A Boomer in the Pew

Bible in a Year Series: Longing for our Present Exodus

Day #31 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today's text from the ESV Study Bible:  Exodus 4-6.

The mural shown here is from a 15th century BC Egyptian tomb which depicts Asiatics hard at work making bricks.  Click the mural to learn more.

God's chosen people are enslaved to Pharaoh with the backbreaking work of making bricks.  God's people have grown from a band of 70 people to a vast nation in captivity.

Furthermore, the are complaining to God of their labors, and Moses' first round with Pharaoh made life even worse and now they had to gather their own straw to make bricks, but must still maintain the same daily output.  A tremendously worse burden that brought the whip down on them even more.

It is important for us to learn all the things that God has in view for us in this scene.  And, there is a great many things.  But my mind is drawn to the foreshadowing that exists here.

Are we not Israel lumbering under the taskmaster of our fallen natures?  Do we not live under an evil Pharaoh (Satan) who bids us to do his bidding?  Do we not long for our own Exodus to the promised land?

With our own Exodus in mind, and our own longing for the promised land, let us read these verses with new eyes:

"God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” (Exodus 6:2-8)

This is a far different relationship we see before our eyes then we have witnessed thus far in the Patriarchs. From the beginning God desired us to be his "sons", and here he has begun to call the nation of Israel his "son".  This is a far more personal God then we have seen.

It does us well to consider all of the times God has said "I" in these verses, and brand our hearts with each and every one of them.  Furthermore, as we consider our life and times, let us take these words and pray them back to our God:

You are my God.  You appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  You will redeem us with your outstretched arm with great acts of judgment.  You take me to your your son.  You will be my God.  You will bring me into the land that you promised, and give it to us as a possession.  You are my God.

Come Messiah, Come!

Bible in a Year Series: God's Plan of Divine Rescue is now Initiated Through Moses the Mediator

Day #30 (Part #2) - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Exodus 1-3.

Here in the book of Exodus we have made the transition from Jacob's family of 70 people, living in the pastures of Egypt's Goshen, to a nation of Israelites living in slavery under a Pharaoh who didn't know Joseph some 400 years later.

As a side note, I found it fascinating to read of the actual archaeological digs in Egypt where evidence of large populations of "Asiatics" (the Israelites) lived during this time.

In these pages, we are again witness to God's sovereign working with the midwives, Pharaoh's daughter raising Moses, Moses running for his life from Pharaoh, his subsequent marriage to Zipporah in Midian, and Moses' encounter with God in the burning bush.

However, it is with great interest that we here find God introducing us to his holiness.  We should now have a good idea of God's powerful sovereignty, but now, in the following chapters, we are going to begin to understand that God is perfectly holy, and as such, God will begin to further teach us that we can not approach his holiness, that we are separated from his holy presence, that we need to develop a proper fear of his holiness, and that in spite of his great holiness, and the infinite gulf between himself and us, that he has now initiated his plan of redemption.

God has chosen his people, and he will now begin to teach them who he is, how he desires them to live, and even more amazing, how he will actually dwell with them in a soon to be built tabernacle.

Remember back to Job, and his desperate cry for a mediator?  Well, before us is the great mediator Moses, and a foreshadow of God's ultimate mediator, Messiah.

Drive slow in these verses, and drink deep.  There is much for us to learn here.

Bible in a Year Series: Introduction to the Book of Exodus

Day #30 (Part #1) - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today we begin the book of Exodus, our third book of the Bible in our chronological reading of text, having now completed Genesis and Job.

We must keep in our minds, as we read through our Scriptures, that this is a story of salvation.  God has created a plan to redeem lost man from the Garden of Eden, and our Scriptures record that plan from the Garden of Eden all the way to a future promised land in heaven.  Exodus records a very important step in God's plan.

