Stop what you're doing

A well known Christian worship song entitled, Be Still and Know That I Am God, based on Psalm 46:10, uses this verse as a meditation. It's a reminder to make a regular habit of resting in God's presence, blocking out other distractions, seeking the peace that only He can provide, and to be more receptive to His voice and leading. It is definitely something that I need to do more often. In other words, if you are a Christian, and already doing this, keep it up. More strength to your arm. 

According to the South African Old Testament scholar Willem S. Prinsloo (1944-1997), the central theme of Psalm 46 is unconditional trust in God no matter what should happen, in the face of danger and menace. 

His exegesis can be summarised as follows: 

In context this Psalm is addressed to nations who think that they can defy an omnipotent God's sovereign purposes for Israel, and all nations. It is both encouragement and warning. God will be exalted. He graciously invites them to make Him their refuge. More broadly, many scholars believe that the year 701 BC was the historical context for this Psalm. God delivered Jerusalem from the hands of the Assyrians during the reign of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:13-19:36). It was also used during the postexilic period, when God's people were suffering, to encourage them and restore their faith in God. It is also a reminder that faith in God did not protect His people from danger and catastrophes. Menacing dangers are clearly alluded to. The people of God suffered danger and suffering during their history, especially during their time in exile, when Jerusalem and Zion, the symbols of their security and God's presence, were destroyed.

God is sovereign. Individual human beings and nations are not. It is futile to attempt to defy His purpose and will. He graciously invites all people to submit their lives to Him. 

Prinsloo, Willem S. (2019) Psalms [Hoopla] Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans.

Be Still and Know

Hmm, fascinating

When you spend enough time in Christian circles, whether it's listening to sermons, or engaging with other Christians on social media, and especially talking to unchurched people, either face to face, or online, you learn how important careful and sound Biblical interpretation is. A friend of mine told me about the Naked Bible podcast, hosted by scholar, Mike Heiser.

Having listened to a couple of episodes, it certainly gives me a lot to chew on, and also reminds me that the Bible is an inexhaustible treasure. Learning and applying it properly is a lifelong pursuit.

http://www.nakedbiblepodcast.com/

Parallel lives

Nicky Gumbel, best known for creating the Alpha course, has also created a chronological yearly Bible reading plan that I've been working through over the past few weeks.

Here's some commentary about Stephen's speech in Acts 7:20 to 43. The providence of God is the focus of this passage. I've posted it here because of the numerous similarities between the lives of Jesus and Moses, even though they lived hundreds of years apart.

"We see in this passage the extraordinary way in which God planned and prepared for the coming of Jesus.  God in his providence foresees the future, and so in a mysterious way anticipates, prepares for it and guides it. 

Stephen’s speech rehearses the ways in which God had guided and watched over Israel’s history, and through it prepared for Jesus’ coming. In this section he focuses particularly on Moses.

Moses had said that God would raise up a prophet like him (Deuteronomy 18:15).  Peter has already applied this to Jesus (Acts 3:22–23). Now Stephen does the same. He says, ‘This is that Moses who told the Israelites, “God will send you a prophet like me from your own people” ’ (7:37). 

Moses was a ‘type’ of Christ. He foreshadowed and prepared the way. There are at least fifteen similarities between Moses and Jesus:

Like Jesus, Moses was ‘no ordinary child’ (v.20).  The circumstances surrounding the births of both Moses and Jesus were appropriately extraordinary.

Like Jesus (Matthew 2:16–17), Moses was born at a time when newborn babies were being killed off (Acts 7:19–21). 

Like Jesus (Luke 2:40), Moses was noted for his wisdom.‘Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians’ (Acts 7:22).

Like Jesus (John 7:46), Moses was ‘powerful in speech and action’ (Acts 7:22).

Like Jesus, Moses had a season of preparation. We know little about the first thirty years of either of their lives.  Both spent this time being trained for the task ahead (vv.22–23).

Like Jesus (John 2:16), Moses showed righteous anger at sin (Acts 7:24).

Like Jesus (John 1:11), Moses was sent by God to rescue his people, but was not recognised as such at the time. ‘Moses thought that his own people would realise that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not’ (Acts 7:25).

Like Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:19), Moses aimed at reconciliation.  Moses ‘tried to reconcile them’ (Acts 7:26).

Like Jesus (John 5:22), Moses is described as ruler and judge.  It was said to Moses, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ (Acts 7:27).

Like Jesus (Luke 3:22), Moses heard the Lord’s voice (Acts 7:31).

Like Jesus (John 1:14; 2:21), Moses recognised that the holy place was not in a specific religious location, but where God is present.  For Moses this was at the burning bush for God said, ‘The place where you are standing is holy ground’ (Acts 7:33). 

Like Jesus (John 8:36), Moses set the people free from oppression.  The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free’ (Acts 7:34).

Like Jesus (4:11), Moses was misunderstood and rejected by his own people.  ‘Moses whom they had rejected ... they rejected him’ (Acts 7:35, 39).

Like Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:10), Moses succeeded in delivering his own people.  Moses ‘led them out of Egypt’ (Acts 7:36).

