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A Witness that Yahweh is God: Joshua 22

2024-05-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is the third post in a multi-post series on the 7 Memorials found in the Book of Joshua. See part 1 and part 2.

Have you ever seen a monument built not as a reminder for the people who built it, but as a reminder for someone else?

Some of the tribes of Israel decided to build an altar as a witness to God and to the other tribes of Israel in Joshua 22. It was a memorial to hold another group accountable. Yet, a major misunderstanding arose between the two groups of tribes, almost inciting a war based on accusations that the other was wrong about the worship of God.

Joshua 22 is difficult to understand because of many cultural nuances lost to us today. The passage is not presented in the actual historical order, but is presented in the progression of thought. It is highly ironic in that each group desires faithfulness to God but perceives the other as theologically erroneous.

The text does not critique one or the other but presents a simple lesson–we should not put barriers in place to those who worship God genuinely; the worship of God is for everyone.

Charge for Obedience

It is important to understand the backdrop to this passage—the initial phases of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites had been completed. In Numbers 23, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh decided not to claim land in the promised land but opted for land on the other side of the Jordan. Now that the fighting was winding down (but not permanently over), the “transjordanian” tribes were ready to go to their land. So Joshua gives them a solemn charge to follow God,

“Only keep very much to do the commands of the law which Moses, the servant of Yahweh, commanded you all: to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments to cleave to him and to serve him with all your hearts and with all your being.” – Joshua 22:5, my translation

Since these tribes would be separated by the Jordan River, Joshua felt it necessary they received an extra reminder to follow God; they were to follow Yahweh just as much as those who lived in the promised land.

Future Concern

The irony is that the transjordanian tribes believed the ten tribes would need the reminder, not to follow God; but that they had a right to worship God as much as the ten tribes did.During ancient times, people often thought their god was only to be worshiped by a certain people group or within a geographical boundary.

“In time to come your sons may say to our sons, 'What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the Lord.' So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the Lord.' " – 24, NASB

We can’t know if this concern was legitimate or unfounded as it never happens, nor does the text critique this. In this scenario, the blame is placed on the ten tribes for causing the transjordanian tribes to stop fearing God. If the transjordanian tribes stopped fearing God, it would be the ten tribes' fault. Its unclear if this is seen as a total abandonment of Yahweh by the transjordanian tribes, or just a deviation from worshiping him at his altar.

With good intentions, the transjordanian tribes sought to mitigate this potential future by building an altar as a reminder for the ten tribes.

“If they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of Yahweh which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather, it is a witness between us and you.” – 28

Israel's Misunderstanding

However, the ten tribes thought the transjordanian tribes were rebelling against proper worship of Yahweh. So they assembled an army to attack and sent a delegation of 11–the high priest Phinehas along with a representative from each tribe.

They confronted the transjordanian tribes out of concern that they were erring–this is highly ironic given that the two-and-half-tribes thought the ten tribes were the ones who would err!

“What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the Lord this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the Lord this day? … The land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Yahweh’s dwelling place stands, and dwell among us. Only do not rebel against the Lord, or rebel against us, by building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the Lord our God.” – 16

They missed the entire point of the other tribe’s altar. They too were aware of the contemporary thinking about deity worship and thought the other tribes were creating their own place to worship God. They drive the point home further by referring back to two major sins that affected all of Israel,

“Is the wrongdoing of Peor not enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the Lord.” – 17

This refers back to Numbers 25 where Israelites became sexually involved with Moabite women who led them to worship Ba’al of Peor. The sin false god worship was still affecting Israel. By building another altar, the other tribes were adding insult to injury against God.

“If you rebel against Yahweh today, he will be angry with the entire congregation of Israel tomorrow….Did Achan the son of Zerah not act unfaithfully in the things designated for destruction, and wrath fall on the entire congregation of Israel? So that man did not perish alone in his guilt.” – 18, 20

They refer back to Achan’s sin in Joshua 7 to highlight how one person’s sin brought God’s wrath on everyone. In the same way, the transjordanian tribes’ sin would affect the ten guitless tribes too.

Crisis Resolved

The misunderstanding finally comes to a resolution when Reuben, Gad and Manasseh explain why they built their altar.

“Let us build an altar, not for burn offering for for sacrifice, rather it shall be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to perform the service of Yahweh before him with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings so that your sons will not say to your sons in the time to come, ‘You have no portion in Yahweh’ “ .. . Far be it from us that we should rebel against Yahweh… by building an altar…. Besides the altar of Yahweh our God which is before his Tabernacle.” – 26, 29

They swear by God that they had good intentions and if they didn’t, God could destroy them (v. 22-23)! This is a bold statement that would certainly invoke God’s wrath if they had an evil intent.

As verse 28 makes clear, the altar was built as visual representation that all the tribes of Israel on both sides of the Jordan should have access to the Lord’s altar to worship him.

When the ten tribes realize they were mistaken, they declare,

“We know Yahweh is among us,whom you have not committed this trespass against, you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of God.” – 31, my translation

Therefore, they called the altar a witness between them that Yahweh is God. However long that altar stood near the border of the Promised Land, it served as an ever-present reminder that all the Israelites could worship God. Cultural beliefs about gods did not apply to the one true God.

Achan's Sin at Achor: Joshua 7

2024-03-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is the second post in a multi-post series on the 7 Memorials found in the Book of Joshua. See part 1 and part 3.

Could you imagine having a place named after you? Wouldn’t it be a great honor?

When we think of a place being named after someone, we typically think of a person who was worth remembering in a positive way.

But what if a place was named after you as a warning, a cautionary message not to repeat your mistakes? Wouldn’t that be humiliating for your legacy?

That’s exactly what happened to a man called “Achan”. His personal sin brought God’s anger against all of Israel and a whole valley was named after him. But what about his sin was worth remembering?

After having crossed the River Jordan and defeating the city of Jericho, Israel was beginning to inherit God’s promised land, piece-by-piece. When they attack nearby Ai and its small militia, Israel is shockingly defeated. Israel experiences the same fear that Jericho (Joshua 2:11) and the Canaanites (5:1) have experienced, described as “hearts melting like water” (7:5).

A possible location for the Valley of Achor. Wikimedia Commons

Joshua's Prayer

The trauma of this defeat leads Joshua and the elders to prayer, asking profound questions.

“Joshua said,’Alas, Lord Yahweh why did you surely cause this people to cross over the Jordan to give us into the hand of the Amorites, in order to destroy us? If only we had been content to live on the other side of the Jordan.” – Joshua 7:7 (my translation)

Realize the magnitude of what Joshua is saying, he is crying out to God–”why are you going to destroy us!” “We would have been better off, not crossing into the promised land!”

The fear is that God was intent on destroying them. This is quite an accusation–whether or not this was genuine or more of a rhetorical strategy.

To heighten his prayer, Joshua appeals to God’s reputation, much like Moses did before him (Exo. 32:1113, Num. 14:13-16, Deut. 9:28) - and many others did afterwards.

“O lord what will I say after which Israel has turned its back [neck] before its enemies. The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear and we will be surrounded and our name will be cut off from the land and what will you do for your great name?” – Vs. 8-9

Joshua sees an association between Israel’s reputation and God’s reputation. When they crossed the Jordan, God said the natives of the promised land would know his power and then the text says they did (4:24, 5:1, see this blog post), but Israel’s defeat at Ai felt like a reversal of the Jordan River crossing.

Whether or not Joshua is right, he is saying that because of their defeat at Ai, the Canaanites will be emboldened to destroy Israel and therefore God cannot exalt his name any more–without Israel, God’s reputation would not be great.

Joshua and the elders pray before the Ark. Free Bible Images.

God's Response

In this case, God does not respond to Joshua’s appeal for God’s own reputation but he does explain why Israel “turned their backs before their enemies” (the Hebrew word for “turn” is different here then “turn” in Joshua’s prayer). Because Israel took from the herem (things devoted to destruction) of Jericho, they themselves have become herem (v. 12)! God calls out six separate verbs in verse 11 to describe their sin: sin, transgressed with the covenant, taken from the devoted things, stolen, concealed and “put among their vessels”.

The Lord further reveals that all of Israel is experiencing the suffering from one man, who is revealed to be Achan through casting lots. When Israel removes the herem from among them, then God will stand with them again (v. 13) and continue the victorious conquest of the land he had promised to them.

Achan—A Man to Remember

When Achan is revealed to be the troublemaker, Joshua makes a solemn charge for him to tell the truth,

“My son give honor to Yahweh the God Israel and give him confession and tell me what you have done, do not hide it from me.” – v. 19

Achan replied,

“Indeed I have sinned against Yahweh the God of Israel and thusly [lit: according to this and according to this] I have done. I saw among the spoil a pleasing robe of Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a golden wedge that weighed fifty shekels, I coveted and took them and behold they were hid in the ground in the midst of my tent and the silver is under it.” – 20-21

The text records only a six word response from Joshua,

“Why have you troubled us, Yahweh will trouble you on this day.” – 25

The word for “trouble” is “Achar”(עָכַר), which is closely related to “Achan.” The name “Achan” was probably not his real name, but a literary nickname given to him later. One man’s covetousness brought trouble on Israel, so he would always be remembered as the troublemaker.

After he was stoned, a large amount of stones was piled over his corpse. The author (or later editor) comments that the stones were still standing at the time of the book’s composition (26a). The same is said about the place where he was executed—it was named the Valley of Achor, from the same word “Achar” and was still named that at the time of writing (26b).

The fact that both the name and the stones stood generations later is a testament to the importance of Achan’s sin.

A possible location for the Valley of Achor. BibleAtlas.org, using BibleMapper.

What the Israelites thought was worth remembering generations later is revealed in verse 1, the summary statement of this passage,

“The sons of Israel did a trespass about the devoted things and Achan son of Jarmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah from the Tribe of Judah took from the devoted things and the anger of Yahweh burned against the sons of Israel.”

It wasn’t that God had backtracked on his promise, but Israel had “overstepped” the covenant. The same Hebrew word is used to describe how they “overstepped” the Jordan River. They would never want to overstep God’s boundaries again. God did to Israel what they had done to him.

And while they did experience an immediate consequence, God relented his anger. The fear of Joshua in verse 9 about the Canaanites wiping out Israel (and thus Yahweh’s name) never happened. Instead, they walked away from that valley and the troublemaker’s corpse, and they went on with God’s blessing,

“Do not fear nor be dismayed, take with you all the people of war and go up to Ai and see I have given the king of Ai into your and with him his and his land. You will do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king, only plunder to yourselves the cattle and spoils.” – 8:1

TL; DR

Achan's sin led to Israel's defeat at Ai and the Lord's anger with them. Joshua and the elders questioned if God really was going to bring them into the promised land and implored him appealing to his own reputation and its perceived link with Israel's reputation.

Because Israel broke the covenant through Achan's taking of devoted things, Israel itself became a devoted thing.

When Achan is revealed to be the source of trouble, he is executed alongside his entire family, thus restoring Israel back to God's favor for future conquest. In the same way that Israel overstepped the boundaries of the Jordan River, so they had overstepped God's covenant.

Achan's sin is remembered in Israel generations later through a stone memorial and the name of the valley where these events transpired—Achor.

12 Stones at the Jordan River – A Miracle to Remember (Joshua 3-4)

2024-03-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is the first post in a multi-post series on the 7 Memorials found in the Book of Joshua. See part 2.

The two spies had just returned from scouting out the city of Jericho with promising news–according to Rahab, who secretly professed faith in Yahweh, the people of Jericho were deeply afraid (their “hearts melted”) because of Israel (Joshua 2:9-11).

With confidence from this report and at God’s direction, it was now time for Israel to move into their promised land.

But to do this, they would have to cross the Jordan River.

In a miracle reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea, the Lord stops the flow of the Jordan River and allows the Israelites to cross it on dry ground. When the team of priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the river’s overflowing waters, the river dried and the Israelites crossed the river about a half-mile away (2,000 cubits) from the Ark.

The power of this narrative is not simply the miracle of stopping water demonstrating God’s power. The text reveals God’s exact lessons from this event. The Israelites even set up a pile of 12 stones to remember this event forever. But why was this event worth remembering?

Showed Joshua's Leadership

In his command to Joshua to cross the Jordan, Yahweh tells Joshua his intent,

“This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they will know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.” – Joshua 3:7 NASB

This was not only of great personal significance to Joshua, but it was of great significance to the fledgling group of Hebrews without a permanent home. Just as God had blessed the leadership of Moses so he would bless Joshua’s leadership. The powerful things God did for Israel were not finished with Moses, but they would carry on through Joshua.

For Joshua, God would give him both authority and respect from the people so they would listen to him and follow him with the same trust and awe they had for Moses.

The text reports that Yahweh did exactly what he promised–using very similar language to his promise, it states that God did exalt Joshua because of the Jordan Crossing.

“On that day Yahweh exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, so that they feared him, just as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.” – 4:14

Promise for the Promised Land

Moving from the personal promise to Joshua, Joshua shares with the Israelites a second purpose of the Jordan Crossing,

“By this you will know that the living God is among you, and that he will assuredly drive out from you the Canaanite, Hittie, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite and the Jebusite. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth crosses over before you in the Jordan.” – 3:10

This is presented as God’s word to the people even though Joshua was the one speaking (v. 10). While the miracle had not yet happened when Joshua said this, it is clear that “this” refers to the Ark of the Covenant’s presence in the Jordan. It is not about the Ark’s presence itself as much as it is the Lord of all the earth going before them that demonstrates that the living God is with them.

Asides from God’s active presence in their lives, Israel is also assured that they will indeed receive the promised land. The above translation “assuredly drive out” reflects the emphatic wording of the Hebrew text (Infinitive Absolute). There is no doubt that God will drive out all the different people who inhabit the land, leaving none of them left (though this is not to ignore the conditional aspect of this where Israel fails to drive them all out due to disobedience).

The importance of the emphatic wording here is that Israel has not yet set foot in the promised land, but as soon as they cross the Jordan they are at war with the land’s peoples. The crossing marks the transition from desiring the promised land to actually seeking it out and having to put their trust in God’s victory into action.

The Ultimate Purpose

After these two purposes which God shares, the text illustrates the greatest lesson of the Jordan River Crossing through the 12-stone memorial that they build.

Joshua assigns one man from each tribe to gather a (large?) stone from the Jordan River and erect a permanent marker in Gilgal, the area in which they crossed over to (4:9 could also be taken to mean that Joshua set up a second memorial in the Jordan itself).

The command for the memorial nor its lesson is attributed directly to God but it still portrays a powerful spiritual lesson.

The text presents the memorial's purpose twice. In both places, it is clear the “stack” of stones is meant to make people wonder, “what is this for?” The first purpose statement for the memorial is mostly historical:

“That the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.” – 4:7

If this alone was the memorial’s purpose, then the memorial would simply signify that the Jordan River Crossing was worth remembering. The second purpose statement is theological and says why this event is worth remembering,

“For Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as Yahweh your God had done to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed; so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is mighty, so that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.”

The content of remembrance is that Jordan's drying up is a parallel to the drying of the Red Sea—it is a repeat of Israel’s salvation event on a smaller scale for a new generation.

The purpose of the remembrance is twofold: 1. knowledge of God’s power among Gentiles and 2. a perpetual fear among the Israelites.

