrews 1:1-4).
So how do we relate to the prophets? What do we have in common? When you read the New Testament you quickly discover that we, as Christ followers, are to be proclaimers and presenters, announcing God’s truth. No, we are not prophets in the same way as in the Old Testament. God chose specific ways in those days to communicate. Hebrews 1 demonstrates that that was then and this is now! (See more on this in Carmen’s Corner.) However, we are to announce and speak out God’s word. Check out 1 Peter 3:14-17, 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Note Peter’s clear instruction in how we are to give an answer.
Big Idea: We are to proclaim the word.
What is it like for you to speak out God’s truth in the marketplace, in your family, in a close relationship? Some would say it is HARD! Highly Antagonistic Resistant Dialogue. Read the following references for the four Major Prophets and see if their context was HARD!
- Isaiah - Read Isaiah 6:1-6 - How is God described? If you read the context - the first 5 chapters - you will discover that the Israelites are Unholy, Unholy, Unholy. The exact opposite of the character of God and His message. Isaiah had his work cut out for him.
- Jeremiah - Read Jeremiah 38:1-6- Why is he in the mud?
- Ezekiel - Read Ezekiel 2:1-7, about his call to ministry. How are the people described? HARD?
- Daniel - Read Daniel 6, but note v.5. Note how antagonistic the people were to the law of God!
Discuss the various contexts where you have opportunity to speak out the Word of God. Can you relate at all to the four Major Prophets? If so, in what way? Do you find the Canadian context becoming “HARDer”?
Listen to how a pastor from Australia describes the changing spiritual landscape of his country. See any parallels?
“…the ministry remains interesting in a changing world. I have been reading and thinking lately that the climate for Australian Christians is changing quite a lot. The catch phrase is that it is no longer Athens but Babylon, and that we are now in a hostile culture that doesn't tolerate or interact with Christians, but detests them. We are now seen as misogynistic and homophobic and intolerant and therefore a social evil to be eradicated. The uncovering of massive child abuse by the Catholic Church in the royal commission doesn't help the perception either. This all makes for interesting days for the preacher, pastor and church leader. How do you navigate church when Christendom is most definitely dead? All of a sudden Daniel and 1 Peter and the language of Exile is all the more poignant.”
With the encouragement from Scripture to proclaim the word, yet with a HARD spiritual landscape, we can experience great tension.
What are you learning in that tension as you attempt to speak out God’s truth with gentleness and respect?
Here is one thing I am learning in speaking up in the public arena:
I wrestle at times with fear, and with pride - not wanting to be labeled as “misogynistic and homophobic and intolerant and therefore a social evil to be eradicated”. I need to get used to the new labels, the new pushback, the new categorization of being a Christ follower. On top of that, my pride sometimes makes me hesitant to speak up as readily as I should. I am not ashamed of Jesus, but sometimes ashamed of those who follow Jesus. Sometimes the labels that Christians get stuck with are well deserved. However, I realize that at other times, those labels are coming from people who truly despise the words of Jesus and all the message of Christianity represents.
That’s my journey. How about yours?
Mark
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER
There is some controversy in the Church today about the whole notion of prophets and prophetic gifts. Some, called “Cessationists”, believe that certain spiritual gifts (such as prophecy and prophets in the Old Testament sense) have come to an end, for the following reasons:
As Mark mentioned above – “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1)
We now have the complete Bible with all His teachings (as well as those of the apostles He Himself trained)
Jude (Jesus’s half-brother) also reminds his readers that the faith we believe “was once for all delivered to the saints”, i.e. in the case of doctrine, there is nothing new under the sun – we have it all.
So for those reasons (and more which space here doesn’t allow), they argue that there is no reason at all for God to have to speak through an Old Testament-type prophet anymore. 2 Timothy 3:16 confirms this, telling us about the sufficiency of Scripture for teaching, for reproof, and so forth.
Now, on the other hand are those who believe that those spiritual gifts still exist (“Continualists”) for the following reasons:
There are people in Scripture who clearly weren’t Jesus’ twelve apostles, but who demonstrated these various spiritual gifts (the Seventy in Luke 10, Philip the Evangelist’s four daughters in Acts 21:8-9, and many more)
In a few places (1 Cor. 13:8-12, Eph 4:11-13) Paul indicates that the gifts will not pass away until the “perfect” has come. He is ostensibly referring to the return of Christ and the fulfilment of everything.
So since the early church experienced the fullness of God’s spiritual gifts, and everything is not yet complete, they reason, we have no reason to think God’s gifts don’t continue today, and will until Christ returns.
So which is correct? You decide! :-) This, like some other biblical issues such as eschatology, is a secondary issue. Good Christians can debate it, but must not divide over it, okay?
Here’s one thing we can ALL agree on though: there are some today who suggest that prophecy can be “learned”, and that because you’re “learning” how to listen to God, it’s okay to make mistakes. This is a truly unbiblical position since Deuteronomy clearly tells us that the prophet, since he or she is speaking GOD’S words, will never make a mistake (because our omnipotent God who gives that word is incapable of making mistakes!) In fact, people were warned not to be afraid of those who prophesied falsely, and even to put them death at the time. I think what Moses was saying there is that this is Serious Business, and I guarantee that if it does still exist, God won’t make mistakes. Amen?!
RESOURCES
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
Series: The Book
Part 7
4 Guys and a Text!
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
Today we move into the section of Scripture called the Prophets. There are “major” and “minor” prophets, making up 17 books in all. We are looking today and next week at the Major Prophets. You can see the book shelf below to see what material we have covered and where we are going.
NOTE:
In the Hebrew Bible these books are known as the Latter Prophets. The term ‘latter’ speaks primarily of their place in the Canon rather than their chronological position. These prophets are sometimes called the “writing prophets” because their authors wrote or recorded their utterances. There were other oral prophets like Nathan, Ahijah, Iddo, Jehu, Elijah, Elisha, Oded, Shemaiah, Azariah, Hanani, Jahaziel, and Huldah who left no records of their utterances. Mostly because of their size, the Latter Prophets are subdivided into the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, Daniel), and the twelve Minor Prophets. These prophets ministered during the History section of the Old Testament. Regarding the Major Prophets, Isaiah ministered from about 740-700 BC. Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria in 722BC. Jeremiah ministered from 627-585 BC. He witnessed the capturing of Judah by Babylon in 605 BC. Ezekiel lived in the superpower Babylon and ministered from 590s-570s BC. Finally Daniel lived in Babylon from 605–538 BC.
What do four Major Prophets have to do with us? Perhaps quite a bit. When you look at one of the Hebrew names for prophet, “nabi’ “ you see that it means to declare or announce. That is exactly what the four Major Prophets did. Prophets were to proclaim the Mosaic Law to the nation. Sometimes this involved judgment, warning, words of comfort and peace. Sometimes their words were predictive (they foretold the future).
