Ligonier Ministries Blog

Introductions: Exodus

2012-02-07T01:03:55Z

Who wrote it? When was it written and why?

These are some of the important questions to answer as you explore any book of the Bible. To aid you in your study of God's Word we have been adapting and posting some of the detailed book introductions found in The Reformation Study Bible. Today, we continue a series through the Pentateuch.

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The Book of Exodus

Author | Date & Occasion | Interpretive Difficulties | Characteristics & Themes

Author

Jesus calls Exodus "the book of Moses"

In the New Testament Jesus calls Exodus "the book of Moses" (Mark 12:26; cf. 7:10), and there are no compelling reasons to deny the Mosaic authorship of the book.

The title of the book, "Exodus," is derived from the Greek word exodos (Luke 9:31), which means "exit" or "departure." The book takes its name from the central event of Israel's departure from Egypt, recorded in the book's first fifteen chapters.

Date and Occasion

Given Moses' authorship of Exodus, we should date the book after the exodus event (c. 1450–1440 B.C.) and before his death about 1406 B.C. According to the dating below, Moses' birth would have just fallen within the reign of Thutmose I. Hatshepsut, the widowed queen of Thutmose II, assumed male titles and even a beard as she reigned from 1504–1483 B.C. Perhaps she was the Pharaoh upon whose death Moses returned to Egypt from Midian.

Exodus carries forward the story of God's fulfillment of His promise to Abraham to bless him and make of him a great nation (Gen. 12:2). It begins by referring to the descent of Israel into Egypt (Exo. 1:1–7); this connects through Gen. 46:8–27 with the Genesis narratives. The book concludes with Israel at Sinai where the tabernacle is completed. The events covered in the book may be placed against their historical background as follows.

Exodus carries forward the story of God’s fulfillment of His promise to Abraham to bless him and make of him a great nation

Joseph's rise to power (Exo. 1:5) is best set in the favorable conditions for Jacob's family created by the rule over Egypt of the Semitic Hyksos (c. 1700–1550 B.C.). The reference at Exo. 1:8 to a new king "who did not know Joseph" likely refers to the expulsion of the Hyksos by the eighteenth dynasty founder Ahmosis I (1570–1546 B.C.). If the Exodus is dated c. 1450–1440 B.C. (Interpretive Difficulties below), the Pharaoh of the oppression was probably Thutmose I (1526–1512 B.C.), while the Pharaoh of the Exodus was Thutmose III (1504–1450 B.C.) or Amenhotep II (1450–1425 B.C.). This dating would allow a possible identification of the incoming Israelites with the Habiru, a group mentioned in the Tell el-Amarna letters (correspondence between Egypt and its Syro- Palestinian vassals during the fourteenth century B.C.). The Habiru were a social or occupational class commonly attested in texts from 2000 B.C. onwards. They were political outcasts in Palestine (Gen. 14:13 note).

The written preservation of the words of God's covenant has central importance for the theology of the Book of Exodus. God not only speaks His words to His assembled people at Sinai, He also gives them His Ten Commandments in writing, "written with the finger of God" on tablets of stone (Exo. 31:18; cf. 32:15, 16; 34:1, 28). The terms of the covenant were further specified by the so-called "Book of the Covenant" (Exo. 20:22–23:19), the words of God written down by Moses, the mediator of God's covenant (Exo. 24:4, 7; 34:27).

The Sinai covenant (Exo. 19:1–20:21; Exodus 24) resembles in both form and content the state treaty form of the second millennium B.C., particularly the Hittite state treaties. These treaties included a preamble (Exo. 20:2), stipulations (Exo. 20:3–17), ratification (Exo. 24:1–11), and blessings and curses. A copy of the treaty was often preserved at the sanctuaries of the parties (e.g., the two tablets of Exo. 31:18). Also, the similarity of the content of the case laws of Exo. 21–23 to ancient Near Eastern codes (particularly the Code of Hammurabi of Babylon, c. 1750 B.C.) has often been noted.

Interpretive Difficulties

The date and route of the Exodus have been subjects of considerable debate. Biblical chronology dates the exodus event at 480 years before the reign of Solomon (1 Kin. 6:1). This would place the event at about 1440 B.C. This early date is consistent with Judg. 11:26, which declares that three hundred years had elapsed since Israel entered Canaan. The c. 1440 B.C. date is also supported by Exo. 12:40, 41, where 430 years is the duration of Israel's stay in Egypt. The Pharaoh of the Exodus would then be Thutmose III or Amenhotep II.

Advocates of a much later date appeal to the name "Raamses" (or "Rameses" Gen. 47:11) as one of the store cities built with Israelite labor (Exo. 1:11). Rameses II (1304–1236 B.C.) is taken to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus, and the approximate date set at 1270 B.C. This is held to be more consistent with the archaeology of cities destroyed in Palestine and with the lack of earlier settlement in Transjordan (the region east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea). However, more recent discoveries in Transjordan and a new evaluation of the destruction of Jericho have weakened the case for the late date.

The date and route of the Exodus have been subjects of considerable debate. Biblical chronology dates the exodus event at 480 years before the reign of Solomon

The route of the Exodus began at Rameses. Its exact location is the subject of considerable debate, though modern Qantir is the site most favored (Tell el-Daba). From there the Hebrews journeyed south to Succoth (Exo. 13:20). Here, apparently unable to move on, the Hebrews turned northward (Exo. 14:2). Three sites are mentioned, Baalzephon, Migdol, and Pi-hahiroth. Baal-zephon is associated with Tahpanhes, bordering Lake Menzaleh, one of the salt lakes between the Mediterranean and Gulf of Suez. There were three possible routes of Israelite escape. The "way of the land of the Philistines" (Exo. 13:17) connected Egypt with Canaan by the heavily fortified coastal route. A second route, the way of Shur, began near the Wadi Tumilat in the Delta area, crossed to Kadesh-barnea, and branched off to Canaan. The Egyptian boundary wall of Shur may have been a major obstacle to this route. In leading the people south to southern Sinai, the Lord not only brought them to the mountain He had designated to Moses, but distanced them from further contact with the Egyptians. The deliverance through the sea may have been on a southern extension of Lake Menzaleh.