Knowledge Among the Canaanites

In this case, the very next verse (which begins a new narrative segment in Joshua) states that this event led to Gentile fear of God,

“Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer…”

Just like in The Exodus, God dried up the Jordan River so that all people would fear him, even if it was not for their salvation. The fear experienced by the Gentiles was for Israel’s own advantage in the conquests so that their enemies would become discouraged. The drying of the Jordan signified to all people that the God of Israel did have power and that Israel was a force to be reckoned with. This was a worthwhile thing for Israel to remember even generations later.

Perpetual Fear Among the Israelites

Just as important as the Gentile’s acknowledgement of God’s power is Israel’s perpetual fear of the Lord. God’s power in drying the Jordan was worth remembering because it was yet another act of God where showed that he was almighty. He was to be respected and obeyed by all the Israelites because he did mighty things on their behalf as their protector.

The memorial was meant to continually remind the Israelites of what God did for them so that they would not forget. God’s work at Jordan wasn’t just for one generation of Israel to feel awe and honor towards God, but it is an everlasting reminder for each generation.

TL; DR

The primary purpose of God drying up the Jordan River, was for both the Canaanites to be afraid of Israel and for Israel to remember God’s power to deliver on his promises.

God signified his presence and the certitude of the Promised Land’s conquest through the Ark of the Covenant in the middle of the Jordan River.

The Jordan River Crossing also showed God’s hand on Joshua as his chosen successor for Moses.

Israel built a 12 stone monument so that they would never forget this event, a miniature version of the Red Sea Crossing, and God’s purposes for this event.

A Tricky Heart: Jeremiah 17:9-10

2023-11-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

Our (western) culture loves to talk about the heart. We repeat the saying “follow your heart” and use the heart as a symbol of romantic love. While the heart pervades society as an image of bliss and goodness, the Bible paints a much bleaker picture of the heart,

“The heart is more deceitful than anything and is desperately sick; who can understand it?
I, Yahweh, search the heart and examine the mind [lit: kidneys]
And give to each person according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds.”

This infamous saying from Jeremiah 17:9-10 is found in an oracle of Jeremiah speaking the words of Yahweh. The context of the Book of Jeremiah makes it likely this verse is referring to the idolatrous syncretism the Judahites practiced—while they worshiped the idols of Ba’al and Asherah (17:1-2), they believed that this was compatible with worshiping Yahweh.

Consulting several commentaries confirmed my hunch, Jeremiah 17:1-10 is a collection of wise sayings and not necessarily a cohesive passage. While these verse groupings may have originated from separate oral traditions, God speaks them together in an intentional arrangement.

So while the verses we will study are rooted in the context of the Book of Jeremiah, it is challenging to firmly root them in context. It is my belief that verse 11, which speaks of gaining wealth through unscrupulous methods, is an example of the deceitful heart alongside idolatry and self-reliance (v. 5).

Tricky and Sicky

“The heart is more deceitful than anything and is desperately sick; who can understand it?

Verse 9 is self-explanatory: 1. The heart is deceitful 2. Its deceit is greater than all else 3. It is sick. The heart, representing the innermost thoughts and motives in ancient thought, is not inherently trustworthy. Not only can the deepest volition not be trusted, it is more untrustworthy than anything else. This is highly ironic—the deepest thoughts are of the deepest trickery.

The rhetorical question “who can understand it?”, with an implied answer of “no one” (or only God) further highlights how severe the heart’s condition is—it's so bad, no one is able to understand its ways.

The Heart Searcher

“I, Yahweh, search the heart and examine the mind [lit: kidneys]” -10a

The concept of God being the searcher of people’s hearts and minds is seen several other times throughout Scripture, of note is Psalm 139 which I have written a full post on.

In this verse the heart, the seat of the innermost volition, and the “mind” (literally the kidneys or gut), the seat of the emotions, are presented as two separate entities. The focus is not on the distinction between searching the heart and examining the mind but on the fact that Yahweh is the one who does both.

The level of deceit present in the heart, and implicitly the mind, means only the Creator God is capable of truly discerning them. This deceit may not only be for the person whose heart is deceitful, but for others surrounding this person.

Outcomes Based on the Heart's Outflow

“And give to each person according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds”

Since only God can truly understand a person’s heart, only he is able to gauge a person’s “ways” and “fruit of their deeds”. He not only gauges, but he gives on the basis of the true nature of a person’s conduct. This could be blessing for honorable ways and productive deeds or punishment for evil ways that reap harm onto others.

Practical Application

While Jeremiah 17:9 could be read as a hopeless statement and verse 10 could be seen only about God, there is an unspoken, practical warning of these verses—why would God speak these words?

The key is in 10b where God gives based upon the outflow of a person’s heart. While the heart cannot be fully understood, the fact that God shares this helps to mitigate its deceit. If the heart is extremely deceitful and God gives according to its deeds, then one can intentionally act in a way worthy of good gifts.

The Judahite hearers (and us today) can ask God to give us our heart’s search results as it says in Psalm 139:24-25 (see full post)!

On the other hand, those who don’t use their actions as thermometer of their heart’s temperature will miss God’s blessing and experience the consequences that come from sin in itself.

God, please help us to be aware of our heart's trickery.

A Prayer about Praying: 1 Kings 8:23-52

2023-09-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever waited for a dream you longed to come true? It may’ve been something you prayed about for years or worked hard on for decades. When the day finally comes (if God blesses it), how would you react?

Solomon experienced something similar—his father David had a dream about building a temple for the Lord before he was even born. When Solomon took on and completed his father’s dream at great expense, he was overwhelmingly grateful to God. Only God enabled him to build the temple and only God could make the building worthy of his name.

So Solomon prays a dedication prayer in 1 Kings 8:22-53 (2 Chr 6:14-40), surrounded by several other prayers and even God’s direct response to Solomon. While Solomon is dedicating the temple, his prayer is really about affirming and asking God to be faithful to prayer requests—its a prayer about praying.

A Call to Hear

Past Promises Kept Currently

“Yahweh, God of Israel, there is not a god like you in the heavens from above and upon the earth from below, keeping the covenant and the steadfast love for your servants, the ones who walk before you with all their hearts.” – 1 Kings 8:23 (my literal translation)

God is incomparable because he kept his promise to David through allowing Solomon to build the temple (v. 24). Whether or not Solomon is comparing Yahweh to the deities worshiped by other nations or speaking hyperbolically, the point is that Yahweh kept his promises in such a way that highlights his uniqueness.

Since God had fulfilled this specific promise, Solomon asks God to fulfill another promise he has made, the permanent preservation of his father’s family line on Israel’s throne; he sees these two promises as linked (v. 20).

The Temple is Not the True Power Source

Turning from the personal promises that Solomon expects (and has partially seen) God to fulfill, he then asks God to answer the prayers of all who pray to the temple.

He prefaces this ask with a point of theological correctness,

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house which I have built.” – v. 27 NASB

While Solomon is going to make the temple the focal point of worship in line with ancient near eastern customs, he recognizes that God cannot inhabit a building or even heaven, the realm which he is said to inhabit. God cannot be physically confined to any space.

In spite of God’s transcendence, Solomon asks

“Listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive” - 30

While Jesus later clarifies (and the Old Testament reiterates throughout) that true worship is not directed towards any temple (Jn. 4:20-24) the temple did serve an important theological function as a visible symbol of God’s presence among the people, in keeping with the customs of the day.

When Solomon asks God to answer prayers towards the temple, it is not because this would make prayers more convenient to answer, nor that he wouldn’t answer prayers that were not directed towards the temple temple. I believe Solomon identifies the temple with his own personal and family reputation and that of Israel’s–in other words, “honor me and my work to honor you, God, by considering this temple an acceptable place for worship.”

Forgiveness in All Situations

As Solomon dedicates the temple and asks God to listen to prayers directed towards it, he is asking God to transform the temple from a simple building to a holy place where God’s power is unleashed. In elaborating upon the type of requests that God should listen to, Solomon presents four situations that Israel would likely (and did) encounter that would require God’s forgiveness:

Dispute between individuals: bring the deserved judgment (v. 31-32)
Enemy defeat and exile: restore them to the land (33-34)
Drought: teach the way, restore the rain (35-36)
Catch-all (37-40)

In each rhetorical situation, there is a sin, a consequence to the sin, and a restorative action that Solomon hopes God will perform.

To cover all the bases, Solomon also presents a catch-all request,

“If there is a famine… plague… blight or mildew… locust or grasshopper… their enemy harrasess them.. whatever plague… whatever sickness… whatever prayer or plea is offered by any person or by all your people Israel…” – 37-38

It doesn’t matter what sin or what the consequence of the sin is, Solomon is asking that prayers made by anyone for any reason would be answered with forgiveness and a response according to the person’s heart,

“Whatever prayer…. offered by anyone…each knowing the affliction of his own heart…. Give to each in accordance with all his ways, whose heart you you know, for you alone know the hearts of all mankind” – 38-39

Solomon is implying that not everyone who prays to God for relief from their sin’s consequences does so with a sincere heart (this is supported by verse 32). Rather, he recognizes that only God knows people’s true hearts and that it is up to him to react accordingly. Lastly, Solomon gives a reason why God should offer forgiveness in all situations,

“So that they will fear you all the days that they live on the land which you have given to our fathers.” – 40

The idea is that the people will be more eager to follow God when he answers their prayers and forgives them when they are truly sorry; this, nor the asks for forgiveness, are not suggesting God wouldn’t be faithful—it's simply Solomon reaffirming for himself and the Israelites that God will be faithful.

Grant Other Requests

Asides from asking for forgiveness, Solomon asks God to answer other kinds of prayers that come towards the temple:

Foreign Prayers

“Also regarding the foreigner who is not of your people Israel, when he comes from a far country on account your name, for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm….”

This is one of my favorite parts of Solomon’s prayer. Solomon looks to God’s global recognition, saying that people from outside of God’s chosen people will travel in order to pray towards the temple, because of God’s awesome power. This motif is seen many places throughout the Bible.¹

This makes Solomon’s prayer about praying truly encompass everyone who prays towards the temple. Solomon also gives a reason why God should answer the prayers of non-Israelites, just like he did for the requests for forgiveness,

“In order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, to fear you as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by your name.” – 43

In the same way that God’s willingness to forgive his own people makes the people willing to fear him, so God’s willingness to grant the requests of Gentiles gives him a reputation among them that makes them willing to fear him. (See also my blog post on Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9).

Battle Victories

“When your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you send them, and pray to Yahweh” – 44

While less significant to us today, this was very significant for Israel. More so than their own defense, it seems that Solomon is highlighting holy war—warfare enacted at God’s command for a divine purpose (often to purify from evil). God is singled out as the one responsible for battle in this case, so Solomon asks God to provide for Israel in what he calls them to do.

Sin, Repent, Forgive

To conclude his lengthy prayer, Solomon repeats many of the same points he already made when he asked God to forgive all kinds of sin. While summarizing what had already been said, Solomon does present several “new” ideas to this prayer’s context.

One of the most poignant of these is the opening statement,

“When they sin against you, for there is not a man who does not sin…” – 46

Long before Paul penned, “for all have sinned” (Rom 3:23), Solomon acknowledges this reality. Solomon may have only implied this before, but here is making the concept explicit: the Israelites will sin against God, its a matter of how or when, not if. If the people will inevitably sin, how will God react?

In all the earlier cases, there is a consequence attached to sin and it is no different here. Specifically, Solomon (prophetically) looks at exile and deportation to foreign lands. In this situation, the people will be physically separated from the temple, the vessel by which God is supposed to grace his people with his presence (in fact, it is destroyed!). While Solomon does not realize the temple would be destroyed in this circumstance and mentions that the people will pray towards it (v. 48), God’s answers are not invalidated as the temple is symbolic.

He asks God to forgive the people, if they genuinely repent:

“If they take it to heart in the land where they have been captive, and repent and implore your favor in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong, we have acted wickedly’, if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies…" – 46-48

Solomon may not have known this would happen to Israel, but God was not making empty threats when he said he would do this in Deuteronomy 28:36-37. Yet, Solomon expects God to forgive them should this happen.

Why will God do this? Because they are his chosen people, the ones he rescued from Egypt, all those years ago.

TL; DR

Solomon's temple dedication prayer is a prayer regarding situations in which people will pray towards the temple and asking God to answer those prayers. In this prayer, Solomon makes poignant points about God (theology): he is incomparable because he keeps his promises, he is unable to contained to any realm (manmade or heavenly), and God alone knows the human heart. While not the true source of God's power, the temple is theologically important as a symbol of God's presence in israel and a testament to his concern for their reputation and that of Solomon's family.

God's forgiveness is for those who are genuinely repentant of their sin, but this forgiveness is offered in all situations regardless of the incurred consequences. Answered prayers were not simply for Israel for forgiveness, but for all nations and for any request.

Solomon asks God to answer future prayers towards, not because there is doubt as to whether God will be faithful (unless this exists in Solomon's mind), but to humbly seek God's affirmation of the temple as a special place and so people would fear him. When people (Israelite or Gentile) see God answer their prayers, they will see him as worthy of their reverence.

1. See Exo:8-12, Josh 2:10-11, Josh 5:1, Josh 9:9-10, 1 Sam 4:4-9, Neh 6:16, Exo. 14:25, 1 Ki. 10:1. This is a personal hobbyhorse of mine that I cannot go on about here because I am trying to follow the text. Perhaps for a future thesis or dissertation, if God is willing and enables me!

Psalm 103: Limitless Mercy for Fragile Humans

2023-08-19T19:04:00.003-07:00

Psalm 103 (and its twin 104) contain the famous call to “bless Yahweh, O my soul.” It clearly presents a theology of God’s grace and mercy, well before the Christ came to atone for our sin. The descriptive imagery surrounding God’s limitless mercy and the fragility of the human condition act as the backdrop for the famous self-directed call to worship God. They present a powerful case for why we should keep God’s love for us always on our hearts.

Bless the Blesser

Psalm 103 begins and ends with a self-invocation to “bless Yahweh my soul”, one of the most famous lines from this psalm. This establishes from the beginning that the poem is chiefly about God. As the psalmist rouses himself (and the congregation reading the psalm) to bless Yahweh twice, he also “commands” himself not to forget God’s benefits. God is to be blessed because he blesses. Then the psalm turns to a list of ways that God benefits his people: forgiveness of sin, healing diseases, protection from destruction, bestowal of steadfast love and compassion (alludes to Exo. 34:6) and satisfaction.

This last benevolent behavior of God has an adjoining simile, “so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”The satisfaction here may be referring to hunger¹, but regardless of if the satisfaction is simply spiritual or also physical, this satisfaction has a transformative effect. God’s goodness (perhaps encapsulating all the previous blessings), gives its recipients eagle-like strength and vigor.

The excitement here is about all the ways God has done good for his people, all the reasons why one should not, nor should they be able to forget what he has done and neglect his praise.

God's Limitless Mercy

Extending from God’s positive behaviors, the psalm turns to the ways God withholds punishment for people’s evil behaviors.

"He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel." - V. 7

This verse is referring to Moses’ prayer where he asked God to reveal his character (Exo. 33:13)². Referring back to The Exodus, the central salvation event of Israel’s history, is a common motif in the Psalms. Here, the poet is not concerned about the actual events, but the character that was revealed.

“Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.” – v. 8 (cf. Exo 34:6)

Verse 8 is a verbatim quote of God's self-revelation of his own character in Exodus 34:6 ³ and contains the main “ways” that were revealed to Moses and Israel in the past. This psalm does not touch on God’s judgment, the second part of God’s self-revelation (Exo 36:7), but focuses only on his goodwill towards those who revere him. Verses 9-13 elaborate the depth of God’s mercy—he does not hold onto anger and he does not treat his people in the way they deserve. Using several similes, the poet explains how profound God’s mercy is,

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; for as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”– v. 11

This is not speaking about precise measurements, because such measurements were unavailable in those days. Rather, this is saying “as far as the eye can see”—that far, that is the degree to which God separates our sin from us, that is the length of his covenant love. God’s forgiveness of sin is infinite. His compassion is like a father who cares about his child’s well being when they stumble—he doesn’t enjoy seeing sin’s consequences in his children’s lives.

Humanity's Temporary Fragility

God’s compassion towards his devotees is rooted in our fragility,

“For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust.” – v. 14

The idea that humans “are dust” is a common one throughout the Bible, as the first human (Adam) was made from dust and every person’s destiny is dust. Each person is valuable, but also nothing in the grand sense.

The particle “for” (כִּי ki) qualifies why God has compassion in the preceding verses. This idea is furthered in verses 15 and 16,

“As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” – v. 15

Plants can die off as quickly as the spring up, because it is their nature. Humans are the same way. The Lord knows we are fragile, so he cares for us; he doesn’t treat us harshly as if we were thick-barked trees.

These verses not only showcase the fragility of humanity, but also our transience; we are fragile and only last for a short term.

“But the steadfast love of Yahweh is from forever to forever on those who fear him, and his righteousness to the children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.” – vs.17-18

There is a great contrast between the short-lived life of men against God’s forever love. Our lives have no guarantee of prosperity, but his loving-kindness lasts forever. This verse is an allusion to the Ten Commandments (Exo 20:5-6) and to God’s self-revelation⁴. Since God rules in heaven (v. 19), there is hope in God’s unfailing mercy amidst our own progressive decay.

The psalm winds down with a command for the spiritual beings to bless God. It is not simply enough that humanity praises him, but that all the armies of heaven and even “his works” (creation) bless him as well. These call-outs build up the dramatic effect leading to the psalms ending, a verbatim quote of the opening, “Bless Yahweh, my soul.”

The Hebrew literally reads “who satisfies your mouth with good.”
Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms p. 738
Except the subject Yahweh is in between וְחַנּוּן and אֶרֶךְ
In both verses, “children’s children” refers to those who receive the punishment, here the psalmist changes this to be the subject of God’s forever love!

Daniel's Powerful Prayer: Daniel 9

2023-07-11T19:22:00.004-07:00

Daniel prayed one of the most powerful prayers in the whole Bible. This prayer was so meaningful that he not only received an immediate response from God, God sent an angel with a vision!

Daniel’s deep concern for his people, the realization of their sin, and reverence for God’s reputation incited him to utter the heartfelt prayer we find in Daniel 9.

“While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning his holy mountain, while I was still praying, Gabriel . . . came to me. . . 'at the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision.' ” – 9:20-23

We see in Daniel’s prayer an almost paradoxical situation—he prays that God would fulfill a promise for his own sake, almost as if Daniel was unsure if his people’s sin would invalidate God’s promise.

In this prayer we find humble confession that is incited by God’s word and recognizes the severity of sin against God’s holiness; such confession serves as the driving force behind a desperate plea for God’s restoration.

Prompted by the Word

“I, Daniel perceived in the books the number of years, that according to the word Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely seventy years. . .” – 9:20-23

The backdrop of Daniel’s prayer was the limited Scripture available to him. Daniel had encountered either Jeremiah 25:11-12 or 29:10 which stated that there would be “seventy years” before the “desolation” ended. Daniel saw these seventy years were almost completed, meaning the “desolation” was to end soon. This made him realize the gravity of the situation—there was hope that the exile could end soon, but the people still lacked repentance.

Would the people’s ongoing sin jeopardize God’s promise?

Aside from Jeremiah’s words, Daniel refers to God’s law— both written and oral—as the messages that drew attention to the people’s sin. Scripture is what prompted the prayer and gave Daniel the urgency to repent.

The fact that the response to his prayer was a vision elaborating on Jeremiah’s words is also significant, because Daniel did not just receive a generic response, but a very specific reply to explain the Scripture he had read.

From God’s word as its prompt, this prayer consists of two parts: confession and petition.

Confession

“I prayed to Yahweh my God and made confession, saying, 'O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who live him and keep his commands, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled. . .' ” – 4

The first part of Daniel’s prayer is confession for the sins of all of the Israelites. His confession is not only acknowledgement of the people’s sin, but a proclamation of God’s character.

Proclaiming God's Character

Daniel repeatedly compares the grave sin of the people against the righteousness of God. In verse 4, he refers back God’s description of himself found in Exodus 34:6-7 and elsewhere says he is righteous (v. 7, 14), merciful and forgiving (v. 9) and unwavering (v. 11-14)

Acknowledging the People's Sin

Laying aside all pride, Daniel acknowledged how deep the Israelites' sins were—from the poorest to the richest (v. 6, 8), from the most scattered to the nearest to Jerusalem (v. 7)—everyone is guilty to the highest degree. The severity of the people’s sin is grounded in the degree of God’s goodness. The people’s awareness of God’s character and the clear warnings through the prophets’ preaching makes their sin that much worse.

A Unique Catastrophe

As Daniel proclaims God’s character and acknowledges the people’s failure to heed his word, he draws attention to the “uniqueness” of the catastrophe they have experienced,

“...bringing upon us a great calamity, which under all of heaven there has not been done like in Jerusalem.” – 12

While speaking in hyperbole, Daniel is highlighting how the ransacking of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire in 586 BC, which led to the razing of the temple, is unique in its effect upon Israel and upon God’s name (see verse 16 below).

As a bridge to his request of God, Daniel makes a final proclamation about God’s character (and sin acknowledgement) — he is the God who rescued Israel from Egypt and by so doing made a name for himself (Exodus 6:7, 9:16, 14:4).

“And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.”

Petition

"Do it For You, God"

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who around us." – 16

What makes Jerusalem’s destruction unique from Daniel’s perspective is that it caused the exiled Israelites to be viewed in a negative light. While other groups were attacked and humiliated by Babylon, this is unique for Israel because their status reflected God’s power, at least in Daniel’s view.

What is incredible about Daniel’s request is that he grounds it not in Israel’s benefit, but for God’s own reputation sake—something we see in many other places in Scripture.¹

“For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy… Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” – 18b, 19b

The focus of Daniel’s request is on God, it is his (“your”) anger and wrath, holy hill, servant, sake, face, sanctuary, ear, eyes, city, and people. Daniel is trying to be “persuasive” in his appeal to restore Jerusalem, for the highest appeal he can make is not the people’s desire for God’s favor (though he mentions mercy in v. 17), but for God’s concern about himself.

While this was not a prayer strategy God thought “persuasive” in our human understanding, it does show the fascinating concept that God is most inclined to act for himself. God did not “need” to restore Jerusalem to avoid his name being tarnished, yet that is the grounds for Daniel’s prayer (see Ezekiel 20 for an example of God’s perspective on this).

A Vested Interest in God's Glory

While Daniel is making an appeal to God’s self-concern, almost as if he were approaching God as a fellow human, the exiled Israelites will benefit. Daniel makes one request, but says it in twelve different ways²—that Jerusalem be restored. Implicit in this prayer request is a validation of God keeping his promise. Since Jeremiah prophesied the desolation would end in seventy years, Daniel expected that God would fulfill his promise by ending Jerusalem’s ruined status.

When Daniel prays for a restored temple, or God’s “holy hill”, he is not only wishing God’s glory be on display but that Israel could share in that glory. By asking God to fulfill his promise, he is asking for a restoration of Israel’s earthly, societal reputation and the spiritual blessing of God’s glory.

Daniel’s prayer is God-focused and even self-blaming (v. 16), but it is not deceptive. Appealing to God’s own glory isn’t a front, but a recognition that when God’s glory radiates through Jerusalem once again, the Israelites will benefit the most.

And God answers that prayer, not only for himself but for Daniel’s sake.

What a powerful prayer model for us today.

Conclusion/TL; DR

Scripture should prompt us to confess our sin and petition the Lord in very specific ways
Daniel received an immediate and elaborate response through an illumination of the Scripture he read
Confession is not limited to acknowledging our sins, but praising God's character in contrast to our sin
In Daniel's situation, the sin was especially concerning because God had given them many warnings and yet they failed to repent
Even when the Israelites failed to repent, God still kept his promise; yet, Daniel still felt the need to pray
While many other peoples faced Babylon's conquest, Daniel viewed Israel's situation as unique because their status was a reflection of God's glory (at least, in his mind)
Even though God knew his prayer requests, Daniel earnestly prayed to God and prayed in the most "persuasive" appeal possible—God's concern for himself
God never "needed" to restore Israel for his reputation to be upheld, but paradoxically took those prayers seriously—was that really for his sake or for the requester's sake?
Even though Daniel's prayer was God-focused (both his confession and petition), Daniel knew Israel would benefit the most when God's glory was exalted. How true is that for us today!

One of my favorite biblical motifs! See Exo 32:12, Num 14:12-16, Josh 7:9, 2 Kings 9:19, Jer 14:7, 21; Psa 143:11, Psa 109:21, Psa 25:11, 1 Chr 16:35, etc.
Eleven imperatives and a second-person jussive in Hebrew

The Twelve Curses: Deuteronomy 27:15-26

2023-06-16T18:35:00.005-07:00

Everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments but have you ever heard of the “Twelve Curses?” Throughout the Bible, we see lists of the good we ought to do (like the fruit of the spirit, the beatitudes, various blessings, etc.) and sins that God abhors (woes against the Pharisees, seven abominations, etc).

In the closing portions of Deuteronomy, we find a list of twelve curses that have many similarities to the Ten Commandments. These specific curses were given to the Israelites alongside a lengthy description of punishments for breaking God’s law. While they function similarly to the Ten Commandments, they serve as an indictment against sinful behavior; warning what will happen if wrong is committed.

This curse tablet was discovered on Mount Ebal, the same mountain where the Israelites pronounced curses. Its discovery was announced in 2023, with research findings published in May of 2023.

The Curses

Idolatry

“Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of a craftsman–and sets it up in secret.” – Deuteronomy 27:15

The first and the last curse serve as bookends for the twelve curses, framing all the curses around God himself. The first curse is the lengthiest and most stern of them all, employing the strongest language. It refers to the practice of idol making as “an abomination” and as the “work of craftsman.” Both of these descriptions show God's hatred of it and its futility.“Setting it up in secret” concerns the heart—it is not improper public worship that is addressed but it is the private and secret kind that most intimately shows one’s heart before God.

Respect

The second and third curses concern respect for parental and property authority.

“Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.” – v. 16

Deuteronomy 27:16 and Exodus 21:17 have the same Hebrew language, so it is not necessarily referring to the Ten Commandments but to the death penalty for dishonoring parents.

“Anyone who curses is father or mother must surely be put to death.” – Exodus 21:17

The one who curses his parents will themselves be cursed.

The curse for moving a “neighbor’s boundary [stone]” originates from Deuteronomy 19:14, which uses the same Hebrew wording,

“You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.”

This curse is not just about a subtle theft, but about a disrespect to God’s property allotments. Not only would moving a boundary stone steal from one’s neighbor, it would take from one family's property to increase another's, in violation of God’s prescribed territory for each tribe and clan.

The Disadvantaged

The fourth and fifth curses are both related to the abuse of the disadvantaged.

“Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.” – v. 18
“Cursed is who withholds justice from a foreigner, orphan, or widow.” – v. 19

Allowing blind people to wander means they will get lost, hurt themselves, or even be attacked. Not granting justice to the foreigner, orphan, and widow is a catch-all for all social injustices — anyone who is in God’s “protected class”, those who cannot fend for themselves, all deserve fair treatment. Unfair treatment means they suffer with no one to defend them. God hates when the weak are abused because their helplessness adds to the cruelty of the mistreatment.

Sexual Deviancy

The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth curses (verses 20–23) pertain to deviant sexual sins. What is striking is that they encompass a third of the twelve curses. These curses are not adultery or general fornication but are all related to incest, except the one about bestiality — all are considered especially perverted because they are unnatural. In regards to incest, these curses seem to beat a dead horse, singling out incest with one’s mother (“father’s wife”), with one’s sister or sister-in-law, and with one’s mother-in-law as separate curses.

The curse for incest with a father’s wife is particularly important because it is the only of the twelve curses that indicates why a person who does this is cursed.

“Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s nakedness [skirt].” – v. 20

Murder

The tenth and eleventh curses are about murder.

“Curses be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.” – v. 24
“Curses be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.” – v. 25

The first pertains to a secret murder. Even if a murderer were never discovered, the murderer would be still be cursed. God is the harbinger of curses when the community is unable to enforce the law. The second pertains to murder-for-hire. By taking a bribe to shed the blood of an innocent person, the murderer takes on a guilty conscience. This is distinct from murder out of pure rage, but murder for financial gain; the murdered person’s life is worth the price of a bribe.

So What?

The question to ask about these twelve curses is why were these particular curses chosen? As the final curse (verse 26) makes clear, these curses are not all encompassing but are representative of all accursed behaviors.

“Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.”

It is not simply those who do the prohibited things that are cursed, but those who do not obey God’s law are cursed.

These curses may highlight sins the Israelites struggled with more than others or the ones God hated the most. Their relevance is primarily for the Israelites, but it begs a question for us today — what curses would be pronounced for our society? Perhaps the content would be different, but the heart would be the same.

Would we be guilty of disrespecting our parents? Yes. Would we be guilty of exploiting others? Yes. Would we be guilty of unnatural sexual behaviors? Yes. Would we be guilty of disregarding others’ lives? Yes. Would we be guilty of sacrilege? Yes.

Perhaps these curses were not meant for us. But should we expect God’s favor when we do what he called accursed thousands of years ago?

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV

His Bride and His Body for Himself: Ephesians 5:21–33

2023-04-29T11:10:00.001-07:00

One of the most famous and powerful descriptions of the church is as the bride of Christ. This popular image comes from Ephesians 5 and is alluded to throughout Scripture (a fascinating book on this topic is God’s Unfaithful Wife: A Biblical Theology of Spiritual Adultery).

In this section of Ephesians, beginning in verse 21 (or verse 15, or perhaps verse 1, or even 4:25), Paul writes on submission in human relationships — while there are distinct individuals in every relationship described (marriage, slavery, families), they are to love the other person as if they were the same person. Here he talks about the relationship between husband and his wife, but he is primarily talking about Jesus and the church,

“This mystery [marriage] is great, however, I speak to Christ and to the church.” – Ephesians 5:32

Head of His Body

“ …Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ…” – 23-24a ESV

Here the image of a “head” is not the English idiom, like in “head of state”, or “head of the accounting department.” “Head” is about a physical head on a physical “body.” A person’s head is what distinguishes them. Someone cannot be identified nor related to a body part, but rather through their face. The church derives its very essence from Christ, having no identity apart from him. The church is to submit to Jesus’ control in the same way a body enacts what is desired by the brain in the head.

