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20 Tips on How to Use Bible Commentaries

Mar 7, 2012 • By David Murray • 16 Comments

The following is a summary of the lecture I’m giving today on how to use Bible Commentaries.

1. Use them
“It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others. My chat this afternoon is not for these great originals, but for you who are content to learn of holy men, taught of God, and mighty in the Scriptures. It has been the fashion of late years to speak against the use of commentaries…A respectable acquaintance with the opinions of the giants of the past, might have saved many an erratic thinker from wild interpretations and outrageous inferences” (C H Spurgeon).

2. Use them for appropriate tasks
Commentaries vary in size, detail, level, and theological basis; they also have different roles in the exegetical process. The following classification is partly chronological – the first books are used earlier in the process than the latter books. (The books in brackets are OT focused and are merely exemplary not exhaustive).

  • Critical: Emphasis on technical matters like the composition of the text rather than its meaning (e.g.  International Critical Commentary, some Word commentaries).
  • Expository (Original Language): Close and detailed exposition of the text, usually requiring some knowledge of the original languages (e.g. some Word commentaries, New International Commentary on the OT, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Mentor series by Christian Focus).
  • Expository (English): Stay close to the text but do not usually deal with critical issues and do not require original language knowledge (Focus on the Bible series by Christian Focus, Evangelical Press Study Commentaries).
  • Summary: Do not explain everything but focus on main points and present conclusions rather than extensive arguments. Excellent summaries of a verse or passage’s teaching. Big is not always better. (e.g. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Bible Speaks Today).
  • Classical:  Reputable commentaries from the past that usually do not deal with technical issues, but rather the theological meaning of the text (Banner of Truth Geneva series, John Gill, John Calvin).
  • Applicatory: Suitable for lay-people, usually with more of an applicatory focus (NIV Application Commentary).
  • Homiletical: Tend to be the result of sermon series or at least more sermonic in style (e.g. Welwyn, Dale Ralph Davis).
  • Devotional: Extensive comments on spiritually rich texts. Focus on edification rather than critical or controversial issues (e.g. Matthew Henry).

3. Use recommended commentaries
Ask pastors and professors for their recommendations on various books. Weigh the recommendations. Just because a Word series’ commentary on one book is good does not guarantee that they are all good.

Spurgeon: “The best commentators are those who have written upon only one book. Few men can comment eminently well upon the whole Bible.”

There are many OT commentary guide books (e.g. Tremper Longman III, Douglas Stuart, Charles Spurgeon, etc). Here are some online recommendations:

4. Use them late in exegesis
If you use commentaries too early, they will take over and suppress your own thought. Do your own exegesis rather than collate the work of others.

5. Use them to get started in exegesis
This may seem like a contradiction to #4, but what I mean is that you should use commentaries earlier in the process if you get stuck, or perhaps can’t even get started. They can provide helpful or even essential historical, geographical, or cultural background.

Use them to help you with specific issues but leave most commentary reading towards the end of your research. Remember to pray and seek the Holy Spirit’s help rather than just open the nearest book.

6. Use them to confirm or correct your pericope and translation
Checking your pericope selection and your translation with a higher-end commentary before you begin your exegesis may save you a lot of time and energy.

7. Use them to confirm or correct your exegesis
If after exegeting a passage you find a number of commentators contradicting your conclusions, then review your work and decide who is correct.

8. Use them to help you understand grammar and syntax
Some of the more technical commentaries can help you translate difficult parts of the passage, or perhaps highlight grammatical and syntax issues that help to uncover a text’s meaning and message.

9. Use them to highlight unasked questions
When I read a commentary I often find questions raised that I had not even considered, forcing me back to the text.

10. Use them to answer unanswered questions
It may be that at the end of all your exegetical labor that you still don’t have an answer to a question. That’s when reading a number of commentaries can help you better understand the options and arguments and help you to come to a decision.

11. Use them to help you decide what to focus on
Reading a commentary may reveal that what you thought important is relatively unimportant, and may also point you to study further in areas that you thought unimportant.

12. Use them to find other passages that are related to this one.
Commentaries will often provide cross-references or even brief expositions of other passages that have a bearing on this one.

13. Use them to find sources for further reading
Some commentaries, especially the more technical and expository ones, will often list books and journal articles that bear upon the passage.

14. Use them to find opposing arguments and conclusions
As it’s often helpful to listen to the other side of an interpretive debate, make sure you consult commentators who state the other positions fairly, or best of all, read the opposing commentators to help you sharpen your own conclusions or change them.

15. Use them to get quotes to back up conclusions
If your view is out of sync with the majority of commentators, or if it is controversial, it is often helpful to back up your argument and decision with a quote from a reliable commentator.

16. Use them to help you express the meaning
Especially if you’ve been struggling to express your thoughts, commentators can provide you with words that more briefly or clearly express the same thing.

17. Use them by translating their thoughts into your own words
Don’t just string quotes from various commentators together. If you are going to use them extensively, then at the very least, process their thoughts and translate them into your own words, while giving credit for the original thoughts.

18. Use them consistently
If you adopt a conclusion from a commentator, make sure it is reflected in the rest of your work. Go back through and be consistent in your translation or interpretation of a word or phrase.

