I recently wrote about speaking out against unethical government action while still having hope and peace in God's sovereignty. Here is an example how:
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
What Samaritans?
Many words in the Bible we look at and think they are a thing of the past. Words like Samaritans and idols and lepers are not our problem. They were things “in Jesus’ day”. I think that today most, if not all, of these words still apply. I have already explained my views on idols in the article “Hosea and our Idols”. I would like to focus on the Samaritans. On the surface, this is perhaps the easiest of these biblical words to apply in our lives. A different ethnic group hated by another ethnic group; we know all about that. Yet I would like to take it deeper. Let’s apply it not only to our different ethnicities, let’s apply this word to all groups we would identify as different than ourselves (when I say “ourselves” I mean the American church).
I want to talk about the group that perhaps we hate the most. A group that possibly brings out more hate and slander from the American Church than any other. We call them liberals; democrats. I’m talking about our picket lines, our t-shirts, our posters. Think of election time; about the only time we ever hear “evangelical” on the news. It seems this argument, Democrats versus Republicans, liberals versus conservatives, quickly gives us an excuse to throw out “love your neighbor”. Think how much we let our political views affect our social circle. There are left or right churches, not churches that accept both. If you’re one, you don’t associate with the other. It’s just how its done. But did Jesus do it like that?
Don’t think to yourself that Jesus didn’t have these social issues in His day. Are you kidding me? Politics in Israel in 33 A.D. were way worse than politics in America in the 21st century. Rome had divided the nation into two factions; those who hated the romans, the Zealots, and those who were submissive to Roman rule. The pharisees tried to get Jesus entangled in this debate in Matt 22:15-22. Without going into detail, it is sufficient to say that Jesus shuts the pharisees down. Among Jesus’ twelve disciples both groups were represented. Simon was a Zealot, he hated the Romans; Matthew was a tax collector, a man who worked with and profited from the Romans. Yet in Jesus these enemies became friends. Why can we not do the same in our day?
Don’t get me wrong; there are issues in politics that Christians need to speak out against. Abortions is one of these critical issues; so is any immoral behavior by our government. John the Baptist died for speaking out against Herod’s immoral marriage (Matt 14:1-12). Yet remember that Paul tells us that all authorities have been appointed by God, for one reason or another (Romans 13:1-7). “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). I am not arguing against political stands for the right reasons; I am speaking out over hate of the other side.
Our Christianity should affect our politics, not the other way around. We are commanded to love. Not if’s or who’s. “But their sinners and what they believe is wrong!”. Well, so were the samaritans, but Jesus didn’t leave them behind. The Samaritans had disobeyed God and intermarried with the other nations around Israel; they also worshiped God at different places than the temple at Jerusalem, a hated thing at the time. Jews hated Samaritans; but Jesus didn’t. He spoke to the samaritan woman at the well (who was also quite the partier) in John 4:1-45. Also in John 4 it tell us “many Samaritans from that town believed in him” and that “the Samaritans came to him (Jesus), they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days”. He obviously didn’t have a problem with samaritans in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus loved the hated, but we hate those who are slightly different.
My underlying theme I want to pound into your head is this: don’t hate the enemy. Don’t create a group you despise. Jesus continually talks about loving those you can’t stand; your enemies. Luke 6:27-36 is a hard passage. Love your enemies. Do good to your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Jesus doesn’t just say “Don’t do bad to people”; he actually says to do good to them. Are you really doing this? Taking this to the extreme? Do you love Barack Obama? George Bush? Bill Clinton? Oprah? Your friend down the street who voted agains propositions (insert number)? We are to love all; no matter what side of the fence you are on.
Who are your Samaritans? Liberals, conservatives, Ellen watchers, rockers, the poor? Find your samaritans, and I challenge you to go out of your way to love them today.
I want to talk about the group that perhaps we hate the most. A group that possibly brings out more hate and slander from the American Church than any other. We call them liberals; democrats. I’m talking about our picket lines, our t-shirts, our posters. Think of election time; about the only time we ever hear “evangelical” on the news. It seems this argument, Democrats versus Republicans, liberals versus conservatives, quickly gives us an excuse to throw out “love your neighbor”. Think how much we let our political views affect our social circle. There are left or right churches, not churches that accept both. If you’re one, you don’t associate with the other. It’s just how its done. But did Jesus do it like that?
Don’t think to yourself that Jesus didn’t have these social issues in His day. Are you kidding me? Politics in Israel in 33 A.D. were way worse than politics in America in the 21st century. Rome had divided the nation into two factions; those who hated the romans, the Zealots, and those who were submissive to Roman rule. The pharisees tried to get Jesus entangled in this debate in Matt 22:15-22. Without going into detail, it is sufficient to say that Jesus shuts the pharisees down. Among Jesus’ twelve disciples both groups were represented. Simon was a Zealot, he hated the Romans; Matthew was a tax collector, a man who worked with and profited from the Romans. Yet in Jesus these enemies became friends. Why can we not do the same in our day?
Don’t get me wrong; there are issues in politics that Christians need to speak out against. Abortions is one of these critical issues; so is any immoral behavior by our government. John the Baptist died for speaking out against Herod’s immoral marriage (Matt 14:1-12). Yet remember that Paul tells us that all authorities have been appointed by God, for one reason or another (Romans 13:1-7). “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). I am not arguing against political stands for the right reasons; I am speaking out over hate of the other side.
Our Christianity should affect our politics, not the other way around. We are commanded to love. Not if’s or who’s. “But their sinners and what they believe is wrong!”. Well, so were the samaritans, but Jesus didn’t leave them behind. The Samaritans had disobeyed God and intermarried with the other nations around Israel; they also worshiped God at different places than the temple at Jerusalem, a hated thing at the time. Jews hated Samaritans; but Jesus didn’t. He spoke to the samaritan woman at the well (who was also quite the partier) in John 4:1-45. Also in John 4 it tell us “many Samaritans from that town believed in him” and that “the Samaritans came to him (Jesus), they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days”. He obviously didn’t have a problem with samaritans in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus loved the hated, but we hate those who are slightly different.
My underlying theme I want to pound into your head is this: don’t hate the enemy. Don’t create a group you despise. Jesus continually talks about loving those you can’t stand; your enemies. Luke 6:27-36 is a hard passage. Love your enemies. Do good to your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Jesus doesn’t just say “Don’t do bad to people”; he actually says to do good to them. Are you really doing this? Taking this to the extreme? Do you love Barack Obama? George Bush? Bill Clinton? Oprah? Your friend down the street who voted agains propositions (insert number)? We are to love all; no matter what side of the fence you are on.
Who are your Samaritans? Liberals, conservatives, Ellen watchers, rockers, the poor? Find your samaritans, and I challenge you to go out of your way to love them today.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Summary of the Pentateuch (College Paper)
Here is my paper for Old Testament Survey; in it I summarize the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. The works cited page is at the end. It is also good for the reader to know that I don't summarize by books, but by biblical periods: Primeval, Patriarchal, Exodus, and Wilderness.
Primeval Period:
“Genesis 1-11 sets the stage by describing God, his created universe, and the fallenness of humankind” (Arnold and Beyer 78). The book of Genesis, true to its name, starts at the ultimate human beginning; creation. Bill Arnold and Brian Beyer observe that the creation account is “the sad universal story of all humankind” before “the personal story of national Israel” (Arnold and Beyer 78). God creates the world in six days. On the first day he creates light and dark, calling them day and night. The sky followed on the second day. Then land and plants, sun and stars, water animals, and animals and man follow on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth days respectively. Then the Lord rested on the seventh day. In Genesis 2 Adam, the first man, names all the animals and, seeing that Adam needed a companion, God creates the first woman, Eve.
The next nine chapters of Genesis are dedicated to “the moral failure of humankind” (Arnold and Beyer 82). First, sin enters the world when Adam and Eve fail to obey God by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After being punished by God and banished from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve follow God’s command to “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth...” (Genesis 1:28). Yet humanity proves its capacity for evil again in Chapter four, when Cain kills his brother Abel out of jealousy. God warns Cain, along with all mankind, “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door” (Genesis 4:7). This verse is a theme verse for the Primeval Period (Arnold and Beyer 83).
