The Field's Musings

Judges through Poets 14b- Psalm 110 contd and Psalm 137

2010-12-24T16:55:00.002Z

Psalm 110

¹⁽^A⁾ The LORD says to my Lord:

⁽^B⁾ "Sit at my right hand,
⁽^C⁾ until I make your enemies your⁽^D⁾ footstool."

²The LORD sends forth⁽^E⁾ from Zion
⁽^F⁾ your mighty scepter.
⁽^G⁾ Rule in the midst of your enemies!
³⁽^H⁾ Your people will⁽^I⁾ offer themselves freely
on the day of your⁽^J⁾ power,^[^a^]
in⁽^K⁾ holy garments;^[^b^]
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.^[^c^]
⁴⁽^L⁾ The LORD has⁽^M⁾ sworn
and will⁽^N⁾ not change his mind,
⁽^O⁾ "You are⁽^P⁾ a priest⁽^Q⁾ forever
after the order of⁽^R⁾ Melchizedek."

⁵The Lord is at your⁽^S⁾ right hand;
he will⁽^T⁾ shatter kings on⁽^U⁾ the day of his wrath.
⁶He will⁽^V⁾ execute judgment among the nations,
⁽^W⁾ filling them with corpses;
he will⁽^X⁾ shatter chiefs^[^d^]
over the wide earth.
⁷He will⁽^Y⁾ drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.

The NT presents Jesus as one who fulfils the office of Priest and King. He is the ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’. He is also called ‘the Son of David’.

Jesus earthly ministry is referred to in V5-6. V5 says he will execute Kings in the day of His wrath. The victory of Jesus happened at the cross. See Hebrews 2:14 ‘Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil’

V7 The messiah expresses the satisfaction of his conquest through lifting His head high.

Imprecatory Psalms

Imprecatory Psalms are Psalms where people seek God for the evil and misfortunate of others. Psalms 35, 59, 69, 70, 109, 137, 140 are all imprecatory psalms. Sections of other psalms are also imprecatory.

Jeremiah in 18:29-21 prays a imprecatory prayer for his adversary.

[19] Hear me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of my adversaries. [20] Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them. [21] Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword; let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.

Psalm 137

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. [2] On the willows there we hung up our lyres. [3] For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” [4] How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? [5] If I forget you, O Jerusalem,let my right hand forget its skill! [6] Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! [7] Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!” [8] O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! [9] Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

V1-6 are a lament of the Jerusalem captivity

V7-9 contains a plea for vengeance.

The Psalm was written after the destruction of Jerusalem of the Babylonians (587BC). In 539 Cyrus destroyed Babylon. V8-9 tell us the Babylon has not yet been conquered. This means the Psalm is dated between 587 and 539 BC.

Structure

Stanza 1 V1-4- address of the exiles

Stanza 2 V5-6- address of Jerusalem

Stanza 3 V7-9- address of Babylon

V1 the Jews are mourning while thinking about Zion. They are mourning fellowship with God in temple.

V4 the people ask how they can sing God’s song in a strange land. The people can’t praise God outside of their house of worship.

V5-6 The psalmist prays that he would not forget Jerusalem. The writer is so passionate about worshipping God that he is willing to call down curses on himself if he were to forget Zion.

V7 The Psalmist is saying to God ‘remember the Edomites who encouraged the Babylonians’.

V8-9 Babylon is worthy of the name devastated one because of the doom that is to come. The vengeance toward the Babylonians will occur in terms of ironic justice ‘happy the one who repays you as you have served us’ (v8b).

Revelation 18:4-6 links to Psalm 137v8. The Babylonians of the OT and NT will both receive what they have given.

Judges through Poets 14b- Psalm T23 contd and Psalm 110

2010-07-14T11:41:00.000+01:00

Psalm 23 Contd

Structure:

V1-4 The Great Metaphor

V5-6 The Shift in the Great Metaphor

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

[2] He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

[3] He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

[4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

[5] You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

[6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

(Psalm 23 ESV)

V4 ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ in Hebrew represents deep darkness.

²¹before I go—and⁽^AG⁾ I shall not return—
to the land of⁽^AH⁾ darkness and⁽^AI⁾ deep shadow,
²²the land of gloom like thick darkness,
like deep shadow without any order,
where light is as thick darkness."

- Job 10:21-22

The protection that gets the Christian through the valley is the protection of the shepherd in verse 4d. The shepherds rod and staff comfort David.

Jeremiah uses the same image to describe the wilderness wonderings in 2:6

They did not say,⁽^A⁾ 'Where is the LORD
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us⁽^B⁾ in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes through,
where no man dwells?

V5- The seed of the woman is given a special banquet because of the favour of God.

Psalm 78:19 records the complaint of the Israelites. David in Psalm 23 is proving this complaint wrong.

They⁽^A⁾ tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹They spoke against God, saying,
⁽^B⁾ "Can God⁽^C⁾ spread a table in the wilderness?

V6- David anticpates eternal bliss with God in heaven.

V1-4 David’s earthly existence which points to the exodus

V5-6 The great banquet feast in Canaan and the banquet feast of heaven

Psalm 110

¹⁽^A⁾ The LORD says to my Lord:
⁽^B⁾ "Sit at my right hand,
⁽^C⁾ until I make your enemies your⁽^D⁾ footstool."

The content of this Psalm is similar to Psalm 2. Psalm 110 is a direct verbal messianic prophecy. Psalm 2 uses patterns because it describes a historic episode that prefigures an event in the coming messiah. Psalm 110 is predictive of future events.

There is much evidence for this. For example the two offices of pries and King were always separate in the Old Testament. Therefore the Psalm is about the coming messiah.

Psalm 110 is the most quoted psalm in the NT.

V1 ‘YHWH says to Adonai’- David is speaking about two individuals above him. Jesus refers to psalm 110 as a pillar of his understanding of Messiahship. In Matt 22 Jesus applies Messiahship to Himself. The Father is speaking to the Son in this Psalm.

See Acts 2:32-35

³²This Jesus⁽^AV⁾ God raised up,⁽^AW⁾ and of that we all are witnesses. ³³⁽^AX⁾ Being therefore⁽^AY⁾ exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from⁽^AZ⁾ the Father⁽^BA⁾ the promise of the Holy Spirit,⁽^BB⁾ he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴For⁽^BC⁾ David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

⁽^BD⁾ "'The Lord said to my Lord,Sit at my right hand,
³⁵until I make your enemies your footstool.'

Peter is emphasising that Christ is sitting at God’s right hand not David.

Psalm 110 is made up of two statements of YHWH:

1) v1-3

2) v4-7

V1- the messiah will sit at God’s right hand. The verse contains anthropomorphism because God doesn’t have a side. The Messiah’s sitting down is also a symbol.

Sitting at the right hand of God signifies a place of honour, great blessing, power and majesty. When Christ comes back he will divide people. Believers will be on the right hand of the throne.

The prophecy was fulfilled at Christ’s accession. See Ephesians 1:19-21

according to the working of⁽^AW⁾ his great might ²⁰that he worked in Christ⁽^AX⁾ when he raised him from the dead and⁽^AY⁾ seated him at his right hand⁽^AZ⁾ in the heavenly places, ²¹⁽^BA⁾ far above⁽^BB⁾ all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above⁽^BC⁾ every name that is named, not only in⁽^BD⁾ this age but also in the one to come.

V1b- God will give the Messiah victory over His enemies.

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and⁽^AO⁾ is at the right hand of God,⁽^AP⁾ with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

- 1 Peter 3:21-22

V2- David repeats what God has said in verse one with different words. God will vanquish the Messiah’s enemies by His own power.

V3- Levitical singers sing praises to God as the Hebrew army go to battle (2 Chron 20:21). The Messiah’s people will sing as He goes to battle.

V4- YHWH declares that the Messiah will be a priest forever. Melchizedek is mentioned in Gen 14:18-20. Melchizedek is a type of the Messiah according to David.

1) The Priesthood of Melchezidek is a Superior Priesthood

Abram submits himself to Melchezidek (Gen 14)

2) The Priesthood of Melchezidek is a Eternal

See Hebrews 7. The Levitical priesthood ended unlike Melchezidek’s priesthood.

3) Melchezidek combines both prophets and priests

Zachariah 6:12-13

“ Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
¹³ Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’

Only the Messiah can fulfil both the Priesthood and role of the Prophets.

Judges through Poets 14a- Psalm Titles and Psalm 23

2010-07-02T14:15:00.002+01:00

Psalm Titles

There are parallels between the Psalms and other areas of scripture. This would imply the authenticity of the Psalms. For example the content of Psalm 3 resembles the events in 2 Sam 15-17.

The NT writers are familiar with the superscriptions in the Psalms. For example Paul mentions Psalms 32 and 69 in Romans 4:6-8 and Romans 11:9-10 respectively. Paul speaks about David’s authorship although this is not mentioned in the Psalm.

Peter in Acts 2 attributes Psalm110 to David although Davidic authorship is not mentioned in the Psalm. See also Jesus in Mark 12 and Psalm 110.

The Psalm titles are included in the earliest versions of the Psalms. Septuagint (3C-2C BC) includes Psalm superscriptions. It is likely that Paul used this version. There are some minor variations to modern texts. This is likely to be due to Septuagint translators having a lack of understanding of musical notation.

Psalm 23

Pslams build up the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. They also provide comfort for believers through recording and encouraging us to trust in God’s goodness. Psalm 23 particularly demonstrates the goodness of God.

Structure:

V1-4 The Great Metaphor

V5-6 The Shift in the Great Metaphor

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

[2] He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

[3] He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

[4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

[5] You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

[6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

(Psalm 23 ESV)

V1 David expresses that God is a Shepherd. David knows what Shepherd are like as he is a Shepherd. David knew that sheep are completely dependent on their shepherd. David is saying that he is totally trusting in God and relying on Him.

John 10:11 The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. This is the type of shepherd that God is.

Is 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray, everyone to his own way. But the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

If we are not content we have not fully come under God’s shepherding care.

V1 ‘I lack nothing’ –literal Hebrew.

David alludes to the exodus event throughout the Psalm. For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.

(Deuteronomy 2:7 ESV)

I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. (Deuteronomy 29:5 ESV) As God provided for Israel in the wilderness, God will provide for David in his circumstances.

For a sheep to lie down he must be:

· Free of fear

· Free of friction with others

· Free of pests

· Free of hunger

(Phillip Keller)

The same is true for people and God.

Exodus 15:13- same word used for ‘abode’ (ESV) is the same Hebrew word used for pasture in v2.

He brings us to a resting place of waters’ literal translation of v2b

V3 God leads David on straight paths to the promised land. This verse describes sanctification.

[21] And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

(Exodus 13:21 ESV)

God leads us ‘for His names sake’ (v3c). God does all things for His own glory.

‘[16] But for this purpose I have raised you up [allowed you to stand], to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.’

(Exodus 9:16 ESV)

‘The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever’ Answer to question one of the Westminster Catechism.

Judges through Poets 13b- Psalm 2 contd

2010-02-19T12:27:00.001Z

Structure
V1-3
V4-6
V7-9
V10-12

Stanza 3 contd
NT alludes to 2:8 in Matt 28:19. 2:8 comes to fruition in the coming of Christ
V9 David is told that he will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them.

Jesus will rule the nations as David ruled the nations- Rev 19:13-15:
13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,[a] followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp[b] sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

2:9 is a promise to all believers. Believers will rule the nations: Rev 2:25-27
25 But hold fast what you have till I come. 26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— 27 ‘ He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’[j]—
as I also have received from My Father;

Stanza 4: Warning and Exhortation to Repentance v10-12
V10 ‘Now therefore’ is the conclusion made from earlier stanza’s. God is providing the people with an opportunity to repent.

V11 the people must fear God and obey Him. ‘Rejoice with trembling’ defines our worship of God. We are glad to worship Him and we tremble before His holiness.

V12 ‘kiss the Son’ means show loyalty. 1 Kings 19:18:
18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Judges through Poets 13a- Psalm 1 contd and Psalm 2

2010-02-18T18:01:00.002Z

Psalm 1 contd
Blessed [happy] is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Structure
V1-3 the concrete foundation of the righteous
V4-5 the tragic nature of the wicked
V6 a contrast between the ultimate end of the righteous and wicked

Christians need to take care of worldly things with a heavenly mindset. We need to get involved with scripture, making it part of a routine.

V3 describes the effects of spending time in the word of God. The man of God who immerses himself in the torah will thrive. The righteous man performs good works out of his character.

V4 the ungodly man is the exact opposite of the righteous man. ‘Not so the ungodly, they are not so’ in the Septuagint. The wicked man is antagonistic to the torah and doesn’t bear good fruit. See Duet 32:32-34.

V5 is the consequence of the unrighteous lifestyle. The evil man will not stand in the judgment. The wicked will be without excuse before Christ. They will call for rocks to fall on them (Rev 6).

V6 The Lord knows the way of the righteous. To know something in the Hebrew language is to have an intimate relationship with that object. God has intimate fellowship with the upright. Jesus said: ‘my sheep will hear my voice and I know them.’
The way of the wicked will perish. Prov 14:12 ‘there is a way that seems right to a man, but it’s end is death.’

There are two types of men in the world:
1) The seed of the woman. He is happy, loves Jesus and loves Jesus.
2) The seed of the serpent. He is wicked, hates scripture, rejecting Jesus.

God will separate these two types of people at the judgment.

Prov 13:1 ‘A wise son accepts his Fathers discipline, a scoffer does not accept rebuke’

Prov 15:12 'A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, Nor will he go to the wise.’
Same word used for scoffer is used for mocker in Psalm 1.

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” 7 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break[a] them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” 10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son,[b] lest He[c] be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Psalm 1 defines the godly and ungodly. Psalm 2 gives an example of the conflict between the godly and the ungodly. Psalm 1 and 2 employ similar language. Eg 1:6 and 2:12.

When Paul quotes Psalm 2 in Acts 13:33, some early Greek manuscripts read ‘ín the first Psalm’. This might indicate that these Psalms were one Psalm.

Acts 4:25-26
25 who by the mouth of Your servant David[b] have said: ‘ Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’[c]

NT claims that David is speaking of himself in Psalm 2. The rebellion in the time of David (explained in this Psalm) patterns with a rebellion in the time of Jesus. This Psalm doesn’t display direct verbal prophecy.

Structure (by ideas and parallels):
V1-3
V4-6
V7-9
V10-12

Stanza 1: v1-3
Many nations are plotting against David. These countries want to seize their freedom from the rule of God and His appointed King. The nations are senselessly rebelling against God. David uses rhetorical questions to illustrate the stupidity of fighting against God.

V2-3 the nations stand together to confront God and his anointed one. In v3 the leaders pronounce their declaration of revolution.

The NT applies the pattern of Psalm 2 to Christ’s-context. See Acts 4:25-28. In Psalm 2 we see the revolt of the nations against the anointed King. Now we see Herod wanting to kill the Son of David, Jesus.

There’s nothing in Psalm 2 which is predictive prophecy. Psalm 2 can be understood in its historical context.

Stanza 2: v4-6 YHWH’s response to the nations
The creator surveys the scene and responds in three ways:
1) God laughs/scoffs at the nations v4- the word for laugh/scoff has the idea of derision with it
2) God will speak to the people in anger and terrify the people v5- like a bull with raging nostrils
3) God declares that He has set up His King on Mount Zion

Stanza 3: v7-9 the Davidic King speaks the decree against the raging nations
God has begotten His King. V7 is typological of Christ. See Acts 13:32-33.
V8- God will extend His rule to the ends of the earth.

Judges through Poets 12b- Reasons for Suffering contd, Psalm 1

2009-06-24T12:36:00.001+01:00

Continued from last lecture

c) God uses suffering on unbelievers to thwart their plans

Ultimately God uses suffering for one purpose.
John 9:1-3
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Suffering exists to glorify God.

Job 40:1-8 shows us that God is not obligated to give us answers for our sufferings.
Suffering comes to believers from a God who is kind and works for our benefit. All thing work for our good (Rom 8:28)

Duet 29:29 – the secret things belong to the Lord

The sovereignty of God is the basis of our comfort. His sovereignty of God is not just a characteristic but His essence.

The greatest event of sorrow (Christ being crucified) turned out to give the greatest joy.

The Psalms
Psalm 1
Everything is searching for happiness in the wrong place. What brings deep happiness?

Blessed [happy] is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The wisdom literature contrasts the wicked man and the righteous man, the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman.

Structure
V1-3 the concrete foundation of the righteous
V4-5 the tragic nature of the wicked
V6 a contrast between the ultimate end of the righteous and wicked

The righteous man is happy. The Lord is the originator of this happiness. Why? Because there are some things that he does not do. He does not having binding relationships and take worldly counsel from the wicked.

The happy man does not stand in the way of sinners. To sin is to miss the mark (Judges 20:16).

The happy man does not sit in the sit in the seat of the mockers.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers

Blessed is the man
A = who walks, nor stands, nor sits
B = in the counsel, in the way, in the seat
C = wicked, sinners, scoffers

This is an example of tri-cola complete synonymous parallelism

The parallelism teaches us about progression of sin. The happy man does not deteriorate and become like the wicked.

V2 According to scripture the blessedness of God’s word is great than any happiness found elsewhere. The seed of the woman’s pleasure is found in the torah- God’s word.

Judges through Poets 12a - Job: Satan and the Reasons for Suffering

2009-06-24T12:34:00.001+01:00

The term Satan means ‘the adversary’. The word can be used to describe a general enemy of evil.

Zechariah 3:1-2
‘He showed me Joshua the high priest and the Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him’.
Here the word Satan stands for a definite article as it does in Job.

The devil is satan and satan is the devil. See Rev 20:2
‘He laid hold of the dragon… who was the devil and Satan’

Job 1:7 Satan has been ‘roaming about on the earth’. This means ‘stirring things up’. The word is similar to that of whipping.

Satan’s work is to attack the sons of men. Evil and sin do not only come from inside a man but from the devil as well.

Job 1, 2 and 42 are written in prose narrative. The rest is written in poetry. The prose narrative shows us that this was meant to be a historical account.