The prophets declared God’s instructions in two basic ways: word and symbol. Usually the prophets presented God’s word orally (e.g., Jer. 7:1–8:3) or in written form (e.g., Jer. 36:1–32) to varying types and sizes of audiences. Jesus was the ultimate prophet (check out Hebrews 1:1-4).
So how do we relate to the prophets? What do we have in common? When you read the New Testament you quickly discover that we, as Christ followers, are to be proclaimers and presenters, announcing God’s truth. No, we are not prophets in the same way as in the Old Testament. God chose specific ways in those days to communicate. Hebrews 1 demonstrates that that was then and this is now! (See more on this in Carmen’s Corner.) However, we are to announce and speak out God’s word. Check out 1 Peter 3:14-17, 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Note Peter’s clear instruction in how we are to give an answer.
Big Idea: We are to proclaim the word.
What is it like for you to speak out God’s truth in the marketplace, in your family, in a close relationship? Some would say it is HARD! Highly Antagonistic Resistant Dialogue. Read the following references for the four Major Prophets and see if their context was HARD!
- Isaiah - Read Isaiah 6:1-6 - How is God described? If you read the context - the first 5 chapters - you will discover that the Israelites are Unholy, Unholy, Unholy. The exact opposite of the character of God and His message. Isaiah had his work cut out for him.
- Jeremiah - Read Jeremiah 38:1-6- Why is he in the mud?
- Ezekiel - Read Ezekiel 2:1-7, about his call to ministry. How are the people described? HARD?
- Daniel - Read Daniel 6, but note v.5. Note how antagonistic the people were to the law of God!
Discuss the various contexts where you have opportunity to speak out the Word of God. Can you relate at all to the four Major Prophets? If so, in what way? Do you find the Canadian context becoming “HARDer”?
Listen to how a pastor from Australia describes the changing spiritual landscape of his country. See any parallels?
“…the ministry remains interesting in a changing world. I have been reading and thinking lately that the climate for Australian Christians is changing quite a lot. The catch phrase is that it is no longer Athens but Babylon, and that we are now in a hostile culture that doesn't tolerate or interact with Christians, but detests them. We are now seen as misogynistic and homophobic and intolerant and therefore a social evil to be eradicated. The uncovering of massive child abuse by the Catholic Church in the royal commission doesn't help the perception either. This all makes for interesting days for the preacher, pastor and church leader. How do you navigate church when Christendom is most definitely dead? All of a sudden Daniel and 1 Peter and the language of Exile is all the more poignant.”
With the encouragement from Scripture to proclaim the word, yet with a HARD spiritual landscape, we can experience great tension.
What are you learning in that tension as you attempt to speak out God’s truth with gentleness and respect?
Here is one thing I am learning in speaking up in the public arena:
I wrestle at times with fear, and with pride - not wanting to be labeled as “misogynistic and homophobic and intolerant and therefore a social evil to be eradicated”. I need to get used to the new labels, the new pushback, the new categorization of being a Christ follower. On top of that, my pride sometimes makes me hesitant to speak up as readily as I should. I am not ashamed of Jesus, but sometimes ashamed of those who follow Jesus. Sometimes the labels that Christians get stuck with are well deserved. However, I realize that at other times, those labels are coming from people who truly despise the words of Jesus and all the message of Christianity represents.
That’s my journey. How about yours?
Mark
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER
There is some controversy in the Church today about the whole notion of prophets and prophetic gifts. Some, called “Cessationists”, believe that certain spiritual gifts (such as prophecy and prophets in the Old Testament sense) have come to an end, for the following reasons:
As Mark mentioned above – “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1)
We now have the complete Bible with all His teachings (as well as those of the apostles He Himself trained)
Jude (Jesus’s half-brother) also reminds his readers that the faith we believe “was once for all delivered to the saints”, i.e. in the case of doctrine, there is nothing new under the sun – we have it all.
So for those reasons (and more which space here doesn’t allow), they argue that there is no reason at all for God to have to speak through an Old Testament-type prophet anymore. 2 Timothy 3:16 confirms this, telling us about the sufficiency of Scripture for teaching, for reproof, and so forth.
Now, on the other hand are those who believe that those spiritual gifts still exist (“Continualists”) for the following reasons:
There are people in Scripture who clearly weren’t Jesus’ twelve apostles, but who demonstrated these various spiritual gifts (the Seventy in Luke 10, Philip the Evangelist’s four daughters in Acts 21:8-9, and many more)
In a few places (1 Cor. 13:8-12, Eph 4:11-13) Paul indicates that the gifts will not pass away until the “perfect” has come. He is ostensibly referring to the return of Christ and the fulfilment of everything.
So since the early church experienced the fullness of God’s spiritual gifts, and everything is not yet complete, they reason, we have no reason to think God’s gifts don’t continue today, and will until Christ returns.
So which is correct? You decide! :-) This, like some other biblical issues such as eschatology, is a secondary issue. Good Christians can debate it, but must not divide over it, okay?
Here’s one thing we can ALL agree on though: there are some today who suggest that prophecy can be “learned”, and that because you’re “learning” how to listen to God, it’s okay to make mistakes. This is a truly unbiblical position since Deuteronomy clearly tells us that the prophet, since he or she is speaking GOD’S words, will never make a mistake (because our omnipotent God who gives that word is incapable of making mistakes!) In fact, people were warned not to be afraid of those who prophesied falsely, and even to put them death at the time. I think what Moses was saying there is that this is Serious Business, and I guarantee that if it does still exist, God won’t make mistakes. Amen?!
RESOURCES
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Touching Base - Part 277
Series: The Book - Part 6
“28:28”
(Job 28)
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
Last week Amanda introduced us to the Wisdom/Poetical books. Please see her Touching Base as she explained the different genre and themes we find in this section of Scripture. One thing you will note is that in this section the heart, emotion, and experiences rise to the surface. Combine that with the rich imagery of this section and you have a very engaging, relevant section of Scripture that enriches our theology. The individual seeking God is equipped with some great tools to cultivate the innermost sanctuary of the human heart.
Our text this morning is Job 28. Job probably does not need much in way of introduction but just in case read Job 1:1-12.
Before we jump in, think about the following.
To be human means to know what it is like to desire, crave, and thirst.
What desires are often at the forefront of our culture?
What does our culture say about desire?
Our big idea this morning is, Awe God, Not Stuff! Awe means to revere, value, uphold. Now think of the opposite, Awe Stuff, Not God! What is more true in our culture and why?
Text: Job 28
V.1-11 Read this section and answer the following questions.