19. Use them discriminately
Eventually you will get to know the particular theological biases and prejudices in certain commentaries and certain series. As long as you keep these in mind, you can filter out the bones and take the meat. Separate facts from opinion.

20. Use them independently
Don’t become wholly dependent upon commentaries; not even upon one commentator or series of commentaries. We don’t want to belittle commentaries but we don’t want to be bullied by them either. Have confidence in your own prayerful Spirit-led exegesis.

UPDATE: Here’s Dr Beeke on his favorite commentaries.

Can you preach the Gospel from the law?

Mar 5, 2012 • By David Murray • 2 Comments

I’ve been slowly blogging my way through Reclaiming the Old Testament for Christian Preaching (here and here) and now reach Christopher Wright’s chapter on “Preaching from the law.” Given the author, I was expecting this chapter to be excellent, but it’s actually outstanding – probably the best chapter in the book. Here’s a summary of the ten most important points, largely in Wright’s own words:

1. On the basis of 2 Timothy 3:15-16, write above every OT chapter, including legal chapters, “This Scripture is inspired by God and is useful…” [47].

2. “Before we preach law to people, we need to make sure they know the God who stands behind it and the story that goes before it. It is the God of grace and the story of grace” [48].
This is perhaps the most important sentence in the chapter (if not in the book), and if fully grasped would transform most people’s view of the law in particular and of the Old Testament in general.

3. “The law was given to people whom God had already redeemed” [48].
“Grace comes before the law. There are eighteen chapters of salvation before we get to Sinai and the Ten Commandments…I stress this because the idea that the difference between the Old and New Testaments is that in the OT salvation was by obeying the law, whereas in the NT it is by grace, is a terrible distortion of Scripture” [48].

4. “Obedience is the only right response to having been saved, and the way to enjoy the fruits of redemption, not to earn them” [49].
Always preach OT law on the foundation of God’s saving grace. Anything else will lead people to legalism, or to despair, or to pride [49].

5. By shaping Israel in the image of God, the law had a misional purpose [51].
“The law had the function of shaping Israel to be that representative people, making the character and requirements of God known to the nations. That is a missional function…The purpose of the law was to make Israel visibly different, in such a way that would draw interest and comment, and essentially bear witness to the God they worshipped” (Ex. 19:6; Dt. 4:6-8)” [51].

“We should preach OT law in such a way as to remind Christians not only of the grace of God to which they must respond, but also of their mission responsibility: to live distinctively as God’s people among the nations” [52].

“Imitation of God is a strong theme in OT law, but it does not stop there. It is the same basic principle that undergirds the teaching of Jesus about our behavior. We are to model what we do on what we know God is and does (Matt. 5:45-48; Lk. 6:27-36)” [54].

6. The law hangs like a hammock between the two poles of God’s past and present grace [52].
“The law is suspended like a hammock between two poles: the past grace of God’s historical redemption, and the future grace of God’s missional promise. Between these two poles Israel, and ourselves, are called to live in the present as those who know where we have come from and where we are going. The law in other words, makes sense within the whole story of redemption, past and future” [52].

7. Preach the law in a God-centered not man-centered way.
“Our preaching of OT law should not merely be moralistic – focusing on the minutiae of behavior and burdening people, as the Pharisees did. Rather we preach the law in such a way as to point to the God who stands behind it, asking what it reveals of his character, values and priorities. That seems to have been the thrust of Christ’s preaching too” [54].

8. The law was given for human benefit (Mk. 2:27; Dt. 4:40), as the Psalmists certainly appreciated (Ps. 19:7, 10; 119:45, 47) [55].
“The least one can say about people who express such enthusiastic sentiments for the law is that they were certainly not groveling along under a heavy burden of legalism. They were not anxiously striving to earn their way into salvation and a relationship with God through punctilious law-keeping. They were not puffed up with the claims of self-righteousness or exhausted with the efforts of works-righteousness. They did not, in short, fit into any of the caricatures which have been inflicted upon OT law by those who, misunderstanding Paul’s arguments with opponents who had distorted the law, attribute to the law itself the very distortions from which Paul was seeking to exonerate it” [55].

“Jesus became angry when the law was turned into a burden, instead of a benefit to the needy” [57]

“There is plenty material in the law that shows the heart of God for the needs of human beings, especially the vulnerable, those who are socially, economically, ethnically or sexually disadvantaged in our fallen world” [57].

9. “Old Testament law anticipates failure, judgment, and future grace” [57]
“We should not imagine that the failure of OT Israel to keep God’s law somehow surprised God so much that he was forced to come up with plan B…Deuteronomy 29-32 make clear that the fault is not in the law itself, but in us” [58].

10. The Old Testament preaches the Gospel [58]
In this next paragraph, I believe Wright is using “law” in the wider sense of the whole Pentateuch, or at least the Pentateuch’s exposition and application of the law.

As Deuteronomy 30 contains a powerful evangelistic appeal to return to God…”we can preach OT law, not to drive people only to despair at their failure but to lead them from the realization of failure back to the love and promises of God – as contained in the law itself. Failure is a fact. Failure is foreseen. But failure can be forgiven through the grace of God. The law itself expresses all three great Gospel truths and can be preached accordingly” [58].