The foundation of scripture is the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. God is all-powerful. There is nothing that he can’t restrain.

Daniel 4:34-35
‘for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?’

Proverbs 16:9
‘The mind of man plans his ways but the Lord directs His steps’

Psalm 16:3
‘Our God is in Heaven and He does what He pleases’

See also Psalm 33, 135, 24, Isaiah 40

Satan was only able to strike Job because God permitted it.

Evil things happen to the believer and the unbeliever for different reasons.
1) The Suffering that comes upon the believer

a) God uses suffering to help the believer exalt in Christ and not in self.
2 Cor 12:7-10
‘So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’

b) God uses suffering to increase our perseverance and joy.
James 1:2-4
‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.’

1 Peter 1:6-7
‘In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’

Romans 5:3-4
‘More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope’

c) Suffering helps the believer to follow the model of Christ; to suffer as He suffered

Christianity teaches that the believer is victorious through suffering. The cross always comes before the crown.

‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.’
1 Peter 4:12-13

d) God uses suffering for discipline and training in holiness.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14
‘When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’

Psalm 78:31-35
‘the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel. 32 In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. 33 So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. 34 When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. 35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.’

2) The suffering that comes upon the unbeliever
a) Suffering can acts as a warning to repent
Acts 16:23- 30
‘ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’

See also Paul’s conversion experience in Acts 9.

b) God uses suffering to punish hardened unbelievers as a foretaste of Hell
Any sermon on the gospel ministers grace or stores up judgment for the listeners.

See Romans 1:18-32.

Judges through Poets 11b- Poetry contd and Job

2009-06-24T12:32:00.000+01:00

Personification
Personification occurs when human characteristics are attributed to anything non-human.

Psalm 98:8 ‘let the rivers clap their hands’
Psalm 93:3‘the floods have lifted up their voice’

Anthropomorphism
This occurs when a writer attributes human characteristics to God.

‘Incline your ear to me’
These figures of speech help us to understand who God is.

Figures of Substitution
When word is substituted for another because of some relationship between the two words.

Sinectickys/Synecktike??
When the relationship of the two words entails the part of the whole.
Eg Do you have any wheels?
The part of the car is a figure for the whole car.

Psalm 132:15 ‘I will satisfy her needy with bread’
Bread represents needs in general

Psalm 44:6 ‘I will not trust in my bow nor will my sword save me.’
Meaning: Human/temporal strength will not save me

Metonymy
An attributive word is used for what is actually meant.

Eg Joe is addicted to the bottle
Joe is not addicted to the actual bottle but rather the substance of the bottle.

Psalm 128:2 ‘When you shall eat of the labour of your hands’
Psalm 5:9 ‘They flatter with their tongue’
They actually flatter with speech that comes forth from the tongue

Irony
2 types:
1) Verbal irony: You use a word in such a way that it conveys the opposite meaning of a word.
Eg ‘it is sweet to die for ones country’

2) Dramatic Irony: the force of a person’s actions result in the opposite of his/her intentions

Eg 2 Chron 26- King Uzziah desecrates the temple making it unholy. He gets leprosy and is made unholy.
Psalm 37:15 ‘Their sword will enter their own hearts’

Hyperbolae
This is exaggeration of an intending meaning.

Eg I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
Psalm 73:7 ‘Their eyes bulges from fatness.’

Job
1:1 – description of Job’s character
He was blameless. All men sin and all men are guilty. So what does blameless mean? The word literally means that Job was a man of integrity. He was also an upright man. This means Job acted consistently and with honesty.
Job feared God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The word for fear in Hebrew is reverence or awe that leads to obedience.

1:2-4 – Job was blessed materially
Job had seven sons and three daughters. More sons than daughters is seen as a blessing from the Lord. He also had material possession. Job’s wife is missing from this list. She appears in 2:9 saying ‘curse God and die’.
Job had harmony in his family as they feasted together (v4).

1:6-12 – The Heavenly Counsel

Judges through Poets- 11a Poetry contd

2009-05-02T15:08:00.002+01:00

Strophic Structure (stanza structure)
Is a structure where parallel lines can be grouped together in a common way.

How do we know there is strophic structure?
1) Look for a refrain.
A refrain is a regularly recurring verse that stands at the end of the stanza. The refrain is also known as the chorus.

For examples see Psalms 39, 42, 43, 62, 67.

See Isaiah 9:8-10:4
See the refrain in verses 9:12b, 9:17b. 9:21b, 10:4b. The division between these chapters is wrong (also the division between Psalm 42 and 43).

2) Look for an alphabetic acrostic
This is a poem where each successive line or verse starts with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet. See Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 135. Alphabetic acrostics were primarily for remembrance.

Example: Isaiah 44:24-28
V24 Stanza 1 refers to events of the remote past
V25-26 Stanza 2 refers to the present
V27-28 Stanza 3 refers to the future

The movement of tenses may indicate the change of stanza

Figures of speech
A figure of speech translates the ordinary meaning of a word, applies it to a concept to communicate the extraordinary.
For example: ‘The mountains skipped like rams’ and ‘your wife shall be a fruitful vine.’

Figures of speech can be grouped into three categories:
1) Figures of comparison
2) Figures of substitution
3) Miscellaneous

Simile
A simile is defined as an explicitly stated comparison declaring the resemblance of one thing to another using the words ‘like’ and ‘as’. For this you need a figurative object and a literal object. These objects are then compared.

Eg: my room mate looks like a pig
As the interpreter we must diagnose which features are applicable to this statement.
This shouldn’t be difficult as similes are intended to be self-explanatory.

Metaphor
A metaphor is comparison by direct assertion. A metaphor is stronger than a simile.
1 Peter 1:24 ‘All flesh is like grass’ is a simile.
Isaiah 40:6 ‘All flesh is grass’ is a metaphor.

Psalm 84:11 ‘The Lord is a light and a shield’
Psalm 119 ‘your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’.

Hypocatastasis
Hypocatastasis is a figure of comparison which is much more subtle than a simile or metaphor. A hypocatastasis doesn’t mention the literal subject.

Simile = My room mate is like a pig
Metaphor = I live with a pig
Hypocatastasis = I live with a pig

Eg David saying ‘for dogs have surrounded me’

Judges through Poets- 10b Poetry contd

2009-05-02T15:02:00.000+01:00

Hebrew poetry is structure or cause to vibrate by different means.

Parallelism
The basic unit of a verse consists of two lines called bi-call???
You can get a three-line verse. This is called tri-call???
The different lines in the verse express similar thoughts. They say the same thing with different words.

Psalm 19:8
‘The statues of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;’

The commandments of the Lord are both for the heart and the eyes.

Psalm 104:33
‘I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.’

Types of Parallelism
a) Synonymous Parallelism
This is when two or more lines of poetry express the same idea in different words

b) Complete synonymous Parallelism
This is when every member of the first line has a member in the second line.

Psalm 142:2
‘I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble’

A = I pour out my, I declare
B = complaint, my trouble
C = Before Him, before Him

c) Incomplete synonymous parallelism

Psalm 103:7
‘He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel’

A = He made known
B = His ways, His acts
C = To Moses, to the children of Israel

A is incomplete here.

d) Antithetic parallelism
This is when two lines of a verse express contrasting ideas in parallel.
This is used extensively in the book of Proverbs

Psalm 20:8
‘They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright’

A = They have bowed down, But we have rise
B = and fallen, and stand upright

Psalm 119:113
‘I hate those who are double minded,
But I love Your law.’

e) Synthetic parallelism
This occurs when the second colon advances the first of the first colon by adding a new idea.

Psalm 92:9
‘For behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For behold, Your enemies shall perish; All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.’

f) Emblematic Parallelism
This is when the poet employs a metaphor in his parallelism.
One line is a literal state or subject. The second line is a metaphor that is parallel to the first line.

Psalm 42:1
‘As the deer pants for the water,
so my soul longs after you.’

Chiasm
This is the inversion of parallel terms in successive lines.

Psalm 78
‘They did not keep the covenant of God
And in His torah they refused to walk’

A = They did not keep
B = the covenant of God
B1= And in His torah
A1 = they refused to walk

The centre of this verse pivots on the covenant and torah.
To be continued.

Judges through Poets- 10a King Josiah contd, Intro to Poetry

2009-04-23T15:09:00.002+01:00

Josiah continued
Josiah smashes the bones of the priests to demonstrate that there is no future life for them- no resurrection to life.

Hebrews 11:17-22- God is able to raise men even from the dead. By faith Joseph gave orders concerning his bones. Joseph like Isaac understood that God could raise the dead. Joseph believed that he would live forever.

Psalm 34:15-20. Quoted in John 19:32-36
V20 ‘He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken’
Bones being preserved pointed to the bodily resurrection form the dead. Christ was the first to be raised bodily from the dead. He broke open the gates of heaven.

Poetry
What is poetry?
Words can be used in two ways:
1) Denotative - direct explicit meaning of a word
2) Connotative- an idea suggested by a word in addition to the explicit meaning

a) His father stood over him while three problems of subtraction.

b) The little cousin is dead by foul subtraction.

In b) a mathematical term has tragic overtones.
Poetry is taking denotative ideas and vibrating that word into the connotative.

Alliteration- the repetition of an initial sound.

English poetry tends to use rhyme metre to vibrate words from the denotative to the connotative.

Judges through Poets- 9b Elisha contd and King Josiah

2009-04-23T15:06:00.001+01:00

Elisha Contd
Evil Kings during Elisha’s time:

Ahab 1 Kings 16:30
Ahaziah 1 Kings 22:52-53
Jehoram 2 Kings 3:2-3
Jehu 2 Kings 10:31
Joash 2 Kings 13:2
Jehoash 2 Kings 13:11

There is a great spiritual famine during the time of Elisha.
Elisha was granted the ability to perform miracles to fight the great apostasy.

The typology in 2 Kings 4 is predictive. Meaning it points to a greater climax.
See Matthew 14:14-21 (John 6)

Both stories contain a crowd of hungry people
A few loaves are a principle part of both meal. In John 6 John says that the loaves are made of barley same as the loaves in the story of Elisha.
Elisha and Jesus the same wording: ‘Give them that they may eat’
John 6:7- in both stories an objection is made.

Jesus’ feeding of the multitudes was modelled on Elisha’s miracle.
Jesus and Elsiah were both bringing sustenance to a spiritually ravished land.
Jesus’ miracle was greater than Elisha’s. Jesus doesn’t say ‘thus say YHWH’ He does it with His own power because He is YWHW.

Israel and Judah
1) Northern Kingdom- Isaiah
930 BC-721 BC
Ten tribes.
Jeroboam is the first King of the north is the paradigm of wickedness and evil.
The north was destroyed in 721BC by the Assyrians- the population was deported.

2) Southern Kingdom- Judah
930BC- 586BC
Lasted 135 years longer
The southern Kings are good like David (1 Kings 15:11).
The South was destroyed in 586BC by the Babylonians

Josiah
Reigned for 31 years: 640-609BC
Birth and death: 2 Kings 23
3 main aspects to his Kingship
1) He attempted to free Judah form Assyrian control.
2) Wanted to remove pagan elements from Judah’s worship
3) Josiah attempts to integrate Israel and Judah
Josiahs teriority: 2 Kings 23:8 ‘from Geba to Beersheba’
Beersheba was 11 miles north of Jerusalem
Josiah implemented his policies into the north (2 Kings 23:19, 2 Chronicles 34:6-7)
Died in the north 609 BC

Josiah’s reformation 2 Kings 23
Destroys idols in the land
Gets rid of wrong high priests and prostitutes
Destroys the high places

2 Kings 23:16-20 – Josiah purges Canaanite practises out of the land
2 Chronicles 34:5 – destroys the bones of the Pagan priests

Judges through Poets- 9a Prophetic Institution contd, Elisha

2009-04-08T12:40:00.002+01:00

The Prophetic Institution contd
Numbers 23:23
For there is no sorcery against Jacob,
Nor any divination against Israel.
It now must be said of Jacob
And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’

No need for sorcery as God will reveal His will at His time. People don’t need to search for His voice; God speaks.

Deuteronomy 18:12
12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.
The sin is not separated from the sinner. We are what we do.
When people commit abominations they became abominated.

The superstitions of Canaan have nothing to do with Israel’s prophetic institutions according to Duet 18.

Israel was not permitted to use the methods of the Canaanites. Instead they were to listen to the prophet.
15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
The prophet had to be an Israelite

16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’
The prophet was to be like Moses.
17 “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.
18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
The prophet is God’s spokesmen.

Luke 11:49-51
49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

Duet 18:19
19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
Luke sees the prophet as the prophetic institution of the OT.

Why is the complete prophetic institution described starting with Abel through to Zachariah? Abel was the first person to be slain. Zachariah is slain in the last book of the Hebrew bible (2 Chronicles).

Two interpretations of the singular word prophet:
1) The prophet comes before the messiah. See John 1:20-21 with the people making a distinction between the messiah and the prophet. See also John 7:40-41 – some say this is the prophet and some say the messiah
2) Some say that the prophet is the messiah. See John 6:14-15.

Duet 18 ties together the prophet and the messiah.
The interpretation of John 6:14-15 is clarified by Acts 3:19-23

Duet 18 is a prophecy with two fulfilments.
Duet 18 is a confirmation of the prophetic office and institution throughout Israel
Duet 18 also confirms that there is a singular prophet coming who is the messiah.

Biblical prophecy owes its origin in God Himself.
God was the first prophet. It did not find its origin in Canaan as some say.
No prophecy is an act of the human will. Prophecy happens when men are moved by the Spirit.

Elijah and Elisha
Purpose of miracles used by the prophets:
1) to display in a dramatic way the power of God (see Exodus 7)
2) to authenticate the prophetic office and message (see 1 Sam 12:12-18)

2 Kings 4:42-44
42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.” 43 But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” 44 So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

Context: there is a famine in the land (V38)

Exodus 23:19a = the people bring the first fruits to the priest and the Levites

Why isn’t this man taking his first fruits to the temple but rather giving them to Elisha?

Man was from ‘Baal Shalisha’ in Israel. The city was named after the false god Baal.
The man was denied access to the temple in Jerusalem.
This man was a godly man living in a Pagan culture.

Elisha commands then man to give the food to the people.
The servant questions Elisha but Elisha says:
“Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’”

The expression ‘thus says the Lord’ is a common near-eastern expression. The expression claims the authority of YHWH.

Judges through Poets- 8b Division between Judah and Israel, Prophecy

2009-04-07T11:02:00.002+01:00

Judges 8 = First try at building a monarchy in Israel (tribe of Ephraim)
Judges 9 = Second try at monarchy (Abmilech in Ephraim)

Psalm 78 describes the rivalry between Judah and Ephraim:
67 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved.
And He built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70 He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From following the ewes that had young He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.

Evidences for the split of Israel and Judah
1 Sam 11:8 (during the reign of Saul)
When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

1 Sam 18:16
But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

2 Sam 5:5
In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

2 Sam 20:1-2
1 And there happened to be there a rebel,[a] whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said: “We have no share in David, Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
2 So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.

The roots of division between Judah and Israel were longstanding.
The split finds its climax in 1 Kings 11:26:
Then Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.

The split grows throughout Joshua and Judges and Samuel. It finds its fruition in the times of Solomon.

In Israelite history ‘the great calamity’ refers to the splitting of Israel.

In Isaiah 7:17 the judgement of God (in bringing the King of Assyria upon the people) is paralleled with God’s judgement in dividing Israel. Ephraim represents the northern tribes (Israel) as it is the first born of Israel (lead tribe of the north).

The seeds of the division are first found in Gen 48-49.

Joshua: allotment first given to Judah then to Ephraim even though Ephraim was the first born.

Judges: two individuals trying to become king from Ephraim even though the promise was given to Judah

David had the tribes united but it wasn’t a perfection unification.

Ezekiel prophesies the two kingdoms coming together under one King:
37:15-28

‘Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. 18 “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— 19 say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’ 20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. 21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 24 “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. 25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 28 The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.’

Christ breaks down the animosity between Israel and Judah. In the church Christ brings all his people together by His work on the cross. He is the son of David who has brought in the eternal kingdom.

The Prophetic Institution
Prophecy began in Hebrew culture. The word prophets first appears in Gen 20:7 with reference to Abraham:

Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Jude 14 speaks about Enoch (lived earlier than Abraham) prophesying.
2 Peter 2:5 speaks about Noah prophesying.

Adam was a prophet, priest and a king. And God was the first prophet when he speaks in Gen 3:15.

Deuteronomy 18:9-22:
Not referring to the establishment of prophecy in Israel rather a distinction between true and false prophecy.

9 “When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.
15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 17 “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

We see here nine distortions of prophecy.
Februation = child sacrifice to please the gods. God is the source of revelation. He reveals Himself when necessary. Israel is not to be dependent on despicable means.

Judges through Poets- 8a Solomon and the Seperation of Israel and Judah

2009-03-26T13:30:00.001Z

The Reign of Solomon
2 Sam 12:24-25
David names his son Solomon. Solomon comes from Shalom meaning peace.
‘Now the LORD loved him’ The word love is used three times in the accounts of Samuel: 2 Sam 12:24 (YHWH loved Solomon, 1 Kings 3:3 (Solomon loved YHWH), 1 Kings 11:1 (Solomon loves many foreign women).

‘Jedidiah’ = ‘Beloved of YHWH’
This could have been Solomon’s throne or royal name.

1 Kings 1
Adonijah wants the throne

2 Kings 1:7
A new king was recognised by riding a mule

1 Kings 3:11-13
Solomon primary aim was to make the government strong. He made Israel into 12 districts. He was concerned about the internal aspect of Israel. David was more concerned about the external issues of Israel.

The districts are found in 1 Kings 4
Judah is left out of this list

Solomon constructed a magnificent temple and built fortresses.
The period of Solomon’s reign was a prosperous time for the nation.
He organised economic expeditions.

Nationally Israel was doing well.

What problems did Solomon have?
1 Kings 3:1
Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem.

Solomon sins in marrying a non-Israelite. Solomon married and covenanted with an Egyptian lady. Solomon is acting like the pagan kings.