- Is this a picture of people awing God or awing stuff?
- What is the stuff of this chapter? ( read 12-19 for the complete list)
- What imagery is the writer (Job) developing?
- Describe the effort and energy being expended?
- What image resonates with you?
Job is using the material (i.e. gold, copper) to illustrate stuff. No doubt you can make a quick list of stuff our culture goes after. But think about the stuff that is not material yet people crave. Here is my list, add to it.
• love
• acceptance
• validation
• revenge
• approval
• recognition
• success
• control
• pleasing someone
Some of what I have listed and all of what Job lists is not bad in and of itself. However, there is a problem that Job wants to point out.
V12- Note that at the summit of collecting stuff, man is left without wisdom. What is wisdom?
In the OT it involves both knowledge and the ability to direct the mind toward a full understanding of human life and toward its moral fulfillment. Wisdom is thus a special capacity, and necessary for full human living.
Do you understand the problem? People can have stuff, attain stuff, be buried in stuff but be wisdom poor.
Note where the writer leads the reader to discover the answer.
V.12-22
What do we learn about wisdom?
V.23-28
Who knows where it is?
Who embodies wisdom?
How I summarize 28:28 is, Awe God, Not Stuff!
Fear is defined as genuine faith expressed in, and animated by, a reverential awe, this is the basic meaning of the biblical idea of the fear of God.
The fear of the Lord provides a pervasive orientation throughout the Psalms and Wisdom Books. It is one of the major themes of the Poetical Books. God Himself is the true treasure.
Note that Job has been stripped down to his socks! But, he realizes that he is the richest man in the world because He has God. He doesn’t have God as a means of getting stuff. He doesn’t fear God so that God will somehow grant him a bank account full of what He desires. God Himself, by Himself, is the Treasure. And like Job points out in v.23-27, His qualifications far surpass anything we can dig out of the earth!
Take some time to reflect:
Has stuff gotten in your way of seeking the true treasure?
How do you help your kids keep stuff from becoming the ultimate treasure?
How do you know in your heart when you have crossed the line? How do you know when stuff has become an improper priority in your life?
If you were stripped down to your socks, would you feel rich?
Take some time to thank God that He Himself is the Treasure! Choose to be a 28:28 follower!
Oh ya… one more thing- If God embodies wisdom, then guess what Jesus represents? Check out 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
Mark
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER
Did you know that Job is considered the oldest book in the Bible, for a few reasons? For one, there are no priests present yet, only Job himself making sacrifices on behalf of his sons. For another, we can look at the nature of the Hebrew language it was written in. Some call it “Paleo-Hebrew”, a type of Hebrew predating that which we see in the rest of the Old Testament. In fact, some have suggested that Job might have been the first book written ever.
One controversial issue surrounding this book in recent years is whether or not Job is the story of a man who actually lived, or simply an allegory meant to help us understand the sovereignty of God (a bit like Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress).
Personally, I think he lived, and the reason for it is because of another Bible text, Ezekiel 14.14. In it, God tells Ezekiel that the peoples’ sin is so bad, that even if Noah, Daniel and Job themselves were there, their combined righteousness would be unable to save Judah and Israel! Obviously, God wouldn’t use the non-existent righteousness of a fictional character to talk about how the people could be saved.
So here, then, is another important principle to remember: Scripture always interprets Scripture! In order to best apply Scripture to our lives, we must have knowledge of its whole sweep, not just the gospels or the parts we like. Amen?
RESOURCES
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
“28:28”
(Job 28)
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
Last week Amanda introduced us to the Wisdom/Poetical books. Please see her Touching Base as she explained the different genre and themes we find in this section of Scripture. One thing you will note is that in this section the heart, emotion, and experiences rise to the surface. Combine that with the rich imagery of this section and you have a very engaging, relevant section of Scripture that enriches our theology. The individual seeking God is equipped with some great tools to cultivate the innermost sanctuary of the human heart.
Our text this morning is Job 28. Job probably does not need much in way of introduction but just in case read Job 1:1-12.
Before we jump in, think about the following.
To be human means to know what it is like to desire, crave, and thirst.
What desires are often at the forefront of our culture?
What does our culture say about desire?
Our big idea this morning is, Awe God, Not Stuff! Awe means to revere, value, uphold. Now think of the opposite, Awe Stuff, Not God! What is more true in our culture and why?
Text: Job 28
V.1-11 Read this section and answer the following questions.
- Is this a picture of people awing God or awing stuff?
- What is the stuff of this chapter? ( read 12-19 for the complete list)
- What imagery is the writer (Job) developing?
- Describe the effort and energy being expended?
- What image resonates with you?
Job is using the material (i.e. gold, copper) to illustrate stuff. No doubt you can make a quick list of stuff our culture goes after. But think about the stuff that is not material yet people crave. Here is my list, add to it.
• love
• acceptance
• validation
• revenge
• approval
• recognition
• success
• control
• pleasing someone
Some of what I have listed and all of what Job lists is not bad in and of itself. However, there is a problem that Job wants to point out.
V12- Note that at the summit of collecting stuff, man is left without wisdom. What is wisdom?
In the OT it involves both knowledge and the ability to direct the mind toward a full understanding of human life and toward its moral fulfillment. Wisdom is thus a special capacity, and necessary for full human living.
Do you understand the problem? People can have stuff, attain stuff, be buried in stuff but be wisdom poor.
Note where the writer leads the reader to discover the answer.
V.12-22
What do we learn about wisdom?
V.23-28
Who knows where it is?
Who embodies wisdom?
How I summarize 28:28 is, Awe God, Not Stuff!
Fear is defined as genuine faith expressed in, and animated by, a reverential awe, this is the basic meaning of the biblical idea of the fear of God.
The fear of the Lord provides a pervasive orientation throughout the Psalms and Wisdom Books. It is one of the major themes of the Poetical Books. God Himself is the true treasure.
Note that Job has been stripped down to his socks! But, he realizes that he is the richest man in the world because He has God. He doesn’t have God as a means of getting stuff. He doesn’t fear God so that God will somehow grant him a bank account full of what He desires. God Himself, by Himself, is the Treasure. And like Job points out in v.23-27, His qualifications far surpass anything we can dig out of the earth!
Take some time to reflect:
Has stuff gotten in your way of seeking the true treasure?
How do you help your kids keep stuff from becoming the ultimate treasure?
How do you know in your heart when you have crossed the line? How do you know when stuff has become an improper priority in your life?
If you were stripped down to your socks, would you feel rich?
Take some time to thank God that He Himself is the Treasure! Choose to be a 28:28 follower!
