Psalm 34 read carefully

In my last post I mentioned the importance of watching the pronouns the Psalmist uses when he writes. Psalm 34 is a great example. If you are reading haphazardly you may miss this:

17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.

21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.


In this passage we see that the righteous are spoken of once in the plural (them) and once in the singular (him). The singular use is a prophecy. It is telling us that when Jesus is afflicted the Lord will deliver him and not one of his bones will be broken. This is exactly how John read the Psalms here when he wrote his gospel (chapter 19):

33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness— his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth— that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken."

I hope this encourages you to read carefully and meditate on the Word.

Blessings,

TG

The Psalter and Pronouns

As some of you know, recently one of my favorite books in the Bible has been the Psalter, or as you may call it - Psalms. I love this book because its size and themes make my mind wonder how the book works. The book makes me slow down when I read. The book helps me see the Messiah.

The past two times I have read the book I have tried to read the book through in the order that it was written and see how the different chapters work. As I read, I try to note common themes and language. The book is full of both of these.

I must admit my bias. When I read the book now-a-days I am assuming that there is purpose in the structure of this book (this is important because some think the book does not have a purpose as a whole). I also must admit that I am really looking for Jesus in every chapter (not just David). So with that I will tell you something I have noticed that may help you or you may just think "Tanner, you are a little slow." No matter what your response here it is:

Read carefully the pronouns in the book. The language of the Psalter will move quickly from hims to thems and then back from thems to hims. The singular to plural or the plural to singular switches in the language happen fast and sometimes you may not notice it, but I do think that it is important and I will try to show you why in future posts.

With that captain obvious post I am out.

Good night and God bless.

TG

I am back

Hello and good day to you all.

I am back.

Tanner

Gospel to the Unevangelized

Acts 8:26
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. NKJV

There is a question that has lingered through the years which has the purpose of attacking the justice of God and the fairness of the Gospel: “What about those who have never heard the name of Jesus?” This question implies that it is not fair for people who have never heard the name of Jesus to be condemned to hell, because they never had a chance. First, this question is built upon an incorrect notion of lostness that people are condemned because they have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. People are condemned because they have rejected God who has revealed Himself through creation (Rom. 1), the conscious and the Law (Rom. 2). Therefore, all men are without excuse. Belief in the atoning work of Christ is the remedy of man’s condemnation and not the source. This leads to another question, “What about the man who receives the light given to him and yearns to know the God of creation yet has not heard of Jesus?” This answer to this question can be found in the passage of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8) as we discover that God will get His message to a longing heart. In this text we find that God snatches Philip from a great revival in Samaria and sends him to the desert road toward Gaza. This may appear contrary to modern mission tactics, but God knew there was a heart longing to know more of Him and God sent a missionary with the glorious message of Jesus Christ. For those who accepted the light given to them God will provide more light even if it is to send a missionary in the middle of the wilderness.

High Places

1 Kings 22:43 And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. NKJV

The spiritual evaluation of every king of Judah in the post David era includes reference of whether the high places were removed or not. The question did not end with whether the king of Judah did right in the eyes of the Lord or evil, but also whether or not he removed the high places.

High places were historically elevated areas where worshippers would erect idols and build altars to worship their gods. It was Solomon whose heart was turned from Jehovah by his pagan wives and and as a result built up the high places in Judah for the worship of their pagan gods . Every king thereafter would be judged by what he did with the high places. Even kings such as Jehoshaphat whom the LORD admittedly said did what was right in His eyes but yet also said about him, “Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 1 Kings 22:43 NKJV. All kings that followed Solomon, whether they did right in the eyes of the Lord or evil kept the high places until Hezekiah.

Why was this so important to the LORD? One cannot fully serve the LORD until all the high places are removed out of his/her life. Not only must the idols be destroyed but the very places where the idols are kept must be removed to avoid any temptation to return. Sadly, most Christians filling our churches today are like Jehoshaphat. They love the Lord and seek to do what is right. They are not evil, but they have not removed all the high places and thus have robbed themselves of the full blessings of Christ

The Wisdom of Solomon

1 Kings 3:7-9, 28
7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" …………28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. NKJV

One question about Solomon has always puzzled me, “How can a man be so wise, but yet be so stupid?” The Scripture is clear that God gladly answered the request of Solomon for wisdom and understanding to judge his people and immediately that wisdom was put to the test with the two women claiming the same child. The record is also clear that Solomon was a great builder and organizer of the kingdom of Israel which brought marvel and praise from the rulers of the world. He was proficient in almost all studies whether it concerned economics, politics, biology, horticulture, or architectural engineering and design. His accomplishments were simply a wonder to all. But his personal life proved to be a mess. His decisions on wives were disastrous as they ultimately turned his heart from the very God who had so richly blessed him. He would admit later in his life the vanity of all his accomplishments. Again, how could a man so wise make such unwise decisions? First, the wisdom granted to Solomon was the wisdom of judgment for the people. This was a direct answer to his prayer. Solomon had great wisdom to judge other people but he was lacking in judgment for himself. Next, from the life of this “wise” man we should learn that we all have blind spots and areas of deficiency. Being wise or proficient in one area of our lives, no matter how astute it may be, does not necessarily equate to wisdom in other areas of our lives. We must not allow ourselves to think that we have become so wise that we have not need of God. Regardless of who were are, even if we become as great as Solomon, we must daily stay on our face humbly before God seeking His wisdom in every area of our lives.

Into the Land we will go

There was no post on Joshua and while I don’t have a post with a cohesive theme, I thought I would write some observations I noted from Joshua.

Observation 1:

The book opens and closes with the Law of Moses.  In chapter 1, the LORD commanded Joshua “to be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you do.  This book of the law shall not depart from you mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night.”  Throughout the book, the reader is reminded that Joshua does as Moses has written.  In the conclusion of the book, Joshua gathers the people together and tells the to “Be very firm, then to keep and do all this is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aide from it to the right hand or to the left.” Beginning with Abraham, Joshua reminds the people of who God is and how he has been with them since the beginning.   He pleads with them not to turn to other gods but in this new land with cities and vineyards and olive groves that the people did not work for or plant, to serve the LORD faithfully.  This remembering and mediating on the Law of Moses seems to be a central theme in Joshua.  It is the Book of Moses that teaches the people about the LORD and reminds them to be faithful. 

