Anchor for the Soul

Obey your leaders (Hebrews 13:17)

Daniel — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:42:00 +0000

For our men’s Bible study at church, we have been studying Alexander Strauch’s book Biblical Eldership. The book focuses on different passages in Scripture which address the subject of elders in the church. So this morning I’ve been thinking about Hebrews 13:17, where the author challenges his audience to obey their leaders.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grumbling, for that would be of no advantage to you.

When I read this verse, I can’t help but think about the author’s words earlier in the book. In chapters 3-4, the author reminds his audience of the failure of the wilderness generation to trust in God’s promises. He compares the situation which faces his audience to the crisis which confronted the Israelites in the wilderness.

The wilderness generation stood between two great moments in Israel’s history. They had experienced the Exodus, but they were still waiting to enter the Promise Land. However, God destroyed this generation. Why? Because they failed to trust God in a moment of crisis. Instead they disobeyed Moses and grumbled against God’s provisions. As a result, they missed out on the consumption of God’s promises.

The author of Hebrews argues that his audience faces a similar situation. They have experienced the Exodus event (Jesus’ death and resurrection). However, they were still looking forward to the Promise Land (Christ’s return). Compare Heb. 9:28. Although we have experienced the initial benefits of a relationship with Christ, we have not yet experienced the final consummation of God’s salvation (Heb. 6:4-6). Salvation is an already but not yet reality. We must persevere in our faith to receive the fulfillment of all God’s promises.

Here’s where Hebrews 13:17 comes in. Our leaders watch over us. They will give an account for us. They will help us to persevere our faith. They will help us to finish the race. That’s why we must obey them. We must submit to their authority.

If we don’t obey them, we are in dangerous territory. Remember the wilderness generation. They questioned Moses’ authority. They grumbled against him. The results were catastrophic. So, obey your leaders. They will help you receive the promises of God.

What About Hebrews 13:17 (eatinglocusts.wordpress.com)
A Long and Difficult Journey (strengthrenewed.wordpress.com)
Everyone has their time in the wilderness (setwatchman.com)

David Lamb on the Goodness of the God in the OT

Daniel — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:45:37 +0000

So I started reading God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist? The author is David T. Lamb, an OT professor at Biblical Theological Seminary. I came across the book at my local public library!

The author begins by citing Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion. Dawkins writes,

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

The goal of Lamb’s book is to address Dawkins’ disturbing portrayal of the God of the OT.

Lamb asks, “How do negative perceptions of Yahweh affect readers of the OT?”

He gives three answers.

1) Our view of God will directly affect how we either pursue or avoid God.

“If we believe that the God of the OT is really harsh, unfair and cruel, we won’t want anything to do with him. Who would want to have a close relationship with a divine version of Adolf Hitler?”

But the folks who really knew YHWH in the OT want to spend more time with him. Not less time. They went out of their way to be in God’s presence. Consider Psalm 84:1-2.

How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

2) A negative perception about God could also affect a personal passion for reading Scripture.

Even among most Christians today, the OT is ignored. Why? Lamb argues that we ignore the OT because we are uncomfortable with the God of the OT. However, if we have an accurate understanding of God in the OT, we will treasure the OT as the revelation of a God who shows steadfast love for his people.

3) Our view of God affects what we think God’s followers should be like.

Greg Beale argues that we become what we worship. Lamb carries this out in the arena of apologetics. ”If God really were angry, sexist and racist, it would follow that Christians would be as well.” However, the flip side is also true. If the God of the Bible is a gracious, loving, just, holy God, then his followers must have the same sort of character qualities.

What is your impression of the God of the OT? What gives you this impression?

A little quiz for Richard Dawkins, super-duper Scripture scholar (insightscoop.typepad.com)
God Behaving Not So Badly (jrdkirk.com)
The New Testament’s Multi-dimensional Fulfillment of the Old (pjcockrell.wordpress.com)
Lambs and lambs (williamblakeandenlightenmentmedia.wordpress.com)

Psalm 98 (summary)

Daniel — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:05:11 +0000

So what does God do for creation? He renews it. What is our response to him? To worship the King. To sing a new song. As believers in Christ, we have the privilege of joining with all of creation in the praise of its Creator. We have the privilege of kneeling in adoration of the God who created everything and restores everything back to its original created order. God makes all things new.