The Sinai peninsula is a triangle of land measuring approximately 150 miles across at the top and 260 miles along the sides. Two arms of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, flank it. The Hebrews proceeded south along the west coast of the Sinai. The bitter waters of Marah (Exo. 15:22–25) are usually identified with Ain Hawarah (some forty-five to fifty miles south of the tip of the Gulf of Suez), but Ain Musa may be the correct location. Elim with its many springs and trees has been identified as Wadi Gharandel, the encampment by the Red Sea (Num. 33:10), about seven miles south of Ain Hawarah. The wilderness of Sin would best be identified with Debbet er-Ramleh, a sandy plain along the edge of the Sinai Plateau. If the traditional location of Mount Sinai as Jebel Musa is correct, Israel would have then turned inland by a series of valleys to Jebel Musa, traveling through the desert of Rephidim, where they fought against the Amalekites (Exo. 17:8–16). Rephidim was the last encampment in the wilderness of Sinai before the sacred mountain. Then they proceeded to Mount Sinai (Exodus 19) where they received the law.

Characteristics and Themes

Several major themes are evident in the Book of Exodus. First, it tells how the Lord liberated Israel from Egypt to fulfill His covenant with the fathers. A second major element of the book is the covenant revelation at Sinai, which specified the terms of relationship between the holy God and His people. The third theme issues from the first two and is their consummation: the reestablishment of God's dwelling with man. Each of these themes involves a triumph of divine grace: God's mighty rescue of His people from slavery in Egypt, His thunderous self-revelation at Sinai, and His gracious condescension to dwell with His erring people in the tabernacle. The unfolding of these themes also reveals the Lord's holiness and grace in His covenant law and in the ceremonial symbolism of Israel's life and worship.

The symbolic substitution of the Passover lamb is fulfilled in Christ, the Lamb of God, our Passover sacrifice

Crucial to the narrative is Moses' role as mediator between God and man. As God's chosen servant, Moses is the mediator of judgment against Egypt, and is the one through whom God delivers Israel. Through Moses God gives His revelation at Sinai. Moses also shepherds the people through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He pleads for the people, and he is the one through whom the Lord provides food and water. But Moses' role in the history of redemption prepares pointedly for Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant (Deut. 18:15). The revelation that Moses receives of God's name "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exo. 34:6) justifies the building of the tabernacle, but that description of the Lord points forward to the coming of the true tabernacle, the incarnate Christ, the greater Servant of the Lord (John 1:14, 17; Heb. 3:1–6).

God's law reveals His holy nature and requires holiness of the people among whom God will dwell. The ceremonial regulations for Israel's life and worship (Exodus 25–31; 35–40) mark out the separation of Israel as the people among whom God lives and rules, demonstrating His kingdom before the nations.

In addition to its description of the historical events by which Israel was delivered to become God's people, Exodus also presents a major illustration of God's saving work throughout history. The savior God redeems His chosen people from the powers of evil, judges those powers, and claims His people as His firstborn son, a holy nation of priests among whom He dwells by His Spirit. The pattern of divine victory over enemies, followed by the establishment of the divine dwelling place, is repeated in Christ's first and second advents (e.g., Eph. 2:14–22; Rev. 20:11– 22:5).

The symbolism found in Exodus becomes reality in the new covenant (Jer. 31:31–34; Col. 2:17; Heb. 10:1). The sprinkled blood of animal sacrifice is now replaced by the blood of Christ (Exo. 24:8; Matt. 26:27, 28; Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2). The symbolic substitution of the Passover lamb is fulfilled in Christ, the Lamb of God, our Passover sacrifice (John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7). His "exodus" at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31) accomplishes the salvation of the true people of God. God's new covenant people are joined to Jesus Christ, in whom the Gentiles become the people of God, members of the commonwealth of Israel and fellow citizens with the Old Testament saints (Exo. 19:5, 6; Eph. 2:11–19). The full meaning of the description of Israel in Exodus may now therefore be applied to the churches of the Gentiles (1 Pet. 2:9, 10).

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Do You Sing The Christian Fight Song?

2012-02-06T18:22:34Z

On January 23, 2012, Dr. R.C. Sproul spoke at Reformation Bible College's chapel service on the subject of "The Wrath of God Revealed" from Romans 1:18. At the close of his message, he reminded us of "the Christian fight song," saying:

"It goes back to the fourth century to the Arian controversy when the Arians were denying the Trinity. And part of the way they communicated their heresy was to make up bawdy songs that were insulting, and they stood on one side of the river and sang these insulting songs to the Trinitarians. And so the Christians came up with their own fight song."

The Christian Fight Song

Here is the Christian fight song that the Trinitarians would sing back to the Arians.

Glory be to the Father;
And to the Son;
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end.
The attribute of glory that is the supreme attribute of deity, is to be given to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Will you sing the Christian the fight song?

Click here to download an MP3 of Dr. Sproul chanting this Christian fight song.

For Glory and Beauty

2012-01-31T18:54:35Z

The week before Christmas, when I was in third grade, my grandmother took me to downtown Pittsburgh so that I could buy gifts for my family and, for the first time in my life, my girlfriend. I wanted to buy something romantic for her, so I selected a small decorative pin. It looked to me as if it was made of gold, but it really wasn’t. However, I was able to have her initials engraved on the pin, and the lady behind the counter gift-wrapped it for me. It made a nice gift, and when I gave it to my girlfriend, she giggled and swooned over it. That must have been a formative experience for me because, all these years later, I still love to give my then girlfriend-but-now-my-wife jewelry.

It is interesting to me that people of all ages and from all civilizations and cultures are fascinated with jewels and precious metals for no reason other than their beauty. These things are precious to us not because we can eat them or use them as tools, but because they serve as adornments. By their inherent beauty, they enhance human beauty and the work of man’s hands.

Continue reading For Glory and Beauty, R.C. Sproul's contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk.