Conclusion
Before giving an example sermon, Wright closes with a couple of priceless pages on how to move from OT law to a message for today, and concludes:

As I work towards a preachable sermon from the legal text with such questions in mind, I keep in mind also the above core principles: God’s grace as the starting point; the need for God’s people to live for the sake of God’s mission; the paradigmatic function of Israel’s law for future generations; what the text teaches about the character of God and the demands of human well-being; the realities of sin and failure and the need to preach all God’s Word with the profound sense of preacher and audience alike being sinners in need of forgiving grace [60].

Was Abraham a flip-flopper?

Feb 28, 2012 • By David Murray • 1 Comment

As we saw yesterday, Paul says that Abraham, our prototype of faith, staggered not (or “wavered not”) at the promise of God (Rom. 4:20). However, when we read the Old Testament, it certainly seems as if he staggered and wavered. Twice he lied about Sarah being his sister in order to protect himself. And he also committed immorality with his servant.

In each of these incidents it looks very much like Abraham staggered. So how can Paul say he staggered not?

There are two ways of looking at this. The first is to say that Abraham was too much like Jacob. Hebrews tells us that Jacob was a believer who valued the Gospel promise and God’s blessing. However he repeatedly sought it the wrong way. Similarly it could be argued that we can preserve the unstaggering nature of Abraham’s faith by saying that even in his sin, he was seeking the fulfillment of the promise. He was sinning in a good cause – the pursuit of the blessing of the world!

Another way of looking at this, and the right way I believe, is to look at Abraham’s life as a whole. Although Abraham stumbled in a few incidents, and stumbled badly, the general tenor of his life was of unstaggering faith.

Flip-flop or slip-up
Perhaps some of our politicians might serve as good examples. One of the most devastating critiques that can be made of a politicians, as John Kerry found out in 2004, and as Mitty Romney is in the process of finding out, is that they’re a “flip-flopper.” A flip-flopper is someone whose whole life was going in one direction (liberal views on social issues, the role of government, etc.) when running for one office in one place, only then to go completely in the opposite direction (conservative views on social issues, etc), when running for another office in another place. No one likes a flip-flopper.

But there’s a difference between being a flip-flopper and making a few verbal stumbles about your policies under pressurized questioning. All politicians have slip-ups, but they don’t constitute the general direction of his policies and principles.

I’m proposing that we should view Abraham’s sins as “slip-ups” rather than “flip-flops.” They were stumbles (albeit very serious one) under huge pressure, but they did not constitute a total change of direction in his life.

Social and spiritual pressure
We have to remember the pressure Abraham was under. God had given him a new name “Abraham” meaning “Father of multitudes.” Can you imagine what that was like? When he met other nomads, or entered a city, and they asked his name, he would have to reply, “Father of multitudes.” “Oh, really!” they would reply, “How many children do you have?” “Well. None yet!” “None yet! You’re in your nineties!” and so on. What a social pressure.

But what a spiritual pressure too. Abraham’s whole salvation rested on him having a child. Without a child, there could be no blessing for him or the nations. Without the nation-blessing child there would be no crushing of the serpent’s head. Without that devil-defeating child, there was no salvation for Abraham or anyone. This wasn’t about wanting to be a daddy. This was a deep, deep struggle upon which his own and the nations’ salvation rested.

No wonder he stumbled a couple of times. And what an encouragement his stumbles are too, if I may say so. If Abraham was a perfect prototype, he wouldn’t be much help to the rest of us believers who have rolled off the assembly line of faith in subsequent years. He’s a great example of faith, but he’s also a great encouragement to belivers who have stumbled. Faith does not need to be perfect to save. But our faith must be in a perfect Someone to save us.

The Prototype Believer

Feb 27, 2012 • By David Murray • 8 Comments

Most of us remember long boring road-trips during our childhood. Before the day of portable DVD players, iPods, and Nintendo 3DS’s there wasn’t much to do apart from read or count cars.

Not being much of a reader then, car-counting was my thing. One of the games my twin brother and I used to play was to see who could spot the most models of our own car on the road. It always amazed me how many there were when you started looking.

But there was a time when there was only one. Before the assembly line started rolling out thousands of Ford Cortinas, there was one, the prototype that all the others were modeled upon.

That’s how Abraham is set before us in the Bible; he’s a prototype of all other believers. Although there were believers before Abraham (e.g. Abel, Enoch, Noah, etc.), God presents him as the prototype believer, the one that all subsequent believers are to model themselves on (Rom. 4; Gal. 3).

So, what was exemplary about Abraham’s faith? I’d like to highlight two key features from the last few verses of Romans 4:

His faith diminished obstacles and difficulties.
God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Aged 99, he was still not a father. Indeed, Romans 4 tells us that the child-producing part of his body was already dead, as was his 91-year-old wife’s womb. These were huge obstacles in the way of fulfilling this promise.

But Abraham “did not consider” this double deadness (Rom. 4:19). That does not mean that he ignored the difficulties or that he denied reality. That’s not faith; that’s stupidity. Rather, “did not consider,” means that although he saw and understood the difficulties very clearly, he did not let what he saw and understood determine what he believed.