Oh ya… one more thing- If God embodies wisdom, then guess what Jesus represents? Check out 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
Mark
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER
Did you know that Job is considered the oldest book in the Bible, for a few reasons? For one, there are no priests present yet, only Job himself making sacrifices on behalf of his sons. For another, we can look at the nature of the Hebrew language it was written in. Some call it “Paleo-Hebrew”, a type of Hebrew predating that which we see in the rest of the Old Testament. In fact, some have suggested that Job might have been the first book written ever.
One controversial issue surrounding this book in recent years is whether or not Job is the story of a man who actually lived, or simply an allegory meant to help us understand the sovereignty of God (a bit like Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress).
Personally, I think he lived, and the reason for it is because of another Bible text, Ezekiel 14.14. In it, God tells Ezekiel that the peoples’ sin is so bad, that even if Noah, Daniel and Job themselves were there, their combined righteousness would be unable to save Judah and Israel! Obviously, God wouldn’t use the non-existent righteousness of a fictional character to talk about how the people could be saved.
So here, then, is another important principle to remember: Scripture always interprets Scripture! In order to best apply Scripture to our lives, we must have knowledge of its whole sweep, not just the gospels or the parts we like. Amen?
RESOURCES
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Touching Base - Part 276
Series: The Book - Part 5
“The Bride of Christ as the Virtuous Woman”
(Psalm 31:10-31)
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
We now have arrived in the part of the Bible we call “Wisdom Literature”, and here we find some really interesting stories, sayings and people:
1. Job - although a godly man, he lost everything and struggled to make sense of the meaning of it all (worldly wisdom vs. heavenly wisdom)
2. The Psalms – the expressions of human emotion from rage, to despair, to almost ecstatic-like adoration.
3. Ecclesiastics - where we are told that “everything is meaningless”
4. The Song of Solomon – where most things you read are supposed to have a sexual innuendo.
5. The Proverbs - where wisdom and folly are contrasted as two types of women: folly as the prostitute and wisdom as the admirable woman.
From an “English literature” perspective, the texts change in this section. There are many more poems (or songs), and there is much more use of analogies and metaphors. Some scholars actually differentiate these as “covenant texts” (most of the works before the Psalms and the major and minor prophets) and “wisdom texts” (the five books I just mentioned.)
In an Old Testament framework, the covenant is the “what”…the contract and the laws of obligation, and the wisdom literature is the “how”. Wisdom literature deals with the messiness of life and human nature, and how to be human and live in the covenant.
Note: How to read wisdom literature…with wisdom!!!
The other thing that is an important distinguishing feature of wisdom literature is that there is always a deeper meaning. Unlike the historical books, which were meant to be read plainly and factually, the writers of wisdom literature embed a deeper meaning in the text itself. There can be space for a literal interpretation (for example: it probably really is easier to live on the corner of the roof of your house than with a contentious woman) but there is also the deeper meaning or implication. But it assumes there is a deeper meaning than just the original surface reading. So let’s get started!
Proverbs 31: 10-31 – for Discussion & Reflection
Stop, reflect and share:
What has been your framework for understanding Proverbs 31? Do you think that this falls in line with the author’s original intention? (Recall that Proverbs was written by a man for young men.)
What can be learned from a LITERAL interpretation of Proverbs 31? (In other words…what wisdom can be learned from this text?)
In Ephesians 5, Paul draws a comparison between the marriage of a husband and wife, and that of the relationship between Christ and the church. He does the same in 2 Corinthians 3, mentioning it briefly. The writer of Revelation discusses the marriage of the Lamb in Chapter 19. The church is the bride of Christ, and it is the standard of the Virtuous Woman found in Proverbs 31 to whom we will draw comparison in the following section.
Now let’s find the deeper meaning for us, using the sermon guidelines.
Reflect on the following verses.
What does she look like? (Verses 17, 22 & 25)
What strikes you about these verses? (This can include what was mentioned on Sunday)
Select some of the following questions to discuss and some practical implications. Be intentional about discussing the difference of the church as a body (corporate) and what this means for you personally.
What does this mean for us? What does this mean for us today in a society where people’s identity is their physical appearance? What does the bride of Christ look like? What does she look like? What do we look like?
What does she do? (Verses 13, 16, 20…and other verses you would care to discuss.)
As you read the verses of her “doing”, ask yourself what this implies about her character.
What type of person is she to engage in these issues and to do these types of things?
Using these verses as a grounding point, discuss possible implications for the church’s involvement (as a community) and your individual involvement (personally as a small group) with each other.
How this woman interacts with other characters mentioned in the passage. (Verses 11, 23, 28-29)
How is this woman viewed by her husband and children?
What did we learn about in the earlier verses that would inspire this kind of reaction? (Think in character, not just in tasks.)
How does this inspire (or perhaps challenge) the church of today? In what ways (be practical) would we need to act in this world?
What are the implications for you personally?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christ’s response to us was the same as the husband in this passage? That He would trust us? That we would be blessed by Him, and that as a result of our deeds He would be praised and well-known in all the land! Oh that we would strive to be this bride!
Amanda
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER!
This week, you’ll note that Amanda was speaking about verses 10 and onward in Proverbs 31. So I thought I would bring up something interesting in verse 6 of Proverbs 31, where King Lemuel’s mother (he was passing on her teachings to him) recommends that he “Give strong drink to those who are perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress.”
BUT, back in Proverbs 20:1, we’re told that “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” HUH?!
Again, an apparent contradiction resolved by CONTEXT: Proverbs 21:1 is talking about social drinking of the “I’m-going-to-drink-till-I-drop” variety, drunkenness, which leads astray and is strongly spoken against throughout scripture (Prov. 20:1; 31:4–5; Isa. 24:9; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Eph. 5:18).
Proverbs 31:6, on the other hand, is talking about a medicinal use of strong drink - i.e. in the case of one who is “perishing” or in “bitter distress” – he’s not talking about a weekend party gone wrong!
We also note it in the New Testament when Paul told Timothy he ought to drink a little wine for the sake of his stomach and his frequent ailments.
Everything in context, folks!
RESOURCES
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn't? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
“The Bride of Christ as the Virtuous Woman”
(Psalm 31:10-31)
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
We now have arrived in the part of the Bible we call “Wisdom Literature”, and here we find some really interesting stories, sayings and people:
1. Job - although a godly man, he lost everything and struggled to make sense of the meaning of it all (worldly wisdom vs. heavenly wisdom)
2. The Psalms – the expressions of human emotion from rage, to despair, to almost ecstatic-like adoration.
3. Ecclesiastics - where we are told that “everything is meaningless”
4. The Song of Solomon – where most things you read are supposed to have a sexual innuendo.
5. The Proverbs - where wisdom and folly are contrasted as two types of women: folly as the prostitute and wisdom as the admirable woman.