Introduction — The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology

2012-01-18T23:14:28Z

At various times in her history, different doctrines have been at the center of the church's attention. In the first few centuries after the death and resurrection of Christ, for example, the church struggled mightily to formulate accurately the biblical teaching concerning the Trinity and the Person of Christ. The fruit of this struggle is found in the writings of numerous church fathers and in the Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon. Many centuries later, during the Reformation, soteriology and ecclesiology became the central focus of much of the church's attention. Debates surrounding those doctrines continue to this day. Eschatology, on the other hand, while not ignored in earlier centuries, truly moved to the forefront of the church's attention in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the emergence of popular dispensationalism in the late nineteenth century to the influential writings of Schweitzer, Dodd, Moltmann and others in the twentieth century, it is clear that eschatology has risen to a place of prominence in biblical, theological, and historical studies.

Defining Eschatology

What do we mean when we speak of "eschatology"? The English word is based on a combination of two Greek words: eschatos ("last") and logos ("word"). Traditionally, eschatology has been defined as the "doctrine of the last things" in relation to both the individual (e.g. death and the intermediate state) and to cosmic history (e.g. the return of Christ, the general resurrection, the final judgment, heaven, and hell).ⁱ Because of this definition, most studies of eschatology have limited themselves to a discussion of events that have yet to occur — events at the end of the individual's life or events at the end of history.ⁱⁱ

Eschatology in a broader sense, however, concerns what Scripture teaches about God's purposes in Christ for history. As such, eschatology does include a study of the consummation of God's purposes at the end of history, but it also includes a study of the stages in the unfolding of those purposes.ⁱⁱⁱ If, for example, the first coming of Christ inaugurated "the last days," then a study of biblical eschatology must include a study of Christ's first advent as well as his second. It must also include a study of God's preparation in history for the eschatological first advent of Christ. In other words, eschatology must involve a redemptive-historical study of the entire Bible. We will embark on such a study over the coming weeks.

ⁱ Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 1.
ⁱⁱ E.g., William Hendriksen, The Bible on the Life Hereafter (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1959); Paul Helm, The Last Things (Carlisle: PA: Banner of Truth, 1989).
ⁱⁱⁱ Stephen S. Smalley, John: Evangelist & Interpreter, 2d ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998), 265.

Adapted from From Age to Age by Keith Mathison. ISBN 978-0-87552-745-1
Used with permission of P&R Publishing Co. P O Box 817, Phillipsburg N.J. 08865 www.prpbooks.com

From Age to Age is available in the Ligonier store.

Twitter Highlights (2/5/12)

2012-02-03T10:00:32Z

Here are highlights from the various Ligonier Twitter accounts over the past week.

Truly, Jesus is the only hope we have and He is all we need. —Derek Thomas bit.ly/eHYlzL
— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) January 30, 2012

All the cunning of the devil is exercised in trying to tear us away from the word (Martin Luther).
— Ligonier Academy (@LigonierAcademy) January 31, 2012

Sin has been pardoned at such a price that we cannot henceforth trifle with it (Spurgeon).
— Ligonier Academy (@LigonierAcademy) February 1, 2012

The gospel is not about me. The gospel is about Jesus. —R.C. Sproul
— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) January 31, 2012

Christ did not claim to be the only way because he was arrogant, but because he alone alleviated the human condition of sinfulness (Corduan)
— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) January 31, 2012

If left to ourselves...we will not only gravitate toward, but we'll be swept into some form of idolatry. —R.C. Sproul
— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 1, 2012

We’re not always as bad as we can be, but that is solely because of God’s restraining grace. —@JohnMacArthur bit.ly/eaos1h
— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) February 3, 2012

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:

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Does God really decide, and care who wins a football game?

2012-02-02T22:16:31Z

I began asking this question myself long before Tim Tebow was even born. I was a little boy, deeply committed to the Pittsburgh Steelers. I remember praying that they would beat the Oakland Raiders in an upcoming playoff game. When my prayer ended fear set in- what if there were a little boy just like me, somewhere in Oakland, praying that the Raiders would beat the Steelers? My father comforted me by explaining that no real Christian would ever pray for the Raiders.

The truth is God does decide, and He does care. He not only decides who will win the Super Bowl, He decides who will win the game of hearts I play with my children. He decides, or rather decided, everything. There are no places, let alone no playing fields, where God stays on the sidelines. We need to remember that everything that happens must have a sufficient cause. And we must remember that every sufficient cause eventually traces its way back to God before time. This happens because that happened. That happened because this other thing happened. Eventually this takes us to "God said, 'Let there be light, and there was light.'"

Of course God works in and through secondary means. He gives the gifts. He creates the weather. The one who numbers the hairs on our heads softens the ground where a defensive back slips, and a playoff game ends on an eighty yard touchdown pass. There is no thing, no cause, over which He is not sovereign.

Isn't it, though, somehow beneath His dignity to be concerned with such things? Yes, of course it is. God has only one concern- the manifestation of His glory. And that is how He determines what will happen in a football game, and what will happen in an election, and what will happen in a cancer ward. His goal isn't ultimately to make little boys in Pittsburgh happy, or little boys in Denver happy. His goal, which cannot be thwarted, is to show forth who He is.

Does that mean He plays favorites for the likes of outspoken Christians like Tim Tebow or Drew Brees? Of course. Because God loves those who are His, even as He loves His own Son, God is certain to favor them. That favor, however, isn't a path to winning a football game, but is instead the path to true victory, becoming more like Jesus. God isn't glorified in giving Tim Tebow unlikely victories that somehow redound to God's glory. No, God is glorified in making His children, including Tim Tebow, more like His Son. Sometimes that means leading them to the thrill of victory. Sometimes it means leading them through the agony of defeat.

The more difficult and pertinent question for me isn't does God care, but should I? I don't pray for Steeler victories. I do pray that I, along with my parents and my children, will make memories together. And I pray that we would have grace to accept His providence, even when the Steelers lose.

Video Now Available: Theology Night with Sinclair Ferguson & R.C. Sproul

2012-02-02T21:17:14Z

On January 20, 2012, Saint Andrew's was the location for "Theology Night with Sinclair Ferguson and R.C. Sproul." It was a relaxed and informative evening where two notable theologians and pastors answered questions submitted by online viewers and those present in the audience. Topics addressed included the doctrines of grace, when to leave a local church, Tim Tebow, dispensationalism, free will, and the peccability or impeccability of Jesus.