I enjoyed this overview of Exodus from my ESV Study Bible Notes:

"Within the story of man's salvation, the book of Exodus describes a great forward step. The book of Genesis showed the plight of the human race and its need for salvation. The call of Abraham began the process of divine rescue. Then Jacob's migration to Egypt seemed to put the plan aside. But in a most dramatic fashion Exodus shows the divine plan reactivated. Heaven-sent plagues force the Egyptians to let Israel go. Then, accompanied by the cloud of God's presence, they travel toward the promised land of Canaan. Pausing en route at Mount Sinai, they hear God declare to them his laws and seal his covenant with them. Israel is already God's people by virtue of the promises to Abraham; this covenant establishes the people as a theocracy, in which the covenant specifies the operations of the civil and social, as well as religious, aspects of Israel's life. Despite their prompt disregard of their covenantal relationship in the worship of the golden calf, the covenant is renewed and the tabernacle is built, a pledge of God's continuing presence with them. The book ends with the glory of God filling the tabernacle, ready to lead the people to the Promised Land."

To further wet our appetites for our journey through the book of Exodus, I also greatly enjoyed this overview of the book's literary features from the ESV Study Bible Notes:

"Exodus is an adventure story par excellence. It features a cruel villain (Pharaoh), an unlikely hero (Moses), overwhelming disasters (the plagues), a spectacular deliverance (crossing the Red Sea), a long journey (through the wilderness), a mountaintop experience (where Moses received the Ten Commandments), and a grand finale (the presence of God coming down to the ark of the covenant, filling the tabernacle with glory). The story features unexpected setbacks and unpredictable delays, magic tricks (from Pharaoh's sorcerers) and miracles, feasts and festivals, music and dancing, and many close encounters with the living God. God's purpose in all of this was to show his glory by fulfilling the promises he made to his people in the covenant. The exodus is the archetypal deliverance of the OT—the definitive salvation event that established the identity of Israel as the people of God and demonstrated the character of their Deliverer as the God who saves.

The basic framework of the book is epic. Epics begin with a nation in crisis, and this epic opens with the Israelites languishing in slavery and their would-be deliverer born under the threat of death by drowning. The story proceeds along epic lines, with a cosmic confrontation between good and evil that is happily resolved through a mighty act of rescue and a long journey to freedom. Moses is the heroic (albeit imperfect) national leader who serves as the human instrument of a divine deliverance. Like many epics, Exodus is also the story of the founding of a nation. This helps to explain how the second half of the book connects to the first: once the people of God are delivered from bondage, they meet to receive a national constitution (the Ten Commandments) and to establish a place for their national assembly (the tabernacle). Within its epic framework, Exodus also contains a wealth of subgenres: rescue story, calling story, human-divine encounter, diplomatic negotiation, plague story, genealogy, institution of a festival, song of victory, travelogue, miracle story, legal code, case law, covenant renewal ceremony, architectural blueprint, garment design, building narrative."

This is going to be an amazing journey, and I can't wait to get started.  See you in Chapter #1!

Bible in a Year Series: Genesis and Job completed and Ready for the Book of Exodus

Day #29 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today's text from the ESV Study Bible:  Genesis 48-50.

We have just concluded our second book of the Bible with the closing of Genesis (including our reading of the book of Job), and the deaths of Jacob and Joseph before our eyes.

These first five books were written by Moses, and lay down a critical foundation to the faith of the Christian. 

Without a right understanding of what God has presented before our eyes, it is impossible to perhaps get anything else right.

These are not merely nice stories for us to teach our children in Sunday school.  These are, in fact, God's revealed history from the very beginning.

Here are a few things that come to my mind as I reflect back over this book of Genesis:

• God created the universe with a spoken word.
• God's desire was to live among his people, and they would be his priestly regents to care for and multiply the earth.
• In great mystery, we learn that a serpent (Satan) exists that will bring about the fall of man through deceit.
• As a result of man's disobedience, death is brought upon man, and he is eternally separated from God, and tragically removed from daily walks with God, and booted out of the Garden of Eden.
• We begin to see that mankind has now, through its total depravity, become, with a few exceptions, an enemy to God.
• This is apparent in the flood where God destroys all living thing except Noah, his family, and a boat load of animals.
• God lays forth the groundwork of redemption for mankind, and will do this through Abraham.  God makes a covenant with Abraham that he will build a nation, his (God's) people, and that it is with these people that we know that Messiah will come, and through Messiah we understand of a new promised land, and a new relationship with God in our presence as King. (Note: I cheated here and brought forth understanding from later books)
• We have seen God's infinite power, his fierce wrath against sin, and we begin to understand that man is desperately in need of a way to stand before a holy God.  Something that we are totally incapable of through our own efforts. 
• We begin to understand that it is God who is doing the choosing of his people.  Just as God chose Abraham, God is still in the business of choosing his people today.
• As we saw in the book of Job, we will begin to understand our need of redemption, our need of a Savior, our need of a perfect sacrifice before Holy God. 
• Further as we have seen in the Book of Job, and demonstrated in Genesis, God will have his will, and he even has the power to use evil, that is apart from his character, to achieve this purpose.