1 Kings 11:1-2
But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

The foreign women cause him to stumble spiritually.
Solomon clung to these in love. The word ‘clung’ here is the same word used in Gen 2:24 about marriage.

11:7-8
Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

Solomon became syncretistic to the god’s of his wives.

1 Kings 6:38-7:1 we see Solomon’s priority in building his own house

The Separation of Israel and Judah
The separation of Judah and Israel did not begin at the death of Solomon. Rather this event was an out growth of the historical division between the tribes.

Isaiah 11:13- Isaiah speaks of Judah’s harassment of Ephraim.

Gen 48:14 Jacob calls Joseph to bring his two sons to him to bless the firstborn. Ephraim takes the place of the first born (symbolised by the crossing over of the hands).

Gen 49:22-26 Ephraim (Joseph’s first born) is a privileged tribe

Judah gets the first allotment in Joshua
In Joshua 16:5 Ephraim gets the 2nd allotment

Joshua 18:5 And they shall divide it into seven parts. Judah shall remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory on the north.

Judges through Poets- 7b David and Absalom

2009-03-05T12:08:00.001Z

2 Sam 14:33 Absalom gives the appearance of submission, sorrow and repentance.
In chapter 15 Absalom tries to take the throne from his father David.

Psalm 3 tells us about David’s understanding about the situation with Absalom.

2 Sam 15:1-6
Absalom wickedly wants to take the Kingdom from his father. It is a plan of deception.

2 Sam 15:30
David weeps in agony.

2 Sam 17:12
Absalom plots to chase David and kill him. Absalom’s desire and passion is to kill his father.

Psalm 3
David’s explanation of his circumstances from a human perspective

1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.

Most people in Israel were following Absalom. 1 Sam 15:12
Enmity is not a strange thing. Believers should expect great hostility (1 Peter 4:12)

2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

From a human perspective it seems that there is no hope for David. It seems that God has forsaken Him.
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

In the midst of affliction David turns to the Lord in whom he has complete trust and confidence.
YHWH is a shield ‘for me’. He is David’s protector. Shields in these days covered the whole body.
David can claim that God is his glory and treasure even in the hardest circumstances.

4 I cried to the LORD with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

David resorts to prayer. He cries to the Lord because God is a prayer- answering God.
5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

David wakes up form sleep because the Lord causes him to wake up.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.
‘ten thousands’ here is an innumerable figure.
7 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Judges through Poets- 7a The Kingship of David Continued

2009-03-03T16:32:00.001Z

Structure
David’s early successes: 2 Samuel 1-10 (lecture 6b)
David’s grievous sins: 11-12
David’s sorrow and repentance: 13- 24

David’s Grievous Sins, Sorrow and Repentance
2 Sam 11:1
David stays in Jerusalem when he should have been going out to battle
David commits adultery with Bathsheba then plots to kill Uriah. David’s sin was a planned sin.

Even though David sinned. David’s faith in God is testified in his works. David has genuine sorrow in his disobedience.

2 Sam 12- David’s response to Nathan’s confrontation
2 Sam 12:13, David response to sin, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

1 Sam 15:30, Saul’s response to sin: “I have sinned; yet honour me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.”

Psalm 51 gives detail to David’s repentance. David understands total depravity. In verses one to six he uses many different words to describe sin.

V3 ‘For I know my transgressions’
‘I know’ here means to have an intimate understanding and relationship with

V4 David accepts the justice of God.

V6-13 David seeks forgiveness for what he has done
V13 David wants to teach forgiveness as a result of being forgiven

Absalom
First mention of Absalom found in 2 Sam 3:3
Absalom is the product of a mixed marriage
Absalom means ‘Father of Peace’.

2 Samuel 14:25-26 describes the appearance of Absalom.
‘Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him—when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king’s standard’ Absalom practised self-idolatry

Pagan’s built monuments to let their names last forever. This is what Absalom did (2 Sam 18:18)
‘Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself, which is in the King’s Valley. For he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.’

‘I have no Son’ (2 Sam 18:18)? How does this fit with 2 Sam 14:27 which clearly states that Absalom had sons?
The names of the sons are not given in 2 Sam 14:27 this is because the sons had died in infancy.

Judges through Poets- 6b: David and Jesus in Psalm 8, David's Successes

2009-02-23T15:48:00.003Z

Psalm 8
The Psalm is a hymn demonstrating God’s wonder and power.
The Psalm begins with who God is and then goes on to describe the universe and man. The magnificence of the cosmos is found in man’s pre-eminence.
Psalm 8 could refer to the story of David and Goliath (1 Sam 17).

Psalm 8:
To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.[a] A Psalm of David.
The Psalm was to be played on the Gath/Gittith. This could have been a philistine instrument.

O LORD [YHWH], our Lord [Adoni, Master/Ruler],
The majesty of His name:
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

God uses the weak to shame the wise. God is establishing a stronghold through the weakness of infants. God loves to conquer evil with what looks fragile.
God used an apparently weak and young David to destroy Goliath.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?

Man seems to be weak and unimportant compared to the cosmos. The universe seems to be of greater consequence.

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,[b]
And You have crowned him with glory and honour.

David answers his own question. God’s purpose is to make man ruler over the universe. The Lord bestows on man some of His royal character.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

All living creatures are presented as subordinate to man position. These verse are alluding to Gen 1:27-28.

The author of Hebrews concludes that Psalm 8 finds it’s ultimate climax in Christ Jesus the second Adam, the ruler of the new creation (see Hebrews 2:6-8). It appears that Satan is victorious at the cross. In truth God defeats Satan at the cross, the apparent weakness of Christ was His strength.

It is only Christ Jesus who is truly crowned with glory and praise.

Man failed in his task to rule creation. Christ becomes the perfect ruler who restores and builds a new creation.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

The Psalm begins and ends with the praise of YHWH.

How did this principle apply to us today?
The Christian life is a life of suffering and conquering through apparent weakness.
See Rom 8:31- 39 and Rev 2:9.

The Kingship of David
1 Samuel focused on the tragic Kingship of Saul. 2 Samuel focuses on the good Kingship of David. 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel were originally one book.

The author wants us to see the basic contrast between the two kingships.

Structure
David’s early successes: 2 Samuel 1-10
David’s grievous sins: 11-12
David’s sorrow and repentance: 13- 24

David’s Early Successes
David is anointed as the king of the southern tribes of Israel (2:1-4).
V1 David has a submissive heart
V2 David was a polygamist
V4 A split existed between the northern and southern tribes

3:1-5 War between the house of Saul and David. David became stronger. He has many sons born to him. The seed of iniquity grows as he has more wives.

In 2 Sam 5 David is made King over all the house of Israel. He then captures Jerusalem and makes it his capitol (5:10-12).
2 Sam 5:13- David takes more wives.
2 Sam 5:19- God gives the Philistines into the hands of David.

2 Sam 6- David dances before the ark
2 Sam 7:1- great military success
2 Sam 8- list of David’s triumph recounted in detail.

Judges through Poets- 6a The Kingship of Saul

2009-02-18T11:57:00.001Z

In both the lives of David and Saul we see: early success followed by grievous sins.
Saul’s sins lead to bitterness and hatred.
David’s sins lead to genuine sorrow and forgiveness from the Lord.

Saul
1 Samuel 13:2-4 – Saul attacked the Philistines. The Israelites became ‘a stench’ to the Philistines.

1 Sam 13:8-14 =
The Philistines have gathered to do battle against Israel. Many of the people were hiding in the mountains. Many people followed Saul (v7)
The problem in this passage is that Saul performed an act only the Priest should perform. In 10:8 Samuel says that he is the one to perform the sacrifices.

V12b ‘I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering’ literarily means ‘I made myself strong to do this’

Saul disobeyed by not trusting in the authority of God’s word. Duet 17 states that trust in God’s word is essential to Kingship.

In 1 Samuel 14:24-26 Saul makes a foolish oath cursing everyone who eats food. Jonathon says (v29) ‘my Father has troubled the land’
Why did Saul make the oath? V24:‘…before I have taken vengeance on my enemies’

1 Samuel 15:1-3
‘Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’

Saul disobeyed this word from God (v7-9) and fully earnt divine rejection.
Saul did not respond with repentance. ‘Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honour me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.’ 1 Samuel 15:30

An evil spirit comes on Saul to torment him (1 Samuel 16:14-16).
The passage does not say that the Lord made Saul evil. Saul was evil in himself. The Lord hardened him in his sin not to make him sinful. God uses the forces of evil for his own purposes.

Saul directly sinned against God by going to a medium. Samuel told Saul that he and his sons would die the next day (1 Samuel 28:19). Saul responded physically (1 Samuel 28:20) but without repentance.

Judges through Poets- 5b- Kingship in Samuel

2009-02-17T17:20:00.000Z

A common theme in 1 Samuel: the establishment of Kingship under Saul found in 1 Sam 8-12.

The idea of kingship
Gen 1:26 – Adam is ordained as a ruler
Adam was prophet, priest and king in the garden.

Prophet = He spoke the word of God
Priest = Mediator between God and creation
King = He ruled the creation

God is King of all and man was created in His image giving rulership over creation.

The concept of kingship: Genesis 17:16, 35:11, 49:10

Requirements for kingship from Duet 17:14-20
V15 He must be a Hebrews
V16 He must not be greedy

God wants Israel to have a theocratic monarchy where God is at the centre of the Kingship.

The book of Judges gives a picture for what life is like with a monarchy. Everyman became his own King. The book of Judges prepared the people for a King by showing them their need.

1 Samuel 8
What’s the problem in 1 Samuel 8 when the people want a King?

There is nothing intrinsically wrong in the request. The evil was contained in the motives and underlying attitudes.
V19-20 ‘Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.’

The people were insecure and wanted a ruler for battle. The people wanted to be like other nations. They did not want to be set apart for God.

Characteristics of ancient near-eastern Kingship (1 Sam 8:11-18):
11 And he said, “This will be the behaviour of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.’

A human monarchy is described not a theocratic kingship.

2 Sam 7:12-16
12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.[a] Your throne shall be established forever.’

V16 = an eternal kingship. This is not a normal human king but God as a King. See also Isaiah 9:6-7.

Judges through Poets- 5a- Redemption and the Exodus

2009-02-17T14:21:00.003Z

Redemption Continued
Rom 11:26-27
‘And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“ The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

Christ is the deliverer that brings redemption to the people of God.

Titus 2:13-14
‘looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.’

Ephesians 1:7
‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace’

He gave up His blood to make us rightful heirs of His Father.

1 Peter 1:18-19 shows the cost of our redemption:
‘knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.’

The seemingly insignificant custom of the OT is heightened in the NT as the work of God for the salvation of His people.

How were the OT people saved?
Some teach that the OT people were saved by keeping the law or keeping the amount of the law that had been revealed at that time. Not many hold this view today.
Rom 3:20-23 clearly teaches that humans cannot be justified by keeping the law.

Some argue that the OT Hebrews was not saved by this logic:
If OT law could not save a person and Christ could not save them because He had not come to offer salvation then none of the Hebrews were saved.

The OT believer was saved by grace through faith in the blood of Christ. There is one people of God and one way of salvation.

Galatians 2:16
‘knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.’ Faith in Christ saves.

Galatians 3 gives an example of this
V6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”[c] 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

V11 ‘But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.’

Faith in the revealed OT promises of God saved OT Hebrews. Christ was promised in Gen 3:15

The Exodus
The exodus is the central theme of all these Psalms 74,76,78,81,105,106,114
The exodus is alluded to in these passages: Isaiah 11, Jeremiah 2 and 7, Ezekiel 20, Dan 9, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Haggai etc etc

The exodus features as a model for other biblical events that follow

Ezekiel 20:34-36
‘I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. 36 Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD.’
The language of this passage is exodus language.

Zechariah 10:9-11
‘I will sow them among the peoples,
And they shall remember Me in far countries;
They shall live, together with their children,
And they shall return.
10 I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt,
And gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
Until no more room is found for them.
11 He shall pass through the sea with affliction,
And strike the waves of the sea:
All the depths of the River[a] shall dry up.
Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down,
And the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.’

The exodus pattern continues into the NT in Rev 16:2-4, 8, 21.

1 Samuel 4-7- the story of the ark in correspondence to the exodus
The ark is in subjection in a foreign country causing havoc.

The word plague is a rare word in the OT. It appears in 1 Sam 6:4. It also appears in Exodus 9:14.
There are many other parallels.

The seed of the serpent will always try to destroy the seed of the woman. The wicked always act with enmity and hostility. Nothing can hinder the conquest of the gospel!! God will not be held back because of the Philistines.

Judges through Poets- 4b- Ruth, Redemption and the Kinsman Redeemer

2009-02-12T16:33:00.001Z

Matthew 1:3-6 = Genealogy at the end of Ruth

The main characters fade from the story (v18-21). The focus of the story is on the seed. The greatest outcome of the book is the preservation of the seed of the woman. The Messiah’s line is upheld during this grim time by God’s sovereignty. Ruth and Boaz’s relationship serves to continue redemptive history.

Redemption: Hebrew word ‘gaw-al’ means to redeem, revenge, avenge, ransom and to do the work of a kinsman redeemer.

Boaz is the kinsman redeemer of the story
Duties of the Kinsman redeemer
a) Buy back his kin from bondage or slavery (Lev 25:47-49)
b) Buy back land sold by a relative (Ruth 4:1-5)
c) Marry a widow (without male airs) for her protection (Ruth 4:1-5)
d) Avenge the blood of his relative (Numbers 35:26-21)

The idea of the kinsman redeemer was faithful to his family. He was responsible for the good of his kin.

Redemption is the process where something alienated is restored by a kinsman.

Redemption serves as an image of God’s saving activity to all mankind.
Other examples of redemption: Job 19: 25-27. Isaiah 41:11-16, 54:5-8, Psalm 19:14 Exodus 5:22, Isaiah 48:20, 52:9, Micah 4:10, Isaiah 47:1-4, 49:24-26.

The idea of redemption that recurs throughout the OT is promised in a climatic way: Isaiah 59:15-21. Deliverance and vengeance is promised.

The first sermon of Christ: Luke 4:16-21. Jesus claims to be the ultimate redeemer of Israel by quoting Isaiah 61 in the synagogue.

Judges through Poets- 4a: Japhthah, Samson and Ruth

2009-02-12T10:34:00.001Z

Jephthah’s Daughter Continued
11:1-4
Jephthah was a valiant warrior and the son of a harlot. Jephthah is denied his inheritance and thrown out of the Israel community of Gilead. Jephthah fled to Ammonite teriotry.

The god of the Ammonites was Molech
Lev 18:21: And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
See also Jeremiah 32:35

Jephthah was greatly influenced by foreign religious beliefs due to his upbringing.

Jepthah’s theology was a combination of truth from YHWH and heresy from Molech. This is syncretism. He knew something of YHWH because of his vow to YHWH but he added human sacrifice (influence form Molech).

The method of the seed of the serpent is to dilute the truth of YHWH. The devil loves to combine truth with error.

Problem: Heb 11:32-34
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Why is Jephthah listed with the faithful of the OC?
‘The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Jephthah’
Jepthah was ‘valiant in battle’, he ‘turned to flight the armies of the aliens.’
Jephthah is not being praised for his sin. He is being recognised for his conquests by faith.

Samson
The story of Samson is the 7th full cycle contained in Judges.
Samson was set apart as a Nazarite He was set apart by the Angel of YHWH to deliver Israel (Judges 13:3-7). ‘Nazirite’ means to be set apart or consecrated. The Nazarites took a vow to abstain from certain things to show there dedication.

Numbers 6:1-21 describes the Nazarite vow
1) No wine or strong drink (v3) (see Judges 13:4,7)
2) No razor to pass over his head (v5) (see Judges13:5)
3) He shall not go near to a dead person (v6) (not mentioned)

The Nazarites were spiritual leaders. Amos parallels the prophets with the Nazarites (2:11-12).
Despite the vow Samson made mistakes
He desired a Philistine woman (14:1-3)
His best friend was a Philistine (15:2)
He had relationships with Philistines (16:4)

Samson serves as a picture of the children of Israel. The children of Israel had spiritual intercourse with the heathen; they were unfaithful to their own vows.

Why was God faithful to Samson in his sin?
To glorify Himself through keeping His covenant

Ruth
1) Important themes in Ruth:
The inclusion of the Gentiles in salvation
The concept of redemption
Ruth’s character in being a godly woman
Boaz’s character as a righteous man
God’s graciousness and sovereignty

2) The focal point of the book: Ruth 4:13-22
V13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. The Lord opened Ruth’s womb to conceive. ‘The Lord enabled her to conceive’ (NASV)- God is in control of the whole situation.

God graciously gave a male child to carry on the lineage.

V14-16
God provided a redeemer of the land through Naomi. If this did not happen the land would have been passed on to another clan.

V17 Obed is born. Obed is Jesse’s father and David’s grandfather.

Judges through Poets- 3b: Deborah and Japhthah

2009-02-11T11:33:00.002Z

The cycle found in Judges reaches its climax with Samson.

Deborah- Judges 4:1-5
Deborah is a woman with a specified role of leadership in the OC.

V4 tells us that Deborah is a Prophetess. The Hebrew word for Prophetess used here means ‘a woman female prophetess’. By using this word the writer is telling us that this is not a common situation.

Deborah is the wife of Lapidoth (v4). The Prophetess is under male authority.

Deborah was judging Israel. The word ‘judging’ is used over 200 times in the OT. Judges 4:4 is the only instance where the word is connected to a woman.
We can see that Deborah’s position is not normative but special.

What was the condition of Israel at this time?
Severe oppression (v3). The same word used here for ‘oppression’ is also used in Exodus 22:21 to describe the oppression of the Egyptians to the Israelites.

The oppressor was Jabin from Hazor (v2)

The Israelites had demolished Hazor in Joshua 11:10-13. The Canaanites re-settled in the land of Hazor with Jaben as King. The oppression under Jaben lasted 20 years.

Internally Israel is falling apart.
Judges 5:6, 8:
'In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.
8 They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
Israel was not a safe place to be. Israel was without defence.'

