Abraham and the king

Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to get more familiar with parts of the Old Testament. Notably, the Wisdom literature, the Patriarchs, and the pre-king history of Israel. These sections form the bedrock for so much of the Old and New Testament, but honestly I tended to skim over a lot of it. There was much that was difficult and confusing and honestly not very edifying. But I have come to really enjoy a lot more of it, and recommend it to others as edifying.

But a lot of discussions on the material, whether in sermons or commentaries, tend to overemphasize certain interpretive tools. These tools are often very helpful, but when overused can be barriers and stumbling blocks to a deeper understanding of the Lord and scripture. The two most notable ones I'll call "personal faith journeys" and "references to Jesus".

For example, in Genesis 20, Abraham lies about Sarah being his wife, and the Lord appears in a dream to warn king Abimelech. If this is supposed to be a story about Abraham's personal faith, it's very confusing, because he's not rebuked, Abimelech is. Abraham is, in a certain respect, rewarded for his deception. And if we're supposed to learn something important about Jesus here, it's even more of a stretch. Both of these lead to some painful contortions of the scriptural passages.

So is there another way to understand this? Well, in the wider context, the Lord works through his people, to extend His dominion to the surrounding peoples and nations. And so in this story, even unintentionally, Abraham brings king Abimelech face-to-face with the Lord in a dream. Judgement is announced, Abimelech repents, the Lord relents. It has parallels with the story of Jonah and the Ninevites, and with Jesus and the Caananite woman. And thus the knowledge and fear of the Lord is extended into another territory. So there's nothing wrong with interpretive tools, but now we can add a new one, "the Lord working through his people to bring salvation to the surrounding nations". This brings a new perspective, like a new color suddenly turned on, lighting previously dark passages. And this isn't the only tool to add, obviously, but we discover them by getting familiar with the Old Testament, by really filling ourselves up with it, and being patient with what we might find.

Diary: Ecclesiastes and Original Sin

Had an edifying study of Ecclesiastes, and edifying discussion of it, in a recent Bible study that I wanted to share:

I've been reading a lot of Ecclesiastes and other wisdom literature. When I met up with my friend (Eric), I led off arguing that Ecclesiastes, and to a lesser extent the rest of the wisdom literature, presents an interesting interpretation and context for the original sin in the garden. That is, that Ecclesiastes seems to argue that the striving after "knowing good and evil", with an emphasis on the word striving, is part of the sinfulness of eating the fruit of that tree, not merely the pride of "being like God". Thus Ecclesiastes goes through great pains to outline all the ways in which this "striving" is at the root of all manner of sins, ranging from obvious things like "striving after pleasure/wealth", to even "striving after wisdom and righteousness". Personal pleasure and wealth is futile, but even for good things, if our priority is working towards "being known as a righteous/wise person at the end of my life", it is still futile. Instead, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes focuses on enjoying the fruits of our labors today, and the immediacy of following God's commandments. 

Thus, I think we can extrapolate out that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" is actually an upending of the kinds of wisdom and righteousness that, for example, the Pharisees embody in the New Testament. What led them astray? I think there's a good argument that the importance they placed on "being the wise/righteous leaders of the nation" led them into the legalism and hypocrisy that was so strongly condemned. Thus why so many of Jesus' words (and those in the Epistles) echo so strongly with the words of Ecclesiastes. 

And then I even went beyond that, arguing that perhaps the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would ALWAYS be kept from us, that we would always need to be dependent on the Lord as the owner of all wisdom. But Eric corrected me, and pointed out that the initial request of Solomon for wisdom, in 1 Kings, was different only in the intent (for the good of the nation), not essentially different. Only afterwards, as expounded in Ecclesiastes, does this desire for wisdom "collapse" into the sin that also captured Adam and Eve. Also, he pointed out that the movement from "childhood to adulthood", from "immaturity to maturity", from less revelation to more revelation, is certainly an analogy that is used over and over. So we can have hope that one day we WILL be mature enough to partake of that fruit, without it bringing a curse upon us. 

And even that is indeed implied in Ecclesiastes, when it says that our striving is in vain, and yet God has "placed eternity in our hearts"; that is, we have a God-given desire to know the end from the beginning. The desire itself is not sinful, but we must place our hope in the fulfillment of all things, and not try to fulfill that desire too early, that "to every time there is a season", but not for us to set that time.