Saved for Himself

The metaphor seems to break where Christ not only is the anatomical head of his own body, but is the savior of it. We see this elaborated in verses 25–27,

“[a.] Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [b.] in order that he might sanctify her, [a.] having cleansed her by the washing of water in the word, [b.] so that he might present to himself the church in glory, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things but that it would be holy and blameless.”

Here we see both purpose and method. Jesus gave himself up for the sake of his love for the church. He did this by “cleaning her by the washing of water [noun] in the word”, which in this context, was his act of giving himself up — his sacrificial death. The reason that Jesus cleansed his church and gave himself up for her was so that the church would be holy. This involves the removal of things that are bad and the establishment of things that are good. While the sanctification of the church is “for her”, it really is for Jesus’ benefit because he can “present to himself the church in glory.”

“In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” – 28

While the above verse is speaking mostly about husbands and wives, it is integral to understanding Paul’s argument about Jesus and the church. By using the connector, “in the same way” (Οὕτως ὀφείλουσιν), Paul is inferring that Jesus’ act of making the church holy is him loving his own body.

One Flesh Forever

He then goes on to drive this nail in further,

“For no one at any time hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, for we are members of his body.” – 29

If a husband should love his wife as his own body, Christ loves his wife that is his body. Jesus and his body were always meant to be united, he wouldn’t abandon his own body to starvation, or to be left permanently stained by sin’s dirtiness.

“ ‘Because of this, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and two of them will be into one flesh.’ “ – 31, quoting Genesis 2:24

The marriage metaphor shows that Jesus didn’t simply die to rescue the Church, but to be fully intimate with the church. When a husband and wife enter into matrimony, they can be effectively treated as one person though originally separate. The sexual, relational, and “legal” intimacy of a married couple is a lesser kind of intimacy than what every Christian, collectively (not just individually), will experience with Jesus.

Adam called Eve the “flesh of my flesh and bones of my bones” because Eve was literally made from his body and she was made for Adam¹. Our rescue doesn’t just benefit us — Jesus can say we are his flesh and his bones; we are the physical presence of Jesus on this earth and we were made for him to cherish forever.

TL; DR

Not only do we benefit from our Salvation, but Jesus benefits because he gets to please himself through our holiness forever
Jesus died that his church would be holy. This involves the removal of all of our dirty stains.
Jesus didn’t just die so that we would be saved, but so we would be truly intimate with him
“Two will be one flesh” is ultimately about Jesus and the church. Marriage is shown here, but as as lesser human reality to the greater spiritual reality

^1. Expositor’s Greek Testament, note on Ephesians 5:30. Some manuscripts actually say, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.”

The Church's Collective Purpose: Oneness with Jesus, Ephesians 4:11-16

2023-01-31T16:46:00.002-08:00

What is the purpose of our lives, together as the entire church? Yes, we are to “love God and people” (Matt 22:37-39) and to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19), but these are commands for Christians, not purpose statements. These are the actions by which we live out our purpose on earth but are not the same as our eternal purpose in itself (directly).

The end goal of all Christians is to be “one with God”, or to have “union with Christ.” This is a major motif throughout Paul’s writing and is made the “clearest” in Ephesians. While reading the whole of Ephesians is the best way to grasp God’s vision of “oneness” with him, Ephesians 4:11-16 is one of the clearest passages on this as applied to the church,

"[Jesus gave] [church leaders] towards the fitness of the saints for the work of ministry for the building of the body of Christ, until we all may arrive at unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of God, into mature manhood [and] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children…being sea-tossed by every wind of teaching . . .rather, speaking the truth in love we should grow into him, in all things, who is the head – Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, the body grows so that it builds itself up in love." – Ephesians 4:11-16

A Collective Purpose

At the ascension (and Pentecost) Jesus set the work of the church into motion through spiritual gifts to make us capable for the manufacture of his church. The building of Christ’s body is ongoing but it is not indefinite; ministry goes on,

“Until we all may arrive at [1.] unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of God, [2.] into mature manhood, [3.] and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” – 4:13

The church’s work ceases when the end goal is met, whether ministry work leads to the goal being met or the goal is arrived at regardless. The Greek syntax of “until” indicates certainty¹. While an ideal is expressed (‘all may arrive”), the ideal will be fulfilled (and isn’t presently); it is a matter of when the goal will be met.

The church’s end goal is one arrived at collectively. Like most statements in New Testament epistles, this is not addressed to individuals but to the church collectively. Arrival at the end goal happens together with all Christians, not as a separate event for each believer.

The destination for collective arrival is: unity and complete maturity (two parts of one goal).

Collective unity is manifested through a faith and a knowledge, both of which are “of the son of God.” When a trust-commitment and full understanding of who Jesus is are expressed together by all believers together, then we have met our goal. No individual will have a greater or lesser faith or knowledge of Christ than another; in fact, we will share in these things with Jesus himself, not just about him.

Oneness with God also means we will have complete maturity, “into complete/perfect manhood” and into the “stature of the fullness” of Christ; just like Jesus was a perfect man needing no self-improvement so we will not need any more growth. We will also have the same “build” and “height” that Jesus has —figuratively speaking, this means we will look just like him. All of these things are not just future states for individuals but is the future state of Christianity as a whole

Fullness of Christ

“We should grow up into him in all things who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” – 15-16

Verses 15 and 16 repeat the same idea as verses 11 through 13 with a deeper picture of oneness in Christ. It is clear that the church does consist of individual Christians; “every joint” and “each part.” We are only progressing towards oneness when every Christian is participating in ministry work. The main thrust of this passage is not about individuals but about all Christians together in Jesus.

Christ is called the “head” of all things, in which the “whole body” builds itself up in and through. We strive to arrive at the “fullness” of Christ and as verse 10 says,

“[he] ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.”

When Ephesians (and the rest of Scripture) talks about union with Christ, it is talking about the intimate relationship with God we will have forever. How exactly this manifests itself is a mystery. Everything in existence will be as it is meant to be, as it is “filled” by Christ’s nature. Scripture does not say that we become God himself but rather become like him in his nature; able to relate and submit to him fully without any barrier.

What Now….? Benefits for Today

While the church progresses closer to this reality everyday, the goal has not and will not be met until Christ returns². That being said, our movement towards this state does have a practical impact today (sanctification).

In this passage, there are two results (but it is nuanced in other ways thorough Scripture)

Restorative

“So that we may no longer be infants, being tossed by the waves and being carried about by every wind of teaching in the cunning of men, in craftiness, with a view to the scheming of deceit.” – 14

As we all work towards unity with and maturity in Christ, false doctrine will have less of an impact on us. While the false teaching will continue to impact the body until “we all arrive”, there is a hope of present transformation. This verse implies that the Ephesians then were led astray by false teaching as many Christians are today. However, this verse is not about rebuke, it is about hope — while we must continue to deal with the harm of humans’ schemes upon the church, we can always work towards freedom from them.

Positive

“Speaking the truth in love, however, we should grow up into him in all things….” – 15

The result of collectively growing in Christlikeness, is that we will share the truth with others (active) rather than allowing ourselves to be affected by others’ lies (passive). If the church is growing into the fullness of Jesus, it will be a source of influence rather than being influenced by the world.

In verse 15, sharing the truth in love is in the present tense — Paul expected the Ephesians to be truth-sharing in the present moment as they work towards the ideal of consummation with Christ (subjunctive).

Conclusion

Our journey to become one with God is one that requires the individuals to participate as seen in verse 16. Yet, the primary emphasis of this passage is that it is a collective journey. This extends beyond the “church” of any nationality but applies to the entire global church. This end is achieved mainly through obedience to God in “ministry work.” Christ enables this work everyday through church leadership, but the work is done by the body and not mainly by the leaders.

This passage should not be taken too literally — it is not saying that one Christian’s disobedience stops God’s plan, but it is saying that Christian’s should approach their lives as if their disobedience will prevent this. It is all about the ideal; the goal that we strive for, happens by means of each Christian obeying God in the world. As we do this to the best of our ability, in whatever amount of us are at a given time, we will influence the world instead of the world influencing us, we will share common commitment and understanding of God, and we will all be even more mature.

TL; DR

While loving people and spreading the Gospel is our task on earth, these things will cease when we reach unity with Christ
The ministry of work of every Christian, tooled by church leaders, is the means by which we seek unity with Christ
We arrive at unity collectively, not individually. Unity consists of, sharing with Christ, a knowledge and faith-commitment of who he is, and resembling his perfection
Jesus Christ completes existence – our intimacy with him will be close we are said to be "as one" with him
As we collectively seek unity, false teaching will inhibit the church less
As we collectively seek unity, we will influence others with the truth rather than allowing lies to influence us

^{1. Meyer’s NT Commentary and Expositor’s Greek New Testament suggest that the lack of untranslated ἄν before μέχρι indicate “the thought of conditioning circumstances is remote front he apostle’s mind,” (Meyer) and (less strongly), “it doubtful whether much may be made of the unconditioned μέχρι here. The absence of ἄν, however, and the use of the subj., seem to point to the event as expected, and not as a mere hypothetical possibility” (Expositor’s).}

^{2. This is a theological parallel: Christ initiated the process towards unity with him via his ascension, as presented in Ephesians. Likewise, Christ completes the process towards unity via his return, the second descension.}

Do Some Have Better Spiritual Gifts?

2022-12-30T10:35:00.004-08:00

Does it ever feel like people you know are more “spiritual” than you are? Like they have more opportunities to influence people for God’s kingdom than you do? Do you ever struggle with the comparison game: “if I had more charisma, I could lead more people to Christ,” or, “why can they understand the Bible so easily and I can’t”, or even “they must be a better Christian than I am, look at all their talents they can serve the church with!”

The struggle in comparing ourselves to others is a legitimate one that everyone faces—even the people who appear the “most talented” or “most spiritual” can struggle with this. Does God really bestow better spiritual gifts to some and not others?

The answer is both yes and no.

Differing Gifts

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith. . .” – Romans 12:3-6

It is true that God has given some abilities and aptitudes that may be more influential and helpful to larger amounts of people. This is the clear from 1 Corinthians’ passage on spiritual gifts:

“Earnestly desire the greater gifts [leadership]” – 12:31

and,

“. . .Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. . . the one who speaks in tongues builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.” – 14:1, 4

This is also found in the Parable of the Sower,

“[Some seeds] fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty.” – Matthew 13:8

In 1 Corinthians, Paul makes it clear that some spiritual gifts should be “sought” after more than others. While spiritual abilities are given and chosen by God, we are to ask and seek out those gifts. God may confirm or deny those gifts in us. The reason that leadership and teaching gifts are to be sought more than others is that they will benefit the body in a greater way than other gifts (such as speaking in tongues).

In the Parable of the Sower, the “seeds”, the Gospel as received in a person’s heart, vary in their reproductive output. All the seeds yield fruit, or create a spiritual effect, but some produce a hundred more than the original, some sixty times and some thirty times. Some do bear more fruit than others.

A Measure of Faith

In Romans 12, Paul says that everyone has a “measure of faith” (v. 3) which is then defined as spiritual gifts. In cooking, a measure is a specific and defined amount of an ingredient. This same concept can be applied to “faith”, not referring to salvation but to spiritual gifts. They are “alloted”, or given separately out of all the parts; there is a separation from one’s measure of faith to another’s.

Everyone's spiritual gifts are of a different measure—just like these measuring spoons.

One’s “separation” of spiritual gifts can be understood both in kind (“gifts that differ”; v. 6, “not all members have the same function”; v. 4) and amount. God does not give everyone the same spiritual gifts — one measurement is different from another; gifts are exercised “accordingly” based upon what one has. A measure could also mean one person could have leadership or publicly exercised gifts that another person doesn’t.

According to His Ability

But why would God give someone a “greater” gift than another?

“To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent — each according to his own ability.” – Matthew 25:15

This verse from the Parable of the Talents illustrates an important point developed throughout Scripture, people’s abilities differ! Not everyone is made to be a pastor that touches the lives of many, a great evangelist, or even an outgoing small group leader.

But why?

There is a mystery to why God assigns us all different talents, circumstances and limitations. Asking why may be the wrong question. When the Apostles asked about Jesus’ special plans for John he told them,

“If it is my will that he remains until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” – John 21:22

The master in the parable expected results from the servants based upon what he had given them, not in comparison to what he gave the others (Matt 25:20-23). Our concern should not be for how God gifted other people but how he gifted you. You may not be destined for greatness but you are destined for faithfulness!

Value in All Gifts for the Church

With all of this in mind, Paul tells believers not to consider themselves more highly than they ought (Rom. 12:3) — those bestowed with more public gifts are not to think of themselves as better than those with less public gifts (likewise, the opposite is true). Rather, each person should be concerned with how to exercise their ministry in accordance with their talents.

The primary purpose of spiritual gifts is for the church to be blessed. Peter writes that gifts are for serving others (1 Pet. 4:10) and Paul explains that leadership gifts are for building up Christ’s body (Eph. 4:12). Spiritual gifts are not about us as in me but us as in we. When we ask why others have more influential gifts, or we feel pride about our nature, we turn them into something that is about our own elevation and not for the church’s benefit.

While some gifts have more influence, the “spiritual gifts passages” in the New Testament are abundantly clear that no one is better than another because of their blessings from the spirit. Equality is not synonymous to equivalence; we are all the same in essence as Christ’s bought body but differ in substance (function).

Even if some gifts do benefit more people, all gifts have a benefit to God’s kingdom—your gift is of necessity, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem!

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.” – Matthew 25:23

TL; DR

Certain people are gifted in ways to have a greater influence in God's kingdom—it is okay to ask God for "greater gifts."
Our concern should not be for how God gifted other people but for our faithfulness in what God has gifted us—you may not be destined for greatness but you are destined for faithfulness!
God wisely gifts us according to what suits us; not everyone is suited to a public or high-impact leader but everyone can make a difference
The purpose of spiritual gifts is not self-fulfilment but the betterment of the church—they're about us as in we not us as in me
All spiritual gifts, regardless of their influence or visibility, are valuable in the church

Words of My Mouth and Meditation of My Heart: Psalm 19:11-14

2022-12-04T19:25:00.005-08:00

Psalm 19 is one of the most popular psalms in the psalter.

It beautifully speaks about creation declaring God’s glory and the value of God’s revelation for his followers. While most of the psalm is objective, focusing its attention on describing what is outside of the speaker, it becomes subjective as it closes in focusing on the speaker himself.

The closing lines to Psalm 19 connect what is external to the psalmist (God’s word) to what is internal in the psalmist, his own sin.

Verse 11 marks a shift from describing what God’s word is to how it impacts the poet (representing all believers).

“Moreover, by them is your servant warned [illuminated];
in keeping them there is great [positive consequence].” – Psalm 19:11

The law of God illuminates the best way to live and it creates positive life effects. The psalm then leaves God’s law as its direct topic and moves to what the law is implied to reveal, personal sin.

Secret Sin

First, the psalms speaks of secret sins,

“Who can discern errors? Clean me from secrets.” – 12

This could refer to sins that a person does in secret from others or sins unknown to a person themselves. The answer to the rhetorical question, “who can discern errors?” is God, showing that the nature of sin is unable to grasped — a frightening and frustrating reality.

This is why the psalmist asks to be cleansed from secrets. While we may be unaware of some of our sins, they are still transgressions against God; sins unknown to us can be sin by omission (failing to do what is right; James 4:17) or intentional sins we are acutely unaware of. The only way to rid of those sins is for an outside source to clean us. (See Psalm 139:23-24 and blog post.) Be careful if you think you have your sin under control (1 Cor 10:12, 1 John 1:8)!