Faith does not ignore difficulties but rather shrinks them. Faith is like a filter, or a lens, which changes the way we view the world. It reduces the size of difficulties and magnifies the size of God’s promises.

His faith depended on God’s promise.
Paul also tells us that Abraham did not waver or stagger at the promise of God through unbelief (Rom. 4:20). But what promise did Abraham believe? Well, Abraham is given the same promise three times, each time with a slightly different wording: “ I will make you a great nation” (Gen. 12:2); “Count the stars if you are able to number them…so shall your descendants be” (Gen. 15:5); “You shall be a father of many nations” (Gen. 17:4).  It’s the latter wording of the promise that’s referred to twice in Romans 4:17-18.

But that doesn’t sound like the Gospel, does it?!

So how can Abraham be a prototype of saving faith if he believed something different to us? If Abraham just believed a promise that he was going to be a daddy with lots of grandchildren, that seems very different to believing the good news that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins, doesn’t it.

Well, the good news is that Abraham did believe the Gospel, the same Gospel as we do. And we have no less a theologian than the Apostle Paul to confirm this: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed” (Gal. 3:8).

That certainly preserves Abraham’s prototypical and exemplary position for us. He and we believe the same Gospel.

But the question still remains: “How?” How did Abraham believe the Gospel? Where is the Gospel in that promise: “In you all the nations shall be blessed” or any other version of it?

The answer lies in remembering a prior promise. In Genesis 3:15, God promised that he would send a descendent of Eve to crush the devil’s head. Subsequent believers kept hoping that their child would be that appointed one who would bless the dying world with new life (Gen 4:25; 5:29).

So, when Abraham received the promise that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed, that he would be the father of many nations, he put the two promises together and believed that one of his descendants, perhaps even his first child, would be the one who would crush the devil, and bring life-giving, life-multiplying blessing to the world.

In summary, though the vocabulary was different, in essence Abraham’s faith was the same as ours, that is, Messiah-centered.

There was a difference in clarity (he saw in the shadows, whereas we see in the light) and in direction (he looked forward, whereas we look back), but the core, the essence, the focus was the same. His faith wrapped itself around the promised Satan-crushing, world-blessing, life-giving Seed, just as ours does. And the result is also the same – He believed in the Lord and it was credited to him for righteousness.

Great stuff! That’s that sorted then, isn’t it?

Or is it? Paul says Abraham “staggered not, “did not waver,” at the promise of God?

Eh, what about Hagar? And did he not lie about his wife being his sister – twice? Sounds like he’s staggering and wavering all over the place. How can Paul commend Abraham’s unstaggering and unwavering faith as a prototype for ours?

We’ll answer that question tomorrow.

Desiring the God who desires sinners

Feb 14, 2012 • By David Murray • 3 Comments

It’s easy to theorize about preaching; it’s not so easy to put theory into practice. Thus, a few weeks ago, after I wrote some articles on preaching from the Song of Solomon, I kept hearing a little voice saying, “Well buddy, get to it!” So I did, and posted the sermon notes here.

I wasn’t surprised, therefore, when, after giving 7 Tips for Balanced Biographical Preaching, the little voice started up again: “How about it then, Murray?” When a few people channeled my inner voice in the comments section, asking for examples of preaching that balanced redemptive history lessons with personal application, I pointed people to some of Joel Beeke’s Genesis sermons, but also decided I really have to work harder at this myself.

So, last Sunday, I preached on 2 Samuel 6, where David’s ill-fated attempts to return the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem resulted in the death of Uzzah and blessing on Obed-edom. Originally I entitled the sermon “A Holy Home for a Holy God,” but as I meditated on the passage, the stronger message became, “Desiring the God who desires sinners.” I’ve posted the full manuscript here (pdf) and my summary notes here (pdf); and below you’ll find the introduction and first point in full. I tried to follow a three step process in each of the main points:

  1. The Original Story: An explanation of what’s happening in the text
  2. God’s Story of Redemption: What the story teaches about God and His plan of redemption
  3. Your Story of Redemption: How God’s story of redemption impacts and intersects with our own lives.

Hope this might help someone just starting out in the great calling of preaching the Gospel.

Desiring the God who desires sinners

Whatever else the Bible teaches us, it teaches us that God wants to live with men and women, boys and girls. He desires to enter our lives, our homes, and our hearts and to dwell with us.

Why else did He make our world and us? Look at Him in the Garden of Eden, visiting with Adam and Eve, regularly walking and talking with them. He loved doing that.

And even when they sinned and ran away from Him, He sought them out, found them, and announced a way He was going to recover the situation and make them His friends again (Gen. 3:15).

Time and again throughout Genesis we find God seeking out sinners, drawing near to them, walking, talking, and living with them. He’s saying repeatedly, “I want to share your life and I want you to share mine.”

In Exodus, God made the clearest statement yet of this desire. He orders the construction of a Tent-palace by which He would dwell in the middle of the Israelites. And in a special holy section of the tent, at its center, would be a golden throne, a gold-covered box (4×2.5×2.5 ft), with a heavy golden lid, also known as the mercy seat, bracketed on either side by golden cherubim looking towards the mercy seat.