From an “English literature” perspective, the texts change in this section. There are many more poems (or songs), and there is much more use of analogies and metaphors. Some scholars actually differentiate these as “covenant texts” (most of the works before the Psalms and the major and minor prophets) and “wisdom texts” (the five books I just mentioned.)
In an Old Testament framework, the covenant is the “what”…the contract and the laws of obligation, and the wisdom literature is the “how”. Wisdom literature deals with the messiness of life and human nature, and how to be human and live in the covenant.
Note: How to read wisdom literature…with wisdom!!!
The other thing that is an important distinguishing feature of wisdom literature is that there is always a deeper meaning. Unlike the historical books, which were meant to be read plainly and factually, the writers of wisdom literature embed a deeper meaning in the text itself. There can be space for a literal interpretation (for example: it probably really is easier to live on the corner of the roof of your house than with a contentious woman) but there is also the deeper meaning or implication. But it assumes there is a deeper meaning than just the original surface reading. So let’s get started!
Proverbs 31: 10-31 – for Discussion & Reflection
Stop, reflect and share:
What has been your framework for understanding Proverbs 31? Do you think that this falls in line with the author’s original intention? (Recall that Proverbs was written by a man for young men.)
What can be learned from a LITERAL interpretation of Proverbs 31? (In other words…what wisdom can be learned from this text?)
In Ephesians 5, Paul draws a comparison between the marriage of a husband and wife, and that of the relationship between Christ and the church. He does the same in 2 Corinthians 3, mentioning it briefly. The writer of Revelation discusses the marriage of the Lamb in Chapter 19. The church is the bride of Christ, and it is the standard of the Virtuous Woman found in Proverbs 31 to whom we will draw comparison in the following section.
Now let’s find the deeper meaning for us, using the sermon guidelines.
Reflect on the following verses.
What does she look like? (Verses 17, 22 & 25)
What strikes you about these verses? (This can include what was mentioned on Sunday)
Select some of the following questions to discuss and some practical implications. Be intentional about discussing the difference of the church as a body (corporate) and what this means for you personally.
What does this mean for us? What does this mean for us today in a society where people’s identity is their physical appearance? What does the bride of Christ look like? What does she look like? What do we look like?
What does she do? (Verses 13, 16, 20…and other verses you would care to discuss.)
As you read the verses of her “doing”, ask yourself what this implies about her character.
What type of person is she to engage in these issues and to do these types of things?
Using these verses as a grounding point, discuss possible implications for the church’s involvement (as a community) and your individual involvement (personally as a small group) with each other.
How this woman interacts with other characters mentioned in the passage. (Verses 11, 23, 28-29)
How is this woman viewed by her husband and children?
What did we learn about in the earlier verses that would inspire this kind of reaction? (Think in character, not just in tasks.)
How does this inspire (or perhaps challenge) the church of today? In what ways (be practical) would we need to act in this world?
What are the implications for you personally?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christ’s response to us was the same as the husband in this passage? That He would trust us? That we would be blessed by Him, and that as a result of our deeds He would be praised and well-known in all the land! Oh that we would strive to be this bride!
Amanda
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER!
This week, you’ll note that Amanda was speaking about verses 10 and onward in Proverbs 31. So I thought I would bring up something interesting in verse 6 of Proverbs 31, where King Lemuel’s mother (he was passing on her teachings to him) recommends that he “Give strong drink to those who are perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress.”
BUT, back in Proverbs 20:1, we’re told that “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” HUH?!
Again, an apparent contradiction resolved by CONTEXT: Proverbs 21:1 is talking about social drinking of the “I’m-going-to-drink-till-I-drop” variety, drunkenness, which leads astray and is strongly spoken against throughout scripture (Prov. 20:1; 31:4–5; Isa. 24:9; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Eph. 5:18).
Proverbs 31:6, on the other hand, is talking about a medicinal use of strong drink - i.e. in the case of one who is “perishing” or in “bitter distress” – he’s not talking about a weekend party gone wrong!
We also note it in the New Testament when Paul told Timothy he ought to drink a little wine for the sake of his stomach and his frequent ailments.
Everything in context, folks!
RESOURCES
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn't? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Touching Base - Part 275
Series: The Book, Part 4
The King that Wouldn't Go Away
24 May 2015
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
We continue in the Historical books, a thousand-year period that starts in Joshua and ends with Esther. These books tell the story of
(1) Israel’s entry into the Promised Land of Canaan under Joshua;
(2) Israel’s life in the land under the judges and the transition to kingship;
(3) the division of the nation into two rival kingdoms (Israel and Judah) and life in both;
(4) the downfall and exile of each kingdom;
(5) life in the exile; and
(6) Judah’s return from exile.
One of the threads of the historical books, that ties this section to every other section of Scripture, is in regards to what is said to King David by the prophet Nathan. Read 2 Samuel 7:4-29. How many times do you read the word “forever”? How would God establish David’s throne forever? For a clue, go to Acts 2:29-32.
Jesus, in contrast to all the Kings that would sit on the throne of Judah, would be superior. In fact, you could sum it up in three words, KING OF KINGS!
ULTIMATE LAMP
Last week we saw how the prophet Ahijah came to Jeroboam and prophesied that he would be king of the northern kingdom, Israel. But notice what he says about Judah. Note his use of the imagery of a lamp.
“Yet to his son I will give one tribe (Judah), that David my servant may always have be a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.” 1 Kings 11:36
The lamp reference apparently refers to the customary practice in Israel of burning a lamp in the window of a house to indicate the family was at home. When the lamp was extinguished, it indicated the breaking up of the home and the destruction of the family.
There were 20 Kings that would rule over Judah, and each one would die. But Jesus was different. Check out the following that speak of Jesus: Luke 1:33, Romans 9:5, Hebrews 1:8,5:6,7:24,13:8
“That lamp of David’s promised reign would be ignited once and for all in the eternal reign of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom the Scriptures say was ‘of the house of David.’”
Note one more thing before we move on… a lamp is a picturesque way of describing a successor or successors who would dispel all kinds of darkness. Who ultimately would dispel darkness as a light, lamp? See John 1, 2 Corinthians 4:6.
ULTIMATE TEACHING
Listen to what William Lane Craig says.
“His authority comes to expression in the content and style of His teaching. These two aspects of His teaching are especially evident in the Sermon on the Mount. A Jewish rabbi’s typical style of teaching was to quote extensively from other learned teachers, who provided the basis of authority for his own teaching. But Jesus did exactly the opposite. He began, “You have heard that it was said to the men of old …” and quoted the law of Moses. Then he continued, “But I say to you …” and gave His own teaching. Jesus thus equated His own authority with that of the divinely-given law. It’s no wonder that Matthew comments, “When Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28–29 RSV).”