You can now stream the video of this edifying evening below or by clicking here.

A Christian in Silicon Valley: An Interview with Gary Starkweather

2012-02-02T00:29:43Z

I recently had the opportunity to interview a man whom most of you will have never heard of, but the fruit of whose labor almost all of you enjoy on a weekly—if not daily—basis. That man is Gary Starkweather, a Christian, and the inventor of the laser printer.

Nathan W. Bingham: Tell us briefly how you came to know the Lord.

Gary Starkweather: Since my earliest childhood, I had been going to church. We consistently went to either Baptist, or Methodist churches and Sunday school as well. One of my maternal grandmother's brothers was a Methodist pastor. As such, I heard the gospel all the time as well as at summer camps, but had not made a personal commitment until age 17. At 17, I realized by virtue of attending Christian youth groups that I had not made a clear commitment to a trust in Christ and made that commitment real. As I had grown up in church, it was not easy to see earlier that I was not a Christian. Once I made a commitment to Christ, there was a real feeling of peace that came over me and while I did not yet realize all the detail of imputed righteousness, the angst that I had felt prior to making this commitment was gone.

NWB: One of your most notable achievements is being credited as the inventor of the laser printer. This was a project that received quite a bit of opposition; with one article quoting your wife as saying you had to work on it "covertly" at one time. Briefly tell us about this.

GS: I have spent over 44 years in Research and Development. The usual expectation from those not familiar with the "real world" of business is that new ideas are welcomed as that drives the business. Well, in reality this is generally not true. The corporate immune system often rises up to kill an new idea that threatens to challenge the way business is presently being done. My experience at Xerox was no different. My manager at Xerox really disliked the idea of anything "laser" as that was some wild new invention that was impractical in his view. As such he did everything he could to discourage working on a laser printer or anything like it. Thus, I had to work on the project in a covert area of a laboratory where he rarely visited. He threatened to lay off any one who worked with me on this project. I felt very strongly that this effort would yield a new way of printing and hence, contrary to his wishes I continued to work on the idea in hiding so to speak. This, by the way, is often true of several ideas that really have paid off in practice in almost every company.

NWB: Has your theology of God—that He is a creative Creator—in any way influenced or motivated your desire to innovate and invent?

GS: Since I can remember, I always thought that God was a rational being and that based on my knowledge of prior scientists who were Christians such as Newton, Faraday, Maxwell, etc. that He made the world discoverable, hence, His power and majesty knowable. Otherwise we might just as well be like most animals that are unaware of what makes things tick. Thus, I asked Him to show me a little bit of how the Universe works and what might be done with what He has made. Thus, the discoverability of our world and the fact that he is Creator and has made us in His image gave me reason to believe that when we build things and create things from our ideas this could be a way of worshipping as well. As Eric Liddel, the great athlete said, "God made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure." I felt the same way in my field of endeavor.

NWB: In Tim Challies' The Next Story, he states:

"Technology becomes an idol when we start to believe that humanity's hope, humanity's future, will be found in more and better technology. It becomes an idol when we place greater hope in technology than in God and when we measure human progress, not by the state of our hearts, but by new innovations in technology..."

That technology can become an idol, and is an idol for many, seems almost self-evident. However, how do inventors of such technology and those on the forefront of technological innovation view themselves? Do they see themselves as "saviors" of humanity? If so, how does a Christian in this industry resist this kind of thinking?

GS: It has not been my general observation that most inventors think about this a great deal. The usual fascination is in making something that makes life better, more efficient or more creative. There are certainly some who feel that they can create a perfect world if only they had the right technology but that has not been true of most of the folks I have known. They are often more interested in making something unusual that benefits, business, education or medicine. There is always a danger of thinking that mankind's problems are technologically solvable but the Christian realizes that in making life better they are in a sense loving their neighbor. If the computer improves the speed of communication or the ease of printing ( a' la' Gutenberg ), many will benefit from being able to get things they were not able to get earlier. Personally, I see technology as a way of using what God has made available in creation to enable us to live better here and increase His Kingdom. People who could not get a Bible in China for example, can now readily read or print one from the Internet. Technology is no more an idol capable field than is cooking, finance, fashion or any other field of endeavor in my view.

NWB: Thinking more broadly, what particular dangers and temptations have you observed in the corporate business world and how have you sought by God's grace to overcome them in your life?

GS: There are some large dangers in the business world that one needs God's grace to overcome and stay clear of. First, there is the danger of over commitment. The business world will use as much of your time as you will give it and this can make one improperly use time. There is also the danger of saying or doing things that get you the permission you need to proceed without always being honest about a project. Some of this is management's fault for not being properly analytical but it is fundamentally the employee's responsibility to be up front about risks and rewards not just "selling" the idea to skeptical managers. One needs to constantly ask the Holy Spirit to keep one's conscience active and alert to such temptations. One key risk is valuing success so much that you will do anything to achieve it. Real success in research or business is keeping one's integrity. If the dog is not going to hunt, say so not make excuses. I killed a project once that was not making the right progress and looked like it was hopeless. I had several corporate teams visit me to ask how I got the project stopped. I had to tell them that I just quit spending money after I realized it was not going to work. One has to keep one's ego out of the problem. Otherwise, you are often tempted to press on even when there is little hope of success. Also, as employees, we are spending stockholder money and have to be good stewards of that responsibility no matter where we sit on the corporate ladder.

NWB: From God's perspective you are not only an engineer and an inventor, but a husband and father. How does a person live coram Deo out there in their vocation as well as at home?

GS: Here is a difficult issue. While I may have spent too much time on the job, it is not easy to determine that at the point of action. It would have been better if I had arranged the time I spent at work in a better way. Rather than stay at work until I could not go any longer, I should have come home more on time, had dinner with the family and then returned to work to complete what had to be done. The extra gas and time would have been worth it. To tell someone that they should just spend less time at work is often flawed logic for the creative individual. When you are developing a new and exciting technology or trying to out muscle competitors, etc. you often have to spend a lot of hours working hard. However, the hours do not have to be contiguous. My children would have certainly appreciated more of my time when they were in need of it and I could have then spent the extra time I needed on work issues when they were asleep or doing other things. Therefore, time planning is a key aspect of a driven personality for both career and family success. I wish I could have had better insight on that when I was younger.

