God’s Provision

Jun 25, 2010 • By David Murray • 4 Comments

I preach quite regularly in Grand Rapids Free Reformed Church, and have come to know and love many of God’s dear people there. Among them are Dave and Heidi Pronk, who have a child with special needs. Heidi shared a moving story with me this week, and I asked her to write it up for this blog post.

Our eight year old son was born with a genetic disease causing various physical and cognitive impairments; this diagnosis was followed by a stroke in infancy. God has been very gracious over the years and he has been able to enjoy the benefits of a regular classroom at a small Christian school albeit with some extra assistance. Our son’s class has just 18 children in it but it is a remarkable group. There is a bright little girl who was born deaf, a quiet boy born severely prematurely with global delays, a tender boy adopted from a Chinese orphanage with a cleft lip and palate, and a girl who was born with all of her intestines outside of her body (gastroschisis). Several of the children have speech and language challenges, several have learning disabilities, and a couple of them struggle with physical problems but each of them are living testimonies to an extraordinary Providence. This is a very special, compassionate group of kids. They’ve had an instructional aide in their classroom since they started together in Kindergarten and several of them also use special education services to accommodate learning challenges.

The school, desiring to be good stewards and faced with extreme financial shortages (due largely to the number of families hit by unemployment or underemployment in the last couple years), was faced with very difficult decisions. Two days before the school year ended the administration terminated the position of both the classroom aide and the special education teacher. This was devastating. These two ladies have worked so hard and spent so much time sacrificially meeting the needs of these children; the gains the children have made are amazing. They have flourished under the encouragement and instruction given them. When we learned of the decision, we called some of the other parents and started to pray – fervently. We also started investigating what it would take financially to re-hire the special education teacher part time for the next year so that some services would be available. We were told it would take about $15,000.

Two days later, on the last day of school after nearly everyone had left, I was standing in the hallway talking to their current teacher, the teacher for next year, and the special education teacher (who’s position was eliminated). We were discussing the needs of the school and the needs of the children. I said “This is a really difficult situation but I am not afraid because I know that we serve a God of limitless power and creativity. If He can part the Red Sea, feed the 5,000, and raise the dead then He can make provision for these little ones.”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than another mother came running through the doors and cried out “Someone just approached my car in the parking lot and said they were going to write a check for $5,000 for special education at Freedom Christian today!” We all stood there stunned for a moment (and then I started to cry.) Faith as a grain of mustard seed blessed with a mountain of mercy! We still have $10,000 to raise but it doesn’t seem so hard now. God has already started to make provision. We know that He doesn’t just give us trials to test our faith but to increase it, so that in the end, He may receive all the glory.

2 Cor. 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

The Old Testament: Where to begin?

Jun 23, 2010 • By David Murray • 0 Comments

I’m often asked, “Where should I begin my study of the Old Testament?” Here’s my answer, extracted from my review of Roots:

So where should you begin studying the Old Testament? I recommend starting with the ESV Study Bible notes or The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (although NIV). They have excellent introductory chapters on each Old Testament book, the presentation is superb, and the content of both the introductions and the study notes are very Christ-centered. Especially study two wonderful sections on Old Testament salvation in the ESV Study Bible (pp. 23-26, 2635-2661).

Then move on to read the hundred or so pages in Calvin’s Institutes on the relation between the Old and New Testaments (Book 2, chapters 7-11), followed by Jonathan Edward’s History of the Work of Redemption (especially the first 100 or so pages). That will give you a firm Gospel-centered foundation before you progress to something like Mark Dever’s Promises Made, and then on to some of the more specialized introductions and surveys of the Old Testament: Dillard & Longman’s Introduction to the Old Testament (though too concessive to critical scholarship at times), William Dumbrell’s The Faith of Israel, and the Moody Introductions.

Roots

Jun 23, 2010 • By David Murray • 0 Comments

Alec Motyer, Roots: Let the Old Testament Speak. Christian Focus, 2009, 411 pages.

Some surveys have found that only 20% of Christian sermons are from the Old Testament. The editor of Preaching, an evangelical journal for preachers, laments, “I annually receive hundreds of sermon manuscripts from ministers in a variety of Protestant denominations … Less than one-tenth of the sermons submitted to Preaching are based on Old Testament texts.” Another writer complains that on the relatively rare occasion when an Old Testament text is announced, “it is often only the text for some topical treatise that soon departs from its context.”

This deficiency in the spiritual diet of most Christians explains many of the spiritual problems in the modern Church and in the modern Christian. How can we expect our congregations to be healthy when they are being largely deprived of 39 of the 66 books (60%) of the Bible – the very same books that provided the spiritual nourishment of Christ and His apostles?

So, when I see new books on the Old Testament by evangelical authors, I usually rejoice and pray that God will use them to redress the present unhealthy imbalance. And when the book is by Dr Alec Motyer, the well-known and much-loved preacher and teacher of God’s Word, I am especially glad.