In the years that follow Cain and Abel, the earth becomes so evil and disgusting to God that He decides to destroy it altogether by flooding the earth. He commands Noah, a righteous man on the earth, to build a boat. This boat would ensure the earth’s survival by protecting Noah and his family, along with two of every unclean animal and seven of every clean animal. When the boat was completed and Noah, his family, and all the animals were safely on the boat, God sent the flood. “All the springs of the great deep bust forth and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.” (Genesis 7:11). “Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out” (Genesis 7:23). Yet Noah, his family, and the animals on the boat survived, and at the end of the flood, repopulated the earth.
In Genesis 11, mankind once again rebels against God. Filled with pride and a desire to “make a name” (Genesis 11:4) for themselves, the people of the earth begin to make a tall tower in the plain of Shinar. God, angered by “the pride and arrogant rebellion of humanity” (Arnold and Beyer 85), confused mankind by giving them different languages and “scattered them over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:9). “The Universal situation is nothing but despair. But here the line of Shem continues and narrows to a single family, that of Terah, father of Abram.” (Arnold and Beyer 86). So begins the Patriarchal Period.
Patriarchal Period:
In as much as Genesis 1-11 sets the stage, Genesis 12-50 begins the play. While the first eleven chapters has showed the total depravity, the next set of events begins God’s plan to restore mankind to righteousness.
The first character to enter stage right is a man from Ur named Abram. God calls Abram to leave his home and “go to the land I (God) will show you (Abram)” (Genesis 12:1). Abram’s response is recorded in verse 4 “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4). God also makes a covenant with Abram. God promises to make Abram into a great nation, to make Abram’s name great, to bless those who bless Abram, curse those who curse Abram, and that “all people on earth will be blessed through you (Abram)” (Genesis 12:3). This covenent, therefore, had three different levels; personal, national, and universal. First, personal promises were made to Abram, such as “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2) and will “curse those who curse you” (Genesis 12:3). Also, promises specific to a nation, eventually Israel, such as “I will make you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). Lastly, God promises “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 2:3), a promise to all mankind (Marty 20). Abram’s trust in this promise and to God is evident throughout his life; to the point where he would have sacrificied his only son if God asked him (Genesis 22). God promises a son to Abram in Genesis 15, “one of those important passsages in the Bible that demands our careful reading” (Arnold and Beyer 93). It is here Abram cries out to God that he has no hope of reward, for he has no children, yet God reassures him that he will have a child, and his decendents will be like the stars in the sky. In “one of the most important verses of the Bible” (Arnold and Beyer 93) it says “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). In Romans it tells us that, through such faith, Abraham became the forefather of all Christians (Arnold and Beyer 94). In Genesis 17 God once again calls upon Abram to follow him. God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, and then orders him to circumcise himself and all males in his household, for “it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:11). After having a son named Ishmael thru his slave girl, Abraham and his wife Sarah are finally blessed with the promised son in Chapter 21. They name him Isaac. Yet God choses to test Abraham one last time. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Abraham’s only hope for the promises made to him by God. Abraham, however, passes the test; as Abraham’s knife is in the air the angel of the Lord calls to him to stop. “This event is the climax of Abraham’s spiritual journey” (Arnold and Beyer 97). Isaac, although the promised son, quickly fades to the background of the story after the birth of his twins; Jacob and Esau. Although Esau is the firstborn, it is apparent that “Privilege of position by birth has little to do with our standing before God” (Arnold and Beyer 97). Jacob is chosen to continue the covenant and promises made to Abraham. Yet Jacob’s road to blessing is not easy. First, a confrontation with his brother Esau, brought on by Jacob’s own decietfulness, forces Jacob to run to Haran, a far away land. There he meets his uncle Laban, and marries both Laban’s daughters: Leah and Rachel. He works fourteen years in Haran and is decieved by Laban many times. God, however, does not forsake Jacob in Haran. God blesses him with 12 sons (although with four different women; Leah and Rachel and their slave girls, Bilhah and Zilpah). In Genesis 30:43 is says “In this way the man (Jacob) grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.” Jacob eventually reconciles with Esau and returns home to Canaan.
The story then continues with one of Jacob’s sons, named Joseph. Joseph is interesting in that he is the only patriarch who is not “in the direct line of the covenant promises (Arnold and Beyer 98), that is, he is not a direct descendent of the Messiah. Yet Joseph is important in two respects; his faithfulness to God in the face of the hardest of circumstances and how the Israelites ended up in Egypt (Arnold and Beyer 98). Joseph is favored by his father because he is one of two sons birthed by Jacob’s most beloved wife, Rachel. As a result of this favoritism, especially in Jacob’s gift of a “richly ornamented robe” (Genesis 37:3), his brothers hated him. Genesis 37:11 tells us that the root of this hate is jealousy. The brothers’s hate grows to the point where they wish to kill him, but at the last second change their plans; instead, they sell Joseph as a slave. Joseph is taken to Egypt and is purchased by Potiphar, a high ranking man in Pharaoh's government. God looks over Joseph, and he rises to the rank of head servant in Potiphar’s house. Yet Joseph’s life takes yet another turn for the worst when Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him, and when Joseph refuses, Potiphar’s wife claims he tried to rape her. This charge sends Joseph to prison. Even in prison God did not abandon him. “While Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness” (Genesis 39:20, 21) In prison Joseph soon rises and gains the trust of the warden of the prison. One day, the chief baker and wine taster in Pharaoh’s palace are thrown in Joseph’s prison. Joseph, by the power of God, correctly interpret dreams for these two, and begs the wine taster, who is to be reinstated, to “remember me (Joseph) and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison” (Genesis 40:14). Yet the wine taster forgets Joseph for two years, until Pharaoh has two troubling dreams. When “all the magicians and wise men in Egypt” (Genesis 41:8) could not interpret these dreams, the wine taster tells Pharaoh of Joseph, and Pharaoh sends for him. Joseph, again by the power of God, is able to correctly interpret the dreams. The dreams foretell of seven years of prosperity in Egypt, followed by seven years of famine in Egypt. Joseph suggests that the food from the prosperous years “should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine” (Genesis 41:36). Pharaoh is pleased by this wisdom and appoints Joseph as second in command in all of Egypt; so Joseph did as he said and stored up grain from the seven years of prosperity. After seven years, the famine came. “All the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world” (Genesis 41:57). The famine even reached Jacob and his family in Canaan; so Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain. Through various tests, Joseph finds that his brothers have changed, and are sorry for what they have done. He reveals who he is to his brothers, and the reunion is very joyful. In one of the best verses for those in trouble Joseph says to his brothers “do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (Genesis 45:5). Joseph tells his brothers to bring his father Jacob, and all of his household, to Egypt, that they might survive the famine. Jacob is overjoyed that his son Joseph is still alive and moves his entire family to Egypt and settles in Goshen. Both Jacob and Joseph live and die in Egypt, yet God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not forgotten. In Genesis 50:24 Joseph says “God will surely came to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. This promise, however, took many years and hardships to come to fulfillment.
Exodus:
The Exodus period, along with the book of Exodus, begin roughly 400 years after Joseph; and things are not looking good for the Israelites. “As the book opens, the patriarchal covenant promises are in jeopardy” (Arnold and Beyer 105). The Israelites are in Egypt, miles away from God’s promised land, and the Egyptians are brutally oppressing the them. The Egyptians have enslaved the Israelites, “and worked them ruthlessly” (Exodus 1:13). Yet God uses this hopeless situation to show His amazing power and grace. God hears the Israelites in their oppression: “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” (Exodus 2:23-25). “God did not forget or forsake his people” (Arnold and Beyer 105). He sends them a deliverer; his name is Moses.