NWB: You have worked for Apple and had personal interactions with Steve Jobs. Since his death and the release of his official biography, many have criticized the accounts of Jobs' behavior and character. Is godliness antithetical to being a successful leader in business? Is it possible to be a Christian in such a position, pursuing service, love, and humility?

GS: Steve Jobs was a very creative and innovative character. He could certainly be hard on people and was not always a "smooth" operator. However, compared to some other executives I have worked with, his passion was intoxicating. I think high tech as well as innovative organizations should be run by real leaders and not just a "consensus builder". Management committees just do not work when it comes to innovation. I do believe that the Christian can be in such positions. While as Christians, we need to show love and concern for others, milque toast personalities do not accomplish much. You can be encouraging and driven without being harsh or difficult to live with. Such characteristics may be rare but are important and often too many think that just being nice is being Christian. The Biblical character of Nehemiah was a person of high integrity but he did not tolerate stupidity or perverse behavior. He drove people to get the job done and yet respected the various concerns that they had.

NWB: When the news of Steve Jobs' death broke, I wrote the following on my personal blog:

"We should thank God for His common grace; for the way in which God has used the life of Steve Jobs, and Apple, to bring about so much innovation."

Is it a right response to thank God for technology? Is God at work in Silicon Valley?

GS: There are some wonderful Christians and churches in Silicon Valley. When one thinks of how the world has changed in just my lifetime it is hard not to thank God for His gifts of creative people and companies. My son, who is a doctor, says that everyone longs for "the good old days" but not when it comes to medicine. There are not many things someone can think of that they would give up to go back to 1945. Give up the computer? Airconditioning? The modern car? Joint replacement therapy? Modern medicine? Modern agriculture? Air travel? Modern communication, including cell phones, etc.? I don't think so. We may misuse or overuse some of these things but abandoning them would be truly silly. As long as technology is not seen as our "savior" we are OK. As a way to make our lives better, technology is fine. I truly believe that God's grace in providing us companies and people who have come up with great inventions and products are a blessing from the Creator. It is sad that God is not, in our present era, given the credit for making us in His image. We need to live more and more coram Deo.

NWB: You have experience working with Xerox, Apple, Microsoft, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. You hold 44 patents and have received many awards including being inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame at COMDEX. In addition to being a published writer you have received opportunities to lecture at Stanford University and UCLA. With the unique opportunities your life has brought with it, how do you see Jesus' description of Christians as "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" as being true in your life?

GS: It is very hard (and perhaps risky) I think to self-determine whether one is being salt and light. What one can do is to try their best via a study and application of the scriptures to do what the Word commands. With my skills mix I try to make sure that I do a number of things. First, give God the credit for my skills and opportunities. While I have invented things, it is God who gave me the abilities I attempt to properly use. I try to let others know that fact and that we are made in God's image. In our naturalistic and materialistic world many folks see themselves as self-made or the product of chance mutations over eons. Studying their philosophical positions so that I can rebut their views via scripture and practical observations is an important way to use one's notoriety and accomplishments to challenge their views. The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 4:6 that we should be ready to give an answer that is "seasoned with salt" so we may know how to answer each one. There are scientists and researchers that I have worked with that would not generally listen to anyone not trained in their way of thinking and reasoning. Being one of their "group" in training and learning, I have a unique opportunity to question, challenge and yes, even protest views that the Bible says are not proper ways to think. In my talks I often refer to "design" rather than another term in seeing how things are. Through this, it is my hope that folks will question what I mean and I can explain the Biblical worldview. This approach has worked many times, especially in Universities.

One's technical accomplishments and achievements in the sciences is the best way to get similar folks who question the Christian position to listen. I have had many interactions with senior technical folks on why they believe something they cannot experimentally verify. Most scientists and technical folks have pretty much swallowed the views, often without serious questioning, that were fed to them in the University. To me salt and light is working with folks to help them see the Truth from a believer's perspective and not that of the skeptic. Most have never seriously confronted Jesus' claims directly in their pursuit of truth. Hopefully I can do that through integrity and accomplishment in a unique way. This is not a choice without cost in one's career. One may be restricted in career growth, ridiculed or ignored but popularity of our position has never been a Biblical expectation. We are to show forth the scriptures and Who it is they declare and what one has a responsibility to do with this truth. As Carl Walenda, the great aerialist once said, "Life is on the wire. All else is watching."

NWB: What are your current projects and passions?

GS: My current projects involve a number of things. I am an avid model railroader and a member of a local club. I study computer technology and how to use it as well as do some consulting for Microsoft. Additionally I enjoy digital photography, music and golf and traveling with my wife of 50 years. Lastly, I do a lot of reading on biology and how God has made us. I want to use my mind and skills as long as I am able and to work with St. Andrew's as an Elder to assist in growing the Kingdom. I love to study the Word deeply and to understand what tells us. To me the combination of revealed truth in the Word and objective truth holds wonders we have yet to fully grasp. Somewhat akin to the "narrow way" described in the scriptures, I always liked a section of the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken" written in 1915. The last section of this poem says the following,

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference."

Gary Starkweather is an American engineer and inventor most notable for the invention of the laser printer. He is also a Christian who serves as a ruling elder at Saint Andrew's.

$5 Friday: God's Sovereignty, Jonathan Edwards, & Apologetics

2012-02-03T01:50:42Z

It's time for our weekly $5 Friday sale. This week you'll find $5 Friday resources on God's sovereignty, Jonathan Edwards, apologetics, the Lord's Supper, worship, and the church.

Sale runs from 8 a.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Saturday EST.

View today's $5 Friday sale items.

2012 National Conference Preview — Sinclair Ferguson

2012-02-01T22:14:43Z

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson is a pastor, professor of systematic theology, and Ligonier Ministries Teaching Fellow. He is also a member of the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, a prolific author whose many books include By Grace Alone, and one of the most renowned Reformed theologians of our day.