This golden throne was called the Ark of the Covenant, partly because it contained a written copy of the covenant arrangements in the box, but mainly because it was the central expression of God’s covenanted commitment to dwell with men on the earth. It was the place God specially dwelt, often demonstrating that presence through a bright fiery cloud that hovered above the mercy seat, between the cherubim.

This is how God puts it in his building instructions: “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim” (Ex. 25:21-22).

And that’s the phrase that greets us right at the beginning of this chapter (2 Samuel 6:2). David and multitudes of people decided one day to go and bring back to Jerusalem the “ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelt between the cherubim.” They desired the God who desired them.

The theme of this chapter and of this sermon is: Desiring the God who desires sinners.

1. Desiring God (vv. 1-2)

a. A Lost Ark
Why was the ark not in Jerusalem? Well, about 65 years previously, Israel lost the Ark because of their sin. In 1 Samuel 4, when the backslidden Israelites had tried using the Ark as a kind of lucky charm in battle, the Lord gave the Israelites over to the Philistines, who also took the Ark. A modern-day equivalent might be Islamic terrorists capturing the Liberty Bell, or perhaps taking the British Queen’s crown. But remember, Israel had lost far more than just a patriotic symbol; they had lost God’s throne, God’s dwelling place, the way God lived among them.

b. A Lost Desire
You would think that Israel would try to recover the ark at the earliest opportunity. However, they didn’t seem to be that bothered. Though God desired to live with them, they really had no desire to live with God.

But God continued to express his desire to live with the Israelites by chastising all the heathen who came into any contact with the Ark. So much so that eventually the Philistines and others got rid of the ark, sending it back to Israel where it arrived in the house of Abinadab of Kirjath-jearim. And there it stayed for 20 plus years, about 7-8 miles NW of Jerusalem, and virtually no one enquired after it (1 Chron.13:3). Few if any desired God. What an indictment of Israel! God desired to live with them, God ensured the Ark’s return among them, but virtually no one wanted God to live with them nor they with God.

c. A Renewed Desire
This poor state of spiritual affairs clearly vexed David, as we can discover in Psalm 132. His first thought, therefore, after his enthronement was the enthronement of God above the Ark of the Covenant (1 Chron.13:1-4). He gathered 30,000 of the best men in Israel and marched to Kirjath-jearim to the house of Abinadab to bring back the Ark of God. God is at work stirring up in David and in others a desire for God

God’s Story of Redemption

The Ark was a picture promise of what God was going to do on an even bigger scale. Old Testament believers looked at the Ark and hoped for something more, something even closer, something even more accessible, something even more personal, something even more beautiful.

Jesus is the fulfillment of that picture promise; the satisfaction of that Old Testament faith and hope; the ultimate, emphatic, and enthusiastic expression of God’s desire to live with sinners. He was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

Your Story of Redemption

1. Respond to God’s desire for you with desire for Him. Many Israelites came to faith through believing the message of the Ark. Priests and prophets and other believers would point fearful, guilty sinners to the Ark and say: “Look, despite all that you are and all you have done, God desires to live with you. He sits on a mercy seat and promises to meet with you there.” What an encouraging sermon! Who could not but respond to that with desire for God?!

But we have an even louder and clearer message. Jesus said He was greater than not just the Ark, but greater than the whole Temple (Matthew 12:6). He is our throne of grace and mercy to come to in our time of need (Hebrew 4:15-16). Respond to God’s desire for you with desire for Him.

2. Re-kindle your desire for God by meditating on his desire for you. Perhaps you used to desire God. But now your heart has grown cold. You’ve neglected and ignored Christ for too long. You don’t have much appetite or longing for God. How can you re-kindle that? The same way that David and the Israelites did after decades of neglect. Back to the Ark! Re-kindle your desire for God by reminding yourself of God’s desire for you, Christ’s desire for you, the Holy Spirit’s desire for you.

Read the rest here.

Therapeutic Praise

Feb 13, 2012 • By David Murray • 14 Comments

Despite hundreds of new Christian songs, of every possible genre, being composed every year, the ancient Psalms are experiencing somewhat of a revival in various places. Why?

I believe the main reason is their therapeutic value; in a day of so many disordered emotions, worshippers are discovering how the Psalms minister so powerfully to their emotional lives.

The Psalms balance divine revelation and human emotion
Some Christian songs are emotionally stirring, but have little theological content; the heart is engaged, but not the mind. Over-reacting to this, some have composed songs that are full of theological facts, but don’t engage the worshipper’s feelings. They are more like sung sermons.

The Psalms strike an inspired balance of doxological theology and theological doxology; they combine the objective with the subjective in perfect proportions. Time and again we read, “Praise the Lord for…” followed by reasons and motivations for this praise. God is declared and described, but always to stir up our hearts and interact with Him through His self-revelation.

The Psalms express the full range of human emotions
The Psalms contain an incomparably rich mixture of extreme and varied emotions: grief and joy, doubt and confidence, loneliness and fellowship, despair and hope, fear and courage, defeat and victory, complaint and praise, etc.

Is it any wonder that Calvin called the Psalms “an Anatomy of all Parts of the Soul”? As he explained: “There is not an emotion of which anyone can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated.”