Outright Sin

Second, the psalm speaks of the outright sins,

“Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have rule over me. Then I shall be clean and faultless from great transgression.” – 13

These sins are obvious to ourselves or to others. They are not deceptive, secret sins but they can be just as dangerous, if not moreso. While the psalmist needs to be cleansed from what he is unaware of, he needs to be held back from his outright sins—God must intervene and prevent him from doing these sins. The speaker then asks God to prevent these sins from ruling over him.

Secret sins can pollute our heart and outright sins can rule our lives. When we knowingly engage in the same sins or make deliberate actions, they will rule over our hearts. When God acts and prevents sin’s tyranny over us, we can be innocent and faultless of great evil.

Pleasing Words and Thoughts

Aware of both secret and outright sins, the psalmist closes with a petition,

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be accepted in your sight, O Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer.”

The request is for his mouth’s words and his heart’s meditation to please God. This holistically encompasses all of our conduct—words involve what we say to others and the heart’s meditation is what we dwell on. The psalmist needs both his outward and internal activities to be pure—both must be present to truly please God.

When speaking of Yahweh as “my rock and my redeemer” the psalmist refers to his personal relationship with God. Yahweh is not just a sturdy rock or a redeemer, he is these things to the psalmist personally. A personal God enables change in one's personal speech and thoughts.

While it demands action on the part of the speaker (ourselves), the conclusion of the psalm is also asking God to act on our behalf. Sometimes, asking God to work on our behalf is the means by which we are able to change on God’s behalf. This makes verse 14 an extremely powerful prayer, one that should govern our lives and be woven into constant prayer.

While verses 12 and 13 are about God working against negative qualities, verse 14 is about God working towards positive qualities. The reward of God’s word in verse 11 is the positive qualities of verse 14.

This psalm was intended for all of God’s people to read and reflect upon together. Put yourself in the shoes of the psalmist: contemplate your secret and known sins, ask for God to intervene in both, and then ask him to make your thoughts and words pleasing to him. Read the psalm in its entirety and consider how God’s word has power to bring this about in our lives.

TL; DR

In verse 11, Psalm 19 transitions from the Word of God objectively to a first-person subjective address about personal sin
Only God fully grasps sin—some of us is hidden from others or even ourselves
Both outright sin and secret sin need an outside solution to solve the problem: God's work (through Christ)
Asking God to work on our behalf is the means by which we are able to change on God’s behalf. This makes verse 14 an extremely powerful prayer, one that should govern our lives and be woven into constant prayer.

Jude's 3 Evangelism Tips (22–23)

2022-11-09T20:22:00.001-08:00

Jude’s epistle is a short letter addressed to all Christians, imploring them to fight for the true Gospel against false teachers who have infiltrated the church. While originally wanting to address the doctrine of Salvation (verse 3), the circumstances of the day compelled Jude to write a letter of warning.

Toward the end of his letter, Jude switches from addressing the problem of false teachers to how Christians should behave (verses 17 and 20). Specifically, Jude gives some tips for reaching people who are not connected with God, potentially those who have been led astray by these false teachers,

“And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” - Jude 22–23

Here, Jude is presenting a plan to engage three groups of those disengaged with Christ. This plan is not surefire a guarantee of their salvation, but the means by which we obey God’s will in an effort for them to be saved.

While we will not see all (even most) be saved in living out God’s plan, this is our role to play. Though only God saves and exercises his sovereignty, our obedience is not invalidated. Our concern must be our responsibility knowing God will handle his.

Three groups are addressed in verses 22 and 23,

“Doubters” or “distinguishers”
People “already in the fire”
Those with flesh-stained lives (immersed in their sin)

For each of these groups, Jude gives us an action step to reach them. All of the action-steps are present imperative active verbs — they are continuous, ongoing commands that are to be obeyed in the now, not an event for the future.

Loving the Doubters

“Have mercy on those who doubt. . .” - 22

The first group, the doubters, or even the skeptics, are literally the “thorough judges” — they carefully consider everything they hear. This could be interpreted in two ways: they could be believers who are “doubting” or struggling with their faith, or they could be “seekers” who are considering Christ but have reservations.

The command here is to “have mercy!” Our natural tendency can be to judge the doubting Christian — “they should know better!” — or we think of the seeker, “where’s their commitment?” While these sentiments have echoes of the truth, God asks us to show them undeserved kindness. Rather than thoroughly judging the thorough judges, we must remember that they need gentleness. Just like God shows mercy to us (see verse 21), we must mercy the one on shaky ground.

Rescuing those Trapped in Fire

“Save [them], snatching them out of the fire” - 23a

The second group are those who need immediate rescue, those “already in the fire.” For the second group, the command is to save them. In so doing, you will be snatching them from the fire. While the lost have not yet encountered God’s wrath, it is as if they are already experiencing this in their rejection of him.

© Boston 25 News

While God ultimately saves, he asks us to yank people from the flames of their sin. God’s work is mysterious, but the action our part is to intervene — redirect people out of sin and into God’s love. Get them out of the heat so they can gain composure and be cooled by God’s love.

This implies some sort of action that challenges a sinful lifestyle, not out of harshness, but to alert the person of the danger from continual exposure to fire.

It is easy to neglect the importance of directly presenting the message of God’s love against the reality of justice for our sinful behaviors.

All of this is easier said than done.

Fearing the Unashamed

We must be weary of the last group,

“Show [them] mercy in fear, hating even the simple garment that has been stained by the flesh.” - 23b

We can’t get too close — we must hate lifestyles of sin and their side effects. Clearly we are not to hate the sinners, the command is still to give them undeserved kindness. The difference between this group and the other two, however, is that their sin reeks — it is impossible to stand near without inhaling the stench. These are people who sin not just unashamedly but do so proudly.

Kindness is paramount, but red flags indicate danger. This group practices sin that is highly contagious. Their ways are so dangerous that “even” the cheapest clothes (chiton) with a stain from evil must be avoided. Caution is expected, as the end of verse 23 implies peril if we fail to avoid the flesh-stained garment. The implication is that getting too close to sinful lifestyles may inevitably pollute our own walks with the Lord and cause us harm. While great effort should be made in reaching the lost, it cannot come at the cost of our own personal holiness. However, we often struggle with the opposite problem — we avoid everyone who sins.

Jesus spent time with those considered taboo, snatching people from the fire and mercying the doubtful. He was kind to the bold sinners, but maintained an appropriate distance as to avoid the appearance of evil and the endorsement of such.

Identifying whether someone is in this group requires discernment.

Conclusion

These commands are merely the starting point. They simply tell us what to do and for whom but not how to do it. Applying these commands are highly situational and circumstantial, requiring interpersonal and spiritual discernment.

However, these specifics are not about burdening us with identifying “the proper method” of determining which group someone belongs to. The specificity of these action-steps can add helpful nuance to our evangelism.

These commands are about helping the lost, not burdening the saved.

TL; DR

Jude gives these commands as helpful tips to target specific groups, not as burdens
These tips demonstrate a nuance in our evangelistic responsibility. While God ultimately saves, it does not invalidate our obedience.
We should show kindness to those weak in their faith, not judge
We must redirect people trapped in their sin into God's arms
Avoid allowing the sin of those we share with to affect our own walks
Implementing these tips requires spiritual and interpersonal discernment

What is Truth?

2022-08-20T15:46:00.015-07:00

Introduction

We see the word "liar" and "lie" bantered about by many from all sides. When opinion is shared, or a story from current events is published, "fact-checkers" come out with the context, or sometimes just opposing opinions to counter the story. So, can we know the truth?

When Jesus was on trial for blasphemy, disguised as "treason", Pilate asked "Are you a king?". Jesus answered that he was, and that his purpose was to "bear witness to the truth". Pilate reacted, saying, "What is truth?" (John 18:37-38). Jesus remained quiet, but earlier he had told his disciple Thomas, when he had asked, "How can we know the way?", that "I (Jesus) am the way, the truth, and the life"(John 14:5-6). Later, in praying for his disciples shortly before his betrayal and trial, Jesus prayed to the Father: "Sanctify [my disciples] through the truth: Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

But, what does the Bible say about "truth"? In the coming weeks, I will be going through the Bible, starting with Genesis, and explore the words associated with "truth". In this way we can know the nature of truth; and thereby be able to better combat the lies and the liars which we encounter.

The Study

First, the Hebrew words for "truth" and "true": אֱמֶת (emeth) and אָמַן (aman). We know the last as our word "Amen", a transliteration of the Greek word borrowed from the Hebrew. The first of these words, אֱמֶת, is used 127 times in the Old Testament. The KJV translates it 92 times as "truth", 18 as "true", 7 as "truly" and 11 times as other related words. The Biblical usage is as follows:

firmness, faithfulness, truth (noun)

sureness, reliability
stability, continuance
faithfulness, reliableness
truth

in truth, truly (adverb)

The root word from which "truth" comes is אָמַן, "aman" ("Amen"), a verb. It is used 44 times as "believe" and 20 times to indicate being "faithful". In all, it is used 108 times. This is how the KJV uses the word:

I. to support, confirm, be faithful

A. (Qal)

i. to support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, nourish

a. foster-father (subst.)

b. foster-mother, nurse

c. pillars, supporters of the door

B. (Niphal)

i. to be established, be faithful, be carried, make firm

a. to be carried by a nurse

b. made firm, sure, lasting

c. confirmed, established, sure

d. verified, confirmed

e. reliable, faithful, trusty

C. (Hiphil)

i. to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in

a. stand firm

b. trust, believe

I look forward to this journey toward the truth about Truth! And please, leave a comment.

The Lost Art of Honoring Your Parents: Deuteronomy 5:16

2022-08-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

What it does mean to “honor your parents?”

In western society, this phrase may feel outdated, antiquated, and irrelevant. As believers in God’s Word, we know the Lord repeatedly admonishes us to honor our father and mother. Yet, our society gives us a different message, making it difficult to decipher how this applies in today’s world.

“Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.” — Exodus 20:12

Deuteronomy 5:16 elaborates upon this in more detail,

“Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.”

A Weighty Ask

The Hebrew word for honor means, “to give weight to”, or “to consider heavy.”

When you add weight to an object, like weights to a barbell, it makes it more difficult to carry but also more important to carry. If you carry a heavy weight incorrectly, it can lead to injury or damage to the object. We should put effort into how we treat our parents as if we were carrying a heavy item.
We like to equate “honor” with obedience, but it extends far beyond that as the “Corban episode” demonstrates,

“For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” – Matthew 15:406 (cf. Mark 7:10–13)

Jesus says that obedience without true concern for parents is not true honor.

Honoring your parents is not just a reactive obedience but a proactive esteem.

Is it Still Relevant?

“Honor” is a culturally loaded term. Back in those days (and for many eastern cultures today) honor and shame were socially essential. It was vital for a family to have honor to avoid ostracization and embarrassment. The conduct of the children could bring shame upon the entire family (though the Old Testament makes clear that every person is responsible for their own sin).

Furthermore, God makes clear that honoring one’s parents would lead to prosperity in “the land [Canaan; Promised Land] Yahweh is giving you.” This is specifically about Israel.

Yet, Ephesians 6 makes it very clear that “honor your parents” is still applicable today.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord [in Christ], for this is right.‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’ ” — Ephesians 6:1–3

Paul gives this command along with many others pertinent to relational unity within the Church. He makes clear that the promises of this command are still principles today.

Tangible Benefits

“. . . that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” — Deuteronomy 5:16b

The promised benefits of honoring our parents are portrayed as cause and effect: honoring parents (cause) leads to long days (effect) and a pleasing life (effect).

These can be understood in two ways:

The activity of honoring parents inherently leads to a better life
God spiritually blesses us in ways that may not be fully realized

Recognizing the value (or weight) of our parents in our lives will generally lead to better outcomes (this does not mean submitting to abuse or other ungodliness). Regardless of our position before our parents (whether we live with them or not) God has generally ordained them with wisdom and authority about situations in our lives. Obeying them will allow us to reap benefits from God embedded in their wisdom.

Respecting them and listening to them shows that we care and promote harmony in the relationship—we can often avoid the strife that has plagued countless people who have had broken parental relationships.

Living a well-mannered life, one that would bring honor to our family name (and not shame it) will lead to better results overall. Society benefits as a whole when people are honoring their parents.

At the very least, honoring our parents will not cause us any harm (if applied correctly). These things are true even for nonbelievers.

Intrinsic Rewards

God promised the people of Israel their lives would be prolonged and they would experience prosperity in the land. We do not inhabit the land of Canaan—God had a special promise for the Israelites who would honor their parents. While they would receive the land of Canaan regardless, each person could choose whether they would receive God’s best available blessings—a longer life, a flourishing society, and success in their endeavors compared to life experienced in Egypt (and the Sinai desert).

For us today, the inherent benefits of proactively esteeming our parents are general principles but not guarantees. God graciously tells us why we should esteem our parents and gives us inherent incentives. Even if we honor our parents we may not experience a long life or have prosperity in our ways. Regardless, God will spiritually bless us in ways that may not be realized in this life.
Yet, our motivation to consider our parents highly goes beyond tangible benefits. As Scripture makes clear we,

“obey [our] parents in the Lord” (Eph 6:1a), “it pleases the Lord” (Col. 3:20) “as Yahweh your God commanded you.” (Det. 5:16).

What can be inferred from across Scripture is—we should seek to honor parents in the same way that we seek to honor God. Perhaps, the concept of honoring our parents is reciprocal to how we honor God: the more we honor our parents, the more we demonstrate we honor God. Inversely, if we honor God well we should seek a similar honor for our parents.

This honor is not synonymous but rather similar to the honor we have for God.

Honor is more than lip-service obedience. Honoring parents means assigning them great value and acting accordingly. This may manifest in ways that are counter-cultural in a world where honor and shame are much less considered. God asks us to honor our parents so that we may benefit—but our ultimate motivation is to model the esteem we hold for God in the way we esteem our parents.

As I need to grow in this, I pray we may all grow in highly esteeming our parents and resurrect the lost value of honor in our self-sufficient culture.

TL; DR

Honoring your parents is not just a reactive obedience but a proactive esteem
Though the command had cultural and theological implications specific to Israel, its essence and principles still apply to us
The activity of honoring parents inherently leads to a better life (generally)
When we honor our parents, God’s spiritual blessings may not be fully realized on Earth
We should honor our parents in a similar way to how we honor God

Why Hasn't Jesus Come Back Yet?

2022-06-21T19:51:00.005-07:00

One of Jesus’ pivotal teachings is that he would bring an end to the world as we know it.

Jesus made this promise over 2,000 years ago. The early church was convinced that Jesus’ return would be imminent because he said that he would be “coming soon” (Rev 22:12, 20).

Now here we are all this time later and Jesus still hasn’t returned. What’s the hold up? Why is there a delay?

What is so exciting is that Scripture gives us a direct, explicit answer to this very question; we don’t have to make an inference or an implication. Peter shares God’s direct answer to this question in the third chapter of his second letter.

The “Hold Up” — More to be Saved

The explicit answer is found in verse 9 (with some important context to strengthen his rhetoric),

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

It seems as if the Lord is taking a long time to return. Viewing this as a “delay” or a “holdup” really is misconstrued; it’s not a negative delay as much as it is positive, patient waiting.