“Moses is God’s answer to this terrible predicament” (Arnold and Beyer 105). Moses is born during a time when Pharaoh has ordered all Hebrew, male babies to be murdered. To protect her son’s life, Moses’ mother puts Moses in a papyrus basket and, trusting God to protect her baby, releases the basket along the Nile River. By God’s provision, the basket is found by an Egyptian princess. This princess raises Moses in the house of Pharaoh. When Moses is older he sympathizes with his people’s bondage and, in a fit of rage, kills an Egyptian who is beating an Israelite. When this is discovered, Moses flees Egypt and settles in Midian. “Moses found his way to Midian, where he started life over again. He tried to gorget about the terrible plight of the Hebrews by settling into a new occupation, a new family, a new home” (Arnold and Beyer 105). Moses was probably around 40 at this time (Barker 90). God was not done with Moses. “Moses and God were on a collision course. The Lord was determined to save the Israelites; Moses was determined to forget about them. The famous call of Moses at the burning bush is where the two collide.” (Arnold and Beyer 105) At this “burning bush” the Lord calls Moses back to Egypt, to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. Moses resists. “Moses raised four objections, all of which God answered. Finally Moses simply refused to go: ‘please send someone else’ (Exodus 4:13)” (Arnold and Beyer 105). After Moses is done with his objections, he heads to Egypt.
When Moses arrives in Egypt he goes to Pharaoh to demand the freedom of the Israelites. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go...’” (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh refuses and is enraged by the demand. He works the Israelites even harder; ordering them to make the same amount of bricks, but not providing straw. Moses returns to Pharaoh and warns him of “impending disaster if the Egyptian ruler failed to obey God’s command to let the people go” (Arnold and Beyer 105). This “impending disaster” came in the form of the ten plagues. “The ten plagues were intended not only to force the Egyptians into compliance, but also to teach the Egyptians and the Israelites about the sovereign character of the God of Israel” (Arnold and Beyer 105-106). God planned these plagues to directly insult the polytheistic religion of Egypt: “I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12). The plagues insult such Egyptian deities as: Hapi, a god strongly tied to the nile river, Heqt, the god of childbirth, who took the form of a frog, the bull-gods Apis and Mnevis, the cow-god Hathor, the ram-god Khnum, and one of the chief deities, Ra, the sun god. The ten plagues appear to have come in groups of three, with Moses talking to Pharaoh between each sequence. First the plagues of blood, frogs, and gnats; followed by the plagues of flies, livestock and boils; then the last sequence of locust, hail, and darkness (Barker 97-101). The tenth and final plague kills all the firstborn in the land of Egypt; “from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well” (Exodus 11:5). It is this plague that finally breaks the will of Pharaoh. This tenth plague also introduces us to a very important first in redemptive history, the first Passover.
God wanted the Israelites to always remember His power and mercy in rescuing them from Egypt; as well as test His people, to see if they would obey his commands. He gave specific commands to Moses on how to instruct the people to prepare for the Passover. They were to kill a lamb, “year-old males without defect”, and “take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses” (Exodus 12). There was to be no yeast in any Israelite house for seven days, and they were to eat the Passover meal with bread made without yeast and bitter herbs. If the Israelites did this, God did not bring this destructive plague upon them: “I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)” The Passover is important in redemptive history because it foreshadowed what Jesus would eventually do for all mankind. “Jesus is our ‘Passover lamb’ (1 Co 5:7), sacrificed ‘once for all’ (Heb 7:27) for us” (Barker 104). Jesus’ blood allows God’s wrath to “pass over” us and onto Him.
Pharaoh finally breaks to the will of God. He summons Moses in the middle of the night and says to him “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.” (Exodus 12:31). The Lord even provided for the Israelites when they were leaving: “The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12:36) God even geographically lead them the way they should go: “God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country...so God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” (Exodus 13:17-18).
Wilderness Period:
At this point, the Israelites have finally left their trouble behind. They should make it to the promise land and live happily ever after; but that is just not what happens. They become trapped by the Red Sea, and Pharaoh, his heart hardened once again, is pursuing them with his army. The Israelites cry out to God, and He provides for them once again. Moses stretches his staff over the water and “all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided” (Exodus 14:21). The Egyptian Army tried to follow and God imposed His final judgement on them: “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen-the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.” (Exodus 14:27-28) God’s victory over the Egyptians was complete. “The Lord saved Israel in that day and they saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. This sight became the concrete sign that God had accomplished salvation and brought a new life for Israel.” (Arnold and Beyer 106)
Now on the other side of the Red Sea, the Israelites travel to Mount Sinai. At Mount Sinai God gives Moses the laws that are to govern the Israelite nation; so that Israel could be a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). It is God’s covenant with the nation; if they would obey the Law of the Lord, then He would protect them and allow them to be prosperous. This covenant is known as the Sinaitic covenant (Barker 115). All of the Law is based on the Ten Commandments, stated first in Exodus 20:1-17: Do not have any other gods before God, do not make idols for yourself, do not misuse the name of the Lord, remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy, honor your father and mother, do not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet from your neighbor. Chapters 21-23 are known as the “Book of the Covenant” (Exodus 24:7). “These chapters list specific cases in which the principles of covenant law are applied to life” (Arnold and Beyer 106). This includes laws about idols, alters, servents, injury inflicted on another person, property, justice, Sabbath, and the three annual festivals (the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Ingathering). Moses confirms this covenant in Exodus 24, with a ceremony “binding God and nation together” (Arnold and Beyer 106-107).
The next seven chapters in Exodus (25-31) are devoted to the details of the Tabernacle and all it’s furnishings. This includes very specific instructions on how to construct the Ark of the Covenant, the table and lampstand for the Tabernacle, and the Tabernacle itself, with all it’s alters and the courtyard. Details are even given for the oil that goes in the Lampstand. Instructions are also given for all Priestly Garments: the Ephod, Breatpiece, Robe of the Ephod, Tunic, and even the undergarments. Other commands pertain to such things as a basin for washing, incense, oil, and atonement money. Israel gives an offering to the Lord to construct the Tabernacle and all it’s furnishings.
While Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving instructions from God, the Israelites have already forgotten the Lord. Aaron had formed a calf idol out of gold and the people “have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt’” (Exodus 32:8). “While Yahweh was creating a nation that would reflect his moral likeness, the Israelites were trying to create God in their image” (Arnold and Beyer 107). Moses is furious and melts the gold, grounds it to powder, and forces the Israelites to drink it in water. The Lord very nearly kills all the Israelites, yet Moses speaks on their behalf, and the Lord permits them to live. The Israelites, however, appear to have learned their lesson, for the next four chapters are dedicated to show how the Israelites obeyed the Lords commands in every detail. “The people were obedient to God, down to every detail of the tabernacle’s curtains, rings, and hooks” (Arnold and Beyer 107). The book of Exodus then ends on a high note for the Israelites; they have fulfilled all of the commands the Lord had given them and “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34).
