1 O Lord , you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord .
5 You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Step Four - Courage
Mt 26:69-75 · Acts 9:1-9 · Ps 139:1-6
Sermon
by John A. Terry
Step four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
The psalmist talks of the God before whom such a searching and fearless moral inventory is both possible and necessary. Ours is a God who, in traditional language, is omniscience and omnipresent, a God who knows all and is everywhere. This Psalm is sometimes called the Psalm of the unavoidable God.
We believe that before our God there are no secret thoughts or actions. All is known by our God. I remember hearing a lecture one time where the speaker had a fantasy. He was going to go into one of those high rise apartment buildings where there is a large panel of buttons to call each apartment. He was going to push all of them at once, say "All is known," then step outside to see how many people jump.
What would you feel like doing if all was known? We have a rule with our boys: If you tell the truth you do not get spanked. If you lie, you do get spanked. We usually need to ask twice. That is because our first response is to defend ourselves. "No I did not do that ... Okay, I did."
What does it take to get to the point where you can say what the psalmist says? The key word is fearless. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but it is not the end. We have not been given the spirit of fear, as St. Paul tells us, but the spirit of sonship/daughtership. Talking with God about our worst self is okay because God is not going to spank us for telling him what he already knows.
We have to know our God is a God of grace, or else we could not live. Ours is a God who knows all about us, forgives all about us and loves us regardless.
A mentor of mine talked about his feelings when he got married. He said that he thought his wife would love him and stay with him until she found out what he was really like, then it would be all over. She could not know what he was really like and still love him. He found quite the opposite. The more they got to know each other, the more open and honest they were with each other, the more they loved each other.
That, he said, is the miracle of Christian love. In Christian love, our goal is not to hide things from one another. In Christian love we are not supposed to go through life carrying the terrible burden for what we have done or said or thought.
The New Testament reading and the gospel reading tell about two whom God searched and knew. Peter and Paul are the two most significant figures in the early church. They are two men who had some terrible thing they wanted to hide, who made a searching and fearless moral inventory of themselves.
The New Testament reading is the story of Paul's conversion on the Damascus road. Before his conversion Paul was called Saul. (To eliminate confusion I will call him Paul even though this happened when he was Saul.)
Paul was out to persecute followers of "The Way," a name used in the early days to refer to Christians. Paul was not looking for a "way." He was looking for an answer, something specific, something he found in the prescriptions of the law. It is like folks who would rather have "arrived" than face the struggle of being in the process of what life brings.
It reminds me of the time last June when we bought a swing set. Stores do not let you look at the directions until after you have bought the item. The directions began by explaining that it takes experienced workers an hour and 40 minutes to get this swing set assembled, so it might take me a little longer than that.
It took a long time, but it is done and we can just sit back and watch the kids swing. One of the inherent dangers of doing a series on a 12-step process is that it can seem too much like putting together a swing set. Finish the 12th step and you are done.
Swing sets work that way. Matters of faith do not. Last month I listened to a chaplain lead a group of patients who were hospitalized in an addiction recovery center. Someone asked, "At the end of a month here, what step should we be on?"
The chaplain, who is experienced in these 12 steps, said that, if, after a month of intensive work, you had a firm grasp on step one - admitting your life is unmanageable - you are doing very well.
Unlike a product assembly, where you work from step one to 12 and are finished, in this process you return again and again to the basic steps, the basic human struggle of admitting our weakness and turning our life - again and again - over to God. This is not a set of directions and rules and regulations. It is a way of life.
That was not what Paul thought he was looking for. Earlier, Paul had seen the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Paul held the cloaks of those who killed him. He had seen the persistence and faith of other Christians. He had witnessed the shedding of blood.
I think here of people who join the Ku Klux Klan. This group is sure it has the answer: Espouse the cause of white superiority; hate blacks and Jews. Those rules are clear and easy to follow. They put on the robe and join the cross burning. But something happens.
Maybe they see firsthand what happens when racial hatred runs out of control, as it did in Forsythe County. Maybe they have a child bring home a new friend of a different race or religion or culture. As they watch the children play together, something breaks through the hatred and they hear a voice saying, "Why are you so filled with hate when it is so much better to be filled with love?"
Paul was not setting out to do a moral inventory of himself. He was out to destroy the followers of the Way. Paul must have been certain that he was doing good. After all, he was defending what he believed to be the true faith. As often happens with "true believers," the intensity of his effort was his way of convincing himself of his doubts.
He was not just content with driving Christians from Jerusalem. Because they were being severely persecuted, the church in Jerusalem had been forced underground, and refugees were reported to have reached Damascus. They must be pursued and rooted out wherever they fled, not only within the frontiers of the land of Israel, but beyond them as well.
It is about 140 miles from Jerusalem to Damascus. The journey would be made on foot and would take about a week. Paul's only companions were the officers of the Sanhedrin, a kind of police force. But because he was a Pharisee, he could have nothing to do with them. So he walked alone, alone with his thoughts.
Just before Damascus the road climbs Mount Hermon, and down below lay Damascus. That region has one characteristical meteorological phenomenon. When the hot air of the plain meets the cold air of the mountain range, violent electrical storms result. Just at that moment there came a blinding light and out of the storm and in it Christ spoke to Paul.
There are various and sundry speculations as to what happened to Paul on that road. It may well have been the intensity of the thunderstorm that made him listen to God in a whole new way. Others say it was hysterical blindness. Paul did dictate his letters instead of write them himself, and when he did write, he wrote in large print. Others think Paul had epilepsy. This might tie in with Paul's later reference to his "thorn in the flesh."
Paul's conversion reminds me a bit of the courtroom scene from every Perry Mason show. The innocent party has been charged with guilt. The guilty party is on the stand or in the courtroom watching the trial. The evidence builds and builds. There is that one last piece of evidence detective Paul Drake brings in, and in an instant the plea of innocence becomes an admission of guilt.
Paul had been fighting and fighting and fighting against the Way of Christ, but as he dealt with the saints, the evidence continued to mount against what he was doing with his life. The last piece of evidence came in, and then the surrender. He who had intended to enter Damascus with an avenging fury was led by the hand, blind and helpless.
For three days - a holy number - he fasted, a penitent fast. And he said nothing. He needed to get things right with God, but what was he to say? He realized that God knew all. How could he ask forgiveness?
Whatever happened on the road, God did something to him. His life was transformed. He stopped fighting the Way of Christ and started following the Way of Christ. He changed from chief persecutor to chief missionary.
This is the story of Paul's conversion. The word conversion literally means having your life turn around. I have talked with people whose lives have gone through a substantial change. They can point to the hinge experience of their life. But when I refer to that as their conversion, the reaction is often that I did not understand what they were explaining. This was not, I am sometimes told, a religious experience. Their entire life changed, but they did not see God in charge.
Paul could have done that. He could have analyzed what happened. "I guess I have a phobia with lightning and I lost my senses." "It is just hysterical blindness." "It was just exhaustion. The trip wore me out." "I have been under too much stress." No. What happened was God spoke to him and he listened and he let God forgive him and he let God change his life.
This brings us to the story of Peter. Some days before Peter had promised Jesus, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you (Matthew 26:35)." But things happened. There was conflict at the last supper; then there was the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane where Peter and the others fled.
When Jesus was inside the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, being questioned, Peter showed a lot of courage in even going into that courtyard, and then sticking around after he has been twice identified.
He wanted to be brave, but he was like a child caught in a lie. "I didn't do it." Then one lie leads to another. Aristotle said that the penalty for telling a lie is that the liar is not believed when he tells the truth.
We want to hide our lies and ourselves from that God who judges us. I talked with a teenager who told me that when she was a pre-teen she tried to kill her mother. Fortunately she did not succeed. But after that when she went to church she would hide under the pews. That was her response to her guilt, to try to hide from God.
Peter's response to his guilt was healthy. He stopped the lies. He did not try to hide his guilt. He cried. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who mourn when they look at their lives, for they shall be comforted.
At about the same time both Peter and Judas betrayed Jesus, each in his own way. The difference in their betrayal is a matter of degree, just as each of us to some degree betrays our calling. But the difference in how Judas and Peter responded to their awareness of what they had done wrong, was not a difference of degree, but difference of kind.
Both men did wrong. Both men became painfully aware they had done wrong. You recall Judas throwing the money back at those who gave it to him. God knew what Peter and Judas did. God did not destroy either of them. But Judas destroyed himself. Peter wept but returned.
Let us conclude with two observations. Ours is a God who searches and knows us. Christ knew Peter would fail. He told him so. God knew how Peter had persecuted the Christians. Our God knows our weakness before we even do the wrong. Our God loves us, from the greatest to the least, and knowing us, loves us. How else could these two who had done such wrong come back and operate with such power? The God who sees us as we truly are loves us as we truly are.
Second observation. How did the church get these stories of Peter and Paul? Peter and Paul must have told these stories themselves. If I had done what they had done - so overtly denied Jesus, so openly persecuted the followers of Jesus - and tried to cover it up we would have "Christgate."
If the early church was into cover-ups, this would be the event to hide. But it was not hidden, because Peter and Paul were willing to tell their story.
Paul's driving ambition was to strike fear in the hearts of Christians. As a Christian himself he was fearless before any such threats. The same Peter who was fearful of the question of a servant girl was touched by the grace of God, so that a short time later he would be fearless in the presence of the mob on Pentecost. It was not because Peter or Paul were terribly virtuous, but simply because of the great love of our God who empowers those with the courage to honestly place our whole lives in God's care.
C.S.S. Publishing Company, EXPERIENCE THE POWER: MESSAGES ON 12 STEPS OF FAITH, by John A. Terry
The individual lament psalms are those psalms where an individual (often David, but not always) cries out to God about his specific personal problem. The individual lament psalms include the following: Psalms 3–5, 7, 9–10, 13–14, 17, 22, 25–28, 31, 35, 39–43, 52–57, 59, 61, 64, 69–71, 77, 86, 88–89, 109, 120, and 139–142. These psalms can be grouped together both by theme (lament) and by form. That is, they all share a similar structure in that the topics they cover follow the same general order.
The general structure of individual lament psalms
Address · These psalms begin with an introductory cry for help and/or a statement of turning to God.
Lament · In either a brief or extended fas…
The Baker Bible Handbook by , Baker Publishing Group, 2016
1 O Lord , you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord .
5 You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Binding the psalm together by describing God’s intimate knowledge of his life and desires (139:1–3, 23–24), David writes about an all-knowing, everywhere-present, intimately involved God and expresses righteous rage against those who oppose him. God knows everything about David’s actions and thoughts—things even David does not know (139:1–6). Yet God still cares for David—a reality that David cannot fathom. Proclaiming God’s omnipresence (139:7–12), David declares that time and space do not confine him. God can guide and protect David wherever he is. David marvels at God’s creativity in forming humans (139:13–18). He is amazed that God constantly thinks about them and mercifully preserves them. Because enemies of such a God deserve destruction, David (139:19–24) declares his hatred for them. Recognizing his fallibility, however, he seeks God’s guidance in his life.
The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary by Gary M. Burge, Baker Publishing Group, 2016
Surrendering to God’s Inescapable, All-Searching Presence
Psalm 139 is perhaps the most intimate of psalms. It displays a striking awareness of God’s interest in individuals. Understanding this psalm as a whole is key to its interpretation. At first it appears to be a meditation on God’s omniscience (vv. 1–6), omnipresence (vv. 7–12), and omnipotence (vv. 13–15). But the sudden shift from sublime wonder at God’s determined interest in the speaker to a denunciation of “the wicked” (vv. 19–22) sounds like an impulsive change of subject. Why are the wicked brought up in a psalm that to this point has made pleasant reading? Some commentators believe that interpretation of the psalm must begin with these verses. Its occasion would thus lie in the speaker’s conflict with the wicked: they have accused him falsely and he now seeks vindication from God. In this view, Psalm 139 is to be interpreted in light of others that are said to reflect more clearly a situation of false accusation (Pss. 7 and 17). Although nothing in the psalm rules out this interpretation categorically, Psalm 139 is distinctively different from these psalms.
It is to be granted that verses 19–24 are a key component of the psalm. A point of God’s knowing the speaker (which is at the heart of vv. 1–18) is to confirm the rhetorical question and confession of verses 21–22. But we must first note that the wicked in these verses pose no direct threat. They are, in fact, God’s enemies and become the speaker’s enemies only by adoption (vv. 21–22). They do not accuse the speaker: “they speak of you with evil intent” (v. 20). Second, there is no plea for rescue or protection, which is seen so clearly in Psalms 7 and 17. Third, if from the beginning the psalm reflects a notion of asylum or a desire that God examine the speaker and so acquit him, then it seems odd that verses 7–12 speak of flight from God. Fourth, the closing petitions are for God to search and know the speaker, which actions God has already been in the process of doing (v. 1). To that extent the speaker is not seeking to initiate a judgment procedure himself.
The speaker also requests God to “lead me in the way everlasting.” Now it may be granted that certain social needs can be cloaked in religious language, especially in prayers and psalms addressed to God, but the psalm as it stands gives no hint of a direct connection between the wicked and the speaker, only between God and the wicked, and God and the speaker. Everything mentioned in the psalm, including the wicked, is done so entirely with reference to God. The interest reflected here is not to clear the speaker’s name before accusers and society but to establish his willingness to live in relationship with God and thus participate in his worship. The psalm was probably designed not as a special prayer for particular accused persons but as a regular prayer for the general population of Yahweh’s worshipers. (We should note that Ps. 104 focuses entirely on Yahweh’s creative work until its closing verse, which likewise expresses a wish that “the wicked be no more.”)
If we look for parallels elsewhere in the Psalter, we may note that a connection between God’s scrutinizing presence and the wicked is also found in the psalms of temple entry (see the Introduction). A prerequisite to entering the temple was meeting the requirements and passing God’s judgment. As in 26:2 God is invited to test (v. 23) the speaker, and as in 5:8 to lead (note also v. 10) him along Yahweh’s way (v. 24), which is perhaps the pilgrim way into the temple. It is possible that “the ancient way” (NIV “the way everlasting,” Hb. derek ʿôlām) is related to the “ancient doors” (pitḥê ʿôlām, 24:7, 9), through which Yahweh’s procession enters at the temple. Thus, the closing petition may not be a prayer for guidance in general but may have special reference to Yahweh’s protective escort along the pilgrim way into his temple.
139:1–6 Verses 1–12 hymn the comprehensive nature of God’s knowledge and presence: from sitting to rising (v. 2), from activity (going out) to inactivity (lying down, v. 3), from the heavens to the depths (i.e., vertical space, v. 8), from the east (“the wings of the dawn”) to the west (“the far side of the sea,” i.e., horizontal space, v. 9), and from darkness and night to light and day (vv. 11–12).
The opening section of the psalm begins with a general confession that you know me. But even this general statement about divine omniscience does not indicate an automatic comprehension: you have searched me. The Hebrew verb behind you discern (Hb. zrh) my going out and my lying down is normally used for “winnowing” or “sifting” wheat. God himself participates in the process of becoming acquainted with us. His knowledge is not static; it too goes through a dynamic process. Examples of what God knows then follow. The various postures one takes during the day point to the various activities one may engage in. God’s knowledge goes beyond mere activity to my thoughts and my ways. One’s speech is also singled out as an area of divine interest. God’s comprehension is comprehensive, both around and over us (v. 5). And so our ability to comprehend is limited, such knowledge is beyond us (v. 6). It is difficult to know whether God’s actions in verse 5 are comforting or oppressive (e.g., Hb. ṣwr, hem . . . in, is often used in the OT for “besieging,” and God’s hand upon a person can denote affliction, cf. 38:2). The verse may be intentionally ambiguous, though we should note from the next section that the speaker’s immediate response is one of flight.
139:7–12 This section concerning God’s omnipresence is phrased in terms of actions that the speaker does, and they are those of flight from God: Where can I flee from your presence? Verse 8 does not merely say, “As for the heavens, you are there; as for the depths, you are there.” It says, If I . . . The speaker considers fleeing to the farthest points of space, both vertical—heavens and Sheol (see NIV margin)—and horizontal—the wings of the dawn (i.e., in the east) and the far side of the sea (i.e., to the west of Israel). (Cf. Amos 9:2–4.) He then considers darkness and night as a hiding place. Here we see the same response to divine omniscience (vv. 1–6) as is evident in Job, namely the desire to be left alone (Job 7:17–21; 14:5–6). God’s scrutiny evokes wonder (v. 6) but also fear. Thoughts of flight need not betray a profound sense of guilt or the fact that the speaker has committed or been accused of a crime. The recognition that we are so scrutinized by another intrinsically makes us want to retreat. We may feel our privacy has been violated or we may fear we will inevitably disappoint the one who takes such an interest in us.
Verse 10 contains a surprise. After we flee from God, we would expect a reprimand from God. Instead, he acts graciously: he guide[s] (Hb. nḥh) and hold[s] fast (Hb. ʾḥz, together implying providential guidance and protection). These actions evidence divine pursuit and loyalty. Similarly, in Psalm 73 although the speaker confesses to have “slipped” (v. 2) away from God and become “a brute beast before you” (v. 22), “yet . . . you hold me fast (Hb. ʾḥz) . . . ; you guide (Hb. nḥh) me” (vv. 23–24). Both speakers also confess to being “at an end” (139:18, see Additional Notes, and 73:26), yet “I am still/always with you” (139:18 and 73:23).
139:13–16 These verses, with their introductory for you created my inmost being, explain and substantiate the reason for this divine loyalty. God is portrayed as a skilled weaver and the speaker as his handiwork. God’s interest in the speaker from his life’s beginning evidences God’s personal and long-term investment in him. As in the first section, this one also draws attention to the extent of God’s knowledge, spatially (v. 15) and temporally (v. 16). In addition, this section substantiates that God can see equally in light and darkness (as claimed in vv. 11–12). The evidence is that your eyes saw my unformed body, which was in my mother’s womb, in the secret place, in the depths of the earth. Verse 16 does not point to a notion of divine predestination but foreknowledge. In verses 1–12, the speaker reflects a sense of freedom (e.g., “when I sit” and “when I rise,” and “if I go up,” vv. 2, 8). What is divinely determined is God’s inevitable presence and knowledge.
139:17–18 The psalm then bursts into doxology. Yahweh’s thoughts are not only wonderful (so v. 6); they are now precious (v. 17). Their vastness is particularly overwhelming.
139:19–22 The main intent of these verses is not to petition for the destruction of the wicked. Formally verse 19 is not a petition but a wish: If only you would . . . And verses 20–22 simply state the relation of the wicked to God (v. 20) and the speaker’s relation to them: do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? Throughout this psalm concern is focused on the relationship between God and the speaker. The concern is the same here: “I stand with God over against the wicked.” The wicked are introduced as a foil to demonstrate the speaker’s loyalty to God. Thus, in response to God’s loyalty (vv. 1–18), the speaker now avers his loyalty. Verse 19 is the first mention of any kind of moral judgment. To this point, interest has been fixed solely on the relationship between the speaker and God. Only once this has been established does the moral question take on any significance. To this extent, the sudden wish that God would slay the wicked may not be as abrupt as interpreters have imagined.
139:23–24 We now realize that the speaker’s invitation for God to search him at the psalm’s close is not a spontaneous response of piety but a reasoned surrender to God’s inescapable, all-searching presence. Earlier the speaker’s initial response was to escape; now he chooses to draw near to the God who pursues him. But why does the speaker petition God to do the very things he would do or has done in any case (note search and know in vv. 23 and 1, see in vv. 24 and 16, and lead in vv. 24 and 10 [NIV “guide”])? (Note how these closing verses pick up a key verb from each of the first three strophes.) Apparently the goal is not merely to increase God’s knowledge but also to further the relationship between the speaker and his God. God has the prerogative to search the speaker, and he is now welcomed to do so. Although the speaker clearly disavows association with the wicked, he does not thereby presume to be without fault: he knows he may have anxious thoughts and offensive way[s]. The Hebrew term for the latter (ʿōṣeb) is a noun meaning either “hardship” or “idol.” The ambiguity may be intentional.
After a close reading of this psalm, we see that verses 1–6 concern not just divine omniscience but also divine searching (vv. 1–6). Verses 7–12 concern not just God’s omnipresence but also his pursuit (esp. v. 10). And verses 13–16 concern not just his omnipotence but also his personal craftsmanship and investment (vv. 13–16). The psalm expresses divine attributes in themselves and also divine loyalty to the speaker. They embody relational theology. The psalm is not a tranquil meditation on God; rather, it reflects the temptation to flee from him and is resolved by a reasoned surrender to God’s pursuit. It is an argument and confession for engaging in a relationship with God.
Additional Notes
139:14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made: The MT reads lit., “I am awesomely wonderful” (“made,” which the translators simply added, is difficult to justify). We should probably follow the ancient versions and read, “You are awesomely wonderful.”
139:15 The depths of the earth is probably not a metaphysical statement lit. describing a (mythical) belief about the formation of the soul there, but a metaphorical statement lit. drawing the analogy between a dark, hidden place and the mother’s womb (v. 13).
139:18 When I awake (derived from Hb. qyṣ) is awkward at this point of the psalm. We should perhaps read, “were I at an end” (derived perhaps from Hb. qṣṣ, a denominative of qṣ), with the support of a few MT manuscripts.
Understanding the Bible Commentary Series by Craig C. Broyles, Baker Publishing Group, 2016
Direct Matches
A surface to recline on for the purpose of sleep, convalescence, contemplation, and sexual activity. Construction ranged from a portable straw mat (Mark 6:55; Acts 9:34) to raised frames crafted of wood, metal, or stone inlaid with precious metals and jewels (Deut. 3:11; Amos 6:4) and topped with luxurious coverings (Prov. 7:16, 17; 31:22). The mats of poor people might be rolled up and stowed away during the day to save space when they slept in a common room (Luke 11:7). The rich reclined on permanent structures in rooms designated for sleeping (Exod. 8:3; 2Kings 6:12), but people of more modest means also had bedrooms (2Kings 4:10).
The most commonly cited use of a bed is not for sleeping (Ps. 132:3; Luke 11:7) but for convalescing (Gen. 48:2; Exod. 21:18; 2Sam. 13:5; Ps. 41:3; Matt. 8:14; Acts 28:8) or dying (Gen. 49:33; 2Kings 1:4, 6, 16). Elijah restores life to a boy after placing him on a bed (1Kings 17:19; cf. Elisha in 2Kings 4:21, 34, 35). Murder is attempted (1Sam. 19:13, 15, 16) or accomplished (2Sam. 4:7, 11; 2Chron. 24:25) in bed.
The bed is for sexual activity, whether honorable (Song 1:16; Heb. 13:4) or not (Gen. 39:7, 10, 12; 49:4; 2Sam. 13:11). People mope and mourn on beds (1Kings 21:4; Ps. 6:6; Song 3:1; Hos. 7:14), loaf (Prov. 26:14), plot evil (Ps. 36:4; Mic. 2:1), meditate and rejoice (Pss. 4:4; 63:6; 149:5), and experience visions (Dan. 2:28; 4:5; 7:1). The bed is a metaphor for the grave (Job 7:13; 17:13; Ezek. 32:25).
The word for “blood” in the Bible is used both literally and metaphorically. “Blood” is a significant biblical term for understanding purity boundaries and theological concepts. Blood is a dominant ritual symbol in biblical literature. Blood was used in sacrifices and purification rites, and it was inherently connected to menstruation, animal slaughter, and legal culpability. Among the physical properties of blood are the ability to coagulate, the liquid state of the substance (Rev. 16:34), and the ability to stain (Rev. 19:13). Blood can symbolize moral order in terms of cult, law, and power.
The usage of blood in the OT is predominantly negative. The first direct mention of blood in the biblical text involves a homicide (Gen. 4:10). Henceforward, the shedding of human blood is a main concern (Gen. 9:6). Other concerns pertaining to blood include dietary prohibitions of blood (Lev. 17:10–12), purity issues such as the flow of blood as in menstrual blood (Lev. 15:19–24), and blood as a part of religious rites such as circumcision (Gen. 17:10–11; Exod. 4:24–26).
Leviticus 17:11 contains a central statement in the OT concerning the significant role of blood in the sacrificial system: “The life of a creature is in the blood.” Blood was collected from all animal sacrifices, and blood was poured onto the altar (Lev. 1:5).
The covenant with Abraham was sealed with a covenantal ritual (Gen. 15:10–21). Moses sealed the covenant between the Israelites and God with a blood ritual during which young Israelite men offered young bulls among other sacrifices as fellowship offerings (Exod. 24:5). Moses read the words of the Book of the Covenant and sprinkled the blood of the bulls on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exod. 24:7–8).
During the Passover observance at the time of the exodus, blood was placed on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the Hebrews (Exod. 12:7). Not only altars were sprinkled and thus consecrated with blood, but priests were as well. Aaron and his sons were consecrated by the application of blood to their right earlobe, thumb, and big toe, and the sprinkling of blood and oil on their garments (Exod. 29:20). On the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the holy of holies and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat to seek atonement for the sins of the people (Lev. 16:15).
Many events in the passion of Christ include references to blood. During the Last Supper, Jesus redefined the last Passover cup: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). Judas betrayed “innocent blood” (Matt. 27:4), and the money he received for his betrayal was referred to as “blood money” (Matt. 27:6). At Jesus’ trial, Pilate washed his hands and declared, “I am innocent of this man’s blood” (Matt. 27:24).
The apostle Paul wrote that believers are justified by the blood of Christ (Rom. 5:9). This justification or righteous standing with God was effected through Christ’s blood sacrifice (Rom. 3:25–26; 5:8). The writer of Hebrews stressed the instrumental role of blood in bringing about forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). In the picture of the ideal community of Christ, the martyrs in the book of Revelation are situated closest to the throne of God because “they triumphed over him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev. 12:11). The blood of the Lamb, Christ, is the effective agent here and throughout the NT, bringing about the indirect contact between sinner and God.
The second king of Israel (r. 1010970 BC), founder of a dynasty that continued with his son Solomon (r. 970–931 BC), who ruled all of Israel; subsequently the remaining “sons of David” ruled the southern kingdom, Judah, until 586 BC.
Human kingship is a late development in Israel, but a number of ancient texts anticipate the establishment of the institution (Gen. 17:6; Deut. 17:14–20) and specifically the rise of a king from Judah (Gen. 49:8–12; Num. 24:17). Thus, it is surprising that the first king of Israel is not from Judah, but from Benjamin. When the people ask Samuel for a king, he anoints Saul (1Sam. 8–12), who proves to be a tremendous disappointment. He forfeits the establishment of his dynasty when he shows a lack of confidence in God by rashly offering prebattle sacrifices (13:13–14). God then rejects Saul as king because he does not execute God’s full judgment against the Amalekites as he knows he should (15:23).
Eventually Saul’s moment of judgment comes. Saul’s final battle is against the Philistines, the major foreign force still inside the borders of the promised land. Both Saul and Jonathan meet their end on Mount Gilboa, and David sings songs that express his sadness over their deaths (1Sam. 31–2Sam. 1).
Even with Saul out of the way, David’s rise to kingship is not easy. He is immediately crowned king of Judah (2Sam. 2:1–7), but the northern tribes choose to follow Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul. War erupts between the two kingdoms. Eventually, though, the powerful general Abner abandons his support of Saul’s son, sealing the end of that dynasty. Ish-Bosheth is killed by his own men, and soon David becomes king over all Israel (5:1–5).