The circumstances surrounding Deborah’s judgement were unique.

Jephthah’s Daughter- Judges 11:29-40
The story depicts the clash between the Gileadites and the Ammonites
Gilead = east of the Jordan (right next to the Ammonites), belongs to the half tribe f Manasseh.

Jephthah believes that in order to defeat the Ammonites he needs to sacrifice his daughter. The author of Judges does not condemn or praise Jephthah’s act.

V29 ‘The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah’.
3:10, 6:34, in 13-15 the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Samson four times.
This idiom is not a figure that reflects regeneration but rather a special dispensation of YHWH’s power. The Holy Spirit empowered these people at times to do great things.
In 1 Sam 11:6 the phrase is used. Saul is obviously not saved here. Saul experienced a special dispensation of the Holy Spirit’s power.

V29 Jephthah raises an army and leads them to Ammon.

V30-31 Jephthah makes a foolish vow based on the culture around him. He promises to sacrifice whatever comes through his doors first- Jephthah was likely to have an animal in mind.

V32-33 The Lord provides victory

V34-35 Jephthah’s daughter comes out. Jephthah feels that he can’t revoke the vow (Numbers 30:2)

V36-40 Jephthah does to his daughter ‘what came out of [his] mouth’ (v36). Meaning that Jephthah gave his daughter as a burnt sacrifice.

Why did Jephthah sacrifice his own daughter?
Jephthah’s sacrifice of his daughter shows that he did what he though to be right.

11:1-4
Jephthah was a valiant warrior and the son of a harlot. Jephthah is denied his inheritance and thrown out of the Israel community of Gilead.

Judges through Poets- 3a: The Cycle of Judges

2009-02-10T17:40:00.001Z

(Continued from last lecture)

Judges 2:11-19
1) V11-13 The pattern of apostasy
Baal = storm god, Astoreth = fertility god
These gods were brother and sister and husband and wife.
The people apostatised with idolatry.

2) V14-15 the pattern of God’s anger and judgement against Israel
The anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites. God gives Israel into the hand of her enemy. God disciplines His own people. There is a difference between the chastisement of the devil and the chastisement of God’s children. God’s disciplines His children out of mercy. The devil is chastised as condemnation.

In Amos 4:6-10 we see God disciplining His own people. Hebrews 12:4-11 gives a NT account of God’s disciplining.

In V14-15 God plunders His people and sends oppressors

3) V16 The Lord raises up a Judge to deliver the people for a season
The Judges were military deliverers.

4) V17-19 The repetition of the cycle
The people obey the Judge for a while but then revert to their wicked ways becoming more corrupt. The people became corrupt willingly and purposefully.

The cycle shows us that we are all corrupt wanting to be like God.

***
Ehud’s Deliverance of Israel

Judges 3:12-30

The pattern of Judges (see above) is demonstrated in this passage.

1) The pattern of apostasy: V12a – ‘the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord’
3:12 is the first time in Judges were the writer doesn’t specify the type of evil that Israel committed. We can assume it is idolatry from 2:11 and 3:7.

The three stages of idolatry
1) One worships something of creation not the Creator
2) One begins to resemble the idol worshipped
3) One is ultimately destroyed by the idol

Psalm 135:15-18
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands [stage 1]. 16 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; 17 They have ears, but they do not hear; Nor is there any breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them are like them [stage 2]; So is everyone who trusts in them.

Jesus uses similar terminology. He accuses the Pharisees of becoming spiritually dead and lifeless.

Isaiah 1:28-31
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. 29 For they[a] shall be ashamed of the terebinth [oak] trees Which you have desired[stage 1]; And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens Which you have chosen. 30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades [stage 2], And as a garden that has no water. 31 The strong shall be as tinder, And the work of it as a spark; Both will burn together[stage 3], And no one shall quench them.

What you worship will change who you are and what you do. Destruction comes through the worship of any imperfect thing or person.

2) The pattern of God’s anger and judgement against Israel: 3:12a-13
The Lord strengthens Eglon the King of Moab against the Israelites.
God hardens Eglon in their sin to oppress Israel for the Israelites good by paternal discipline.

3) The Lord raises up a Judge to deliver the people for a season- Ehud in V15
4) The repeated cycle- 4:1

Judges through Poets- 2b: The Purposes of the book of Judges

2009-02-10T15:05:00.000Z

Joshua 1:7-8
‘Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.’

God with His seed has divided the waters of chaos, so that the people can take the land. The people only have one thing to do: obey His word.

Genesis 2:16-17
‘And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die [in Hebrew die die].’

Psalm 1 was composed on the basis of Joshua 1.
The promise of Psalm 1 is the command of Joshua 1: Obedience to the torah causes people to prosper.
There is an automatic connection between loving God and obeying His word. Psalm 1 is not speaking about material prosperity only spiritual prosperity. If Israel obeys God He will bless them. If they do not keep His word Israel will be judged.

The seed of the woman is to live according to God’s word.

***
The Purposes of the book of Judges
1) The book of Judges amplifies the picture of the conquest already recorded in the book of Joshua.

Joshua 13:1
Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.

The land was generally conquered in Joshua’s time. The land was conquered in principle but yet unfinished.
Judges 1:3-8

2) The book of Judges shows us that we need a good King
‘In those days there was not King in Israel. Everyone did what was right in His own eyes’ Judges 17:6, 21:25

Judges depicts a society full of relativism and immorality. Relativism is trying to crush the seed of the woman.

Judges 2:11-19
1) V11-13 The pattern of apostasy
Baal = storm god, Astoreth = fertility god
These gods were brother and sister and husband and wife.
The people apostatised with idolatry.

2) V14-15 the pattern of God’s anger and judgement against Israel
The anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites. God gives Israel into the hand of her enemy. God disciplines His own people. There is a difference between the chastisement of the devil and the chastisement of God’s children. God’s disciplines His children out of mercy. The devil is chastised as condemnation.

In Amos 4:6-10 we see God disciplining His own people. Hebrews 12:4-11 gives a NT account of God’s disciplining.

Judges through Poets- 2a: Introduction to Joshua

2009-02-05T17:13:00.000Z

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:3-4
The Greek word for inheritance is used in the Greek OT for Canaan. Canaan is a type of Heaven because Heaven is the heightened version of Canaan.

Hebrews 13:14 ‘For here we do not have a lasting city but we are seeking the city which is to come.’

Recommended reading:
‘Kingdom Prologue’ by Kline is a discussion of the first eleven chapters of Genesis.
Warren Austin Gage ‘The Gospel of Genesis: Protology and Eschatology’

The Promise through the Patriarchs
Joshua describes the Israelites taking of the land promised to the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

1) Abraham
Genesis 12:7:
‘Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him’

Genesis 13:14-15:
‘And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.’

We see the promise of eternity in the word ‘forever’

Genesis 15:18:
‘On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ’To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates’

2) Isaac
Genesis 26:3:
‘Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.’

3) Jacob
Genesis 28:13
And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.

4) The climax of the Pentateuch:
Deuteronomy 34:4
‘Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.’

2 things in every one of the above verses
1) the seed
2) the land

The book of Joshua
The book of Joshua is a demonstration of the continuing fulfilment of Genesis 3:13. The seed of the woman is placed in a land. The book of Joshua demonstrates that God keep His promises. The land received was a temporary fulfilment of the promise.

1) Structure
1-12 the conquest of the land
13-22 the division of the land
23-24 the covenant engagement under Joshua

2) A Theological Problem
Some argue that it is wrong of God to order the annihilation of the Canaanites. How could a loving God do this?

God commanded the destruction of the Canaanites:
Duet 7:1-2
‘When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.’

This is also seen in Duet 20:16-17.

How are we to understand this destruction?
Some argue that the OT God is a God of wrath and the NT God is a God of love.
This division is not easily made. Christ quotes the OT when commanding His disciples to love the Lord.

God’s wrath is explained in the NT in various places such as Revelation and 2 Thes.

Theodacy is the theology of trying to defend God’s goodness in the presence of evils’ existence.

God has the right to exercise His power whenever He wants to who ever He wants.

The Canaanites were not a peaceful, righteous, and moral people. They were deserving of such wrath. Lev 18 speaks about the sin of the Canaanites. The Canaanites were not indifferent to the Israelites. They had enmity and murderous intent towards them.

Romans 1 tells us that everyone (including the Canaanites) suppress the truth and exchange God’s glory for sin. We are all without excuse and deserving of wrath.

3) The commissioning of Joshua
Joshua 1:1-9 is the key theme passage of the book.
We see in this passage the commissioning of Joshua. This shows us that Moses’ authority has been transferred to Joshua.

This commissioning is confirmed by:
God speaking directly to Joshua as He did Moses
God’s addressing of Joshua out of the tabernacle (Duet 31:14-15)

Judges through Poets- 1b: Typology

2009-02-04T18:08:00.000Z

John 20:25:
‘The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print [too-pos] of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’

‘Too-pos’
can be an impression of a god
can be a pattern of lifestyle (Phil 3:17)
can be a prefiguring of a pattern that can serve future believers

Eg Adam is a type (too-pos) of Christ in Rom 5:14.
Eg OT believers are a pattern to us. See 1 Cor 10:6-11

Too-pos points us to:
the unchanging covenant of grace
the immutability of God
the sovereignty of God

Typology is prophecy based upon a repetition of patterns.

Examples of typology
The Israelites complain during the wilderness wanderings. God sends serpents so that the people will feel the consequence of their sin. A bronze serpent is set up for the healing of the people. See Numbers 21:4-9.
In John 3:14-15 Jesus states that He is the true bronze serpent so that anyone can have eternal life. The pattern found in the OT is fulfilled and points to Christ typologically.

In Matthew 12:39-41 Jesus claims that Jonah’s story is typical of His work. Jonah is three days inside the fish and then is delivered. Jesus was three days in the tomb then He is delivered from death in being resurrected. Jesus is the greater Jonah.

The fulfilment of typology is always greater than the original type.

Some people are hyper-typers. They make everything fit into a type!

The trials of the Israelites are the for-shadowing of Jesus’ temptation: Matthew 4:1-11
The first temptation is an appeal to Christ’s physical attraction for food. Christ quotes Duet 8:3 back at the devil.

In the second temptation the devil tempts Christ to throw Himself off the cliff. Christ responds with Duet 6:16.

Satan offers riches in exchange for worship. Christ quotes Duet 6:16. Moses uses Duet 6:16 to address the Israelites idolatry.

Jesus fulfils what Israel failed to keep. Jesus in His wilderness temptations stayed faithful to God.

3 Characteristics of types
1) Typology must be firmly grounded in history
The pattern and repetition must be historical events persons or things.
The historical aspect of typology separates typology from allegory. According to the allegorist scripture becomes mystical

2) Typology must have notable correspondences
Song of Songs 1:13
‘A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts.’

Some say that this verse is about the OC and NC with Christ in the middle! Other say that Christ is the myrrh and the two breasts are the criminals crucified either side of Him!

Paul says ‘Christ our Passover’ in 1 Cor 5:7. This is typology not allegory.

3) Typology must intensify
The repetition of the pattern must be intensified. ‘Christ being our Passover’ as typology is realistic because Christ brings a greater salvation when compared with the salvation received by the Israelites.

Repeated Patterns
In Gen 1:6-10 God divides the waters. God divides the waters of chaos and void. Then He brings forth a land. Then He abundantly supplies the resources for this land. Then He puts His people there.

This pattern is repeated throughout the scriptures. For example Exodus 14:15-16:

15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

God divides a land of chaos- made chaotic by the plagues and oppression. God drives His people through the chaos into the new land

The pattern is repeated again in Exodus 15:13
‘You in Your mercy have led forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength To Your holy habitation.’

See Joshua 3:13-17:
‘And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.” 14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.’

In verses 13 and 15 the word ‘heap’ is used and also found in Exodus 15:8

Judges through Poets- 1a: The Foundation of Redemptive History

2009-02-04T17:18:00.001Z

This course will focus on the historical and wisdom literature found in scripture.
We will be approaching the literature in a thematic way. The course should enable us to apply scripture to all areas of our lives.

Genesis 3:15
‘And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.’

God is proclaiming a new order for the universe. Because of sin the whole of the universe has been re-ordered. God is formally cursing the serpent in Genesis 3:15. God is did not announce the first prophecy, it is announced by God Himself.

The normal Hebrew structure of sentences: verb, subject, direct objects and nouns.
God re-organises this. He starts with the object: enmity. This term means ‘to be an enemy’. God is setting up a situation where He will set hostile intent between the serpent and woman. The word enmity is only used 5 times in the OT. On of them is found in Ezekiel 25:15:

‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred’

The Philistines have a hostile intent towards the Israelites.

Another example Ezekiel 35:5:
‘Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end’

Another, Numbers 35:21-22:

‘or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait’

The verse is speaking about murder. The author is showing a distinction between killing someone with or without enmity. Hostile pre-meditated intent is involved in enmity.

The new order in Gen 3:15 is due to God’s desire and sovereign purpose. The enmity is ordained between the woman and the serpent. Jesus equates Satan’s acts as an act of murder (John 8:44).

The enmity is also between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The Hebrew term for seed is most often used for lineage and decent. This is not referring to physical lineage but a spiritual lineage. Satan can’t bear children. He’s a fallen angel. ‘You are of your Father, the devil’ (John 8:44) those who are in spiritual communion and union with the devil are His children.

The next example of lineage in scripture features murderous intent between Cain and Abel. Esau and Jacob also have enmity. The theme continues becoming broader. Enmity is Genesis is seen through individuals. In Exodus we see enmity between nations; Israel and Egypt.

Rev 12:13-17:
13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [seed], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The serpent continues on in trying to murder the woman and the seed.

Humanity is divided into one of two camps: Satan seed and the woman’s seed.

Gen 3:15
‘He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.’

The battle will reach its climax between two individuals: A third masculine singular and a second muscular singular. The seed of the woman is a man.

In the first half of the verse the serpent was mentioned first. In the second half we see the primacy of the serpent-bruiser. The blow to the serpent is to the head. It’s deadly wound. The serpents harming of the seed of the woman is minimal. His heel is bruised.

Luke 3 gives a genealogy referring Jesus back to Adam and Eve. After Luke 3 we see Christ going off to do battle against the devil.

How does our understanding of Gen 3:15 influence our understanding of the historical books?
The rest of scripture is the unfolding of Genesis 3:15. Redemptive history starts stems from Gen 3:15. Scripture traces the development of Gen 3:15- it places the meat on the bones of Gen 3:15.

The historical books point out the failure of human Kings and the need of Israel for the promised one of Gen 3:15. Israel are encouraged to trust in this King above all others.

Gen 3:15 is direct verbal prophecy as a means of God revealing the unfolding of redemptive history.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Adoring Christ: Communion with God

2009-02-04T12:37:00.001Z

By Tim Keller

As people adore Christ they will apply Christ.

The best way to lead people to worship is to worship Christ yourself during the sermon.

Whitefield agreed to having his sermons printed but said ‘you’ll never get the thunder’.
The sermon is what you write
Preaching is the active delivery of the preaching

The spiritual quality and character of the person shines through during preaching more than the sermon itself.

Keep in your mind the differences between graces and gifts. You can be using gifts without being godly.
The fruit of the Spirit is character change. The gifts of the Spirit are skills or abilities.
People often assume that skill or gifts indicates

Spiritual gifts with spiritual fruit is like a tyre without air. When you’re far from God

Traditions:
Sacramental: meeting God in the sacraments and traditions
Evangelical: meeting God in your quiet times
Charismatic: emphasis on meeting God in corporate worship

The Puritans were bigger on experiencing God compared with other reformed evangelicals today.

MLJ was on a farm trying to pray and couldn’t pray. Looked at the word glory in an AW Pink book and felt God’s glory for a couple of hours. He then looked back at the Puritans and saw these themes were present in there writings.

Meditation is the overlap between prayer and Bible study. Read and meditate on scripture until your heart gets hot, then move on to pray.

Bible reading should be a slow and careful reading of scripture. Give yourself time to meditate on truths you haven’t enjoyed before. Listen to God’s voice and enjoy the truth.

In meditation you take parts that have impressed you from the Bible reading and think about how this helps you to:
1) adore God
2) confess sin
3) petition to grace

God structure for quiet times:
Listen to God through the Word
Reflect on what He is saying
Respond by speaking to Him
Sense and enjoy His grace

Meditation is truth with you left in it. What is this truth saying to me? What would happen if I were living in light of this?

The minds must descend into the heart. To hunger for God and not eat is better than not to be hungry.

Contemplation is the witness of the Spirit telling us that we are children of God.

Mini sermon on John 2
The first of Christ’s miraculous signs is featured in John 2 when he turns water into wine. When you go to a web page you want the content of that page to get straight to the point, you want to find out the essence of that page straight away. Christ shows hi heart and essence in the performance of His first miracle.

What is Christ doing? He’s not healing anyone. He’s taking a party and restoring it.

a) What did He come to bring?
Christ came to be lord of the feast. Verse 10 is talking about the master of the banquet. His job was to make sure that the party went well. Christ kept the party going by making 150 gallons of the best wine. Christ is saying I’m the real master of the banquet. I can bring taste and experience and fullness of life.

Why does the Bible talk about tasting? Psalm 34: ‘taste and see’. God wants you to experience Him- He wants your senses. There’s a difference between knowing God’s holiness and feeling His holiness. Jesus Christ wants you to know the sweetness of God.

He is the master of the banquet. He wants to come into your life and bring sweetness.

b) How does He bring this?
Mary says ‘We’ve run out of wine?’ Jesus responds: ‘Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.’ He is not referring to his time of miracles. He is referring to the hour of His death. Jesus is thinking of His wedding. He is thinking of His wedding feast.

How is Christ going to give you incredible sensation? He dies to give you Himself. To purchase the wedding feast He had to be slaughtered.

Christ adores His bride. Jesus feel ravished when He sees us. He came to give us festival joy by dieing so that we would be His bride.