Leviticus, the next book that records the Wilderness Period, “describes the offerings, the duties of the Levites, and worship at the tabernacle” (Marty 37). The regulations are given for the five main offerings: burnt, grain, fellowship, sin, and guilt offerings (Barker 148). These can also be called the burnt, grain, peace, sin, and trespass offerings (Marty 39). After these, regulations commands are given concerning representative priesthood. These first seven chapters of Leviticus deal with regulations in the Tabernacle; the rest of the book is dedicated to righteous living outside the Tabernacle, known as the “Holiness Code” (Arnold and Beyer 120). Chapters 11-16 explains “the distinction between clean and unclean” (Barker 160), also known as the “Laws of Purity” (Marty 40). “They (the laws of purity) deal with practical, everyday issues in an ancient life: foods, childbirth, skin and fungus diseases, and bodily discharges.” (Arnold and Beyer 121). These chapters detail for us how a person becomes unclean, and therefore needs to be made clean before God. In other words, these chapters “define the uncleanness that make the Day of Atonement necessary” (Arnold and Beyer 122). The Day of Atonement was one of the most important events in the Old Testament. It was by this ceremony that Israel was made “clean before the Lord” (Leviticus 16:30). This ceremony consisted of the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies, where he would offer the blood of offerings to make an atonement for himself and the nation. Also, the High Priest would send out a scapegoat into the desert: “It (scapegoat) physically symbolized the removal of the nation’s sin” (Arnold and Beyer 122). The rest of Leviticus is dedicated to continuing the Holiness Code. “It deals with topics ranging from sexual purity to observance of sacred holidays to fair treatment of the poor” (Arnold and Beyer 122). It states clearly how to keep the Sabbath holy: “You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:3). The feast of Trumpets, Weeks, and Tabernacles are once again discussed; the nations “appointments to God” (Marty 40). The Lord also outlines a Sabbath for the land; every seven years the Israelites are not to farm the land. This is called the Sabbatical Year: “The land is to have a year of rest.” (Leviticus 25:5). The Lord also proclaims that every seven Sabbatical years (49 years) there is to be a year of jubilation. This is to be a year of celebration for what the Lord has done for Israel: “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.” (Leviticus 25:8-12) All of the commandments given in Leviticus are give for one reason: “You (Israel) shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
The physical story line picks up once again in the book of Numbers. The Israelites are still camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Lord orders Moses to take a census of the 12 tribes of Israel; “The total number (of men able to serve in the army) was 603,550” (Numbers 1:46).The next four chapters “organize the entire nation, both laity and clergy, around the tabernacle” (Arnold and Beyer 130). In other words, the first ten chapters in Numbers prepare the Israelites for their desert journey. After the census the Israelites finally set out from Mount Sinai toward the promise land. However, the Israelites once again begin to rebel against God. Their constant complaining enraged God to the point where “the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1). Not learning their lesson, the Israelites once again complain, this time about not having meat. This time the Lord grants their request and sends quail to the camp. Miriam and Aaron also rebel against God by opposing the leadership of Moses. “Moses’ own family was jealous of his unique position before the people as God’s sole spokesman. God dramatically affirmed Moses as his chosen leader” (Arnold and Beyer 132). As punishment for this crime Miriam is given leprosy and must leave the Israelite camp for seven days.
When the Israelites get closer to the promise land the Lord commands Moses to send out 12 spies to explore the land. Among them are Joshua, the future leader of Israel, and Caleb, a man who loved God. After exploring the land for 40 days the spies returned to the Israelite community at Kadesh. They did not bring good news.: “The Canaanites were well fortified in the land and enormous in stature, making the Israelite spies look and feel like grasshoppers” (Arnold and Beyer 132). The spies were so afraid and brought such an alarming report back that the Israelites lost their faith in God and were ready to overthrow Moses as leader and head back to Egypt. However, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, encourage the nation to trust the Lord: “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30). The people of Israel did not listen to Joshua and Caleb; they once again rebelled against God. The Lord is finished with their rebellion and condemn the generation to wander in the desert until everyone over the age of twenty is dead. Caleb and Joshua, for their faith, were permitted to live and see the promise land.
After forty years all of the disobedient generation who had rebelled at Kadesh had died. The Lord lead the Israelites, once again, toward the promise land. When they arrived a second time at Kadesh, Moses sins against the Lord. Commanded to speak to a rock to bring forth water, Moses strikes the rock. This angers the Lord and Moses’ punishment is the same as the rebels at Kadesh forty years earlier: “Because you (Moses) did not trust in me (God) enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12). “Moses’ sin at Kadesh is a reminder that no human leader, not even Moses himself, is exempt from the consequences of unbelief” (Arnold and Beyer 134).
The Israelites finally make their way to the plains of Moab. On the plains of Moab the Israelites rebel many times, and are just saved from God’s destruction by the actions of Moses or other Israeli leaders. In Numbers 26 a second census is taken of the Israelites. This time the population is slightly smaller than the first population: 601,730 men over twenty. The next ten chapters are reminders to Israel of the Laws to keep and how the land is to be divided once the land is given to them.
On the plains of Moab Moses makes three speeches to Israel before he dies. These are what make up the book of Deuteronomy. In essence, these speeches explain the past, present, and future of Israel (Marty 48). The first speech outlines the history of Israel; it “presents a theology of history” (Arnold and Beyer 143). Moses reminds the people of God’s promises to their forefathers; to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He recounts all the events of Israel’s wandering in the desert; both the good and the bad. He reminds them of their foolish rebellion, and the consequences, but he also reminds them of their obedience, and the blessings received. “Moses reminded Israel that God’s blessings are often directly related to submission to his will” (Arnold and Beyer 145). Moses’ second speech is mostly reminding Israel of their Covenant Agreement with God. It is by far the longest of the speeches, reaching from Deuteronomy 5 thru chapter 26. Much of the content is repeated from Leviticus and Numbers. Moses implores Israel to live righteously before the Lord. It is in this speech that Moses gives the Shema, the famous verse proclaiming God’s concept of monotheism: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4) (Arnold and Beyer 145). Moses goes on to explain in more detail the law that has been given to the Israelites: “chapters 12-26 are arranged in four major issues that the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, addresses” (Arnold and Beyer 146). The ultimate theme of this speech is obedience. In chapter 28 of Deuteronomy Moses goes into great detail about the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience. “Moses’ final discourse is actually a combination of speeches pertaining to the covenant and the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua” (Arnold and Beyer 146). In this third and final speech Moses talks about the future of the nation. He not only predicts that they will be victorious in the promise land, but he also correctly predicts their future disobedience, exile, and return (Arnold and Beyer 147). In chapter 31 Moses does two important things; he gives the leadership of Israel over to Joshua and also “provides for the future of the written word” (Arnold and Beyer 146). He wrote down the law and told the nation to read it publicly every seven years. Moses then constructs a song of Israel’s history, so the nation could remember God’s provision: “By them (the words of the song) you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to posses” (Deuteronomy 32:47). Moses, as his final act of leadership, then blesses the 12 tribes of Israel. After this final speech, Moses climbs Mount Nebo and the Lord “showed him the whole land” (Deuteronomy 34:1). Then Moses, the servant of God, died. This ends the Pentateuch; with the Israelites camped on the plains of Moab, ready to conquer the promise land.
Works Cited Page
Arnold, Bill T., and Bryan E. Beyer. Encountering the Old Testament,: A Christian Survey (Encountering Biblical Studies). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008.
Marty, William M. A Survey of the Old Testament: Student Notes. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2009.
Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Fully rev. ed. Kenneth L. Barker, gen. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print
Primeval Period:
“Genesis 1-11 sets the stage by describing God, his created universe, and the fallenness of humankind” (Arnold and Beyer 78). The book of Genesis, true to its name, starts at the ultimate human beginning; creation. Bill Arnold and Brian Beyer observe that the creation account is “the sad universal story of all humankind” before “the personal story of national Israel” (Arnold and Beyer 78). God creates the world in six days. On the first day he creates light and dark, calling them day and night. The sky followed on the second day. Then land and plants, sun and stars, water animals, and animals and man follow on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth days respectively. Then the Lord rested on the seventh day. In Genesis 2 Adam, the first man, names all the animals and, seeing that Adam needed a companion, God creates the first woman, Eve.
The next nine chapters of Genesis are dedicated to “the moral failure of humankind” (Arnold and Beyer 82). First, sin enters the world when Adam and Eve fail to obey God by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After being punished by God and banished from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve follow God’s command to “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth...” (Genesis 1:28). Yet humanity proves its capacity for evil again in Chapter four, when Cain kills his brother Abel out of jealousy. God warns Cain, along with all mankind, “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door” (Genesis 4:7). This verse is a theme verse for the Primeval Period (Arnold and Beyer 83).
In the years that follow Cain and Abel, the earth becomes so evil and disgusting to God that He decides to destroy it altogether by flooding the earth. He commands Noah, a righteous man on the earth, to build a boat. This boat would ensure the earth’s survival by protecting Noah and his family, along with two of every unclean animal and seven of every clean animal. When the boat was completed and Noah, his family, and all the animals were safely on the boat, God sent the flood. “All the springs of the great deep bust forth and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.” (Genesis 7:11). “Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out” (Genesis 7:23). Yet Noah, his family, and the animals on the boat survived, and at the end of the flood, repopulated the earth.