David’s kingship leads to significant victories that, in essence, complete the conquest of Canaan by finally subduing all the internal enemies. His men take the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, and he makes it his capital (2Sam. 5:6–16). He also defeats the Philistines, who have been a thorn in the side of Israel for years (2Sam. 5:17–25; for other victories, see 8:1–14). In celebration, David brings the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (2Sam. 6).
The David narrative reaches its apex when God enters into a covenant with him that establishes his dynasty (2Sam. 7; 1Chron. 17). After David dies, his son will succeed him, and indeed his dynasty lasts for many hundreds of years (see below).
David is a good king, but not a perfect king. A turning point in his reign comes in 2Sam. 11. Up to this point, David has been content with what God has given him. He does not grasp for anything that does not belong to him. However, when he sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing, he sends messengers to bring her to his house, where the two have sexual intercourse and she becomes pregnant. In an attempt to conceal this sin of adultery, he orders the death of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. Thus, he adds the crime of murder to that of adultery.
David thinks that the sin is secret, but nothing is hidden from God, who sends his prophet Nathan to confront David (2Sam. 12; cf. Ps. 51). The difference between Saul and David is not that the latter is perfect but rather that David, as opposed to Saul, repents when he sins. Thus, God allows his reign to continue. Even so, David feels the consequences of his sin. First, the son that Bathsheba bears from her illicit union with David is struck with illness and dies. And ever afterward, David’s family life is troubled, with great impact on the political life of Israel. Son is pitted against son (Amnon and Absalom [2Sam. 13]), as well as son against father (Absalom and David [2Sam. 15–18]). Absalom temporarily deposes his father from the throne, but David eventually regains the kingship, though at the cost of the heartbreaking loss of his son.
Even at the very end, there is conflict within David’s house. When David has grown old, another son, Adonijah, attempts to take the throne, with support from powerful people such as Joab and Abiathar. At the instigation of Bathsheba and Nathan, however, David places the son of his choosing, Solomon, on the throne (1Kings 1). David then dies after a reign of forty-one years, seven in Hebron and the rest over all Israel (1Kings 2:10–12).
David’s greatest legacy is the dynasty that bears his name. Beginning with Solomon, however, his successors do not continue his spiritual legacy. Although a number of kings do some good, only Hezekiah (r. 727–698 BC) and Josiah (r. 639–609 BC) are given unqualified approval. Eventually, the Davidic rule comes to an end in Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians (586 BC). But God is not done with his redemptive purposes, and his promise to David is that he will have a ruler on the throne “forever” (2Sam. 7:16). The NT recognizes that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this promise. He is the greater son of David, the one who is the Christ or Messiah, the anointed king. Jesus is the one who reigns forever in heaven. The life and the rule of David foreshadow the messianic rule of Jesus Christ.
Israel shared the cosmology of its ancient Near Eastern neighbors. This worldview understood the earth as a “disk” upon the primeval waters (Job 38:13; Isa. 40:22), with the earth having four rims or “corners” (Ps. 135:7; Isa. 11:12). These rims were sealed at the horizon to prevent the influx of cosmic waters. God speaks to Job about the dawn grasping the edges of the earth and shaking the evil people out of it (Job 38:1213).
Israel’s promised land was built on the sanctuary prototype of Eden (Gen. 13:10; Deut. 6:3; 31:20); both were defined by divine blessing, fertility, legal instruction, secure boundaries, and were orienting points for the world. Canaan was Israel’s new paradise, “flowing with milk and honey” (Exod. 3:8; Num. 13:27). Conversely, the lack of fertile land was tantamount to insecurity and judgment. As Eden illustrated for Israel, any rupture of relationship with God brought alienation between humans, God, and the land; this could ultimately bring exile, as an ethically nauseated land “vomits” people out (Lev. 18:25, 28; 20:22; see also Deut. 4; 30).
For Israel, land involved both God’s covenant promise (Gen. 15:18–21; 35:9–12) and the nation’s faithful obedience (Gen. 17:1; Exod. 19:5; 1Kings 2:1–4). Yahweh was the earth’s Lord (Ps. 97:5), Judge (Gen. 18:25), and King (Ps. 47:2, 7). Both owner and giver, he was the supreme landlord, who gifted the land to Israel (Exod. 19:5; Lev. 25:23; Josh. 22:19; Ps. 24:1). The land was God’s “inheritance” to give (1Sam. 26:19; 2Sam. 14:16; Ps. 79:1; Jer. 2:7). The Levites, however, did not receive an allotment of land as did the other tribes, since God was their “portion” (Num. 18:20; Ps. 73:26). Israel’s obedience was necessary both to enter and to occupy the land (Deut. 8:1–3; 11:8–9; 21:1; 27:1–3). Ironically, the earth swallowed rebellious Israelites when they accused Moses of bringing them “up out of a land flowing with milk and honey” (Num. 16:13). As the conquest shows, however, no tribe was completely obedient, taking its full “inheritance” (Josh. 13:1).
Fasting, often linked with prayer, was one avenue of appeal to God in the face of crises, both national and personal. Moses ascended to Mount Sinai and was with God forty days and nights without eating bread or drinking water, both before and after the Israelites’ sin with the golden calf (Exod. 34:28; Deut. 9:818). David fasted when his son was dying (2Sam. 12:15–23). Esther called all the Jews of Susa to fast for three days before she ventured before the king (Esther 4:15–17). Joel called the people to repentance and fasting as the land was devastated by a locust plague (Joel 1:13–14; 2:12). Forty days of fasting, an echo of Moses’ experience, prepared Jesus to face the devil’s temptations (Matt. 4:1–11 pars.).
The OT prophets criticized Israelites who presumed that their religious obligations were met simply by fasting (Isa. 58:1–10; Zech. 7:1–5). When asked why his disciples did not fast and pray, Jesus indicated that sometimes fasting is inappropriate (Matt. 9:14–17 pars.). Luke recorded an addition to Jesus’ statement about new wine in old wineskins: “No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:39), perhaps suggesting that the accumulation of fasting practices was “new wine” and they ought simply to observe the Day of Atonement.
Physiologically, the heart is an organ in the body, and in the Bible it is also used in a number of metaphors.
Metaphorically, the heart refers to the mind, the will, the seat of emotions, or even the whole person. It also refers to the center of something or its inner part. These metaphors come from the heart’s importance and location.
Mind. The heart refers to the mind, but not the brain, and in these cases does not involve human physiology. It is a metaphor, and while the neurophysiology of the heart may be interesting in its own right, it has no bearing on this use of language. Deuteronomy 6:5 issues the command to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and strength. When the command is repeated in the Gospels, it occurs in three variations (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). Common to all three is the addition of the word “mind.” The Gospel writers want to be sure that the audience hears Jesus adding “mind,” but this addition is based on the fact that the meaning of the Hebrew word for “heart” includes the mind.
The mental activities of the metaphorical heart are abundant. The heart is where a person thinks (Gen. 6:5; Deut. 7:17; 1Chron. 29:18; Rev. 18:7), where a person comprehends and has understanding (1Kings 3:9; Job 17:4; Ps. 49:3; Prov. 14:13; Matt. 13:15). The heart makes plans and has intentions (Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Prov. 20:5; 1Chron. 29:18; Jer. 23:20). One believes with the heart (Luke 24:25; Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9). The heart is the site of wisdom, discernment, and skill (Exod. 35:34; 36:2; 1Kings 3:9; 10:24). The heart is the place of memory (Deut. 4:9; Ps. 119:11). The heart plays the role of conscience (2Sam. 24:10; 1John 3:2021).
It is often worth the effort to substitute “mind” for “heart” when reading the Bible in order to grasp the mental dimension. For example, after telling the Israelites to love God with all their heart, Moses says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts” (Deut. 6:6). Reading it instead as “be on your mind” changes our perspective, and in this case the idiom “on your mind” is clearer and more accurate. The following verses instruct parents to talk to their children throughout the day about God’s words. In order for parents to do this, God’s requirements and deeds need to be constantly on their minds, out of their love for him. Similarly, love for God and loyalty are expressed by meditation on and determination to obey his law (Ps. 119:11, 112). The law is not merely a list of rules; it is also a repository of a worldview in which the Lord is the only God. To live consistently with this truth requires careful, reflective thought.
Emotions and attitude. The heart, as the seat of emotion, is associated with a number of feelings and sentiments, such as gladness (Exod. 4:14; Acts 2:26), hatred (Lev. 19:17), pride (Deut. 8:14), resentment (Deut. 15:10), dread (Deut. 28:67), sympathy (Judg. 5:9), love (Judg. 16:15), sadness (1Sam. 1:8; John 16:6), and jealousy and ambition (James 3:14). The heart is also the frame of reference for attitudes such as willingness, courage, and desire.
The present abode of God and the final dwelling place of the righteous. The ancient Jews distinguished three different heavens. The first heaven was the atmospheric heavens of the clouds and where the birds fly (Gen. 1:20). The second heaven was the celestial heavens of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The third heaven was the present home of God and the angels. Paul builds on this understanding of a third heaven in 2Cor. 12:24, where he describes himself as a man who “was caught up to the third heaven” or “paradise,” where he “heard inexpressible things.” This idea of multiple heavens also shows itself in how the Jews normally spoke of “heavens” in the plural (Gen. 1:1), while most other ancient cultures spoke of “heaven” in the singular.
Although God is present everywhere, God is also present in a special way in “heaven.” During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Father is sometimes described as speaking in “a voice from heaven” (Matt. 3:17). Similarly, Jesus instructs us to address our prayers to “Our Father in heaven” (6:9). Even the specific request in the Lord’s Prayer that “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10) reminds us that heaven is a place already under God’s full jurisdiction, where his will is presently being done completely and perfectly. Jesus also warns of the dangers of despising “one of these little ones,” because “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (18:10). Jesus “came down from heaven” (John 6:51) for his earthly ministry, and after his death and resurrection, he ascended back “into heaven,” from where he “will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
Given this strong connection between heaven and God’s presence, there is a natural connection in Scripture between heaven and the ultimate hope of believers. Believers are promised a reward in heaven (“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” [Matt. 5:12]), and even now believers can “store up for [themselves] treasures in heaven” (6:20). Even in this present life, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), and our hope at death is to “depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (1:23). Since Christ is currently in heaven, deceased believers are already present with Christ in heaven awaiting his return, when “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1Thess. 4:14).
The place where the lost are assigned by God to eternal punishment of both body and soul (Matt. 10:28). This agony of eternal torment in hell is the greatest of all possible tragedies.
This topic of the afterlife unfolded only gradually in Scripture. “Gehenna” originally referred to the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, the location of the notorious sacrificial offerings of children by fire to the god Molek by Ahaz (2Chron. 28:3) and Manasseh (2Chron. 33:6). Later, the meaning of this term was extended to the place of fiery punishment in general. Still later, the geographic location of this place of punishment was shifted to under the earth, but the idea of fiery torment continued. By NT times, the Pharisees clearly believed in the punishment of the wicked in the afterlife.
It is primarily in the teachings of Jesus that the reality of a place of eternal punishment comes into clear focus. Jesus describes hell as involving unquenchable fire (Matt. 18:89; Mark 9:42–43, 48), a place where the worm does not die (Mark 9:48). Jesus also pictures the extreme anguish of those who suffer the ultimate punishment of being “thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12).
The idea of a severe eternal punishment for the lost is also taught by the apostles. At the return of Christ, those living outside a proper relationship with God will experience sudden destruction (1Thess. 5:3) when the angels will come “in blazing fire” and “punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2Thess. 1:6–9). The author of Hebrews speaks of the “fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (Heb. 10:27). Revelation describes how “the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever” (Rev. 14:11), and how the ungodly will be cast into “the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (21:8).
God begins his creation with light, which precedes the creation of sun, moon, and stars and throughout Scripture is an unqualified good (Gen. 1:35, 15–18; Exod. 10:23; 13:21). In the ancient world, people rarely traveled at night and usually went to bed soon after sunset. The only light in the home was a small oil lamp set on a stand, which burned expensive olive oil. Light is a biblical synonym for life (Job 3:20; John 8:12). Seeing the light means living (Ps. 49:19; see also Job 33:30). Conversely, darkness is often a symbol of adversity, disaster, and death (Job 30:26; Isa. 8:22; Jer. 23:12; Lam. 3:2).
John, who offers perhaps the most profound meditations on light, claims that God is light (1John 1:5). The predicate appropriates the intrinsic beauty of light, a quality that draws people’s hearts back to the author of beauty. For the apostle, light represents truth and signifies God’s will in opposition to the deception of the world (John 1:9; 12:46). Light stands for purity and signifies God’s holiness as opposed to the unrighteousness of the world (John 3:19–21). Light is where God is, and it radiates from the place of fellowship between God and his creation (John 1:7).
In the OT, an underworld place to which all were destined after death. The Hebrew word she’ol is generally translated as “the grave” in modern versions of the Bible, including the NIV. Sheol appears in the OT most frequently in songs and prayers (David’s song [2Sam. 22:6]; Hannah’s prayer [1Sam. 2:6]; many references in Psalms), as well as in the wisdom books of Job and Proverbs. The ancient Israelites visualized the cosmos as composed of three distinct realms: heaven, the realm of the divine; earth, the realm of humanity and God’s creation; and Sheol, a place underneath the earth and the seas, the realm of the dead (Job 11:8; 26:57).
When the OT was translated into Greek for Hellenized Jewish readers, “Sheol” was translated as “Hades,” importing a similar Greek concept of the underworld into the biblical text. The NT uses the words “Hades” and “hell” interchangeably; however, the distinction between the grave and hell is maintained.
The way the word “soul” is used in English does not align well with any single Hebrew or Greek word in the Bible. It is widely accepted that the biblical view (both OT and NT) of humanity does not recognize sharp boundaries between body and soul (bipartite anthropology) or between body, soul, and spirit (tripartite). The human being is, according to biblical teaching, a psychosomatic unity.
In the world of the Bible, a person was viewed as a unity of being with the pervading breath and thus imprint of the loving and holy God. The divine-human relationship consequently is portrayed in the Bible as predominantly spiritual in nature. God is spirit, and humankind may communicate with him in the spiritual realm. The ancients believed in an invisible world of spirits that held most, if not all, reasons for natural events and human actions in the visible world.
The OT writers used the common Hebrew word ruakh (“wind” or “breath”) to describe force and even life from the God of the universe. In its most revealing first instance, God’s ruakh hovered above the waters of the uncreated world (Gen. 1:2). In the next chapter of Genesis a companion word, neshamah (“breath”), is used as God breathed into Adam’s nostrils “the breath of life” (2:7). God thus breathed his own image into the first human being. Humankind’s moral obligations in the remainder of the Bible rest on this breathing act of God.
The OT authors often employ ruakh simply to denote air in motion or breath from a person’s mouth. However, special instances of the use of ruakh include references to the very life of a person (Gen. 7:22; Ps. 104:29), an attitude or emotion (Gen. 41:8; Num. 14:24; Ps. 77:3), the negative traits of pride or temper (Ps. 76:12), a generally good disposition (Prov. 11:13; 18:14), the seat of conversion (Ezek. 18:31; 36:26), and determination given by God (2Chron. 36:22; Hag. 1:14).
The NT authors used the Greek term pneuma to convey the concept of spirit. In the world of the NT, the human spirit was understood as the divine part of human reality as distinct from the material realm. The spirit appears conscious and capable of rejoicing (Luke 1:47). Jesus was described by Luke as growing and becoming “strong in spirit” (1:80). In “spirit” Jesus “knew” what certain teachers of the law were thinking in their hearts (Mark 2:8). Likewise, Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled” at the sickness of a loved one (John 11:33). At the end of his life, Jesus gave up his spirit (John 19:30).
According to Jesus, the spirit is the place of God’s new covenant work of conversion and worship (John 3:5; 4:24). He declared the human spirit’s dependence on God and ascribed great virtue to those people who were “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3).
Human beings who were possessed by an evil spirit were devalued in Mediterranean society. In various places in the Synoptic Gospels and the book of Acts, either Jesus or the disciples were involved in exorcisms of such spirits (Matt. 8:2833; Mark 1:21–28; 7:24–30; 9:14–29; 5:1–20; 9:17–29; Luke 8:26–33; 9:37–42; Acts 5:16).
The apostle Paul pointed to the spirit as the seat of conversion (Rom. 7:6; 1Cor. 5:5). He described believers as facing a struggle between flesh and spirit in regard to living a sanctified life (Rom. 8:2–17; Gal. 5:16–17). A contradiction seems apparent in Pauline thinking as he appears to embrace Greek dualistic understanding of body (flesh) and spirit while likewise commanding that “spirit, soul and body be kept blameless” (1Thess. 5:23). However, the Christian struggle between flesh and Spirit (the Holy Spirit) centers around the believer’s body being dead because of sin but the spirit being alive because of the crucified and resurrected Christ (Rom. 8:10). Believers therefore are encouraged to lead a holistic life, lived in the Spirit.
“Word” is used in the Bible to refer to the speech of God in oral, written, or incarnate form. In each of these uses, God desires to make himself known to his people. The communication of God is always personal and relational, whether he speaks to call things into existence (Gen. 1) or to address an individual directly (Gen. 2:1617; Exod. 3:14). The prophets and the apostles received the word of God (Deut. 18:14–22; John 16:13), some of which was proclaimed but not recorded. The greatest revelation in this regard is the person of Jesus Christ, who is called the “Word” of God (John 1:1, 14).
The psalmist declared God’s word to be an eternal object of hope and trust that gives light and direction (Ps. 119), and Jesus declared the word to be truth (John 17:17). The word is particularized and intimately connected with God himself by means of the key phrases “your word,” “the word of God,” “the word of the Lord,” “word about Christ,” and “the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17; Col. 3:16). Our understanding of the word is informed by a variety of terms and contexts in the canon of Scripture, a collection of which is found in Ps. 119.
The theme of the word in Ps. 119 is continued and clarified in the NT, accentuating the intimate connection between the word of God and God himself. The “Word” of God is the eternal Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1; 1John 1:1–4), who took on flesh and blood so that we might see the glory of the eternal God. The sovereign glory of Christ as the Word of God is depicted in the vision of John in Rev. 19:13. As the Word of God, Jesus Christ ultimately gives us our lives (John 1:4; 6:33; 10:10), sustains our lives (John 5:24; 6:51, 54; 8:51), and ultimately renders a just judgment regarding our lives (John 5:30; 8:16, 26; 9:39; cf. Matt. 25:31–33; Heb. 4:12).
The Bible has much to say about works, and an understanding of the topic is important because works play a role in most religions. In the most generic sense, “works” refers to the products or activities of human moral agents in the context of religious discussion. God’s works are frequently mentioned in Scripture, and they are always good. His works include creation (Gen. 2:23; Isa. 40:28; 42:5), sustenance of the earth (Ps. 104; Heb. 1:3), and redemption (Exod. 6:6; Ps. 111:9; Rom. 8:23). Human works, therefore, should be in alignment with God’s works, though obviously of a different sort. Works in the Bible usually reflect a moral polarity: good or evil, righteous or unrighteous, just or unjust. The context of the passage often determines the moral character of the works (e.g., Isa. 3:10–11; 2Cor. 11:15).
Important questions follow from the existence of works and their moral quality. Do good works merit God’s favor or please him? Can good works save at the time of God’s judgment? When people asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” he answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:28–29). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The people from the OT commended in Heb. 11 did their works in the precondition of faith. Explicitly in the NT and often implicitly in the OT, faith is the condition for truly good works. God elects out of his mercy, not out of human works (Rom. 9:12, 16; Titus 3:5; cf. Rom. 11:2). Works not done in faith, even if considered “good” by human standards, are not commendable to God, since all humankind is under sin (Rom. 3:9) and no person is righteous or does good (Rom. 3:10–18; cf. Isa. 64:6). Works cannot save; salvation is a gift to be received by faith (Eph. 2:8–9; 2Tim. 1:9; cf. Rom. 4:2–6). Even works of the Mosaic law are not salvific (Rom. 3:20, 27–28; Gal. 2:16; 3:2; 5:4). Good works follow from faith (2Cor. 9:8; Eph. 2:10; 1Thess. 1:3; James 2:18, 22; cf. Acts 26:20). The works of those who have faith will be judged, but this judgment appears to be related to rewards, not salvation (Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6; 2Cor. 5:10; cf. Rom. 14:10; 1Cor. 3:13–15).
Direct Matches
Anxiety is an inner disposition of restlessness over fearedor uncontrollable outcomes, and it can have debilitating effects (Ps.139:23; Prov. 12:25). Its opposite is not carelessness or apathy butrather confident trust in God (Ps. 37; Isa. 26:3–4). Jesusteaches his disciples to trust God’s daily care as a radicalalternative to anxiety (Matt. 6:25–34; cf. Eccles. 2:22), andJesus’ instruction and preparation free them from anxiety overfuture trials (Matt. 24:25; Mark 13:11). Scripture invites us to movefrom anxiety to peace by means of prayer (Pss. 94:19; 139:23; Phil.4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7).
The phrase “book of life” occurs eight times inthe Bible (Ps. 69:28; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15;21:27). The image may originate from the practice of keepinggenealogical records or a registry of citizens in which the names ofindividuals were recorded. Some have suggested that it is afigurative record of all the living, from which the unsaved areeventually erased. But more likely the phrase metaphoricallyexpresses the omniscience of God, who knows all those whom he haspredestined to eternal life. In Ps. 69:28 being “blotted out”of the Book of Life probably refers to the fate of experiencing apremature earthly death (cf. Exod. 32:32–33). But since itapplies to God’s enemies, it also carries with it the overtonesof eternal damnation. The promise made to those who overcome thatthey will not be blotted out of the Book of Life assures them oftheir final victory (Rev. 3:5; cf. John 5:24–25). At the finaljudgment, those not found written in the Book of Life are destined toeternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:12–15).The final use of the phrase in “the Lamb’s book of life”indicates that the record belongs to Christ, who purchased theredemption of all those found recorded in the book (Rev. 21:27). Forsimilar phrases and concepts, see Pss. 9:5; 51:1; 139:16; Isa. 4:3;Dan. 7:10; 12:1; Mal. 3:16; Luke 10:20; Heb. 12:23.
A collection of 150 poems. They are the hymnbook of the OTperiod, used in public worship. Psalms contains songs of differentlengths, types, and dates. The earliest psalm (Ps. 90) is attributedto Moses (mid-second millennium BC), while the content of Ps. 126 andPs. 137 points to the latest periods of the OT (mid-first millenniumBC). They continue to be used as a source of public worship andprivate devotion.
HistoricalBackground
Mostpsalms have a title. In the Hebrew text this title comprises thefirst verse, whereas English translations set it off before the firstverse. Titles vary. Many name an author (e.g., David [Ps. 3]; Asaph[Ps. 77]; sons of Korah [Ps. 42]), while others provide informationabout genre (e.g., Psalms of Ascent [Pss. 120–134]), tune(e.g., “Do Not Destroy” [Ps. 75]), use in worship (Ps.92), and a circ*mstance that led to composition (Ps. 51). Informationin the title gives hints concerning how psalms were written andbrought into a final collection.
Composition
Asmentioned, the titles of the psalms often give indications ofauthorship and occasionally name the circ*mstance that led to thewriting of the psalm. A good example is Ps. 51, where the titlestates, “For the director of music. A psalm of David. When theprophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery withBathsheba.” The title connects the psalm with the eventsrecorded in 2Sam. 11–12 and suggests that David wrote thesong in response to his sin and Nathan’s confrontation.
Althoughonly a handful of the psalms have such a historical title, it islikely that most psalms were composed in response to some specificcirc*mstance that encouraged the author to write. Interestingly,though, the psalmists do not speak about the specific circ*mstance inthe psalm itself. Psalm 51, for instance, fits perfectly with thesituation that the title describes in that it expresses guilt towardGod and asks for forgiveness, but nowhere does it speak specificallyabout adultery. The psalmists do this intentionally because they arewriting the song not as a memorial to an event, but rather as aprayer that others who have had similar though not identicalexperiences can use after them. Thus, Ps. 51 has been used as a modelprayer for many penitents, whether they have sinned like David or inanother way.
Mostmodern hymns have a similar background. John Newton, for instance,was inspired to write “Amazing Grace” because of awe thathe felt at his conversion to Christianity from the evil of being aslave trader. However, when he wrote it, he wanted others to sing itas reflecting not on his conversion but on their own.
Collection
Thepsalms were composed over a thousand-year period. Thus, it appearsthat the book of Psalms was a growing collection until it came to aclose at an unknown time between the writing of the two Testaments.
In1Chron. 16:7–36 we may get a glimpse of how the processworked. The text describes David turning a musical composition overto the Levitical musician Asaph and his associates. It is likely thatthe priests kept an official copy of the book of Psalms in the holyplace (the temple while it stood). The psalms, after all, were thehymns of ancient Israel. Their primary function was as a corporatebook of prayer, though certainly they could be used in privatedevotions (note Hannah’s prayer in 1Sam. 2:1–10 andits relationship to Ps. 113).
Organizationand Structure
Thepsalms have no obvious organization that explains the location of allthe psalms. They are not organized in terms of genre, authorship,time of composition, or length. There is only one statement aboutorganization, found in Ps. 72:20: “This concludes the prayersof David son of Jesse.” In the light of this comment, it issurprising that a number of Davidic psalms appear in subsequentsections (Pss. 101; 103; 108–110; 122; 124; 131; 133; 138–145).The best explanation is that at one point Ps. 72 concluded theDavidic psalms, but there was a reorganization before the canonicalorder was permanently closed.
Anumber of contemporary theories try to find some deep structure tothe book, but it is best to refrain from speculation in regard to theoverall structure. Nonetheless, a few structural characteristics areobvious. First, the division of Psalms into five books seems toreflect the fivefold division of the Pentateuch:
I.Book 1 (Pss. 1–41)
II.Book 2 (Pss. 42–72)
III.Book 3 (Pss. 73–89)
IV.Book 4 (Pss. 90–106)
V.Book 5 (Pss. 107–150)
Eachbook ends with a doxology. Such an intentional association with thePentateuch would lend support to the Psalter’s claim toauthority. Although these are prayers to God, they are also God’sword.
Second,within the Psalter there are subcollections. That is, there arepsalms that came into the book not individually but as a group. Thebest-known such group are the Psalms of Ascent (Pss. 120–134),probably so named because worshipers sang them while going up(ascending) to the Temple Mount during one of the annual religiousfestivals in Jerusalem.
Third,it appears that psalms are intentionally placed at the beginning andat the end of the book to serve as an introduction and a conclusion.Psalms 1–2 serve as an introduction that alerts the reader tothe twin important themes of law and messiah. Psalm 1 pronounces ablessing on those who love God’s law. The psalms, after all,are an intimate and personal conversation with God. One must be onthe side of the godly to enter such a holy textual space, just as onemust be godly to enter the precincts of the temple. After the readerenters, Psalm 2 provides an encounter with God and his anointed one(messiah). At the end of the book, the last five psalms (Pss.146–150) constitute a tremendous doxology of praise.
Thisleads to the final observation on structure. Psalms of lamentpredominate at the beginning of the book, but they give way to hymnsof praise toward the end. It is almost as if one enters the Psaltermourning and leaves it praising. Indeed, the Psalter brings thereader into contact with God and thus transforms the reader fromsadness to joy.
LiteraryConsiderations
Genre.The individual psalms may be identified as songs, prayers, or poems.Specifically, they are lyric poems (expressing the emotions of thepoet), often addressed to God, and set to musical accompaniment.Although the categories overlap, seven different types of psalms canbe recognized, with the first three being by far the most common.
