Name Overload!
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Pastor Tom
If you’re tracking with us on Reading and Responding to God in 2012, you entered the wonderful world of 1st Chronicles this week. The first chapters of 1st Chronicles can have an interesting effect on people. Last night I heard a loud “DAD!” from my daughter’s bedroom. “Yes,” I answered. “Why do I have to read all these names?”
Good question. 1st Chronicles 1–9 is a list of names. Unless you’re a genealogy nut, it can seem pretty irrelevant. However, the Chronicler was not into wasting ink. He wrote for the Jewish exiles who returned to their devastated homeland. They began the rebuilding of their nation. It would be pretty easy to look around without much hope. They may even have wondered if God forgot about them.
But then the Chronicler reminds them of their history. The names remind them of great and sorrowful moments in their past. It would be like a Canadian Chronicler providing a list that went something like Cartier, MacDonald, Vimy, Juno, Trudeau, Mulroney, Manning, Layton, Harper. Each name brings something up in our collective memory.
The Chronicler was preparing them to revisit their history so they could learn from it and walk in light of it. He drops little reminders and snapshots through the genealogy to remind them of God’s actions throughout their history.
So as you slug through this and the names mean little or nothing, watch for his clues and hidden treasures. Then think about how God has walked with you in your life through the good times and the bad.
2 Samuel - the rise of David and his mid-life crisis
Posted on April 17, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Our readings for the next couple of weeks intersperse 2 Samuel with the Psalms. If I could summarize 2 Samuel, I might call it the rise and decline of David. We see the Lord establish David’s kingship first over Judah and then over all Israel. But when everything is settled and the kingdom is established, David loses focus. It’s like he goes through a mid-life crisis of now what? Instead of going out with the army and continuing to lead, he stays home. Then he commits adultery, deceit and murder.
It’s a reminder to us to guard against that complacency that can come when we achieve something or arrive at some goal. David suffers the consequences of this sin for the remainder of his years. The child conceived in the adultery dies. There is constant strife between his children.
But that is not the end of the story. The Lord forgives. David writes the classic Psalm of confession in Psalm 51. David is remembered as a man after God’s own heart. His story points to God’s ability to use frail and weak people to accomplish His purposes.
O Lord, let my heart not grow complacent. Give me strength to continue to fight the fight until you tell me I have finished the race.
Judges - Really Disturbing Stuff
Posted on March 30, 2012 by Pastor Tom
The Bible book of Judges is pretty disturbing. There’s no sugarcoating it. God’s people come out looking pretty bad by the end of it. On the one hand, this strengthens the authenticity of the Bible for me. If we really wanted to present a snow white version of the Bible, we would delete most of Judges. These are real people struggling with greed, lust, power grabbing and revenge.
But it still leads to several questions. How come God works through a wishy washy character like Gideon? Did Jepthah really sacrifice his daughter as a burnt offering? Why would God use someone like Samson who seemingly had no control over his desires? What’s going on in chapters 21–25 with some pretty depraved behavior?
Well, a couple of things that I hope will help you’re read.
1) God works through imperfect people. Only Caleb, in the opening chapters comes out looking good. The rest have some major character flaw . . . just like we do. Yet God still uses them.
2) The narrator presents Israel’s slide into paganism. He shows how they go from a people faithful to God in the first chapters to a people just like the Canaanites by the end of the book. Little compromises along the way led to much bigger problems later. There’s a warning in here for us all to not let the little things slide or else we might end up in a mess.
3) God delivers when people don’t deserve it. About half way through the book, it’s getting a little tiring to read that “the people of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.” Yet God keeps delivering and showing grace. Kind of sounds like the same God we walk with today.
So Judges is not for the faint of heart. If you’re looking for green meadows and still waters, you won’t find any of that in Judges. But you will find a God who perseveres with an unfaithful people and continues to rescue them. It’s an amazing message when you see how low people can go. Enjoy!
Deuteronomy - Not just law!
Posted on March 14, 2012 by Pastor Tom
When someone says to you “Deuteronomy,” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Some twisted form of astronomy? Some book in the Bible. The fifth book of the Bible? Law?
The word that serves as the English title to this book “Deuteronomy” actually means “2nd Law.” We think that it comes from Deuteronomy 17:18 which reads “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a COPY OF THIS LAW.”
So yes, Deuteronomy does contain law. But it’s not just law. It all comes within the context of a story. In fact, Dan Block, one professor I studied under stated the book could be entitled “The Gospel According to Moses.” Moses summarizes the grace of God to Israel in the first chapters. Then he summarizes the appropriate response of God’s people to the grace shown them. It’s a lot like Romans in that sense. Romans 1–8 is God’s grace to His people. Then after the Jews/Gentiles interlude in Romans 9–11, chapters 12–16 contains the appropriate response of God’s people to the grace shown.