Applied to non-Christians:
1) Admit you’re out- admit you’re empty, devoid of goodness.
2) Take the credit for what He’s done- love me and praise me because Jesus is lovely and praiseworthy

Applied to prayer:
1) Pray for small things- Christ was willing to use divine time for small things
2) Learn patience prayer- pray yourself patient
3) Get perspective on Christ’s wedding day. There’s only one spouse that awaits you and He will fulfil you- He’s waiting for you if you believe in Him.
4) Presence prayer- He wants to come into your life and give you wine. Don’t settle for bread and water- you’re missing the feast!

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ:Asking Questions, Discourse Analysis

2009-02-03T17:13:00.001Z

By Ed Clowney

Luke 17
We see in this passage the return of praise, which is the glory of faith showing the glory of grace.

The lepers call to Jesus from afar off: ‘Jesus, Master have mercy on us’.
Faith hears the word of Jesus.

Jesus came to gain the worship of the unclean- He wants the Lepers for Himself. He came to be the servant who would receive the punishment for our sin. He paid the price of our uncleanness so that we would become clean.

The disciples ask about receiving faith and Jesus responds by speaking about the obedience of praise. The others lepers didn’t show hear-obedience to the master. They were doing exactly what they were told to do without praise in their hearts.

If faith is to be increased it must show the fruit of praise.

***
When preaching narratives make sure you weave doctrine around the story.

The Wisdom Narratives
The meekness of wisdom- ‘learn of me’, ‘let your gentleness be known to all men’.
Prov 8- wisdom personified produces joy.
The meditation for wisdom leads to the realisation of joy.
Calvary is the ultimate expression of wisdom- it looks foolish to men but is wise in an ultimate sense.

Christian meditation is the awareness of a person. It’s personal and focuses, arousing emotion. This emotion grows out of knowledge of scripture.

The suffering servant brings to us the counsel of God. This is the solution to the problem of suffering and wisdom presented in the OT. Our suffering (planned by God’s wisdom) allows us to enter into fellowship with Christ.

The sending of Jesus Christ is the sending of wisdom (Matt 23:24)

Wisdom is the right application of knowledge to a specific situation. Therefore wisdom will be (in one way) look different for different preachers. This is because Pastors preach to different peoples and cultures.

Psalm 1:2 tells us that wisdom ends with delighting in the law of the Lord. Wisdom leads to thinking and savouring scripture; this is the fuel of joy.

Discerning- seeing the world through a renewed mind, seeing the world through light and not darkness, discern opportunities for the gospel by the power of the Spirit.
Don’t think ‘I’ll only do a task that matches my gift list’.
Be task-orientated not fulfilment orientated
Reflect- on what you’ve done, consideration on the outcome and process.

Spiritual gifts are often a heightening of natural gifts that you already posses. As God renews us we should expect that our natural gifts will be used by the Spirit. Don’t look at Paul’s list of gifts as the complete list of all gifts. There is individuality to our calling and graces. Gifts are designed for corporate worship. The whole body works together.

Recognise Christ direction in your calling.

(Keller)
Analysis is making distinctions, noticing the limits
Intuition is seeing relationships, seeing the whole

Eastern traditions say that analysis must stop in meditation. Scriptural meditation uses both analysis and intuition.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Adoring Christ: Spiritual Reality

2009-02-03T14:41:00.001Z

By Tim Keller

The goal of the sermon is to get people to worship.

A sermon isn’t a sermon until you call people to adore Christ. A sermon is a lecture when Christ is not adored.

Willow Creek approach: ‘You can evangelise non-Christians or edify Christians’
Conservative approach: ‘All people need to worship through the same material’
If you preach Christ you’ll e evangelising and edifying at the same time.

Post-modern people like to know how Christianity works.
PM people try on Christianity as a dress. They’ll try it out to see if it works.

You can only change a person’s life by changing what they worship and how they worship.

Text, Context and Subtext
Be clear about the text, context and subtext
1) The text: know what the text is saying. Be clear on theology
2) The context: know how to present the text to the people
3) The subtext: have the right heart for the text (Christ) and the right heart for the context (people)

4 types of subtext
1) Social Reinforcement
The purpose of the sermon is to say: ‘Aren’t we great’
The preacher builds community and belonging by using familiar language and over endorsing the goodness of the church
‘We’re here to remind ourselves that we are unique people’

2) Selling
Promotion the products of the church
‘Don’t you feel that this is a great church’?
‘See how worthy I am of your respect’
The sermon is trying to give teaching to win people over to the individual church

3) Training
The purpose of my sermon is to teach people things they don’t know
‘I want to inform you of things you don’t know’

4) Worship
This subtext points to Christ and says ‘Isn’t He great?’
‘Don’t you see that your problems are rooted in that you don’t worship Christ?’

Spiritual Reality and Edwards
Religious Affections by Jonathon Edwards:
We have always done what we wanted to do.
Edwards argued that there is no ultimate opposition between head and heart. The heart always leads the will to act. Actions are grounded in emotions- always!

‘I know God cares for me but I can’t help but feel unloved.’ Edwards would say ‘You clearly don’t know that God cares for you. You haven’t felt that reality. Once you feel that God cares you’ll act as if God cares.’

Acting directly on the will doesn’t really work. We need to aim for the heart.
If someone is not being generous it’s due to sinful emotions. It’s because their hearts find something more attractive than Christ. Once people really see and feel 2 Cor 8:9 giving becomes frequent and a happy experience!

Sensing Christ only way to motivate the will. The task of the preacher is to present the beauty of Christ so that He becomes the object of our hearts greatest affection. Presenting Christ as more excellent than everything will weaken the Christians love for things other than Christ.

‘Excellency is that which is appreciated and rested in for its own sake.’- Edwards

The nominal Christian is someone who finds grace useful to get the things that the heart finds excellent and beautiful. Christ should not be the means to the end. He is the end!

Spiritual reality is more than rational conviction.

2 fold knowledge of good according to Edwards:
1) That which is notional- understanding something rationally
2) That which is pleasing to the heart- delighting in Him

You can rationally know that honey is sweet without feeling it. You can’t feel that honey is sweet unless you rationally know it’s sweet.

5 tips for heart preaching
1) Use reason- be clear and logical
2) Use analogical illustrations- relate the truth to another discourse. Doing this engages the senses
3) Use narrative- use stories
4) Transfer the affections of the people from sin to Christ- show that sin is not satisfying- show people that Christ’s beauty satisfies
5) Worship as you preach- show the people that you are sensing Christ – taste the food that you’re feeding to the children

Our problem: we forget spiritual knowledge.
2 Peter 1:8-9 is not talking about someone who has forget that they are saved. Rather the Christian here is not being continuously refreshed with Christ.
Video is more attractive than audio. The Bible sometimes can go straight to audio- it is heard and not fully experienced. We need to see Christ on video this is to experience Him.

We worship when we treasure God- when we find Him more beautiful than anything else.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ in the Wisdom Literature

2009-01-29T13:35:00.001Z

By Edmund Clowney

Three divisions made in the OT: counsel, law, prophecy- Ezek 7:26, Jer 18:18

Wisdom: man through YHWH must use knowledge to solve lifes problems
The wise man is the knowledgeable man

Proverbs is the documentation of instruction against folly

1 Kings 4 helps us to understand the view of wisdom in Israel.

Meditation on the law brings:
1) Praise
Rejoicing in God’s revelation

2) Wisdom
Reflection on how the teaching of scripture applies to life

Wisdom is concerned firstly with knowing the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the knowledge of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding.
Paul’s prayer is for a Spirit and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Eph 1:17). Wisdom is the key to understanding the wisdom of the Lord in Paul’s theology.

The gift of wisdom enables us to analyse scripture and apply it properly to a situation.

Most parallels in the Psalms and wisdom literature are not to be equated.

Older men need to disciple younger men in wisdom.

The theology of wisdom in the OT
1) Objective: understanding
God’s wisdom: Prov 9:10. Wisdom is the understanding of God and the companion of God. Prov 8:22 talks about the attribute of God personified. God’s wisdom is the source of all creation.

2) Subjective: The fear of the Lord
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Worship puts things in perspective.

Christ is the Lord of Wisdom
Wisdom points to the promise in the unresolved issues it points us too.
Wisdom is a Christological testimony: wisdom tells us that there must be something better.
Job was searching for wisdom (Job 29). The search ends in Jesus Christ. He is for us wisdom from God.
Wisdom is the commitment of faith. Peter’s faith is the wisdom on which the church is founded.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ in the Psalms

2009-01-13T15:02:00.002Z

By Edmund Clowney

The Psalms are the praises of the redeemed centred on Christ.

A song is a covenant witness. In Deut 31:19 God gives to His people the songs they are to sing. Songs are not simply a response to God but a God-given ordination. The people were to memorise them.

Jesus is presented as the living Christ singing in the midst of the congregation (Hebrews 2 quoting Psalm 22:22). We sing with Jesus our singing saviour.

Structure of Psalm 22
1-2 the cry of lamentation
3-5 the confession of trust
6-8 another lamentation
9-11 another confession of trust
12-18 another lamentation
19-21 cry for deliverance
22-24 confession of deliverance
25-31 praise for deliverance

The suffering servant signs from the depths to the heights
In Psalms 2 and 24 the royal King sings.
The song of Christ is seen as the song among the Gentiles (Rom 15:9). Jesus signs a missionary song among the nations (Psalm 96).

The NT authors gained their theology from the OT. They were people absorbed in OT doctrine.

We need to practise doxological evangelism: witnessing Christ with a heart of worship.

We sing with Christ because He is a signing saviour and we sing to Him because He is worthy.
Psalm 96 the Lord is our maker, ruler and saviour. The song of Moses becomes the song of the lamb. All songs are fulfilled in Christ.
We sing because of His acts and person.

Psalm 90 = the praise of Jesus Christ is delighting in the beauty of God.
1) The beauty of majesty = the overpower beauty of God.
2) The beauty of design in the tabernacle
3) The beauty of delighting in what is enjoyable

Jesus Christ comes to be made almost inhuman through his sufferings in order that we might become beautiful to God.

102 out of the 150 Psalms are alluded to in the NT.

In Psalm 51 David confesses with agony his sin. David pleads for forgiveness based on God’s covenant promises. God’s justice (by which He promises to show mercy to Israel) is David’s real hope. Christ is the Lord of the covenant in the OT as well as the NT.

1 Peter 3:15- ‘sanctify the Lord as Christ in your hearts’. How do you do this? By declaring His holiness and exalting Him in the eyes of others.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Adoring Christ: Getting Inside their World Part Two

2009-01-08T11:56:00.001Z

By Tim Keller

How do you argue for the authority of the Bible?
Traditional way: Look at fulfilled prophecy of the OT.
Better contemporary way:
1) Do you want a personal relationship with God?
2) You can’t have a personal with God unless you accept the authority of the Bible
3) Why? Because having a personal relationship with being outraged sometimes. You must expect the Bible to offend. Unless you accept the complete authority of the Bible God can’t contradict you or differ with you.

The strategy used is presupposition apologetics. Affirm what they affirm and then show them that

How do you argue for the reality Hell?
Post-modernist: I don’t believe God would send anyone to Hell.

Christian: What did it cost your God to love us and embrace us? It cost my God pain, agony and torment to bring me near to Him. In your effort to make God more loving you’ve actually made God less loving by removing Hell from your worldview. If punishment doesn’t exist as a result of God’s justice then when Christ died on the cross it wasn’t really that bad and therefore Christ isn’t really that loving. If you want a God who is willing to suffer and die for you, you must have a God of justice and Hell.

We need to know the people well enough to know what the people’s commitments are. We need to understand their perspective.

How do you argue for the uniqueness of Christ?
Post-modernist: How can you say Jesus is the only way? I believe that we need to treat religions as roads to the top of the same hill.

Christian: If that’s true you’re claiming to be at the top of the hill seeing the whole truth. Your position assumes greater spiritual knowledge than all the religions of the world including Christianity. You’re saying ‘my spiritual understanding of all religions is right and enables me to evaluate the validity of all religions.’ You’re actually as exclusive as me.

Preaching Matthew 26:61 -“This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”
The main charge against Christ is found in Matt 26:21. Christ is being crucified for his claim over the temple.

1) What is a temple?
2) What did Jesus mean when He said He was a temple?
3) What does that mean for us today?

1) What is a temple?
A temple was a cross roads between heaven and earth. It was a place where you could bridge the gap between you and God. Temples are places where

Why is it that modern society doesn’t know this concept? The enlightenment.
The enlightenment said: everything has a natural cause; we can see through everything, we can solve all our problems. If this is true then we don’t need God. As science progresses and is applied problems will disappear.

But today lots of new religions are attracting attention. Why is this? Because people are realising that there is something behind the visible because science is not solving our problems.
The pragmatic problem: if everything is a problem of natural causes then every problem should be solved by scientific endeavour. But it’s not. Everything is getting better except our problems, which are getting worse.

‘All truth claims are really just really power grabs.’ Nietzsche
‘All views of God are psychological projections to deal with your guilt and insecurity.’ Freud
If the two statements above are true we needn’t pay attention to them because all our explanations can be explained away. To see through everything is not to see. People are starting to see that we need mediation.

Now we can see why Christ got killed for what He said.

2) What did Jesus mean when He said He was a temple?
By saying He is the temple Christ is claiming to be the God on the other side of the gap.

2 Chronicles 7:1-5- The Jews understood that the raw power of God is held in the temple.

The temple is where you meet with the divine and where the divine is mediated to you. We don’t just need God we need a temple. We can’t approach this holy God without a mediator. Christ is claiming to be the temple to end all temples.

3) What does that mean for us today?
If you’re a searcher for God you have to build a relationship with Him on grace. You can’t be a good person to know God. If you do that you are turning the house of God into a market place to buy your way into God.

If you’re a Christian you need to know that the temple is a person not a place. And when you’re united to this person you are united to His people. His people are His dwelling place.

Preaching Genesis 29:15-35
Traditional cultures suggest that family is what life is about.

A) Background of the story
1) Jacob came from a family chosen by grace
At every generation of Jacob’s family one person will bear the messianic seed.

2) Jacob came from a family mark by brokenness
Isaac wife’s Rebekah when having twins were told that the older shall serve the younger. In other words the messianic seed would come through the older. The younger one is the one. Isaac ignored it and favoured Easu. Jacob became a manipulator.

B) The substance of the story
1) Laben’s plot
Laben realises that he became wealthy if Jacob works for him for a low price.
Laben realises that Jacob will do anything to get Rachel. Rachel’s sister Leah had ugly eyes while Rachel was beautiful. Jacob thinks he makes a deal with Laben. Laben doesn’t agree with Jacob’s agreement. Jacob marries Leah and then gets him to work another seven years for Rachel.

2) Leah’s Lot
Leah is married to someone who is madly in love with her sister.
Leah fights for the love of Jacob by having kids with. She realises that she can praise YHWH- have the love of YHWH without fighting for it.

C) The meaning of the story
1) Do not make family your ultimate hope
Making family equal to happiness destroy family. Christianity is the first religion to say that being single is a valid way to live. Singleness can be a happy lifestyle.

2) Don’t make anything on earth your ultimate hope
If you make anything your ultimate hope other than God you go to bed thinking you have Rachel but then wake up and find its Leah!

3) Make the ultimate family and the ultimate bridegroom your ultimate hope
When Gods saw that Leah was not loved He opened Her womb. God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the wise. God is attracted to unattractive beautiful. Leah becomes the mother of our Lord. She bears Judah.

God is gracious to the broken.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Applying Christ: Getting inside their world part one

2009-01-07T15:16:00.002Z

By Tim Keller

Methods for writing application
1) Discipline who you spend time with
The application of a sermon should change in style depending on the people who are hearing the sermon.

You tend to preach to the people who are most on your heart. Some evangelical leaders preach sermons for other evangelical preachers because they are immersed in the thinking of the culture of evangelical leaders. Deliberately diversify your people context. Speak to non-Christians. Understand how they think, in what categories? Address the needs of the culture in sermons. Entice Christians to bring non-Christians by preaching to non-Christians using their language and culture. Preach to people who aren’t in the room.

Preach like this ‘God is wrathful God who is angry at sin. I know some of you find that hard to understand but consider this….’

The easiest way to think about the concerns of non-Christians is to read content written by people who disagree with you. The best way to do this is by reading magazines. Read articles that reflect the viewpoints of people who are on the street.
Make sure you spend time with a variety of non-Christians and Christians who disagree with you.

2) Think in lists of people
What does this text say to: mature Christians, non- Christians, backsliding, sceptics etc

If you put application at the end of a sermon you can lose peoples attention. Collect application near the end whilst applying the txt throughout the sermon.

3) Create an inter-sermon dialogue
Ask direct questions that you answer in your own sermons.
Don’t say ‘many people twist truth to look good’, say: ‘How many of you know this past week that you’ve twisted the truth to look good?’. Turning statements into questions helps people to engage.

4) Anticipate objections
This comes from spending time with people who don’t agree with you.

5) Don’t pass by the pliable moment
Sometimes when preaching you realise that you have the audience’s attention.

6) Let the text control you rather than your temperament
If you’re a naturally affection person you’ll love to speak about God’s love. If you are a hard person you’ll tend to speak about God’s authority and truth. Reach for have forceful affection.

If you’re always encouraging and not warning you’re people will eventually stop growing. The reverse is also true.

Don’t always keep the same tone; change your tone with the text.

How to enter and change a worldview
You need to sprinkle apologetics into your sermon. Practise presupposition apologetics in preaching. This takes a person view of the world, enters it and then challenges it. Drill a deep hole into the worldview and plant the dynamite!

1) Gaining plausibility with language
People are not going to listen unless you learn to speak their language. If you make people work too hard on deciphering your language people get exhausted and tune out.

2) Gaining plausibility with non-verbal communication
The sing-song ministerial voice of Scotland and Wales works fine there but not in England. Britt’s like the conversational style. English people don’t like a rhetorical grand style. Don’t sound like a politician or a salesman.