The verse says that it seems as if the Lord is slow to return, because he is patiently waiting for his wish to be fulfilled, “that all should reach repentance.”

This verse, alongside other verses like Ezekiel 18:23, shows that God does not want anyone to experience his wrath but he truly wants all to be saved.

God has not yet returned because he is waiting for more to be saved. This verse does not say that all will be saved but rather he wishes that all should repent and that none should perish. As verse 7 says,

“Stored up for fire, [ . . .] kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly”

And,

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. . .and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” v. 10

In God’s control and people’s own wills, God waits to return so that all who will be saved shall be saved. Its a simple but perplexing truth.

The Criticism — It Won’t Happen

We hear the critics’ voices that Jesus’ return won’t happen. Truthfully, we can believe them.

“Scoffers will come in the last days. . . [saying], ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep [previous generations died], all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” – 2 Peter 3:3a, 4

Peter says this criticism will (future tense) be in the “last days.” Therefore, the fact that we hear this criticism now means that it is the last days (arguably, the last days have been ongoing since Jesus came to Earth).

This criticism does make a valid point — Jesus said he would come back quickly. Though we know that it's more of God’s patience than it is a delay, why does it seem like that he delays?

“Do not overlook this one fact . . .that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” – 8

Ever hear this verse? This verse points out that God’s timetable does match ours, because he wishes and is waiting for more to be saved. His return is not delayed, but God is waiting for the appropriate time to return.

Contrast what Peter tells Christians not to overlook with what the critics do overlook,

“They deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago. . .the world that then existed was deluged [flooded] with water and perished. But by [the same token] the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment.” 5-7

In the same way that the Great Flood unexpectedly destroyed the world of Noah, God’s fire will unexpectedly destroy our present world. Critics ignore the fact that God’s judgment already has been ravaged against a world who believed life would carry on as it always has (Matt 24:37, Luke 17:26).

God’s end time judgment and return mirrors the judgment of the Great Flood. Christians should not be influenced by the skeptics but remember that God’s timing is not a hold up.

What Now? — Holy Living

Now that we know why the return hasn’t happened and have uncovered the accusations of skeptics, we beg the question, “what now”? What do we do in the meantime?

We are so blessed that this passage also tells us exactly what we should do while we wait. It is even more incredible that it tells us how we can spur the Lord’s return to occur sooner.

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be? [Live] in a holy manner of life and in godliness, expecting and hastening the coming of God’s day.” – 11

And,

“Since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” – 14

In one sense, this verse does not actually mean holy living and godliness will lead to God returning faster, but in another sense the verse means what it says. As we live holy lives, it displays that we are eagerly awaiting the return. If we are not living in holiness, it means we are not as eager for God’s return as we should be.

Living a holy life will also spur God on to bring about the finality of Salvation to a quicker outcome. God’s return is determined and controlled by him, but he also gives us an incentive for holiness—it will not only cause us to yearn (and mourn) that he has not returned, but it may actually make the time until his return pass by quicker.

TL; DR

God’s seeming delay to return is not a delay as much as it is patient waiting for the opportune time.

God has not returned yet in order that more would be saved, because he wants no one to perish (but not all will be saved, many will perish).

In the same way that the Great Flood unexpectedly interrupted people’s daily lives, God’s end time judgment will suddenly end life as we know it.

We can yearn for and spur on God to return sooner by living holy lives.

God's True Character: Exodus 34:6–7

2022-05-28T14:24:00.001-07:00

Who is God, or more specifically, Yahweh—God as defined and worshiped in the canon of the Bible?

Our instincts may lead us to the New Testament—the revelation of Jesus Christ. But how did the Hebrews (and later the Jews) understand who God was?

We hear of the supposed dichotomy between the “God of the Old Testament”—wrathful, punishing, and selective and the “God of the New Testament”—loving, merciful, and inclusive

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Yet one of the most important, if not the most important, thesis statements about God’s character in the entire Bible is found in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible/Tanakh). Its the most quoted verse within the Old Testament, Exodus 34:6–7:

“Yahweh, Yahweh, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

This verse clearly represents the two opposing but complementary parts of God’s nature, his mercy AND his judgment. The Gospel truths are evident in whom God revealed himself to be long before Christ's incarnation (but not fully blossomed until that point).The Yahwistic worshippers and the exilic Jews both had a valid recognition of Yahweh’s character.

Mercy and Judgement

In Exodus 34:6–7, we see the dual aspects of God’s personality: his mercy and his judgment.

He Describes Himself

In the first part of Yahweh’s declaration to Moses, he focuses on his character pertaining to himself,

“[I am] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love [hesed] and faithfulness. . .” (6).

God first says that is merciful and gracious. The word for merciful can also be translated as “compassionate,” while “slow to anger” refers to a slow countenance or a “long nose”¹(anthropomorphically speaking, God holds back facial expressions indicating anger; he does not display his anger quickly). The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” (which he abounds, or overflows in) is hesed, referring to the long-lasting fidelity of God’s covenant love with Israel.

Not only does the Lord proclaim to Moses who he is in himself, but he proclaims how he relates to people.

Relates to People: In Kindness

First, Yahweh describes how he deals with people in kindness,

“keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity² and transgression and sin. . .” (7a)

As Yahweh’s committed and faithful love overflows in his personhood, he maintains it towards “thousands”, a figurative way of saying “to many people”—as his hesed abounds in himself, it abounds outward to innumerous multitudes. As we will see with God’s justice, this statement is an inversion of Exodus 20:5–6 (from the Ten Commandments, speaking about idolatry),

“Showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (20: 6)

While God maintains his commitment to those who love and honor him, he also offers forgiveness² for “iniquity and transgression and sin.” Here we see an early expression of God’s grace. His abounding, steadfast love is aimed at those who love him—the love is mutual.

Relates to People: In Justice

Contrast this with how he deals with people in justice,

“. . .But who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (7a)

Notice 7a says God “forgiv[es] iniquity”, whereas here he “visit[s] iniquity”. These two parts are parallel, God forgives sin of all kinds—an extremely gracious act. Yet, it's clear that he is just. His forgiveness of sin does not invalidate his punishment of sin. God does not mercilessly punish sinners nor does he ignore their sin.

Looking back to Exodus 20:5, we see that God is specifically referring to punishing the sins of those who hate him:

“I Yahweh your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.”

In Exodus 20:6, God says he carries on his committed love to those who love him. In verse 5, he punishes those who hate him. These categories clarify Exodus 34:6–7: God’s dealings with people relate more to their heart attitudes towards him than to their mishaps. He is unlike the gods of other nations who smite for every mishap but also turn a blind eye to egregious evil.

The last contrast to notice is that he maintains his love to thousands while punishing the third and fourth generation of sinners. The point here is that God’s love to the obedient, far outweighs his wrath towards the disobedient. The obedience receive unlimited blessing, the disobedient receive particular punishment.

The Context

What prompted such a character statement?

This verse, while rightfully revered in its singularity, is intricately wrapped in the surrounding story.

Moses had led the Israelites, under God’s guidance, out of Egypt and to Mount Sinai. There he received God’s law, specifically the Ten Commandments. While Moses was separated from the Israelites on Mount Sinai for an extended period of time, the people doubted that he would return. So, the Israelites decided to create an object of worship, the Golden Calf, and sought it as their new source of divine guidance.

This angered Yahweh and he wanted to punish Israel, but Moses interceded and God abated the worst of his wrath to destroy Israel. However, the Lord informed Moses that he would not guide Israel with his presence like he did on the trip to Mount Sinai.

“I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” Exo. 33:2–3

This startled Moses and he asked God, “Please, send your presence with us” and Yahweh agreed to do so—demonstrating both his wrath and his compassion.

Moses then asked to see God’s glory, his raw glory; Yahweh said,

“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, ‘Yahweh.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But, you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (33:20)

Conclusion

As God declares Exodus 34:6–7 to Moses, he must physically shield Moses from his presence behind a rock, however, this statement assures Moses and all of Israel that his presence is with them. While the Israelites had forsaken God’s plan and abandoned their leader, Yahweh still chooses to send his presence with them. He threatened to remove his presence in his wrath, but then chose to accompany them in a compassionate way: both the mercy and justice of God are on full display from the get-go.

When you think about the Lord, how do you conceive of him? A God of Justice? A God of Mercy? Or is there a sense of both? Why is it important for us to remember both parts of his character?—focus on one but not the other is a less than complete understanding of who God is. He makes it one-hundred percent clear who he is.

In the future, we'll explore instances in which this verse is quoted throughout the Old Testament and how it informed the Israelites' understanding of God in various situations (and how we can apply this in our own situations). This passage rivals the shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–5) in its importance to the Hebrew people.

Citations

1. The Compassionate But Punishing God, Nathan C. Lane, p. 28. A doctoral dissertation adapted into a monograph which traces allusions to the verse throughout the Old Testament. This book focuses on a historical-critical methodology rather than a historical-grammatical exegesis (full disclosure: I did not read the entirety of the book prior to publishing this post).

2. Literally, “carries away” (Lane, 29)

3. The Naked Bible Podcast, "Exodus 33–34", Michael Heiser. Highly recommended podcast by a thorough and solidly evangelical scholar.

Consolation for all Israel

2022-01-29T12:50:00.002-08:00

A month has past since the world celebrated the birth of Christ. But the birth of any child is but a moment. What was the purpose of the coming of Jesus into this sin-cursed world? Two moments after the birth of Jesus set the course for his life's work. The first was his circumcision eight days after his birth. At that time, his name was confirmed by a priest to be "Jesus" (Gr. Yesou, Heb. Yeshuah), which means "The LORD saves". The name was familiar to all Jews as the hero who lead the people in conquering Canaan, the land promised to Abraham. It was a name given to countless boys in hopes that they would grow up to be the one to deliver them from tyrannical empire builders like the Caesars of Rome. On the eighth day a new week begins. How appropriate that the eighth day of Christmas is our secular "New Year's Day".

The second moment, required by the Law, was the sacrifice at the temple on behalf of the child when its mother became ceremonially clean. For a boy, this was on the fortieth day. As January comes to a close, we come close to the "fortieth" day of Christmas (February 2). On the traditional Church calendar this is "The Feast of the Presentation." Whether December 25th was the actual date of the Savior's birth or not, the observation of the dates surrounding it are appropriately typological. Christmas Day falls near the longest night of the year, and the celebration of the Presentation in the Temple falls in the middle of the winter. With this in mind, let us consider the message of Luke 2:25-32.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.

At the time of Jesus' birth, the "consolation of Israel" had been on the minds of many who saw what was going wrong around them. Good people, like Simeon, suffered under the same threats that we do. Evil never takes a vacation. They needed someone to help them through the hard times. In the providence of God, help was on the way. Simeon, a faithful Levite who served God in the Temple, got a special dispensation: a revelation by the Holy Spirit that he would indeed see this come to pass.

The trinitarian nature of this communion with God is clearly seen in this text. The One Who would console the people of God had come in the person of an infant, who was the "Immanuel" prophesied by Isaiah (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:22). That is, being translated, "God with us"(Matt. 1:21-23). The Messiah had come, and after serving His people, he would send "Another Comforter" in the person of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16 KJV).

God kept His promise to Simeon, keeping him safe into old age so that he would be the one to offer a blessing to God on the occasion of Mary's firstborn meeting the requirements of the Law. Taking up the infant Jesus, Simeon offered this prayer to God:

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

In alluding to the writings of Isaiah (Isa 9:2), Simeon reminds those present of the prophecies of the Messiah, God's anointed. First, is the fact that God's people need a Savior (Isa 43:3, 11; 45:21; Hos 13:4; Matt 1:21; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 13:23). Though under a covenant with God, the people were hopeless if He didn't rescue them from their own folly. In the most "Jewish" of all places, the aging Levite alludes to the most remarkable fact overlooked by the "special" people once called out of darkness in the person of Abram of Ur (Gen 12:1-7): the Messiah would be for the "nations" outside of the promised land (Isa 42:6)!

The Evangelist Luke was the only Gentile to write to the people of God. By the time of writing, were assembled in every province of the Roman Empire. This was likely not lost on the Roman Theophilos (Luke 1:1). The Apostle John would reveal more fully the nature of this light -- the Messiah Himself was the true light to the world (John 1:9). Simeon understood the prophet Isaiah very well. The comfort of his beloved people would extend beyond the boundaries of the nation, and beyond those descended from Abraham. The full meaning of the Christmas story reaches all around the world to all people and nations.

Jesus The Disrupter: Luke 2:34–35

2022-01-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

Some forty days had passed and it was time for Mary to purify herself, according to Levitical law. By a miracle, Mary had bore the baby Jesus but had not slept with any man at this point.

Here we meet the famous Simeon, who had been promised to see the Savior in the flesh during his lifetime. He praised God and announced to everyone in the temple courts how the baby would bring Salvation to all people.

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Yet, those were not his last words concerning Jesus. Imagine Simeon holding baby Jesus in his arms and declaring the future Salvation, but then pivoting his stance towards Mary to speak a blessing to a her:

“. . . this child is appointed for the fall and [rise] of many in Israel, and for a sign that is [spoken against] (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34–35 ESV

Jesus was the Savior, and this required a great disruption to people’s lives. He later said about himself:

“Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” Matthew 10:34–36

But doesn’t this contradict the famous line, “peace on earth” (alluding to Luke 2:14)? Jesus the disrupter—isn’t that totally opposite of the Christmas message? In one sense, Jesus did come to bring peace to the earth, after all he did not come to condemn the world (John 3:17). Yet, the very next verse in John 3 says that those who do not believe have already been condemned (John 3:18).

So yes, Simeon’s blessing does go against “peace on earth”, but it doesn’t entirely invalidate world peace either.

Destined for Disruption

“This child is appointed for[:] the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign [that is spoken against]. . .”

According to Simeon, Jesus was “destined” (literally: placed) for three roles (but not exclusively) in his life. He would be the downfall of many and the exaltation of others. Jesus challenged the religious authorities and the rich and exalted the poor, the prostitutes, and the tax collectors.

As a social disrupter, Jesus was like the prophets of old who gave God’s message to the people. He was not only a prophet but was the sign of God, God himself in human flesh, that foretold God’s future judgement and love. Yet, he was to be a sign that was spoken against—as he turned social circles on their heads and told people to repent, people would oppose God’s clearest sign: himself as a person! The people rejected him anyway.

Costly Closeness to Christ

“. . . and a sword will pierce through your own soul also. . .”

Ironically this is a blessing (literally: a good word) for Mary—that Jesus would be a source of bitterness to her (the mater dolorosa). Part of the blessing may be Simeon’s forthrightness that closeness with Jesus is costly.

Jesus would face opposition and great offense as the spoken against sign. The word “also” (Gk: δε) means that Jesus’ soul would be pierced with a sword. Mary would share in the pain Jesus felt due to opposition and persecution. All believers share the experience of having their souls pierced with a sword, feeling what Jesus felt when he was opposed.

Horrible & Humble Hearts Revealed

“[Jesus would fulfil three roles] so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

The reason Jesus was destined to be a fall, rise, and an opposed sign was so that the thoughts of many hearts’ thoughts would be revealed. The Greek makes it clear that if Jesus was not destined for these roles, then it is possible that the thoughts of many hearts would not have been revealed.