We have come a long way in our understanding of who God is.  However, we have a very long journey ahead, and a great many more things to learn.

Here are the questions that seems to be appropriate at this point:  Did you learn the lesson that God would have you learn?  Do you see his infinite power?  Do you see that we now live with a prideful human nature that is opposed to God?  Do you see that he is merciful in spite of our sinful desire to be our own gods?  Are you ready to move in the book of Exodus, and begin to see God reveal more of his plan of redemption?

Do you believe what you just read?

Albert Mohler: The Shack Reveals a Disastrous Lack of Discernment in the Christian Community

Cowabunga!  I had no idea that this book has sold 10 million copies.

Frankly, it makes me very sad.

Let me just let Dr. Mohler explain:

"In evaluating the book, it must be kept in mind that The Shack is a work of fiction. But it is also a sustained theological argument, and this simply cannot be denied. Any number of notable novels and works of literature have contained aberrant theology, and even heresy. The crucial question is whether the aberrant doctrines are features of the story or the message of the work. When it comes to The Shack, the really troubling fact is that so many readers are drawn to the theological message of the book, and fail to see how it conflicts with the Bible at so many crucial points.

All this reveals a disastrous failure of evangelical discernment. It is hard not to conclude that theological discernment is now a lost art among American evangelicals -- and this loss can only lead to theological catastrophe."

As I see it, this book touches people on a deeply emotional level.  The problem is that the foundation upon which it stands is deeply errant.

When we allow our emotions to overpower our Christian discernment then we are certain to play into the hands of the Great Deceiver.

The universalism that is presented in this book stands squarely against the words of Messiah, and I am deeply troubled that 10 million people can't see that.

Bible in a Year Series: 18th Century BC Mural Depicts People From the Time of the Patriarchs Travelling to Egypt

Day #28 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Genesis 46-47.

For reasons unknown to this writer, God has chosen to bring a horrible seven year famine upon the land.  Further, God in his sovereignty has chosen to elevate Joseph (from the tribe of Jacob), in the most unusual of circumstances, to become second in command of all Egypt.

Further still, we find that Joseph, because of his high post, brings the entire clan of Jacob to settle in the pasture lands of Goshen, a region of Egypt, where the stage will be set for the birth of Moses, and a subsequent dramatic exodus in later chapters.

One of the comforts brought to the Christian is the reliability of the sacred text when viewed through the historical, and archeological record.  Though certain empirical evidence is very difficult to obtain from such ancient times, the overwhelming breadth of historical,  and archeological evidence certainly brings one the ability to provide a buttress to one's faith.

I think of the Mormons, for example, where evidently there exists not one shred of archeological evidence, throughout the whole world, that the claims of Joseph Smith are true.  Certainly this must weigh heavily upon the thinking Mormons mind.

The above mural, found in the late 18th century BC Egyptian tomb of Khnum-Hotep, portrays a band of "Asiatics" coming down into the lands of Egypt.  No one is making the claim that this portrays a particular Patriarch's family journey, but it does however put the right people, in the right place, and at the right time, and gives us a glimpse of what the Patriarchal families must have looked like.