3) Enter the worldview
To enter a worldview means to know it, to show sympathy for it, and to identify with the parts that you can as a Christian.

a) Know the culture
Prove to the people that you know their worldview well, use illustrations that are relevant, quote their lyrics, watch there TV shows, read their papers, speak to the people.

b) Sympathise with the culture
Don’t just say ‘this is just the way it is’. Show people that their worldview is destructive and wrong bring spiritual death. Show sensitivity.

c) Move from the right known thing to the right un-known thing
The post-modern person loves grace and forgiveness (maybe not the concepts but certainly the words!). By common grace right spiritual culture overlaps post-modern culture. Find the truths that they affirm. Start by entering the world-view (drilling the hole).

Eg talking to secular kids about sex. ‘The Bible is pro-sex and love. God is for good sex.’ Then start speaking about the culture perversion of sexuality.

Show the incompatibility of the worldview. Should how justice must exist along side grace. Show that forgiveness can only happen when sin is

Provide a new view of God while explaining the cost and reward of changing.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ: Christ and the Law

2009-01-07T12:12:00.001Z

By Edmund Clowney

We want to preach the law in a gospel context. Galatians and Romans do this.

We need to recognise:
1) The condemnation of the law-Gal 3:13-14
The promise has been fulfilled, it goes out to the Gentiles, and is achieved by faith. Why the law (v19)? It was added because of transgressions until the seed comes. The law bars the way of life because it condemns us because of our sin. The law is not the final revelation of God.

2) We can’t keep the law
The law shoes us that we can’t do it and even increases our trespasses (Rom 5:20). The law stirs the rebellion of sin (Rom 7:7-8). Sin works through the commandment to produce sin. The law brings damnation and the knowledge of sin.

3) The law drives us to Christ- Gal 3:24
The law acts as a tutor to Christ so that we can be justified by faith.

4) The law is renewed in Christ
Christ provides for us the righteousness of God, the complete fulfilment of the law. Christ fulfils the law and renews it by expanding it.

Luke 20:20-26
High priest’s and scholars are in Jesus’ presence trying to trap Him with a question.

The question: Should a person pay taxes to Caesar?

The solutions:
Don’t pay and suffer
Don’t pay and resist
Pay and protest
Pay

Jesus’ answer: Give to Caesar what is Caesars; give to God what is God’s.
Pay taxes to Caesar because the coin has image and name on it. Christ was in the name and image of God giving Himself to God on the cross as a sweet-smelling sacrifice.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ: The Parable of the Prodigal Son

2008-12-23T17:14:00.003Z

By Edmund Clowney

How to develop a text using the Poythress method:
1) Static- the meaning of the text
2) Dynamic- the way in which the text describes a speaker, message and a recipient
3) Relations- how the elements of the text to other portions of scripture

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Applying Christ: Getting Down to Earth Part Two

2008-12-22T23:14:00.001Z

By Tim Keller

3 macro-Strategies for applying a text
1) Critique religion as well as irreligion (read notes from part one)
2) Aim at heart motives as well as the outward behaviour
3) Look at the text through three application perspectives

2) Aim at heart motives as well as the outward behaviour
Self-justification is the doctrine of the Pharisees. If Christ is not your righteousness something else will be. You can avoid Jesus by avoiding sin.

Religion is more of a subtle enemy of the gospel than irreligion practised by the open rebellious person because religious behaviour looks like holy behaviour.

Irreligious people need to be shown that they are practising self-justification.

A Basic Outline for Aiming at the Heart:
i) Speak about what the narrative tells us to be- what standard is the Bible setting for us?
ii) Speak about how that standard is unreachable- we are all sinners who miss the mark
iii) Speak about how problem is resolved in Christ- He obeyed, He loved God perfectly etc
iv) Speak about how the people should rest in what He did to do the same through His power- we can obey because He obeyed

In every text of scripture there is a moral standard to reach. The good gospel preacher illuminates the tension between man’s effort and scripture standards. The preacher then should move the focus off of the people and onto Christ. The gospel preacher should be showing people that all sufficiency is found ultimately in Christ. Our inability is not down to bad effort but rather a lack of faith in the gospel.

The job of the preacher is to get people to wish that Jesus were true.

3) Look at the text through three application perspectives

According to Vern Poythress you can only understand a text if you:
i) Understand the original meaning of the text (normative element)
ii) Work out how the text applies to us today (existential element)
iii) Work out where the text is within the context of redemptive history (situational element)

The three application perspectives are:
i) The doctrinalist approach- looks at the text to see how it supports sound doctrine
ii) The pietistic approach- looks at the text’s relation to experience (eg how does this text change my prayer life)
iii) The cultural transformationist approach- looks at how the text affects culture

Vern argues that preachers need to use all three application perspectives to give the people balanced application.

Example: Luke 4:31-37
Doctrinalist: The passage teaches the deity of Christ, it demonstrates His sovereignty over evil spirits and shows the grace of God towards people.
Pietist: The passage teaches that Jesus will work if I let Him and once I’m delivered I have to tell my friends.
Cultural transformationist: The passage teaches that Jesus is working in the world liberating people from oppressive structures.

All three perspectives are needed to be balanced. The perspectives are not opposing each other- if you go deep enough into one perspective you get to another.

Example: Esther
Doctrinalist: God is the only real King. He is sovereign over all things including evil making everything work for His glory and our good. God’s plan of salvation works even when God is not mentioned.
Pietist: If God seems to be absent in your life- He’s not. God uses a woman from the outskirts of society to bring redemption. God uses weakness to shame the wise.
Cultural transformationist: God calls us to serve Him with redemptive work in the secular world. Believers are needed to be a light and witness in the secular system.
God calls us not only to change individuals but also to change society.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Applying Christ: Getting Down to Earth Part One

2008-12-16T16:22:00.001Z

By Tim Keller

Faith in the saving work of Christ is the only tool to dismantle sin in our lives.
We are sanctified by faith, not just justified by faith.

3 macro-Strategies for applying a text
1) Critique religion as well as irreligion
2) Aim at heart motives as well as the outward behaviour
3) Look at the text through three application perspectives

1) Critique religion as well as irreligion
Say that the gospel is neither morality nor immorality. The gospel is the third way
Religion says ‘if I work hard on biblical principles God will bless me.’
The gospel says ‘God will bless me through trusting in His Son, this gives me power to work hard at biblical principles.’
Functionally the churchman’s heart tends to religion.

Reasons why this method is useful:
a) Many professing Christians are not Christians
b) We constantly need our practise aligned with their theology
c) Some people who reject Christianity reject it because they believe it to be religion

If we preach: ‘immorality bad and Christianity good’ people tend to think that Christianity is the opposite of immorality and

Moralism tends to stress truth over grace
Immoralism tends to stress grace over truth

Truth without grace is not truth. Grace without truth is not grace. Christ came full of grace and truth.

Religious people don’t believe that the God of wrath has been propitiated. The religious man has to keep on working to gain the blessing of God.
Immoral people don’t believe that there is a God of wrath to be propitiated. Immoral people do not feel accountability towards God.

If we preach the gospel we will offend the religious like Christ did: ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.’ (Matthew 21:31)

In Gal 2:14 Paul deals with Peter’s racial pride. Paul does this by exhorting Peter to live by the implications of the gospel and not by quoting a rule. This is the best way of dealing with racism.

‘The truth of the gospel is the principle article all Christian doctrine most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.’ – Luther

Applying the gospel to discouragement:
Moral approach: You’re breaking the rules, repent
Immoral approach: Enjoy yourself it’ll be fine
Gospel approach: If I’m downcast it’s because something is more important to me than Christ

Applying the gospel to family life
Moral approach: Obey the family values. In the moralistic mindset the family is important.
Immoral approach: There’s no need for family loyalty
Gospel approach: If God is my ultimate Father than I am freed from being too dependent or hostile to my parents!

Applying the gospel to guilt:
Moral approach:
Immoral approach: Loosen the standards so you don’t feel guilty any more
Gospel approach:

If the real god of your life is to be a successful businessman and you don’t become successful you will feel guilt without the hope of forgiveness. This is the god of the Pharisees- a god of wrath who wants to satisfied by works that can never be propitiated.

(To be continued in part two)

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ: Telling God's Story, Narrative Analysis

2008-12-13T17:45:00.002Z

By Ed Clowney

Example of Narrative Preaching from Matthew 17:1-9
Christ is the one with greater authority than Moses and Elijah. God the Father affirms His authority by saying ‘hear Him’. The Father’s declaration proves the Father’s unity with Him. The Son declares the will of the Father. Moses brought to us what God said to him, Christ is the incarnate word, God’s word become flesh, He is God speaking.
Christ speaks and the dead comes forth, His own sheep hear Him and they follow Him.

The preacher’s task is to bring into remembrance the words that Jesus spoke. The congregation are to hear the message and hear Christ speaking through the preacher. The glory of God is made evident through Christ.

Peter suggests building shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah thinking that this was the last feast of booths.

The glory of the true tabernacle is shown at transfiguration.

Christ comes to do his true work of conquest. Overcoming the Devil’s temptation whereby he offered Christ all kingdoms on top of the mountain in the wilderness. Now Christ is showing his royal conquering glory at the top of a different mount.

Moses was willing to die with Israel- have his own name blotted out. Moses was a mediator. Elijah also was a mediator calling down fire from heaven and hearing God’s quiet whispering voice. Christ is a better mediator, the eternal mediator between God and man.

Christ did not use His royal power to save Himself. He didn’t ask for legions of angels to take him down from the cross. He used His royal power to save us.

We need to hear Him in our lives so others will hear Him in our preaching.

Tips on Telling Bible Stories
1) Get the story right
You don’t know the stories you think you know! Record yourself telling the story without the Bible to see if you actually understand the story.

2) Use definition by contrast
We understand a concept by describing what the concept is not as well as what the concept is. Ask these questions:
What is most like this?
What is most different to what is most like this?

3) Ask: what actually happened?
List the events in the passage.

4) Do not take direct quotations and turn them into personal prose.

5) Is the theme of the narrative indicated in the text?
Sometimes we are told the theme of the text indirectly through hints in the text. Watch for clues and labels. Ask why places are named such. Many OT stories are identified by the name given to a place or person (Eg Hosea’s children from Hosea 1).

6) The text must be understood in its setting

7) Use Bible Dictionaries and Atlas’ to Establish Original Context

8) Use vivid realism
Visualise the story, paint the picture of the story, speak about was felt, seen, heard and experienced.

9) Tell stories suggestively
Use repetition (especially for children).

10) Stay with the main structure of the story

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ in through the Structure of Redemptive History Part Three

2008-12-13T16:45:00.003Z

By Ed Clowney

The individual obedience of Isaac and Jacob is portrayed through the seed of the promise leading us to Christ. There are concepts in structure that naturally flow to Christ. This is typology.

The meaning is presented through its significance in symbolism.

Christ speaks in parables to teach us spiritual truth through natural reality.
Symbolism brings in the feel of the meaning. Symbolic language can be more effective than illustrations.

A metaphor is found in a sentence and not in a word. A metaphor brings together two different worlds; two different images.

Example: Amos 3:8-
A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?

The spoken word of the Lord is paralleled with the fierce roaring of a lion. We apply attributes of the familiar concept to the more abstract concept. The roaring of the lion is similar to the speaking of Yahweh.

Metaphors act as a form of contextualisation. Metaphors should be used to tell Bible stories as real stories- applying modern methods of description to give a detailed and relevant meaning to the audience.

Hebrews 8:5 = Vertical Typology- we are presented with a copy of heavenly things by an earthly pattern
Romans 5:14= Horizontal Typology – Adam is a type of Him who was to come

A good metaphor takes the preachers application to the listeners adoration.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Applying Christ: Getting to Christ

2008-12-04T16:14:00.001Z

By Tim Keller

Justification and Sanctification by Faith Alone
We’re not only justified by faith- we are also sanctified by faith. We need to exhort people to faith in Christ wherever they are at! Power to live a holy life comes by faith in the cross. We shouldn’t exhort people to right living without giving revealing to them the key: faith.

Sanctification is orienting yourself towards justification. We need to feed off our justification to be sanctified.

Actual righteousness is produced by embracing the means by which we gained our imputed righteousness. Faith preserves us form self inflicted moralism.

Idolatry by Faith Alone
‘All those who do not at all times trust God…but seek His favour in other things or in themselves is breaking the first commandment.’- Luther

The first commandment is broken when you fail to believe in justification by faith. If you’re not trusting in Christ you are trusting in something else.

All people sin in general. Why do we sin in any particular instance? Any sin is rooted in inordinate lust for something other than God. We always make something our functional saviour though faith when we sin.

Moral effort in which people say ‘obedience produces blessing’ restrains the heart but does not change the heart. It produces moral behaviour out of self-interest.

What makes people virtuous?
Most people are virtuous out of self-interest. How does God keep the world from being such a bad place? Common grace. Morality is produced, virtue is seen but this virtue and honesty is what Edward’s calls common virtue. Common virtue is a restraining of the heart not a changing of the heart. Common Virtue can be produced by fear or pride. Fear because I’m afraid of what people think of me. Pride because I want people to look up to as an example.

If sermons become moral exhortations then we are strengthening the roots of sin.

What is true virtue?
True virtue is when you’re honest not because it profits you or makes you feel better. It comes about when you’re captured by the beauty of God and love truth for the sake of God. True honesty grows when we see Christ being faithful, keeping the promise He made to us.

Thomas Chalmers: The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
Old and sinful affections rule the heart until the object of the hearts desire becomes good. The sinful desire can only be expelled from the heart when another object of greater value and satisfaction replaces it. The hearts desire to have an object is unconquerable. The heart is always seeking happiness.
Therefore it is not enough to speak to the conscience and show that a particular action is wrong. Showing people the beauty of Christ will change desires leading to holy lives.

Preaching David and Goliath
What’s the meaning of the narrative to us? Without Christ the message becomes: the bigger they come the harder they fall. The story tells us that the Israelites can’t defeat Goliath. David- a weak, young man can do the job. We are in the crowed. We are portrayed as the Israelite who needs a substitute. David points to Christ as the only conqueror of everyone one of our enemies.
We can conqueror our giants because Christ faced and defeated the largest giants of life.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Applying Christ: Introduction to Christ-centred Application

2008-12-03T17:14:00.002Z

By Tim Keller

Keller defines 4 ways of getting to Christ from the text organically

Theme Resolution
Inter-canonical themes are themes that cut across the Biblical canon, for instance the theme of Kingdom or law or grace. The theme develops and thickens as scripture progresses.

Broad themes:
1) The King and the Kingdom
The freedom and glory of God’s kingdom is lost when Adam and Eve sin
The people throughout the OT needed a good Kingship
Only the creator Himself is a satisfactory King because the problems of His people are too deep for any human King to deal with.

2) Grace and Law
This theme asks the question: How can God remain holy and gracious with a rebellious people?

Approaches to this theme:
Conservative: God commands obedience for the receiving of every blessing
Liberal: God loves everyone no matter what they do
The conservative approach is exclusively set on the holiness of God while the liberal approach is only focuses on the love of God.

Isaiah highlights the tension in his writing when describing a strong King and a suffering servant.
Christ fulfils the covenant so we can be saved by grace through faith. Perfection is needed to satisfy God’s holiness.

Narrow themes:
Worship: How can we be in the presence of God?
The presence of God is experienced and removed in the garden and then restored by Christ through the cross administered into the church.

Righteousness and Nakedness: How can we look good in God’s eyes?
We are spiritually naked as a result of the fall. Christ clothes us with His righteousness.

Marriage and Faithfulness: How can we know love and intimacy?
The love of God is obscured by sin.
Christ’s wins the love of His spouse by

Image and Likeness: How can we become fully human?
Humanity has been degraded through sin. Christ is the ultimate image of God restoring the image of God back to the people by sanctification.

Rest and Sabbath: How can we find harmony with those around us?
Enmity with God and others is brought on by sin. Christ reconciles us back to God by His death and back to people within the context of church.

Judgement and Justice: Will justice ever been administered?
Bad things happen to good people because of sin. Christ was a judge who was judged to secure ultimate justice for eternity.

When preaching about the psalmist’s desire to go to the sanctuary you shouldn’t say ‘that’s the reason you should want to come to church on Sunday’. Instead say ‘we have more access to the presence of God than the psalmist as we are the temple of God.’ We should allure people to obedience rather than just enforcing it. We need to make obedience look attractive.

Law Completion
This is preaching Christ from one ethical principle. Gal 3:24 tells us that the law leads us to Christ. Preach Christ from ethical principles by showing that He completely does all of what we should do. Jesus is the only way to take the law seriously. The law is saying ‘you can never fulfil me, you need a saviour.’

Say to the people: unless Christ has saved you, you’re stuck.’ Then take people to the generosity of Christ. Melt their hearts be Christ’s love to move people to faith.
Christ exemplifies and fulfils every law.

Story Insertion
Take the story you’re looking at and put it into the bigger story. Look for pictures of Christ in the text.
All individual stories point to Jesus. Jesus is the true Adam, Abel, Abraham….
Every story is about Jesus.

This principle is also true of cooperate story lines:
Jesus Christ is the true creator- we were created through Him. The creation story teaches us that
Temptation in the wilderness: The fall points forward to the active obedience of Christ.
Moses took the people out of political bondage; Jesus redeemed the people from spiritual bondage.
Jesus is the true Israel. Jesus earns the blessings of the covenant to all who believe.

Another sort of typology sees Christ from the narrative pattern of the text: God working through the weak, God bringing life through death, God working through defeat.

Esther sacrificed to save Israel as Christ sacrificed Himself. The acts of Esther and Ruth mirror the way in which Christ brought salvation to us.

The order of the Exodus and the law giving teaches us about Christ. The law is given after redemption. Obedience is demanded after grace is received.

Symbol Fulfilment
Every major figure points us to Christ. The non-personal symbols point us to Christ. The entire sacrificial and temple system points us to Christ. Etc

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ in through the Structure of Redemptive History Part Two

2008-11-26T11:09:00.002Z

By Edmund Clowney

In this lecture we will look at the structure of a sermon preached by Edmund called
The Life of Joseph: From Pit to Palace the Lord’s Blessing through Testing based on Genesis 37.