Notice that he adjusted the law on his own authority - “But I say to you…” Here is another example:
“You have heard the law that says, “A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.” But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.” (Matt. 5:31–32 NLT)
Jesus was placing His own authority over the divine law.
TWO THINGS TO THINK ABOUT IN RESPONSE.
• We sometimes make Jesus out to be, not the King of Kings, but one of many good influences of society. So we lump Jesus in with Gandhi, Muhammad, the Dali Lama, and Buddha, and we see Jesus’ teachings perhaps on par with other good teachers. This is a very politically-correct stance. No feathers are ruffled, no offense is made. Yet Jesus’ own self-awareness and what the Scriptures declare from Genesis to Revelation is that there would come a King of Whom John said, “the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1)
King of Kings - ultimate light, ultimate teaching!
• If he is truly the KING of KINGS, think about all that He is entitled to rule and reign over in your life. Should there be anything that we hold back?
I have started a list, perhaps you can add to it.
- I can trust him with my finances
- I can trust him with my biggest fears
- I can put my confidence in him for my future
- When facing crisis I can know He can guide me
- In death I can be at peace
- Building my life around His values, character makes the best sense
- Using my resources to align with His purposes is the best investment
- Studying His life is the best of all subjects to shape my thinking, values and morals
- …???
KING OF KINGS - Why not start each day this week by declaring that Jesus is the KING OF KINGS and then go out and live like it!
Mark
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER!
So last week, I talked about apparent contradictions among similar texts referring to the Kings of Israel and Judah. This week, let’s stay with that theme… what is UP with Jesus’ two seemingly-different genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38?
Some say that this is proof of errors in the Bible. “But wait, says any-historian-worth-his-salt, the Jews were meticulous record keepers!” Did you know that a scribe who was copying a page of Scripture and who made ONE error was required to throw that page out and start over again? A pretty expensive and time-consuming error to make when you think that everything was done by hand! So the answer must lie elsewhere – there is NO WAY that Matthew and Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to boot, would have allowed such contradiction to appear.
Well then, let’s turn it over to Dr. Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, respected Christian scholars:
“This should be expected, since they are two different lines of ancestors, one traced through His legal father, Joseph and the other through His actual mother, Mary. Matthew gives the official line, since he addresses Jesus’ genealogy to Jewish concerns for the Jewish Messiah’s credentials which required that Messiah come from the seed of Abraham and the line of David (cf. Matt. 1:1). Luke, with a broader Greek audience in view, addresses himself to their interest in Jesus as the Perfect Man (which was the quest of Greek thought). Thus, he traces Jesus back to the first man, Adam (Luke 3:38).
That Matthew gives Jesus’ paternal genealogy and Luke his maternal genealogy is further supported by several facts. First of all, while both lines trace Christ to David, each is through a different son of David. Matthew traces Jesus through Joseph (his legal father) to David’s son, Solomon the king, by whom Christ rightfully inherited the throne of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12ff). Luke’s purpose, on the other hand, is to show Christ as an actual human. So he traces Christ to David’s son, Nathan, through his actual mother, Mary, through whom He can rightfully claim to be fully human, the redeemer of humanity.”
Well there ya go… another problem solved! See you all next week!
RESOURCES
(New this week) Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
The King that Wouldn't Go Away
24 May 2015
We continue our Spring and Summer series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
We continue in the Historical books, a thousand-year period that starts in Joshua and ends with Esther. These books tell the story of
(1) Israel’s entry into the Promised Land of Canaan under Joshua;
(2) Israel’s life in the land under the judges and the transition to kingship;
(3) the division of the nation into two rival kingdoms (Israel and Judah) and life in both;
(4) the downfall and exile of each kingdom;
(5) life in the exile; and
(6) Judah’s return from exile.
One of the threads of the historical books, that ties this section to every other section of Scripture, is in regards to what is said to King David by the prophet Nathan. Read 2 Samuel 7:4-29. How many times do you read the word “forever”? How would God establish David’s throne forever? For a clue, go to Acts 2:29-32.
Jesus, in contrast to all the Kings that would sit on the throne of Judah, would be superior. In fact, you could sum it up in three words, KING OF KINGS!
ULTIMATE LAMP
Last week we saw how the prophet Ahijah came to Jeroboam and prophesied that he would be king of the northern kingdom, Israel. But notice what he says about Judah. Note his use of the imagery of a lamp.
“Yet to his son I will give one tribe (Judah), that David my servant may always have be a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.” 1 Kings 11:36
The lamp reference apparently refers to the customary practice in Israel of burning a lamp in the window of a house to indicate the family was at home. When the lamp was extinguished, it indicated the breaking up of the home and the destruction of the family.
There were 20 Kings that would rule over Judah, and each one would die. But Jesus was different. Check out the following that speak of Jesus: Luke 1:33, Romans 9:5, Hebrews 1:8,5:6,7:24,13:8
“That lamp of David’s promised reign would be ignited once and for all in the eternal reign of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom the Scriptures say was ‘of the house of David.’”
Note one more thing before we move on… a lamp is a picturesque way of describing a successor or successors who would dispel all kinds of darkness. Who ultimately would dispel darkness as a light, lamp? See John 1, 2 Corinthians 4:6.
ULTIMATE TEACHING
Listen to what William Lane Craig says.
“His authority comes to expression in the content and style of His teaching. These two aspects of His teaching are especially evident in the Sermon on the Mount. A Jewish rabbi’s typical style of teaching was to quote extensively from other learned teachers, who provided the basis of authority for his own teaching. But Jesus did exactly the opposite. He began, “You have heard that it was said to the men of old …” and quoted the law of Moses. Then he continued, “But I say to you …” and gave His own teaching. Jesus thus equated His own authority with that of the divinely-given law. It’s no wonder that Matthew comments, “When Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28–29 RSV).”
Notice that he adjusted the law on his own authority - “But I say to you…” Here is another example:
“You have heard the law that says, “A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.” But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.” (Matt. 5:31–32 NLT)
Jesus was placing His own authority over the divine law.
TWO THINGS TO THINK ABOUT IN RESPONSE.
• We sometimes make Jesus out to be, not the King of Kings, but one of many good influences of society. So we lump Jesus in with Gandhi, Muhammad, the Dali Lama, and Buddha, and we see Jesus’ teachings perhaps on par with other good teachers. This is a very politically-correct stance. No feathers are ruffled, no offense is made. Yet Jesus’ own self-awareness and what the Scriptures declare from Genesis to Revelation is that there would come a King of Whom John said, “the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1)
King of Kings - ultimate light, ultimate teaching!