That last statement ought to give us two things in life, a sense of confidence and a sense of anticipation. If indeed God is in the business of fixing this world, then I can have confidence whatever happens. “For he comes to judge the earth.” My problems right now are temporary. It doesn’t matter what life throws at me. Jesus is the king. If one of my family members dies, I would certainly miss them but I know the One who raises the dead. I have hope for tomorrow. The future is bright, because our God reigns. I have confidence.

This also gives me a sense of anticipation. If we know the King is coming back, we had better get ready for him. We had better be prepared. Our prayer must be the same as the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray. “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” One day Jesus will reign over the entire cosmos, and so today I will give him rule over my life. His kingdom must begin in my heart. Be prepared. Anticipate his return. “He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.”

A New Slam Poem From Within the Dream (hillarykaitlyn.wordpress.com)
Sing Unto the Lord a New Song (codybateman.org)
Make a Joyful Symphony to Christ the King by Mark D. Roberts (trinityspeaks.wordpress.com)

Paul’s Use of Deuteronomy 27:26 in Galatians 3:10

Daniel — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:00:42 +0000

So I’m still thinking through Galatians 3:10-14. A couple of days ago I posted on Paul’s use of Lev. 18:5. Unfortunately, I still haven’t come to any conclusions which I feel real confident about. So, I decided to take a step back and look at v. 10: Paul’s use of Deuteronomy 27:26. Paul writes,

For all who are of the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

This is a puzzle. At first glance, the prooftext doesn’t fit well with the premise of Paul’s argument. Paul claims that the “works of law” people are under a curse. However, Deut. 27 argues that people who don’t obey the Law are under a curse. This suggests that Deut. 27:26 might have been a prooftext for the Judaizers to the effect of ”hey guys, if you don’t get circumcised, then God will curse you.”

So, Paul’s argument must take something for granted. There is an unstated premise. Paul assumes that the “works of law” people do not obey the Law (cf. Gal 5:3; 6:13; Rom. 2:17-24). Their obedience to God is insufficient. Like Jesus, Paul sums up the Law with the “love” commandment (Gal. 5:14; Rom. 13:9-10). So, since no one loves God and neighbor as they should, no one keeps the Law in a sufficient manner.

In other words, Paul argues that possession of the Law is not enough. Genuine obedience is required. So, the agitators’ prooftext backfires. They are the ones who stand condemned for disobeying the Law.

Paul’s Use of Leviticus 18:5 (anchorforthesoul.org)
Justification By Faith Alone in Galatians 1-3 (garrettventry.wordpress.com)

Paul’s Use of Leviticus 18:5

Daniel — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:20:21 +0000

This week I’ve been wrestling with Galatians 3:12 and Paul’s use of Leviticus 18:5. This is a quite challenging example of the OT in the NT. Paul writes, “The Law is not of faith, but “the person who does these things shall live by them.”Two questions stand out to me about the text. What does Paul mean by “the Law is not of faith”? How does Leviticus 18:5 support this argument?
Here are some possible answers.

1) The Law is not a “faith-based” system. It’s a merit-based system. Leviticus 18:5 makes Paul’s point. The Law promises eternal life to those who obey God’s commands. However, no one can obey God’s commands to perfection. So, this promise is hypothetical. If you could obey the Law perfectly, you could earn eternal life by your works. But you can’t.

Problems: This is a really bad reading of Lev. 18:5. In its original context, Lev. 18:5 does not offer a hypothetical alternative way of salvation. Lev. 18:5 is written to people already in covenant with God. God rescued Israel from Egypt based entirely on His own free grace. Israel had nothing to offer God (Deut. 7:6-8). Lev. 18:5 offers the blessings of covenant to obedient covenant members. ”If you obey the terms of covenant, you will enjoy a good life within the land.”

Another problem with this interpretation is that the assumption that the Law requires perfect obedience. However, Scripture gives several examples of individuals who kept God’s law (Gen. 26:5; 2 Kings 23:3, 25; Luke 1:6). This suggests that the Law required “sufficient obedience,” not perfect obedience.

An additional problem is that this creates a contradiction with the OT Law (cf. Romans 10:5-13). On the one hand, the Law tells me that I can earn my salvation (Lev. 18:5). But on the other hand, the Law tells me that the Law is easy to follow. All that is required is faith (Deut. 30:11-14).