This from BibleArcheology.com on the above mural scene of famous Asiatics visiting Egypt:

"Bene Hasan Asiatics and the Biblical Patriarchs

The Khnum-Hotep tomb paintings, in general, provide an important glimpse into daily life and activities in this Egyptian province early in the second millennium BC. Yet this one scene offers a unique glimpse of Asiatics in Egypt at this time. Whether merchants or traveling artisans, the scene and inscription suggest an extended family, of thirty-seven, traveling from Syro-Palestine into Egypt.Because Khnum-Hotep’s administration occurred at the turn of the nineteenth century BC, the depiction of Asiatics in Egypt at this time can’t help but conjure up a picture of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph) each of whom also spent time in Egypt during this general time period. A group of men, women and children suggests an extended family unit working and traveling together, reminiscent of Jacob’s family traveling to Egypt. So the Beni Hasan Asiatics’ appearance, dress, equipment and mode of travel should reflect much about the Patriarchs. Both the Biblical Patriarchs and the Beni Hasan Asiatics traveled from the same region (Syro-Palestine) to the same region (Egypt) during the same period (twentieth–nineteenth centuries BC). While no one proposes these are the Israelites, it is the right people, the right places and the right time to offer greater insights into the world of Biblical characters."

Tomorrow we are going to finish the Book of Genesis with the death of Jacob.  What a journey this has been!  Think about it.  We have witnessed creation, the fall, the flood, the Tower of Babel, and have concluded with the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, with a stout dose of Job through in between.

Has your view of God been changed in any way?  How has your faith deepened?

These are the very breathed words of God.  We must drink them deeply.

Bible in a Year Series: Joseph's Shocking Understanding of God's Sovereignty

Day #27 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Genesis 43-45.

Boy!  What a narrative!

Out of all the story line, this is what caught my eye the most:

"And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God." (Genesis 45:5a-8a)

Wow! 

Think about what he just said.  It was sovereign God who permitted Joseph to be thrown in the pit, sold to merchants, become a slave to Potiphar, thrown into jail for years, all to ultimately become the Vizier of Egypt to protect the lineage of Christ through Jacob's seed.  For remember, Messiah will come through Judah, not Joseph.

All those years of bondage not simply forgiven, but complete responsibility transferred to Yahweh.

This is certainly another view of God's sovereignty, but also certainly a foreshadowing of Messiah's ultimate sacrifice for his chosen people.

Wayne Grudem Series: Supreme Court has Wrongly Become the Most Powerful Group in the Nation

This post is part of a series of posts taken from Dr. Wayne Grudem's Sunday school class at Scottsdale Bible Church.  In this class, Dr. Grudem is taking us through his forthcoming book: Politics: According to the Bible. I have created a category link here, which will allow you to scroll through all of the upcoming posts.

Note:  audio of our class is found at the bottom of this post.

Wayne Grudem:

"The usurping of ultimate power by the Supreme Court of the United States is the most important issue facing our nation today, because it affects the entire structure of how we are governed."

A man owns a piece of property.  The city declares that another man's private enterprise might be a better use of the property for the common good of the people.  The original owner fights this to the Supreme Court, and our Supreme Court declares that any persons property might be taken if it is determined that another persons use of the land might better serve the common good.

Hence, an original  constitutional right has been taken away from this man because a group of judges has decided to impose their view of right and wrong upon the constitution, rather than interpreting the law through the eyes of the original drafters, with a strong eye on their original intent.

As a result of this type of judicial behavior, we have seen laws imposed upon the United States citizens, without their constitutional right to make, or strike down such laws, with absolutely no power to defend themselves from such laws.

The Supreme Court of the United States is the ultimate ruler of our land.  Further, with today's make up of the Supreme Court bench (4 liberals, 4 originalists), we essentially are under the rule of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Wayne Grudem, "this is a system gone horribly wrong".

Dr. Grudem ended this class with a look at how the Bible might look upon this situation, and ended the class by making his most controversial statement that, "from a judicial point of view, your vote for a Republican verses a Democrat makes a significant difference on this issue because this issue is drawn down the middle of party lines".

Wow!  Who says you have to be politically correct in church?  Controversial?  You bet!  Necessary to be said, even more so.

Point for us to take home?  Become educated voters.

Class Notes:  Download GrudemThe Courts and The Question Of Ultimate Power In A Nation

Class Audio:

Bible in a Year Series: Joseph a "Type" of Christ?

Day #26 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Genesis 41-42.

As theologians have pointed out, the whole of the Old Testament points to Messiah.

This pointing is found in numerous way.  In our reading of Job, we found him longing for a mediator.  Even in Genesis, we find God telling the serpent of his coming defeat by Messiah.

When we get to the books of the prophets, we will see prophetic calls for Messiah, and there also exists what theologians call "types", and/or foreshadowing of Messiah.