When Jesus flipped earthly expectation with eternal understanding, people’s reactions were strong. People’s reactions to Jesus’ ministry, whether aloud or internal, revealed whether they were truly interested in God’s love or just in self-promotion. When a Pharisee was rebuked, their reaction revealed their heart’s motives. When an ill man was healed their gratitude or lack thereof showed the thoughts of their heart (the Ten Lepers in Luke 17:11-19 is a great example of this).

In a larger sense, the thoughts of the heart of every person (“from many hearts”) are revealed when Jesus humbles us, reveals us for who we truly are, and invites us to submit to him.

When we think of the baby Jesus, we often think of the great peace he brought to the world. Praise God for this! But Simeon, by inspiration of the Spirit, saw and knew that Jesus had not been sent as a cute, harmless baby or a morally inspirational teacher. Jesus came to deal with sin and had to die without just cause. That is a serious tale.

So when you think about the Christmas story, think beyond the peaceful baby Jesus. Think of a powerful God, who came to rescue many and humiliate others—wrapped in the form of a baby. One day this would be the man that would change world history forever.

The Sign of the Rainbow

2021-09-05T13:20:00.008-07:00

If you are like me, it is easy to take signs of God’s love found in nature for granted. The other day, when I was out walking, a ginormous natural sign hit my eyesight—a rainbow. I’ve seen rainbows many times, but on that day the Spirit stirred my heart, “Remember the rainbow!”

I think there is more to the rainbow than what we make of it, biblically speaking. In today’s world the rainbow is used to represent everything from Autism awareness, to worldly views of human sexuality and gender, to a happy (and inaccurate) representation of the Great Flood that adorns the signage of Christian preschools.

What does the Bible say about the rainbow? When the rainbow enters our gaze, what thoughts should come to mind? The promise of the rainbow has meaning for God, Humanity and Animal kind:

God

After Noah and representatives of all kinds of animals disembarked the ark after the Great Flood, God made a covenant with them all, setting a rainbow in the sky:

“This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant.” - Genesis 9: 12 ESV

The rainbow is a sign for humanity, but really it is a “sign” for God to “remember”. The fulfilment of the covenant between Yahweh and all living creatures rests solely in his hands. Now, God does not need to “remember” his covenant in the sense we do—it is personification to say that God will be faithful to keep the covenant. When we see the rainbow, we can trust that God is keeping his covenant promise.

Now then, what is the covenant promise that God made?

“I will never again curse the ground because of man, [even though] the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” 8:21-22

And,

“I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 9:11

God’s promise is that he would never flood the earth again, but he did not promise that the earth would never be destroyed (see also Isa 54:9, Psa 104:9). Peter understood this,

“the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. “- 2 Peter 3:6-7

Here, Peter was specifically talking about those who didn’t believe God’s judgement was coming, and is reminding his readers that God destroyed the world once with water and he would do it again with fire. God’s promise to never flood the Earth again is merciful, but he cannot let the wicked go unpunished.

By reminding us he will never flood the entire world again, the rainbow points us to God’s coming judgement with fire.

Humanity

God is the benefactor of the covenant, providing the benefits to humanity regardless of them keeping any conditions. The very reason God decided not to flood the whole world again was because of his love for humanity,

“I will never again curse the ground because of man, [even though] the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”- 8:21

He does it for the sake of mankind, despite the fact that people’s evil was the reason he brought the Flood in the first place,

“The earth was corrupt in God’s sight….[and he said], I have determined to make an end of all flesh…. I will destroy them with the earth…. But I will establish my covenant with you….”- 6:12-13, 18”

Having satisfied his judgement, God decided not to destroy the world again and would allow life to continue even though people’s activity would provoke his wrath again.

After Noah and his family exited the Ark, the Lord blessed them by telling them to have offspring, the same blessing he gave the first humans—Adam and Eve—giving us a restart.

Then as part of his covenant, God gave all animals as food, giving people complete authority over animal kind,

“The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea.” - 9:2-3

This is most likely why God placed a bow in the sky—it signified the gift of hunting that people could use to consume animals. However, the bloodshed of another human would declare the slayer’s life forfeit- a promise of protection, from God’s own divine bow

“And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” - 9:6-7

Through the rainbow, God reminds us of his provision for meat as food, the blessing of offspring and the sanctity of human life- which points to humanity’s ultimate satisfaction in Heaven (like in Eden).

Animal kind

Not only did the covenant apply to humanity, but to all of animal kind,

“I establish my covenant with you…. And with every living creature that is with you” 9:10

Looking back at all the promises to never flood the whole earth again, it's clear that God made this promise not only for humanity, but also with every living creature. It’s clear that from before the flood began, God intended for creatures of all kinds to survive the flood (See Genesis 6:19-20, “two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive”).

Just like he blessed mankind with the blessing of having fruitful offspring, God told the animals,

“Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 8:17

While he allowed animal kind to reproduce as they did before the flood, they would now be the food for humankind. Yet, God gave them a promise of dignity and protection,

“You shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood”. 9:4

For people to eat animals, they must not have any blood inside of them and they must be dead.

The rainbow reminds us that God values the animals and gives them dignity as his creation—their death for food must be dignified and they are given similar (but lesser) blessings as mankind.

So to summarize, when we see the rainbow we can be reminded that:

We can trust that God is keeping his covenant promise.
By reminding us he will never flood the entire world again, it points us to God’s coming judgement with fire.
God reminds us of his provision for meat as food, the blessing of offspring and the sanctity of human life- which points to humanity’s ultimate satisfaction in Heaven
God values the animals and gives them dignity as his creation—their death for food must be dignified and they are given similar (but lesser) blessings as mankind.

Soul-Searching: Psalm 139

2021-01-29T15:27:00.002-08:00

What does it mean to search for something?

A search is not a low-energy effort to find something. A search is a deep, intense probing that will not stop until something is found.

How do we search?

We pour through our environment intently looking to find that which we are seeking.

That is what we must ask God to do in our own hearts,

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”- Psa 139:23-24

In Psalm 139, David is both asking God to and recognizes that he searches the heart. This idea of God searching our heart sandwiches (inclusio) the body of the Psalm, which describes God’s intimate knowledge of us in great detail,

“You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down… and are acquainted with all my ways.”- Psa 139:2

“Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol [the grave], you are there!”- Psa 139:7-8 (cf. Rom 8:39)

God’s intimate knowledge of our whereabouts can be a great comfort to us and his inseparable presence gives us peace; but these can also be frightening realities in that we cannot hide our sin from God,

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you”- Psa 139:11

The reason God cares for us in this intimate way is that he made us intricately,

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb”- Psa 139:13

(you’ve probably heard this verse used in pro-life contexts)

None of us are accidents or random projects, but intentional creations of God.

It is due to God’s intimate knowledge and care for us that makes him uniquely qualified to search our hearts. David has a similar message to Jeremiah,

“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? I [Yahweh] search the heart and test the mind” - Jer 17:9-10

This language closely mirrors David’s prayer. The heart is the most deceptive thing there is- therefore a person is unable to do an honest search of their own heart.

God searches the heart and he examines the contents of it.

In David’s prayer, he is asking for God’s help against enemies and expresses loyalty to God’s way. Yet, he closes with asking God to search his heart. David is aware that he may be harboring ungodly attitudes in his heart- those befitting for the enemies of God, but not for an ally of God.

“And see if there be any grievous [painful; offensive] way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”- Psa 139:24

When we are open to it, God will search our heart- but we must allow him to unveil discoveries we wish to remain buried. He will present the grade of our heart, if we allow him to give us the test. Even though we may be unaware of those ways, there are ways in our heart that cause pain to ourselves, others and God. Our prayer then should be that God would dig through the depths of of our heart and search us and then change our heart to pursue ways that last forever- that will lead to permanent bliss.

God knows you better than you know you- the focus of the Psalm is how intimately God knows us! Can we expect to hide anything from him? The truth of the matter is- the heart is the most deceptive thing there is, so there are things within our heart that we are NOT aware of. It is both to our benefit and detriment that God is the one who probes our heart.

So ask God in prayer to search your heart and reveal sins you may be unaware of. I can attest in my experience God will do that and then (since he loves us to so intimately) he will,

“lead [us] in the way everlasting”!

A Bad Trade-In (Jeremiah 2)

2020-12-24T09:43:00.002-08:00

What is the best, most refreshing water you have ever had?

I know some of the best water I have ever had is an ice cold, bottled water or water from a cold fountain

Say you had a choice between cold, refreshing and satisfying bottled water or a glass of lukewarm tap water- which would you choose? (Maybe a bad analogy)

If you are like the Israelites or any other human being who has lived on the planet- we will often opt for the lukewarm tap water over the bottled water. It can be the same with God.

That’s what God calls our attention to in Jeremiah 2. The Israelites had access to cold bottled water but settled for the lukewarm tap water.

“I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them”- Jeremiah 2:2-3

In the past, Israel experienced the favor and protection of God as they had total devotion, complete trust and ultimate delight in him when he rescued them out of Egypt. Loving God above all, they were drinking the best water available- not in the absence of trials (they followed him into a barren wasteland)- but they still had the best there was to drink.

Then they gave it all up and forgot all about how God had delivered them from Egypt.

“Has a nation changed its gods, [A]
even though they are no gods? [B]

But my people have changed their glory [A]
For that which does not profit [B]" 2:11

"They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters [A]
And hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that hold no water [B]" 2:13

Would you trade in this new car for that old one? Would you take the lukewarm tap over the bottled water? Not only did Israel choose their sin over God, they traded it in.

Back then, spring water was the freshest and best water available (like bottled water). Yet, they decided to dig their own well for water. A cistern would hold water, but it would be polluted, dirty and not as cold. Spring water was the better choice. Israel’s cistern could not even hold water. Israel had access to the unseen and living God, but they worshipped their own idols. These didn’t even represent real gods, just like a well that cannot retain any water. These idols were made by their hands with the intention to satisfy them, just like a cistern that was dug to hold water when spring water was readily available.

It goes even further-

“And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria to drink the waters of the River [Euphrates]” - 2:18

Israel chose to trust in Egypt and Assyria, the superpowers of the day, for their safety and prosperity. Both of these are represented by their rivers- a source of water which Israel chose to drink from. People will often choose the world for their security, instead of taking shelter under God’s protection.

God’s only question to this is- why? (see verses 5-8, 14, 21, 29)

This is not something that just happened with Israel. It has been going on since the beginning,

“[rejectors of God] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the desires of their hearts... they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator” Rom 1:22, 25”
“Your evil will chastise you and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God” - Jer 2:19
“You shall be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria. From it too you will come away with your hands on your head” Jer 2:37

Notice that each time that people trade in something else for God, they experience the consequences of their own trade-in.

Why do we trade in our sin for God? Because, we think it is better than God. The water of the Nile and the Euphrates may look and feel refreshing, at first. But it can never compare to the spring water God offers.

Choose God, not your sin. Don’t make a bad trade in- don’t be fooled by the old car, the tap water, the leaky cistern or idols. Don’t think the world will give you comfort. Make God the thing you love the most.

You Aren't Too Good For Any Service: John 13:1-20

2020-08-21T17:10:00.006-07:00

Imagine the most menial and humiliating work you can do for others. In the Western world we often use maids as the stereotypical, lowly servant. Other occupations that come to mind are waiters, sewage workers and trash collectors. These are the tasks no one wants to do, because everyone would like to think they are above them. These tasks are not glamorous in any way, but they may be hard, dirty or demanding work positions.

In Jesus’ day, washing feet was a task reserved for the servant. People did not have neatly paved roads, sweeper trucks and covered shoes that kept their feet relatively clean. When someone entered a house, the servant would wash their feet. This was one of the lowliest and most humiliating jobs anyone could have had. Yet, Jesus did this- and with effort and willingness.

John 13:1-20 contains the account of Jesus washing the Apostles’ feet. This is a very significant moment in the ministry of Jesus that not only gives us insights into Jesus' nature, but has very practical implications for all believers.

Jesus's Humility, In Midst of Supremacy

This is how this account begins:

“Jesus having known that his hour that he would depart out of this world to the father had come, having already been loving his own whom (were) in the world, he loved them to completion”- John 13:1 (My literal translation)

And it goes on to say,

“Jesus, [having] knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God...,” 13:3 (ESV and all forthcoming)

The final days of Jesus’ time on Earth were upon him, so it was time for him to prepare for his departure (this story preludes the farewell discourse, where he taught his Apostles everything they needed before he left- including promising the Holy Spirit).

While Jesus already had been loving his followers, he was not done yet. In order for his love to be finalized (Gk: telos τελος), Jesus’ act of washing feet was necessary. Until this act occurred, his love was not yet complete.

Verse 1 and 3 both mention Jesus' knowledge of his soon-coming departure, ascension and glorification (being praised in Heaven). In both verses, the word “knowing” is in the perfect tense (describing past actions with present effects) and is connected to an action (his love and washing the Apostles’ feet in vs 4). This means, Jesus washed his Apostles’ feet specifically conscious of who he was. In other words, when Jesus washed their feet- he had in mind all the praise and honor due him in Heaven.

This clearly portrays Phil 2:6 (see this post)- Jesus was fully aware of what he deserved, yet he did a task that was considered the bottom-of-the-barrel, reserved only for the lowest members of society.

Be Washed

Based on the knowledge of his true position in the universe, Jesus washed his Apostles’ feet (John 13:4-11). As he washed each of their feet, he made his way to Peter who resisted Jesus’ feet-washing,

“Lord, do you wash my feet”? -13:6b

In Greek, Peter’s protest uses “you” twice, meaning it is emphatic. Peter’s shock may have come from a sincere motivation, but nonetheless a wrong assertion (consistent with Peter’s false understanding of Jesus' supremacy in general, like in Matt. 16:22). Peter did not want Jesus, who he rightly recognized as superior, to be doing the task of a servant for him. Jesus assured him that,

“What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”- 13:7

Essentially, Jesus is telling Peter that he will explain what is he doing in a brief moment from now-- but first he has tell Peter,

“If I do not wash you, you have no share with me… the one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet…”- v. 8b, 10a

As Peter wanted to deny Jesus the ability to wash his feet, so people must allow Jesus to wash them- otherwise they will not have a “portion” (a relationship) with him. Clearly, Jesus is using a double entendre- while he is talking to Peter about physical washing he is also talking about being spiritually washed. However, he tells Peter that he has been washed, so he doesn’t need a whole spiritual cleansing. The whole of commentaries helps us (me) out here, when they say that Jesus is talking about daily repentance. As a person who gets their feet dirty walking on the roads (but is otherwise clean) needs only their feet washed, so someone who has been cleaned by Jesus spiritually needs to be cleaned of the “dirt” (sin) in their daily life.

Jesus also uses this as a pointed statement against the Apostle who would betray him- Judas Iscariot. Peter and the other Apostles only need their feet clean, but Judas needs his whole body cleaned (John 13:11 says that explicitly)

You’re Not Above Anything- Nothing is Too Low

Then Jesus explains to everyone, why he was washing their feet,

“Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

Jesus appeals to the disciples' recognition of his authority as Teacher- instructing and modeling a lifestyle and Lord- having absolute rule and dominion over their life; in order to instruct them to be humble. If the one who is supreme is doing the most menial task imaginable, so should his followers. Jesus makes it clear that this is an example, meaning the Apostles need to imitate the actions of Jesus.