The Psalms paint a realistic portrayal of Christian emotions
The Psalms do not portray the Christian life as victory upon victory. Derek Thomas has pointed out that because a lot of contemporary worship is upbeat and positive, and therefore at odds with what Christians experience in the rest of their week, it sometimes produces a disconnect that eventually leads to cynicism and a loss of assurance.

But when we turn to the Psalms, we find bold and bald honesty. Although the strong expressions of stark reality can initially jar our refined ears, we are soon relieved to find kindred spirits who helpfully express what we often think, feel, and experience in our messy daily lives.

The Psalms open a welcome outlet for our painful emotions
Have you ever sung about assurance while being full of doubt? Have you ever sung about joy when feeling depressed? Me too. And it’s horrible isn’t it. Why can’t I sing what I really feel? With the Psalms you can! Some allow us to express doubt and even despair (e.g. Ps. 88); others help us describe our struggles with providence (e.g. Ps. 73); still others guide us in explaining our battles with depression (e.g. Ps. 42).

The Psalms open the pressure valve of our hearts and direct us in how to articulate our most painful emotions. We don’t need to bottle them up or deny them. Instead God has inspired songs to admit them and let them out. As someone said: “What a relief! I can sing what’s really on my mind and heart, and God provides me with words to rightly express these emotions. The Psalms reach in to find these emotions and then reach upwards to God with them.”

The Psalms call for the transformation of our emotions
The Psalms not only permit us to “vent” our emotions, but also call for their transformation. We are not left to wallow in our feelings, but are shown how to move from fear to courage, from sorrow to joy, from anger to peace, and from despair to hope. The painful starting point is legitimate; but it’s only a starting point. The end-point of emotional healing must be kept in view, and moved towards with the help of Psalmist’s guiding hand.

The Psalms summon us to sympathetic emotion
As a rebellious teenager, I often sat in my Psalm-singing church wondering why I was singing words that had no relevance to me whatsoever. Why sing about sorrow, when I was perfectly happy? Or, some Sundays, why sing about joy when I feel so depressed about my life?

Well of course, such is the mindset of a self-centered teenager. But when God saves us, we begin to look a little beyond ourselves and to realize that while I may not feel these things, others certainly do. The Psalms call me to weep with those who weep, and to rejoice with those who rejoice, no matter if I feel exactly the opposite. They remind me of the emotional diversity of the body of Christ and invite me to share in the sufferings and successes of others. They turn me inside out.

The Psalms supply an emotional stimulus to righteous living
I’ve been trying to emphasize the emotional engagement and stimulus of the Psalms. However, ultimately, the Psalms use the emotional energy they generate to stimulate practical obedience. Notice how many “wisdom” Psalms are interspersed throughout the Psalter, setting forth the path of obedience for the stirred up and energized worshipper. Emotional transformation must result in life transformation.

Originally published in January 2012 issue of Tabletalk.

30 “I will’s” from Hosea

Feb 3, 2012 • By David Murray • 6 Comments

A couple of years ago I was asked to prepare a month of meditations on Hosea for a daily devotional. My initial thought was, “That’s impossible. I might manage 5 or 6.” But when I got started I was stunned to find so many divine “I will’s” in this little prophecy and they became the basis for my 30 meditations. Here they are (the thirtieth was this list).

  1. I will avenge (Hosea 1:4).
  2. I will hedge up your way with thorns (2:6)
  3. I will allure her (2:14)
  4. I will…bring her into the wilderness and speak comfort to her (2:14)
  5. I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope (2:15)
  6. I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth (2:17)
  7. I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field (2:18)
  8. I will betroth you to me (2:19)
  9. I will betroth you to me forever (2:19)
  10. I will betroth you to me in righteousness (2:19)
  11. I will betroth you to me…in judgment (2:19)
  12. I will betroth you to me…in lovingkindness (2:19).
  13. I will hear (2:21).
  14. I will sow her for myself in the earth (2:23)
  15. I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy (2:23)
  16. I will say to them which were not my people, You are my people (2:23)
  17. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you (4:6)
  18. Therefore will I change their glory into shame (4:7)
  19. For I will be to Ephraim as a lion (5:14)
  20. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face (5:15)
  21. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger (11:9).
  22. I will place them in their houses (11:11)
  23. I will make you to dwell in tabernacles (12:9)
  24. I will be your king (13:10)
  25. I will ransom them from the power of the grave (13:14)
  26. O death, I will be your plagues (13:14)
  27. I will heal their backsliding (14:4)
  28. I will love them freely (14:4)
  29. I will be as the dew to Israel (14:5)

A Song to the Coming King of Love

Jan 13, 2012 • By David Murray • 9 Comments

If I were to come across a booklet in a library containing just the Song of Solomon, I’d probably conclude that it belonged on the romantic fiction shelves; it’s a beautiful love-story.

But instead I find it placed by God right in the middle of 38 Christ-centred books, a context that indicates what it’s all about.

Let me put it this way. Imagine you picked up a book that was entitled “The Coming King of Love.” There are lots of stories in it telling about how some rather unlovely and unloveable people needed such a king, longed for such a king, and even predicted such a king. From time to time the King sent special messages and visions to some of these hopeful people, which they also recorded in this book, together with the King’s laws. Other chapters detail certain rituals and festivals that kept the hope alive and also further defined it. There are also some beautiful songs for the people to sing as they wait for the King’s coming. And then in the middle of the book you find a poem that celebrates the love of the King for a rather undeserving woman. It’s a beautiful literary tale of romantic and even passionate love.