Observation 2:

The LORD fought for Israel.  In Exodus, the LORD took the Israelites out of Egypt and while they cowered at the edge of the Sea, Moses reminds them that, “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”  And the LORD was faithful and fought for them.  However, the people quickly forget and once again cower on the edge of the land that was promised to them.  The people finally make it into the Land under the leadership of Joshua and time and again, the LORD proves faithful and fights for Israel.  After the battle with the five kings at Gibeon, Joshua declares that, “the LORD fought for Israel.”  As the Israelites conquer the land it is noted that “because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.”  The LORD protected and was faithful to his people and when they trusted him, he conquered the land for them. 

Observation 3:

In Genesis 17, Abraham is promised a son.  God says that he will make Abraham exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.  The sign of this covenant was the act of circumcision.  Immediately following the command, Abraham circumcised his family.   In Joshua, immediately after crossing the Jordan, Joshua was commanded by the LORD to circumcise the people, and like Abraham Joshua immediately obeyed the commanded and performed the sign of the covenant affirming God’s covenant with Abraham and the people of Israel. 

(The conclusion of these three observations is that Joshua seems to be a fulfillment and playing out of the commands of the Law of Moses.  The sign of the covenant remains to show that one day, a king will come out of Israel.  The LORD will fight for Israel and to be a faithful nation, they must mediate of the Law of Moses.)

Observation 4:  I also noted some similarities or parallels to the division of the land and Genesis 49, but I need more time to think about it and I should probably start reading Judges.  If any of you noticed anything, let me know.  

Hatred for the Things of God

Mark 15:10-13 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" 13 And they cried out again, "Crucify him."

It is difficult for me to imagine the anger, bitterness and hatred that men can have toward Jesus Christ. Yet, it is real and resulted in the crucifixion of our sinless Lord. These intense emotions did not subside at the cross, but still exist and are growing even as we live. Over the last few months I have experienced such emotions on two occasions targeted toward me, a preacher of the Gospel, and His church. To be honest, at first I was taken back thinking, “What have I done?” Then recently as I was receiving a vulgar, unsolicited, uncalled for tirade against me I realized, “This is not about me. It is about the One whom I represent: Jesus Christ.” You must understand that I do not live in a liberal stronghold, but in a rural community nestled deep in the Bible belt. Even, here, there is a growing hatred for the things of Christ and those who stand for Him. Why? Christ and His teaching stand in opposition to the godless lives men chose to live. Even as the religious leaders of Jesus’ resented Him, not that He had done anything wrong (none could make that claim), but what He represented: the true righteousness of God. Jesus reminded us, His servants, to expect more of the same as He warned, Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you… John 15:20. Does this hurt? You bet it does, but we must not take it personally. It is simply a result of being representatives of Christ in a lost and dying world. We are living in times where these attacks against Jesus’ ambassadors will become more often and intense. I encourage my young brothers and sisters in Christ to be encouraged and stand strong. Our Lord is still on the throne and He is coming again!

The Wilderness Experience

Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Wilderness experiences are some of the most important times in the believer’s life. Admittedly, these are not pleasant but instead times of intense struggle, pain and suffering. Yet, these seasons of wilderness are absolutely essential in the maturation process of every believer. Only in the wilderness will our pride be exposed and stripped away. And only in the wilderness will we discover the true condition of our heart: whether it be a heart of faith or one of self-reliance. The wilderness has a way of exposing us for who we really are and reveals our need for God. It will either provoke us to disqualification or prepare us for the work the Lord has ordained for us. Before Moses led the people out of Egypt he endured a wilderness experience. Before David became the king of Israel he suffered through a wilderness experience. Even before Jesus began His ministry He was tried in a wilderness experience. It is God who allows the wildernesses of our lives but He will never leave us alone there and is always leading the way. We must remember that when we find ourselves in the wilderness, it is a place of revelation and preparation; and all of God’s great servants have walked the rocky path before us.

why then the law

The next two blog posts are going to address two ideas from a passage in Galatians. Galatians 3:15 – 20 says:

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

We have just read through the law and we are about to read it again – Deuteronomy. You might be asking yourself – “what am I to get from these laws?” Or “am I supposed to follow some and not others?” Well in Paul’s letter to the Galatians he poses his own question about the law – “Why?”

Why the law if God made a promise to Abraham and his offspring?

Now Paul answers this question by saying that the law was added because of transgressions. Now the great thing about the having a printed Bible is that we all have easy access to our own Bibles and can try to see what Paul is saying. So let’s check Paul out. Let’s flip to Leviticus and then Numbers (these are only two examples).

In Leviticus 8 – 10, the story of Aaron and his sons begins with great success. Israel successfully consecrates Aaron and his sons as priests for the Tabernacle and the Lord accepts Aaron’s offering. If you haven’t read it – you need to. It is intense (9:22-24). But guess what happens next. Paul calls it transgression. We call it sin. Aaron’s sons offer an unauthorized offering in chapter 10 and instead of fire coming out from God and devouring the sacrifice, the fire devours and consumes them.

Right after the sons are consumed Moses and Aaron get in dialogue about eating. See 10:16-20. I make this note because it is noteworthy.

So if Paul is correct, what will be next in Leviticus? That’s right – MORE LAWS. “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions.” Chapters 11 begins with another long section of laws and guess what type of laws begin this section – Eating laws. Interesting. Moses and Aaron were arguing about what to eat and now just two verses after their argument God gives eating laws.

Now lets move to Numbers 13 to see if we can see this same pattern. We all probably are familiar with this passage. It is the passage where Israel sends out 12 spies into the Promised Land.

Moses mentions that on the day their 40-day mission started it was “the season of the first ripe grapes.” (13:20) And the men even “cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes.” (13:23) When the men come back to the people to bring news of their spying the even show them “the fruit of the land.” (13:26)

Sadly we all know what happens next. Only Caleb and Joshua believe the promise of God and the other ten spies influence Israel not to believe God. They sin. Chapter 14 is all about the sin of Israel and then Moses intercedes for them. What will happen next? LAWS.

Beginning in chapter 15 there are new laws concerning sacrifices. Interestingly, they are not really new sacrifices. These new laws only add one thing to the sacrifices – wine. (See 15:5,7, 10) So basically the spies go in to the land, see the grapes, the people sin, and now there are new laws concerning with wine. This is so interesting, but there is more.