• Lament.The largest single group of psalms are the laments, characterized bythe expression of unhappy emotions: sadness, disappointment, anger,worry. The lamenters call on God to save them, even while at timescomplaining about God’s actions toward them (Ps. 42:9–10).Some laments contain petitions for forgiveness (Ps. 51), while othersassert innocence of any wrongdoing (Ps. 26). A few laments evencontain curses directed toward the enemies who are trying to harm thepsalmist (Ps. 69:19–28). Most laments end by praising God orreaffirming confidence in God (Ps. 130:7–8). Usually the reasonfor the change from mourning to rejoicing is not given, but Ps. 77pinpoints the reason as the memory of God’s great salvationevents in the past (vv. 10, 16–20). One psalm, Ps. 88, lamentsbut never makes the turn, remaining in the pit of despair. Yet evenhere we have a glimmer of hope in that the one who laments is stillspeaking to God.
• Thanksgiving.When God answers a lament, the response is thanksgiving. Psalms ofthanksgiving are very similar to hymns (see below), but they cite anearlier problem that God has addressed. Psalm 30 praises God forrestoring the psalmist’s good fortune and health after hesuffered due to his earlier arrogance that led him to forget God (vv.6–7).
• Hymn.Hymns are psalms of unalloyed praise directed toward God. Thepsalmists often call for others to join their worship of God (Ps.100).
• Remembrance.While many psalms evoke memories of God’s actions in the past(as the lament in Ps. 77 recalls the exodus), certain psalms focus onrehearsing the actions of God in the past. Psalm 136 is one of themost memorable examples. As a liturgical psalm, it recites a divineaction (“[God] swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea”[v.15]) followed by a congregational response (“His loveendures forever”).
• Confidence.These psalms are defined by their mood of quiet trust in God even inthe midst of trouble. They often present a reassuring image of God.The picture of God as a shepherd in Ps. 23 or as a mother in Ps. 131are good examples.
• Wisdom.Some psalms meditate on the law (Pss. 1; 119) or have interestssimilar to those of wisdom literature, such as Job, Proverbs, andEcclesiastes (Pss. 49; 73).
• Kingship.A number of psalms praise God as king (Ps. 47) or the human king ashis agent (Pss. 20–21) or both (Ps.2).
Style.The psalms are poems, and so their style is characterized by the useof parallelism and figurative language. Poetry is also notable forits short lines. A poet packs a lot of meaning into very few words.So it is important to slow down and reflect on a psalm in order toderive its maximum effect. Besides brevity of expression,parallelism, and figurative language, poets create interest by usingother literary tools. The psalmists use these poetic devices not onlyto inform their readers’ intellect but also to stimulate theirimagination and arouse their emotions. (See also Acrostic; Imagery;Poetry.)
TheologicalMessage
Althoughthe psalms are not theological essays, readers can learn about Godand their relationship with God from these poems. The book of Psalmsis a bit like a portrait gallery of God, using images to describe whohe is and the nature of our relationship with him. Some examplesinclude God as shepherd (Ps. 23), king (Ps. 47), warrior (Ps. 98),and mother (Ps. 131), and the list could be greatly expanded. Eachone of these picture images casts light on the nature of God and alsothe nature of our relationship with God. After all, theaforementioned psalms explicitly or implicitly describe God’speople as sheep, subjects, soldiers, and children.
Connectionto the New Testament and Today
Jesushimself draws attention to Psalms as a book that anticipated hiscoming suffering and glorification (Luke 24:25–27, 44). TheGospels recognized that Jesus’ zeal for God was well expressedby Ps. 69:9 (John 2:17). When at the apex of his suffering on thecross, Jesus uttered the words found in Ps. 22:1 (Matt. 27:46). TheNT writers also saw that Jesus was the fulfillment of the covenantthat promised that a son of David would have an everlasting throne(2Sam. 7:16). Accordingly, the royal psalms (e.g., Pss. 2; 110)often were applied to Jesus, who is the Messiah (the Christ, “theanointed one”).
Todaywe read Psalms not only as an ancient witness to the coming work ofChrist but also, as John Calvin put it, as a mirror of our souls. Thepsalms were written for worshipers who came after them with similarthough not identical joys and problems. The psalms should becomemodels of our prayers.
The common Hebrew word for “scroll” is seper(Exod. 17:14; Num. 5:23; Deut. 17:18). The later term megillah canalso refer to a scroll (Jer. 36:6; Ezek. 3:3). In a few casesmegillah is combined with seper and translated as “scroll”(Ps. 40:7; Jer. 36:2; Ezek. 2:9).
TheLXX commonly translates the Hebrew word seper (scroll) with the Greekword biblion (“scroll” or “book”), and the NTuses the same word. When Paul wrote to Timothy asking him to bringthe parchments, he also requested that he bring ta biblia, “thebooks” (2 Tim. 4:13; NIV: “scrolls”). Englishtranslations often are inconsistent in the way they translate theHebrew term seper or the Greek biblion.
Booksand scrolls in antiquity. DuringOld and New Testament times, the two most common writing materialsfor ancient books or scrolls were papyrus and parchment. Papyrus wasmade from the papyrus reed stalk that grew abundantly in Egypt andaround the Mediterranean. Two thin layers of the pith were laid atright angles to each other and pressed together, then the sheets orleaves were pasted together to form a roll. The other common type ofwriting material, parchment, was made of leather that had beenscraped and stretched.
Textwas written on the parchment or papyrus in columns, and the scrollwas unrolled and rolled back up as one read through the columns.Jeremiah’s first edition of prophecy was written on a parchmentscroll (Jer. 36). Parchment was also the common material used towrite documents at Qumran. Scrolls made of parchment were moreexpensive than those made of papyrus.
Itis in fact anachronistic when English translations refer to a scrollas a “book.” A “book” with pages (or leaves)and bound along the side did not appear until well after the thirdcentury BC. This new type of writing medium was called a “codex,”and its origin most likely came from wooden tablets covered with waxand bound together. Later papyrus or parchment leaves were folded andsewn together to form an inexpensive personal “notebook.”Letters and notes often were written on this early type of book.
Inthe Roman world the earliest codex to contain literary works dates tothe first century AD. In 1930 the American collector Chester Beattyacquired a group of Greek papyrus manuscripts on the antiquitiesmarket. The collection contained portions of seven codices from theOT (Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Esther,Ecclesiastes) and three from the NT (the Gospels with Acts, thePauline Epistles, Revelation). These important codices were copied inthe second and third centuries AD.
Perhapsbecause the papyrus codex was cheaper to make, the early Christianchurch adopted it and made it popular. No codices have been foundamong the DSS. Scrolls continued to be the dominant medium forbiblical books in the Jewish world until the tenth century AD. OnlyTorah scrolls are used in synagogues today. (See also WritingImplements and Materials.)
Booksmentioned in the Bible.The Bible refers to a large number of distinct books that existed atvarious times and places. Unfortunately, these extrabiblical booksdid not survive, but the authors of Scripture knew about them and mayhave quoted them or employed them in writing biblical history.Below is a list of nonbiblical literary works mentioned in the Bible.
• TheBook of the Covenant (Exod. 24:7; 2 Kings 23:2, 21; 2 Chron.34:30).
• TheBook of the Law (Deut. 30:10; 31:26; Josh. 1:8; 8:34; 2 Kings22:8; Gal. 3:10). This is also called the Book of the Law of Moses(Josh. 23:6; cf. Mark 12:26) and the Book of the Law of God (Josh.24:26).
• TheBook of the Wars of the Lord (Num. 21:14). Quotations from thissource may include Num. 21:14b–15, 17–18, 27–30.
• TheBook of Jashar (Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18). This text containedDavid’s lament for Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:19–27)and most likely Joshua’s statement (Josh. 10:12).
• Thescroll of Joshua (Josh. 18:9).
• Thebook of the annals of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41).
• Thebook of the annals of the kings of Israel (1 Kings 14:19). Thissource is mentioned eighteen times in 1–2 Kings.
• Thebook of the annals of the kings of Judah (1 Kings 14:29). Thisscroll is mentioned fifteen times in 1–2 Kings.
• Genealogicalrecords from the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king ofIsrael (1 Chron. 5:17).
• Thebook of the kings of Israel and Judah (1 Chron. 9:1; 2 Chron.27:7).
• Thebook of the kings of Israel, which includes the annals of Jehu son ofHanani (2 Chron. 20:34). This may be the same as the book of thekings of Israel and Judah in 1 Chron. 9:1 (see ESV, NRSV).
• Thebook of the annals of King David (1 Chron. 27:24).
• Therecords of Samuel the seer (1 Chron. 29:29).
• Therecords of Nathan the prophet (1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron.9:29).
• Therecords of Gad the seer (1 Chron. 29:29).
• Theprophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (2 Chron. 9:29).
• Thevisions of Iddo the seer (2 Chron. 9:29).
• Therecords of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer (2 Chron.12:15).
• Theannotations of the prophet Iddo (2 Chron. 13:22).
• Thebook of the kings of Judah and Israel (2 Chron. 16:11). Thisincludes information on Hezekiah’s reign in the vision of theprophet Isaiah son of Amoz (2 Chron. 32:32).
• Theannotations on the book of the kings (2 Chron. 24:27).
• Theannals of the kings of Israel (2 Chron. 33:18).
• Therecords of the seers (2 Chron. 33:19).
• Thegenealogical record of those who had been the first to return (Neh.7:5).
• Thebook of the annals (Neh. 12:23). This contained genealogical data andpossibly other historical material on the returning exiles.
• Thebook of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia (Esther 10:2; cf.Esther 2:23; 6:1; Ezra 4:15).
• Thebook of life (Ps. 69:28; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15;21:27; cf. Exod. 32:32–33; Ps. 139:16).
• TheBook of Truth (Dan. 10:21).
• Thescroll of remembrance (Mal. 3:16).
In addition to ocean depths, the biblical text refers to thedepths of the earth (Ps. 63:9) and of the grave (86:13). Thedifferent terms translated “depths” are employedfiguratively to represent God’s incomprehensibility (Job 11:8)and omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience (Ps. 95:4), dire anddistressing situations (Pss. 30:1; 88:6; 130:1), death and near death(Ps. 71:20; Prov. 9:18), and hidden places, such as the mother’swomb (Ps. 139:15). See also Deep, The.
In the NIV, “fashion” is a verb meaning “tocraft, shape, form.” Often it is used pejoratively, as in thecrafting of an idol out of wood, stone, or metal (Exod. 32:4; 2Kings19:18; Isa. 37:19; 40:19; 44:15; Hos. 13:2). Job speaks of thecunning and scheming of those who think they are wise but aregodless: “their womb fashions deceit” (Job 15:35). In apositive sense, items are fashioned for God’s purpose: Aaron’sbreastpiece is fashioned by “the work of skilled hands”(Exod. 28:15; cf. 39:8). God is the master craftsman who “fashionedand made the earth” (Isa. 45:18). But God’s fashioning isa synonym for creation rather than crafting; he fashions his work outof nothing.
Inthe KJV God’s fashioning extends to his creation of humanbeings (Job 10:8; 31:15; Ps. 119:73), his oversight of the humanheart (Ps. 33:15), his ordaining of a person’s life span (Ps.139:16), and his transformative work in the glorification ofbelievers (Phil. 3:21).
Themost common noun usage for the word “fashion” in the KJVOT is as a plan, blueprint, or specification (2Kings 16:10)—forexample, of the ark (Gen. 6:15), the tabernacle (Exod. 26:30), andthe temple (1Kings 6:38; Ezek. 43:11). “Fashion” isalso used as a synonym for “likeness, appearance, manner, form”(Exod. 37:19; Mark 2:12; Luke 9:29; 1Cor. 7:31; Phil. 2:8;James 1:11). Finally, Peter cautions believers against “fashioning[themselves] according to the former lusts” (1Pet. 1:14KJV), a warning not to model or conform to worldly desires.
English Bible versions use the word “frame” totranslate a variety of Hebrew terms in the OT, most of which refer tosome kind of structural support. It can refer to the frame made ofacacia wood and overlaid with gold that supported the tabernacle inthe wilderness (Exod. 26:15–29); the “carrying frame”used to carry the utensils for the temple (Num. 4:10, 12); the framesfor the borders, or side panels, of the stands used to transport thebasins of the temple (1Kings 7:28–36); and other objects.The term is also used for the human body, either in its fragility(Job 17:7; cf. Isa. 58:11) or its intricate design (Ps. 139:15).
The present abode of God and the final dwelling place of the righteous. The ancient Jews distinguished three different heavens. The first heaven was the atmospheric heavens of the clouds and where the birds fly (Gen. 1:20). The second heaven was the celestial heavens of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The third heaven was the present home of God and the angels. Paul builds on this understanding of a third heaven in 2Cor. 12:2–4, where he describes himself as a man who “was caught up to the third heaven” or “paradise,” where he “heard inexpressible things.” This idea of multiple heavens also shows itself in how the Jews normally spoke of “heavens” in the plural (Gen. 1:1), while most other ancient cultures spoke of “heaven” in the singular.
The Abode of God
One of the challenges in understanding “heaven” as the present dwelling place of God involves God’s omnipresence. In one sense, God is present everywhere. David asks in Ps. 139:7, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” He answers that regardless of whether he goes as high up as anyone can go (“up to the heavens”), as low down as anyone can go (“in the depths), as far east as anyone can go (“the wings of the dawn”), or as far west as anyone can go (“the far side of the sea”), God is still there (Ps. 139:8–9).
Although God is present everywhere, God is also present in a special way in “heaven.” During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Father is sometimes described as speaking in “a voice from heaven” (Matt. 3:17). Similarly, Jesus instructs us to address our prayers to “Our Father in heaven” (6:9). Even the specific request in the Lord’s Prayer that “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10) reminds us that heaven is a place already under God’s full jurisdiction, where his will is presently being done completely and perfectly. Jesus also warns of the dangers of despising “one of these little ones,” because “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (18:10). Jesus “came down from heaven” (John 6:51) for his earthly ministry, and after his death and resurrection, he ascended back “into heaven,” from where he “will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
At times, “heaven” becomes virtually a synonym for God himself. In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, the son confesses to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you” (v.21). This son’s sin against “heaven” has nothing to do with environmental issues such as air pollution, and everything to do with his relationship with God. Note also Matthew’s expression “the kingdom of heaven” versus “the kingdom of God” used elsewhere.
The Final Dwelling Place for Believers
Given this strong connection between heaven and God’s presence, there is a natural connection in Scripture between heaven and the ultimate hope of believers. Believers are promised a reward in heaven (“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” [Matt. 5:12]), and even now believers can “store up for [themselves] treasures in heaven” (6:20). Even in this present life, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), and our hope at death is to “depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (1:23). Since Christ is currently in heaven, deceased believers are already present with Christ in heaven awaiting his return, when “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1Thess. 4:14).
However, this picture of heaven is more complicated. It is true that heaven is sometimes used in Scripture to refer to the present abode of all departed believers who have left this present life and entered the intermediate state between death and the bodily resurrection (2Cor. 5:4). It is this hope in a bodily resurrection that sets Christianity apart from other religions. Ultimately, the Christian hope is not that people will receive new physical bodies and float around some ethereal “heaven” like astronauts in outer space for all eternity. Instead, God has created human beings with physical bodies to inhabit a physical world, and our future hope is one of new resurrection bodies inhabiting new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2Pet. 3:13). Just as there will be a certain continuity between the bodies of believers in this present life and their new resurrection bodies (we will know one another), there will also be a certain continuity between this present earth and the new earth to come. Yet, at the same time, everything will also be changed and made new and perfect, as God has designed it to be (Rom. 8:18–21).
The clearest description of this new reality is found in Rev. 21–22, where John describes how he “saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (21:1). Here is “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2), when “God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (21:3–4). Even better than all the descriptions of such things as streets of “gold, as pure as transparent glass” (21:21) is that God himself will come and dwell in the midst of his people. As Paul has phrased it, “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1Cor. 13:12). The day will come when we will see God as he is, in all his glory (1John3:2).
Two other ideas complete our picture of life in these new heavens and new earth. Heaven will be a place of continued activity and service. Notice Jesus’ blessing in Matt. 25:21: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” The other principle is that there will be different degrees of reward. Although our ultimate reward is simply being with God himself, Paul also reminds us that if what believers do with their lives “survives, the builder will receive a reward,” and if what they do “is burned up, the builder will suffer loss” (1Cor. 3:14–15 NRSV). Our choices make a difference for time and eternity (cf. Rev. 14:13). See also Heavens, New.
The present abode of God and the final dwelling place of the righteous. The ancient Jews distinguished three different heavens. The first heaven was the atmospheric heavens of the clouds and where the birds fly (Gen. 1:20). The second heaven was the celestial heavens of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The third heaven was the present home of God and the angels. Paul builds on this understanding of a third heaven in 2Cor. 12:2–4, where he describes himself as a man who “was caught up to the third heaven” or “paradise,” where he “heard inexpressible things.” This idea of multiple heavens also shows itself in how the Jews normally spoke of “heavens” in the plural (Gen. 1:1), while most other ancient cultures spoke of “heaven” in the singular.
The Abode of God
One of the challenges in understanding “heaven” as the present dwelling place of God involves God’s omnipresence. In one sense, God is present everywhere. David asks in Ps. 139:7, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” He answers that regardless of whether he goes as high up as anyone can go (“up to the heavens”), as low down as anyone can go (“in the depths), as far east as anyone can go (“the wings of the dawn”), or as far west as anyone can go (“the far side of the sea”), God is still there (Ps. 139:8–9).
Although God is present everywhere, God is also present in a special way in “heaven.” During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Father is sometimes described as speaking in “a voice from heaven” (Matt. 3:17). Similarly, Jesus instructs us to address our prayers to “Our Father in heaven” (6:9). Even the specific request in the Lord’s Prayer that “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10) reminds us that heaven is a place already under God’s full jurisdiction, where his will is presently being done completely and perfectly. Jesus also warns of the dangers of despising “one of these little ones,” because “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (18:10). Jesus “came down from heaven” (John 6:51) for his earthly ministry, and after his death and resurrection, he ascended back “into heaven,” from where he “will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
At times, “heaven” becomes virtually a synonym for God himself. In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, the son confesses to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you” (v.21). This son’s sin against “heaven” has nothing to do with environmental issues such as air pollution, and everything to do with his relationship with God. Note also Matthew’s expression “the kingdom of heaven” versus “the kingdom of God” used elsewhere.
The Final Dwelling Place for Believers
Given this strong connection between heaven and God’s presence, there is a natural connection in Scripture between heaven and the ultimate hope of believers. Believers are promised a reward in heaven (“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” [Matt. 5:12]), and even now believers can “store up for [themselves] treasures in heaven” (6:20). Even in this present life, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), and our hope at death is to “depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (1:23). Since Christ is currently in heaven, deceased believers are already present with Christ in heaven awaiting his return, when “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1Thess. 4:14).
However, this picture of heaven is more complicated. It is true that heaven is sometimes used in Scripture to refer to the present abode of all departed believers who have left this present life and entered the intermediate state between death and the bodily resurrection (2Cor. 5:4). It is this hope in a bodily resurrection that sets Christianity apart from other religions. Ultimately, the Christian hope is not that people will receive new physical bodies and float around some ethereal “heaven” like astronauts in outer space for all eternity. Instead, God has created human beings with physical bodies to inhabit a physical world, and our future hope is one of new resurrection bodies inhabiting new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2Pet. 3:13). Just as there will be a certain continuity between the bodies of believers in this present life and their new resurrection bodies (we will know one another), there will also be a certain continuity between this present earth and the new earth to come. Yet, at the same time, everything will also be changed and made new and perfect, as God has designed it to be (Rom. 8:18–21).
The clearest description of this new reality is found in Rev. 21–22, where John describes how he “saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (21:1). Here is “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2), when “God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (21:3–4). Even better than all the descriptions of such things as streets of “gold, as pure as transparent glass” (21:21) is that God himself will come and dwell in the midst of his people. As Paul has phrased it, “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1Cor. 13:12). The day will come when we will see God as he is, in all his glory (1John3:2).
Two other ideas complete our picture of life in these new heavens and new earth. Heaven will be a place of continued activity and service. Notice Jesus’ blessing in Matt. 25:21: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” The other principle is that there will be different degrees of reward. Although our ultimate reward is simply being with God himself, Paul also reminds us that if what believers do with their lives “survives, the builder will receive a reward,” and if what they do “is burned up, the builder will suffer loss” (1Cor. 3:14–15 NRSV). Our choices make a difference for time and eternity (cf. Rev. 14:13). See also Heavens, New.
(1)Inthe Bible, usually the bottom of a robe. For example, the highpriest’s robe had a hem that included golden bells andpomegranates sewn onto it so that they made noise when the highpriest moved, presumably to let people know that the priest was stillalive when he entered the holy of holies (Exod. 28:33–35;39:24–26). Often, touching the hem of a robe was considered asign of submission (such as Saul grabbing Samuel’s in 1Sam.15:27). Similarly, it could be an act of entreaty by an inferiortoward a superior, as in Zech. 8:23: “In those days ten peoplefrom all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by thehem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we haveheard that God is with you.’ ” The Gospelsdescribe a woman who was healed simply by touching the hem of Jesus’robe (Matt. 9:20 // Mark 5:27 // Luke 8:44).
(2)Averb to describe the action of surrounding or trapping someone (Ps.139:5; Hab. 1:4).
A collection of 150 poems. They are the hymnbook of the OTperiod, used in public worship. Psalms contains songs of differentlengths, types, and dates. The earliest psalm (Ps. 90) is attributedto Moses (mid-second millennium BC), while the content of Ps. 126 andPs. 137 points to the latest periods of the OT (mid-first millenniumBC). They continue to be used as a source of public worship andprivate devotion.
HistoricalBackground
Mostpsalms have a title. In the Hebrew text this title comprises thefirst verse, whereas English translations set it off before the firstverse. Titles vary. Many name an author (e.g., David [Ps. 3]; Asaph[Ps. 77]; sons of Korah [Ps. 42]), while others provide informationabout genre (e.g., Psalms of Ascent [Pss. 120–134]), tune(e.g., “Do Not Destroy” [Ps. 75]), use in worship (Ps.92), and a circ*mstance that led to composition (Ps. 51). Informationin the title gives hints concerning how psalms were written andbrought into a final collection.
Composition
Asmentioned, the titles of the psalms often give indications ofauthorship and occasionally name the circ*mstance that led to thewriting of the psalm. A good example is Ps. 51, where the titlestates, “For the director of music. A psalm of David. When theprophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery withBathsheba.” The title connects the psalm with the eventsrecorded in 2Sam. 11–12 and suggests that David wrote thesong in response to his sin and Nathan’s confrontation.
Althoughonly a handful of the psalms have such a historical title, it islikely that most psalms were composed in response to some specificcirc*mstance that encouraged the author to write. Interestingly,though, the psalmists do not speak about the specific circ*mstance inthe psalm itself. Psalm 51, for instance, fits perfectly with thesituation that the title describes in that it expresses guilt towardGod and asks for forgiveness, but nowhere does it speak specificallyabout adultery. The psalmists do this intentionally because they arewriting the song not as a memorial to an event, but rather as aprayer that others who have had similar though not identicalexperiences can use after them. Thus, Ps. 51 has been used as a modelprayer for many penitents, whether they have sinned like David or inanother way.
Mostmodern hymns have a similar background. John Newton, for instance,was inspired to write “Amazing Grace” because of awe thathe felt at his conversion to Christianity from the evil of being aslave trader. However, when he wrote it, he wanted others to sing itas reflecting not on his conversion but on their own.
Collection
Thepsalms were composed over a thousand-year period. Thus, it appearsthat the book of Psalms was a growing collection until it came to aclose at an unknown time between the writing of the two Testaments.
In1Chron. 16:7–36 we may get a glimpse of how the processworked. The text describes David turning a musical composition overto the Levitical musician Asaph and his associates. It is likely thatthe priests kept an official copy of the book of Psalms in the holyplace (the temple while it stood). The psalms, after all, were thehymns of ancient Israel. Their primary function was as a corporatebook of prayer, though certainly they could be used in privatedevotions (note Hannah’s prayer in 1Sam. 2:1–10 andits relationship to Ps. 113).
Organizationand Structure
Thepsalms have no obvious organization that explains the location of allthe psalms. They are not organized in terms of genre, authorship,time of composition, or length. There is only one statement aboutorganization, found in Ps. 72:20: “This concludes the prayersof David son of Jesse.” In the light of this comment, it issurprising that a number of Davidic psalms appear in subsequentsections (Pss. 101; 103; 108–110; 122; 124; 131; 133; 138–145).The best explanation is that at one point Ps. 72 concluded theDavidic psalms, but there was a reorganization before the canonicalorder was permanently closed.
Anumber of contemporary theories try to find some deep structure tothe book, but it is best to refrain from speculation in regard to theoverall structure. Nonetheless, a few structural characteristics areobvious. First, the division of Psalms into five books seems toreflect the fivefold division of the Pentateuch:
I.Book 1 (Pss. 1–41)
II.Book 2 (Pss. 42–72)
III.Book 3 (Pss. 73–89)
IV.Book 4 (Pss. 90–106)
V.Book 5 (Pss. 107–150)
Eachbook ends with a doxology. Such an intentional association with thePentateuch would lend support to the Psalter’s claim toauthority. Although these are prayers to God, they are also God’sword.
Second,within the Psalter there are subcollections. That is, there arepsalms that came into the book not individually but as a group. Thebest-known such group are the Psalms of Ascent (Pss. 120–134),probably so named because worshipers sang them while going up(ascending) to the Temple Mount during one of the annual religiousfestivals in Jerusalem.
Third,it appears that psalms are intentionally placed at the beginning andat the end of the book to serve as an introduction and a conclusion.Psalms 1–2 serve as an introduction that alerts the reader tothe twin important themes of law and messiah. Psalm 1 pronounces ablessing on those who love God’s law. The psalms, after all,are an intimate and personal conversation with God. One must be onthe side of the godly to enter such a holy textual space, just as onemust be godly to enter the precincts of the temple. After the readerenters, Psalm 2 provides an encounter with God and his anointed one(messiah). At the end of the book, the last five psalms (Pss.146–150) constitute a tremendous doxology of praise.
Thisleads to the final observation on structure. Psalms of lamentpredominate at the beginning of the book, but they give way to hymnsof praise toward the end. It is almost as if one enters the Psaltermourning and leaves it praising. Indeed, the Psalter brings thereader into contact with God and thus transforms the reader fromsadness to joy.
LiteraryConsiderations
Genre.The individual psalms may be identified as songs, prayers, or poems.Specifically, they are lyric poems (expressing the emotions of thepoet), often addressed to God, and set to musical accompaniment.Although the categories overlap, seven different types of psalms canbe recognized, with the first three being by far the most common.
• Lament.The largest single group of psalms are the laments, characterized bythe expression of unhappy emotions: sadness, disappointment, anger,worry. The lamenters call on God to save them, even while at timescomplaining about God’s actions toward them (Ps. 42:9–10).Some laments contain petitions for forgiveness (Ps. 51), while othersassert innocence of any wrongdoing (Ps. 26). A few laments evencontain curses directed toward the enemies who are trying to harm thepsalmist (Ps. 69:19–28). Most laments end by praising God orreaffirming confidence in God (Ps. 130:7–8). Usually the reasonfor the change from mourning to rejoicing is not given, but Ps. 77pinpoints the reason as the memory of God’s great salvationevents in the past (vv. 10, 16–20). One psalm, Ps. 88, lamentsbut never makes the turn, remaining in the pit of despair. Yet evenhere we have a glimmer of hope in that the one who laments is stillspeaking to God.