1) God’s blessing on Joseph, the Lord was with Him
Through the favour of the Father
Through the dreams speaking of his future that God gave him
God’s constant presence was with Joseph. This resulted in his success
He was faithful in the service of all people. He was faithful to Potiphor’s officer. He was faithful to Pharaoh.
Joseph gained favour in the eyes of Potiphor. Potiphor gave him authority over his state. God blessed Potiphor because Joseph was there. Wherever Joseph went blessing went.
Potiphor’s wife took a liking to Joseph- this led to Joseph’s imprisonment. The officer in charge of the prison began to like Joseph. Joseph was given power to run the prison. Joseph interprets dreams successfully in the prison.

There was constant success in everything he did.

2) Everything Joseph did well led to more testing.
He tells his dreams to his brothers and they start to hate him. They plan to kill their own brothers. Judah wants to sell him to the Midianites.
Potiphor’s wife wants to sleep with Joseph. Joseph refuses, she screams and Joseph gets imprisoned.
Joseph is betrayed in prison when the butler forgets about him for two years.

Troubles come as Joseph continues in faithfulness. Every betrayal was necessary for God’s blessing.

3) Everything Joseph did worked for ultimate God
How did Joseph get from pit to palace? Through trials. God blest the nations through Joseph’s trials. Egypt is blest by Joseph. Joseph’s family are blest primarily by the revealing of their own sin. They were brought to repentance through Joshua’s trials. God meant in all for God (Gen 50:20).

4) How does all this relate to Christ?
Christ fulfils this story by purchasing redemption through trials and sufferings.
Jesus succeeds constantly because God is constantly blessing and helping Him.
Jesus Christ was constantly tested in His ministry when betrayed by the people of Israel, Pilate and Judas.
The triumph of the cross looked like weakness and at the same time was a sign of ultimate success over all our enemies.

5) How does all this relate to us?
The story of Joseph shows us that we can’t be shortsighted in our sufferings. Our union with Christ changes the emphasis of our sufferings. Our trials are part of what God is doing in the good of His Kingdom. Sufferings work for our good and the good of the Kingdom. Christ gave His life so that the success of the plan of God might be worked out in our lives.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ through the Structure of Redemptive History Part One

2008-11-25T16:46:00.003Z

By Edmund Clowney

We must see scripture as a whole. When Christ met with His disciples leaving Jerusalem in Emmaus they were discouraged. Christ says that the disciples didn’t understand the whole of scripture. They didn’t understand that the concept of spiritual redemption came from the Jewish scriptures. Christ showed them that Old Testament is all about Him. The disciple’s hearts burned within them.

In scripture we have one complete story with Christ being the completion of this story. We live in the time of climax. He said ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30).

The Lord in His own redeeming act initiated redemptive history
The Exodus was a move of liberation on God’s part. The Israelites were delivered by the power of God. God didn’t only bring them out of Egypt; He brought the people into covenant relationship and the promised land of Canaan on eagle’s wings (Exodus 19:4).

In Leviticus 26 God promises to walk among His people and be their God. He promises His presence through the construction of the tabernacle.

The people become a stiff-necked. God be in the midst of them because of their sin. He went ahead of them. The people were dismayed. Moses prays to 1) know God’s name and 2) see God’s glory.

God met with the people in the tent of meeting outside the camp. When Moses cried out and prayed God answered. This showed that God was willing to forgive their sins and dwell among them.

The prayer of Moses (Exodus 34:9) asks God to go in the midst of the people even though they were a stiff-necked people. Moses repeats what God said He couldn’t do. Moses says ‘go in the midst of us because we are a stiff-necked people’. He’s asking God for the forgiveness of sins. God responds and the tabernacle is perfectly built. The glory cloud came down and filled the holy of holies.

When Christ says ‘destroy this temple…’ Christ refers to His body as greater than the tabernacle. Christ was full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Exodus 3:15 talks about the name of God revealed at the bush. Moses takes off His shoes because of the holiness of the place. The name of the angel is revealed as the Lord Himself- YHWH. The Lord Himself leads the people and dwells among them. YHWH binds the people to Himself.

The covenant is too often simplified to a legal form. This covenantal treaty has an emotional depth to it.

‘I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other God’s in my presence.’ This is not legalism. The perquisite to obeying the law is having a God that delivers and leads! Obedience is the response to salvation. Redemptive history shows us that we do not have a basis for legalism.

The people are tested in the wilderness (Deut 8). Israel’s testing gives us a shadow of the testing that Christ endures. The judgement of the wanderings teaches the people to be humble and submit to Him as God.

Deut 7:7-9 ‘I love you because I loved you’. God loves with an electing non-valuing love. Redemptive history is against moralism and legalism.

The OT is a record of God’s covenant faithfulness and Israel’s unfaithfulness. Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel etc ask the question ‘How are the people responding to God’s love?’.

Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones shows us the power of God demonstrated for His glory. The bones were dry and scattered.

The OT tells us that the people are so bad and that there is little solution- God must come and bring the only deliverance possible. The incarnation is too much to believe that God is that personal. He is willing to love and show patience to a sinful person. He came in the person of His Son and then gave His Son.

Ezekiel 34 =God must comes as a shepherd
Isaiah 59 = God must come as a warrior

In Exodus 17 we see the people getting angry thinking that God has broken the covenant with them. They want to stone Moses as they can’t stone God. God instructs Moses to pick up the rod of judgement (Isaiah 34) with a panel of judges and go to the rock. Moses is to hits the rock on which God stands. God takes the punishment for the sin of the people.

God’s servant will come (God’s anointed) as the shoot out of the root of Jesse. God’s anointed comes as Lord and Servant.

The Word of God
1) The Power
When God speaks it happens. His word is declarative and regulative. Everything responds to Him as He commands it and everything acts within His will. God is deliberate in His guiding of all history. The plan of God is expressed in the Word of God. The Word of God produces man in the image of God. Man is made and upheld by God’s word for the worship of Himself. Man the rebel speaks the word of man to create His own God in man’s image. Man worships his own God, which is his own being.

2) The Promise
Salvation is promised and represented as God’s initiative.
The people in Babel wanted to build a stairway to Heaven. Man wanted God to come down on his own terms. God did come down but in an unexpected way. God comes and curses the people by making their language diverse.
In the dream of Jacob God comes down the stairway and promises to never leave cheating Jacob.
The NT is full of OT images. We must know the OT well as Christ did to exegete the text properly.

3) The Presence
From the Babel story we can say that to encounter God’s presence we must come to Him on His own terms and not try to make ways of reaching him ourselves.

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Introduction to the Christ Centred Model of Preaching

2008-11-24T17:02:00.005Z

Lectured Tim Keller

In order to prepare a good sermon the preacher should be asking:
What does this text tell me about the person and work of Jesus?

In preaching the preacher should be asking the people:
How am I failing to rejoice in and live as if this text is true about who Jesus is?

The preacher should be showing that people are poor due to their lack of faith in Christ.

The aim of every sermon is to experience Christ through the text. You need to get people to adore and enjoy Christ through the text. We shouldn’t preach principles or example to live up to but re-assure people that living a holy life is derived from faith in Christ.

In a lecture the aim is to transfer information.
In a sermon the aim is to be get the listener to worship on the spot.

Three types of questions to evaluate a sermon:
1) Was it a sound sermon? Was Jesus the climax of the text?
2) Was it practical? Was Jesus presented as the solution to spiritual problems?
3) Was there a sense of God? Was Jesus made visible or only talked about?

Three types of emphases in preaching:
1) Doctrinal Preaching
Too much expounding
Hits the intellect and not the heart
Doesn’t lead the hearers to worship

2) Practical Preaching
Hits the will
Doesn’t challenge the mind
It majors on application
The sermon acts like a manual on how to live
Little theology and passion

3) Devotional Preaching (Narrative Preaching)
Goes straight to the emotions
Misses the mind
Lack of theology

The Christ-Centred Model
A Christo-centric model is where Christ is the centre of all these factors. When you show that Christ is the centre of the sermon the aim of the sermon becomes worship and not information giving or life improvement.

Applying this Model to David and Goliath
Chuck Swindoll talks about the faith it takes to pull down giants in your life.
A better way is to say that David points to a greater ancestor like this:
‘David is a federal head. David represents his people. The victory of David is the victory of the people. The people get credit for David’s victory. Christ is a greater David dieing for our sin in our place, you get the victory and the righteousness from His work.
Why are you having problems? Because you haven’t seen that Christ has the victory for you. David is pointing to an attribute of Jesus. Your problem is that you’re not living as if that attribute and victory is true.’

If you ever tell a particular Bible story without fitting it into the main Bible story (the message of Christ) you’re losing the meaning. The sermon then illustrates an example to live up to or a principle to obey rather than an exhortation to live by faith in Christ.

Scripture is about Christ not us. Christ is David in the story; David does not represent us trying to conquer giants. The Bible is not a book about us.

Genesis Through Joshua- Dueteronomy: The Ratification and Succession

2008-11-24T15:57:00.000Z

Structure
27-30 The Ratification of the Covenant
31-34 The Succession from Moses to Joshua

The Ratification of the Covenant (27-30)
27:1-26 deals with the future ratification to happen in Canaan
28-30 deals with the current ratification at Moab

Chapter 27 tells us that Israel is to have a covenant renewal ceremony after entering the land.
Certain tribes line up on one side and the other tribes on the opposite side. In the middle the levitical priest attends the ark.

The building of the alter for the sacrifice
The law was to be written on stones
The people remind themselves of the blessings and curses.

The process is fulfilled in Joshua 8.

Chapter 29 starts with a prologue reminding the people of their history.
Then we see an emphasis on stipulations and careful obedience.
(29:15 = this ratification is a model to come)
If the people continue in sin they will be exiled.
30:1 there can be restoration after exile if the people repent.

30:11-19 = An exhortation to accept the terms of the covenant.
The obedience is not too hard with God’s help. In Romans 10:8-10 Paul paraphrases this passage. The makes the point that the OT gospel is the NT gospel. It is not too difficult for us to continue in the gospel.

The Succession from Moses to Joshua (31-34)
Preparations fro Joshua
Deposition of the law
1) Moses song
2) Moses final blessing on the tribes
3) Moses death and the transfer of power to Joshua

1) Moses Song
The Lord tells Moses that Israel will rebel against his ways in the future.
31:21- Moses teaches a song to keep them in obedience. The song is found in chapter 32:1-43.
There is a severing sentencing of Israel (32:1-33) and a future of hope from God (32:34-43).
32:46 – ‘take to heart these words. They are your life.’

2) Moses blessing on the tribes of Israel (33)
Chapter 33 lists the promised blessings and gifts for the tribes.
The chapter ends with the praise of God 33:26-29.

3) The Transfer of Power to Joshua
Moses dies 34:1-8.
34:9 Joshua is filled with the Spirit of wisdom through the laying on of hands.
34:10-12 gives praise to Moses as a unique prophet- he saw God face to face.

Application
Just as Israel renewed their covenant in Moab the people in Canaan must also renew the covenant. Christians must renew their covenant with the Lord by confession, repentance and obedience. The church stands on the foundation of the Pentateuch. Jesus re-affirms these first five books of the Bible. We must study, love and obey them.

Genesis Through Joshua- Dueteronomy: Stipulations of the Covenant

2008-11-24T15:21:00.000Z

Introduction and Reminder
Chapter 34 indicates that the book was written for the time after the death of Moses.

1:1-4 Preamble to the book
1:5-4 The Historical Prologue – God recites the blessings He had given them to call them to obedience

In this lecture we are going to be looking at chapters 4:44-26:19

Structure of 4:44-26:19
1) Introduction (4:44-49)
2) General Stipulations (5-11:32)
3) Specific Stipulations (12-26:15)
Conclusion (26:16-26:19)

1) and 2) Introduction and General Stipulations (4:44-11:32)
Introduction (4:44)
i) The Ten Commandments (5)
ii) Loyalty to God (6)
iii) Lessons from the Past (7-11)
iv) The Call to renewal and commitment (11:26-32)

i) The Ten Commandments
There are differences between the two recordings of the 10 commandments

Exodus 20:10-11 Hebrew word = ‘to remember’
Deuteronomy 5: 12 Hebrew word = ‘to keep’

Motivations for keeping the Sabbath:
Exodus 20:10-11- Keep the Sabbath because it is a creation ordinance
Duet 5:12-15 – Keep the Sabbath because you were slaves in Egypt and God brought you out of slavery

Exodus 20:12- Honour your parents so that you may live long in the land
Duet 5:16- Honour you parents so that your days may live long and that ‘it may be well with you’. Moses expands on the original command.

There are differences are down to Moses’ paraphrase.
Moses also may be applying the 10 commandments to the people in a new way specifically for the 2nd generation.

ii) Loyalty to God
Shamah (‘shaw-mah’)= ‘hear or listen’ (Duet 6:4)
6:2 Laws are in place so the people may fear God
6:4 is the call to fidelity and faithfulness. The emphasis of Deuteronomy is not the unity of the Godhead but rather an emphasis on the uniqueness of God. YHWH alone is meant to be Lord and the recipient of devotion. See 6:13.
6:5 To love God is to speak of covenant loyalty. The word obey is not to be substituted with the word love. Our love should involve affections and desires.
Matthew 22 sees a variation in this command. Mark 12:30: ‘heart, soul, mind and strength.’ These words are metonyms. The emphasis is not on the faculty of the person but that every person should worship with all that they have.

6:7 = teach the children. God does not just want one generation but all generations!

iii) Lessons from the Past (7-11:25)
The wonders performed by God in Egypt showed the Israelites that God had power to conquer the enemies of the land.
The humbling experiences had by the Israelites in the wilderness warn the people against pride.
The rebellion at Sinai warns against self-righteousness.

iv) The Call to Renewal and Commitment (11:26-32)
Moses instructs the people to perform a ceremony when they enter the land. This was obeyed in Joshua 8. The people read out the blessings and curses on Mount Gerizim and Ebal.

3) Specific Stipulations (12-26)
The stipulations in this section are disconnected and slightly random.
We’re going to look at two topics featured:

i) The topic of warfare 20:1-20
V1 Move forward and don’t be afraid
V2 the preliminaries.
V10-18 strategy

20:10-15
The Israelites was not to attack whoever they wished. The people outside the land were to be destroyed if peace is
People inside the land were to be killed.

20:19-20 = In a siege the people were to be careful not to destroy the trees.

ii) Prophets (18)
There is a prohibition against sorcery.
18:15 – a promised prophet. The word in Hebrew is a collective singular. The word is talking about a group of Prophets following Moses.

Acts 3:22-23 – Peter believes that Jesus is the great Prophet of all prophets.
The original meaning is talking about a whole group of people. Duet 18 is not talking about Christ exclusively.

18:22 = If a prophecy does not come true
The prophets sometimes gave warnings to people telling them to change and avert judgement. He would prophecy this judgement. If the people changed than the prophecy would not have been fulfilled. Therefore some words from the mouths of Prophets did not come true. This did not mean they were false prophets. (See Jonah and Shamaiah from 2 Chronicles 12)

Moses says that Israel will always have spokes persons to represent God to them.

Application
We are called to having God as the only God. Israel was to be loyal to the only one true God. The specific regulations indicate that God wants loyalty in detail. We are also not only to love God and be obedient in a general way. We must apply scripture to all of our lives to please Him.

Genesis Through Joshua- Dueteronomy: Preamble and Historical Prologue

2008-11-20T13:13:00.000Z

We are looking at chapters one through four.

1:5-4:43 functions like a historical prologue. This acts as an ancient near-eastern treaty working to remind the people of all a King has done to cultivate respect, loyalty and obedience to that King.

1:5 = An introduction to a prologue. Before this we see a recital of the history of Israel.

God has Moses recite what happened to the Israelites in order to call Israel to respond with loyalty. On the basis of His gracious benefits God expects His people to respond in worship.

The Prologue begins with the time at Sinai and ends with Joshua as a leader.

The Recital of History (1-3)
1) Literary Structure
1:6-8 The call of God to leave Sinai,
1:9-46 Establishment of leaders, spies sent into the land
2:1-23 the wanderings of the first generation
2:24-3:20 the victories of Israel across the Jordan
3:21-4:43 Joshua is established as leader to replace Moses

2) Overview
God assures Israel that He will give them the land
1:9-18 the establishment of leaders
1:9-11 = the blessing of leader. God increased Israel’s number showing the blessing previously promised. V15 shows that God commands justice for Israel.

1:19-46 The land is described as God. God became angry because the people refused to trust God.
1:35-36 God gives promises that one will enter the land as a blessing of obedience. God blesses despite sin.

2:1-23 we see the wanderings
2:2 God forgives
2:7 God provides
2:16-18 God calls to Israel to the land again

God reminds the people of the victories over Sihon and Og.

Joshua is raised up as a leader. The Lord will fight not just Joshua in his own power.

3) The Original Meaning
The purpose of these stories was to show Israel that God was gracious despite rebellion. The readers of the book should gain grateful hearts for the past blessings.

The Call to Obedience (4)
The content of this intended to instruct Israel to be careful to obey all that God commanded.

1) Literary Structure
4:1-2 = Israel are taught to keep the commands to gain the land
4:25-31 = A threat of exile and hope of return from exile
4: 32-33 = A Review and re-statement of Israel’s purpose and call

4:3-9 indicates that the unfaithful are destroyed and the faithful live. Follows God’s law shows wisdom and understanding demonstrating the wonder of God’s nearness.

4:10-20 is remembering the days at Sinai. Moses teaches that God appeared not in the form of an idol. Israel is not to turn to idolatry of any kind when they go into the land.

Moses speaks about the future of Israel in 4:25. If idolatry comes in the future God promises to exile Israel.

4:29-31 we see a word of hope. If the Israelites were to seek God then God would bless them.

4:30 ‘in latter days’ becomes a technical term that the Prophets use. These days are the days after the exile.
Moses speaks about creation, Sinai and the plagues and says that these events happened to show the people that there is only one true God. Moses exhorts Israel to obey this one true God (v39).