You’ll have noticed that Moses repeats the 10 commandments in Deuteronomy 5. Some scholars point out that the following chapters, especially 12–26, kind of line up with each of the commandments. It’s like Moses explains what living out a particular commandment looks like in their world.
Another point to remember through Deuteronomy. When we think of commandments or laws, we can begin thinking of “bylaws” man-made rules imposed by some higher authority that in some way infringes on our freedom. But Dan Block invites us to think of the commandments and laws more as “principles to live by.” Now this does not mean it lessens the authority of the commandments. Yet we are more likely to have a right attitude and heart when we adopt a principle to live by rather than a commandment. A principle to live by implies its good for us and something that will bring benefit. All of God’s commandments are designed to do this. But Block points out that they were given more in this spirit of invitation to live by life-giving principles.
It may seem like a small thing, but I think he’s on to something. We are much more likely to resist “law.” Our sinful nature doesn’t like anyone telling us what to do, even when it’s God. Even though it is law or commanded by God and commandments require obedience, Block points out how skillfully Moses wove the heart of God into these words. God loved these people and wanted the best for them. So he showed them clearly what a community looked like that responded to His immeasurable grace.
I pray we will continue to discover that in our community as we soak in the life-giving principles found in Deuteronomy.
Back to the future in Numbers
Posted on February 28, 2012 by Pastor Tom
The Biblical book of Numbers moves rapidly through Israel’s history. But it doesn’t seem like it at first. There is all this talk about amount of people in this tribe and that tribe. Thus, the name of the book “Numbers.” But there is a lot more than numbers in numbers. Once you get to chapter 10 things start moving and then get a little confusing time wise. So here’s a quick guide to the time frame surrounding Numbers.
Numbers 10:11 – says “in the second year, in the second month.” The second year of what? Leaving Egypt. So the Israelites have been released from slavery and been at Mount Sinai for just over a year. Now it’s time to leave and go to the Promised Land.
Numbers 11–12 – The people complain along the way and Moses just about loses it completely (11:15)
Numbers 13–14 – The 12 spies scout out the Promised Land. They conclude it’s a good land. However 10 of them conclude they can’t take the land because of the strength of the inhabitants. Only 2, Joshua and Caleb have faith in the Lord. So the Lord sentences the entire community to wander in the wilderness for the next 38 years! The faithless generation will die out and their children will inherit the promised Land.
Numbers 15–20:14 – Events during the wilderness wanderings and some more laws.
FAST FORWARD 38 years.
Numbers 20:15 – Now the Israelites begin their final journey to the Promised Land. They end up having to approach it from the East side rather than the south.
So Numbers 20–36 could be considered the final approach to the Promised Land occurring over a period of a few months or a year. We end the book with the boundaries of the Promised Land declared. The people are just across the Jordan River and can see it in a distance.
But before they cross, Moses will have his final instruction to them in Deuteronomy for he will not cross over the land with them. Then comes Joshua and the conquest of the Land.
Hope that helps.
Surviving Leviticus
Posted on February 21, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Okay, I admit it. Leviticus, at first glance, can be a tough read. It starts with regulations concerning offerings, continues with forbidden foods and then has all this stuff about leprosy. What does this have to do with our lives today?
Well, it might seem like little at first. Yet hidden within the pages of Leviticus are all kinds of pearls and insights that reveal God’s character and inform later parts of Scripture. So here’s some pearls that might enhance your read through Leviticus.
1) The first seven chapters contain regulations for different kinds of offerings. Why would God tell them this? Because He wanted to show them how to relate to Him without killing themselves! Remember God is a holy God and cannot be in the presence of sin. So these regulations would teach them and enable them to approach Him with a right attitude. In a way, these regulations are an act of love – the Holy God lays out very specific instructions to protect His people on how to approach Him. Don’t we always want the will of God laid out to us in clear steps? Here’s an example where God actually does that.
2) Chapters 8–9 set apart Aaron and his sons for service. It could be considered the first ordination service. Chapter 10 reveals how seriously God viewed the commitment of the priests to their office.
3) Remember all of this comes within the bigger picture of the Old Testament. God is preparing a people for Himself. So don’t read this as some obscure legal code. Read it as God helping His people relate to Him.