2) The age of Law is not the age of Faith (Joel Willitts). This interpretation treats the terms “law” and “faith” as tags for two different time periods (cf. Gal. 3:23). Gal. 3:12a draws a stark contrast between these two dispensations. Paul uses Lev. 18:5 to support this stark dichotomy. This approach focuses on how Lev. 18:5 is developed throughout the rest of the OT (Ezekiel 20:25 and Nehemiah 9:29). In these passages, Nehemiah and Ezekiel point to Lev. 18:5 to explain why Israel was in exile. Since the nation didn’t obey God’s commands, they did not enjoy the good life. Instead they were cursed. They were taken into exile.

Problems: This approach is attractive to me. But I still have some nagging doubts about it. For instance, this doesn’t seem to be the natural way of taking Gal. 3:12a. Why read these terms as tags for two different dispensations? Another difficulty is the reading of Lev. 18:5. It relies too much on the trajectory of Lev. 18:5 within the rest of the OT. Would have Paul’s audience picked up on this?

3) The Law is not a substitute to faith. The Law is not the way into the covenant. Rather, it only serves to regulate life for the Jewish people (James Dunn). This interpretation holds to a positive view of the OT Law. The book of Galatians argues that Gentiles should not have to observe the Law. Why because the works of Law are not an alternative to faith. The Law is not the means of entering into covenant with God.

Lev. 18:5 supports Gal. 3:12a by showing us the Law’s proper function within Israelite society. God offered covenant blessings to Israel if they obeyed His commands. If they didn’t, they would not enjoy those blessings. So, Leviticus 18:5 is not about entrance into the covenant. It’s about your identity within the covenant. Law observance is what separated Israel out as a nation. Following these commands means not doing what the Canaanites and Egyptians do (Lev. 18:4). Paul argues that the Law is not an alternative to faith. It is not a substitute for faith. In other words, the Law is not the way into the covenant. It regulates life of covenant members. It distinguishes the Jews from their Gentile neighbors.

Problems: Would this interpretation help Paul counter the Judaizers?

Which interpretation makes the most sense to you? Why?

Turning back the clock of salvation (Justin Taylor)
Interview with Preston Sprinkle (Jim Hamilton)

John Piper on the Second Coming

Daniel — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:33 +0000

The other day I ran across this quote in John Piper’s What Jesus Demands from the World.

“Jesus warned that the days just before his second coming would be in many ways very normal. It will be, Jesus says, like the days of Noah before the flood came and swept people away who were utterly unsuspecting. They were not watchful. Life seemed too normal, so they were not vigilant. ’As in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark…so will be the coming of the Son of Man….Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.’ Nothing is more normal than eating and drinking and marrying. The point is that we must be vigilant all the time, not just when the times feel perilous. They are always perilous.”

What stood out to me was his suggestion that the second coming would happen at a most ordinary time in history. This surprised me because I think that most people believe that the second coming will happen at a very unusual moment in history. After all, we’re talking about the end of the world! So, people read the newspaper. They study current events. They talk about Iran and Israel. Nuclear bombs and global warming. They try to discern if we are near the time of Christ’s arrival. However, Jesus said that the end will come suddenly. Without warning. It will catch some of us off-guard.

John Piper: Salvation Not ‘A Decision’ (nickbabineaux.wordpress.com)
FREE Audio Book “Think” by John Piper (faithfulprovisions.com)
John Piper on the humbling of God as man and the revelation of God as human language. (jdylanparker.wordpress.com)

Matt Chandler on David and Goliath. How should I interpret OT narratives?

Daniel — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:37:47 +0000

This week Trevin Wax and Justin Taylor have posted a video of Matt Chandler sharing some thoughts on the interpretation of David and Goliath. In the video, Chandler draws a distinction between moralistic preaching and Christ-centered preaching. According to Chandler, moralistic preaching turns the story of David and Goliath into a story about me and what I should do in my personal walk with God. However, Christ-centered preaching focuses the story on Jesus and what He has done on my behalf.

Chandler argues that David is a type of Christ. He is the one who conquers the giant of sin and death. While I appreciated Chandler’s concern for “Christ-centered” preaching, I think that his interpretation fails in one important aspect. He flattens the story of Scripture by turning OT stories into allegories of NT stories. As John Walton, an OT prof at Wheaton, says, “Let Jesus come, when He comes.”