Genesis Through Joshua- Dueteronomy: Overview

2008-11-20T11:52:00.001Z

The Extrinsic Agents
1) Critical Viewpoints:
Some say that there are old legal traditions that form the book of Deuteronomy (proto-Deuteronomy). It was composed by defecting Levites moving to Judah. These Levites brought with them laws. The proto-Deuteronomy was composed for Josiah’s reforms. The book is apparently found in 2 Kings 22. They claim that the people composed it in the days of Josiah.

The conservative view argues for Mosaic Authorship.

2) Mosaic Authorship
The book contains sermons and events that Moses witnessed. (1:1)
Did Moses pen every word in the book? Chapter 34:1-12 features the death of Moses. From a plain reading of the text with have a portion written after the death of Moses. The sermons of the book are authentic Mosaic sermons. The sermons were taken and published after his death.

3) Date of Final Composition
The book was composed after the time in Moab and before the death of Moses.
The book has a focus on Joshua as a leader of God’s people.

The Redemptive Historical Observations
Israel was at Sinai. They went through the wilderness and are now standing at Moab reading to conquer the land. Deuteronomy tells the people to reflect on the past and recommit to prepare for the future.

Literary Structure
The first second and third address
Pre-amble
Historical Prologue
Stipulations of the covenant
Blessing, cursings and ratification of the covenant
Succession of the covenant

Meaning
1) The Original Application
The book was written to instruct the Bible to follow Joshua’s leadership and continue in the Mosaic covenant.

2) Today’s Application
The Church should look back to the Mosaic covenant as authoritative for today. We must believe in the continuation of the covenant. There is a continuation in Christ.
The book calls of renewal under new circumstances. We must re-affirm these structures under Christ in our new covenant circumstance.

Genesis Through Joshua- Numbers: The Second Generation Army

2008-11-14T12:22:00.001Z

Structure of Numbers
1-10 The constituting of the 1st generation army
10-25 The failures of the 1st generation when marching towards the land
26-36 The constitution of the 2nd generation army

The Basic Content of 26-36
The new army is constituted 26-32
A call to conquest 33-36

The New Army 26-32
God is forming the second generation into an army as he did with the first generation

1) Literary Structure
The count
A military census
A new leader
In 28-31 we see the centrality of the tabernacle

2) Similarities and Differences in comparison with the first generation army
The first generation consisted of 603,550 people. The second generation were counted to be 601,730. Why did God have Moses put these numbers in this book? The similarities in these numbers show us that the second generation were to replace the first.

In sections 1 and 3 of Numbers (see structure above) the movement of the narrative is the same. First we read about the census secondly we read about the centrality of the tabernacle.

In the first section of the book Moses talks a lot about God’s presence with the army. In the material of the second generation we read of the inheritance regulations (see 27:12-23 and 32). There is a focus on the inheritance of the land. Why does Moses make these differences? Moses knew that the second generation would take the land.

3) The Meaning of this Content
Numbers 26-32: The new army of Israel is asking questions of itself. Moses is telling them that they are like the old army but with more. God expects the army to inherit the land.
The second generation replace the first generation army and has instructions for the future.

4) The Centrality of the Tabernacle
Burnt offerings were to be given every day (28). This has to do with the structure of Israel round the tabernacle. There are specific tabernacle regulations that Moses gives. Moses is showing his readers that tabernacle should be central to their understanding.

5) The New Leadership
The people are about to see Moses die. The first generation were expecting to follow Moses into the land. Numbers 27:12-23 shows us that Joshua is to lead the people into the land. Moses writes this story to demonstrate that Israel is to have a new leader called Joshua. Joshua is to be followed as Moses was followed.

6) The Inheritance Regulations
See chapter 27. Moses is including one example of inheritance regulations as a symbol telling the second generation to set their eyes on the land (see also chapter 32).

The Call to Conquest 33-36
Moses is saying to Israel that they have been formed as an army and are called to take the land.

1) Literary Structure
The travels of Israel
The call to holy war
The specific inheritances

Moses is emphasising that the second generation must do what the first generation failed to do.

2) A call to war
In chapter 33:50-54 we find a call to war. Israel is to drive out enemies, remove the idols, posses the land distribute it appropriately.

The warning to the second generation is found in 33:55. The holy war we have been given have extensive instructions as well. We cannot rest or be calm or satisfied. We must take the gospel to every nation and person.

3) The Inheritance
In 34:1-12 we see how the land is to be divided. The division of land was to be done by representatives.

4) The Cities of Refuge
35:2 = The Levites had towns within the tribes. They didn’t have a self-contained place for the whole tribe. The Levites owned the cities of refuge. If someone struck someone else by accident this person could run to the city and be safe.

The tribal boundaries are non-negotiable. The inheritance of the land was to be a permanent arrangement for Israel.

5) The meaning of this content
Israel must not fall short of God’s direction in how to deal with the holy law and inheritance.

The Modern Application
Despite the failures of the church in the past God is still faithful to His chosen people. He will not utterly forsake us.
Israel was called to a future warfare that was extensive. Our warfare is extensive covering every area of life.

Genesis Through Joshua- Numbers: Constitution and Failure of the First Generation Army

2008-11-11T17:11:00.001Z

The book of Numbers was written for the 2nd generation to help them to re-commit themselves to taking the land of conquest.

Structure
1-10 The constituting of the 1st generation army
10-25 The failures of the 1st generation when marching towards the land
26-36 The constitution of the 2nd generation army

We are going to look at chapters 1-25 in this lecture.

The Constitution of the Army 1:1-10:10
Israel at Sinai is constituted into an army
The army is then counted and arranged in a theocentric process
The tabernacle personal and services
A description is given of God’s presence with Israel.

i) Literary Structure
1-2 The counting and arrangement of the army
3-9 The centrality of the tabernacle
9:15-10 The presence and future of the tabernacle

ii) The counting and arrangement of the army
The 1st generation census in chapter 1 parallels with the 2nd generation census in chapter 26.
The censuses were designed to give a picture of the army that was formed for the conquest.

iii) The total number of fighting men
In Numbers 1:46 we are given a total number of fighting men over the age of 20. The number recorded is 603,550.
People then estimate that the population of Israel was 2 million. This is a large amount. How do we interpret it?
a) take the number at face value
b) we have a textual problem
c) the word thousand could mean family divisions
d) the word thousand could mean chiefs
e) Moses could be using obvious exaggeration

iv) The arrangement of the tribes
The camps of Israel were positioned around the tabernacle like a wheel with the spokes pointing inwards. This represents the nature of Israel’s army- they were to be God-centred.

v) The Tabernacle for the 1st and 2nd generations
Chapters 3-10 give the Levitical orders for worship are established
Chapter 9 gives instruction for the celebration of the Passover
9:15-23 A blessing is given in response to the appropriate activity.
God gave the blessing for obedience. This model gave the 2nd generation motivation for following the obedient path as the 1st generation did.

vi) The Original Meaning of chapters 1-10
The 2nd generation must imitate the order of the 1st generation to have God’s presence with them in battle.

The failures of the 1st generation when marching towards the land (10:11-25)
The first generation moves towards the land of Moab.

i) Literary Structure
10 The march begins
10-12 The army’s sin whilst travelling
13-20 The wandering
21-25 The later travels

Looking at Numbers 10:14-28 we see that the arrangements of the camps have changed. This is because Israel has turned into a marching army. At the head of the tribes was the ark of God (see 10:35-36). This war was a supernatural war. The presence of God was travelling before Israel.

ii) Rebellion and Protections
Chapters 13-14 show the heart of the rebellion.
One representative from every tribe goes out to spy on Canaan. Joshua and Caleb give a positive report. The rest of the spies refuse to go out of fear.
14:2 = All of the Israelites grumbled. They want to choose a leader and go back to Israel. The Lord wants to destroy the disobedient Israelites. Moses intervenes for the Israelites (14:13). God forgives them (14:20). God decides that He will preserve Joshua and Caleb but let the nation continue wandering. God

iii) God’s protection against Balaam
23-24 Balaam is asked to put a curse on Israel. God intervenes via a talking donkey. Balaam understands that he is not to curse Israel but bless her.

The first generation army rebelled even when being blessed by God.

The Message of chapters 10-25
The second generation are to be grateful for the grace given to the people and understand the warnings.

The Application of chapters 10-25
Christ is the head of the spiritual army that is the church. The constitution of the first army spoke to the 2nd generation and it speaks to us. We must learn about the failures of the first generation to avoid them and know how to be blessed in our travels through the world.

Genesis Through Joshua- Numbers: Overview

2008-11-05T11:46:00.000Z

The Extrinsic Agents
1) Critical Views
Critics claim that ‘J’ (see JEDP theory) the 10th century writer wrote numbers to support David’s Kingdom.
The final edition was the work of P the priestly writer from the 6th century. He was concerned about returning to the land.

2) Mosaic Authorship
We believe that Moses wrote the book. Moses would have experienced direct revelations from God (1:1).
22-24 Could have been a separate story reported to Moses by human agents
33:2 At the Lords command Moses recorded the stages of the journey.
21:14 = direct reference to another source. This book is likely to be a book of poetry and adoration to God. It was named ‘the Book of the Wars of the Lord.’

The Hebrew of Numbers has been updated from the Hebrew that Moses wrote in.
Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was a humble man. How can he be humble if he wrote it? It could be that Moses wrote what God told him to write. It could also be an addition under the Spirit of God.

3) The date of final composition
‘Across from Jericho’ occurs nine times in the book. This hints that Israel is looking ahead to taking the Promised Land in the plains of Moab. The book was written to the 2nd generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab

Redemptive Historical Observations
The book follows the story of the Israelites from the constitution made with the 1st generation at Sinai. We read Moses account of the first generation travelling through the wilderness and their destruction (minus 2 Israelites). The book continues describe the constitution made with the second generation in the plains of Moab.

Literary Structure
1-10 The constituting of the 1st generation army
10-25 The failures of the 1st generation when marching towards the land
26-36 The constitution of the 2nd generation army

The Message of the Book of Numbers
1) Original Application
What was the original meaning of the book of Numbers?

Chapters 1-10 deal with the first generation being formed into a holy army.
In chapter 1 we read a long census for the purpose of counting the number of soldiers available for fighting. Regulations are given to the new army.

Chapters 10-25 tell the story of the failures of the first generation. The whole generation with the exception of Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness.

Chapters 26-36 show the second generation being formed into a holy army.
We are left with a question. What will the 2nd generation do? Will they fail like the 1st generation did? The book of Numbers was written to get the 2nd generation going into the promise land

The second generation should learn to be God’s holy army from the failure of the first generation army.

2) Contemporary Application
The Israelite army was not established for a human just war. The army existed to depend on the miraculous power of God in fighting.
The army was regulated by holy orders. They were to be separated from the world. Israelite had to be faithful to God to be successful.

Eph 6:10-28, 2 Cor 10:1-6 tell us about the NT army.

Eph 6 tells us that our holy war is a battle against spiritual powers. We are not called to fight a physical war. The OT army fight a physical war. WE need to be putting on the Messiahs armour to win the holy war.

2 Cor 10 tells us that we do not wage war as the world does. Our weapons are not physical weapons they are spiritual weapons full of power from the Holy Spirit. We fight against demonic belief systems.

The church today is regulated by holy orders to be successful in our spiritual battles.

The OT people fought a physical and a spiritual war. In the NT covenant these dimensions are separated. We fight the same spiritual war without the physical elements.

Genesis Through Joshua- Leviticus: Blessings, Curses, and Vows

2008-11-04T14:13:00.002Z

Structure of Leviticus
1-7 Sacrifices
8-10 Regulations for Priests
11-16 Regulations of uncleanness and cleanness
17-25 General regulations for holy leaving
26 Blessing and cursing
27 Regulations of Vows

In this lecture we will look at chapters 26 and 27.

Through this book God was calling Israel to recommit themselves to the right way to worship.

The Basic Content
1-25 Sacrifices, cleanliness and holy living
26 Blessings and Curses-the conditions of the covenant
27 Vows- recommitment to the covenant

The concluding chapters (26 and 27) provide motivation to the laws. Blessing and curses appear at the end of other lists of stipulations. See Exodus 23:20-24 and Deuteronomy 29.

Blessings and Curses (26)
1) Literary Structure
26:1,2 Introduction to the material with a re-iteration of previous material
v3-13 Blessings for obedience
v14-45 Curses for disobedience
26:46 parallels with the beginning of the chapter

i) Blessings
26:12- I will be your God
26:46- God brought them out of Israel

ii) Curses
Disobedience produces diseases and bad crops
26:18 – multiplied punishment for sin

v27-39 the threat of exile worked to teach the people of Israel about their sins. This happened to bring the Israelites back to repentance and then restoration.

2) The Covenant Relationship between God and Israel.

a) 2 types of Covenant people:
i) True believers- these had saving faith. These people received eternal blessing through repentance.
ii) False believers- these people usually defied the covenant by refusing. See Romans 11:11-24. The false believers in the covenant were cut off from the tree of the covenant and the elect gentiles were grafted in.

The difference between the non-Christian and Christian cannot be paralleled with the covenant people of Israel

b) 4 types of people in the OT:
i) Regenerated person who keeps the covenant and is born into Israel.
ii) A Person who is born into Israel but doesn’t exercise saving faith.
iii) This person comes into the visible Israel with a regenerated heart by a profession of faith as a gentile.
iv) This is the person outside of the covenant who is not offered the covenant.

Obedience to God’s covenant helps us to work out our salvation. The true Christian will endure to the end. Assurance increases as obedience is evidenced.

The Vows (27)
People perform vows in times of trouble or heightened expectation. The taking of vows was not a day-to-day event. They demonstrated repentance and devotion.

1) Literary Structure
Vows concerning persons and animals
Vows concerning houses and land
Other vows concerning the firstborn and tithing

People think that Jesus warns against taking any kind of vows from Matthew 5:33-37. Actually he is condemning the Pharisees over-use of vows. This confirmed by Paul’s actions.

Moses is leading the people to re-commit themselves to the Lord.

We must learn that our relationship with God in Christ is governed by blessings and curses. In Christ we must take vows and take our vows very seriously.

The Overall Book Meaning of the Book
We look at this book and remember that Christ fulfils these regulations in His own body. We must remember that obedience is the response to grace and is important for blessing. We must continue to worship in holiness and cleanliness for God’s glory.

Genesis Through Joshua- Leviticus: Cleanliness and Holy Living

2008-11-01T14:38:00.001Z

Structure of Leviticus
1-7 Sacrifices
8-10 Regulations for Priests
11-16 Regulations of uncleanness and cleanness
17-25 General regulations for holy leaving
26 Blessing and cursing
27 Regulations of Vows

Basic Content
1) 11-16 Rules for Cleanliness
2) 17-25 Holiness Regulations

1) Rules for Cleanliness
i) The Contents relationship to the Context
1-10 Sacrifice and the Priests.
These chapters deal with specifics of holiness.

11-25 deals with how living become acceptable as worship. We are looking at holy living and cleanliness. Our concerns have broadened as Leviticus progresses.

ii) Cleanliness
10:10 we get 4 words: holy, unholy, common, and unclean.
3 things are holy 1) God, 2) clean persons devoted to God, 3) clean things devoted to God

Common things are not holy. These things can be clean or unclean. If clean they can be used in worship even though they are not holy. An unclean thing cannot be brought before the Lord.

Through purification something unclean can become clean. It then needs to be dedicated to become holy.

iii) Literary Structure
11-15 speaks about cleanliness and uncleanness in foods, childbirth, skin disease, mildew, and bodily discharges.

Foods:
11:1-8 earth animals
11:9-12 water creatures
11:13-23 flying creatures
If you eat an unclean animal you become unclean until evening.

12:1-8 deals with skin diseases
Sacrifices to be made v6-8

13:47-59 specific regulations regarding mildew.

15 deals with bodily discharges. These aren’t just female discharges. Male discharges are also a sign of uncleanness.

iv) Why was God concerned about all of this?
Physical health concerns- pork is can be bad if not cooked well
Symbolic reasons
To separate Israel from Pagan practises

The Israelite audience would have immediately understood many of the regulations given.

The passages are not saying that particular inanimate objects/diseases are in themselves bad.

v) The Day of Atonement: Lev 16
This day happened once a year on the 10th day of the 7th month for fasting. The people gathered in Jerusalem for a Sabbath day

The ceremony:
A burnt offering of a bull or ram takes place.
The blood from a bull or ram is sprinkled on the ark
A scapegoat is chosen (by lots). The priest lays hands on the goat and the goat leaves to go into the wilderness.
Cleansing and sacrifice of a bull and a ram

This was done for the cleansing of Israel as a whole nation.

9:11-28 the day is a foreshadowing of Christ. The sacrifices in the OT were an illustration of the day when Christ died

2) Holiness Regulations: Chapters 17-25
Holy = ‘to be separated’ or ‘to be devoted’
The morally unclean are taken out of the world and are made clean by being dedicated to God.

What made Israel holy? The practises of the Israelites made them holy. God was teaching Israel how to be different from their neighbours.

In chapter 25 we see two events: Sabbath years and jubilee years.

i) 25:1-7 = the Sabbath years. No planting, nature produce only, servants were to be freed (Exodus 21:2), and debts cancelled (Duet 15:1-11).
This year forced Israel to trust in God. The Israelites were to know that their lives were not dependent on their own efforts but dependent on the work of God. Rest for the land had environmental benefits.

ii) 25:8-17 = the day of Jubilee, the 50th year.
In this year the Israelites were to regain lost property. The Israelites were to celebrate God’s provision.
25:10 there is proclamation of liberty in Israel.
In Isaiah 61 the year of Jubilee is used to refer to a specific event in the future. The promise is of release from exile. Jesus quotes this passage in Luke 4:18-19. We receive our permanent inheritance through Christ.

Meaning of the Text
1) The Original Application
Israel was to think about the matter of cleanliness for the purpose of observing the purification rituals for cleanliness in tabernacle worship.

2) Our Application
NT people do not follow these rules. We do observe the symbolism to be acceptable before God. We need to be purified. No one will see God without holiness. The outward things of the world can defile us. We need to be separate from the world. Christ teaches the regulations of Leviticus to us.