Dr Motyer is the author of numerous books, perhaps the best known being The Prophecy of Isaiah. He is also the editor of IVP’s Old Testament series The Bible Speaks Today. Formerly a Professor of Old Testament and then Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, he was also a pastor for many years, which gives a welcome practical bent to his writing. The wisdom and experience of his eighty plus years also lend a special gravity and credibility to his words. And when a man of such knowledge and experience begins an interview with, “I’m not really a scholar, I’m just a man who loves the Word of God,” you know that you are about to learn from a teacher who like his master is “meek and lowly in heart.”

On balance, I would describe Roots as an Old Testament Survey rather than an Old Testament Introduction or an Old Testament Theology. Dr Motyer does cover some introductory matters, especially in the first two chapters, and Old Testament theology is frequently discussed. But Roots is still primarily a survey of the Old Testament books — in chronological rather than canonical order.

I learned from this book and I am glad I read it. Motyer’s passion for the Old Testament is palpable. His writing is simple and usually clear. I welcomed his conservative stance on the disputed authorship of the Pentateuch and Isaiah, and on controversial issues like the slaughter of the Canaanites, and the imprecatory Psalms. Some of the “shaded-box” discussions are extremely helpful. He also concludes each chapter with a brief list of books for further reading, which would be a great place to start in building an Old Testament library.

Having said that, however, there is unevenness to the book: it is unpredictable and inconsistent in presentation. Sometimes Motyer provides an outline of the book, other times not. Sometimes he gives a survey of the whole book, other times not. Sometimes he gives the main themes, other times not. Sometimes he focuses in great detail on a few passages, other times he gives a more general overview. If you like variety then you will like this. I prefer a much more uniform presentation – it gives me hooks to hang the information on and helps establish the teaching in my long-term memory.

I would also have preferred more Christ-centeredness. While Motyer’s first chapter is “Starting with Jesus,” and he says that the book will show how the Old Testament moves “forward to the climactic flowering in Jesus,” there is not much of Jesus nor of the Gospel in the rest of the book. There are some good Messiah-centered expositions of a few key themes (e.g. the Servant of the Lord), and of a few passages such as Isaiah 53 and Psalm 110, but not much else of that nature. In fact, in one place (p. 77), Motyer denies that the Old Testament believers believed in the coming Messiah through the typology of the sacrifices. Instead, he says that “the sin-offering provided for forgiveness,” and traces their salvation to the offeror’s faith in the promise of forgiveness through that sacrifice. Only from Isaiah 53 forwards, says Motyer, did believers understand that the sacrifice was to be a person. I strongly disagree. “Person-centered” faith was present from Genesis 3:15 onwards, as God focused all attention on the promised seed (offspring) of the woman.

In a rather confusing paragraph, he also denies that the Old Testament appearances of the Angel of the Lord were pre-incarnate appearances of Christ, or in any sense “a divine condescension – God taking human form to ‘accommodate’ himself to mankind” (p. 84). He seems to link these theophanies to the image of God in man and the dignity of the body.

I suppose this all comes down to the frequently unanswered (even unasked) question in Old Testament studies. How were Old Testament believers saved? By faith, by works, or by a mixture of both? By faith in the sacrifices, by faith in God (in general), or by faith in the Messiah (in particular)? If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are sitting at the same heavenly table as New Testament believers (Matt. 8:11), are the New Testament believers giving all glory to Christ while the Old Testament believers are polishing their own medals? Or getting to know Christ for the first time? These vital questions remain unanswered in this book – perhaps explaining Motyer’s rather negative assessments of Old Testament characters such as Samson and David.

So where should you begin studying the Old Testament? I recommend starting with the ESV Study Bible or The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (although NIV). They have excellent introductory chapters on each Old Testament book, the presentation is superb, and the content of both the introductions and the study notes are very Christ-centered. Especially study two wonderful sections on Old Testament salvation in the ESV Study Bible (pp. 23-26, 2635-2661). Then move on to read the hundred or so pages in Calvin’s Institutes on the relation between the Old and New Testaments (Book 2, chapters 7-11), followed by Jonathan Edward’s History of the Work of Redemption (especially the first 100 or so pages). That will give you a firm Gospel-centered foundation before you progress to something like Mark Dever’s Promises Made, and then on to some of the more specialized introductions and surveys of the Old Testament: Dillard & Longman’s Introduction to the Old Testament (though too concessive to critical scholarship at times), William Dumbrell’s The Faith of Israel, the Moody Introductions, or the present book under review.

PS. You may already have this book in your library under a different name. In 2001 it was published by Baker Books under the title Men with a Message and was the Old Testament companion volume to John Stott’s New Testament version of the same name.

Review originally published at The Gospel Coalition Reviews.

Meet the Legalism Family

Jun 22, 2010 • By David Murray • 0 Comments

I’d like to introduce you to four members of the Legalism family that I’ve frequently run into in pastoral ministry.