• If he is truly the KING of KINGS, think about all that He is entitled to rule and reign over in your life. Should there be anything that we hold back?
I have started a list, perhaps you can add to it.
- I can trust him with my finances
- I can trust him with my biggest fears
- I can put my confidence in him for my future
- When facing crisis I can know He can guide me
- In death I can be at peace
- Building my life around His values, character makes the best sense
- Using my resources to align with His purposes is the best investment
- Studying His life is the best of all subjects to shape my thinking, values and morals
- …???
KING OF KINGS - Why not start each day this week by declaring that Jesus is the KING OF KINGS and then go out and live like it!
Mark
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER!
So last week, I talked about apparent contradictions among similar texts referring to the Kings of Israel and Judah. This week, let’s stay with that theme… what is UP with Jesus’ two seemingly-different genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38?
Some say that this is proof of errors in the Bible. “But wait, says any-historian-worth-his-salt, the Jews were meticulous record keepers!” Did you know that a scribe who was copying a page of Scripture and who made ONE error was required to throw that page out and start over again? A pretty expensive and time-consuming error to make when you think that everything was done by hand! So the answer must lie elsewhere – there is NO WAY that Matthew and Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to boot, would have allowed such contradiction to appear.
Well then, let’s turn it over to Dr. Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, respected Christian scholars:
“This should be expected, since they are two different lines of ancestors, one traced through His legal father, Joseph and the other through His actual mother, Mary. Matthew gives the official line, since he addresses Jesus’ genealogy to Jewish concerns for the Jewish Messiah’s credentials which required that Messiah come from the seed of Abraham and the line of David (cf. Matt. 1:1). Luke, with a broader Greek audience in view, addresses himself to their interest in Jesus as the Perfect Man (which was the quest of Greek thought). Thus, he traces Jesus back to the first man, Adam (Luke 3:38).
That Matthew gives Jesus’ paternal genealogy and Luke his maternal genealogy is further supported by several facts. First of all, while both lines trace Christ to David, each is through a different son of David. Matthew traces Jesus through Joseph (his legal father) to David’s son, Solomon the king, by whom Christ rightfully inherited the throne of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12ff). Luke’s purpose, on the other hand, is to show Christ as an actual human. So he traces Christ to David’s son, Nathan, through his actual mother, Mary, through whom He can rightfully claim to be fully human, the redeemer of humanity.”
Well there ya go… another problem solved! See you all next week!
RESOURCES
(New this week) Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992.
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. FaithWords, 2014.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Touching Base - Part 274
Series: The Book, Part 3
Anyone Watching?
17 May 2015
We're continuing a series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
Now we find ourselves in the Historical books, a thousand-year period that starts in Joshua and ends with Esther. These books tell the story of
(1) Israel’s entry into the Promised Land of Canaan under Joshua;
(2) Israel’s life in the land under the judges and the transition to kingship;
(3) the division of the nation into two rival kingdoms (Israel and Judah) and life in both;
(4) the downfall and exile of each kingdom;
(5) life in the exile; and
(6) Judah’s return from exile.
Specifically we are looking at the story found in 1 Kings 12:1-24. This story refers to the dividing of Israel, a key event in the Historical books. Take a moment and read it through (read the previous chapter to get the context.) Notice in particular v.15 and v.24.
What do you think the writer wants us to see?
Here is how I would put it – God’s in the front row - watching and working! In other words, as we live out our lives, God is not only watching, but working in our lives, in our story.
What the writer wants us to see is that the doctrine of providence (providence refers to God’s active governance of the universe, because He is indeed a God who sees. He sees everything that takes place in the universe), is one of the most fascinating, important, and difficult doctrines in the Christian faith. It deals with difficult questions, such as, “How does God’s causal power and authority interact with ours..?”, “How does God’s sovereign rule relate to our free choices…?”, “How is God’s government related to the evil and suffering in this world…?” and “Does prayer have any influence over God’s providential decisions…?”
Believe you me, you could spend an eternity wrestling with these questions. BUT, note that the author does not want us to get caught up in these questions. He is telling the story to help us see that God’s in the front row - watching and working.
How do we see God’s providence working out in this story and thus ours?
1. Power
Think of your own story, your own narrative - are there any power encounters going on?
The stubborn will of a child, the rebellious posturing of a spouse, the gritty grip and control of a boss, the persistent push back of a friend, the defiance of a roommate, the incalculable invasive control of your in-laws - power that can make one think, “How could God ever work in this situation? How could any good thing come from this?” Everyone has their mind made up - how could God ever work?
Look at our biblical story. Look at the power encounter in this story. What kind of power do Rehoboam, Jeroboam and the crowd have? How is it demonstrated? Who seems more powerful?
But note again v.15 and v.24 - what does the author want us to see? Who holds the real power?
Got any power encounters in your story?
Does it ever feel like in your story that all you see is the strong will of people?
Do you ever look at the power encounters in your story and wonder, “How will God ever be glorified in this?”
2. Sin
Power can, at times, result in great evil. Again review this story and ask, “How is power being used by these characters? What sin is manifesting? Regarding Jeroboam also read v.25-33.
Once you are done that exercise, scan your story. What examples of human sin lace your story, your family narrative, and your family tree? What has been the sin you have brought into the narrative? All of us could talk for hours about how sin has tainted our stories. For some sin has had devastating effects on our family story.
But note again v.15 and v.24 - what does the author want us to see? Does it appear that God has a front row seat to all that is happening? Does it appear that he is not only watching but working?
God is using the pernicious power, and the toxic sin to bring about His perfect purposes.
Check out v.15 again and ask, “Who is Ahijah?” Check out 11:26-43. God is bringing judgment upon the house of Solomon and he is using the sin and pernicious power of people to accomplish just that. He is also preserving the line of David (see v.36). Why? Check out Romans 1:1-4.
God’s in the front row - watching and working! His providence means He holds the power and can accomplish His purposes even when life looks really bleak.
What pernicious power is in your story that you need to ask God to work through these days?
What toxic sin is in your story that you need to trust that God can work through? Are you abusing power and thus sinning in your story?
Don’t allow the complexities of sovereignty, God’s providence, to rob you of the hope it can give us as we live out our story. Misguided power and sin that is embraced can be the very thing God uses in our story to accomplish His work. Mystery? For sure! Hope? Absolutely!
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER!
DID YOU KNOW?
This week, as Mark discusses the Kings, I thought I’d remind you of a great principle to remember: a contradiction and an apparent contradiction are two different things.
Many atheists like to use the genealogies of the kings of Israel to show so-called “contradictions” in the Bible. However, you can be reassured that these contradictions are apparent contradictions only and can usually be resolved with some historical research and common sense (after all, if God wrote the Bible, which Christians contend, there is simply no way He would allow such a simple error!)