Like Jesus (2:36), Moses’ rejection brought God’s judgement, but led to eventual victory (7:42). As the apostle Peter put it on the day of Pentecost, ‘God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ’ (2:36)."

Moses and Jesus were both key figures in God's plan of redemption. Through Jesus, God will eventually reconcile all of creation to Himself, vanquishing sin, suffering, death and evil forever. God and humanity will dwell together upon the earth, just as was intended from the beginning. I cannot help but read these passages as a reminder that if we haven't already, each person has to consider the claims of Christ upon their life, and choose whether to accept or reject the opportunity to be a part of this restored creation.

Is this where Tolkien got the idea for the Ents?

The reader of this blog will have noticed that I've recently written about quirky hermeneutics. This time it comes from a discussion in a chat room in which an atheist asserted that amongst other scientific impossibilities, the Bible describes talking trees. When I asked him (I assume I was chatting to another male) to show where in the Bible these talking trees are, he referred me to Judges 9:8-15. It reads as follows:

One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’

 “But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’ “Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’ “But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?’

 “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and be our king.’

“But the vine answered, ‘Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?’

 “Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king.’

“The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

I consulted commentaries by Daniel I. Block, Dennis T. Olson, and Trent Butler, and some carefully selected online study helps. The consensus is that Jotham was telling his audience a story. You would have to be using some creative hermeneutics to assert that Jotham believed in literal talking trees. Perhaps the chatroom participant was working from the Skeptic's Annotated Bible.

According to Win Groseclose, the context of this story is that Gideon, who was once a strong, godly leader, had taken his eyes off the ball by taking many wives and concubines. After Gideon's death. one of his 70 sons, named Abimelech, went to live with his mother in Shechem. This may have occurred in 1129 to 1126 BC. She was one of Gideon's concubines, and they conspired with the people of Shechem to make Abimelech their king. and they did so by capturing and killing all of Abimelech’s brothers. Jotham was the only one who escaped. Thus Abimelech was made king.

When Jotham heard this news, he went to the top of Mount Gerizim and told this parable. This gave Jotham a place where the acoustics would have been good enough for him to be heard over a great distance as well as some distance from those who would be offended by his words and try to kill him. Mount Gerizim was an important mountain in ancient Israel. In Deuteronomy 27:9:26, Moses commanded that after the people had entered into the Promised Land, some were to ascend Mount Gerizim and others were to ascend Mount Ebal. From Gerizim, blessings for obedience were to be pronounced and from Ebal curses for disobedience were to be pronounced. This command was later acted out in Joshua chapter 8.

Jotham’s story is a cry for judgment upon both the Shechemites for being unfaithful in choosing such a man as their king (verses 8-15), and for the process by which he assumed power (verses 16-20). Speaking in symbolic language, Jotham compares Abimelech, who was so evil that he murdered his own brothers, to a bramble or a weed. Interestingly he cried out from Gerizim, and not Ebal. Perhaps this is because Jotham is leaving judgment of the people’s actions in the hands of God. Regardless, it is from Mount Gerizim that Jotham tells this parable.

Jotham's strong pronouncement came to pass in Judges 9:22-57, with Abimelech being killed in battle by having a stone dropped upon his head, crushing his skull, and judgement coming upon the Shechemites as well.

Quite clearly he was speaking figuratively. When I pointed this out to the atheist, he strongly disagreed with me. This led to a lengthy and not very productive discussion about how important it is to read the Bible carefully and it context. Often one learns what the Bible does say by what it doesn't say.

http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2006/02/abimelech-at-shechem.aspx#Article

http://www.berenddeboer.net/sab/jg/9.html

A headful of rubbish

Muffet from Battlestar Galactica

Churches are often fond of getting their congregations to participate in some sort of study program to get the year off on the right foot, so to speak. To that end, my cell group is working through Rick Warren's Forty Days in the Word. 

The DVD and accompanying workbook is designed to help Christians read the Bible more effectively, which is sorely needed these days.

Each chapter of the workbook is devoted to a different Bible study method, and the third chapter explains what Warren calls the "probe" method.

Warren has devised the following acrostic to apply to a verse or passage that you might be reading: SPACEPETS.

S - Is there a SIN to confess?
P - Is there a PROMISE to claim?
A - Is there an ATTITUDE to change?
C - Is there a COMMAND to obey?
E - Is there an EXAMPLE to follow?
P - Is there a PRAYER to pray?
E - Is there an ERROR to avoid?
T - Is there a TRUTH to believe?
S. - Is there SOMETHING to praise God for?

The phrases in the acrostic are all framed so as to help the reader draw out the passage's meaning. We all found this acrostic very amusing. What was Warren thinking when he came up with it? At least it is easy to remember. For my mind, the first thing I thought of was Muffet the daggett, which was a sort of robot dog from the original 1978 series of Battlestar Galactica.

If his teaching videos are any indication, Warren is an affable sort of chap and he'd probably be amused and not offended if somebody pointed this out to him, as long as it does not detract too much from his goal of getting Christians to read, properly understand and correctly apply the Bible to their lives.