• Thanksgiving.When God answers a lament, the response is thanksgiving. Psalms ofthanksgiving are very similar to hymns (see below), but they cite anearlier problem that God has addressed. Psalm 30 praises God forrestoring the psalmist’s good fortune and health after hesuffered due to his earlier arrogance that led him to forget God (vv.6–7).
• Hymn.Hymns are psalms of unalloyed praise directed toward God. Thepsalmists often call for others to join their worship of God (Ps.100).
• Remembrance.While many psalms evoke memories of God’s actions in the past(as the lament in Ps. 77 recalls the exodus), certain psalms focus onrehearsing the actions of God in the past. Psalm 136 is one of themost memorable examples. As a liturgical psalm, it recites a divineaction (“[God] swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea”[v.15]) followed by a congregational response (“His loveendures forever”).
• Confidence.These psalms are defined by their mood of quiet trust in God even inthe midst of trouble. They often present a reassuring image of God.The picture of God as a shepherd in Ps. 23 or as a mother in Ps. 131are good examples.
• Wisdom.Some psalms meditate on the law (Pss. 1; 119) or have interestssimilar to those of wisdom literature, such as Job, Proverbs, andEcclesiastes (Pss. 49; 73).
• Kingship.A number of psalms praise God as king (Ps. 47) or the human king ashis agent (Pss. 20–21) or both (Ps.2).
Style.The psalms are poems, and so their style is characterized by the useof parallelism and figurative language. Poetry is also notable forits short lines. A poet packs a lot of meaning into very few words.So it is important to slow down and reflect on a psalm in order toderive its maximum effect. Besides brevity of expression,parallelism, and figurative language, poets create interest by usingother literary tools. The psalmists use these poetic devices not onlyto inform their readers’ intellect but also to stimulate theirimagination and arouse their emotions. (See also Acrostic; Imagery;Poetry.)
TheologicalMessage
Althoughthe psalms are not theological essays, readers can learn about Godand their relationship with God from these poems. The book of Psalmsis a bit like a portrait gallery of God, using images to describe whohe is and the nature of our relationship with him. Some examplesinclude God as shepherd (Ps. 23), king (Ps. 47), warrior (Ps. 98),and mother (Ps. 131), and the list could be greatly expanded. Eachone of these picture images casts light on the nature of God and alsothe nature of our relationship with God. After all, theaforementioned psalms explicitly or implicitly describe God’speople as sheep, subjects, soldiers, and children.
Connectionto the New Testament and Today
Jesushimself draws attention to Psalms as a book that anticipated hiscoming suffering and glorification (Luke 24:25–27, 44). TheGospels recognized that Jesus’ zeal for God was well expressedby Ps. 69:9 (John 2:17). When at the apex of his suffering on thecross, Jesus uttered the words found in Ps. 22:1 (Matt. 27:46). TheNT writers also saw that Jesus was the fulfillment of the covenantthat promised that a son of David would have an everlasting throne(2Sam. 7:16). Accordingly, the royal psalms (e.g., Pss. 2; 110)often were applied to Jesus, who is the Messiah (the Christ, “theanointed one”).
Todaywe read Psalms not only as an ancient witness to the coming work ofChrist but also, as John Calvin put it, as a mirror of our souls. Thepsalms were written for worshipers who came after them with similarthough not identical joys and problems. The psalms should becomemodels of our prayers.
The KJV translation of Hebrew words (kilyah;khalats)that may mean either an anatomical (“kidneys”; “loins”)or figurative (“heart”) part of humans. It appears oncein the NT, translating the Greek word nephros(Rev. 2:23). The variety of NIV translations reflects the manifoldmeaning of this word in Hebrew thought: “kidney” (Job16:13), “waist” (Isa. 11:5), “heart” (Job19:27), “spirit” (Ps. 73:21), “inmost being”(Ps. 139:13; Prov. 23:16), and “mind” (Jer. 17:10).
In the OT, an underworld place to which all were destinedafter death. The Hebrew word she’olis generally translated as “the grave” in modern versionsof the Bible, including the NIV. Sheol appears in the OT mostfrequently in songs and prayers (David’s song [2Sam.22:6]; Hannah’s prayer [1Sam. 2:6]; many references inPsalms), as well as in the wisdom books of Job and Proverbs. Theancient Israelites visualized the cosmos as comprised of threedistinct realms: heaven, the realm of the divine; earth, the realm ofhumanity and God’s creation; and Sheol, a place underneath theearth and the seas, the realm of the dead (Job 11:8; 26:5–7).
TheRealm of the Dead
Inthe OT, Sheol is not a place of judgment or of God’s wrath, butrather a realm that harbored those who had died. Sheol was the greatequalizer in the OT, as it was thought to be inhabited not only bythe masses, but also by the rich and powerful (Job 3:19; Isa. 5:14;14:9, 11), the bravest of warriors (Ezek. 32:21), the righteous (Gen.37:35; Isa. 38:10; Ps. 30:3, 9), the wicked (Num. 16:30, 33), indeedeveryone (Ps. 89:48; Eccles. 9:10). Although Sheol itself is not aplace of judgment, it is connected to God’s wrath in the OT.The consequence of God’s wrathful judgment is frequently anearly descent into Sheol (Num. 16:30; 1Kings 2:6; Job 24:19;Ps. 31:17; Isa. 38:10; Ezek. 31:17). Premature death is the result ofGod’s wrath and judgment in the OT, not the descent into Sheol,which itself is inevitable.
Descriptionsof Sheol do not occur in third-person narratives or in legalmaterial, but are found only in first-person speeches throughout theOT. Moreover, Sheol is never described in full detail but is referredto only occasionally. Similar to depictions in other ancient NearEastern cultures, descriptions of Sheol in biblical texts locate itin the farthest depths beneath the earth (Job 11:8; 26:6–13;Ps. 139:8) and the seas (Ezek. 31:15; Jon. 2:4), as contrasted withthe heavens above. Sheol is portrayed as a watery underworld (Ps.69:1–2, 13–15; Jon. 2:6), a place of darkness (Job 17:13;Ps. 88:3, 6, 12), of silence (Pss. 6:5; 31:17; Isa. 38:18), withgates at its entrance (Isa. 38:10; Jon. 2:7). By contrast, Sheol isalso portrayed as a place of peace (1Kings 2:6; Job 21:13), aplace where greetings and conversations might take place (Isa. 14:9),where one would be reunited with a loved one who had already died(Gen. 37:35).
Sheolis a place where the fullness of joy in life no longer abides, forone cannot praise God in Sheol (Ps. 6:5; Isa. 38:18–19).Indeed, the book of Ecclesiastes encourages readers, “Eat yourfood with gladness.... Enjoy life with your wife,whom you love.... For in the realm of the dead[Sheol] ... there is neither working nor planning norknowledge nor wisdom” (9:7–10). In a similar manner, thebook of Sirach in the Apocrypha states that one must fully enjoyone’s earthly life, for no pleasures are to be found in Sheol(14:16). Job, however, views Sheol as a positive alternative to histragedies, and he imagines Sheol to be a peaceful place where earthlystruggles give way to rest, even for the wicked (Job 3:1–19).
Sheoloften is personified along with the figure of Death, particularly inthe prophetic literature and Proverbs. Portrayals of Sheol generallyare synonymous with those of Death and match iconographicrepresentations of the god Death (Motu) in the ancient Near East.Sheol is portrayed as a monster with formidably large jaws (Isa.5:14) and clutching hands (Ps. 89:48; Hos. 13:14), employing plaguesand scourges to slay its victims (Hos. 13:14), as well as snares andtraps (2Sam. 22:6; Ps. 116:3) to feed its insatiable appetite(Prov. 1:12; 27:20; 30:16; Song 8:6; Hab. 2:5).
Sheolis not, however, a place outside the authority and power of Yahweh.Indeed, it is a place that is open to God’s vision (Job 26:6)and within the reach of God’s hand (Amos 9:2). The realm ofSheol is under the purview of God’s authority, and those whodwell there are not separated from God’s presence: “If Igo up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths[Sheol], you are there” (Ps. 139:8). Yet the OT maintains thatone’s life of faith in God is altered in Sheol. According toPs. 6:5, “Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Whopraises you from the grave [Sheol]?” And, indeed, “thosewho go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness” (Isa.38:18). These texts imply that although Yahweh’s presenceremains with those who dwell in Sheol, the dead are unable to respondto God in praise and trust as they did in life.
TheAfterlife and Resurrection
Beliefin the afterlife was common in the ancient Near East. Thus, it isremarkable that the OT is so restrained in the hope that it offersfor life after death. Most OT texts affirm that no one returns fromSheol (Job 7:9; Isa. 38:10, 18; cf. Sir. 48:5). Yet the questionremains open. God’s limitless sovereignty is acknowledged inthe prayer of Hannah: “The Lord brings death and makes alive;he brings down to the grave [Sheol] and raises up” (1Sam.2:6). Thus, Yahweh has the power to raise people up from Sheol, butwhether he will choose to do so is a question unanswered in the OT.
Hintsof resurrection from the grave can be found in the metaphoric use ofSheol in the psalms and the prophetic literature to represent direstruggle and sin from which the psalmist or Israel receives healingand deliverance: “I will deliver this people from the power ofthe grave [Sheol]; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, areyour plagues? Where, O grave [Sheol], is your destruction?”(Hos. 13:14 [see also Job 14:13; Pss. 16:10–11; 30:2–3;49:13–15; 86:13; Jon. 2:3]). However, it is unclear whetherthese texts portray salvation after descent into Sheol has alreadytaken place or, rather, Yahweh’s deliverance experienced as aprotection from descending into Sheol in the first place. Strongerhints at a bodily resurrection come from the narratives in which theprayers of Elijah and Elisha result in a resurrection from the dead(1Kings 17:17–24; 2Kings 4:17–37).
Whenthe OT was translated into Greek for Hellenized Jewish readers,“Sheol” was translated as “Hades,” importinga similar Greek concept of the underworld into the biblical text. TheNT uses the words “Hades” and “hell”interchangeably; however, the distinction between the grave and hellis maintained. The grave is simply a place to which all are destined,as was Sheol. Thus, it is not until the NT that firmconceptualizations of a place for eternal punishment, as well as aplace of eternal reward, emerge. Jewish literature written betweenthe OT and the NT demonstrates a stronger hope in the resurrection,yet these texts largely parallel the OT usage of Sheol as simply anunderworld abode of the dead. It is not until the coming of Christthat the resurrection from the dead transforms from a glimmer of hopeto a resplendent promise in the Bible.
Secondary Matches
The following suggestions occured because
Psalm 139:1-24
is mentioned in the definition.
Abortion remains an important and vital issue in contemporarysociety, but the Bible does not comment directly on the practice.There is no law for or against, nor is there even a description orallusion to it, even though its practice was not unknown in theancient world. Apparently, it was not an issue in biblicallegislation.
Perhapsthe most frequently cited passages tied to the contemporary abortiondebate are Exod. 21:22–25; Job 10:10–11; Ps. 139:13–16;Jer. 1:5. Although these passages certainly speak to the unbornstate, they have only indirect relevance, at best, to the issue ofabortion.
TheHebrew wording of Exod. 21:22 is obscure and could refer to amiscarriage or full-term delivery; and the harm referred to could bethat of either the mother or the child. Also, Exod. 21:22 speaks ofaccidental death, not a willing decision by a mother to abort achild.
Jeremiah1:5 refers to God knowing Jeremiah before he was in the womb. Thisspeaks to God’s intention from time past to use Jeremiah as aprophet, and the text should not be generalized of everyone. Clearly,the focus is not on the personhood of the fetus but on the extent ofGod’s knowledge.
Psalm139:13–16 is perhaps most relevant to the debate, as thepsalmist describes the wonder of God in “creating” and“forming” him in the womb. Since the passage refers toGod’s planning of the entire believer’s life (v. 16),that life seems to begin in some sense in the womb. Similarly, Job10:10–11 speaks of fetal development. Although these passagesdo not speak directly to the matter of abortion, they imply thatGod’s care for humans does not begin only at birth.
However,care must be taken not to allow this relative silence to bemisunderstood. The Bible is very clear about the sanctity of life,especially that of the innocent. The biblical argument againstabortion is one that connects more to larger themes concerningprotection of the innocent than to any one verse or to a lack ofverses.
Geography
Whereasthe principal direction in the modern world is north, in the ancientworld different cultures used a variety of orientations as theysought to describe their relationship to their geographicalenvironment. In Israel the primary direction was determined by thesunrise: east. This is reflected in Hebrew, where the main word usedto refer to east as a direction was qedem, which could also be usedto simply refer to that which was directly ahead or in front of thespeaker (e.g., Ps. 139:5). Elsewhere, east is designated by the termsmizrakh (“rising” [Josh. 11:3]) or mizrakh hashamesh(“rising of the sun” [Num. 21:11]), both of which derivefrom the direction of sunrise. By way of contrast, in Egypt theprimary direction was south, in alignment with the source of the NileRiver.
Theancient world employed the same notion of four cardinal directions,which persists to the present, and the terminology related to thesewas influenced by the choice of primary direction. Thus, in Israelnorth is often designated by “left”; south could bedesignated by “right,” and west by “behind.”In addition, directions could be specified by reference togeographical features found in those directions. North could bespecified by the word tsapon, which was derived from the name of anorthern Syrian mountain (Zaphon); south by negeb, a name for theregion south of Israel (Negev); and west by yam (“sea”),since the Mediterranean Sea lay to the west.
Symbolism
Asidefrom their purely geographical significance, the directions also cameto bear figurative significance. Some caution is warranted inassigning symbolic significance to language, for there is danger ofreading invalid meanings into texts. Furthermore, given the ambiguityinherent in the use of terms to refer to directions, which also havealternate significances, there is danger of assigning a symbolicmeaning to the direction that actually resides in the alternate. So,for example, while yam (“sea”) carries significantsymbolic overtones in the Bible, this association does not appear tohave been extended to encompass the term when used to designate awesterly direction.
Eastand west.Nonetheless, there is, for example, probably some significance in theexpulsion from Eden and progressive movement eastward to the tower ofBabel through Gen. 1–11, followed by a return to the promisedland, which was approached by reversing the easterly migration andreturning toward Eden. Eden itself was said to lie “in theeast” (Heb. miqqedem; Gen. 2:8), although the same Hebrewexpression in Pss. 74:12; 77:5, 11; 78:2; 143:5 means “inancient times,” and there is perhaps a deliberate ambiguity inthe use of the expression in Gen. 2:8. In Isa. 2:6 the east is thesource of influences on the people that lead them astray. Followingthe exile, Ezekiel sees the glory of God returning to the temple fromthe east (Ezek. 43:1–2). Thus, when used symbolically, “east”is often viewed negatively or else may be used to mark a connectionwith distant antiquity (Gen. 2:8; Job 1:3). Any symbolic significanceassigned to west appears primarily to be associated with it being theantithesis of east. The distance between east and west was usedpoetically to express vast distance (Ps. 103:12).
Northand south.North is significant for two primary reasons. First, it is thedirection from which invading armies most often descended upon Israel(Jer. 1:13) as well as from which Babylon’s destruction is saidto come (Jer. 50:3). In light of this, Ezekiel’s vision of Godapproaching from the north strikes an ominous tone of impendingjudgment (Ezek. 1:1–4). Second, in Canaanite mythology theabode of the gods, and specifically Baal, lay to the north, on MountZaphon. Thus, the king of Babylon’s plans in Isa. 14:13 amountto a claim to establish himself as one of the gods. In contrast tothis, Ps. 48:2 pre-sents Mount Zion as supplanting Mount Zaphon andthus implicitly presents Israel’s one God as supplanting theCanaanite pantheon.
Aswith west, there is little symbolic significance associated with thedirection south in the Bible, aside from its use in combination withother directions.
Thefour directions.The four directions (or sometimes just pairs of directions) are usedtogether to describe both the scattering of the Israelites as well astheir being gathered by God back to the promised land (Ps. 107:3;Isa. 43:5–6; Luke 13:29). They are also used together toexpress the extent of the promised land (Gen. 13:14) or else todescribe something that is all-encompassing (1Chron. 9:24).
Geography
Whereasthe principal direction in the modern world is north, in the ancientworld different cultures used a variety of orientations as theysought to describe their relationship to their geographicalenvironment. In Israel the primary direction was determined by thesunrise: east. This is reflected in Hebrew, where the main word usedto refer to east as a direction was qedem, which could also be usedto simply refer to that which was directly ahead or in front of thespeaker (e.g., Ps. 139:5). Elsewhere, east is designated by the termsmizrakh (“rising” [Josh. 11:3]) or mizrakh hashamesh(“rising of the sun” [Num. 21:11]), both of which derivefrom the direction of sunrise. By way of contrast, in Egypt theprimary direction was south, in alignment with the source of the NileRiver.
Theancient world employed the same notion of four cardinal directions,which persists to the present, and the terminology related to thesewas influenced by the choice of primary direction. Thus, in Israelnorth is often designated by “left”; south could bedesignated by “right,” and west by “behind.”In addition, directions could be specified by reference togeographical features found in those directions. North could bespecified by the word tsapon, which was derived from the name of anorthern Syrian mountain (Zaphon); south by negeb, a name for theregion south of Israel (Negev); and west by yam (“sea”),since the Mediterranean Sea lay to the west.
Symbolism
Asidefrom their purely geographical significance, the directions also cameto bear figurative significance. Some caution is warranted inassigning symbolic significance to language, for there is danger ofreading invalid meanings into texts. Furthermore, given the ambiguityinherent in the use of terms to refer to directions, which also havealternate significances, there is danger of assigning a symbolicmeaning to the direction that actually resides in the alternate. So,for example, while yam (“sea”) carries significantsymbolic overtones in the Bible, this association does not appear tohave been extended to encompass the term when used to designate awesterly direction.
Eastand west.Nonetheless, there is, for example, probably some significance in theexpulsion from Eden and progressive movement eastward to the tower ofBabel through Gen. 1–11, followed by a return to the promisedland, which was approached by reversing the easterly migration andreturning toward Eden. Eden itself was said to lie “in theeast” (Heb. miqqedem; Gen. 2:8), although the same Hebrewexpression in Pss. 74:12; 77:5, 11; 78:2; 143:5 means “inancient times,” and there is perhaps a deliberate ambiguity inthe use of the expression in Gen. 2:8. In Isa. 2:6 the east is thesource of influences on the people that lead them astray. Followingthe exile, Ezekiel sees the glory of God returning to the temple fromthe east (Ezek. 43:1–2). Thus, when used symbolically, “east”is often viewed negatively or else may be used to mark a connectionwith distant antiquity (Gen. 2:8; Job 1:3). Any symbolic significanceassigned to west appears primarily to be associated with it being theantithesis of east. The distance between east and west was usedpoetically to express vast distance (Ps. 103:12).
Northand south.North is significant for two primary reasons. First, it is thedirection from which invading armies most often descended upon Israel(Jer. 1:13) as well as from which Babylon’s destruction is saidto come (Jer. 50:3). In light of this, Ezekiel’s vision of Godapproaching from the north strikes an ominous tone of impendingjudgment (Ezek. 1:1–4). Second, in Canaanite mythology theabode of the gods, and specifically Baal, lay to the north, on MountZaphon. Thus, the king of Babylon’s plans in Isa. 14:13 amountto a claim to establish himself as one of the gods. In contrast tothis, Ps. 48:2 pre-sents Mount Zion as supplanting Mount Zaphon andthus implicitly presents Israel’s one God as supplanting theCanaanite pantheon.
Aswith west, there is little symbolic significance associated with thedirection south in the Bible, aside from its use in combination withother directions.
Thefour directions.The four directions (or sometimes just pairs of directions) are usedtogether to describe both the scattering of the Israelites as well astheir being gathered by God back to the promised land (Ps. 107:3;Isa. 43:5–6; Luke 13:29). They are also used together toexpress the extent of the promised land (Gen. 13:14) or else todescribe something that is all-encompassing (1Chron. 9:24).
In systematic theology, “foreknowledge” usuallyrefers to the doctrine that God knows all things, events, and personsbefore they exist or occur and that this knowledge has been his fromall eternity. No single Hebrew term in the OT corresponds to theEnglish term; the concept is expressed rather on the phrase orsentence level. In the NT, the Greek verb proginōskō andnoun prognōsis are translated “foreknow” and“foreknowledge,” respectively. Recently in evangelicalcircles there has been intense debate as to whether foreknowledge andomniscience are in fact taught in the biblical texts.
OldTestament
Inthe OT narratives, especially in the Pentateuch, there are numerousinstances that indicate some limitations to God’s knowledge ingeneral and his foreknowledge in particular. God appears to besomewhat surprised by how wicked humanity has become before hedecides to send the flood (Gen. 6:5). God comes down and discoversthat the inhabitants of Babel have started to build a tower andconsiders how to stop the activity (11:5–7). God comes down toascertain whether the outcry that has come to his ears about the sinof Sodom and Gomorrah is actually as bad as the reports wouldindicate (18:20–21). God tests Abraham by commanding him tooffer Isaac as a sacrifice, and when Abraham begins to do so, hedeclares that now he knows that Abraham really fears him (22:1–18).
Often,narratives such as these are regarded by theologians as cases ofanthropomorphism, statements made about God that speak of him as ifhe had human characteristics—in this case, limited knowledge.And certainly there are many other narratives in the Pentateuch thatappear to give the opposite picture. God asks Cain where his brotherAbel is, though he apparently already knows the answer (Gen. 4:9–10).God relates to Abraham the course that Israelite history will takefor the next several hundred years (15:13–16). God seems to bein a real-time chess match with Pharaoh, but in actuality God knowsall the moves that both he and Pharaoh will make before the game everbegins (Exod. 3:19–22; 4:21–23; 7:1–5).
Giventhis data, perhaps the better explanation for what is happening inthese texts is not that the biblical narrator is employinganthropomorphism but rather that God is accommodating himself both tothe characters in the narrative and to the narrator of the stories.That is, at this stage of revelatory history God is not yet revealinghimself as fully omniscient and prescient of the future in itsentirety. In the conceptual world of the ancient Near East, deitieswere regularly portrayed as being interactive—deliberating,investigating, discovering, making decisions, and so forth. Godtherefore may well have accommodated himself to the larger milieu inrevealing himself to the patriarchs and earliest biblical narrators.
Whateverthe case may be, later biblical revelation certainly seems to presentGod as fully omniscient and prescient. “Death and Destructionlie open before the Lord—how much more do human hearts!”(Prov. 15:11). Before words reach our tongues, God knows themcompletely (Ps. 139:4). No one has ever had to keep God informed orprovide him with counsel (Isa. 40:13–14). There are no limitsto his understanding (Ps. 147:5). The God of Israel challenges allidols and all other gods to a foreknowledge contest: if they areable, let them tell what is going to happen, as Yahweh does (Isa.42:9; 44:6–8; 48:3–8). God alone makes the end known fromthe beginning (Isa. 46:10), and he has been doing so from ancienttimes (Acts 15:17–18). God knew Jeremiah long before he wasever a fetus (Jer. 1:5). Our prayers do not make God finally aware ofour situation; he already knows what our needs are (Matt. 6:8).Indeed, God answers our prayers before they are even prayed (Isa.65:24). “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’ssight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare” before his eyes(Heb. 4:13).
NewTestament
Oneespecially important exegetical question for the NT involves theprecise meaning of the aforementioned Greek words, proginōskō(“foreknow”) and prognōsis (“foreknowledge”).The question concerns whether these words, in their contexts, aremerely cognitive terms, indicating simply that God knows thingsbefore they happen, or whether the terms are volitional terms and/oraffective terms. That is, do they indicate foreordaining and/orforeloving? Are they terms that have basically the same meaning as“election” and “predestination”?
Givingcredence to this position is the fact that in some of the passageswhere these words occur there are other words that definitely referto God willing things to happen. In Acts 2:23, Peter declares thatJesus was handed over to his crucifiers by “God’sdeliberate plan and foreknowledge.” The verse can hardly meanthat God decided to do this because he already knew it was going tohappen. Rather, the terms “deliberate plan” and“foreknowledge” act together to convey the single idea ofGod’s complete control, planning, and sovereignty in the deathof Jesus. Likewise, in 1Pet. 1:20 the word does not mean thatthe Son was simply “foreknown” before the foundation ofthe world, but rather that he was “chosen” (NIV),“destined” (NRSV), “foreordained” (KJV).
InRom. 11:2, Paul states that God has not rejected “his people,whom he foreknew.” Again, it is hard to read this as being onlycognitive. Rather, the use of the term appears to imply some kind of“affective” foreknowing, a “setting his love upon”(cf. Deut. 7:7–8), a choosing. It is important to note that thetext says God foreknew not things but people. On the one hand, Godforeknew all people who would ever exist, but in this passage theforeknowing refers to a particular people. And the foreknowing mostlikely takes its sense from the use of the word “know” inthe OT, which on numerous occasions refers to the relationship ofacknowledgment and love between God and his people.
Inthe same way, in Rom. 8:29 “those God foreknew he alsopredestined,” “foreknew” again appears to be avolitional, affective term—that is, “those whom God sethis love upon.” That it means that God knew how these peoplewould respond to the gospel and then chose them seems to be excludedby passages such as Rom. 9:11–12, where God’s purposes inelection are not determined by people’s actions. Finally, in1Pet. 1:1–2 the “elect” to whom Peter iswriting are elect according to “foreknowledge of God”;not that God foreknew things about them, but that God foreknew them.This understanding of the terms in context seems preferable.
In systematic theology, “foreknowledge” usuallyrefers to the doctrine that God knows all things, events, and personsbefore they exist or occur and that this knowledge has been his fromall eternity. No single Hebrew term in the OT corresponds to theEnglish term; the concept is expressed rather on the phrase orsentence level. In the NT, the Greek verb proginōskō andnoun prognōsis are translated “foreknow” and“foreknowledge,” respectively. Recently in evangelicalcircles there has been intense debate as to whether foreknowledge andomniscience are in fact taught in the biblical texts.
OldTestament
Inthe OT narratives, especially in the Pentateuch, there are numerousinstances that indicate some limitations to God’s knowledge ingeneral and his foreknowledge in particular. God appears to besomewhat surprised by how wicked humanity has become before hedecides to send the flood (Gen. 6:5). God comes down and discoversthat the inhabitants of Babel have started to build a tower andconsiders how to stop the activity (11:5–7). God comes down toascertain whether the outcry that has come to his ears about the sinof Sodom and Gomorrah is actually as bad as the reports wouldindicate (18:20–21). God tests Abraham by commanding him tooffer Isaac as a sacrifice, and when Abraham begins to do so, hedeclares that now he knows that Abraham really fears him (22:1–18).
Often,narratives such as these are regarded by theologians as cases ofanthropomorphism, statements made about God that speak of him as ifhe had human characteristics—in this case, limited knowledge.And certainly there are many other narratives in the Pentateuch thatappear to give the opposite picture. God asks Cain where his brotherAbel is, though he apparently already knows the answer (Gen. 4:9–10).God relates to Abraham the course that Israelite history will takefor the next several hundred years (15:13–16). God seems to bein a real-time chess match with Pharaoh, but in actuality God knowsall the moves that both he and Pharaoh will make before the game everbegins (Exod. 3:19–22; 4:21–23; 7:1–5).