4) Chapter 11 contains the forbidden foods chapter. But in verse 44 you find the theme verse of Leviticus – Be holy because I am holy. To be holy means to be set apart unto God. Many have speculated about why some animals were forbidden and others accepted. I think the best explanation is that God wanted to teach the people about holiness with their diet. So he prohibited animals that blurred distinct lines. If an animal parted the hoof and chewed the cud, it could be eaten. If animals did one but not the other, they couldn’t be eaten. Only those that were separated – those that were distinct from those that blurred these lines of separation – could be eaten. It’s another example of God wanting their faith to be lived out at home.
5) Chapter 18 contains God’s view on holy sexual relations. It is from this passage that we discover the heart of God on all these things.
6) Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18 when asked about the greatest commandment. This verse contains the “second.” You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
7) The Jewish feasts are described in 23–25. How does Jesus fulfill each of these?
8) 26 contains the reality of consequences for behavior. Good consequences or bad ones.
Leviticus must be read as part of the great story of God setting apart a people for Himself. As you go through it, ask God to reveal Himself to you. You might be surprised where you’ll discover Him.
Bonhoeffer on "Reading the Bible"
Posted on February 18, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Here’s what Dietrich Bonhoeffor wrote to his brother-in-law in 1936 about reading the Bible.
“First of all, I confess quite simply – I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we need only to ask repeatedly and a little humbly, in order to receive this answer. One cannot simply ‘read’ the Bible, like other books. One must be prepared really to enquire of it. Only thus will it reveal itself. Only if we expect from it the ultimate answer, shall we receive it. That is because in the Bible, God speaks to us. And one cannot simply think about God in one’s own strength, on has to enquire of him. Only if we seek him, will he answer us.
Of course it is possible to read the Bible like any other books, that is to say from the point of view of textual criticism etc. Only that that is not the method which will reveal to us the heart of the Bible, but only the surface, just as we do not grasp the words of someone we love by taking them to bits, but by simply receiving them, so that for days they go on lingering in our minds, simply because they are words from a person we love; and just as these words reveal more and more of the person who said them as we go on, like Mary ‘pondering them in her heart’ so it will be with the words of the Bible. Only if we will venture to enter into the words of the Bible, as though in them this God were speaking to us who loves and does not will to leave us along with our questions, only so shall we learn to rejoice in the Bible.”
The answer to the Exodus "redundancy."
Posted on February 17, 2012 by Pastor Tom
So why does God include Exodus 35–40 in the Bible after we’ve just gone through all this stuff in Exodus 25–30? The first chapters contained God’s commands. In the second section (chapters 35–40), the people carry out God’s commands completely. They follow His instructions and construct the tabernacle, it’s furnishings and the priest’s garments. God responds at the end of Exodus 40 by displaying His presence in the new tabernacle.
The first section – Exodus 25–31, is followed by the great apostasy – the people worship the golden calf. But God does a great work of discipline and forgiveness. So in Exodus 36–40, a redeemed people carries out His commands.
I think we can learn from this that God expects His commands to be obeyed by His people. We are not to ignore them or revise them. When His people obeyed His commands, they could clearly see His presence among them. So if you made it through all of Exodus, congratulations! But what do we do with Leviticus?
More on that tomorrow.
Why do we have to go through this again? Ending Exodus
Posted on February 16, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Doesn’t Exodus 35–40 seem a little redundant? Didn’t we just go through all this in Exodus 25–30? So here’s a couple of questions.
What is the key difference between Exodus 25–30 and Exodus 35–40?
What does it say about God that He would inspire Exodus 35–40 to be included in Scripture?
Answer coming tomorrow.
God's presence - Amazing Exodus 33-34
Posted on February 15, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Have you ever faced some difficulty and concluded “I don’t think I can do this on my own.” Then you realize you have to do it or go through it which can lead to greater fear, anxiety, turning back or despair. If you’ve ever felt like this or experienced this, you’re not alone.
Moses seemed to struggle with this too. In Exodus 33:12–23, he seeks the Lord’s presence. He desires assurance of the Lord to lead the people. The Lord promises His presence and reveals Himself to Moses in the “cleft of the rock” passage.
God is constantly present with us. Jesus said, “wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” “Surely, I am with you ALWAYS.” Life sometimes blinds us to that truth. But God demonstrated His desire to be present with us in sending Jesus to this Earth. And Jesus continues to live in us right now. (Galatians 2:20). So whatever you face that’s daunting, remember God is with you.