As an example, we are told that in one text (let’s say, 1 Kings) that King X was in charge, but in another text (1 Chronicles for instance, talking about the exact same time period), it says that King Y was in charge! So which is it? Well, it’s quite simple really: they’re BOTH right – it turns out the first King was on the throne, but the other was his son who acted as Regent until his father’s death.
We still see this even today: our own Queen Elizabeth II is still the reigning monarch, but her son Prince Charles has taken on more and more of her duties as she ages. See?!
Count on it: when God writes a book, you can trust the content, even if it’s not always easy or obvious!
RESOURCES
(New this week) Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
(New this week) Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
y or why not?
Anyone Watching?
17 May 2015
We're continuing a series called The Book. Over the next several months we are going to be teaching out of all the sections of the Bible and seeing how it’s put together, seeing common threads that connect the books of the Bible to make up The Book.
Now we find ourselves in the Historical books, a thousand-year period that starts in Joshua and ends with Esther. These books tell the story of
(1) Israel’s entry into the Promised Land of Canaan under Joshua;
(2) Israel’s life in the land under the judges and the transition to kingship;
(3) the division of the nation into two rival kingdoms (Israel and Judah) and life in both;
(4) the downfall and exile of each kingdom;
(5) life in the exile; and
(6) Judah’s return from exile.
Specifically we are looking at the story found in 1 Kings 12:1-24. This story refers to the dividing of Israel, a key event in the Historical books. Take a moment and read it through (read the previous chapter to get the context.) Notice in particular v.15 and v.24.
What do you think the writer wants us to see?
Here is how I would put it – God’s in the front row - watching and working! In other words, as we live out our lives, God is not only watching, but working in our lives, in our story.
What the writer wants us to see is that the doctrine of providence (providence refers to God’s active governance of the universe, because He is indeed a God who sees. He sees everything that takes place in the universe), is one of the most fascinating, important, and difficult doctrines in the Christian faith. It deals with difficult questions, such as, “How does God’s causal power and authority interact with ours..?”, “How does God’s sovereign rule relate to our free choices…?”, “How is God’s government related to the evil and suffering in this world…?” and “Does prayer have any influence over God’s providential decisions…?”
Believe you me, you could spend an eternity wrestling with these questions. BUT, note that the author does not want us to get caught up in these questions. He is telling the story to help us see that God’s in the front row - watching and working.
How do we see God’s providence working out in this story and thus ours?
1. Power
Think of your own story, your own narrative - are there any power encounters going on?
The stubborn will of a child, the rebellious posturing of a spouse, the gritty grip and control of a boss, the persistent push back of a friend, the defiance of a roommate, the incalculable invasive control of your in-laws - power that can make one think, “How could God ever work in this situation? How could any good thing come from this?” Everyone has their mind made up - how could God ever work?
Look at our biblical story. Look at the power encounter in this story. What kind of power do Rehoboam, Jeroboam and the crowd have? How is it demonstrated? Who seems more powerful?
But note again v.15 and v.24 - what does the author want us to see? Who holds the real power?
Got any power encounters in your story?
Does it ever feel like in your story that all you see is the strong will of people?
Do you ever look at the power encounters in your story and wonder, “How will God ever be glorified in this?”
2. Sin
Power can, at times, result in great evil. Again review this story and ask, “How is power being used by these characters? What sin is manifesting? Regarding Jeroboam also read v.25-33.
Once you are done that exercise, scan your story. What examples of human sin lace your story, your family narrative, and your family tree? What has been the sin you have brought into the narrative? All of us could talk for hours about how sin has tainted our stories. For some sin has had devastating effects on our family story.
But note again v.15 and v.24 - what does the author want us to see? Does it appear that God has a front row seat to all that is happening? Does it appear that he is not only watching but working?
God is using the pernicious power, and the toxic sin to bring about His perfect purposes.
Check out v.15 again and ask, “Who is Ahijah?” Check out 11:26-43. God is bringing judgment upon the house of Solomon and he is using the sin and pernicious power of people to accomplish just that. He is also preserving the line of David (see v.36). Why? Check out Romans 1:1-4.
God’s in the front row - watching and working! His providence means He holds the power and can accomplish His purposes even when life looks really bleak.
What pernicious power is in your story that you need to ask God to work through these days?
What toxic sin is in your story that you need to trust that God can work through? Are you abusing power and thus sinning in your story?
Don’t allow the complexities of sovereignty, God’s providence, to rob you of the hope it can give us as we live out our story. Misguided power and sin that is embraced can be the very thing God uses in our story to accomplish His work. Mystery? For sure! Hope? Absolutely!
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact our Director of Worship and Discipleship Amanda Van Halteren amandavh@kingston.net
CARMEN’S CORNER!
DID YOU KNOW?
This week, as Mark discusses the Kings, I thought I’d remind you of a great principle to remember: a contradiction and an apparent contradiction are two different things.
Many atheists like to use the genealogies of the kings of Israel to show so-called “contradictions” in the Bible. However, you can be reassured that these contradictions are apparent contradictions only and can usually be resolved with some historical research and common sense (after all, if God wrote the Bible, which Christians contend, there is simply no way He would allow such a simple error!)
As an example, we are told that in one text (let’s say, 1 Kings) that King X was in charge, but in another text (1 Chronicles for instance, talking about the exact same time period), it says that King Y was in charge! So which is it? Well, it’s quite simple really: they’re BOTH right – it turns out the first King was on the throne, but the other was his son who acted as Regent until his father’s death.
We still see this even today: our own Queen Elizabeth II is still the reigning monarch, but her son Prince Charles has taken on more and more of her duties as she ages. See?!
Count on it: when God writes a book, you can trust the content, even if it’s not always easy or obvious!
RESOURCES
(New this week) Grudem, Wayne et al. Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well (p. 40). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
(New this week) Zacharias, Ravi and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense
Arthur, Kay. Teach Me Your Ways: The Pentateuch (New Inductive Bible Study Series) Harvest House Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-0736908054. Begin at the beginning - Creation, marriage, sin, civilization. Then learn about God's continuing lovingkindness and faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they let Him down.
Koukl, Greg. How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians today? Available at the Stand to Reason website at http://www.str.org/articles/how-does-the-old-testament-law-apply-to-christians-today#.VTpOJSFVikp
Longman III, Tremper. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1998. Answers 3 questions: What are the keys to understanding the OT? Is the God of the OT also the God of the NT? How is the Christian to apply the OT to life?
Redford, Douglas. The Pentateuch. (Vol. 1, Standard Reference Library: Old Testament). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel Publications, 2010. (ISBN 978-0825438912) – all that Law… what still applies to us? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
y or why not?
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