Giventhis data, perhaps the better explanation for what is happening inthese texts is not that the biblical narrator is employinganthropomorphism but rather that God is accommodating himself both tothe characters in the narrative and to the narrator of the stories.That is, at this stage of revelatory history God is not yet revealinghimself as fully omniscient and prescient of the future in itsentirety. In the conceptual world of the ancient Near East, deitieswere regularly portrayed as being interactive—deliberating,investigating, discovering, making decisions, and so forth. Godtherefore may well have accommodated himself to the larger milieu inrevealing himself to the patriarchs and earliest biblical narrators.
Whateverthe case may be, later biblical revelation certainly seems to presentGod as fully omniscient and prescient. “Death and Destructionlie open before the Lord—how much more do human hearts!”(Prov. 15:11). Before words reach our tongues, God knows themcompletely (Ps. 139:4). No one has ever had to keep God informed orprovide him with counsel (Isa. 40:13–14). There are no limitsto his understanding (Ps. 147:5). The God of Israel challenges allidols and all other gods to a foreknowledge contest: if they areable, let them tell what is going to happen, as Yahweh does (Isa.42:9; 44:6–8; 48:3–8). God alone makes the end known fromthe beginning (Isa. 46:10), and he has been doing so from ancienttimes (Acts 15:17–18). God knew Jeremiah long before he wasever a fetus (Jer. 1:5). Our prayers do not make God finally aware ofour situation; he already knows what our needs are (Matt. 6:8).Indeed, God answers our prayers before they are even prayed (Isa.65:24). “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’ssight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare” before his eyes(Heb. 4:13).
NewTestament
Oneespecially important exegetical question for the NT involves theprecise meaning of the aforementioned Greek words, proginōskō(“foreknow”) and prognōsis (“foreknowledge”).The question concerns whether these words, in their contexts, aremerely cognitive terms, indicating simply that God knows thingsbefore they happen, or whether the terms are volitional terms and/oraffective terms. That is, do they indicate foreordaining and/orforeloving? Are they terms that have basically the same meaning as“election” and “predestination”?
Givingcredence to this position is the fact that in some of the passageswhere these words occur there are other words that definitely referto God willing things to happen. In Acts 2:23, Peter declares thatJesus was handed over to his crucifiers by “God’sdeliberate plan and foreknowledge.” The verse can hardly meanthat God decided to do this because he already knew it was going tohappen. Rather, the terms “deliberate plan” and“foreknowledge” act together to convey the single idea ofGod’s complete control, planning, and sovereignty in the deathof Jesus. Likewise, in 1Pet. 1:20 the word does not mean thatthe Son was simply “foreknown” before the foundation ofthe world, but rather that he was “chosen” (NIV),“destined” (NRSV), “foreordained” (KJV).
InRom. 11:2, Paul states that God has not rejected “his people,whom he foreknew.” Again, it is hard to read this as being onlycognitive. Rather, the use of the term appears to imply some kind of“affective” foreknowing, a “setting his love upon”(cf. Deut. 7:7–8), a choosing. It is important to note that thetext says God foreknew not things but people. On the one hand, Godforeknew all people who would ever exist, but in this passage theforeknowing refers to a particular people. And the foreknowing mostlikely takes its sense from the use of the word “know” inthe OT, which on numerous occasions refers to the relationship ofacknowledgment and love between God and his people.
Inthe same way, in Rom. 8:29 “those God foreknew he alsopredestined,” “foreknew” again appears to be avolitional, affective term—that is, “those whom God sethis love upon.” That it means that God knew how these peoplewould respond to the gospel and then chose them seems to be excludedby passages such as Rom. 9:11–12, where God’s purposes inelection are not determined by people’s actions. Finally, in1Pet. 1:1–2 the “elect” to whom Peter iswriting are elect according to “foreknowledge of God”;not that God foreknew things about them, but that God foreknew them.This understanding of the terms in context seems preferable.
Human Freedom and Divine Freedom
The concept of freedom has three aspects, the first one being legal, or forensic. We are free to watch television, visit Alabama, and collect stamps. In other words, we may do these things because no law forbids them, and no forces deter us. The second aspect is potential, by which we are free to do something if we can actually do it, apart from the question of legality. In this sense, one is free to lift ten pounds but not ten thousand pounds. The third aspect is psychological, meaning that persons are free who can make up their own minds, unaffected by forces that flatly determine what they think and desire. Most people, therefore, enjoy substantial freedom, defined in these three ways. They can and may do all sorts of things, and they are mentally stable. Nevertheless, human freedom is relative, not absolute. We are not God.
God’s freedom differs from our own at all three levels described above. First, God makes the rules (forensic). Second, he has the power to do whatever he likes (potential). He always reigns and never is subject to anyone or anything. Likewise, third, although God cannot violate his own logical principles, no external forces determine what he thinks and does (psychological). Consequently, God is absolutely free, and human beings are not. We lack God’s power and knowledge, and we must live by his rules. In fact, even our thoughts and desires are shaped by external factors, all of which trace back to God himself. He fashions us in our mother’s womb, and he sovereignly ordains our life experiences, the very ones that affect our desires and character (Ps. 139). Thus, our personality types and preferences are assigned to us by circ*mstance, and we act upon them in a mildly deterministic way. Of course, the biblical writers do not regard these factors as operating coercively, so that we make no actual choices in what we approve, decide, and become. Otherwise, God would not bother to reveal himself and his will for our lives. We are not rigidly preprogrammed agents; but then again, we do not have God’s own kind of liberty.
Freedom and Determinism
Some critics of biblical theism might complain that a little determinism, in this sense, goes a long way toward depersonalizing human beings. If we live in the Christian world, the concern is, we must frankly and only refer to the prior causes of our actions and ignore their supposed rationales, since those causes threaten to override all other considerations. But some kind of determinism plays a role in any worldview that allows human behavior to be even fallibly predictable. A shallow rut is still a rut that we are in, and no plausible worldview can dodge this fact of experience. Furthermore, some worldviews leave no room at all for free human choices, even in the qualified sense that Christianity implies. Materialism (or naturalism) would fit this description because it reduces all events, including mental ones, to relentless physical processes. Within that system, human beings can no more choose to act than iron chooses to rust. It is no strike against a worldview that it entails some sort of determinism; the question is, rather, whether it leaves room for anything else.
In one sense, however, the biblical writers construe all of us as slaves. We live under the immediate (not ultimate) reign of sin and death, and we have been doing so ever since the events of Gen. 3. Joshua presupposes this sort of problem in telling the Israelites, “You are not able to serve the Lord,” never mind their vows to do so (Josh. 24:19). In Ps. 51:5 David confesses, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Accordingly, Jeremiah says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). One could argue that humanity’s captivity to sin is a background theme of the entire OT, and even one of its overall lessons. The apostle Paul, however, actually uses the human institution of slavery to illustrate how desperate the sinner’s condition really is outside of Christ (Rom. 5–6). The unbeliever, though able to choose not to do evil in any particular case, cannot be righteous before God. The believer can still choose to sin—this side of glory—but will not do so habitually and unrepentantly. Using the terms introduced above, we might say that unregenerate persons lack the potential and psychological freedom to please God consistently. They will not desire to do so, and they will not succeed, whatever their transient desires are. The believer enjoys both kinds of freedom, relative to the lost person, but not absolutely. Glorification itself must and will consolidate the change.
Religious Liberty
Finally, the Christian view of salvation requires us to affirm “religious” liberty, which is a legal idea. We do not support laws that push people into churches and out of mosques and temples, because we believe that adults should make these choices voluntarily. Indeed, one cannot receive Christ in any other way, because a coerced decision involves no actual trust in him and confidence in what he promises. Moreover, the Bible says that God himself enables the believer to trust Christ, and he does so through the preaching of his word (Rom. 10:14–15; 1Cor. 1:21; Eph. 2:1–10). Arm-twisting has no place within this framework, given its attempt to manipulate what the Holy Spirit effects. Only on the day of judgment will God impose his will on humanity coercively (Phil. 2:10–11). Thus, while every person has the duty to obey God’s laws (Rom. 1–2), and though rejecting Christ compounds the sinner’s guilt (Heb. 2:2–3), we have no biblical warrant to believe that the church has God’s blessing to evangelize with red tape and rifles.
Whereas the Greeks identified the good as an abstract idealtoward which people should strive in all their actions, the Bibleidentifies goodness as an attribute of God, who is personal (Ps.25:8–10). Therefore, God is the ultimate standard of goodness.
Creationitself expresses God’s goodness. Human beings are fearfully andwonderfully made (Ps. 139:14). We have been given the capacity toenjoy the many blessings of God’s creation (Ps. 145:9, 16), andto bring the potentialities of creation to their full expression bycultivating and subduing the earth (Gen. 1:28; Ps. 8). We are createdin God’s image to do good by living according to God’spurposes. Evil came into the world when Adam and Eve looked tosomething in creation instead of God as the source of ultimate good(Gen.3).
Inhis goodness, God has chosen goodness. If we were to shine God’sgoodness through a prism, its color spectrum would include love,mercy, grace, kindness, faithfulness, righteousness, beauty, andperfection to redeem his people, who have lost their capacity forgood through sin. Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his lifefor his sheep (John 10:11). God showers his benevolence upon both theevil and the good (Matt. 5:45). For believers, God uses everything,even their suffering, to bring about their good, namely,Christlikeness (Rom. 8:28–29).
Geography
Whereasthe principal direction in the modern world is north, in the ancientworld different cultures used a variety of orientations as theysought to describe their relationship to their geographicalenvironment. In Israel the primary direction was determined by thesunrise: east. This is reflected in Hebrew, where the main word usedto refer to east as a direction was qedem, which could also be usedto simply refer to that which was directly ahead or in front of thespeaker (e.g., Ps. 139:5). Elsewhere, east is designated by the termsmizrakh (“rising” [Josh. 11:3]) or mizrakh hashamesh(“rising of the sun” [Num. 21:11]), both of which derivefrom the direction of sunrise. By way of contrast, in Egypt theprimary direction was south, in alignment with the source of the NileRiver.
Theancient world employed the same notion of four cardinal directions,which persists to the present, and the terminology related to thesewas influenced by the choice of primary direction. Thus, in Israelnorth is often designated by “left”; south could bedesignated by “right,” and west by “behind.”In addition, directions could be specified by reference togeographical features found in those directions. North could bespecified by the word tsapon, which was derived from the name of anorthern Syrian mountain (Zaphon); south by negeb, a name for theregion south of Israel (Negev); and west by yam (“sea”),since the Mediterranean Sea lay to the west.
Symbolism
Asidefrom their purely geographical significance, the directions also cameto bear figurative significance. Some caution is warranted inassigning symbolic significance to language, for there is danger ofreading invalid meanings into texts. Furthermore, given the ambiguityinherent in the use of terms to refer to directions, which also havealternate significances, there is danger of assigning a symbolicmeaning to the direction that actually resides in the alternate. So,for example, while yam (“sea”) carries significantsymbolic overtones in the Bible, this association does not appear tohave been extended to encompass the term when used to designate awesterly direction.
Eastand west.Nonetheless, there is, for example, probably some significance in theexpulsion from Eden and progressive movement eastward to the tower ofBabel through Gen. 1–11, followed by a return to the promisedland, which was approached by reversing the easterly migration andreturning toward Eden. Eden itself was said to lie “in theeast” (Heb. miqqedem; Gen. 2:8), although the same Hebrewexpression in Pss. 74:12; 77:5, 11; 78:2; 143:5 means “inancient times,” and there is perhaps a deliberate ambiguity inthe use of the expression in Gen. 2:8. In Isa. 2:6 the east is thesource of influences on the people that lead them astray. Followingthe exile, Ezekiel sees the glory of God returning to the temple fromthe east (Ezek. 43:1–2). Thus, when used symbolically, “east”is often viewed negatively or else may be used to mark a connectionwith distant antiquity (Gen. 2:8; Job 1:3). Any symbolic significanceassigned to west appears primarily to be associated with it being theantithesis of east. The distance between east and west was usedpoetically to express vast distance (Ps. 103:12).
Northand south.North is significant for two primary reasons. First, it is thedirection from which invading armies most often descended upon Israel(Jer. 1:13) as well as from which Babylon’s destruction is saidto come (Jer. 50:3). In light of this, Ezekiel’s vision of Godapproaching from the north strikes an ominous tone of impendingjudgment (Ezek. 1:1–4). Second, in Canaanite mythology theabode of the gods, and specifically Baal, lay to the north, on MountZaphon. Thus, the king of Babylon’s plans in Isa. 14:13 amountto a claim to establish himself as one of the gods. In contrast tothis, Ps. 48:2 pre-sents Mount Zion as supplanting Mount Zaphon andthus implicitly presents Israel’s one God as supplanting theCanaanite pantheon.
Aswith west, there is little symbolic significance associated with thedirection south in the Bible, aside from its use in combination withother directions.
Thefour directions.The four directions (or sometimes just pairs of directions) are usedtogether to describe both the scattering of the Israelites as well astheir being gathered by God back to the promised land (Ps. 107:3;Isa. 43:5–6; Luke 13:29). They are also used together toexpress the extent of the promised land (Gen. 13:14) or else todescribe something that is all-encompassing (1Chron. 9:24).
The English word derives from the Latin omnis (“all”)and praesens (“present”). Though not found in Scripture,the term accurately describes a divine perfection. God is always inhis totality everywhere present, yet separate from his creation (Gen.1; 1Kings 8:27; Ps. 139:7–12; Jer. 23:23–24; Heb.4:13). This attribute is to be distinguished from pantheism, whichteaches that God is everything, that is, that God and the materialworld are one and the same. God’s omnipresence is a greatcomfort for those who seek him but is disconcerting to those who maywish to avoid him (Job 34:21–22; Ps. 139:7; Amos 9:1–4;Jon. 1:3). Although at various times God chose to localize hispresence for the purpose of revelation, he always remainedtranscendent (1Kings 8:27). Although the lost are said to beremoved from the presence of God (2Thess. 1:9), even in thelake of fire they are in actuality separated from his mercy, grace,and forgiveness, not his essential presence (Job 26:6; Heb. 4:13;Rev. 14:10; 20:11–14).
The English word derives from the Latin omnis (“all”)and sciens (“knowing”). Though not found in Scripture,the term accurately describes an exclusively divine attribute. Godhas perfect infinite knowledge of himself and everything actual andpossible (1Sam. 23:8–13; Job 37:16; Pss. 33:13–15;139:2–6, 11–12; 147:5; Prov. 15:3; Isa. 40:14; 46:10;Dan. 2:22; Matt. 11:21–23; John 21:17; Acts 15:18; 1Cor.2:10–11; Heb. 4:13; 1John 3:20). God’s omniscienceis eternal, encompassing all things past, present, and future. Itincludes complete knowledge of all human choices, the occurrence ofall events, and the outworking of all contingencies.
Before the Enlightenment, the idea that all forms of lifewere created by God went largely unquestioned. That the God of Israelcreated by his word all plants and animals (Gen. 1:11–12,20–25), “breathed ... the breath of life”into the first human (2:7), and created male and female ancestors ofall humankind (1:25–27) was taken as clear expression of thefact that God is the sole source and author of all life (Pss. 36:9;139:13–16; Jer. 17:13). The whole of life—physical,emotional, and intellectual—originates from God himself ascreator of all things. Not only does he create life, but also if Godwithdraws his breath of life, humans return to dust (Gen. 6:17; 7:23;1Sam. 2:6; Job 34:13–15; Ps. 104:29). Since theEnlightenment, questions regarding the origin of life have been takenup by the natural sciences. Philosophical rationalism insists thatall life on earth must have originated from inanimate matter and notfrom a supernatural source.
Theterm “predestination” means “to determine or decidesomething beforehand.” Some form of the Greek verb proorizō(“to determine beforehand”)occurs six times in the NT (Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1Cor.2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11). It is practically synonymous with the concept offoreordination and is closely related to divine foreknowledge (Acts2:23; Rom. 8:29; 1Pet. 1:1–2, 20). Various Scripturesindicate that God the Father is the one who predestines (John17:6–10; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:3–5; 1Pet. 1:2).
Thespecific objects of predestination are humans, angels, and theMessiah. These divine predeterminations occurred before the creationof the world and were motivated by the love of God (Eph. 1:4–5).In regard to humans, this means that in eternity past, God determinedthat some individuals would be the recipients of his salvation.However, this determination does not rule out the necessity of humanchoice, responsibility, and faith. The decision to predestine someindividuals for salvation was based not upon anything good or bad inthe recipients, but solely on God’s good pleasure and accordingto his holy, wise, and eternal purpose (Isa. 46:10; Acts 13:48; Rom.11:33).
Predestinationas Part of God’s Larger Plan
Thescope of God’s plan. Predestinationis a part of God’s all-encompassing eternal plan (Isa.40:13–14; Rom. 11:34; Eph. 1:11). Several terms express God’splan. Among these are his “decree” (Ps. 2:7), “eternalpurpose” (Eph. 3:11), “foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23),and “will” (Eph. 1:9, 11). God’s plan involves allthings that come to pass, including major and insignificant events,direct and indirect causes, things appointed and things permitted. Ittherefore encompasses both good and evil (Ps. 139:16; Prov. 16:4;Isa. 14:24–27; 22:11; 37:26–27; 46:9–10; Acts 2:23;4:27–28; Eph. 1:11; 2:10).
Theinclusion of evil in the plan of God does not mean that he condones,authorizes, or commits moral evil. The apostle John stresses that Godis light and that there is no darkness in him at all (1John1:5). He is absolutely holy and cannot be charged with the commissionof sin (Hab. 1:13). When addressing the topic of God’s plan andpurpose, the biblical authors are careful to distinguish betweendivine causation and human responsibility. Both fall under thepurview of God’s plan. There is divine certainty about whatwill happen, but moral agents are never under compulsion to commitevil (see Acts 4:28; Rom. 9:11; 1Cor. 2:7; 11:2; Heb. 2:5,10–16; 1Pet. 1:2, 20; 2Pet. 3:17). For example,when Luke refers to the greatest miscarriage of justice in thehistory of the world, the crucifixion of Christ, he indicates that itwas predestined by God, but the moral turpitude of the act isattributed to “wicked men” (Acts 2:23). The dual natureof such events is aptly reflected in Joseph’s statement to hisbrothers who sold him into slavery: “You meant evil against me,but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20 NASB).
Whereasthe all-encompassing plan of God relates to his sovereign controlover all things, predestination appears to be restricted primarily tocertain divine decisions affecting humans, angels, and the Messiah(Isa. 42:1–7; Acts 2:23; 1Tim. 5:21; 1Pet. 1:20;2:4). With reference to humans, Paul states, “In him we werealso chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him whoworks out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”(Eph. 1:11). Some scholars limit predestination to those things “inhim,” thus linking this work of God to his purpose insalvation. Others argue that the following phrase, “who worksout everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,”demonstrates that all things fall under the purview of God’scontrolling and guiding purpose (Eph. 1:11). It seems best to see thephrase “in him” as indicating the sphere in whichbelievers are chosen and the term “predestinated” as onecrucial aspect of the greater plan of God.
Divineforeknowledge and election. Sometheologians argue that election and predestination are merely basedupon God’s foreknowledge of those who will believe in him.Although God surely knows all those who will believe, the term“foreknowledge” connotes much more than simply knowingahead of time who will come to faith. It means that God hassovereignly chosen to know some individuals in such an intimate waythat it moved him to predestine them to eternal life (Rom. 8:29).Whereas the term “election” refers to God’ssovereign choice of those individuals, “predestination”looks forward toward the goal of that selection. Both predestinationand election occur in eternity past (Eph. 1:4–5).
Thepurpose of predestination. Whereaselection refers to God’s choice of individuals, predestinationlooks toward the purpose and goal of that choice. NT believers aredesignated as chosen by God and appointed to eternal life (Acts13:48; Eph. 1:4). The express purpose is that they be adopted as hischildren (Eph. 1:5) and, as beloved children, become “conformedto the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). The idea is that thosewhom God has chosen are predestined in view of the purpose that hedesires to fulfill in them, that of becoming his children who areconformed to the image of his Son. The ultimate purpose behind thisplan is to bring glory to God (Eph. 1:5–6, 11–12).
Predestinationand Reprobation
Inhis plan, God has chosen some individuals, nations, groups, andangels to fulfill special purposes, implying that other individuals,nations, groups, and angels have not been selected for those samepurposes (2Thess. 2:13; 2Tim. 2:10; 1Pet. 1:2).With regard to God’s choice in salvation, this has led sometheologians to argue that those not chosen for salvation are bydefault chosen for eternal damnation. They maintain thatpredestination applies not only to individuals whom God plans tosave, but also to those whom he does not plan to save (Prov. 16:4;Matt. 26:23–24; Rom. 9:10–13, 17–18, 21–22;2Tim. 2:20; 1Pet. 2:8; 2Pet. 2:3, 9; Jude 4; Rev.13:8; 20:15). This is sometimes called “reprobation.” Thebelief in the combined concepts of election and reprobation has beencalled “double predestination.”
Whilesome scholars in the history of the church have argued that God isjust as active in determining the reprobate as he is the elect,others have pointed out that God’s condemnation of the nonelectis based solely upon their sin and unbelief. A real distinctionexists in the level of divine involvement with regard to the destinyof one class as compared with the other. God does not appear to havethe same relationship to every event or thing in his creation. Thedegree of divine causation in each case differs. Scripture recognizesa difference between God’s direct working and his permissivewill. In this view, God directly chooses some to be saved; however,he does not choose the others to be damned but rather passes them by,allowing them to continue on their own way and eventually suffer thejust punishment that their sins deserve.
Whicheverview one takes, it seems that the Scripture does not teachreprobation in the same way it teaches predestination leading toeternal life. Whereas the assignment to eternal death is a judicialact taking into account a person’s sin, predestination untoeternal life is purely an act of God’s sovereign grace andmercy not taking into account any actions by those chosen. Carryingthe teaching of reprobation to the extreme threatens to view God ascapricious, which clearly is not scriptural (1John 1:5).
Predestinationand Human Responsibility
Godwas in no way obligated or morally impelled to choose or predestineanyone to eternal life. His determination not to choose everyone inno way impinges upon his holy and righteous character (Rom. 9:13). Onthe contrary, justice would demand that all receive the punishmentthat they have rightly earned for their sins (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).Therefore, the predestination of some to become like his Son requiredthat God exercise grace and mercy in providing for the cleansing oftheir sin, which he accomplished through the sacrifice of his belovedSon, Jesus Christ (Acts 2:23).
God’spredetermined plan does not force individuals to respond inpredetermined ways, either to accept him or to reject him. In the onecase, the sinner is drawn by God to himself but must also choose toplace trust in Christ (John 6:37, 44). Even in the radicalintervention of God in the life of Saul on the road to Damascus,where the divine call was indeed overpowering, Saul was givenopportunity to respond either positively or negatively. In the caseof those who are headed for eternal judgment, God’s working isnot fatalistic or mechanistic in the sense that a person may want tochoose God but God’s predetermined plan will not allow such aresponse. To the contrary, all are invited to come to Christ (Matt.11:28; John 3:16). The apostle John clarifies, “Whoever comesto me I will never drive away” (John 6:37 [cf. Matt. 11:28]).Those who do not come to God refuse to do so by their own volition(Matt. 23:37; John 5:40). They are not merely unable to come to Godbut unwilling to do so (John 5:40; 6:65; Rom. 3:11). The NT teachesthat Christ died for their sins (John 3:16), pleadingly warns them torepent, and cites their transgressions as the reason for theircondemnation (1Pet. 2:8; 2Pet. 2:21–22; Jude 8–16).When all aspects of the issue are considered, there is indeed amystery that lies outside the boundaries of our comprehensionregarding God’s sovereign working and human choice.
God is the all-powerful, all-knowing, morally perfect creatorof the universe; and we are his creatures—no less, but also nomore. Thus, an unimaginable distance must exist between God and us;and this fact has led some theologians to despair of knowing anythingabout him for sure, not even that he actually has these attributes ofdeity. It might seem, furthermore, that some biblical texts encouragesuch a view. Psalm 92:5 recognizes the distance: “How great areyour works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!” Psalm 145:3says that “no one can fathom” God’s greatness.According to Ps. 147:5, “Great is our Lord and mighty in power;his understanding has no limit.” In Ps. 139:6, David tries tocomprehend God’s perfect insight and concludes, “Suchknowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”The doxology of Rom. 11:33–36 exults in the uniqueness of God:“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge ofGod! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracingout!” In Isa. 55:9, God says, “As the heavens are higherthan the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughtshigher than your thoughts.” Based on these passages and others,and knowing what the difference between creator and creature mustgenerally imply, one might suspect that we can know nothing ofsubstance about God.
Infact, however, the biblical writers tell a different story, beingcautiously optimistic about theology’s prospects. On the onehand, they note our creaturely limitations and God’stranscendence, as seen above. We cannot fully comprehend our Creator.We never will, not even through the eons of eternity. God will alwayshave something more to show us about himself, more that we can learnand adore. In that sense, the biblical writers are cautious aboutwhat theology can grasp. On the other hand, we must be able to learnsome things about God; otherwise, the Scriptures themselves would notexist, since they tell us about God and much else besides. Divineomnipotence, therefore, includes the ability to produce in usadequate theological understanding. We always lean on God, and no oneunderstands him at all apart from his initiative. He remainssovereign over this event, as with any other. But God has madehimself known in two general ways, according to Scripture.
Generaland Special Revelation
First,the biblical writers expect each of us to grasp something of God’snature, based on what is called “general revelation.”General revelation operates in a broadcasted way, so to speak,relying upon commonplace experience and the latter’s God-givenability to make us aware of his existence and nature. We all see theheavens that “declare the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1). Paulargues that every person can detect the “invisible qualities”of God, his “eternal power and divine nature,” in what hehas created, so that we have no excuse for decadent theology andbehavior (Rom. 1:20). The law of God is “written on [our]hearts” (Rom. 2:15), so that we grasp what we owe to him andeach other. Even though God has not spoken directly to every nation,“he has not left himself without testimony”; he has shownall people “kindness by giving [them] rain from heaven andcrops in their seasons” (Acts 14:17). We can learn some thingsabout God from these sources given to us, and thus we are accountablefor right conduct in relationship to them. However, generalrevelation lacks the detail and assurance of what is called “specialrevelation.”
Specialrevelation differs from general revelation in having a targetaudience. It conveys information about God, human beings, and ourworld that cannot be deduced from everyday, highly accessibleexperience. Jesus suffered for our sins. Our trust in his death onthe cross will save us. God is a Trinity of Father, Son, and HolySpirit, though there is one God. Christ will return in power andglory to judge all nations. We can think of God as our heavenlyFather, a morally perfect deity who cares about the individualperson. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness as we wonder how topray. God is always sovereign, even over the wicked deeds of humanbeings and the suffering that they cause. These are essential pointsof Christian doctrine. Yet we cannot substantiate any of them bycarefully observing ourselves, our world, or the facts of history.Indeed, sometimes our own thoughts lead us to resist these claimsbecause they entail great mysteries. One can easily (but wrongly)equate “I do not understand this” with “This isfalse.” Thus, our knowledge of these doctrines rests upon God’swillingness to speak and our readiness to hear what he says withhumility and trust, without having all our questions answered. Thevehicle for this latter kind of knowledge is called “specialrevelation.”