It is important that we don't make too much of this, but we will see a great many situations throughout the Old Testament that will foreshadow events in the life of Christ.

Here are a few points on this subject from Dr. Warren Gage (assistant professor of Old Testament - Knox Theological Seminary):

"The Joseph narrative is subject to Marsh’s dictum, for no New Testament text explicitly calls Joseph a type of Christ. But how magnificent a picture of Jesus is the pattern of Joseph’s sufferings and the glory that followed! Let’s begin with a few of the most emblematic correspondences. Joseph was the shepherd son beloved by his father yet rejected by his brothers (Gen. 37:2–3). The sign of his father’s love was a coat of many colors. But Joseph’s brothers took the coat and dipped it in blood. This signified that Joseph had suffered an encounter with a “wild beast” (vv. 31–33). In the course of time, however, Joseph was made to rule at the right hand of the king, and he wore a linen robe with a golden collar (41:41–43). Every knee bowed before him, even his own family, like the sun and the moon and the eleven stars (37:9). 

Similarly, Jesus is the shepherd Son (John 10:11) beloved by His Father (Matt. 3:17) yet rejected by His brothers (John 1:11). The sign of Jesus’ rejection is the coat He wears dipped in blood (Rev. 19:13), even though His Father has exalted Him to the right hand of a throne encircled by a rainbow of many colors (Rev. 4:2–3). A “wild beast” tried to devour Jesus (Rev. 12:4), but He was lifted up before His own family, represented by a woman clothed with the sun and the moon and the twelve stars (Rev. 12:1). After Jesus was exalted, He appears wearing a robe with a golden sash (Rev. 1:13). Every knee now bows before Him (Rev. 1:17; Phil. 2:10)."

Not all Biblical scholars agree that Joseph is indeed a "type".  But my point isn't to argue that one way or another.  I desire that we see that there clearly exists uncanny resemblances to the life of Christ throughout the Old Testament, and to me it clearly seems to be another way that God prepares the heart, mind, and soul for his only begotten Son.

As we shall see over, and over, the Old Testament screams, "Come Messiah, come!" 

Furthermore, if we keep our ears tuned to the Holy Spirit's teaching, it will become crystal clear to us why we need Jesus the Christ as well.  For without his perfect sacrifice, we would remain infinitely at peril under holy God's just wrath.

Bible in a Year Series: The Shocking Story of Tamar the Adulterous Ancestor of Messiah

Day #25 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible.  Click here to learn more.  You are most welcome to join along at any time.

Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Genesis 38-40.

Today's reading finds Joseph thrown in jail because of the lying wife of Potiphar, who claimed that Joseph made improper moves on her. But what is most shocking to me was the story of Judah and Tamar.

Think about what is happening here:

• Judah goes off and marries a Canaanite woman.  This isn't really approved of in the family.
• Judah has three sons by this Canaanite woman.
• Judah selects Tamar to be his first son's wife.  The first son is evil, so God kills him leaving no firstborn between he and Tamar.
• Judah tells the second born son to step up and deliver the firstborn heir through sexual relations Tamar.  He "wastes his seed on the ground", did something wicked in the eyes of God, and God kills him too.
• Then, Judah, not wanting God to kill his last son, decides to wait until one of his third son's sons grow up, and sends Tamar back to her family until then.
• Fast forward and we find Tamar plotting seduction, and she has intercourse with Judah, bears two sons from her father-in-law, and from this amazingly messed up set of circumstances will come the line of Messiah!

The Apostle Matthew wrote the first of the Gospels in our New Testament.  Matthew was a Jew, and one of the main purposes in writing his Gospel was to show the disbelieving Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

His very first point was to lay out Jesus' genealogy.  Look at this from Matthew 1:1-3a:

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,..."

Who can begin to fathom the mind of God?  Why would he choose to plan the lineage of Messiah so far of course of what we would expect?  What's even more incredible is that this will happen several times in the history of redemption. 

If we were going to make up this stuff, this isn't the way we would do it?  We would make it far more neat and clean.  We are going to stand in great shock as we see redemption's story unfold over the generations.  God will not let us put him in a box. 

Are you shocked by this chapter?  Do you see what I mean?