Mrs Try-Harder is trying to reach heaven by her good works. You’ll know her if you meet her, because she talks so much about herself that you’ll hardly get a word in. You certainly won’t be asked any questions about your own life and interests. If you manage to speak about the Gospel of grace, and “Whiter than snow” salvation, she may go quiet for a while and smile in a sort of condescending way. But she soon manages to change the subject from God’s Works to her own again.

Mr Addition knows the law so well that he’s decided to add quite a few of his own. He is often motivated by a desire to see Christians live more godly lives and feels sorry that God left so many gaps and grey areas in matters of personal conduct. So, to help everyone else he has scoured past tradition to fill in the gaps and eliminate the grey areas. There are two things Mr Addition hates. He hates being asked, “Where does the Bible actually forbid this or require this?” And he hates people pointing out his own failures in areas the Bible is crystal clear on. He’s much happier talking about his own laws rather than God’s.

Mr Contract has had quite a sad upbringing. He was raised in a family that believed in grace, but which conducted relationships on the basis of law. If a sister did something for a brother, the brother knew that he would have to return the favor soon, or else he would be reminded of his debt (usually in the middle of an unrelated argument). No one seemed to do anything for anyone else out of sheer love, without expecting repayment. Long records were kept of how much each had done for, or given to, the other. And woe betide anyone who failed to repay in kind before the next argument. Unfortunately this quid pro quo, like for like, commercial contract spirit is often carried into adult relationships and even into their relationship with God. For example, Mr Contract finds it difficult to receive grace from God or gifts from others without thinking immediately about how to quickly repay and equalize the accounts. Don’t ask him to do anything for you, unless you are willing to do something in return, usually with a bit of interest. And never ask him to go above and beyond the call of duty. He knows his rights! Having grasped and enjoyed little of grace himself, he is not going to show it easily to others.

Mr Pleaser is a pastor. Yes, pastors can be legalists too. Sometimes they look awfully like Mrs Try-harder. Regrettably, they are sometimes influenced too much by Mr Addition, who always seems to have the loudest voice in the fellowship. And too often they do their work out of a sense of contractual duty, rather than out of love for Christ and His people. But most often, Mr Pleaser’s day is dictated by the expectations of others, a legalism as demanding and demoralising as all the others. Instead of being motivated to serve God’s people by his own experience of divine grace and love, Mr Pleaser ends up being pushed and pulled by the desire to avoid criticism or receive praise. His daily agenda and schedule is determined not by love for the Lord but by trying to live up to other people’s demands. Instead of serving the Lord whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light, Mr Pleaser puts himself under the cruel, relentless, insatiable yoke of other people’s expectations.

I am sure that you will have frequent opportunity to meet these sad and sorry members of the Legalism family. (Sometimes, you only need to look in a mirror). If you do, I hope you will take them to the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I hope you will introduce them to Jesus who calls these weary and burdened souls to find perfect rest in Him. I hope you will show them how, through the cross, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us.

May God use us to break up this needy family, and to build up the happy family of His free grace.

I’m now a “permanent resident.” (Or am I?)

Jun 21, 2010 • By David Murray • 2 Comments

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

“This is to notify you that your application for permanent residence has been approved. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to permanent resident status in the United States.”

That’s what I read in the the first letter I opened on my return from Scotland on Saturday. Three years after arriving here with my family we have been granted our “green cards,” moving us from “resident alien” to “permanent resident” status.

There is a tremendous psychological boost from such news. It gives me and my family a sense of security and stability. We can plan our future with a bit more certainty. We can begin to orient our hearts and minds to really making our home here and eventually applying for citizenship in five years time. We are also encouraged to see the providential hand of God in the immaculate timing of this notice – just a few hours after the sadness of leaving aging loved ones in Scotland, and but one month before our present visas expire.

However, later on Saturday I was reminded by Hebrews 11 that really there is no “permanent resident” status in this world. You would have thought that when Abram reached the Land of Promise he would have felt “at home.” But he didn’t. He still felt as if he was in a “foreign” or “strange” country (v. 9). He had no sense of belonging or permanence, a feeling underlined by his family dwelling in tents (v. 9). This was not some natural home-sickness for Ur. Rather, it was a spiritual “heaven-sickness,” a godly longing for his eternal resident status.

If you had asked Abram how he felt having arrived in the Promised Land, he would have said, “I feel like an alien, a pilgrim, an exile” (v. 13). “But, Abram, you’ve got everything God promised. Your can put down roots here. You can build for the long-term.” “No, no,” Abram would have replied, “I know I’m living in the best place in the world. But I’m looking far beyond this world. I’m on a life-long journey to a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. I desire an even better country than this, a heavenly country” (v. 10, 16).

Abram’s new-found permanence actually deepened his sense of temporariness and transitoriness. His new home made him long for his eternal home.

That’s what I want too.