Allrevelation is “special,” simply because we can learnnothing about God apart from his self-disclosure. However,theologians use the technical term “special revelation”to capture the idea that God has revealed some matters of doctrineonly to specific people, with the expectation that they will preachthese truths to others as he requires them to do. These doctrinalmatters include the claims given above concerning some aspects ofGod’s nature, his attitude toward human beings, the plan ofsalvation, and so forth. Thus, the Bible is special revelation parexcellence; likewise, the preaching of prophets, Jesus, and then hischosen apostles (to list them in chronological order) is specialrevelation. Of course, since we do not have access to propheticteaching and the life and words of Christ apart from Scripture, thelatter is our sole source of special revelation. We cannot now seeand hear Jesus as his first-century observers did, but we encounterhim as the incarnate Word through the inerrant written word ofScripture. Theology, therefore, concerns what the Bible says aboutGod, humanity, Christ, and so forth, and it looks to generalrevelation, if at all, merely to corroborate or illustrate whatScripture substantiates. Likewise, the promises of God to bless thepreaching of his truth attach to special revelation rather than towhat one might glean from other sources (Isa. 55:11).
TheBible as Special Revelation
TheBible stands alone in revealing who God is and showing what pleaseshim. Its exact contents were ordained by God through inspiration.Scripture is “God-breathed” (2Tim. 3:16), havingbeen produced when people “spoke from God as they were carriedalong by the Holy Spirit” (2Pet. 1:21). Consequently,even though prophecy occurs in NT churches (1Cor. 14), it isnot received there as the unchallengeable teaching of OT prophets,Jesus, or his apostles. Rather, observers are to weigh carefully whatprophets say (1Cor. 14:29). John expressly warns of falseprophecy in the churches: “Dear friends, do not believe everyspirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,because many false prophets have gone out into the world”(1John 4:1). These facts should lead one to be cautious inusing such phrases as “God told me that...”and in urging other Christians to act upon anyone’s privatesensations of being led by the Spirit, absent any objective reasonsfor doing so. Prophecy given by the Holy Spirit today should involvethe application of biblical truth to present challenges andopportunities. The same principle applies to subjective promptingsfrom the Holy Spirit. They should apply received doctrine withoutrevising it and must always be tested by the church.
Thesixty-six books of the Bible were written by real people, living inconcrete historical settings, and using ordinary language. Yet theyintend to speak of heavenly things and of a holy God. Consequently,theologians face the challenge of “seeing through” theBible’s figurative statements and artistic forms to the truthsthey convey, but without landing in unhelpful abstractions. Mostpeople who read the book of Exodus assume that God does not have anactual “arm” to outstretch (6:6) or a “face”that one may not see and live (33:23). But Moses chose these words toreveal something about God, and thus we have to ask how far theanalogy goes and to what degree it reaches down to our human level ofunderstanding. We know that God must somehow “talk down”to us, using our own language, even as he gives us historical andtheological claims having real content. Balancing these tworealities—the “otherness” of God and the earthinessof the written, human word that reveals him—is the delicatetask of exegesis.
Theinterpreter must also negotiate the various kinds or genres ofliterature found in the Bible, especially the ones that seem mostalien to our own ways of communicating. Our own documents do not(usually) feature the elaborate images of the book of Revelation orthe structures of Hebrew poetry found in the Psalter, and we do notlive in the first-century world. Therefore, to read the Scripturescorrectly, we must become culturally literate, so that we see ourtexts through ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman eyes. These fieldsare studied with care, based on the assumption that the Bible’sforms of literature were customary for their own time. They were notentirely strange to their original audiences. Thus, they can becomeless strange to us; and since the Bible is fully human as well asfully divine, reading its pages through the appropriate culturallenses will give us access to what the Spirit says to the churches.
HumanLimitations
Ananalysis of general and special revelation should consider theso-called noetic effects of sin—that is, the effects that sinhas upon our ability to reason and to learn. Human beings werecreated in the image of God (Gen. 1:26–27), having the capacityto interact with their Creator. They bear some “familyresemblance” to God, notwithstanding their materiality andfinitude. But when Adam and Eve sinned, they corrupted themselves andtheir descendants, so much so that Paul can describe them as beingenslaved to sin and death (Rom. 5–6). Since the fall, thebiblical writers have proclaimed the blindness of human beings to thethings of God. All people are “under the power of sin,”and “there is no one who understands” (Rom. 3:9–11).In Eph. 2:1–3 Paul describes unrepentant sinners as being “deadin [their] transgressions and sins,” so that they follow carnal“desires and thoughts.” Even someone as naturallyqualified as Nicodemus fails to see who Jesus is apart from thesovereign power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:1–15). Fallen humanbeings do not see what they ought to see and grasp what they ought tograsp. They can even say in their hearts, “There is no God”(Ps. 14:1).
Humanbeings do not have 20/20 intellectual vision, and our desires arecorrupted. Consequently, we do not benefit from God’sself-revelation as Adam did, not to mention the glorified Christianwho knows fully (1Cor. 13:12). In some cases, the sinner doesnot want to acknowledge the disclosures of God and thus does notperceive them. Habitual sin and doc-trin-al innovation can “sear”the conscience as with an iron, making “hypocritical liars”impervious to sound teaching (1Tim. 4:2). Although the heavensdeclare the glory of God, and although “in these last days hehas spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:2), fallen human beingswill not grasp these truths. Yet they remain accountable to Godbecause the disabling wounds of sin are self-inflicted. Even thedemons of Scripture, who identify Jesus accurately, recoil from whatthey clearly perceive (Matt. 8:29; Mark 3:11; 5:7), as do thePharisees who attribute the Spirit’s work to Beelzebul (Matt.12:22–32). In these cases, the difficulty is not cognitive butaffective. Character becomes intellectual destiny.
Theworld abounds with religious viewpoints, each one claiming to revealhow it works and what constitutes the good life. It is also unlikelythat each of them contains only false statements and no true ones. Onthe contrary, the major rivals to Christianity gain some converts, wemay assume, by including fractions of truth and addressing someperceived human needs. Islam is not wrong in its rejection ofpolytheism and idolatry. Buddhism is right in its belief thatsuffering raises key philosophical questions. However, we shouldavoid saying that God has actually revealed something of his naturethrough these sources, as if their existence were a subset of generalrevelation. Paul may note the Athenians’ religiosity andillustrate a point by quoting one of their poets (Acts 17:22, 28),but his overall polemic makes it clear that he views their ideas asmistaken responses to general revelation. Similar remarks would applyto cults that mix some orthodoxy, based on Scripture, with enougherror to pervert the whole. God is not speaking indistinctly throughthem; rather, they are mishandling what he has said through thebiblical writers. In this sense, therefore, the Bible stands alone asthe unique word of God.
The modern concept of “self-esteem” may haveroots in individualism, but Scripture conceives of it in relation toGod and community. Creation grounds positive self-regard in dignity,blessing, and authority bestowed by God (Gen. 1:26–28; Pss. 8;139:13–16), hence the concern that God preserve one fromoppression, illness, and shame (Ps. 71). Self-esteem is not absolute,unlimited self-regard, but rather a healthy valuing of oneself andothers as beloved, gifted by, and responsible to God (Rom. 12:3–8;contrast Ps. 14).
Self-esteemdraws strength from the community’s defining story. The peopleof Israel are commanded to teach their children their narrative ofpromise, oppression, and deliverance (Deut. 6), and prophetic wordsof divine assurance help restore the exiles’ corporateidentity, preparing them for return to the land (e.g., Isa. 54).Similarly, Jesus pledges the Father’s care for the disciples aspersons, forming them as a community and freeing them for lives oftrust and contentment as God’s beloved children (Luke 12:32–34;Phil. 4:10–20).
The present abode of God and the final dwelling place of the righteous. The ancient Jews distinguished three different heavens. The first heaven was the atmospheric heavens of the clouds and where the birds fly (Gen. 1:20). The second heaven was the celestial heavens of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The third heaven was the present home of God and the angels. Paul builds on this understanding of a third heaven in 2Cor. 12:2–4, where he describes himself as a man who “was caught up to the third heaven” or “paradise,” where he “heard inexpressible things.” This idea of multiple heavens also shows itself in how the Jews normally spoke of “heavens” in the plural (Gen. 1:1), while most other ancient cultures spoke of “heaven” in the singular.
The Abode of God
One of the challenges in understanding “heaven” as the present dwelling place of God involves God’s omnipresence. In one sense, God is present everywhere. David asks in Ps. 139:7, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” He answers that regardless of whether he goes as high up as anyone can go (“up to the heavens”), as low down as anyone can go (“in the depths), as far east as anyone can go (“the wings of the dawn”), or as far west as anyone can go (“the far side of the sea”), God is still there (Ps. 139:8–9).
Although God is present everywhere, God is also present in a special way in “heaven.” During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Father is sometimes described as speaking in “a voice from heaven” (Matt. 3:17). Similarly, Jesus instructs us to address our prayers to “Our Father in heaven” (6:9). Even the specific request in the Lord’s Prayer that “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10) reminds us that heaven is a place already under God’s full jurisdiction, where his will is presently being done completely and perfectly. Jesus also warns of the dangers of despising “one of these little ones,” because “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (18:10). Jesus “came down from heaven” (John 6:51) for his earthly ministry, and after his death and resurrection, he ascended back “into heaven,” from where he “will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
At times, “heaven” becomes virtually a synonym for God himself. In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, the son confesses to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you” (v.21). This son’s sin against “heaven” has nothing to do with environmental issues such as air pollution, and everything to do with his relationship with God. Note also Matthew’s expression “the kingdom of heaven” versus “the kingdom of God” used elsewhere.
The Final Dwelling Place for Believers
Given this strong connection between heaven and God’s presence, there is a natural connection in Scripture between heaven and the ultimate hope of believers. Believers are promised a reward in heaven (“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” [Matt. 5:12]), and even now believers can “store up for [themselves] treasures in heaven” (6:20). Even in this present life, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), and our hope at death is to “depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (1:23). Since Christ is currently in heaven, deceased believers are already present with Christ in heaven awaiting his return, when “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1Thess. 4:14).
However, this picture of heaven is more complicated. It is true that heaven is sometimes used in Scripture to refer to the present abode of all departed believers who have left this present life and entered the intermediate state between death and the bodily resurrection (2Cor. 5:4). It is this hope in a bodily resurrection that sets Christianity apart from other religions. Ultimately, the Christian hope is not that people will receive new physical bodies and float around some ethereal “heaven” like astronauts in outer space for all eternity. Instead, God has created human beings with physical bodies to inhabit a physical world, and our future hope is one of new resurrection bodies inhabiting new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2Pet. 3:13). Just as there will be a certain continuity between the bodies of believers in this present life and their new resurrection bodies (we will know one another), there will also be a certain continuity between this present earth and the new earth to come. Yet, at the same time, everything will also be changed and made new and perfect, as God has designed it to be (Rom. 8:18–21).
The clearest description of this new reality is found in Rev. 21–22, where John describes how he “saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (21:1). Here is “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2), when “God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (21:3–4). Even better than all the descriptions of such things as streets of “gold, as pure as transparent glass” (21:21) is that God himself will come and dwell in the midst of his people. As Paul has phrased it, “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1Cor. 13:12). The day will come when we will see God as he is, in all his glory (1John3:2).
Two other ideas complete our picture of life in these new heavens and new earth. Heaven will be a place of continued activity and service. Notice Jesus’ blessing in Matt. 25:21: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” The other principle is that there will be different degrees of reward. Although our ultimate reward is simply being with God himself, Paul also reminds us that if what believers do with their lives “survives, the builder will receive a reward,” and if what they do “is burned up, the builder will suffer loss” (1Cor. 3:14–15 NRSV). Our choices make a difference for time and eternity (cf. Rev. 14:13). See also Heavens, New.
Geography
Whereasthe principal direction in the modern world is north, in the ancientworld different cultures used a variety of orientations as theysought to describe their relationship to their geographicalenvironment. In Israel the primary direction was determined by thesunrise: east. This is reflected in Hebrew, where the main word usedto refer to east as a direction was qedem, which could also be usedto simply refer to that which was directly ahead or in front of thespeaker (e.g., Ps. 139:5). Elsewhere, east is designated by the termsmizrakh (“rising” [Josh. 11:3]) or mizrakh hashamesh(“rising of the sun” [Num. 21:11]), both of which derivefrom the direction of sunrise. By way of contrast, in Egypt theprimary direction was south, in alignment with the source of the NileRiver.
Theancient world employed the same notion of four cardinal directions,which persists to the present, and the terminology related to thesewas influenced by the choice of primary direction. Thus, in Israelnorth is often designated by “left”; south could bedesignated by “right,” and west by “behind.”In addition, directions could be specified by reference togeographical features found in those directions. North could bespecified by the word tsapon, which was derived from the name of anorthern Syrian mountain (Zaphon); south by negeb, a name for theregion south of Israel (Negev); and west by yam (“sea”),since the Mediterranean Sea lay to the west.
Symbolism
Asidefrom their purely geographical significance, the directions also cameto bear figurative significance. Some caution is warranted inassigning symbolic significance to language, for there is danger ofreading invalid meanings into texts. Furthermore, given the ambiguityinherent in the use of terms to refer to directions, which also havealternate significances, there is danger of assigning a symbolicmeaning to the direction that actually resides in the alternate. So,for example, while yam (“sea”) carries significantsymbolic overtones in the Bible, this association does not appear tohave been extended to encompass the term when used to designate awesterly direction.
Eastand west.Nonetheless, there is, for example, probably some significance in theexpulsion from Eden and progressive movement eastward to the tower ofBabel through Gen. 1–11, followed by a return to the promisedland, which was approached by reversing the easterly migration andreturning toward Eden. Eden itself was said to lie “in theeast” (Heb. miqqedem; Gen. 2:8), although the same Hebrewexpression in Pss. 74:12; 77:5, 11; 78:2; 143:5 means “inancient times,” and there is perhaps a deliberate ambiguity inthe use of the expression in Gen. 2:8. In Isa. 2:6 the east is thesource of influences on the people that lead them astray. Followingthe exile, Ezekiel sees the glory of God returning to the temple fromthe east (Ezek. 43:1–2). Thus, when used symbolically, “east”is often viewed negatively or else may be used to mark a connectionwith distant antiquity (Gen. 2:8; Job 1:3). Any symbolic significanceassigned to west appears primarily to be associated with it being theantithesis of east. The distance between east and west was usedpoetically to express vast distance (Ps. 103:12).
Northand south.North is significant for two primary reasons. First, it is thedirection from which invading armies most often descended upon Israel(Jer. 1:13) as well as from which Babylon’s destruction is saidto come (Jer. 50:3). In light of this, Ezekiel’s vision of Godapproaching from the north strikes an ominous tone of impendingjudgment (Ezek. 1:1–4). Second, in Canaanite mythology theabode of the gods, and specifically Baal, lay to the north, on MountZaphon. Thus, the king of Babylon’s plans in Isa. 14:13 amountto a claim to establish himself as one of the gods. In contrast tothis, Ps. 48:2 pre-sents Mount Zion as supplanting Mount Zaphon andthus implicitly presents Israel’s one God as supplanting theCanaanite pantheon.
Aswith west, there is little symbolic significance associated with thedirection south in the Bible, aside from its use in combination withother directions.
Thefour directions.The four directions (or sometimes just pairs of directions) are usedtogether to describe both the scattering of the Israelites as well astheir being gathered by God back to the promised land (Ps. 107:3;Isa. 43:5–6; Luke 13:29). They are also used together toexpress the extent of the promised land (Gen. 13:14) or else todescribe something that is all-encompassing (1Chron. 9:24).
An appearance by God. The word “theophany” is notfound in the Bible; however, by the early fourth century AD, the termhad come to be used in reference to God. Eusebius, bishop of Caesareaat that time, uses the term (Gk. theophaneia) in reference to God’sappearances to people as these are recounted in Gen. 18:1–5,25; 32:28–30; Exod. 3:4–6; Josh. 5:13–15 (Hist.eccl. 1.2.10). This meaning of “theophany,” referring tothe biblical phenomenon of God’s appearing, is the sense of theword considered here.
“Theophany”is a compound word, related to the Greek words theos(usually translated as “god” or “God”) andphainō (often translatedas “to appear”). The Bible says in many places that God“appeared” (e.g., Gen. 12:7; 17:1; 18:1; 26:2, 24; 35:9;48:3; Exod. 3:16; 4:5; Deut. 31:15). For example, Gen. 18:1 says that“the Lord appeared” to Abraham. Several other passagessay that people saw God (Gen. 32:30; Exod. 24:10; Isa. 6:1). Forexample, Isa. 6:1 says that Isaiah “saw the Lord.”“Appeared” and “see” usually reflectdifferent forms of the same Hebrew verb.
Closelyrelated to these appearances are statements describing God’spresence and glory within a cloud and at God’s tent or temple.During the exodus of Israel from Egypt, “by day the Lord wentahead of them in a pillar of cloud,” leading them (Exod.13:21). When Moses later constructs the tabernacle or tent ofmeeting, a cloud covers it, and the glory of God fills the tabernacle(40:34). God typically speaks to Moses from the tabernacle (Exod.33:7–9; Num. 1:1; 7:89).
Later,when the temple is dedicated, “the cloud filled the temple ofthe Lord” (1Kings 8:10). This cloud is associated withGod’s glory, and where God says he would dwell (8:11–12).In the book of Ezekiel, God forsakes the temple because of the sinsof Israel, so the cloud and God’s glory depart (Ezek. 10:4).Throughout the Bible, the local presence of God is regularlyindicated by the tabernacle and later by the temple, for this is theplace where all offerings are given to God, and where people comebefore God.
Inthe Bible, an appearance by God does not limit God to one place.Solomon says during the dedication of the temple that even heavencannot contain God, much less the temple that Solomon has built(1Kings 8:27). God’s omnipresence is likewise expressedby the psalmist (Ps. 139:7–8).
Goddoes not always appear in the same form in theophanies. The angel ofthe Lord appears in the fire of a burning bush, saying that he is theGod of Abraham (Exod. 3:2–6). Elsewhere, the angel of the Lordis described as a man, but then ascends to heaven in the flame of analtar (Judg. 13:3–13, 20). John describes God sitting on athrone (Rev. 4:2; 5:1). In other passages God is locally present andspeaks, yet without explicitly appearing, which might be classifiedas a theophany (Num. 22:9, 20; 23:16; Mark 1:11; 9:7; John 12:28).
Despitethese examples of theophanies, some biblical passages state thatpeople cannot see God. However, these passages may refer to practicalhuman limitations rather than any inherent characteristic of Godhimself. In Exodus, for example, God tells Moses that no one seeingGod’s face can live (33:20). However, God then says that Moses,without seeing God’s face, “will see my back”(33:23). The entire passage indicates that God can be seen morefully, but only with fatal results. Several NT passages similarlyindicate that God cannot be fully seen (John1:18; 4:24; 1Tim.1:17; 6:15–16; Heb. 11:27).
Justas God dwelled within the tabernacle, at times showing his glory, theNT says that the Word of God was made to dwell in flesh (incarnate)as Jesus Christ and so revealed God’s glory (John1:14).This Word of God is the same word that created all things in Gen. 1and so is genuinely God (John1:1–3).
Geography
Whereasthe principal direction in the modern world is north, in the ancientworld different cultures used a variety of orientations as theysought to describe their relationship to their geographicalenvironment. In Israel the primary direction was determined by thesunrise: east. This is reflected in Hebrew, where the main word usedto refer to east as a direction was qedem, which could also be usedto simply refer to that which was directly ahead or in front of thespeaker (e.g., Ps. 139:5). Elsewhere, east is designated by the termsmizrakh (“rising” [Josh. 11:3]) or mizrakh hashamesh(“rising of the sun” [Num. 21:11]), both of which derivefrom the direction of sunrise. By way of contrast, in Egypt theprimary direction was south, in alignment with the source of the NileRiver.
Theancient world employed the same notion of four cardinal directions,which persists to the present, and the terminology related to thesewas influenced by the choice of primary direction. Thus, in Israelnorth is often designated by “left”; south could bedesignated by “right,” and west by “behind.”In addition, directions could be specified by reference togeographical features found in those directions. North could bespecified by the word tsapon, which was derived from the name of anorthern Syrian mountain (Zaphon); south by negeb, a name for theregion south of Israel (Negev); and west by yam (“sea”),since the Mediterranean Sea lay to the west.
Symbolism
Asidefrom their purely geographical significance, the directions also cameto bear figurative significance. Some caution is warranted inassigning symbolic significance to language, for there is danger ofreading invalid meanings into texts. Furthermore, given the ambiguityinherent in the use of terms to refer to directions, which also havealternate significances, there is danger of assigning a symbolicmeaning to the direction that actually resides in the alternate. So,for example, while yam (“sea”) carries significantsymbolic overtones in the Bible, this association does not appear tohave been extended to encompass the term when used to designate awesterly direction.
Eastand west.Nonetheless, there is, for example, probably some significance in theexpulsion from Eden and progressive movement eastward to the tower ofBabel through Gen. 1–11, followed by a return to the promisedland, which was approached by reversing the easterly migration andreturning toward Eden. Eden itself was said to lie “in theeast” (Heb. miqqedem; Gen. 2:8), although the same Hebrewexpression in Pss. 74:12; 77:5, 11; 78:2; 143:5 means “inancient times,” and there is perhaps a deliberate ambiguity inthe use of the expression in Gen. 2:8. In Isa. 2:6 the east is thesource of influences on the people that lead them astray. Followingthe exile, Ezekiel sees the glory of God returning to the temple fromthe east (Ezek. 43:1–2). Thus, when used symbolically, “east”is often viewed negatively or else may be used to mark a connectionwith distant antiquity (Gen. 2:8; Job 1:3). Any symbolic significanceassigned to west appears primarily to be associated with it being theantithesis of east. The distance between east and west was usedpoetically to express vast distance (Ps. 103:12).
Northand south.North is significant for two primary reasons. First, it is thedirection from which invading armies most often descended upon Israel(Jer. 1:13) as well as from which Babylon’s destruction is saidto come (Jer. 50:3). In light of this, Ezekiel’s vision of Godapproaching from the north strikes an ominous tone of impendingjudgment (Ezek. 1:1–4). Second, in Canaanite mythology theabode of the gods, and specifically Baal, lay to the north, on MountZaphon. Thus, the king of Babylon’s plans in Isa. 14:13 amountto a claim to establish himself as one of the gods. In contrast tothis, Ps. 48:2 pre-sents Mount Zion as supplanting Mount Zaphon andthus implicitly presents Israel’s one God as supplanting theCanaanite pantheon.
Aswith west, there is little symbolic significance associated with thedirection south in the Bible, aside from its use in combination withother directions.
Thefour directions.The four directions (or sometimes just pairs of directions) are usedtogether to describe both the scattering of the Israelites as well astheir being gathered by God back to the promised land (Ps. 107:3;Isa. 43:5–6; Luke 13:29). They are also used together toexpress the extent of the promised land (Gen. 13:14) or else todescribe something that is all-encompassing (1Chron. 9:24).
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1. You Just Took The Life of Beethoven
Illustration
Staff
A professor in a world-acclaimed medical school once posed this medical situation -- and ethical problem -- to his students: "Here's the family history: The father has syphilis. The mother has TB. They already have had four children. The first is blind. The second had died. The third is deaf. The fourth has TB. Now the mother is pregnant again, The parents come to you for advice. They are willing to have an abortion, if you decide they should. What do you say?"
The students gave various individual opinions, and then the professor asked them to break into small groups for "consultation." All of the groups came back to report that they would recommend abortion.
"Congratulations," the professor said, "You just took the life of Beethoven!"
Note: Thiswell known illustrationmay have first appeared, at least nationally, in an Ann Landers column. Otherwise it's origins are unknown.
2. When the Invitation Comes
Illustration
Larry Bethune
You never know where the invitation will come. Abraham was sitting at home. Moses was out in the wilderness. Isaiah was in a worship service. Matthew was at work. The woman caught in adultery was, well, caught in adultery and about to be stoned. I would call that a crisis, wouldn't you? But it doesn't matter where you are or in what situation; God will find you. As the psalmist suggests:
Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If Itake the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
3. Dear Mr. Creator
Illustration
There’s the story about George Washington Carver, who went into the woods every morning before sunrise to talk to God, whom he called, "Dear Mr. Creator."
"Dear Mr. Creator," he said one day, "why did You make the world?" And the voice of God replied, "Little man, that is a question too big for you."
"Dear Mr. Creator,: said Carver, "why did You make man?" Again, God replied, "Little man, that question is too big for you; ask me a question nearer to your size and I will answer you," whereupon Carver asked, "Dear Mr. Creator, why did You make the peanut?" The answer came to him and you know the rest of the story.
4. Loving The Bridegroom
Illustration
Loving the created world is not wrong as long as our loving God is not diminished. To love the world and fail to love God would be like a bride, who, being given a ring by her bridegroom, loves the ring more than the bridegroom who gave it. Of course, she should love what the bridegroom gave her, but to love the ring and despise him who gave it is to reject the very meaning of the ring as a token of his love. Likewise, men who love creation and not the creator are rejecting the whole meaning of creation. We ought to appreciate the creation and love the creator because of it.
5. Sound of the Creator's Praise
Illustration
Staff
An ancient legend tells us that when the Great Lord of All Being created all things - animals, birds, mountains, seas, and human persons - when he finished his work, there was only silence. No sound was anywhere. The angels, having examined the creation, reported to the Great Creator that, to be complete, it needed the sound of the Creator's praise. So then the Lord God put a song in the throats of birds, gave a murmur to running brooks, gave the wind a voice to whisper as it moved among the trees, and put a melody in the heart of humankind.
In worship here today let's let the sound of God's praise be heard. Let us joyously participate in creation's song of praise; let us supply some of that without which creation is incomplete. Don't be timid about it, the psalmist says - "O bless our God, you people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard!"
Let us then give voice to the melody that is implanted within us. Let it be heard - from our lips and from our hearts, in our singing and in our living, now and always.
6. The Wounds of God
Illustration
John Dickson
In his bookIf I Were God I’d End All Pain, John Dickson recalls speaking on the theme “The wounds of God” at a university campus. After his speech, the chairperson asked the audience for questions. Without delay a man in his mid-30s, a Muslim leader at the university, stood up and proceeded to tell the audience how preposterous was the claim that the Creator of the universe would be subjected to the forces of his own creation—that he would have to eat, sleep, and go to the toilet, let alone die on a cross.
Dickson and the man went back and forth for about ten minutes during which the man insisted that the notion of God having wounds—whether physical or emotional—was not only illogical, since the “Creator of Causes” could not possibly be caused pain by a lesser entity, it was outright blasphemy, as stated in the Koran. Dickson later wrote, "I had no knock-down argument, no witty comeback. The debate was probably too amicable for either approach anyway. In the end, I simply thanked him for demonstrating for the audience the radical contrast between the Islamic conception of God and that described in the Bible. What the Muslim denounces as blasphemy the Christian holds as precious: God has wounds.
7. In the Eleventh Hour
Illustration
Larry Powell
Several years ago, Dr. Claude Thompson, distinguished member of the faculty at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, received the report from a team of physicians that he had only a short time to live. Each day, each moment, became precious to him. No movement was without meaning, and his words were chosen carefully. He knew he was going to die. There were some things he wanted to say to his students and colleagues, and in a heroic act of eleventh-hour witness, he addressed the seminary community. As a man on his way to a certain death, he wanted to be sure that some essential things were laid down before his departure. When the time is short, only essentials matter.