In Genesis 11, mankind once again rebels against God. Filled with pride and a desire to “make a name” (Genesis 11:4) for themselves, the people of the earth begin to make a tall tower in the plain of Shinar. God, angered by “the pride and arrogant rebellion of humanity” (Arnold and Beyer 85), confused mankind by giving them different languages and “scattered them over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:9). “The Universal situation is nothing but despair. But here the line of Shem continues and narrows to a single family, that of Terah, father of Abram.” (Arnold and Beyer 86). So begins the Patriarchal Period.
Patriarchal Period:
In as much as Genesis 1-11 sets the stage, Genesis 12-50 begins the play. While the first eleven chapters has showed the total depravity, the next set of events begins God’s plan to restore mankind to righteousness.
The first character to enter stage right is a man from Ur named Abram. God calls Abram to leave his home and “go to the land I (God) will show you (Abram)” (Genesis 12:1). Abram’s response is recorded in verse 4 “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4). God also makes a covenant with Abram. God promises to make Abram into a great nation, to make Abram’s name great, to bless those who bless Abram, curse those who curse Abram, and that “all people on earth will be blessed through you (Abram)” (Genesis 12:3). This covenent, therefore, had three different levels; personal, national, and universal. First, personal promises were made to Abram, such as “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2) and will “curse those who curse you” (Genesis 12:3). Also, promises specific to a nation, eventually Israel, such as “I will make you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). Lastly, God promises “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 2:3), a promise to all mankind (Marty 20). Abram’s trust in this promise and to God is evident throughout his life; to the point where he would have sacrificied his only son if God asked him (Genesis 22). God promises a son to Abram in Genesis 15, “one of those important passsages in the Bible that demands our careful reading” (Arnold and Beyer 93). It is here Abram cries out to God that he has no hope of reward, for he has no children, yet God reassures him that he will have a child, and his decendents will be like the stars in the sky. In “one of the most important verses of the Bible” (Arnold and Beyer 93) it says “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). In Romans it tells us that, through such faith, Abraham became the forefather of all Christians (Arnold and Beyer 94). In Genesis 17 God once again calls upon Abram to follow him. God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, and then orders him to circumcise himself and all males in his household, for “it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:11). After having a son named Ishmael thru his slave girl, Abraham and his wife Sarah are finally blessed with the promised son in Chapter 21. They name him Isaac. Yet God choses to test Abraham one last time. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Abraham’s only hope for the promises made to him by God. Abraham, however, passes the test; as Abraham’s knife is in the air the angel of the Lord calls to him to stop. “This event is the climax of Abraham’s spiritual journey” (Arnold and Beyer 97). Isaac, although the promised son, quickly fades to the background of the story after the birth of his twins; Jacob and Esau. Although Esau is the firstborn, it is apparent that “Privilege of position by birth has little to do with our standing before God” (Arnold and Beyer 97). Jacob is chosen to continue the covenant and promises made to Abraham. Yet Jacob’s road to blessing is not easy. First, a confrontation with his brother Esau, brought on by Jacob’s own decietfulness, forces Jacob to run to Haran, a far away land. There he meets his uncle Laban, and marries both Laban’s daughters: Leah and Rachel. He works fourteen years in Haran and is decieved by Laban many times. God, however, does not forsake Jacob in Haran. God blesses him with 12 sons (although with four different women; Leah and Rachel and their slave girls, Bilhah and Zilpah). In Genesis 30:43 is says “In this way the man (Jacob) grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.” Jacob eventually reconciles with Esau and returns home to Canaan.
The story then continues with one of Jacob’s sons, named Joseph. Joseph is interesting in that he is the only patriarch who is not “in the direct line of the covenant promises (Arnold and Beyer 98), that is, he is not a direct descendent of the Messiah. Yet Joseph is important in two respects; his faithfulness to God in the face of the hardest of circumstances and how the Israelites ended up in Egypt (Arnold and Beyer 98). Joseph is favored by his father because he is one of two sons birthed by Jacob’s most beloved wife, Rachel. As a result of this favoritism, especially in Jacob’s gift of a “richly ornamented robe” (Genesis 37:3), his brothers hated him. Genesis 37:11 tells us that the root of this hate is jealousy. The brothers’s hate grows to the point where they wish to kill him, but at the last second change their plans; instead, they sell Joseph as a slave. Joseph is taken to Egypt and is purchased by Potiphar, a high ranking man in Pharaoh's government. God looks over Joseph, and he rises to the rank of head servant in Potiphar’s house. Yet Joseph’s life takes yet another turn for the worst when Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him, and when Joseph refuses, Potiphar’s wife claims he tried to rape her. This charge sends Joseph to prison. Even in prison God did not abandon him. “While Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness” (Genesis 39:20, 21) In prison Joseph soon rises and gains the trust of the warden of the prison. One day, the chief baker and wine taster in Pharaoh’s palace are thrown in Joseph’s prison. Joseph, by the power of God, correctly interpret dreams for these two, and begs the wine taster, who is to be reinstated, to “remember me (Joseph) and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison” (Genesis 40:14). Yet the wine taster forgets Joseph for two years, until Pharaoh has two troubling dreams. When “all the magicians and wise men in Egypt” (Genesis 41:8) could not interpret these dreams, the wine taster tells Pharaoh of Joseph, and Pharaoh sends for him. Joseph, again by the power of God, is able to correctly interpret the dreams. The dreams foretell of seven years of prosperity in Egypt, followed by seven years of famine in Egypt. Joseph suggests that the food from the prosperous years “should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine” (Genesis 41:36). Pharaoh is pleased by this wisdom and appoints Joseph as second in command in all of Egypt; so Joseph did as he said and stored up grain from the seven years of prosperity. After seven years, the famine came. “All the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world” (Genesis 41:57). The famine even reached Jacob and his family in Canaan; so Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain. Through various tests, Joseph finds that his brothers have changed, and are sorry for what they have done. He reveals who he is to his brothers, and the reunion is very joyful. In one of the best verses for those in trouble Joseph says to his brothers “do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (Genesis 45:5). Joseph tells his brothers to bring his father Jacob, and all of his household, to Egypt, that they might survive the famine. Jacob is overjoyed that his son Joseph is still alive and moves his entire family to Egypt and settles in Goshen. Both Jacob and Joseph live and die in Egypt, yet God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not forgotten. In Genesis 50:24 Joseph says “God will surely came to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. This promise, however, took many years and hardships to come to fulfillment.
Exodus:
The Exodus period, along with the book of Exodus, begin roughly 400 years after Joseph; and things are not looking good for the Israelites. “As the book opens, the patriarchal covenant promises are in jeopardy” (Arnold and Beyer 105). The Israelites are in Egypt, miles away from God’s promised land, and the Egyptians are brutally oppressing the them. The Egyptians have enslaved the Israelites, “and worked them ruthlessly” (Exodus 1:13). Yet God uses this hopeless situation to show His amazing power and grace. God hears the Israelites in their oppression: “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” (Exodus 2:23-25). “God did not forget or forsake his people” (Arnold and Beyer 105). He sends them a deliverer; his name is Moses.
“Moses is God’s answer to this terrible predicament” (Arnold and Beyer 105). Moses is born during a time when Pharaoh has ordered all Hebrew, male babies to be murdered. To protect her son’s life, Moses’ mother puts Moses in a papyrus basket and, trusting God to protect her baby, releases the basket along the Nile River. By God’s provision, the basket is found by an Egyptian princess. This princess raises Moses in the house of Pharaoh. When Moses is older he sympathizes with his people’s bondage and, in a fit of rage, kills an Egyptian who is beating an Israelite. When this is discovered, Moses flees Egypt and settles in Midian. “Moses found his way to Midian, where he started life over again. He tried to gorget about the terrible plight of the Hebrews by settling into a new occupation, a new family, a new home” (Arnold and Beyer 105). Moses was probably around 40 at this time (Barker 90). God was not done with Moses. “Moses and God were on a collision course. The Lord was determined to save the Israelites; Moses was determined to forget about them. The famous call of Moses at the burning bush is where the two collide.” (Arnold and Beyer 105) At this “burning bush” the Lord calls Moses back to Egypt, to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. Moses resists. “Moses raised four objections, all of which God answered. Finally Moses simply refused to go: ‘please send someone else’ (Exodus 4:13)” (Arnold and Beyer 105). After Moses is done with his objections, he heads to Egypt.