In his book The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text, Sidney Greidanus addresses the problem of the application. How should we bridge the gap between the ancient text and the modern world? Greidanus lists four improper ways to bridge the gap.

1) Allegorizing the text.

“The allegorical method searches beneath the literal meaning of a passage for the ‘real’ meaning.” In this approach, David represents Jesus. The giant represents Satan. This approach shortcircuits the text. It bypasses the OT author’s intention in search for application.

2) Spiritualizing the text.

This is what I call the Steve Martin “We all have our own personal El Guapo’s” method of interpretation. The reader takes one aspect of the story and spiritualizes it. What are the giants in your life? What are the storms in your life? This method also ignores the author’s original intent.

3) Moralizing the text.

This is the method which Chandler complains about. Here the interpreter reduces the story to a simple moral lesson. I call it “be nice” preaching. ”Lying is bad.” ”Believe in yourself.” Sure, the Bible has moral lessons in it, but we must remember that first and foremost the Bible is a story about God. It’s not about us. Don’t turn the glorious story of redemption to Aesop’s fables.

4) Imitating Bible characters.

Here the interpreter challenges us to imitate the behavior of a certain character. Be like David. Don’t be David. Be like Noah. Don’t be like Noah. Ultimately this approach is man-centered. Not God-centered.

So, how should I interpret the story of David and Goliath?

Focus on the author’s intent. Read the story for what it is. Read it in its OT context, before you start worrying about its NT fulfillment. This is a story about God keeping His promises to the nation of Israel. He gives the nation of Israel the Promise Land. Giants are not an obstacle to God. (Turn back to Numbers 13. Remember Israel has a history with giants). This story tells us something about the God of the Bible. He is a covenant God. Jesus, the son of David, is the climax to the covenant. You can trust God to keep His promises through Jesus Christ.

Related articles

Matt Chandler on David, Goliath, and the Gospel (trevinwax.com)
Is the Bible More than My Roadmap to Life (between two worlds)
Biblical Theology: Preach Christ Alone (savouringthegospel.wordpress.com)
The Morass of Moralism (biblicalpreaching.net)

Psalm 98 (Joy to the World again)

Daniel — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:26:39 +0000

Today let’s look at the conclusion of Psalm 98. Vv. 8-9.

Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

V. 9 announces the return of the King. Creation joins in worship of the King, because the King returns. “He comes to judge the earth.” This statement could be good news or bad news. It all depends on who you are and what’s your relationship to the King. If you’re in a right relationship with the King, then this is good news. But if you have a bad relationship with the King, then this is bad news. The King’s return marks the defeat of his enemies and the salvation of all those who are loyal to the King.

When Jesus comes back, this world is going to be a different place. The psalmist says, “He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.” What stands out to me about this statement is that our world today is not characterized by righteousness. It is not characterized by equity. In fact, just the opposite is true. Today this planet is filled with all kinds of sin and unrighteousness. We live in a world where sin runs rampant and most of the time nothing is done about it. Sin does not just happen on an individual personal level, but it also happens on a global worldwide level. Sin has often been institutionalized.

This world is a broken place and sin is everywhere around us. That’s why verse 9 is scary for some people. One day we will give an account for our lives in the presence of King Jesus. And for those who don’t know Jesus, the thought of judgment should be terrifying. If you have lived your life in opposition to King Jesus, then you can only expect to face eternal destruction away from the presence of our Lord. The return of the King marks the end of rebellion.

However, if you know Jesus…if you are loyal to King Jesus, then his return is a good thing. This is good news! When the King returns, he’s going to fix this planet. Jesus is going to raise the dead. He will renew God’s creation. He will defeat God’s enemies and establish God’s kingdom here on earth. On that day, the curse of sin will be gone.

Psalm 98 (The Renewal and Praise of God’s Creation) (anchorforthesoul.org)
Sing Unto the Lord a New Song (codybateman.org)
Jesus: King, Savior, Messiah, Lord! (justicemusings.wordpress.com)

Explanations for the Empty Tomb

Daniel — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:01:25 +0000

Here is a list of possible explanations for the empty tomb.

1) The disciples stole the body.