Dr. Ferguson was asked if he saw encouraging signs of renewed interest in biblical Christianity and the Reformed tradition and here's how he answered:

While the churches of the historic Reformed tradition that have been given so much have often sold their birthright, God has been raising up a new generation of young men and women who want to be serious students of Scripture, who want to learn to pray, to build strong families and solid churches, and to work the gospel into their everyday lives at home and in the workplace. Fifty years ago looking for the Reformed faith could be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It was preserved in a few rather small denominations. Now it is possible to find biblical ministries in all kinds of churches and denominations (think of the diverse church affiliations of the speakers at Ligonier this year). There are untold riches in Reformed literature, too much for any of us to read in an entire lifetime! There are magazines like Tabletalk as well as others... Then there are many conferences, like this one, attended by large numbers of hungry young people. A Reformed conference of the variety, size and scope of the Ligonier National Conference would have been unimaginable in the years immediately following the Second World War. But here we are!

Very aware to whom he will be speaking, Dr. Ferguson's message at our 2012 National Conference is sure to encourage and stretch all of us. Here's a preview of what to expect in Orlando this March.

Losing My Religion by Sinclair Ferguson

Even among those who hold to the basic truths of the Christian gospel, there is a tendency to remain content with milk and never strive to dig into the meat of the Word. Doctrinal shallowness is endemic and accepted. In this message, Sinclair Ferguson encourages us all to wrestle with the deep things of God and to stretch ourselves by reading some of the great theologians of the past.

The Christian Mind: 2012 National Conference

Registration | Speakers | Schedule | Trailer (Video)

On March 15-17, 2012, we invite you to come and hear R.C. Sproul at our 2012 National Conference, "The Christian Mind." It will be an edifying time of fellowship and teaching together, helping prepare you to think like a Christian in an anti-Christian culture.

Register today

An Interview with Sinclair Ferguson & Chris Larson

In June last year, Chris Larson sat down with Dr. Ferguson to discuss a variety of topics, including mentoring and leadership, corporate worship, the "new calvinism", and sanctification.

Soft Hearts, Solid Spines

2012-01-31T18:10:41Z

The Internet allows unprecedented opportunity for communication between Christians from different theological traditions. The results have not been pretty. Comment threads are the Devil’s playground and blogs his amusement park. And even if we exclude online media, theological bickering between Christians is and has been pervasive. Regrettably, Christians who hold to the Reformed confessions are often viewed by other Christians outside our tradition as some of the least winsome members of what we call the communion of the saints.

The command to love has been lost by us, if not lost on us. But how can the theologically astute love their equally theologically astute brothers and sisters across contentious theological and denominational lines? The solution is in the life, death, and love-commanding witness of Jesus.

Jesus did not draw attention to every theological imprecision that He heard. —@JoeHolland

Consider Jesus' silence for a moment. As a weekly synagogue attender and itinerant preacher, Jesus was bombarded with heterodoxy, moralistic deism, theological mush, progressive nationalism, and spiritual immaturity. And I’m only speaking of what came from devout Jews. Jesus was able and entitled to rebuke the slightest theological imprecision among the faithful at any moment. But when we consider how much theological correction He could have done, His silence speaks more than His teaching. Jesus did not draw attention to every theological imprecision that He heard. He loved sinners and was patient with their theological inaccuracy and spiritual immaturity.

Continue reading Soft Hearts, Solid Spines, Joe Holland's contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk.

Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, February 2012

2012-01-30T18:22:56Z

The February edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's issue examines what Jonathan Edwards called charity as described by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1–13. This passage rings familiar to many people on account of its frequent use (or misuse) in wedding ceremonies and other occasions demanding a proclamation of love. Yet the truth of Christian love as laid out in 1 Corinthians 13 reaches far beyond these settings. Contributors include R.C. Sproul along with Joel Beeke, D.A. Carson, Michael Haykin, Joe Holland, Steven J. Lawson, Keith Mathison, Ray Ortlund, John R. Sittema, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Cal Thomas.

We do not post all of the feature articles or the daily devotionals from the issue, so you'll have to subscribe to get those. But for now, here are links to a few select columns and articles from this month:

If you have not yet subscribed to Tabletalk, now is the perfect time. It's only $23 for a year, and $20 to renew. You save even more if you get a 2- or 3-year subscription (as little as $1.36 per issue). We offer special discounts for churches or businesses who want multiple copies of each issue.

Get your subscription to Tabletalk today by calling one of Ligonier Ministries' resource consultants at 800-435-4343 (8am-8pm ET, Mon-Fri) or by subscribing online.

Introductions: Genesis

2012-01-31T22:47:13Z

Who wrote it? When was it written and why?

These are some of the important questions to answer as you explore any book of the Bible. To aid you in your study of God's Word we have been adapting and posting some of the detailed book introductions found in The Reformation Study Bible. Having introduced you to the Gospels, we now start a series through the Pentateuch.

Please allow The Reformation Study Bible to introduce you to...

The Book of Genesis

Author | Date & Occasion | Interpretive Difficulties | Characteristics & Themes

Author

Because this anonymous book is part of the unified Pentateuch, establishing its authorship and date cannot be separated from that. Evidence relating to Genesis itself, however, suggests that, like the remainder of the Pentateuch, Moses gave the book its essential substance and later editors supplemented it, all by the Holy Spirit's inspiration.

It would be arbitrary to exclude Genesis from the New Testament testimony that Moses (fifteenth century B.C.) authored the Pentateuch. More specifically, our Lord said that "Moses gave you circumcision" (John 7:22; Acts 15:1), which is uniquely given in Gen. 17. It is not surprising that the founder of Israel's theocracy gave this masterful foundation to the Law. Its historical narrative furnished the theological and ethical underpinnings of the Torah: Israel's unique covenantal relationship with God (Deut. 9:5) and its singular laws (e.g., the Sabbath,). Moreover, since creation myths are basic to pagan religions, it is natural that Moses would have included a creation account opposing the pagan myths. This account is, in addition, foundational to the Law Moses mediated.

This Bible's own witness to Moses' authorship is supported by extrabiblical data.