Jesus was to have only a few short hours with his disciples. He knew it. The shadow of the cross was lengthing, and in three particular portions of Mark chapter 14, we observe three familiar incidents which will forever remain in our memories as pertaining to our Lord’s last meeting with the twelve. Strangely enough, each of them touches upon loyalty.
1. 14:22-25. There was the Passover meal which Jesus dramatically transformed into a messianic banquet which we have come to know as the "Lord’s Supper." Let us assume all the symbolisms and transitions of this meal in order to hurry on to say that the meal was a call to loyalty. "Do this in rememberance of me," he said. "Continue this sacrament," he urged so that the coals of ministry would not burn low in his absence. Early Christians observed the sacrament several times daily. Today, some communions partake of the elements each Sunday, others each first Sunday of the month, and still others quarterly. The fact that the sacrament was considered as an "essential" ought to challenge us to rethink our own loyalty to it.
2. 14:29-31. Here we encounter Peter’s false loyalty, his claim that even though all others would fall away, he would remain loyal. The Scriptures betray him, for we see him later squirming uncomfortably around an unfriendly fire, praying that no one would recognize him. Three times he denied Christ after swearing absolute loyalty. When the last record shall be tallied, the essential concern will be how loyal we were to Christ.
3. 14:32-36. "Remove this cup from me," Jesus prayed in the garden; alone, broken-hearted ... knowing that all too soon the shadows would come alive with figures who would jerk him away for a final charade. But let us finish Jesus’ prayer; "Remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt." Radical loyalty, absolute obedience. In the shadow of the Cross, we see the essentials emerging. Loyalty is one. Can you name others?
8. We Hold These Truths to Be Self-evident
Illustration
John A. Dane
I don’t know who first uttered these words but they set forth a terribly important bit of wisdom: If there is nothing above us we will be consumed by all that is around us.
Our nation’s Founding Fathers recognized its truth when they wrote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Our human dignity, rights and freedoms come to us not from our President, our Congress or our Supreme Court, they come to us from God our Creator. No king, ruler, president or potentate confers them upon us. Perhaps that concept does not seem to be very bold to us today, but it was the foundation of our Declaration of Independence, the beginning of what back then was known as the American Experiment. Experiment? Yes! What our Founding Fathers asserted back then was radical because the people in the rest of our world were governed back then by kings, dictators and totalitarians who ruled as if people were their possessions, as if their subjects belonged to them and not to God.
9. All It Would Take To Make Me Happy
Illustration
Brett Blair
Charles Shultz, creator and author of the Peanuts cartoon characters often conveyed a message in his comic strips. In one strip he conveys through Charlie Brown the need we have to be loved and through Lucy our inability to love one another.
Charlie Brown and Lucy are leaning over the proverbial fence speaking to one another:
CB: All it would take to make me happy is to have someone say he likes me.
Lucy: Are you sure?
CB: Of course I'm sure!
Lucy: You mean you'd be happy if someone merely said he or she likes you? Do you mean to tell me that someone has it within his or her power to make you happy merely by doing such a simple thing?
CB: Yes! That's exactly what I mean!
Lucy: Well, I don't think that's asking too much. I really don't. [Now standing face to face, Lucy asks one more time] But you're sure now? All you want is to have someone say, "I like you, Charlie Brown," and then you'll be happy?
CB: And then I'll be happy!
Lucy: [Lucy turns and walks away saying] I can't do it!
What Lucy can not do, sinful as she is, God does.
What Charlie Brown needs, lost and alone as he is, God supplies.
God loves you and is telling you today, "He loves you!" "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son."
10. Amen: A Most Remarkable Word
Illustration
Staff
The word "amen" is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Koine Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best-known word in human speech. The word is directly related in fact, almost identical to the Hebrew word for "believe" (aman), or "faithful." Thus, it came to mean "sure" or truly," an expression of absolute trust and confidence. When one believes God, he indicates his faith by an "amen." When God makes a promise, the believer's response is "amen" "so it will be!" In the New Testament, it is often translated "verily" or "truly." When we pray according to His Word and His will, we know God will answer, so we close with an "amen," and so also do we conclude a great hymn or anthem of praise and faith.
The word is even a title of Christ Himself. The last of His letters to the seven churches begins with a remarkable salutation by the glorified Lord: "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14). We can be preeminently certain that His Word is always faithful and true, because He is none other than the Creator of all things, and thus He is our eternal "Amen." As our text reminds us, every promise of God in Christ is "yea and amen," as strong an affirmation of truth as can be expressed in the Greek language.
It is, therefore, profoundly meaningful that the entire Bible closes with an "amen." "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22:21), assuring everyone who reads these words that the whole Book is absolutely true and trustworthy. Amen!
11. Parable of Jealousy and Jeopardy
Illustration
"Why does Tommy have so many fine toys and I have only a few?" asked Richard.
"We have tried to see that both you boys receive equally from all that we can give you," answered the mother, "but you seem to break up your toys, and never pick them up or take care of them."
"But his toys look better than mine, and they last longer," argued Tommy. "I throw mine around because they are not very good anyhow."
"Just like that Walt Disney tune says, 'it's what you do with what you've got, that pays off in the end,' " counseled the mother. "You must learn to think of your things as more precious and treat them so, that is why Tommy's things last longer and look better."
God gives many good gifts to everyone of his children. These gifts must be developed into real talents for living a valuable life. Whether cooking, sewing, baking, writing, singing or swimming, each talent in life that is developed comes out of respect for and use of the native gifts of the Creator. Jealousy of what others have is a poison of the human spirit which often keeps one's own talents and personality from proper development. You do not carelessly mishandle other people's time or talents, if you have the right evaluation of the days and the opportunities God gives you.
Sound religion gives you the right views and the real laws that lead to human happiness. Be on time for appointments thus respecting the time God gives. Take care in handling the property of others and learn to care for your own. Give love and appreciation with sincerity and find that you are respected and appreciated as well. One who wrecklessly handles the property which is his own cannot be trusted to respect that which is anothers. Jealousy discounts the values of one's own gifts, and places all he has in jeopardy.
12. Imitate Generosity
Illustration
Douglas R. A. Hare
The climax of the parable occurs in verse 15: "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?" The vineyard owner claims the right to pay his workers not on the basis of their merits but on the basis of his own compassion. Why should such generosity be condemned as injustice? Underlying the parable is the Old Testament conception of God as the creator who is GOOD, that is, generous to all (see, e.g., Ps.145:9). Jesus reveled in the incredible magnanimity of God (see 5:45). Of course Jesus believed in the God of justice, but in his vision of God the divine compassion greatly outshone the divine justice. Those who worship such a God must imitate his generosity, not begrudge it.
13. A Many-Headed Monster
Illustration
James Packer
What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the great gods Sex, Shekels, and Stomach (an unholy trinity constituting one god: self), and the other enslaving trio, Pleasure, Possessions, and Position, whose worship is described as "The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). Football, the Firm, and Family are also gods for some. Indeed the list of other gods is endless, for anything that anyone allows to run his life becomes his god and the claimants for this prerogative are legion. In the matter of life's basic loyalty, temptation is a many-headed monster.
14. As A Little Child
Illustration
Joel D. Kline
William Willimon, dean of the chapel at Duke University, questions: Don't you find it interesting that when the great Lord, the Creator of the universe, the One who hung the stars in the heavens and set the planets spinning in their courses, when this great God chose to come among us he chose to come to us as a baby? And when that baby grew up, he told those who would be his disciples, "You cannot enter my kingdom unless you turn and become as a little child."
15. The Apostles' Creed
Illustration
Staff
The earliest known mention of the expression "Apostles' Creed" occurs in a letter of AD 390 from a synod in Milan. The most traditional version of the creed is as follows:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places
The Old RomanSymbol (Latin: vetus symbolum romanum), or Old Roman Creed, is an earlier and shorter version of the Apostles’ Creed. It was based on the 2nd-century Rule of Faith and the interrogatory declaration of faith for those receiving Baptism.It is said that this earlier and first adopted version wasbased on the Trinitarian formula found in The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19. It was widely accepted in the 4th century, that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, each of the Twelve Apostles contributed an article to the twelve articles of thiscreed:
I believe in God the Father almighty;
and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended to heaven,
sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence He will come to judge the living and the dead;
and in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh
(the life everlasting)
The Apostles' Creed (100 A.D.) is the oldest and shortest creed with only 109 words in the traditional version. Only the New Testament creed, "Jesus is Lord," is older. It is also the most often used -- practically every Sunday, except for festivals and seasons when the Nicene Creed is confessed. Undoubtedly, it is the most universal statement of the Christian faith.
By 100 A.D. the Apostles' Creed became the basic statement of faith for the church. In the first century, it was the rule of faith for baptismal candidates. In 390 it became known as the Apostles' Creed, even though it was not written by the apostles but contained the beliefs of the apostles. An ancient legend has it that after Pentecost the apostles agreed on a summary of what they were going to preach. The summary was the Apostles' Creed. Yet, the creed did not reach its final form until the sixth or seventh century. Martin Luther held this creed in such high regard that he used it in his Small Catechism to teach families what a Christian believes. To this day the Small Catechism is used as the basis for youth and adult preparation for church membership in Lutheran churches.
16. Parable of How Four Boys Got There
Illustration
Four boys stood watching the parade some ten miles from the high school classes they were supposed to be. The event was important to them.
"How did you get here" asked Dick.
"I borrowed my father's car."
"I took the bus," said Bill.
"I thumbed a ride," said Jack.
"Well, at least we all got here, didn't we," said Bill. "Nothing could keep me away."
"Me either," said Jack. "When I want to go some place, I go."
It is surprising how easily we find a way to go where we want to go. And it is strange how difficult we make it to get to some places where we ought to be.
When we stand before the altar of God, and worship each Sabbath Day, each of us may ask the question, "What brought me here?" And whatever the answer, if we truly worship and strengthen our portion in faith, we may say, "Thanks be to God who led me to His throne."
We are not meant to judge what brought people to church, for the Creator works in strange ways His wonders to perform. John Wesley observing the drunk in the gutter said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
When we observe those who receive great honors, we may question, "How did they get them?" But we ought to rejoice that good deeds have been performed. It is natural to be attracted to dramatic events. Next best, to being in the parade for the boys, was to watch it. Next best to doing good deeds is to observe them and encourage them.
17. A Unifying Force
Illustration
King Duncan
It is sad when religion becomes a divisive influence rather than a unifying one. I read recently about the funeral procession of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Journalist Arthur Godfreytold of a man who took a taxi from a hotel, bound for Union Station, and was delayed by the funeral procession. He instructed his driver to pull overwhile hegot outto watch the solemn procession go by. His driver got out as well to pay his respects.The two men stood bareheaded and mournful for a long time, then resumed the drive to the station. There the passenger asked, "What do I owe you?" "Two bits," the driver answered. "Your meter must be out of kilter," said the passenger. "We must have been standing out there an hour at least." The driver reminded him, "Mister, he was my president, too."
It is a beautiful event that brings people together. Love for God ought to do that. That is why the first commandment is to love God. There is one trait that we share with all the world's people. We all have the same Creator and Sustainer.
18. A Reminder Where Our Hearts Belong
Illustration
Wm. McCord
Since Thanksgiving, the shopping malls have been telling us that "It's the most wonderful time of the year." And it is - for them. For many others, however, it is a mixed bag. Christmas isn't what it was when I was a child and never will be again. I'm an adult; it's different; it just is. In this economically difficult time, many have lost jobs or seen their investments and securities dwindle unsure of what the future holds.
Perhaps we have not been able to do what we might have liked to have done for Christmas. Many husbands and wives, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, are serving in harm's way and are not able to be with family this Christmas. There are those living with illness or with grief at the death of a loved one sorrow intensified during this season of memories of Christmases past and high, perhaps unrealistic, expectations of what Christmas is supposed to be. There might be those who are just as happy to have the celebration done with and over.
In this season of gift giving and all that pulls and tugs on our hearts, may we remember the good gifts that the Creator has given us, the sun and the moon, this good earth with all its blessings of sky and water, plants and animals, this incredible gift of life, of flesh and blood, of breath and memory, this day, this moment, and all those who people our lives, both joy and sorrow, and all that it means for us to be fully human, fully alive. And, above all, may we remember the gift of the Word made flesh sent to save us, to heal us, to bring us joy, to bring us back to God's own self.
19. Ascribing Greatness to God
Illustration
Mark Ellingsen
Martin Luther summarized the nature of Christian life, what it is like to be born again, very well in one of his lectures in 1535. He reported that his teacher, John von Staupitz, said to him: " 'It pleases me very much that this doctrine of ours gives glory and everything else solely to God and nothing at all to men; for it is as clear as day that it is impossible to ascribe too much glory, goodness, etc., to God.' ... And it is true that the doctrine of the gospel takes away all glory, wisdom, righteousness, etc., from men and gives it solely to the Creator, who makes all things out of nothing. Furthermore, it is far safer to ascribe too much to God than to man."
20. Thanking Heaven
Illustration
Brett Blair
I like the story told about Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) in his later years. On a special evening at the Vienna Music Hall his oratorio "The Creation" was being performed. As the majestic work moved along, the audience was caught up with tremendous emotion. When the passage "And there was light!" was reached, the chorus and orchestra burst forth in such power that the crowd could no longer restrain its enthusiasm.
The vast assembly rose spontaneous applause in the middle of the piece. Haydn, weakened by age and confined to a wheelchair, struggled to stand and motioned for silence. With his hand pointed toward heaven, he said, "No, no, not from me, but from thence comes all!" Having given the glory and praise to the Creator, he fell back into his chair exhausted.
Perhaps that is the lesson Jesus would have the disciples learn. Haydn directed the crowd's attention away from his talents to God's, away from the beautiful music to a majestic God. Whether a great oratorio or a Temple devoted to God, neither deserves our devotion, only the One from thence comes all!
21. The Beauty Of Holiness
Illustration
Clement E. Lewis
The 96th Psalm is closely comparable with 1 Chronicles 16:23-26. Psalm 29:2 also contains the words, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." The New Revised Standard Version translated Psalm 96:9 to read, "Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him all the earth." Older people have long been accustomed to using the words from the King James Version.
Worship ought to be made beautiful in sight, sound, and thought. The physical settings of worship experiences serve to enhance and reinforce the yearning for understanding and completeness. This may be illustrated by a question: "Would you rather have a picnic on a graveled area in the heat of the sun, or where there is verdure of grass, and the shade of trees?" Worship is best when the scene is not barren, but blessed with good architecture, beauty of color, protection from the elements, and in the presence of an altar, giving it sacred significance.
We need to remember that truth is not only conveyed by words. It is also shared in feelings, situational inclusion, comfortable meditation and contemplation, which nurtures us. But worship can also take place in foxholes of distress, danger, and despair. God's messages and our responses do not always come in pretty packages with liturgical decorations. Sometimes they come in moments of destitution, hunger, inner distress, pain, and loneliness. What we make of what we learn at such times turns the place of discovery into a temple, and we worship in the beauty of holiness because we have found a relationship that truly enriches life.
Worship may take place in prison, a hospital or a nursing home; in a cemetery, a forest, or in a barren desert. It was in a desert setting that Jesus dealt with his temptations and life determinations, as he recalled Deuteronomy 6:13, and declared, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." To the woman at the well in Samaria, Jesus said, "Believe me the hour is coming when on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ... But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." (See John 4:19-24)
All of us yearn for the experience of "worship in the beauty of holiness." The psychiatrist, Von Frankl, held that the urge to worship is instinctive in children in much the same way as the urge to nurse. He suggested that the ages of four and five are the times when children are most desirous and accepting for the experiences of worship. Esthetics and quality appreciation are important to the development and life of the child. The elderly demonstrate much of the same needs in their lives.
"The beauty of holiness" is a most suggestive and satisfying phrase. It conveys the idea of "Holy Presence," and of being involved in spiritual goodness. My how human hearts long for that! In the midst of crassness, competitiveness, controversies, hostility, and uncertainty of conditions, we need that respite desperately.
Symbolism, the historic sign of faith, serves to renew our sense of oneness with what has been generative before us, and proclaims that we too can be involved in the experience of personal inclusion.
The building we refer to as the church or the chapel ought to be as adequate, as comfortable, and as attractive as we want our homes to be. Shouldn't God's house be the most attractive and architecturally satisfying of all? Nostalgia is important to many of us, and plays a tremendous role in our religious and personal life. It is the incentive that leads us to memorialize -- to provide new and beautiful things that relate to worship. Yet, we know that nostalgic sentiment can become a barrier to doing what is most important for the future. We can become so attached to what we have, and give our loyalty to what is familiar, that we may neglect to see what we ought to develop.
"The beauty of holiness" should inspire us for the transformation of life. It should also challenge us to greater things, with God's encouragement and guidance. Contemplating "the beauty of holiness" is not enough! We must also ask, "And what else ought we to do, God?" The answer we receive may not be the one we might prefer, but we had better not pray, "Thy will be done," unless we are willing to be a part of that will. God calls us to the faithful application of our Christian belief and commitment to discipleship, in which is included "the beauty of holiness." Therein lies the great truth of the words with which we began this worship time:
"O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
Serve him with gladness all the earth." Amen.
The Benediction: Send us forth, O God, causing us to remember that the beauty of holiness needs to show in our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
22. TUNE IN WITH PRAYER
Illustration
John H. Krahn
In the Old Testament we often find God in conversation with his people. Conversational prayer entailed discussing the events of the day and seeking God’s will for the future. In these conversations with the Creator, we find the believer seeking to unite his will and the will of the nation with God’s will. God’s people tuned into him, listening for his direction.
In my freshman year at Concordia Preparatory School in New York, I can recall trying to tune my radio into WBAL in Baltimore, my home town. Under certain atmospheric conditions, I was successful. Often the static wasn’t too bad, and I could hear the familiar sounds of the way the king’s English was spoken at home. It was the sound of home, and it felt good.
Unfortunately, our lines of communication with the Almighty are often filled with static, and we hear God’s clear signal only infrequently. Static is sometimes produced when we have used the instrument of prayer sparingly. At other times, static comes when we are involved in an overtly sinful life. It is hard to pray in the middle of the act of sinning. Static is also caused by the busyness that fills every moment and leaves no time for prayer.
In the New Testament, prayer for Jesus was like breathing: a natural part of his life. It was a daily habit for him. He suggests that we approach the heavenly Father in prayer as earthly children approach their earthly fathers. We are to seek a oneness with God, to share a living union with him like that union which existed between the Father and the Son.
In his Tischreden (Table Talks), Martin Luther gives a beautiful example of the need for concentration in our prayer. "When Luther’s puppy happened to be at the table, he looked for a morsel from his master and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes (as Luther ate). Luther said, ‘Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Apart from that, he has no thought, wish or hope.’ " We are to keep in tune with prayer. This takes concentrated effort.
23. Praising Our Lord and Spreading the News
Illustration
Harold H. Lentz
J. S. Bach became known worldwide for his remarkable musical talent, but he never ceased to credit his Creator as the one who was responsible for his ability. The pages of his musical compositions could well have been used to satisfy a personal pride as his name appeared on them. But he was determined to give glory to God for his accomplishments. So he always concluded his original compositions with the three letters INS. They stood for the Latin words meaning "In the name of Christ." At other times Bach began his score with the letters JJ, meaning "Jesus help," and then ended his composition with the letters SDG for the Latin Solo Deo Gloria, meaning, "To God be the glory."
We are the recipients of so much that comes to us from God. Do we "proclaim" that fact and turn acclaim away from ourselves to God?"
24. The Majesty of God
Illustration
King Duncan
Roy L. Smith tells about an aged and scholarly minister with a flair for astronomy who spent the night on a California mountaintop with a group of young men from his church. It so happened that a little after midnight two great stars came into conjunction, and the dear old man went from sleeping bag to sleeping bag, shaking them and shouting, "Get up! Get up! Don't miss it! Don't let God Almighty put on such a show as this for just this old mule and me!"
Anyone who is sensitive to the beauty of nature sees God daily. When was it that you first realized the majesty of God? Perhaps it was at the birth of your first child. What greater miracle in all of creation is there than this the birth of a new human being? As we watch that child learn to smile and to make sounds then to talk and to walk and finally to grow into a mature person, we are led to the dramatic realization that there is more to life than mere physics and chemistry. Behind creation stands a Creator. When was it that you first realized the majesty of God?
25. Loss of the Beloved Child
Illustration
Editor James S. Hewett
Excerpt from an interview with the late Joe Bayly of David C. Cook Publishing Company and his wife, Mary Lou. The Baylys lost three children.
Joe: We are stewards of the children God gives us, and at any time God can interrupt that stewardship.
Mary Lou: Although this isn't something you can say to somebody else who has just lost a child or is in the process of losing a child, it's still true that if Jesus Christ is the Creator and has planned in intricate detail each of His creations—especially His own people—then if we love one of them how much more He must. How can we compare our love to His? Our assignment from God is to simply prepare our children as a skilled craftsman fashions an arrow. But you always have to remember that the arrows may not always be shot out into adulthood.
26. We Want Proof
Illustration
Scott Hoezee
There is a reason why many Christians around the world have latched so quickly and tenaciously onto the discovery of what may be the ossuary or burial box for James, the brother of Jesus. There's a reason why every time archaeologists discover some inscription referring to King David, Pontius Pilate, or some other biblical figure that this news immediately makes a splash in the pages of Christianity Today. Here, we are told, is further "proof" that the stuff in the Bible really did happen! There's a reason why there is now a huge enterprise that is literally scouring the universe for evidence that the formation of the cosmos required the hand of a Creator God. It's not just that we want to meet evolutionary and atheist scientists on their own turf--most folks also quietly hanker for something tangible that can bolster the confidence they have in their faith. Over and again we find ourselves wanting more.
Jesus himself knows that faith is both a blessing and a miracle. That's why he says in verse 29 that while it was one thing for Thomas to believe with Jesus standing right in front of him, it would one day be quite another thing to believe without such undeniable physical proof standing in the same room.
27. How Can God Know All About Us?
Illustration
Unknown
A man named Gerhard Dirks, the "father of the modern computer," was one who had to face up to life's most important question. During the years of the Second World War he made many inventions that led to the development of the first computers. He and his family escaped from Hitler's Germany and later Russian occupation to the west. He was a brilliant man, reported to have an IQ of 208. He had over 140 patents with IBM and even attempted theoretically to reconstruct the human brain. But he became completely bewildered and shaken when confronted with the complexity and utter impossibility of such a reconstruction. He didn't know what to do or where to run. He had to face a choice: Either the human brain came about by a fantastic chance or by intelligent planning. Dirks re-established contact with an old friend and found out this friend had become a Christian. He saw the change in this man from being selfish and impatient to being patient and at peace. But, Dirks clung to his atheism because he could not understand how God can know all about us, every person in the entire world. He couldn't understand where God could possibly store all the information about every person that ever lived.
Dirks went with his friend to a discussion group where a man talked about God. Someone asked "What do you say to someone who thinks they are not a sinner?" The leader of the meeting told the man to take four pieces of paper and number them 1 to 4 and write a list of things on each piece of paper. On page 1, he said: write down every time you can remember when you said "yes" and meant "no" or said "no" and meant "yes." Then write down every time you can remember when you told an outright lie. Write down every time you gave someone a shady answer, every time you made a promise and broke it and every time you made a promise and never intended to keep it.
On page 2 write what it is that you hide from everybody. You don't have to show this to anyone, but to yourself. And, write down something that, if anyone found out about it, something inside you would wither.
On page 3 he said make a list of friends to whom you have done something that you would not want them to do to you. Never mind if they did something to provoke you, just put down your part.
On page 4 write the names of the people for whom you have done something good, and done it without hope of any compensation or reward of any kind. He then said "I think that any man who does that honestly will see that he is a sinner and that he is desperately in the need of salvation. He will know that the sin and the wrong he has written down is only the tip of an iceberg."
Dirks went home and did it, and the imbalance between paper 4 and papers 1, 2, and 3 were self-evident. He had to admit he was asinner. And, suddenly it hit him. He knew where God stored data. He got his answer without even looking for it. God stored the information about Dirks IN DIRKS. Everything he had ever thought, seen, heard, said, done - everything was there in his own mind. He was his own "file." Every human being was his own "file." Now, he lost all his excuses for not believing in the Savior. People CAN change, because he saw the real changes in his friend. And, there is information for a final judgment - because every person carries his own data. He realized that he did not like himself and the way he lived. Just like when a computer has errors he needed to be "debugged." He fell onto his knees and prayed "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and wash me in your blood."
In a few minutes he stopped crying. He knew that something had happened. A wall had come down, the wall that had stood between him and his Creator. He hadn't known the wall was there, until it came down. It was the wall that Christ had demolished. Now, for the first time in his life, he knew what it meant to have fellowship with his Heavenly Father. Then he thought, it wasn't a wall, it was more like a sphere made of stone - a sphere that formed a prison. It had kept him in, and God out. He was now free of that prison!
28. When the Spectacular Becomes Familiar
Illustration
Steven Molin
In his book Finding God in Unexpected Places, author Philip Yancey describes the time he and his wife visited Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone Park. They were having lunch in the lodge, watching the digital clock ticking down the minutes until the next big splash. When the clock reached 30 seconds, diners left their tables and rushed over to the windows overlooking the geyser. When Old Faithful erupted, and all the tourists were ooohing and aahing, Yancey looked over his shoulder and saw that the waitresses and busboys were using this time to clear tables of their dirty dishes and garbage. They had become so familiar with that spectacular eruption that it no longer impressed them; it no longer held their interest.
And Yancey wonders if that isn't also true in the church? Jesus is the Savior of the world, the Creator of the Universe, the very Son of God who came into our world to die on the cross so that we might have eternal life, and he has become to us, boring. And the Church has helped make him boring! Boring pastors drone on in monotonous voices and put people to sleep. Stale music and stale coffee and stale conversations about weather and sports and Oprah may be safe but they are not life-changing. That may not be true in all churches, but I fear it is common in much of Christendom. Like rock bands that always employ "warm up groups" so does the church, only in the church's case, Jesus is the warm up group: the main event is the building, or the liturgy, or the anthem, or the preacher's sermon about recycling, or the donuts after worship. Ho-hum, Jesus. We are no longer impressed by what you have done to save our souls, so we have to spice your story up a bit with our own side show.
29. Parable of the Counterfeit Money
Illustration
"Mother, look what I got," said Jimmy. "A man gave me all these big pieces of money. Now I'm rich. Is it alright if I buy an ice-cream cone for you and me?"
"Let me see that money," said his mother. "I am sorry Jimmy you can't buy anything with this money. It is no longer of any value."
Jimmy said, "You mean it is no good Why? It is even bigger than the money in my bank!"
"It is difficult to tell you Jimmy, but our government didn't make this money and money is not good unless the people that make it stand behind it."
"Gee, that makes me feel bad," said Jimmy. "I thought I was rich."
Learning a proper set of values and backing up one's word with action is an important part of human development. We have noted in public print that some large multi-million dollar business transactions have been sealed with a handclasp.
Jimmy was fooled by the size and the shape of his false money, and adults, too, are often deceived as to the value of stocks and bonds and the value of human activities. Christians learn that the Way to Christ's Kingdom is through His Church and according to His Word and through faith in a Risen Christ. The value of personal faith in God is indicated by how much action backs up the word of the believer. Mankind has great expectancy of those who believe in Christ; and those, who stand at the altar of their Church and vow their allegiance and loyalty in God's service as members, are God's money ready to be spent in Christian causes. Some may be counterfeit in their commitments.