Guidelines for reading Job
Posted on January 25, 2012 by Pastor Tom
For this week and next, our Bible reading is directed to the book of Job (pronounced like Joe with a b on the end). The basic story goes like this. Job is a faithful follower of God and has experienced abundant blessing. God points out Job’s faithfulness to Satan. Satan responds that the only reason Job only worships God because of blessings. God allows Satan to afflict Job’s possessions, family and health. Then 3 friends come to “comfort” Job in his misery. The majority of the book focuses on these dialogues along with Job’s complaints to God. In the end, God restores Job with more than he has before.
It is important to keep the following in mind regarding Job.
1) Job’s friends spend most of their time trying to convince Job that he suffers because of his own sin. We know this isn’t true because of the opening chapters. But neither Job nor his friends know about this. The friends shared the prevailing view of the day – If you’re good – God blesses you. If you’re bad – God makes you suffer. The book of Job shatters that simplistic explanation for all suffering.
2) Job resists the invitation to confess something that he didn’t do. He also moves from initial shock and acceptance of what happened to a deep questioning of God. So we must not conclude that Job accepted what happened and just moved on with life. He struggled and the dialogues reveal that struggle.
3) When you get to the end of the book, notice that God does not explain everything that happened. In fact in chapters 38–41, God lists over 60 items that He’s involved in that remain a mystery to man. Yet, we implicitly trust God with these mysteries. The message seems to be “there are many things that are beyond us as humans. We must entrust these to God yet continue to walk with Him through that which confuses us.”
The Bible reading plan places Job here because it looks like Job lived during during the early days of civilization.
I pray God blesses you, speaks to you and comforts you through your investment in the book of Job.
Genesis - a strong case for the authenticity of the Scriptures
Posted on January 17, 2012 by Pastor Tom
As I read through the middle chapters of Genesis, I am struck again with how human these people were. By human, I’m thinking of the “to err is human” part. Abraham lied twice. Isaac and Rebekkah favored one child over another. Jacob was a master of deceit. His uncle Laban matched him scheme for scheme. Rachel took her father’s idols. Jacob’s sons misbehaved and engaged in much misconduct.
We might read these sections with shock over how the “people of God” acted. Yet, the text has a totally different focus. It points out how God was establishing a people through whom the deliverer (Jesus) would ultimately come. If it depended on these people alone to get this family going, there would be little hope. Yet God intervenes again and again despite their sins to keep advancing His plan. So remember, the text is ultimately about God and His work in spite of the failings of the people He works with.
But the other thing that really strikes me; their falleness presents real people. It testifies to the authenticity of these accounts. If Moses (the author of Genesis) wanted to “sell” faith in God, surely he could have doctored up the stories to make the people of God look better. Surely he would have left out the embarrassing episodes and hidden the grave errors. Yet he includes them because that’s what these people really did.
The Bible is not a collection of sanitized stories to get us to follow the example of some heroes. It’s the account of a Holy God who accomplishes His saving work among ordinary, fallen people who show their desperate need of Him in their lives . . . and that includes me.
Genesis 15 - How were people in the Old Testament saved?
Posted on January 11, 2012 by Pastor Tom
How were people in the Old Testament saved from God’s wrath? The penalty for their sin had not yet been paid. They did not know of Jesus Christ so they could put their trust in him. Yet in Genesis 15:6 we read “Abram believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” So Abram believed or had faith in the Lord. Then God regarded him as righteous because of this faith.
But how could God ultimately declare Abram righteous or not guilty before God? The penalty would not be paid for about 1800 years until the time of Christ. Romans 3:23–25 explains it: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and (all who believe) are justified by his grace, as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
A propitiation is a sacrifice that wipes away sin and satisfies God’s holy wrath. So God could look forward to the sacrifice that was coming and pass over the sins of Abram and other Old Testament believers until the cross. At the cross, the full payment for the guilt of sin would be made. God, in his mercy, passed over the sins of Old Testament believers until the price was paid. We serve a merciful God who already had salvation in mind in the earliest days of the world.
Who are the "sons of God" in Genesis 6?
Posted on January 4, 2012 by Pastor Tom
The first 8 verses of Genesis 6 certainly contain a strange story. The purpose is to describe the depths of wickedness that had infected the world. But who are the sons of God? Thee ESV Study Bible provides these possibilities:
Gen. 6:1–8 The Wickedness of Humanity. The very specific list of descendants in ch. 5 is immediately followed by this short passage that explains why God sent a flood to punish the whole of humanity. But this passage concludes by recognizing that, in contrast to everyone else, Noah (introduced in 5:28–32) finds favor in God’s eyes.