This Bible's own witness to Moses' authorship is supported by extrabiblical data. The first eleven chapters of Genesis share many parallels and conscious dissimilarities with ancient Near Eastern myths that preceded the time of Moses and were known to him (Mesopotamian creation accounts such as the Enuma Elish and flood accounts such as those included in the Atrahasis Epic and the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic). Names and customs in the narratives about the patriarchs (Gen. 12–50) accurately reflect their era, suggesting an early author with reliable documents. The Ebla texts (twenty-fourth century B.C.) mention Ebrium, possibly the Eber of Gen. 10:21, and the Mari texts (eighteenth century B.C.) attest to names such as "Abraham," "Jacob," and "Amorite." The practice of granting a birthright (i.e., additional privileges to the eldest son, Gen. 25:5–6, 32–34; 39:3–4; 43:33; 49:3) was widespread in the ancient Near East, and the sale of an inheritance (25:29–34) is documented at different periods in this area. The adoption of one's own slave (Gen. 15:1–3) is found in a Larsa letter from Old Babylonia, and the adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh by their grandfather (Gen. 48:5) may be compared with a similar adoption of a grandson at Ugarit (fourteenth century B.C.). The gift of a female slave as part of a dowry and her presentation to her husband by an infertile wife (Gen. 16:1–6; 30:1–3) are attested in the laws of Hammurabi (c. 1750 B.C.). These and similar facts corroborate the historical reliability of the narrative.

Date and Occasion

Given the biblical and extrabiblical evidence linking Genesis and its contents to Moses and his era, we may reasonably conclude that the book dates from the fifteenth century B.C. Certainly, for example, since David (c. 1000 B.C.) set the creation account of Gen. 1 to music (Ps. 8), a date of composition in the second millennium is indicated for Gen. 1. Readers should be aware, however, that, although occasionally words known only from the middle of the second millennium appear in the text, the grammar of the Pentateuch was updated at some point, as were some place-names (Gen. 14:14 note). Also, the list of kings in Gen. 36:31–43 was apparently added after the time of Saul.

We may reasonably conclude that the book dates from the fifteenth century B.C.

Like its authorship and date, the purpose of Genesis cannot be considered apart from its place within the Pentateuch as a whole. The Pentateuch is a unique combination of history and law, a history that explains the origins of its laws. For example, the narratives in Genesis explain the rite of circumcision (Gen. 17:9–14), the prohibition against eating the sciatic tendon (Gen. 32:32), and Sabbath observance (Gen. 2:2, 3). More importantly, its narrative recounts God's election of Israel to a unique covenant relationship with Him, in order to bless a fallen world. That covenant relationship consists of God's commitment to the patriarchs to make of their elect offspring a great nation and the chosen nation's commitment to obey Him and so to become a light to the Gentiles. Genesis recounts the origins of this redemptive nation, reaching back to the beginnings of mankind and the world and of the conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan in which the nation was to play a crucial role.

The Hebrew title, following the ancient custom of naming books by their first word(s), is bereshith, "in the beginning." The Greek title, based on the book's content, is genesis, "origin." Both titles are appropriate since the book is about the origin of history.

Interpretive Difficulties

Great emphasis is placed on the unique significance of Jesus' miracles, but some passages seem to suggest that belief based solely upon seeing signs is not a good thing.

The tension between Genesis and modern science about the origins of the universe and of living species is largely resolved when it is recognized that they are speaking from different perspectives. Genesis is concerned about who created and why, not about how and when. Science cannot answer the former questions, and Genesis is largely mute about the latter (Gen. 1:2, 5, 6, 11 and notes).

For the past century scholars holding to the "documentary hypothesis" have contended that Genesis is composed of conflicting documents: J (for Jahweh/Yahweh, "the LORD"), E (for Elohim, "God"), D (for Deuteronomist), and P (for Priestly writer). While this scheme is still widely accepted, few believe any longer that these documents can be used to reconstruct a history of Israel's religion because all the alleged documents contain what are thought to be "early" and "late" materials. In other words, the alleged four documents actually share elements and characteristics that were supposed to belong in only one of these hypothetical sources (e.g., J contains material that would be expected to occur only in E). To be sure, documents were composed in the ancient Near East by combining earlier written sources, but Moses himself probably used them (Gen. 5:1 note). Moreover, many scholars today question the criteria used for identifying these alleged sources and emphasize instead the unity of the text as we have it. For example, the Flood story, once thought to be a classic example of the documentary hypothesis, is now conceded to have remarkable integrity (Gen. 6:9–9:29 note).

Characteristics and Themes

A study of the literary structure of Genesis discloses the following highlights. After the prologue Genesis is divided into ten parts marked out by the formula: “These are the generations of.” This heading is followed by a genealogy of the person named or by stories involving his notable descendants. The first three accounts pertain to the pre-Flood world and the last seven to the post-Flood period. Accounts one through three and four through six parallel one another: (a) stories about the developments of mankind universally at the creation and at the re-creation after the Flood (accounts one and four respectively); (b) the genealogy of the redemptive lines through Seth and Shem (accounts two and five); and (c) the stories of the epochal covenant transactions with Noah and Abraham (accounts three and six). The final two pairs of accounts expand the Abrahamic line, contrasting his rejected offspring, Ishmael and Esau (accounts seven and nine), with stories about the elect, Isaac and Jacob respectively (accounts eight and ten).

The paradise lost by the first Adam is restored by the Last Adam. This marvelously unified sacred history certifies that the focus of Genesis is Christ.

The key to the stories is often given in an opening revelation: e.g., the promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3), the prenatal sign of the rivalry between Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25:22, 23), and Joseph’s dreams (Gen. 37:1–11). A transitional section is found at the end of the accounts (e.g., Gen. 4:25, 26; 6:1–8; 9:18–29; 11:10–26).

The closing section of the last account contains strong links with Exodus, concluding with an oath Joseph elicited from his brothers to take his embalmed body with them when God came to their aid and returned them to Canaan (Gen. 50:24, 25; Ex. 13:19).