Anyway, hope that's edifying! May we be in "dialogue" with one another, on the wonders and deep truths of scripture.

Prayer of adoration, rooted in Psalm 65

To the congregation:

We owe praise to you, O God, in this place of worship,

and we will fulfil this debt of praise.

All will come before you,

O you who hear prayer.

When sin prevails against us,

you atone for our waywardness.

Blessed are those you choose to bring near,

to inhabit your holy church.

We will be filled with the goodness of your house,

and the holiness of Christ among us!

You answer our prayers with awesome acts of righteousness,

O God of our salvation,

the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.

By your strength, and clothed with power, you established the mountains.

You still the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of the waves,

and the confused clamor of all the peoples.

Those at the farthest ends of the earth are in awe at your signs!

Stirred, not shaken: Christians and current events

Politically and socially, these are crazy days. Chaos on both sides of the political spectrum, with popularism and emotion running the show. Somehow it all seems to play into the hands of a new radical secularism, where individual "freedoms" are placed before any kind of moral restraint. So suddenly wave after wave of basic social norms are upended. Gay marriage. Transgender high school bathrooms. The expansion of abortion.

It sure looks like Christians are getting the worst end of the stick, as their influence wanes in the Republican party, as they get chased out of scientific fields, as liberal branches of denominations hold sway, and as their lack of cohesion allow them to get isolated and marginalized. Looking at the matter can be a frustrating, demoralizing, and discouraging process. What's a Christian to do?

I'll tell you what a Christian is to do:

Keep
being
Christian.

We are not some persecuted backwater religious sect. We are not some historical relic. We are children of the Almighty God, involved in his work as we expand his Kingdom through our church communities. Our churches are not merely the places where we meet on Sunday to hear a sermon; they are holy edifices, incubating disciples to love God, love one another, and bringing new people to the knowledge of salvation. We have as our ultimate leader Christ Jesus himself, given all power and honor and glory and majesty by his Father.

We are the apple of our Father's eye. Everything that transpires is not only known by Him, but much more it's for our good, for our maturity, for our glory. God will by no means pardon those who abuse or dishonor his children, but as he has said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." That's not a threat against the ungodly -- what need has He for threats? -- but it's for our comfort. We can release all these things to God, knowing that we have neither the ability nor the responsibility to right all wrongs.

To the contrary, we know that in the past some of the angriest voices were once our very own, when we were still steeped in our rebellion against God, and so today some of those angry voices will one day sing His praises.

So we fight not against flesh and blood, not against rude or abusive individuals, but we do certainly fight against strongholds of unbelief. We speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and we stand for truths revealed in the infallible scriptures of our Lord. Speaking about current events, we should certainly be known as being against the great national abomination of abortion. We should be known as standing against physician-assisted suicide. We should be known as believing that marriage only exists between a man (born as a man) and a woman (born as a woman).

We don't rage over these sins -- we weep over them. Do you, Christian, truly believe that these sins are to the detriment of those who engage in them? And does your chest tighten as you think of the damage people are doing to themselves? We know that our sins are great, but we also know that God has graciously allowed his Holy Spirit to reside in us; revealing sin, restraining sin, and giving peace and hope that we would otherwise be strangers to. Think of those who don't know Him! Think of those whose emptiness drive them to run from one empty well to another, desperately trying to find a place to quench their thirst. Most of us can clearly remember a time when we were likewise without help, without hope, without Him. That should spur us to involve ourselves in the lives of others, both Christians and not, to speak the truths about our great sin and Christ's great sacrifice.

So as we look around at these turbulent days, we should remember that we have a uniquely eternal, constant, never-failing, and eternally-faithful Lord Jesus Christ. Our greatest strength is His strength. Our greatest hope is our hope in Him. Our greatest treasures are stored up by Him in heaven. Our greatest work He has set before us today!

A retelling of a story from Chronicles

So there was a king of a great nation. He sinned through a prideful trust in his country rather than in God. But he acknowledged his sin and repented, coming before the Lord and saying, "Take away the iniquity of your servant."