What’s your reaction?

Do you think, “Oh, this seems out of place,” or “Oh, this must be some marriage guidance for me?”

Of course not. Why would the King write a whole book about Himself and then throw in a few chapters that had nothing whatsoever to do with Him? As Christ Himself said, He is to be found in ALL the Scriptures (Luke 24:27; 44-48),

I’m afraid that the reason why some simply see the Song of Solomon as mere marriage guidance counseling is because they do not believe that the rest of the Old Testament is about the coming King of Love.

That’s not to say that the Song has nothing to say about human marriage. Of course it does, but in a secondary way. That’s how Paul also uses the marriage between the Lord and His Church, as a guide and picture of the marriage between a man and a woman  (Eph. 5:22ff; cf Ps. 45). And as Paul also teaches, it works the opposite way too.

This argument has Old Testament precedent on its side. The Old Testament covenant with Israel was pictured as a marriage, and idolatry was equated with adultery (Ex. 34:10-17), a theme also taken up by the prophets (Isa. 51:1-17;  54:6; 61:10; 62:4-5; Jer. 2:1-3; 31:32; Mal. 2:14), and carried on into the New Testament (Jn. 3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Matt. 9:15; Luke. 5:35; Rev. 19:7; 21:9; 22:17. In fact, throughout the Bible, monogamous marriage is the norm for depicting the covenant relationship between God and His people, with it all climaxing at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 21-22).

So, if we are to read this book as a call to a romantic passionate relationship with the Lord, the King of Love, how do we interpret the details of the text? My answer may surprise you. “We don’t!” In fact I’m afraid that it’s because so many Western interpreters have got so lost in analyzing the minute details of every pomegranate and every tree that many have been turned off reading the Song in a Christ-centered way (and this analytical Western approach is also why so many have so tragically turned the Song into a sexual gymnastics manual).

Next week I’ll come back to this and give some hints as to how we can read the text with sensitive Eastern hearts rather than with analytical Western minds.

God’s Bread

Dec 9, 2011 • By David Murray • 3 Comments

Time: March 1406 BC, 40 years after the Exodus.
Setting: The nation of Israel is encamped on the Plains of Moab, awaiting the order to enter the Promised Land.
Characters: Priest Elnathan, 10-year-old Jerusha, and her two parents, Baruch and Deborah.
Previous Episodes: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Jerusha’s enthusiasm for the Tabernacle had spread among her friends. Priest Elnathan’s Tabernacle class had now grown to seven students. But today Priest Elnathan had some bad news for his students. The children had been enjoying the visual aids he had been using recently to teach them. They had lingered beside the brass altar and then the brass bath as he had explained the Messiah-centered meaning of these pieces of furniture. Today the children were looking forward to seeing what was in the Holy Place, the tented room in the middle of the Tabernacle. But, as he reached the curtained entrance, Elnathan turned around and said, “I’m sorry, children, but only the priests can go into the Holy Place. I can tell you what is in it, but I can’t take you inside.”

Disappointment spread across every face. But Elnathan knew from previous classes that this disappointment could be turned to his advantage. If there was one way to arouse children’s curiosity about something, it was to tell them they could not see it! So, as the children tried to squint between the curtains, Elnathan began to describe what was on the other side.

“My beloved students,” Elnathan began, “Although the outside of the tent looks very plain, the inside is very different. There, on the roof and walls, hang blue, purple, and scarlet curtains covered with beautifully embroidered, golden cherubim. There is no sound in this sacred place; silence reigns. A large, golden lamp casts its yellow light on a golden altar and a golden table. The table is 3 feet long, 18 inches broad, and 2 feet 3 inches high. Around the edge of the table are two handbreadth-high golden rims — they look like crowns and stop things from falling off the table. And what is on the table, children? Does anyone know?”

Just at that point, a group of twelve priests arrived. They were each carrying a large loaf of unleavened bread. Others carried bowls of wine.

One of the older children shot up his hand and asked, “Mr. Elnathan, do these loaves go on the table?” “That’s right, Benjamin,” Elnathan smiled. “On the table are twelve large loaves of unleavened bread, set out in two rows. Every Sabbath the priests put fresh bread on the table. But what does all this mean, children?” The children’s eyes widened as the priests passed through the curtain and into the Holy Place with their bread and bowls. They peered in, trying to catch a glimpse of this mysterious place. Elnathan had timed the lesson perfectly. He now had the children captivated with rapt attention. “My dear students, let me tell you about the ‘Four Fs.’”

For God
“First of all, this bread is for God. It is an offering from our nation to God.[i] Although this is only a small part of our crops and produce, we offer it as a sample of all we have, and so acknowledge that all we have is for God. Why twelve loaves? Well, they represent everyone in the twelve tribes. So, when the priests put the twelve loaves on the golden table and sprinkle them with the sweet rising fragrance of frankincense, we are acknowledging that we are all for God. We exist for Him and live to Him.