At the end of chapter 16, God gives a law about tassels. Basically a tassel is a Hebrew WWJD bracelet. A tassel was to be sewed onto the corners of their garments so that every time that they looked at the tassel they would be reminded “not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.” (15:39-40)

I highlight the “follow” because Moses intentionally used it here. The word “follow” is used in the entire Hebrew Bible very rarely. Moses though uses this word here to tie his writing together. The word “follow” is used in chapter 13. This word is translated spy out in chapter 13. Most of your Bibles should even note this at the bottom of your page. After the spying in 13, God now says don’t spy out after your own heart.

Do you see how the sin of the people is connected to the law? Paul does. I do.

So what? What is the big deal? The big deal for Paul is that the law does not bring the righteousness that we need to be saved. Stop trying to work for your righteousness. Believe in Christ. “So then, that law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Gal 3:24-26, 29)

This is a big deal. I need to mediate on it. Meditate with me.

TG

i know...it's been a while

Hey guys,

I am about to run to small group, but I wanted to let you know that the reading has been great for me even though I have not posted recently. For those of you who have fallen behind we are in Deuteronomy and Mark now. Just flip ahead and start again with us.

I want to post on the some of the interesting important parts of Leviticus and Numbers soon. 

I hope you are all doing well. God bless your reading.

Tanner

Bread for us - Thoughts from Matthew

Have you ever wondered why there are two accounts recorded of Jesus feeding multitudes of people with small amounts of bread and fish in this book of Matthew? While I was reading through Matthew this past week I had some insight into this from the way Matthew orders these events in his book. Follow me.

First, in chapter 15 of this book he begins to tell a story about a Canaanite woman with great faith (at this point he has already told the feeding of 5000). She comes to Jesus and asks him to cast out a demon from her daughter. He replies, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." This seems very strange from the lips of Jesus but we must read on.

She begged on her knees, "Lord, help me!"

He said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

She said humbly, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from the children's table."

Jesus was amazed at her faith and instantly the woman's daughter was healed because of her faith.

Now interestingly in chapter 13 the people from his own town do not have any faith and then in chapter 14 he feeds the 5000. Here in chapter 15 after this Gentile woman has shown incredible faith we move to another feeding miracle.

Now listen. This is incredible! WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BREAD LEFT OVER FROM THE MIRACLE? WHY? Is not Matthew telling us? Is not the Canaanite woman's response to our Messiah informing how we should reading this miracle?

Jesus has fed the children of Israel and there are 7, yes 7, large baskets FULL of bread! There is so much bread remaining for the Gentiles. Our Messiah did come to his own, but he has other sheep! We are part of these sheep! How merciful and gracious has God been to us!

As we continue to read these amazing passages let us see our God and Messiah and may his Spirit help us respond in awe and amazement over his love to and for us.

The Heart: Generous, stirred, willing

It is very interesting that in the context of law there is so much said about the heart. Moreover, there is a repeated theme in 35:4-36:7 of the people's free will offerings. The stipulation for these offerings is simple, "Whoever is of a generous heart..." (35:5). 

Then 35:21, "And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him..."

And v. 22, "All who were of a willing heart..."

Then v. 29, "All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything..."

Then 36:2, "every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work."

God is not after His people's rigid conformity to laws devoid of affectionate devotion to Him. Wooden obedience is not worship. Going-through-the-motions-obedience is not worship. How big a problem did the prophets have with that! (cf. Micah 6:1-8). He has given laws concerning idolatry and Sabbath in order to guide the people to worship that is proper and true. In that same wind there is a constant repeat of this willing heart. The will is being stirred up and the LORD delights in their worship (and by His gracious initiative, 36:1-2). It strikes me that in the context of law this theme of heart emerges again and again.

And I cannot end the post but by praising Jesus Christ for being our reference of true worship. Because of Him we are given a new heart and a new spirit within us (Ezek. 38:25-28)... and it is more than willing, it is resolute and jealous for the glory of God. May His Spirit fill us anew today, so that we have all joy and peace in believing and power to abound in hope.

Can Man’s Prayers Change a Sovereign God?

Exodus 32:11 But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 …Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people…14 And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

One of the intriguing mysteries of Scripture is the marriage of the providence of the Sovereign Lord and the effectual prayers of a righteous man. How are these two truths united? Or are they? Can a righteous man’s prayers change the mind or the plans of the Sovereign Lord? In the narrative of the golden calf did not God tell Moses that He would destroy the people due to their stiff-necks? Moses, then made a plea to God on behalf of the people, His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His testimony before the Egyptians. Scripture then teaches, “and then the Lord relented.” Did Moses’ prayer change God or did it change Moses? Again, within this passage we find two powerful truths which appear to clash: God’s sovereignty verses the power of prayer. From my limited point of view I am unable to justify the two, but God’s glorious Word teaches both and in both can I find the greatest of peace and pleasure.

A Theme to Dwell On

Why did God command Moses to build a tabernacle?
"Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst" [Exodus 25:8].

Why did God bless Solomon to build a temple?
"Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel" [1 Kings 6:12-13].

Why did God send Jesus?
"'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us)" [Matthew 1:23].

Why did God elect and effect a Jewish and Gentile church?
"Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" [1 Corinthians 3:16].
"In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" [Ephesians 2:22].

Why will the new Jerusalem come down from heaven?
"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God'" [Revelation 21:2-3].

Big Idea behind all these verses, I propose:
God's intention throughout all of redemptive history has been to win and be with his people.

(Update: Add to this list Exodus 29:45-46 where God tells why he drew his people up out of Egypt:
"I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.")

I Will Be with You

You've probably noticed it too: the repeating phrase throughout Genesis (and now in Exodus) of God saying, "I will be with you." Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph each receive the promise, and now Moses:

But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" He said, "But I will be with you...." (Exodus 3:11-12)

God's pattern so far is that he gives this promise in those moments when discouragement, despair, or doubt seem to threaten most (see Genesis 26:24; 28:15; 46:3-4). And if you look closely at Genesis 32:9-12 (and how it construes what was already promised in 31:3 and 28:14-15), you'll see that Jacob understands the phrase "I will be with you" to mean "I will do you good."