This is the explanation given by the Jewish religious leaders in Matthew 28:11-15. However, this explanation does not explain the change in the disciples’ demeanor. Prior to the resurrection, the disciples were frightened, little wimps. Each one denied Jesus. They didn’t want to be crucified with him. They were terrified. After the resurrection, the disciples were filled with boldness as they proclaimed the gospel and called people to repentance. Each of these men (save John) died on account of their witness for Christ. Why would they die for a lie? If they stole the body, why would they lay down their lives for something that they knew to be false?

2) The Jewish religious leaders (or the Romans) stole the body.

However, this does not explain the rise of early Christianity. The Jewish leaders wanted to end Christianity. If they had the body of Christ, why didn’t they just show people the body? Then, everyone could see that the disciples were wrong about the resurrection.

3) The swoon theory (Jesus did not really die on the cross).

This theory under-estimates the Romans’ ability to kill people. Roman soldiers were professional killers. They were experts at crucifying people.

4) The wrong tomb.

Mary and the other women went to the wrong tomb. However, skeptics could have easily pointed this out when the disciples began to proclaim the resurrected Christ.

5) The word “resurrection” refers to a spiritual resurrection. When the disciples said, “Jesus is alive,” they really meant, “Jesus died and went to heaven.”

The gospel accounts insist that the tomb was empty (John 20:1-10; Matt 28:11-15). Moreover, the “resurrection” language in the Bible is connected to the end of the age (Dan 12:1-3; John 5:28-29). So, the very term “resurrection” implies the resurrection of the body (NT Wright).

6) God raised Jesus from the dead.

John, the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, saw and believed (worryisuseless.wordpress.com)
How did the Sanhedrin explain the empty tomb (wiki.answers.com)
Mary Magdalene: the First to See (donegality.wordpress.com)
The Empty Tomb. (media4lifeministries.com)

Psalm 98 (The Renewal and Praise of God’s Creation)

Daniel — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:52:59 +0000

In the second and third stanzas of Psalm 98, the poet focuses on our response to God. How should creation respond to God? The answer is with joy. With singing. In worship of God. Look at vv. 4-6.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

The author commands everyone to worship our God. He says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.” Worship is not optional. Everyone is commanded to sing. And this only makes sense. If “the ends of the earth have the salvation of our God,” then the logical conclusion is that “all the earth” must praise God. Verse 3 makes verse 4 possible. He commands us to worship God with all kinds of instruments.

“Make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! God is the King over all the earth. Therefore, the whole earth must worship Him. Look at vv. 7-9.

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

Here the author commands even the sea, the rivers, the world, and the hills to worship God. To rejoice. And this includes all that fills them. So, we’re talking the sea and the fish. The hills and all the animals. So, all this joy and worship is not just for people. It’s also for plants and animals, birds and fish. Even the trees are to worship God.

I realize that this is poetry and the author is using very flowery, emotive imagery, but I think that it suggests that God actually intends on renewing this physical planet. And that only makes sense. When Adam sinned in the Garden, what did God do? He cursed the ground. So now, thorns and thistles grow. Turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:19-23. Paul writes,

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

When Adam sinned in the garden, creation was subjected to the curse. Our planet is in bondage to corruption. Everything decays. Everything falls apart over time. Our bodies grow old. We decay. And this happens not just to human beings; it also happens to plants and animals. To rain forests, mountains, and maybe even polar ice caps. There is not a square inch on this planet that has not been impacted by sin and death.

And Paul says that creation groans. It longs for redemption. It longs for the day of resurrection. And he uses the analogy of childbirth. I have had the privilege to witness of two children. And God-willing, in April I will have the privilege to witness the birth of our third child. Child-birth is not a pleasant experience. It’s a very painful experience. When Mae was born, I felt like a real wimp because the doctor told me, “Daniel, if you feel like you’re going to faint, sit down.” Here my wife Shelley is going through this horrible painful experience and the doctor was worried that I was going to faint.

Because of the curse of sin, creation is in labor. It’s in agony. But any time now it could give birth to a new world. God will renew his creation. Creation longs for the redemption of our bodies.

The Return of the King (Psalm 98) (anchorforthesoul.org)
Praise Him More: Psalm 113 (psalmslife.com)
The Groaning of Creation by Mark D. Roberts (trinityspeaks.wordpress.com)