But it was still a very serious sin. The Lord said, "I give you three choices: 3 years of famine, 3 months of the sword by the hand of your enemies, or 3 days of the sword by the hand of the angel of the Lord."

And the king said, "Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man."

But it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

And so the angel of the Lord swept through the land, killing tens of thousands. He came to the very capital itself, the city of the king, with his sword in hand to destroy it. But the Lord relented, and said, "It is enough; now restrain your hand."

The king lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with a sword in his hand stretched over the city. Terrified, the king and his nobles put on sackcloth and fell on their faces.

The king again came before the Lord, this time saying, "I am the one who sinned! These sheep, what have they done? Let your hand be against me and my father's house, but not against your people." And the angel of the Lord commanded the king to build an altar in that place.

The king sought to buy the land to build an altar. The man who owned the land said, "Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, all that I have is yours -- I give it all."

But the king said, "No, I will not take what it yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing." And so the king bought the land and built an altar and brought offerings. And fire from heaven came down and consumed the offerings. And at last the angel of the Lord sheathed his sword.

But the king never went to this altar, to inquire of the Lord, so great was his fear of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

Contemplations in the tomb

I find myself back in Jerusalem, just in time to see him carried off by the Arimathean, wrapped in linen. After the tumult of the crowd, the tumult of the sky, and the tumult of the earth, it is quiet. I follow the sheeted figure into the tomb. They wrap the body, close the entrance, and now I have time to reflect. He lies there, patiently waiting to finish his work on earth and be lifted up to heaven.

But wait, he said, "it is finished" while lifted high on the cross. How can that be? I certainly know more is to come on Sunday morning. How can he say "it is finished" before the resurrection? Then again, it would seem that the words were not spoken to men, but to God -- did not he do what God sent him to do? Perhaps, then, the resurrection will be a sign to men, to show what has already been "finished".

In the hearts of men, it's almost finished. Just some odds and ends. The women prepare oils to anoint Jesus. Pilate is sending guards to the tomb. The story of Jesus was interesting, but it's over now, right?

And what would the Jews say about this Sabbath? Just like any other Sabbath, it's a day of resting from labors. Instituted in creation itself, the Sabbath reminds them of their rest in the Garden before Adam fell. It reminds them of the curse over work, from which they need relief. This particular Sabbath interrupts their labors, and they must wait to finish their tasks, and wait to resume their "regular" lives.

In the same way, the women will come to finish burying Jesus' body, to deal with the curse of death. The Eleven will go out to resume their previous lives, to be under curse of work. Everyone will be under the curses that come from the Law. But this Sabbath will never end, will it? When the sun rises on Sunday morning, they will find that with regards to the curse, it has been finished indeed.

And as I sit here, in the dimly lit tomb, it occurs to me that God has been working this work for a long, long time. And I see him here now, resting on the seventh day.

A personal reading and interpretation of Psalm 86

Condescend to hear me, Lord,
     for I lack so many things.
Preserve my life,
     for I am set apart for you -- you are my God.
Save your servant who trusts in you!
Show mercy to me, Lord,
     for I cry aloud to you all day long.
Make glad the soul of your servant,
     for I lift up my soul to you.

For you, Lord, are good.
For you, Lord, are ready to forgive.
For you, Lord, are rich in mercy to all who call upon you.

Give ear, Lord, to my prayer,
     and listen to my petitions.
     In the day of my distress I will call to you,
for you will answer me.

Among the great powers there is none like you, Lord, nor are any works like yours.
All nations -- whom you have made! -- shall come and worship in your presence, Lord,
And shall call your name glorious!
For you are powerful, and do incredible things -- you alone are God!

Show me your path, Lord -- I will walk in your truth.
Make my heart unified, to fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with my entire heart,
     and I will glorify your name forever!
For you have been merciful to me,
     and you have brought out my soul from deep subterranean darkness.

O God, prideful thoughts have risen within me,
     and a host of destructive sins have sought to destroy me -- they do not consider you!
But you, Lord, are a God full of compassion, and full of grace,
     long-suffering and overflowing in mercy and truth.

Turn to me and have mercy on me!
Give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.
Show me a sign of your goodwill towards me, so that I would be ashamed of my rebellious thoughts,
     because you, Lord, have have helped me and comforted me!