When Moses arrives in Egypt he goes to Pharaoh to demand the freedom of the Israelites. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go...’” (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh refuses and is enraged by the demand. He works the Israelites even harder; ordering them to make the same amount of bricks, but not providing straw. Moses returns to Pharaoh and warns him of “impending disaster if the Egyptian ruler failed to obey God’s command to let the people go” (Arnold and Beyer 105). This “impending disaster” came in the form of the ten plagues. “The ten plagues were intended not only to force the Egyptians into compliance, but also to teach the Egyptians and the Israelites about the sovereign character of the God of Israel” (Arnold and Beyer 105-106). God planned these plagues to directly insult the polytheistic religion of Egypt: “I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12). The plagues insult such Egyptian deities as: Hapi, a god strongly tied to the nile river, Heqt, the god of childbirth, who took the form of a frog, the bull-gods Apis and Mnevis, the cow-god Hathor, the ram-god Khnum, and one of the chief deities, Ra, the sun god. The ten plagues appear to have come in groups of three, with Moses talking to Pharaoh between each sequence. First the plagues of blood, frogs, and gnats; followed by the plagues of flies, livestock and boils; then the last sequence of locust, hail, and darkness (Barker 97-101). The tenth and final plague kills all the firstborn in the land of Egypt; “from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well” (Exodus 11:5). It is this plague that finally breaks the will of Pharaoh. This tenth plague also introduces us to a very important first in redemptive history, the first Passover.
God wanted the Israelites to always remember His power and mercy in rescuing them from Egypt; as well as test His people, to see if they would obey his commands. He gave specific commands to Moses on how to instruct the people to prepare for the Passover. They were to kill a lamb, “year-old males without defect”, and “take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses” (Exodus 12). There was to be no yeast in any Israelite house for seven days, and they were to eat the Passover meal with bread made without yeast and bitter herbs. If the Israelites did this, God did not bring this destructive plague upon them: “I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)” The Passover is important in redemptive history because it foreshadowed what Jesus would eventually do for all mankind. “Jesus is our ‘Passover lamb’ (1 Co 5:7), sacrificed ‘once for all’ (Heb 7:27) for us” (Barker 104). Jesus’ blood allows God’s wrath to “pass over” us and onto Him.
Pharaoh finally breaks to the will of God. He summons Moses in the middle of the night and says to him “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.” (Exodus 12:31). The Lord even provided for the Israelites when they were leaving: “The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12:36) God even geographically lead them the way they should go: “God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country...so God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” (Exodus 13:17-18).
Wilderness Period:
At this point, the Israelites have finally left their trouble behind. They should make it to the promise land and live happily ever after; but that is just not what happens. They become trapped by the Red Sea, and Pharaoh, his heart hardened once again, is pursuing them with his army. The Israelites cry out to God, and He provides for them once again. Moses stretches his staff over the water and “all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided” (Exodus 14:21). The Egyptian Army tried to follow and God imposed His final judgement on them: “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen-the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.” (Exodus 14:27-28) God’s victory over the Egyptians was complete. “The Lord saved Israel in that day and they saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. This sight became the concrete sign that God had accomplished salvation and brought a new life for Israel.” (Arnold and Beyer 106)
Now on the other side of the Red Sea, the Israelites travel to Mount Sinai. At Mount Sinai God gives Moses the laws that are to govern the Israelite nation; so that Israel could be a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). It is God’s covenant with the nation; if they would obey the Law of the Lord, then He would protect them and allow them to be prosperous. This covenant is known as the Sinaitic covenant (Barker 115). All of the Law is based on the Ten Commandments, stated first in Exodus 20:1-17: Do not have any other gods before God, do not make idols for yourself, do not misuse the name of the Lord, remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy, honor your father and mother, do not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet from your neighbor. Chapters 21-23 are known as the “Book of the Covenant” (Exodus 24:7). “These chapters list specific cases in which the principles of covenant law are applied to life” (Arnold and Beyer 106). This includes laws about idols, alters, servents, injury inflicted on another person, property, justice, Sabbath, and the three annual festivals (the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Ingathering). Moses confirms this covenant in Exodus 24, with a ceremony “binding God and nation together” (Arnold and Beyer 106-107).
The next seven chapters in Exodus (25-31) are devoted to the details of the Tabernacle and all it’s furnishings. This includes very specific instructions on how to construct the Ark of the Covenant, the table and lampstand for the Tabernacle, and the Tabernacle itself, with all it’s alters and the courtyard. Details are even given for the oil that goes in the Lampstand. Instructions are also given for all Priestly Garments: the Ephod, Breatpiece, Robe of the Ephod, Tunic, and even the undergarments. Other commands pertain to such things as a basin for washing, incense, oil, and atonement money. Israel gives an offering to the Lord to construct the Tabernacle and all it’s furnishings.
While Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving instructions from God, the Israelites have already forgotten the Lord. Aaron had formed a calf idol out of gold and the people “have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt’” (Exodus 32:8). “While Yahweh was creating a nation that would reflect his moral likeness, the Israelites were trying to create God in their image” (Arnold and Beyer 107). Moses is furious and melts the gold, grounds it to powder, and forces the Israelites to drink it in water. The Lord very nearly kills all the Israelites, yet Moses speaks on their behalf, and the Lord permits them to live. The Israelites, however, appear to have learned their lesson, for the next four chapters are dedicated to show how the Israelites obeyed the Lords commands in every detail. “The people were obedient to God, down to every detail of the tabernacle’s curtains, rings, and hooks” (Arnold and Beyer 107). The book of Exodus then ends on a high note for the Israelites; they have fulfilled all of the commands the Lord had given them and “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34).
Leviticus, the next book that records the Wilderness Period, “describes the offerings, the duties of the Levites, and worship at the tabernacle” (Marty 37). The regulations are given for the five main offerings: burnt, grain, fellowship, sin, and guilt offerings (Barker 148). These can also be called the burnt, grain, peace, sin, and trespass offerings (Marty 39). After these, regulations commands are given concerning representative priesthood. These first seven chapters of Leviticus deal with regulations in the Tabernacle; the rest of the book is dedicated to righteous living outside the Tabernacle, known as the “Holiness Code” (Arnold and Beyer 120). Chapters 11-16 explains “the distinction between clean and unclean” (Barker 160), also known as the “Laws of Purity” (Marty 40). “They (the laws of purity) deal with practical, everyday issues in an ancient life: foods, childbirth, skin and fungus diseases, and bodily discharges.” (Arnold and Beyer 121). These chapters detail for us how a person becomes unclean, and therefore needs to be made clean before God. In other words, these chapters “define the uncleanness that make the Day of Atonement necessary” (Arnold and Beyer 122). The Day of Atonement was one of the most important events in the Old Testament. It was by this ceremony that Israel was made “clean before the Lord” (Leviticus 16:30). This ceremony consisted of the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies, where he would offer the blood of offerings to make an atonement for himself and the nation. Also, the High Priest would send out a scapegoat into the desert: “It (scapegoat) physically symbolized the removal of the nation’s sin” (Arnold and Beyer 122). The rest of Leviticus is dedicated to continuing the Holiness Code. “It deals with topics ranging from sexual purity to observance of sacred holidays to fair treatment of the poor” (Arnold and Beyer 122). It states clearly how to keep the Sabbath holy: “You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:3). The feast of Trumpets, Weeks, and Tabernacles are once again discussed; the nations “appointments to God” (Marty 40). The Lord also outlines a Sabbath for the land; every seven years the Israelites are not to farm the land. This is called the Sabbatical Year: “The land is to have a year of rest.” (Leviticus 25:5). The Lord also proclaims that every seven Sabbatical years (49 years) there is to be a year of jubilation. This is to be a year of celebration for what the Lord has done for Israel: “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.” (Leviticus 25:8-12) All of the commandments given in Leviticus are give for one reason: “You (Israel) shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
The physical story line picks up once again in the book of Numbers. The Israelites are still camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Lord orders Moses to take a census of the 12 tribes of Israel; “The total number (of men able to serve in the army) was 603,550” (Numbers 1:46).The next four chapters “organize the entire nation, both laity and clergy, around the tabernacle” (Arnold and Beyer 130). In other words, the first ten chapters in Numbers prepare the Israelites for their desert journey. After the census the Israelites finally set out from Mount Sinai toward the promise land. However, the Israelites once again begin to rebel against God. Their constant complaining enraged God to the point where “the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1). Not learning their lesson, the Israelites once again complain, this time about not having meat. This time the Lord grants their request and sends quail to the camp. Miriam and Aaron also rebel against God by opposing the leadership of Moses. “Moses’ own family was jealous of his unique position before the people as God’s sole spokesman. God dramatically affirmed Moses as his chosen leader” (Arnold and Beyer 132). As punishment for this crime Miriam is given leprosy and must leave the Israelite camp for seven days.