Here Moses is afraid to be God's agent for bringing his people up out of Egypt. So God tells him, "I will be with you." But this still isn't enough for Moses. A little while later he gives the excuse, "but I am slow of speech and of tongue." God answers him, "I will be with your mouth" (4:11-12). Still Moses won't obey. God becomes angry, but in his mercy he appoints his brother Aaron to help Moses, promising, "I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do" (4:15).

This theme is huge in the Bible, and a blog post is insufficient space for unpacking all the instances and implications of it. But keep your eyes open. Isaiah is full of the idea of God being with his people, climaxing at the point where he names the Messiah "Immanuel." And this, of course, is picked up by the New Testament and carried into eternity.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:3)

Joseph and Judah

Genesis 27:29: “Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.” (Isaac’s blessing to Jacob)

Genesis 37:6, 7: He (Joseph) said to them (his brothers), “Hear this dream I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Joseph’s dream)

Genesis 49:8: “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.” (Jacob’s blessing to Judah)

As we have been reading through Genesis, we have seen fathers blessing their sons. Interestingly in the Joseph narrative, Judah seems to get the blessing that Joseph should have got. In the verses above we see that Isaac blessed Jacob by putting his brothers under him and Jacob blesses Judah in the same way. However, it seems like Joseph should have gotten this blessing. I mean he did have a dream that all his brothers would bow down to him (and they do). He seems to me to be the obvious choice for this blessing. He is the one good guy in the book of Genesis. Why not send this blessing through him?

Moses is doing something very big at this point in Genesis. First, the blessing of Jacob to Judah is going to come to surface again in the book of Numbers. Secondly, I believe that Moses connects Joseph and Judah to show us what the son of Judah is going to look like. Judah is the son through whom the king will come (Gen. 49:10) and Joseph is who he is going to look like. (Disclaimer: I do not believe this is the only purpose of this narrative. This narrative does connect the story of the offspring of Abraham and at the same time fulfill God’s promise to Abraham that the Hebrews will suffer in Egypt for 400 years.)

Think about it. Joseph stands out in the book of Genesis because he suffers because of righteousness. His whole story is about him responding to unrighteousness and suffering in righteousness. Joseph’s own family sells him into slavery. Then in Egypt he serves faithfully and then is wrongly accused and thrown into prison. He knows that the evil brought upon him by men is actually meant for good by God. And this happens through his acceptance by the Egyptians when he is put as their ruler. He saves the whole world, all nations, through his wisdom and rule. After the nations have accepted him as their ruler, then his family (the Hebrews) comes to him to serve him.

This seems to be exactly Paul’s theology in Romans 9 – 11. Paul says that the Jews have not responded to Jesus in faith, but the Gentiles have. This response of the Gentiles is to make the Jews jealous so that in the coming future the Jews will come to faith in Jesus as the lion of the tribe of Judah. Where does his theology come from? I think it is from this very section of Genesis.

I believe that the Joseph narrative is so striking to us because of whom Joseph’s story reminds us. I need it.

Thanks Moses.

God Meant It for Good

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Gen 50:19-20

Joseph was a man who could have allowed his life to be poisoned with unforgiveness, bitterness, and unbelief. His life had been rocked by the betrayal by his own brothers who sold him into slavery; wrongly accused by a wicked woman being thrown into prison; and forgotten by one whom he had helped. Joseph could have easily shaken his fist at God for allowing him to experience such “unfair” pain, but instead he chose to believe. He could have easily resented those who treated him unjustly seeking vengeance, but he chose to forgive. Joseph could have lived his life wallowing in the mire of self-pity and misery, but he chose to rejoice. He could have chosen to look for the negative, but he chose to look to God. Joseph never allowed the pain of the moment to cloud his view of eternity. His eyes and faith were steadfastly set on the God of creation and redemption. Joseph simply surrendered himself to the providential plans of the Sovereign Lord and rested in His unending mercy. Because of Joseph’s steadfast surrender God placed him in position to be a great blessing to others and he in return lavished in God’s blessing. Truly he could say, “What others meant for evil, God meant it for good.”

God never wastes our experiences

"Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house." The name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." Genesis 41:51,52

We have read of all Joseph's hardship; all the unfairness, the pain, the continual waiting. Yet we see that every hardship and every affliction has a purpose in God's sovereign plan for our lives. The places of our pain become the places of fruitfulness. Only God can make someone fruitful in a land of affliction.

Last week my friend Cindy was talking about how she felt after the death of her son Adam, who died two years ago. She said she thought that after a season of searing pain, the Lord would give her more of Himself in exchange for the life of her son. Time went on, and she did not feel she was experiencing a richer and deeper walk with the Lord. She said she finally got to the point where she told the Lord, "Even if this is all that I get of You, I trust You." I felt like I was sitting with her in a holy place, because in her words, her face, her voice was the presence of the Father who had accompanied her at every moment during her affliction, and accompanies her even now, because her hardship will last until she sees Jesus. And the ministry she and her husband have now is a result of their affliction....they are always being called or visited by parents who have lost children. They have 'fruitfulness in the land of their affliction.'

I pray that I will always trust God when His path for me is hard.

and they laughed

Matthew 9:24 he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.

How many times have we, like those called in to mourn over Jairus’ daughter, laughed at Jesus? Sarah laughed also at the news from the LORD that she would give birth in her old age. We may not be overt in our laughter and our laughter may not be with intent to scorn as the mourners, but yet we laugh within our hearts even as Sarah. This laughter reveals unbelief and a resistance to the things our Lord is desiring to do for us and through us. If we laugh, let us laugh “with” Jesus in joy and amazement instead of “at” Jesus in disbelief and scorn.

Jacob's Vow

Gen 28:20-22 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."