Gen. 6:1–8:22 A flood story, included in the Epic of Gilgamesh, has been found in the Mesopotamian literature. It has many similarities to the biblical account of the flood. A certain man named Utnapishtim built an ark, loaded it with animals, and survived a torrential rain. The relationship of the two accounts, if any, is uncertain, although the appearance of a flood story in Mesopotamia gives some support and confirmation to the historicity of the biblical event. That is, the existence of such stories elsewhere indicates that the Bible indeed preserves the memory of a momentous event, as does the Mesopotamian account. There are also key differences between the biblical and Mesopotamian stories, particularly in regard to what motivated God or the gods to bring the flood.
Gen. 6:1–2 man began to multiply. The motif of multiplying is first introduced by God in 1:28, where it is presented in a very positive light and viewed as necessary to fulfill God’s plans for the earth. The present passage, however, reveals that this God-mandated task leads to increasing wickedness on the earth as the population expands. This problem is exacerbated by the coming together of the sons of God and the daughters of man (6:2). The identity of both groups is uncertain, and various solutions have been advocated, although none has gained universal support. Various scholars have proposed that the “sons of God” are (1) fallen angels (cf. Job 1:6; some, however, suggest that this contradicts Mark 12:25, though the reference in Mark is to angels in heaven; see also 2 Pet. 2:4–5; Jude 5–6); or (2) tyrannical human judges or kings (in the ungodly line of Lamech, possibly demon-possessed); or (3) followers of God among the male descendants of Seth (i.e., the godly line of Seth, but who married the ungodly daughters of Cain). Though it would be difficult to determine which of these three views may be correct, it is clear that the kind of relationship described here involved some form of grievous sexual perversion, wherein the “sons of God” saw and with impunity took any women (“daughters of man”) that they wanted. The sequence here in Gen. 6:2 (“saw … attractive [good] … took”) parallels the sequence of the fall in 3:6 (“saw … good … took”). In both cases, something good in God’s creation is used in disobedience and sinful rebellion against God, with tragic consequences. Only Noah stands apart from this sin. (See note on 1 Pet. 3:19.)
Gen. 6:3 God announces that because of the immoral nature of people, their days shall be 120 years. There are two possible interpretations of this number of years: either the lives of human beings will no longer exceed 120 years, or the coming of the flood is anticipated in 120 years. While the latter interpretation is simpler, the former interpretation is appealing, and would be true as a generalization even though some of those who live after the flood (e.g., Abraham) enjoy lives in excess of 120 years.
Gen. 6:4 Nephilim. The meaning of this term is uncertain. It occurs elsewhere in the OT only in Num. 13:33, where it denotes a group living in Canaan. If both passages refer to the same people, then the Israelite spies (Num. 13:33) are expressing their fears of the Canaanites by likening them to the ancient men of renown. Although in Hebrew Nepilim means “fallen ones,” the earliest Greek translators rendered it gigantes, “giants.” This idea may have been mistakenly deduced from Num. 13:33; one must be cautious about reading it back into the present passage. The Nephilim were mighty men or warriors and, as such, may well have contributed to the violence that filled the earth (see Gen. 6:13).
Gen. 6:5 This verse concisely describes the universal intensity and pervasiveness of human wickedness.
Gen. 6:6–7 the Lord regretted … it grieved him to his heart. The Hebrew verb rendered “regretted” (Hb. nakham) is sometimes translated “repent,” and sometimes as “feel sorrow, be grieved.” God is grieved over his creation, which he at first saw as very good (1:31) but which is now filled with sin (see notes on 1 Sam. 15:11; 15:29; Jonah 3:10). The destruction of man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens suggests that this will be a reversal of God’s creative work. The resulting flood reflects this, for the dry land is submerged under water, subsequently to reappear, as in Gen. 1:9. from the face of the land. On the extent of the flood, see note on 6:17.
Gen. 6:8 Noah is distinguished from the rest of humanity. Apart from Noah, the only other person in the OT who is described as finding favor in the eyes of the Lord is Moses, in Ex. 33:17 (and possibly Abraham; cf. Gen. 18:3). Placed on a par with Moses, Noah is rescued from the looming annihilation.
Genesis 3-5
Posted on January 3, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Today’s reading reminds me of the importance of knowing God’s Word accurately. Eve quoted God’s command to Satan. But she didn’t know it well. God said “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Eve repeated God’s command this way: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
God’s command was abundance. “Eat of every tree in the garden.” Eve left out the word “every.” God said nothing about touching the tree. But Eve added another prohibition. By lessening the emphasis on God’s abundance and increasing the emphasis on God’s limitation, Eve was ripe for Satan’s temptation.
Knowing God’s Word completely and accurately can greatly aid us in times of temptation.