When the Israelites get closer to the promise land the Lord commands Moses to send out 12 spies to explore the land. Among them are Joshua, the future leader of Israel, and Caleb, a man who loved God. After exploring the land for 40 days the spies returned to the Israelite community at Kadesh. They did not bring good news.: “The Canaanites were well fortified in the land and enormous in stature, making the Israelite spies look and feel like grasshoppers” (Arnold and Beyer 132). The spies were so afraid and brought such an alarming report back that the Israelites lost their faith in God and were ready to overthrow Moses as leader and head back to Egypt. However, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, encourage the nation to trust the Lord: “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30). The people of Israel did not listen to Joshua and Caleb; they once again rebelled against God. The Lord is finished with their rebellion and condemn the generation to wander in the desert until everyone over the age of twenty is dead. Caleb and Joshua, for their faith, were permitted to live and see the promise land.
After forty years all of the disobedient generation who had rebelled at Kadesh had died. The Lord lead the Israelites, once again, toward the promise land. When they arrived a second time at Kadesh, Moses sins against the Lord. Commanded to speak to a rock to bring forth water, Moses strikes the rock. This angers the Lord and Moses’ punishment is the same as the rebels at Kadesh forty years earlier: “Because you (Moses) did not trust in me (God) enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12). “Moses’ sin at Kadesh is a reminder that no human leader, not even Moses himself, is exempt from the consequences of unbelief” (Arnold and Beyer 134).
The Israelites finally make their way to the plains of Moab. On the plains of Moab the Israelites rebel many times, and are just saved from God’s destruction by the actions of Moses or other Israeli leaders. In Numbers 26 a second census is taken of the Israelites. This time the population is slightly smaller than the first population: 601,730 men over twenty. The next ten chapters are reminders to Israel of the Laws to keep and how the land is to be divided once the land is given to them.
On the plains of Moab Moses makes three speeches to Israel before he dies. These are what make up the book of Deuteronomy. In essence, these speeches explain the past, present, and future of Israel (Marty 48). The first speech outlines the history of Israel; it “presents a theology of history” (Arnold and Beyer 143). Moses reminds the people of God’s promises to their forefathers; to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He recounts all the events of Israel’s wandering in the desert; both the good and the bad. He reminds them of their foolish rebellion, and the consequences, but he also reminds them of their obedience, and the blessings received. “Moses reminded Israel that God’s blessings are often directly related to submission to his will” (Arnold and Beyer 145). Moses’ second speech is mostly reminding Israel of their Covenant Agreement with God. It is by far the longest of the speeches, reaching from Deuteronomy 5 thru chapter 26. Much of the content is repeated from Leviticus and Numbers. Moses implores Israel to live righteously before the Lord. It is in this speech that Moses gives the Shema, the famous verse proclaiming God’s concept of monotheism: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4) (Arnold and Beyer 145). Moses goes on to explain in more detail the law that has been given to the Israelites: “chapters 12-26 are arranged in four major issues that the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, addresses” (Arnold and Beyer 146). The ultimate theme of this speech is obedience. In chapter 28 of Deuteronomy Moses goes into great detail about the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience. “Moses’ final discourse is actually a combination of speeches pertaining to the covenant and the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua” (Arnold and Beyer 146). In this third and final speech Moses talks about the future of the nation. He not only predicts that they will be victorious in the promise land, but he also correctly predicts their future disobedience, exile, and return (Arnold and Beyer 147). In chapter 31 Moses does two important things; he gives the leadership of Israel over to Joshua and also “provides for the future of the written word” (Arnold and Beyer 146). He wrote down the law and told the nation to read it publicly every seven years. Moses then constructs a song of Israel’s history, so the nation could remember God’s provision: “By them (the words of the song) you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to posses” (Deuteronomy 32:47). Moses, as his final act of leadership, then blesses the 12 tribes of Israel. After this final speech, Moses climbs Mount Nebo and the Lord “showed him the whole land” (Deuteronomy 34:1). Then Moses, the servant of God, died. This ends the Pentateuch; with the Israelites camped on the plains of Moab, ready to conquer the promise land.
Works Cited Page
Arnold, Bill T., and Bryan E. Beyer. Encountering the Old Testament,: A Christian Survey (Encountering Biblical Studies). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008.
Marty, William M. A Survey of the Old Testament: Student Notes. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2009.
Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Fully rev. ed. Kenneth L. Barker, gen. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Gospel
Want a picture of God's Justice? Read Deuteronomy 28. God lays down what will happen to His people, Israel, if they disobey or obey His commandments. How great are the blessings and how horrible the curses. You have to read the entire chapter to fully realize the immense gap between these two actions. How serious God is about righteousness. Remember when you read that Jesus paid the price, He took that punishment. Because of our awesome Savior we are saved from the wrath of God. It is impossible for us to achieve God's law; Romans 8:6-8 says that "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, NOR CAN IT DO SO. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God". All humanity is destined to God's righteous wrath. Yet, as the hymn says, the wrath of God was satisfied. It is satisfied by the perfect blood of Jesus Christ. He took all that wrath upon Him; all He asks in return is for you to give Him your life. You will lose it anyway. That's what Jesus means when He says in Matthew 16:25 you must deny your life to gain it. For if you keep your life for yourself you will run into God's wrath. Read the second half of Dut. 28; the wrath of God is not a good place to be. Yet if you lose your life to Christ, your whole life, having faith that He will save you, you will gain life. He gave his life as your ransom: "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45). Doesn't it make sense now. So many people are confused with what Christianity is. Martin Luther calls it the Great Exchange: “This is that mystery which is rich in divine grace to sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s, and the righteousness of Christ not Christ’s but ours. He has emptied himself of his righteousness that he might clothe us with it and fill us with it; and he has taken our evils upon himself that he might deliver us from them.” (Matin Luther). Not only to do you gain the life you would have lost, but it is a far better life than you would have had. John 10:10 says "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." We call this the Gospel. How is there any reason left to not have faith in Jesus? I beg you to come to Him, save yourself from the wrath of God, for it is just. Have faith in Jesus. Links are below for more information.
Deuteronomy 28
More about the Gospel
*If anyone has any question about anything on this article please leave a comment and your e-mail and I will be glad to talk to you about it.