Jacob had an experience with God through a dream which prompted him to make a vow unto the Lord. The question which must be asked is “What is the motive of the vow?” Was this a statement of true commitment to God or was it a conditional bargain driven by selfishness? Obviously, the language leaves room for interpretation as commentators debate the true intent. This leads to another thought. Language within itself can always leave room for uncertainty. Words that are written or spoken with the clearest of communication can never prove true motive. Was it not our Lord who said, “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,…” Isa 29:13. Therefore, any vow or statement must be proven by the actions that follow. Proceeding the vow, Jacob was a man who lived up to his name as a supplanter/deceiver to acquire the desires of his heart. At the very time of the vow he was on the run escaping his brother’s vengeance for stealing his blessing. Jacob was the same man after the vow, a man always scheming to get an edge rather than placing dependence upon the God of his vow. It was not until he was on the run again that he wrestled with God and cried out in desperation that his motives appear pure. Only then did he receive a new name, Israel. No longer was he bargaining with God but instead, grabbing hold and not letting go. This is a vow of the heart. This is a vow which our Lord smiles upon.

abraham's life

It's been an interesting week getting into the reading this week. A few notes for thought.
First, it's been of special note to me to compare Abraham with the kind of righteousness Jesus talked about in the Sermon on the Mount. Throughout Paul's letters Abraham is the righteous man par excellence, and I'd like to hear some thoughts on how Abraham fits into Jesus' sermon.
Second, I've been able to see more clearly this week some of the patterns that Sailhamer talked about in his commentary between the life of Abraham and the narrative of Israel that will take place starting in Genesis 43 through Exodus 20. I've written at great length about the purpose of that comparison in a paper last semester. You can find that here: www.andywittonline.com , click "papers". For those of you who won't read it, the main thing to look for in the reading coming up in Genesis and Exodus is what happens after the sojourns in Egypt. We saw that Abraham settled in the land of Canaan (Gen. 13), had great victory in battle (Gen. 14), and was blessed (Gen. 14). In the end, Abraham was found to have faith (15:6) and was obedient to God's law (26:5). The exact opposite happens to the people of Israel after their sojourn. They don't even have the faith to enter into the land (Num 14:11; 20:12), let alone win battles (Num. 14:39ff) or obey the laws (Exo. 32). What are we to make of that?
Third, and this is kind of in response to an earlier post about Melchizedek, I recently realized that Melchizedek was the first person to bless Abraham after the promise in 12:1-3. No wonder the psalmist (Ps. 110) and the epistle writer (Heb 5-9) paid such attention to him.
~aw

Thoughts on Isaac?

This was also a comment that I thought some of you might like to see. - TG

dayle said...
Here goes!!My first blog! I am accustomed to sit down face to face chats, but a new year, a new beginning. I reading Chapter 22 of Genesis, I was drawn to "burnt Offering". When I think of burnt Offering I think dead. But, Isaac was offered as a living sacrifice and is this not what Paul challenges us in Roman 12:1-2 to be daily " a living sacrifice"?

Questions from Adam

This was a comment from Adam (under Drew's post) that I think everyone might like to read:

Okay, so I know I am way behind here but I wanted to throw out some questions about Eve, Cain's mark, and Lamech (Not Noah's padre). I read Pentateuch as Narrative this past summer and was wondering what you guys thought of some of Sailhamer's translations of (1) Eve's response to Cain's birth, (2) Cain's Mark and (3) a more positive look at Lamech.

In 4:1 Sailhamer translates Eve's response to Cain's birth as "I have created a man equally with the Lord" and he says this is more likely since her response to Seth's birth is very different "God has appointed for me another offspring..." As if she understands her place now. She was a little cocky the first go around, perhaps thinking she had created the seed of Gen 3:15 but then realizes "he" can only come God's way.

Secondly, he says Cain's mark is actually the city of Nod which was a place of refuge where Cain could not be "attacked". This sounds like a prototype of the cities of refuge in the Pentateuch. Pretty interesting...Before this he says Cain's response to God's punishment was not so much a complaint but actually a repentant statement, "My iniquity is too great to forgive" (4:13). This changes the outlook on Cain quite a bit. any thoughts?

In regards to Lamech, Sailhamer says his response about killing a man for wounding him (4:23)is appealing to a system of justice. I don't have the book in front of me so I don't want to misquote his ideas but it made me look at Lamech quite different as well.

Anyway, just some thoughts. I know these are side issues and not necessarily in keeping with the canonical theme but I am interested to see if those who have read Sailhamer are in agreement.

As a final note, I apologize for bringing Sailhamer into this discussion if indeed his name is forbidden in this blog. If you must, replace all use of Sailhamer with Susan B. Anthony. I can only respond like my brother Adam, "That woman whom you gave me..." (3:12) Luchky

Can We Ask Questions?

Hey Everyone, 

Since I am new this whole blog thing, I thought that I would start out by asking a question, and one that I have been thinking about for awhile but I am just having trouble resolving.  Last month my wife (Laurie) and I started listening to Mark Driscoll preach through the Song of Solomon.  I recommend this series, if you are married, or thinking about, in the fact that it has a lot of good practical ways on how we should view Christian Marriage.  As we were listening it got me thinking about the book itself, and so my question is this: How should we read/think about/interpret/and ultimately apply the Song of Solomon to the Christian walk.  Now from my understanding there are two camps that people generally view this book.  The first is a more literal view - and they see this between Solomon and his wife, and it some think of it as a how-to for Christian marriage.  The other camp sees this as a representation of Christ and the Church and this is supposed to show how Christ passionately loves His Church.  I often find myself not fully agreeing with both of them.  If it is about Christ and His Church, what should we do with the overtly sexual references?  This book is also Jewish Poetry and I dont know if it is necessarily supposed to be instructional.  I do know that canonically it falls after Ruth in the Old Testament, but what significance does that give the interpretation?  All of that to say, what do yall think?  

D to the L

Genesis 14 and Do I Really Have to Wait for Hebrews to Get This Guy?

Melchizedek. What do we do with him?

Let me suggest that the Gen. 14:14-24 insertion is a validation of God's promise to Abraham before it really exists. Sarah can't have babies. The family run-down concludes with this info in 11:30. Then the promise that demands the contrary. You would expect she has a baby now. But not yet. Then in 13:14-17, but still no baby. 14... Abraham bails out Lot with his paramilitary group partnered with some kings (then 14:14-24). Then 15:1-21, but no baby. 16, weird. 17 covenant and a more specified promise of a son. 18, 19, 20 and finally 21:Isaac is born.

The point is belabored in the narrative what God is doing, (I may be breaking the Cardinal rule of the canonical-linguistic approach by using the words of that Paul guy from the NT here)... But very emphatically the Lord is calling into existence things that just plainly do not exist (Rom 4:17). From 11 to 21 Moses is showing us that.

I am not giving a comprehensive understanding of Melchizedek here. But I do think his portion of the narrative validates God's promise to Abraham in 12 as it having an already-occurring reality, in some way. Abraham is one blessed and is also the blesser. Melchizedek knows Abraham as the one blessed by the Creator of 1-2 (14:19). Melchizedek, the Righteous King, understands something about Abraham that the reader can also see, namely, that he is special. 