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
30. The Good News Never Conflicts with Truth
Illustration
Bob Ward
The esteemed space scientist Dr. Werner von Braun received many cards and letters over the years from people who believe that space exploration is against the Creator's wishes. "Scripture mail," NASA calls it. These correspondents warned the scientist to cease this dangerous godless folly. "One lady wrote that God doesn't want man to leave Earth and she was willing to bet me $10 that we wouldn't make it," said Episcopalian von Braun. "I answered that, as far as I knew, the Bible said nothing about space flight but it was clearly against gambling."
Why are some people so threatened by scientific discoveries? Don't they know that truth is from God wherever it may be found? The notable church father Justin Martyr settled the matter once and for all when he wrote, "Whatever has been uttered aright by any [person] in any place belongs to us Christians." Christian faith does not need defenders, for it is never in conflict with truth.
31. If I Live To Be A Hundred
Illustration
John E. Sumwalt
Sam Duncan lay in the semi-darkness of his nursing home room performing the only two activities of which he still considered himself capable: watching and waiting. Although his eyesight was dim, he could still make out the steady brightening of the light of dawn through the window next to his bed. And although his hearing was too far gone to catch the rumble of the medicine cart, as it worked its way up the hall toward his room, he could sense that the time for his morning pills was near. He waited for the nurse to push open the door and greet him and his roommate Arthur, who was still snoring loudly in the bed next to his.
Most of the accepted measures of quality of human existence no longer affected Sam. While time, in terms of years, seemed to slip away unnoticed, the hours of the day crept by in agonizing slowness. Time no longer meant anything to him. Schedules all belonged to the nurses and aides and family members who waited on him. He himself had no claim to time. The staff dieticians and cooks decided what he would eat, and when. The aides assigned to care for him on any given day decided when he would be bathed, dressed, shaved, and even toileted. His family decided what clothes he needed, what treats to bring to him, and when he should go out. The activity director decided when he needed exercise, stimulation and entertainment, and he was delivered into her hands by the aides upon request.
There were few days when Sam could tell you what had occurred the day before, or even the hour before. He had little memory for what he had eaten for dinner Tuesday or breakfast Saturday. He seldom knew the day of the week or the correct month, although seasons were still instinctively evident. The minutia of every day had ceased to have meaning for him even before his nursing home days had begun ten years earlier, and he felt no concern or remorse over loss of interest in such trivia. But if you asked him if he remembered Pearl Harbor, or the day Franklin Roosevelt died, or what he was doing the day JFK was assassinated, he could tell you with detailed clarity what had gone on. He recalled vividly his wedding day, the day he and Martha buried their firstborn infant son, the details of the funeral of his grandson Sam who was killed in Vietnam, and what the weather was like on the day Martha died.
Sam also remembered the friends who had been most dear to him. They had all been gone for many years: Boots Martin, who had served with him in Germany in WW I; Alvy Hankins, who had gone to school with him and farmed outside of town; Dick Travis, who had been his business partner for nearly forty years ... all dead and buried long ago. It hadn't seemed unnatural that he had outlived them all, just part of life. But when he had outlived all of his children, the burden of life had become heavy, cumbersome. And now, at 102, it was nearly unbearable.
Sam had never been a complainer. Life was what it was. He didn't second-guess nature or the Creator. When he and Martha lost that first baby son, they had grieved and comforted one another, and eventually gone on with their lives. And God had blessed them with six healthy children who had survived well into old age. The death and destruction he had seen in the trenches during "the war to end all wars" was etched in his memory for all time, and yet he had survived it, both physically and emotionally. But when his grandson, young Samuel Wilks Duncan III, had been killed in Vietnam at the tender age of nineteen, it had taken much prayer and effort to overcome his sense of anger and grief. And when Martha died in 1989, at the ripe old age of ninety, and his own heart beat on strong and steady, even though he knew it was broken, he had shaken a mental fist at God and demanded to know why. Why must he be left to bear the burdens of life alone? At 93, why couldn't he go home, too?
That had been ten years ago. Ten years of slowly declining health, gradual loss of sight, hearing, movement and body function. Ten years of being taken here and there, regardless of his own wishes, by those whose job it was to provide him with comfort, stimulation, and quality of life. His grandchildren became so busy with their own lives that they seldom visited. And when his last surviving daughter had died of cancer last year at the age of 75, Sam couldn't help but wonder if God was allowing him to be put to the test, as he did Job. He felt very keenly the truth of Jesus' words in the Gospel of John:
... when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.
And so Sam had formed a mental list of Psalms from which to pray in all of his various moods:
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? -- Psalm 13:1-2
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. -- Psalm 22:1-2
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff -- they comfort me. -- Psalm 23:4
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. -- Psalm 42:1
Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent. For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who watch for my life consult together. -- Psalm 71:9-10
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. -- Psalm 30:4-5
Joy comes with the morning ... Sam's litany came to an end as the nurse pushed through the door with the medications.
"Good morning, Sam. Wake up, Arthur! It's time for your pills. It's a special day, Sam. Do you remember what day it is?"
"I don't know. Tuesday, maybe?"
"No, Saturday. You're going to have a lot of company today. This is your birthday, Sam. Do you remember how old you are today."
"I guess I'd be about 103."
"That's right. One hundred and three years old. Everyone is coming for your birthday party today. All of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and I've heard you even have a couple of great-great grandsons."
"I think they even named one of them after me."
"Well, April will be in in another hour or so to give you your breakfast and bath. When you're all dressed and ready, we'll take some pictures with all of your friends. Happy Birthday, Sam!"
One hundred and three. As he swallowed his pills, Sam's mind drifted back to the lighthearted days of his youth, when he and his friends used to say things like, "I'll never understand that if I live to be a hundred." Things don't really change, Sam thought. I've lived to be more than a hundred, and there are so many things I still don't understand. "Do not cast me off in the time of old age." "Weeping may linger with the night, but joy comes in the morning." Sam sighed and laid back to watch and wait.
32. Liberty and Civility - Sermon Starter
Illustration
Brett Blair
The United States of America is nearly 250years old today. That's a long time for a nation to remain free. But, when you look at our history in the context of world history America is just a CHILD among the nations. Egypt, China, Japan, Rome, Greece all make America's history seem so short. Consider what a brief time we've really been here as a nation: When Thomas Jefferson died, Abraham Lincoln was a young man of 17. When Lincoln was assassinated, Woodrow Wilson was a boy of 8. By the time he died Ronald Reagan was a boy of 12.
There you have it. The lives of four men can take you all the way back to the beginning of our country, 250years ago. We are so young. And yet we stand tall among these nations because of the principles on which we were established: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Thus begins the Declaration of Independence, which we celebrate today. And do not let anyone fool you. Freedom ought and need be celebrated. So many churches and ministers today loathe patriotism in the pulpit. I am not one of those. I celebrate today with you the freedoms which God has blessed this great nations of ours. Now I cannot tell you whether God has blessed us with liberty and therefore we are free or we have wisely and simply built our liberty based on biblical principles. In any case our freedom is from God.
Now let me temper our celebrations with a caution: With freedom comes great responsibility. We are not free to live excessive lives. We are not set at liberty to pursue selfish ends. Our independence should not make us infidels. As Paul so eloquently puts it: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature."
What is true for the church is true for the nation: Liberty demands civility. Freedom requires righteous behavior. On this July 4th let's celebrate Freedom and Civility.
1. First Let's Celebrate Freedom
2. Second Let's Celebrate Civility.
33. Human Porcupines
Illustration
Randy Smith
The German philosopher Schopenhauer compared the human race to a bunch of porcupines huddling together on a cold winter's night. He said, "The colder it gets outside, the more we huddle together for warmth; but the closer we get to one another, the more we hurt one another with our sharp quills. And in the lonely night of earth's winter eventually we begin to drift apart and wander out on our own and freeze to death in our loneliness."
As humans we have been created with the need for companionship. It's fascinating how Adam, when He enjoyed sinless fellowship with His Creator, still had a desire for one of his own kind (Gen. 2:20). God has created institutions such as marriage and family and church to meet these needs for human intimacy and belonging….
Jesus was well aware of our need for intimate human companionship, and He was also well aware of the challenges and "sharp quills" we face in the process. So in His final prayer to the Father, just hours before He would be suspended on the cross, Jesus prayed for the unity of His church. Second only to the concern for His glory was this longing that His disciples would be united. He knew how much supernatural help we as sinners need in this area. He also knew how an ununified church would fail to bring Him the glory He so much desires.
34. Some Assembly Required
Illustration
Johnny Dean
When people tell me that they are saved and question whether or not I am, I am tempted to say to them, "Well, I'm so happy for you. But no, I'm still a sinner. I'm still working on it. I'm still struggling day by day to be purified and sanctified in God's sight. But God is patient with me and allows me to come, just as I am, without one plea. As I look at myself in the light of God's glory, I know that I am still a work in progress. I need a lot more assembling before God is through with me."
The truth is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In one way or another, every one of us is like a rocking horse with 4,175 pieces. We each come wrapped in a box plainly labeled SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. We all come with a few spiritual pieces missing, and we can only be reassembled by following the directions laid out for us by our Creator. We cannot reassemble ourselves.
Just like each of you, the package I come in still has stamped on it, in big, bold letters, SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. But I know who to turn to for help with the assembly process. And so do you. But just in case, in all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, you may have forgotten, his name is Jesus. And He's here, right now.
35. CUPBEARER
Illustration
Stephen Stewart
1 Kings 10:5 - "the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her."
Nehemiah 1:11 - "... Now I was cupbearer to the king."
This is an officer of considerable responsibility, who attended Eastern monarchs. This office is of very great antiquity, being mentioned in connection with the Egyptians, the Persians, and the Jewish rulers.
The primary duty of the cupbearer was to taste the foods and wines that were to be served to the king as a pledge that they were not poisoned. So, obviously, if you are going to put your life into a man’s hands in such a way, it is necessary that you have absolute trust in him. So we find that the cupbearer was considered to be a man of total loyalty.
It is only one short step further, then, to seeing that this is also a man who would be held in the highest esteem, and would therefore have great influence on the king. We find that this was true in the case of Nehemiah, who was cupbearer to Artaxerxes. It is even possible that it may have been cupbearers who were the messengers of Assyria called Rab-shakeh who stood before Hezekiah to challenge Israel. There are reliefs from Assyrian palaces which show the cupbearer in a position of importance in relation to the king.
Of course, today we don’t have any professions that fit in exactly with this concept. It really isn’t necessary for most of us to check our food and drink before we dare eat, but, in the essentials, we can say that the present day butler, especially one who has been with his employer for a long time, stands in relationship to the cupbearer. He is rather a buffer between his employer and the world, which tries to intrude in all sort of unpleasant ways.
36. The Force
Illustration
Larry Powell
A high schoolgraduating class in California omits the invocation from its proceedings because of a law suit brought by three seniors who claimed the brief prayers would violate the "separation of church and state" clause of the Constitution. This is but one instance, part of a long-growing list, to be contained in a manual that our generation appears to be authoring: "How to Dismiss God from the Universe." To whom or what shall we ultimately be driven? What was the first tiny spark in the abysmal darkness? The first cause? The initial force? How did the universe come into being? Was it the handiwork of a great "Whom it may concern," or the climax of a colossal cosmic chaos? Read no farther than the first verse of the Bible: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
I remember having once spent several days meticulously fitting together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, only to have a leg under the card table collapse, dumping the puzzle all over the floor. It was one of those puzzles with a lot of autumn colors in it, and had been extremely difficult, if not exasperating to assemble. It would have been marvelous if I could have just sat down on the floor, gathered up all the scattered pieces, thrown the whole business up in the air and let them fall into their proper places on the floor. How many times do you think a person would have to throw the pieces in the air before they would finally come down fitted together to form the perfect picture? The chances of that ever happening are about as likely as the universe having "just accumulated" out of cosmic stuff, without design, without a creator.
All evidence, no matter how paltry, points to the same conclusion: the universe is designed! On the lowly end of the spectrum, the earthworms in an acre of soil can bring to the surface more than eighteen tons of earth. In twenty years, a new layer of topsoil three inches thick will have been created by worms, which also fill the soil with holes, allowing air to circulate freely. On the other end of the spectrum, take into account that the farthest detectable star from earth is ten billion light years away. There are stars beyond that but not within the scope of our instruments. Inasmuch as one light year equals six trillion miles, imagine the distance to the star ten billion light years away, and appreciate the testimony of Psalm 19:1; "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork."
37. Historic: The Declaration of Independence
Illustration
Staff
The unanimous Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies in Congress, July 4, 1776
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained, and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
- For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
- For protecting them by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
- For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
- For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
- For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
- For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
- For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
- For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
- For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circ*mstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren.
- We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
- We have reminded them of the circ*mstances of our emigration and settlement here.
- We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare.
That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
- New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
- Massachusetts: John Hanco*ck, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
- Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
- Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
- New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
- New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
- Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
- Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
- Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
- Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
- North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
- South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
- Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Background
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall), approved the Declaration of Independence. Its purpose was to set forth the principles upon which the Congress had acted two days earlier when it voted in favor of Richard Henry Lee's motion to declare the freedom and independence of the 13 American colonies from England. The Declaration was designed to influence public opinion and gain support both among the new states and abroad especially in France, from which the new "United States" sought military assistance.
Although Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the committee charged with drafting the Declaration, the task fell to Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer. The document is mainly his work, although the committee and Congress as a whole made a total of 86 changes to Jefferson's draft.
As a scholar well-versed in the ideas and ideals of the French and English Enlightenments, Jefferson found his greatest inspiration in the language and arguments of English philosopher John Locke, who had justified England's "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 on the basis of man's "natural rights." Locke's theory held that government was a contract between the governed and those governing, who derived their power solely from the consent of the governed and whose purpose it was to protect every man's inherent right to property, life and liberty. Jefferson's theory of "natural law" differed in that it substituted the inalienable right of "the pursuit of happiness" for "property," emphasizing that happiness is the product of civic virtue and public duty. The concept of the "pursuit of happiness" originated in the Common Sense School of Scottish philosophy, of which Lord Kames was the best-known proponent.
Jefferson emphasized the contractual justification for independence, arguing that when the tyrannical government of King George III of England repeatedly violated "natural law, " the colonists had not only the right but the duty to revolt.
The assembled Continental Congress deleted a few passages of the draft, and amended others, but outright rejected only two sections: 1) a derogatory reference to the English people; 2) a passionate denunciation of the slave trade. The latter section was left out, as Jefferson reported, to accede to the wishes of South Carolina and Georgia, who wanted to continue the importation of slaves. The rest of the draft was accepted on July 4, and 56 members of Congress began their formal signing of the document on August 2, 1776.
38. Contrary to What We KNOW
Illustration
John Bedingfield
The chief objection that modernists have with the story of the Feeding of the 5,000 was answered by St. Augustine over 1500 years ago. Augustine said, "Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we KNOWabout nature."The miracle here was that a weary but compassionate Jesus understood the true power of the Creator God – the Father of the universe.And He acted in accordance with that knowledge: with miraculous results.
39. Law and Gospel
Illustration
Richard A. Jensen
Martin Luther asserted that the true theologian was the one who could rightly distinguish between law and gospel. When Lutherans, including this Lutheran, work at theology we almost always work within the parameters of law and gospel. Protestant theology in general talks about three uses of the law. The first use of law is usually termed the political or civil use of law. The second use of the law, the spiritual or theological use, is the law as a mirror in which we see our lives; the law as revealer of our sins. The third use of the law is law as a guide for Christian living. There is much debate even among Lutherans whether Luther taught the third use of the law. I do not believe that he did.
The function of the civil use of law is to help humankind create a civil society. Since all people bear the law within their being, all people can work to make society a more civil place to live. Preaching on the civil use of the law would call upon people to make use of their rational intelligence in making ethical decisions in life and in working toward a civil society. There is nothing particularly Christian about the civil use of the law. It need not, therefore, occupy too much of our preaching energy. The dialogical nature of the classroom is much better suited for the important discussions of the nature of the way we might best work for an improved civil order.
The theological or spiritual use of the law was for Luther the proper use of the law. The law, that is, reveals to us our sinfulness. "What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin .... Apart from the law sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me (Romans 7:7, 8-10)."
The law always kills! That was Luther's dictum about the spiritual use of the law. The law always leaves me helpless, consigned to wrath, doomed to death. This is the proper use of the law and is therefore the proper use of the law in preaching. To preach the law is to render people helpless in their relationship to God. The law kills us and leaves us dead in the eyes of God.
The third use of the law is the law as a guide to Christian living. For Calvin this was the proper use of the law. This marks a radical breach among protestants. Some protestants see the law as God's revealed law for life. Clearly such a law should be preached so that people know how to live! I have already stated my conviction that Martin Luther did not teach the third use of the law in this manner. He did not believe that God revealed the law either to Israel or to Christians as a guide to living! The most radical instance of this is Luther's comments on the law as given to Moses. Luther said, "I keep the commandments which Moses has given, not because Moses gave commandments, but because they have been implanted in me by nature, and Moses agrees exactly with nature etc."1
Luther believed that the law was natural to every person alive. That's the first use of the law! For Luther, therefore, the law does not need to be revealed. If that is the case then we will need spend little time preaching the law as a guide to life. Here, too, it may be better to deal with such ethical questions about life in discussion forums under the assumption that each person brings unique resources, resources given them by God the Creator, to the discussion.
Preach the law. Preach the costly law. Preach the law that costs sinners their life and brings them to the point that they cry out for a Savior.
40. Servant Morality vs Master Morality
Illustration
W. Robert McClelland
Freidrich Nietzsche drew the distinction between a servant morality and a master morality with disturbing clarity. A servant morality adopts values and follows a morality which is imposed upon us by others. It negates the self. A master morality, on the other hand, sees the self as the creator of both values and morality. It, therefore, affirms the self. Nietzsche saw religion as the great espouser of servant morality because it portrayed values and morals as absolutes given by God. He contended that to be fully human is to realize that morality is something we create. Values are not hung "out there" like stars in the sky. We are the ones who do the valuing. The clues to ethical behavior come from within ourselves and are not prescribed for us by some external authority. Values are neither objective nor carved in stone despite the claims of the church. Instead, they come from an internal gyroscope that guides the course of our lives.
But the question always arises: How do we then live with thousands of people creating their own morality?
41. Blah, Blah, Blah, Love
Illustration
King Duncan
Dr. James B. Lemler was preaching one time about the Trinity. He told about a couple of parents who had gone home from his church and during Sunday lunch were talking about his sermon. In the midst of their conversation, their second-grade daughter sitting at the table chimed in. "Oh, Father Lemler's sermons, they're always the same," she said, "You know . . . blah, blah, blah, . . . love . . . blah, blah, blah . . . love."
Dr. Lemler said he was amused and thought to himself, "Hey, this little girl really got it . . . the message, the repetition, the core, the redundancy."
"And so it is with the Holy Trinity," says Dr. Lemler, "Over and over again . . . blah, blah, blah, love . . blah, blah, blah, love . . ."
"God the Creator . . . I love you . . . blah, blah, blah .. . and give you life.
"God the Redeemer . . . I love you and . . . blah, blah, blah. . . embrace you in that love forever.
"God the Spirit . . . I love you . . . blah, blah, blah .. . and warm your heart and your soul with my love.
"Blah, blah, blah love . . ."
I wish that is what the people heard that day when the voice spoke from heaven, "Yada, yada, yada, love " But John described it like this: "The crowd that was there and heard the voice said it had thundered . . . "
42. Agree or Disagree
Illustration
Staff
A poll for U.S. News and World Report'sfound that 93% of Americans say they believe in God or a universal spirit. Of those polled, 65% say religion is losing its influence on American life, although 62% say religion is increasing its influence in their personal lives. Other findings:
- The Bible is the actual word of God to be taken literally, word for word: 34%
- The Bible is the inspired word of God, but not everything in it can be taken literally: 46%
- The Bible is an ancient book of legends, history and moral precepts, recorded by man: 16%
- God is a heavenly father who can be reached by prayers: 76%
- God is an idea, not a being: 11%
- God is an impersonal creator: 8%
- We have to keep church and state completely separate Agree 53% Disagree 42%
- There is no one set of values that is right Agree 48% Disagree 44%
- Each individual must determine what is right or wrong Agree 70% Disagree 25%
- The president should be a moral and spiritual leader Agree 78% Disagree 17%
- Our government would be better if policies were more directed by moral values Agree 84% Disagree 9%
- Individual freedom is critical to democracy in this country Agree 91% Disagree 4%
- God is the moral guiding force of American democracy Agree 55% Disagree 35%
Nearly 60% of Americans say they hold their current religious beliefs because of their parents' example. More than 8 of every 10 Americans today believe that it's possible to be a good Christian or Jew even without attending a church or synagogue.
43. MUSICIAN
Illustration
Stephen Stewart
Judges 5:11 - "To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the triumphs of the Lord, the triumphs of his peasantry in Israel."
Amos 6:5 - "who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David invent for themselves of music;"
Music is both an art and a means of expressing ideas and emotions; it is sometimes called a "universal language." This language makes possible the communication of ideas and feelings among people who are separated by language, customs, time, and space. Music grows out of human experience. It gives us an understanding of the people of other countries and of past generations.
Man began to make music long before he started to write history. We know about early kinds of music partly from the drawings and musical instruments left by men who lived many centuries ago. As man ate because he was hungry, so he made music because of his need to tell other people how he felt about the world. He learned that his voice could express his feelings by changing from loud to soft, of high to low. He discovered rhythm in the movement of his own body and in observing nature: falling rain, wind in the trees, the flight of birds, the rhythmic movement of animals. Gradually man began to sing and beat time and dance.
Man developed musical instruments as another means of musical expression. He found that he could make three kinds of instruments. He discovered that skin stretched across a hollow log produced an interesting sound when he struck it. He discovered that he could produce sounds by blowing on a hollow reed. Soon he found that reeds of different lengths made different sounds. Man learned that the sound of a vibrating bowstring pleased him. Strings of different lengths tightly stretched on a frame gave new and fascinating results.
Almost all musical instruments of today are of these three kinds. The primitive log drum led to modern drums and the other percussion instruments. The reeds blown by early man developed into the clarinet and other wind instruments we know. The bowstring led to the harp, the violin, and other stringed instruments. The only instruments not included in any of these three groups make sounds produced by electrons, as in the electronic organ.
Like all the men of the ancient world, the Hebrews attributed a quasi-divine origin to music: it was at mankind’s very beginning, a few generations after Adam, that Jubal invented the "flute and the kinnor," according to Genesis 4:21. Hebrew music was primarily vocal, yet many of the Psalms have signs indicating that they are to be accompanied by musical instruments. The "chief musician" occurs in the titles of 54 of the Psalms. Asaph and his brothers were apparently the first to hold this position, and the office was probably hereditary in the family.
Early Hebrew musicians probably traveled around the country playing in various places, and they probably also repaired metal products at the same time. They were paid by food, lodging, and money, very much as entertainers are today. By the time of the monarchy, a class of professional musicians arose, who eventually formed guilds and became very influential indeed. In time, they became so high in rank that they were next only to the king himself. Musicians, in fact, were sometimes spared the death penalty suffered by others who commited the same crime.
Apparently, the fame of Hebrew musicians was wide-spread. Part of the ramson given by Hezekiah to Sennacherib included male and female Judean musicians. Psalm 137 says that the Babylonians demanded from their Hebrew prisoners "songs of Zion." To ask for musicians as tribute and to show interest in the folk music of a captured people was extremely rare and high praise.
While many musicians may have been self-taught, it is likely that there was some form of instruction. Among the instruments which they used were the bagpipe, flute, horn, trumpet, lyre, harp, cymbal, tambourine, and the triangle.
In addition to their religious duties, there were musicians who were employed to play at weddings and funerals. In many ways, then, we can see that the professional musicians of today are very similar in respect to their instruments, their professional commitments, and their mode of payment to the ancient musicians. And there isn’t that much difference in the types of music, either. Today we have music of every kind, to suit every taste. In the past, there were also many types of music, each used in different situations.
44. Forty Days for Recommitment
Illustration
Mark Trotter
Lent was originally established for new Christians, those who experienced a call. They were to spend forty days and forty nights preparing for their baptism. If at the end they still wanted to follow Jesus, then on Easter Eve they would be baptized as the sun was rising in the east, signaling the new day, the new era, inaugurated because of the Resurrection.
I am sure it had a powerful significance for them, to have prepared for their vocation as Christians the same way that Jesus prepared for his vocation as the Messiah: forty days of introspection and self-examination.
But later the Church used the forty days as a time of renewal for those who were already Christians, because at a certain point everyone in the empire became a Christian, everyone was baptized as infants. So the time of Lent was used as a time of renewal and recommitment to the Christian life, examining our lives in light of the one we are supposed to follow.
45. Parable of the Quarrelsome Child
Illustration
Staff
"Jimmy, why are you sitting there all alone?"
"Nobody wants to play with me. They always fight with me."
"Why don't you go over and see Billy?"
"No, he always wants his own way."
"You could play with Dick," said the mother.
"No, we had a fight this morning. I punched him in the nose and his mother sent me home."
"How about Jack?"
"We had a fight in the school yard."
"If everyone fights with you, maybe it's you," said the mother.
"See, you're picking on me, too. Everybody picks on me."
"It is natural to disagree once in awhile with people, but, if everybody quarrels with you and it takes two to quarrel, you must be looking for trouble."
"I don't care. They can all go soak their heads. I don't like any of them."
A person or a nation that is always at odds with others needs some self-examination. Certainly there are principles worth fighting for, but individuals that are always quarrelsome and nations that are torn by strife are going against the principles of man and God and are most likely to be destroyed.
And even when destruction does not come, there remains a misery in existence that is far from really living. Love brings understanding, patience, and promotes peace having the highest goals for the well-being and happiness of all.
To be sitting in a corner all alone day after day at odds with others is a cruel existence. There are new methods and new ways to be sought that can bring about more human happiness, if we follow the teachings of Christ.
46. Democracy in Action
Illustration
Adali E. Stevenson
Democracy is not self-executing. We have to make it work, and to make it work we have to understand it. Sober thought and fearless criticism are impossible without critical thinkers and thinking critics. Such persons must be given the opportunity to come together, to see new facts in the light of old principles and evaluate old principles in the light of new facts by deliberation, debate, and dialogue. For democracy’s need for wisdom will remain as perennial as its need for liberty. Not only external vigilance but unending self-examination must be the perennial price of liberty, because the work of self-government never ceases.
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- 5 things to know about Kamala Harris' pastor
- Nigerian bishop leaves UMC amid hom*osexuality schism; regional body’s future uncertain
- Sen. Mike Lee warns of 'increased hostility' toward Christianity in Washington
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- Russell Brand slams Olympics opening ceremony 'decadence,' shares favorite Bible verse
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- Homelessness Hits Record High, Straining Rescue Missions
- 13-year-old budding preacher who lived for the ‘Glory of God’ killed for camera
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- The Religion of Nationalism
- Trump Says Democrats are 'After Catholics,' Calls Out Harris
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- When Will Bishops Stop Taking Culture War Bait? Paris Edition
- Olympics 2024 and Leonardo da Vinci's Last Straw
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- Hindu Pilgrimage Sparks Anti-Muslim Discrimination in India
- In Asian American Churches, Generational Differences Deter Young Leaders
