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

Let my people go

I recently discovered Tubi. Think of it as like Netflix, only free, and with possibly lower quality content. This documentary series, The Biblical Plagues, is in my queue. I assume it will be one of of those documentaries that discounts the supernatural, and seeks to deconstruct these events by finding natural, scientific explanations for them. For example, the Nile River didn't really turn into blood, as recorded in Exodus 7:14-25. It was actually caused by a red algal bloom.

Whomever was responsible for creating the thumbnail for this documentary on the Tubi menu screen made a boo boo. As you can see, they have incorrectly spelt "biblical." It doesn't speak much for the quality of the documentary. 

Brainfade

Occasionally, when I have too much time on my hands, I like to discuss religion with others on online chatrooms. It can be very instructive. One user adamantly asserted that the Bible commands cannibalism. I asked him, or her, as the case may be, to give me the passage. He referred me to Jeremiah 19:9.

"I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them."

This is another case of creative hermeneutics. The context makes its clear that this is a prophetic passage. God is declaring judgement against the Israelites for disobeying Him. The Babylonians will invade their land and besiege Jerusalem, cutting off their food supplies. They will resort to cannibalism. 

Other references to cannibalism are found in Leviticus 26:29, Deuteronomy 28:53, 2 Kings 6:24-29, Lamentations 2:20, 4:10. Again, in context, these references are either declarations of judgement for disobedience, or descriptive. It should be absolutely clear to the reader that these passages are not prescriptive. As I have written on this blog before, you often learn what the Bible says by what it doesn't say. 

Doves and olive branches

The United Nations in New York has an art collection which includes this sculpture upon which is inscribed this passage from the book of Isaiah 2:4:

"He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

Part of the purpose of the United Nations is to help member nations resolve disputes by negotiation, and without resorting to armed conflict.

I wonder if Evgeniy Vuchetich, the artist who created this sculpture, understood the context of the passage he used in it? If he did, he would understand that it is a prophetic passage. It describes what God will do himself at the end of history. God will bring peace and justice to the earth. He won't need any help from the United Nations, or any other human institution, for that matter.

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

Sinking in the mire

If this blog had a large readership, this post might open up a pointless debate about preferences for one particular English translation of the Bible over another, such as those who believe that the King James Version descended from heaven to earth, gilt edged and leather bound. Sarcasm aside, a few years ago as a student, I had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of a respected international scholar on the book of Job.

If you want to see an experience of intense suffering, look at Job. He lost his wealth, children, and health, was tormented by the devil, and harassed by his wife. Nor were his friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and  Zophar, or Elihu for that matter any consolation to him. To him they were "miserable comforters." (Job 16:3) Much of this book consists of cycles of debates between Job and his friends. Job's friends seemed more concerned with theological point scoring than they were with helping him.

I remember having a classroom discussion on the King James translation of James 5:11, which describes the "patience" of Job, which is also used in the ERV and ASV, to name but two. "Patience" is not the best choice of word, as it gives you the impression that Job stoically took all the suffering he went through on the chin, this translation does not adequately convey Job's experience.

The ESV translation uses the word "steadfastness," while others including the NLT, NASB, Holman, Darby and Young use the word "endurance," while the NIV uses "perseverance." A helpful text note in the NIV Study Bible explains that Job was not "patient." A patient man would not "curse the day of his birth" as Job did in chapter 3, become angry with his friends as he does in chapters 12 and 16, or express impatience as he does in chapter 21.

Job did however persevere (Job 1:22, 2:9-10, 13:15), as any reader of the text will clearly see. He sank to depths of despair, grief, and anger, but in all that he kept in faith in God. For generations his example has encouraged Christians that it is possible to keep faith in the midst of unimaginable suffering.

If you have the time and inclination, it's often a useful exercise to read and compare the wordings in different translations, and also to consult a study Bible. These tools are often useful if you want to gain a fuller understanding of what the author of a given book was saying. It pays to be diligent in reading the Bible.