In modern times, feet-washing is not something that is a regular occurrence. However, the concept is still the same- just as Jesus washed the feet of his Apostles, so should we be willing to do the most menial and dirty tasks for others- not considering ourselves above anything that someone else (especially a fellow Christian) needs.

The Humiliated Are Blessed

He goes on to say,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them”

Jesus says that without a shadow of a doubt (“truly, truly” emphasizes how important and accurate this is): 1. one that is less shouldn’t expect better than one who is more and 2. "feet-washers" will be blessed. The disciples were clearly less than Jesus, therefore, they should not think themselves above any task that their master did. If Jesus did humiliating things out love for others, so should those who follow him.

Not only should Christians serve others in humiliation out of necessity, but also out of desire for positive outcomes. The one who knows and models Jesus humility will be “blessed”. “Blessed” does mean a gushy feeling of happiness or wealth & health, but it means “a positive state of being for the soul”. We should be humble, because our soul will be enriched and we will be in God’s will- the best place to be (in the long-run).

The Behavior of True Followers

Lastly Jesus said,

“I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He [Judas Iscariot] who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' ”

Jesus distinguishes his true followers from the fakes- true followers will serve each other humbly, while false ones will be disloyal. Not only does Jesus teach his Apostles’ humility as an example, but he uses this to prepare them for the betrayal of Judas Iscariot: he is the one who needs his whole body cleaned, the one who will betray Jesus, who will not wash the feet of others and the one who will cause Jesus to “leave” (hence his final acts of love and the following farewell discourse).

Jesus was the Lord of all Creation and came in the flesh of man. Yet, he chose to do the stereotype of the dirtiest task known at the time. He did this in order to give all Christians an example and to perform his final acts of love before his departure. Jesus' humble example was one of the final tools he left for believers to live a God-honoring life after he left Earth. Jesus did not leave us empty handed, as the entirety of Farewell Discourse (John 13-17) reveals how he set us up for "success".

Be willing to do anything for a brother or sister or in need. This will not only mark you as a true follower of Christ, but it will bless your soul. Grow in humility- be like Jesus and be humiliated.

As in the Days of Noah (Part 2)

2020-08-08T12:21:00.001-07:00

“When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch.” Gen. 5:18

The two families of mankind had probably started to interact before the birth of Jared’s son Enoch. Based on Jared’s name meaning “Descent” it can be imagined that his godly father Mahalaleel (“Place of Praise to God'') had spoken prophetically to the culture. If Jared had followed the trend of the day, it is likely that he may have moved to the city of Enoch. Nothing in the text requires his even marrying within his tribe, or that the mother of Enoch was his first wife. Whatever the case, it was 162 years before the child was born.

“Adah (Lamech’s first wife) bore Jabal [and] Jubal . . .” Gen. 4:20-21

In those same days, assuming the genealogies are concurrent, the greatest leader of the Cainites (likely in the city of Enoch as well) was born to Methusael (“Man from El”) who might have been the high priest of the pagan religion, The boy’s name was Lamech, which means “Powerful”. His children, born of two mothers, may very well have spanned two centuries in which civilization saw its pre-flood zenith. It can be supposed that the wickedness found in Lamech had not spread to the levels reached in Noah’s day, nearly a thousand years later.

“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah” Gen. 5:21

With the name Enoch, borrowed from history, Jared’s young son may have followed the careers of his contemporaries Jabal (“Yabal”) and Jubal (“Yubal”) who became masters of industry along the river flowing through the metropolis they called home. This is based wholly upon their names, which, along with their younger brother Tubal-Cain, are based upon the connotation of forms of the verb “Yabal” (to bear along, as a river would goods for trade). Jabal was a master in the herding of cattle and sheep (and likely other livestock), some of which were used as sacrifices in the “family business” if Methusael was indeed a priest of their religion. Jubal became known for his music, also important in the evolving pagan worship.

Meanwhile, Jared quite possibly moved back to his own tribe, where Enoch came to know the true God. He found a godly wife and fathered a son he prophetically named “Methuselah” which means “Man of the dart” (from “Mat” {man} and “Selach” {weapon, missile, shoot}). Some have suggested that the name might have been a very specific prophecy -- “When he dies (Methu) it shall be sent (salah)”. Either way, the relatively young and inexperienced prophet predicted disaster.

“Zillah (Lamech’s second wife) also bore Tubal-Cain. . . . [His] sister was Naamah” Gen 4:22

Again, we must assume concurrent family trees with Zillah coming along at least a generation (70 years or so) after Adah, but an interesting scenario presents itself if we do. The name Tubal-Cain is from “River” and “Spear” (from Qeyn, see Cain). This was descriptive of his mastery of metalworking which would have enhanced agriculture, architecture, and sadly, weaponry. When Methuselah was a young man, Enoch perhaps left the relative safety of family life to become a street preacher and prophet. As his father grew closer to God, the first years of

his very long adult life may have been restless. About that time, it is not hard to speculate that he moved to his father’s home town and made friends with Tubal-Cain and his sister Namaah (“Loveliness”). A marriage to Lamech’s daughter could explain the naming of Methuselah’s son after the notorious tyrant and murderer.

“When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech” Gen. 5:25

The first Lamech’s wives and daughter are an interesting addition to an otherwise mundane genealogy. What was the point of leading to the seventh from Adam in such a way to set him alongside the second Enoch. The above scenario makes sense to me, though it is quite speculative. If Methuselah had a “wild youth”, or even helped “convert” the lovely Naamah, then after a century or so it might have been appropriate to honor her elderly, and perhaps late, father by continuing his name. The connotation of Lamech as “Powerful” might even have been hopeful of change to come. After all, a lot could happen in 187 years! As things were going, not much of it had been good.

“When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son, and called his son Noah . . .” Gen. 5:28-29a

There is quite a significance in the name Lamech would give his own son after another 182 years. The fact that Enoch’s father had been 162 at his birth, and his grandson was born when he was 252 years old probably indicates a very violent world in which many young men died without passing on the family line. This is not to say all the tentatively eligible heirs had died in the increasing violence, but it is significant when an old man cried out naming his son “Noah” (“Noach”, from Nuach, to rest): “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and the painful toil of our hands.” (Gen. 5:29).

When Noah was born about 1060 years after creation, Adam had died, Enoch had disappeared and the godly Seth was almost 900 years old. There was not much hope left. Lamech remembered Father Adam (probably just “Abba” to the multitude of descendants), but the preaching of Enoch had not been pleasant. Disaster seemed to be looming, Seth was the oldest living person, and not many people respected him or his ways. Lamech put his trust in the Creator to send relief.

As it turned out, Lamech would die at 777 years old before relief came and his father Methuselah would live on as the oldest living person. Lamech lived to see his grandsons grow to strong men helping their father Noah as he approached 600 years old, going strong. The sons were named Shem (“Reputable”), Ham (“Warm”) and Japheth (“Open”). Their names indicate that Noah was able to work well with them in his old age. The leadership that Lamech might have given to the struggling building project (the ark!) had probably gone to wise, but frail, Methuselah who would die shortly before the flood came (if not choosing to die in it).

Check out Part 1 / / Here / /

As in the Days of Noah (Part 1): The Names in the Antediluvian Record

2020-08-06T15:31:00.004-07:00

"Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived.." Gen. 4:1a

In ancient times names were not lightly given. This was especially true in Biblical times. Most, if not all, of the leading persons with origin stories have a definition associated with the name. The first genealogical lists, in the original Hebrew, present a vivid picture of the world in the early days after creation. The names of Seth and Cain’s descendants depict a timeline of the progression of evil and the worship of God up until the Flood. In this two-part blog series, we are going to explore how the names of people in the Bible tell us about them and the times they were living in.

The naming of the father of mankind is tied to the term "mankind" - that is, as the first of the species, he was simply "the man" (Hebrew: H'Adam) and the name stuck. The narrator states that "H'adam" was made from "H'adamah" (the ground). When he sinned, his fate was tied to that ground, including burial. His self designation, though, had been "Eysh" when he named his new wife "Ishah". The form "Eysh" is a contraction of "Enosh" and is from the verb "anah' which indicates frailty. The finest creation of God had the "image of God" only in a spiritual sense. In innocence, they were to rely on the Creator to maintain their existence.

The name of "Adam" practically disappears outside of the record of the fall and its aftermath. It is found in the genealogy at 1 Chronicles 1:1 and as a historical reference to mankind as "the sons of Adam" (Deu. 32:8). Job references the name (Job 31:33) with regards to sin, though many modern translations take this as "a man". The appellation comes from the verb "adam" which means "to be red", presumably a reference to blood. The progenitor of mankind was both frail and mortal.

After the fall, "Ishah" was renamed after hearing a confirmation that "life" would go on ("in pain you shall bring forth children"--Gen. 3:16-17, 20). Her name would be "Eve" (Havvah), from a verb originally meaning "to live". As it would happen, her pivotal part in the Creation story would be an "object lesson" found only in the New Testament (1 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:13), reflecting the historical meaning of the verb "Havah"--"to show, or declare". In using a homonym, Adam linked the promise to "living" rather than the living death they both faced. Immediately following the account of the fall on man, the narrative flows naturally to the births of the first children

"[Eve] bore Cain, saying, I have gotten a man by the LORD" Gen. 4:1b

The first child mentioned was named by his mother .The record reveals that she had a hope in the promised "seed of the woman" (from 3:17) when she said she had "acquired" a son. This means that the name she had in mind was "Qanan". However, the pronunciation of the name is recorded as "Qeyn", meaning spear (or lament). Either way her predicted pain in childbirth gave way to a cry "Qeyn!" which ironically was a prediction of tragedy to come.

"[Eve] bore his brother Abel" Gen. 4:2a

His brother, born soon afterwards (some say the boys were twins), became the victim of his brother's evil. But before that his name was given as Abel ("Habel") which means "breath". On the surface, this reminds of us of the first name Adam had given himself "Eysh", a form of "enosh" which is the common word for man in his mortality. "Habel" comes to mean "vanity" or "emptiness", analogous to the fleeting existence of one breath, or the fog, in the morning air. Another prophecy comes from the new parents mouths. About 130 years later, the first parents would lament ("Qeyn") the shortened ("Hebel") life of their second son.

“[Cain] settled in the land of Nod . . . his wife . . . bore Enoch.” Gen. 4:16,17

The Bible gives two genealogies branching from two couples. The first recorded list is from Cain and his unnamed wife. It can be logically assumed that the seven or eight generations listed run concurrently those listed in the “Messianic” line (see Gen. 3:17; 5:5ff ). The first of Cain’s line is named Enoch (“Henok”), which literally means “to make, or be, narrow”. By extension, the mouth of a child is narrow, and can be made even more so by a stubborn child who doesn’t like his food. Conversely, a child will open wide for that which he likes. This ancient lesson led to literally and metaphorically “feeding” a child in such a way that he learned to like what was presented. Cain was the first “master” with his child as the first “disciple”. From an early age, the “way of Cain” would lead away from God. The teacher was pleased with his student and, when the “system” was developed, he named the first city after him (Gen. 4:17).

“[Eve] bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, God has appointed for me another offspring” Gen. 4:25a

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Adam and Eve had another child. In the genealogy itself the reader is told that Adam also had a part in naming the one who became his heir: Seth (“Sheth”). The meaning of the word is “To set, place, put”. By extension, something is “set in place”, or established at “a point”. Yes, every once in a while the Hebrew has some cognates in English! The grieving parents, after seeing Abel grow to be a godly man (from 60-129 years old!), wished to continue to follow their Creator’s ways.

“To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.” Gen. 4:26

Born in Adam’s 131st year, Seth would live 105 years before his heir would be born. He would name the boy Enosh (“Anosh”) after Adam’s own designation for the male of the species (Gen. 2:23). In the third century since creation, the house of Adam was looking for a “new beginning”. In the century, the name of the Creator came familiar to everyone in the community. However, as the old saying goes “familiarity breeds contempt”. In other places where the word here translated “began” appears it carries the negative connotation of “profane, common”. It could be that the “true religion” had already become corrupted.

“To Enoch was born Irad [who] fathered Mehujael [who] fathered Methushael [who] fathered Lamech.” Gen. 4:18

At this point, without a defined time frame, it can be assumed some parallel development was intended by the writer. The populated city of Enoch is likely to have grown exponentially in the four generations listed in this verse. It is in the names of the descendants of Cain that we can find evidence of the decline of mankind leading up to definitive “civilization” as seen in sons of Lamech. Enoch fathered a son known as “Irad” (pronounced “Ee-rad”) which means, “a fugitive”. Although Cain had been cursed to roam alone, he had instead founded a city for his growing family. With his grandson being named Irad, it appears that the curse followed in ways we can only guess. Perhaps young Irad was restless, and became “The Fugitive” in defiance of the ways of his father. Conversely, the restlessness may have been the norm in what may have become a “city of refuge” for a growing lawlessness among the “Sethites”.

By the name he gave his son, Irad shows that things in the fourth century weren't getting any better. Seeking an excuse, perhaps, his son was named "Mahajael" or "Smitten by God". In the eyes of a citizen of the region of Nod, their problems came from God! This outlook, though, probably didn't change things in the worldly province. As time went on, though, some semblance of religion began to form. Mahaja-El ended up naming his son Methusael, which means "Man from God"! Yep, this either means the God-smitten generation had repented or, more likely, developed a belief system of false religion. Lest we be confused, this "man of God" fathered possibly the most worldly man of the antediluvian world: Lamech (which means "Powerful". This power, as we will see, would "go to his head".

"When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan" Gen. 5:10

Kenan ("Qeynan", also spelled Cainan) is oddly similar to the name of the founder of Enoch, the first son of Adam. This time, "acquired" or "possession" doesn't fit the idyllic life among the people of God. It seems to be an homage to Cain himself. This shows that the supposed godliness of the Sethites may have already become corrupted in just 325 years. after creation. But Apparently, this was not a chronic problem yet.

"When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel." Gen. 5:12

With Adam and Seth still alive, it is likely that Kenan's son's name was a true turn in the right direction for the "nuclear" family. In fathering "Praise to God", Kenan was reflecting the opposite attitude from his cousin Irad. Two deities were "emerging" -- the true Creator God and the imposter "god" fueled by the desires of mankind. Kenan had proven his loyalties to the Messiah of whom he was an ancestor.

"When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared." Gen. 5:15

Perhaps the "worship leader" of the followers of the true God, at a relatively young age (65), Mahalalel named his son "Jared" ("Descent"). It was 450 years since God had walked with Adam and Eve. Adam had lived most of those years in regret as he saw the continuing decline in the morality of his descendants. It appears that Mahalalel may have seen the same thing.

"When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch." Gen. 5:18

The descent into the darkness of false belief continued as Jared got older than anyone so far before naming an heir. When the time came, 612 years had passed since the fall. He named his son "Enoch" ("Trained, Dedicated"). With the likely mingling of the two lines of humanity for centuries, it is tempting to submise that this future prophet had been born among the enemies of the true God.

The two men that were "seventh from Adam" (Jude 1:14) were as different as two men could be. The first Lamech and the second Enoch stand as pictures of depravity and faith in opposition to one another. In our next post, we will explore the world to which the prophet Enoch preached--continuing to draw what we can from the names that they gave their children.

Check out Part 2 / / here / /