Deuteronomy 28
More about the Gospel
*If anyone has any question about anything on this article please leave a comment and your e-mail and I will be glad to talk to you about it.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Overcoming My Idol
My biggest struggle is acceptance. I love to be liked. I love to have friends and family who love me back. I love to be the center of conversation. I love to be the one that everyone loves. I have loved this love of like more than God, and that is my sin. Of course, with this sin came my other crowning sin, pride. I was proud of my Christian walk. I have never smoked a cigarette or drunk a beer. I never touched drugs and curses never flew from my mouth. I was proud of my “success” as a Christian. Yet I was sinner through and through. My life was based on acceptance. I would sometimes do my devotions purely so I could tell people I had done my devotions. I would sometimes tell jokes to friends that I knew I shouldn’t have for laughter. It is so funny how we chastise bible characters like Esau for doing something so stupid as selling his birthright for a bowl of soup, then we turn around and do the same thing. I would sell my birthright for a laugh. In fact, I would sell more, my very soul. Praise God he has redeemed and saved me from such a worthless trade. I now realize how foolish I was (and still am). I used God to feed my pride and need of acceptance. I turned the best good the world has ever known into an avenue to gain popularity and privilege. Jesus pinned me in Matthew 23:25: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean”. Francis Chan once said to his church: “God doesn’t want you hear singing ‘hallelujah’ if your life screams ‘crucify him!’”. I was a Pharisee. My cup was clean as could be on the outside, but filthy inside. I sang loud and well “Hallelujah!” on Sunday, yet deep in my heart I yelled “Crucify Him!”. Yet God forgives; even such evil as I have done. Finally broken by God, I laid all my life bare before Him (as if it all was not already). I surrendered everything. I prayed for the Holy Spirit’s help with my addiction to pride and people pleasing. I had to give up my ambition, my strength, and all the wisdom I thought I have. It was all God’s. I prayed that He might take my life and do with it what He will. Like the song says, I got to the point where it was well with my soul. Everything God could will was well with my soul. Whether I pastored a church of 40,000 or 4. Whether I married a beautiful wife or lived alone. Whether I was hated or loved. I realized God was the only one I needed to please. God is the only thing I must have pride in (Jer 9:23-24). I deny life that I may gain real life (Matt 16:25).
Let me be clear, I have not conquered my sin; yet with God’s help I am improving. I struggle daily with the reasons I do the things I do. Also, realize that I did not begin improving by praying and then going back to what I was doing before. One of my favorite verses is Exodus 14:15. The Israelites are trapped by the Red Sea and cry out to God, and He says to Moses “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” The Israelites knew God’s promises, they saw His power in Egypt with the plagues. They should have had hope and faith in God, prayed to Him for help, then moved on. We have God on our side, why are we afraid to do anything? Of course, God doesn’t need our help, but He wants us to truly love Him, so he gives us choices to make. In fact, trials and temptations are suppose to create perseverance in us (James 1:2-8).
So what did I do specifically to “move on”? I have to always ask myself if my reasons for doing anything is for man or God. Even while writing this article I asked God if I am writing this so others will think better of me, or if I am writing so others may avoid my mistakes. I don’t volunteer to pray aloud as much as I used to; to avoid the temptations of “babbling like the pagans” or praying “to be seen by men” (Matt 6:5-8). When I sing praises to God I do so softly, or sometimes don’t even sing, but listen to those around me, or pray. So that no one can praise my voice, for it does not deserve to be praised. I don’t raise my hands or kneel, so I do not draw anyone’s attention to myself. I praise my God silently. In theological discussions I listen more than I speak (although there is always a time to speak). I don’t ask questions I know the answers to. I have devotions in secret, so no one will find me. And I do not hope that someone finds me while in my quiet time with my Savior. Don’t misunderstand me, most of these things are not evil, it is simply that I have found that in my life these restrictions help me avoid temptation.
What are your struggles? What do you put above God? What can you do to truly put those idols behind you? Identifying your idol is the hardest part. Once you know your enemy, attack it. Take it fully from your life if you can, run like Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife. Pray to God for help, He is faithful and will always give you a way out of your temptation (1 Cor 10:13). With God’s help, you can do it. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Phil 4:13). You are never lost to God; He can bring you back from your sin. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26) Give up your life, that you might gain real life!
Let me be clear, I have not conquered my sin; yet with God’s help I am improving. I struggle daily with the reasons I do the things I do. Also, realize that I did not begin improving by praying and then going back to what I was doing before. One of my favorite verses is Exodus 14:15. The Israelites are trapped by the Red Sea and cry out to God, and He says to Moses “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” The Israelites knew God’s promises, they saw His power in Egypt with the plagues. They should have had hope and faith in God, prayed to Him for help, then moved on. We have God on our side, why are we afraid to do anything? Of course, God doesn’t need our help, but He wants us to truly love Him, so he gives us choices to make. In fact, trials and temptations are suppose to create perseverance in us (James 1:2-8).
So what did I do specifically to “move on”? I have to always ask myself if my reasons for doing anything is for man or God. Even while writing this article I asked God if I am writing this so others will think better of me, or if I am writing so others may avoid my mistakes. I don’t volunteer to pray aloud as much as I used to; to avoid the temptations of “babbling like the pagans” or praying “to be seen by men” (Matt 6:5-8). When I sing praises to God I do so softly, or sometimes don’t even sing, but listen to those around me, or pray. So that no one can praise my voice, for it does not deserve to be praised. I don’t raise my hands or kneel, so I do not draw anyone’s attention to myself. I praise my God silently. In theological discussions I listen more than I speak (although there is always a time to speak). I don’t ask questions I know the answers to. I have devotions in secret, so no one will find me. And I do not hope that someone finds me while in my quiet time with my Savior. Don’t misunderstand me, most of these things are not evil, it is simply that I have found that in my life these restrictions help me avoid temptation.
What are your struggles? What do you put above God? What can you do to truly put those idols behind you? Identifying your idol is the hardest part. Once you know your enemy, attack it. Take it fully from your life if you can, run like Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife. Pray to God for help, He is faithful and will always give you a way out of your temptation (1 Cor 10:13). With God’s help, you can do it. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Phil 4:13). You are never lost to God; He can bring you back from your sin. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26) Give up your life, that you might gain real life!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Hosea and Our Idols
So I have recently begun to read Hosea for devotions. This little book towards the back of the Old Testament is often swiftly read over by daily bible readers eager to get to the Gospels. Yet this little book has taught me so much in the past two days. The story is very simple; Israel has fallen away from the one true God and have replaced Him in their hearts with idols. The prophet Hosea, following God’s orders, then marries the prostitute Gomer to represent to Israel what they are doing to God. Gomer, after having three children with Hosea, gives in to her old temptations and returns to the brothel. God uses this illustration to pierce the hearts of the Israelites. In chapter 2 God tells Israel of their evil. He rebukes them and warns that, because they did not turn away He will make “her (Israel) as bare as on the day she was born, I will make her like a desert.” (Hosea 2:3). This chapter is perhaps one of the best pictures of how God works through the trials for “the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Of Israel God says “I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them...I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness...I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers...I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals...and went after lovers, but me she forgot” (Hosea 2:6-7, 9, 12-13). The first thought many Christians have when they read this is “I don’t worship any idols. I don’t have any wooden statues or incense to deities.” That thought is what many times keeps people from learning things for these Old Testament books. We still have plenty of idols in our day! They just changed their names. Mark Driscoll once said “Idols are normally good things, that we turn into god things, and that makes them bad things”. I’ll give you some examples: a young Christian man who wants to look for a good Christian wife. Obviously, that is not a bad thing, it is a very good thing. Yet if that becomes a quest, a life-consuming goal to the point where the young man loves the idea of this woman more than God, that is an idol. Same thing can happen in a marriage or friendship. Anything we place above God is an idol. Some other idols can include pleasure, pride, jealousy, jobs, family, Christian ministry, sex, people pleasing, knowledge, education, grades, perfection, being spiritual, recognition, leadership, and so many more. The root of all sins are idolatry! That’s why Hosea is such an amazing book; we all are like Israel. We all forget about God, we all cling to other lovers, we all burn incense to our own Baals. So God, in His all-knowing love, blocks our paths, unsatisfies us, punishes us. Takes away our comfort, our security, our money, our lovers. We are left naked like the desert. Yet this is not the end of the story. Gomer is saved by Hosea, who buys her back and brings her into his house and loves her. God uses an even better illustration. “I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her...I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge that I am God.”(Hosea 2:15, 19-20) This reunion is so wonderful that the Bible says, “‘In that day’, declares the Lord ‘you will call me “my husband”; you will no longer call me “my master”’”. (Hosea 2:16). This grace is so amazing that any anger or resentment or reluctance we feel melts away. The fear we had because of his punishment, that fear that makes us call him “master”, is gone when His embrace turns our fear into love as we utter through our tears “husband”. We change our name of God from a fearful name to one of affection. How amazing is God’s forgiveness. It changes fear to love, and turns a sinner into a saint. Turn from your idols, and run back to God!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)