And the priest-king thing is really really important:)

Reading Matthew alongside Genesis is remarkable.  The genealogies of Genesis, and of course throughout the Old Testament, flow right into Matthew but with the answer which we have all been waiting.  While reading Genesis, there is such hope for mankind in these genealogies.   The destructive nature of Cain’s genealogy is quickly renewed with Seth, as Eve exclaims that God has given her another offspring, and from this genealogy man began to call upon the name of the LORD.  Seth leads us to Noah who is righteous and his father, Lamech has great hope that Noah maybe the one to give them rest.  With Noah, God gives all of mankind a covenant, and Noah fathers the genealogies of Japheth, Ham, and Shem.  While there is great hurt in the line of Ham, there is still hope in the line of Shem.  Shem leads us to Abram and the great promises God has in store for all flesh through the offspring of Abraham. 

After reading all of these promises and watching God’s clear control over these genealogies as he gives Eve another son, and then Abraham and Sarah a son in their barren years, the beginning of Matthew resounds with joy and fulfillment at the completion of the genealogies.  Matthew frames the beginning and ending of his genealogy with Jesus, the Messiah.  It is clear that the offspring has come.  He is Emmanuel. 

Matthew chapter two begins with the Magi inquiring, “Where is the King of the Jews?”  Herod immediately consults the scribes who consult the Scripture.  The answer is found in Micah; the Ruler will come from Bethlehem.  The remarkable thing about this is that Herod and the scribes believed and recognized the truth concerning the Messiah in the Scriptures and failed to worship.  They knew to look to the Hebrew Scriptures for the answers about the Son, but knowledge did not result in faith.   The hope in their failure is that we will not do the same and miss what the Scripture says about the Son. 

Responding to Andy's previous comment:

I agree that once the "seed" has been revealed in later chapters as specifically the Suffering Servant/Messiah, it is ridiculously difficult, at least for me, to disengage that way of thinking, even minimally.  Your comments regarding understanding the text as it comes are very helpful, but I do not think that the notion of specific "seed" understanding can only happen once we reach Numbers 24.  While it is true that Balaam's prophecy gives enormous insight into what the seed is to be, Moses' themes throughout even the beginning chapters of Genesis all point to something more...something perfect...something future.  Creation, degeneration and re-creation are all extremely important to the story of the first 9 chapters in Genesis...and at the end, the re-creation that took place after the flood was not perfect.  Mankind's sin was still without remedy.  Chapter 4 relates the story of Cain and Abel and I thought that it was interesting that Cain was cursed in the reverse way of Adam.  Because of Adam the ground was cursed, but Cain was cursed from the ground.  Both cases of degeneration.  With Abel's murder we continue to see the degeneration of humanity because of sin.  Cain's genealogy ends with further depravity when Lamech multiplies Cain's revenge ten-fold.  But as Moses relates again and again in Genesis, hope is always present.  Chapter 4 doesn't end in despair, instead Eve bore another son, Seth, and it was with the birth of Seth's son Enosh that "people began to call upon the name of the LORD."  The genealogy from Adam to Noah shows the grace and hope that God grants to humanity.  Seth was fathered in the likeness of Adam, who was fashioned in the likeness of God.  Enoch "walked with God, and he was not, for God took him."  Of all the men on the earth, Noah found favor in the eyes of God.  But here again, in Chapter 7, we find destruction.  Verses 18-21 are almost a reversal of the creation account found in Genesis 1.  The ark floated on the "face of the waters" where as the "Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" in Genesis 1.  The water covered the land, the animals were destroyed, and finally mankind perished.  All except those who found favor with God.  After destruction, we see regeneration and re-creation.  But this was not the final phase.  Noah and his son Ham failed, and the battle with sin continues.  

As Tanner noted, Lamech realized, very early on, that something positive was coming.  I think you are right that we should be cautious about applying future developments on the text, but it seems that Moses has painted, at least a primitive picture of what the coming "seed" will do.  His emphasis on the effects of sin and its consequences, along with God's continual grace, and man's inability to defeat sin, all begin to paint a purpose or mission for the seed at least.

Missing the Trees for the Forest

Hey all,
When can we properly talk about the Messiah in Genesis? Most of us would ascribe to a text-oriented approach to reading; that is, we allow the text itself to inform us about the author's intent. But, all we've had so far in Genesis is one passage that talks about a "seed" or "offspring" that for all we know is quite ambiguous. Granted, we know the end of the story - but we shouldn't allow the end of the story to spoil how the author is getting us there. Moses makes a multitude of connections between different themes and concepts that are only peripherally concerned with the Messiah in these early chapters, and these are just as important to the author as the Messiah.
Let us not forget that the main topic of the Torah is the giving of the Law, the Sinai covenant. It covers about 2/3 of the text within the Torah, and to miss how Moses is setting us up for the giving of the Law at Sinai would be a great tragedy. Starting in Genesis 12 the author is going to start making some important commentary that sets us up for Sinai, making the Abrahamic covenant an essential ingredient on properly understanding Sinai. Though the messianic figure will emerge as a primary figure in the Torah, Moses' commentary on Sinai and faith deserves an equally fair share of attention. I mean, it's not until Numbers 23-24 that the concept of seed is clearly given a singular meaning. Before then, it ambiguously refers to all Israel and individual offspring of Abraham, with no indication of which is the seed of Eve in Gen 3.15. Moses purposefully leaves this tension in the book of Genesis for a reason, and we would do well to follow his story and argument as much as possible.
For some of us, this may be the first time we are reading through the Bible in a Tanakh order, or even reading through it with an eye to the author's intent and compositional strategy. Maybe restraining the Messiah references until the text leads us there would be helpful. What do you all think?
~aw

New to the blog?

Hey Everyone. If you are new to this blog you will want to look at the post titled "Purpose of Blog" and then also see the "Bible reading plan" that we are using. Then you will want to read all the other posts that all of our authors are writing.  Then post whatever you want and we will all be benefited. 

This is fun. Thanks for being part of it.

TG

Lamech is Looking

Here are a several interesting things that I have seen in these first chapters of Genesis:

1) Look at the wording between the curse to Eve (3:16) and the conversation between Cain and God (4:7).