The book’s focus on the origins of Israel unfolds against a backdrop of matters affecting the world. Moses tells us that prior to God’s election of the patriarchs, the fathers of Israel (Gen. 12–50), mankind asserted its independence from God by striving to know good and evil apart from God and in defiance of His command (Gen. 2; 3). Humans proved their depravity by token religion, fratricide, and unrestrained vengeance (Cain, Gen. 4); by tyranny, harems, and thinking evil continually (the pre-Flood kings, Gen. 6:1–8); and by erecting an anti-kingdom against God (Nimrod and the infamous tower, Gen. 10:8–12; 11:1–9 note). God's verdict about mankind stands: "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21).

Just as miraculously and surely as God sovereignly transformed the dark, empty void at earth's origin (Gen. 1:2) into a glorious habitat for mankind and brought it to rest (Gen. 1:3–2:3), so also God sovereignly elected His covenant people in Christ to conquer Satan (Gen. 3:15) and to bless the depraved world (Gen. 12:1–3). Unconditionally He elected the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, promising to make of their elect descendants the nation destined to bless the earth, a promise entailing an eternal seed, land, and king (Gen. 12:1–3, 7; 13:14–17; 17:1–8; 26:2–6; 28:10–15). Before Jacob was born and had done either good or evil, God chose Jacob, not Esau, his older twin brother (Gen. 25:21–23). He chose Jacob, even though he cheated his brother, deceived his father, and blasphemed God (Gen. 27). God even used Judah's scandalous wrongs against Tamar, and her daring ruse as well, to advance the messianic line (Gen. 38). The heavenly King displayed His glorious rule by miraculously preserving the matriarchs in pagan harems (Gen. 12:10–20; ch. 20) and opening their barren wombs (Gen. 17:15–22; 18:1–15; 21:1–7; 25:21; 29:31; 30:22). He overrode man's ways and customs by time and again choosing the younger, not the older, to inherit the blessing (Gen. 25:23 note). Blatant prophecies and subtle types are sterling witnesses that God directs history. For example, Noah prophesied Shem's subjugation of Canaan (Gen. 9:24–26), and the greater Exodus led by Moses was prefigured when God delivered Abraham and Sarah from the oppression of Egypt with wealth (Gen. 12:10–20 note).

God inclined the heart of His elect to trust His promises and to obey His commands. Against all hope, Abraham counted on God to give him an innumerable offspring, and the lawgiver says that God credited that as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). Confident of God's sure promises, Abraham gave up his rights to the land (Gen. 13); and Jacob, renamed "Israel" and clinging only to God (Gen. 32), symbolically gave back the birthright to Esau (Gen. 33). At the beginning of the Joseph story, Judah sold Joseph as a slave (Gen. 37:26, 27), but at its end the former slave trader was willing to become a slave in the place of his brother (Gen. 44:33, 34). Secure in the truth that God's gracious design had brought good out of sins as heinous as murder and slave trading, Joseph forgave his brothers without recrimination (Gen. 45:4–8; 50:24).

What was begun in Genesis is fulfilled in Christ. The genealogy begun in Gen. 5, and advanced in Gen. 11, is completed with the birth of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1; Luke 3:23–27). He is the ultimate offspring promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; Gal. 3:16). The elect are blessed in Him because He alone, by His active and passive obedience, satisfied the law's demands and died in their stead. All who are baptized into Christ and united with Him by faith are Abraham's descendants (Gal. 3:26–29). The bold prophecies and subtle types in Genesis show that God is writing a history leading to a rest in Christ. On the threshold of biblical prophecy Noah predicted that the Japhethites would find salvation through the Semites, a prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament (Gen. 9:27 and note), and God Himself proclaimed that the woman's offspring would destroy Satan (Gen. 3:15). That offspring is Christ and His church (Rom. 16:20). The gift of the bride to Adam prefigures the gift of the church to Christ (Gen. 2:18–25; Eph. 5:22–32); Melchizedek's priesthood is like the Son of God's (Gen. 14:18–20; Heb. 7); and as Israel redeemed out of bondage in Egypt found rest, resources, and refuge in the Promised Land, the church redeemed out of the cursed world finds that life in Christ (Gen. 13:15 note). The paradise lost by the first Adam is restored by the Last Adam. This marvelously unified sacred history certifies that the focus of Genesis is Christ.

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Ligonier's Theological Stewardship and Ministry Momentum [VIDEO]

2012-01-23T22:37:45Z

Recently, Chris Larson sat down with Dr. Sproul to reflect on the ministry's past and to consider the future. In this portion of the conversation they discuss Ligonier's theological stewardship and the momentum the Lord continues to provide us for further ministry opportunities.

You can watch the conversation in its entirety here.

Ligonier Ministries is donor supported, so we thank you for your generous donations that continue to enable us to serve the body of Christ.

Get the 2011 National Conference "Light & Heat" DVD for a Gift of Any Amount

2012-01-25T18:20:55Z

Every day on our Renewing Your Mind broadcast we provide an opportunity for listeners to receive a biblically enriching resource for a gift of any amount and at the same time support the ongoing work of Ligonier Ministries. Occasionally, we highlight one of these offers on the blog.

Today and tomorrow, you can get the messages from the 2011 National Conference, Light & Heat: A Passion for the Holiness of God, on DVD for a donation of any amount.

Light & Heat: A Passion for the Holiness of God: 2011 National Conference

Essential doctrines of the Christian faith are under attack, even from within the church, and it is important that we be well grounded in biblical truths so that we may have a deep affection for our holy, triune God. Celebrating the faithfulness of God to the work of Ligonier Ministries and Desiring God, Ligonier Ministries’ 2011 National Conference looked at the holiness of God and the way it is to inform Christian living. Featuring conference lectures by Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, and R.C. Sproul Jr., this collection also includes Drs. Piper and Sproul’s reflections on what they have learned in their many decades of ministry.

This conference also includes optional sessions by the teaching fellows and special guests Tim Challies and Susan Hunt.

Spanish Tracks included.

Get your copy of the 2011 National Conference, Light & Heat: A Passion for the Holiness of God, for a donation of any amount.

We would also love to see you join us in Orlando, March 15-17, for our 2012 National Conference.