"Your desire will be for (or against) your husband, but he shall rule over you." (esv)

and

"Its (sin) desire is for (or against) you, but you must rule over it." (esv)

I would love to hear thoughts on this.

2) Lamech is looking for the Offspring (the Messiah)! (5:28-31)

I think it is so cool that in the genealogy of Noah we get to see  that Lamech is looking for the offspring that remove (or reverse) the curse from the Earth. He says, "Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and the painful toil of our hands." 

3) Both Enoch and Noah walk with God. 

Moses is so fun to read. I hope these thoughts help you in your reading. Remember Moses wrote this book about Jesus. Moses is showing us that from the beginning we were to look for this offspring that will come from Eve who will remove the curse from us. Lamech is looking and so should we, as we read and as we live. Jesus is coming again and we live exactly how these men lived - looking for our Savior! 

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End...

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. (Rev 22:12, 20-21)

Come. Let's read looking. 

TG

God's One-Sidedness

God's covenant with Noah--and, through him, every living creature for all future generations--had no stipulations.

Noah didn't have to do a thing to receive it, nor do we have to do anything now to keep it. God just said, once and for all, "Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood" (Genesis 9:11-12).

Now that's some grace--grace that every living human is experiencing right now, whether they believe it or not.

genesis 1 - 3

First, let me say I am so excited about reading through the Bible with you all! I am so glad to see all of the posts on Genesis. I hope we keep up the posts when we get into Ezekiel.

Let me start with the way I am going to be reading through the Bible this year. I am going to take what Jesus says in John chapter 5 and read with this as my lens. He said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me...If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me."
I will be reading the whole Old Testament in this light, that Jesus is the centerpiece of all Scripture. Scripture exists to reveal Jesus as the Messiah to us. (see John 20:30-31; II Tim. 3:15) So with that - let's begin.
As most of us know, the book of Genesis is the first of five sections of the first "book" in the Hebrew Bible. It was known to the Hebrew people as "The Law of Moses" or "The Book of the Law" (The Law of Moses includes the books include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Jesus calls it "The Law of Moses" in Luke 24:44. The first three chapters of Genesis is the foundation for Genesis and for the whole Law of Moses, and for that matter the whole Bible.
There is so much here in Genesis 1 – 3. As has been noted by others in this blog the good news of the offspring in chapter three is of great importance. This offspring will reverse the curse of sin.

Outline:
Genesis 1:1 – Creation of Everything (no focus)
Genesis 1:2 – 2:3 – Creation gets more focused (Earth)
Genesis 2:4 – 25 – Creation of Man (focus Eden)
Genesis 3:1 – 24 – Sin enters the world, so does the hope of an offspring 3:15

Notice that the first chapters are not necessarily even chronological (see 2:5 versus 1:11). This shows us the Moses has a purpose other than a chronological step by step walk through the ins-and-outs of creation science. Moses is using these chapters to set-up his whole book.
In these first chapters we see the preparation of the Land (Eden) that God is making for his people and the idea that obedience will keep them in this land and disobedience will exile them out from the land. The theme of obedience is seen in the rest of the Old Testament (think about the Promised Land) and the theme of exile is also picked up in the rest of the Old Testament and even in Matthew chapter 1. The disobedience of the Israelites will lead to their exile from the land. At the end of the genealogy in Matthew you see that the Israelites are waiting for their Savior from the exile (strangely they are not “historically” in exile at this time – more on this later). Think about the Christmas song – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Isarel, that mourns in lowly exile here, until the Son of God appears. Rejoice Rejoice Emanuel!
These are just a few thoughts. More to come. More to read.

Creation-Restoration Speculation Generalization

The early portions of Genesis have been the victim of some pretty erroneous speculations. From Adam and Eve's belly buttons to fallen angels having sex with humans, there is so much here of which we are left to wonder. However, we can have legitimate questions...

 Compare the texts of Gen. 2:8-14 and Rev. 22:1-5...

 Is what we find in Revelation a mere restoration of Eden? Or is it something more? Does the whole metanarrative of Scripture take us back to the way things were? Or does it take us further?

Could the idea be that the creation narrative is the world in infant stage, sabotaged by the Fall, then through the Redeemer it is regenerated into the glorious maturity of Revelation 22.

(I should reference that I heard bits of the infant stage idea from Carl Sanders at ETS in the paper that he presented, although I don't have a copy of the paper).

Genesis 3:20

In reading Genesis 3 I noticed something that I thought seemed out of place.  I will mention it, if you have any thoughts I guess the best thing to do is to include them as a comment to this post.

Chapter 3 is clearly the chapter of bad news.  Certainly verse 15 is an exception because it promises a seed that will crush the serpent's head.  Part of what makes that verse stand out so much is that it falls in a chapter filled with bad news.  However, today I realized that there is some other good news in this chapter that I have not payed quite as much attention too, and its placement in the chapter, at least in my estimation, makes it a very intriguing bit of good news.

Verse 20 depicts Adam as having a very positive outlook on his future.  I say this because he names Eve the mother of all living here.  It seems interesting that he would do this in the middle of a chapter all about death and suffering.  He doesn't even wait for the naming until the end of the chapter when the death and suffering has been finished.  Instead the positive naming of Eve is immediately followed with their expulsion from the garden.

So seeing this odd placement of optimism, I now feel compelled to try and understand why Moses included it here, and what significance it might have for his story.  I will try and list a couple of possibilities, however as I am only just now considering this I am sure that there may be more possibilities than I will list.

1.  It is just an odd writing style.  Eve had to get a name and Moses thought this was a fine place to do it.  This is certainly possible as I an not an ancient Hebrew writer and I don't know their style that well.  At the same time, I really believe that this seems too out of place for it to be an example of an odd writing style.  Instead I think it may have been purposeful.

2.  It serves a literary function.  This is the idea that I think is more probable.  However it is not enough to say that it serves a literary function, I now have to try and determine what that literary function might be.  I do have an idea, however I am not sure if this idea has a name.  I believe that it is possible that this good news is inserted in between the bad news to allow the author to follow a pattern of shifting focus from life to death and vice versa.

It is clear that the first two chapters of Genesis are about life.  However, Genesis 2:17 introduces death as a consequence for eating from the fruit of the tree.  But, in the following verse He continues with the theme of life in that he creates woman, a new life.  Chapter 3 picks up by the serpent discussing whether or not Adam and Eve will live or die if they eat the fruit.  He says they will live, while God says they will die.

When the curses begin it is clear that death ensues.  The serpent is cursed (death) but life is promised (the seed in vs. 15).  Even things that bring life are marred by death such as childbirth, in which the labor pains are increased, marriage, in which the husband dominates the wife, and farming, in which the life bearing ground also produces thorns and requires painful labor.  The theme has returned to death immediately before vs. 20 when Adam is told that he will die (return to dust vs. 19).  And then vs. 20 returns the theme to life by naming Eve the mother of all living.  

Though vs. 20-21 have hope for life, vs.22-24 bring the reader back to a mindset of death by focusing on the expulsion from Eden and removing Adam and Eve from access to the tree of life.

Chapter 4 continues the process with childbirth, and obvious focus on life, moves to murder, a focus on death, and the building of a city of refuge, which brings the reader back to a focus on life.

_________

Clearly I think that the second is a better option, evidenced by the fact I spent more time writing about it.  As I said earlier, perhaps there is a yet better option that I haven't considered, but at this point I am thinking about how this story seems to intentionally teeter-totter between life and death, and I have to ask the question "what is the significance of this?"

I think one thing I can think about is the significance of sin.  It is a matter of life and death.  To obey God promises life, but disobedience promises death.  Additionally, the focus on life and death points to the significance of the story in general.  Certainly we haven't finished the story, but already we see that it is focused not simply on happy vs. sad, but on life vs. death.  The story is setting the stakes high.  I think ultimately Moses wants the reader to see that death has entered the story and it is mingled with everything.  However, the characters still have hope.  They still are looking for life.  And so far, the only signs of life are coming from God and from this woman.

Purpose of blog

Good evening everyone!

I have had several questions about how this blog will work so I will post what I would like to see happen with this blog. 

1) Read the Bible - To see us all reading and thinking through the Word of God is the primary purpose of this blog.

2) Write what you think from your reading - After reading, write whatever you think would be helpful or fun to have others read here. This could be devotional thoughts or technical thoughts. For example - Andy may share any Hebrew knowledge he has on a text (if you don't know Andy he is a Hebrew genius.) or I may write a devotional thought. The main idea is to help each other see what the main idea of our reading is.

3) Tell anyone you want to about this site - if you think this would be helpful for anyone, tell them about it. We would like to see anyone who desires to learn more about the Bible do just that. 

I hope this helps. 

P.S. - If you do not have a copy of Dr. John Sailhamers NIV pocket commentary ($10 at Amazon.com) that would be very helpful. It is a small and clear commentary through the whole Bible that is smaller than a normal size Bible.

TG

Genesis 3

Hey guys,
No one has posted yet, so I guess I'll be the first one to comment on the readings thus far. One of the passages that I continue to always slow down to read is Genesis 3. The last few days I had the chance to reflect once again on this chapter, and it has once again humbled me. Though God has certainly brought me a long way from where I started over eight years ago, I continue to see in myself the same struggle and rebellion that began with our first parents so many centuries ago. Their desire for wisdom and knowledge, apart from God's design and purposes, continues to rise up in my heart almost daily. Like them, I often imagine what godliness might be, and aim for that, instead of believing God and His way of godliness, leaving me less like God and without him, rather than growing in his image and with him.
As far canonical issues in this chapter, I don't think any of us need to be reminded of the immense weight these first few chapters in Genesis carry for a proper biblical theology. One only needs to look at how later texts reflect back on them (e.g., Rom. 6, Eph. 2, and Ja. 1) to see their importance for a proper understanding of the nature of sin and of the depravity of man. But, more than that, Genesis 3 is primarily about wisdom. One of the treasures I've taken away from paying close attention to the Hebrew of Genesis is the wordplay on "naked" throughout Genesis 3 that just isn't translated into English. Since that is the case, I thought I might make a brief note on it here. I deal with it far more in my Sunday school class, which is posted at www.andywittonline.com/genesis.
Unlike English, Hebrew had several nuanced words for "naked." One of them is used in Genesis 2:25, and refers to simply being naked, with no connotations attached. The other word used for naked is in Genesis 3:7, 10, and 11, which carries with it a connotation of guilt. For example, in Deut. 28:48 the same word is used of nakedness in the midst of a whole chapter commenting on on God's future judgment of Israel for their disobedience (note, the punishment of Israel in Dt. 28 is eerily similiar to the punishment of Adam and Eve). Thus, in Genesis 3, we have a word play on what it means to be "naked": before gaining the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve were "naked and unashamed", but afterwards were naked and afraid of Yhwh. In the midst of this wordplay is another between "naked" (2.25) and "crafty" (3.1). The man and woman were naked in regards to wisdom (c.f. Prov. 1:4; the Hebrew word for "naked" is the same word used for "simple"), while the serpent was crafty, or smart. In the end, when we desire to grow in wisdom outside of God's design we end up cursed and without God, but when we listen to him, believe him, and obey his commands, then we find ourselves with God, and growing up into the image of his Son.

...and these are but the fringes...

I hope you all are enjoying these chapters as I am. Blessings, Andy

Bible Reading Plan

Here is the link to the plan I will be using for this year.

www.treasuringchristchurch.com/uploads/files/biblereadingplan_2009.pdf

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

2008 has been a roller coaster year for many. In 2008 I graduated from seminary, gotten engaged, helped plan a wedding, married Kara and seen an economic recession that many say is the worst since the Great Depression. You know, all pretty normal stuff.

As I was considering what I want to be true of my life in 2009 I came to the conclusion that I want to read the whole Bible in 2009 with my friends. I want you to read with me and then make comments on this blog so that we would be greatly benefited by our studies of Scripture. The focus of this blog will be what Jesus says is the focus of the Scriptures - himself (John 5:39-40). I will be posting on how the Scriptures fit together in this purpose - to reveal the Messiah to us. 

I want you to be part of this. It will help me greatly. If you don't post or make comments I hope that you are benefited by my posts and continue to read through the Bible this 2009. The goal of this blog is to help you see Jesus in the Bible and when we see him that we will be like the disciples that were on the road to Emmaus. I hope that we will say like them - "Did not our hearts burn with within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32)

Grace and peace to you in 2009

TG