“Now, as you know, this bread has a special name. It is called ‘Shewbread,’ which means ‘the bread of presence.’ And, just as the shewbread is continually on show in His presence, so our twelve tribes are reminded that we too and we all are continually before Him. This theme of remembering is underlined by the frankincense, which is on the bread for ‘a memorial.’[ii] Its sweet fragrance rises up to heaven and reminds us that we are constantly in the heavenly presence of God.

“Some of you look a bit worried about always being in God’s presence. Maybe you should be! However, if you are living a life for God, the ‘bread of presence’ should actually bring you much comfort. Remember what is around the table? A protective crown of gold rims the table and makes sure that nothing falls off. My dear believing children, no man shall be able to pluck you out of the Lord’s hand.[iii] His presence is your protection.

“And, don’t forget, the Tabernacle and its furniture ultimately pictures the Messiah. He will be the Bread of Presence. When He comes, He will live with God and for God perfectly. I sometimes wonder if the fine flour we use to bake this bread tells us something about the Messiah. We sift it eleven times to make sure it is free from grit and imperfection. Could that tell us something about the Savior? And what about the bread being baked in a hot oven — does that contain any lessons? I don’t have all the answers, children. A day will come when these things will become clearer. May our gracious God hasten the day!”

From God
“But we must hurry on. Your parents will soon be here to pick you up. The second ‘F’ is from God. People in the nations beside us regularly bring produce to supply their kings’ tables. This is their way of acknowledging that their piece of land and its resulting produce is the king’s gift to them, as is the security and peace of the land.

“Likewise, by offering the shewbread to God, we are acknowledging that all our bread is from our heavenly King. We are returning to God what He has given us. We are saying that all our support and sustenance is from Him. The twelve loaves always in God’s presence signify that all twelve tribes are always dependent on Him.

“But, there is a spiritual lesson here, too, my little ones. Just as God provides for Israel’s physical needs, so He provides for the believer’s spiritual needs. And God’s ultimate provision for His people’s spiritual nourishment is the Messiah who will be ‘of and from God.’ Let us look in faith towards the bread of God who will come down from heaven, and give life to the world.[iv]

Fellowship with God
“Thirdly, the shewbread represents fellowship with God. As you know, our family tables are places of fellowship, places where our families gather to talk and share. But here we have a golden table, a symbol of royal fellowship. And it’s fitting, isn’t it, that in God’s royal palace and dwelling place there should be a royal table?

“Some of you are wondering why the priests are taking so long in there, aren’t you? Do you know what is keeping them? They are eating the old shewbread before replacing it with the new bread. This again underlines the link between fellowship and the shewbread. I love it when my name is on the roster to change the shewbread. My best times of spiritual fellowship have been in the Holy Place, eating the sacred bread of presence, drinking the wine from the bowls, and discussing the meaning of the bread, the wine, and the table with some of the older priests. I can’t wait until it’s my turn again!

“Are some of you thinking that it’s a bit unfair that only the priests are allowed this privilege? Well, you’ll be glad to know that the older priests believe that when the Messiah comes, all of God’s people will be priests, and they will all eat of the bread of God. What a table of love and fellowship that will be!”[v]

Future with God
“Finally, the shewbread speaks of the future with God. God’s gracious supply of physical and spiritual nourishment on earth encourages the believer to look forward to heaven, when he will eat and drink at Messiah’s table in His heavenly Temple. Is this not what we sing of in the Psalms, ‘In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore’?[vi]

“I see your parents at the door of the Tabernacle. But, before you run off, take down the following words and memorize them for next week.

‘How precious is your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of your house, And you give them drink from the river of your pleasures. For with you is the fountain of life; In your light we see light..’[vii]

“And…there is a prize for anyone who can tell me how many pieces of Tabernacle furniture are hinted at in these words!

“Let us conclude with prayer: Our heavenly Provider, we thank you for all your provision for our physical and spiritual needs. We thank you for the shewbread which reminds us of the source of all our bread on earth, and which makes us long for the bread of God to come down from heaven. Please give us deeper and wider and longer fellowship with you on earth. And increase our desires for eternal fellowship with you in heaven. Look on the face of your Anointed and hear our prayers. Amen.”

Tune in next week for the remaining four episodes of God’s Home.

[i] Leviticus 24:9, [ii] Leviticus 24:7, [iii] John 10:29, [iv] John 6:33, [v] Luke 22:19-22, [vi] Psalm 16:11, [vii] Psalm 36:7-9

God’s Fireplace

Dec 7, 2011 • By David Murray • 0 Comments

Time: March 1406 BC, 40 years after the Exodus.
Setting: The nation of Israel is encamped on the Plains of Moab, awaiting the order to enter the Promised Land.
Characters: Priest Elnathan, 10-year-old Jerusha, and her two parents, Baruch and Deborah.
Previous Episodes: Part 1, Part 2.

Jerusha had waited a long time for this moment — her first visit to the Tabernacle with her father, Baruch. She had heard so much about it from her parents and from the friendly priest who visited them every week to talk and pray with the family. She had seen its distant smoke above the camp during the day and the strange glow in the distance at night. When the wind came from the west, she could even smell some of the burning animals. Now the long-promised day had arrived.

Baruch and little Jerusha quickly covered the few miles from their tent on the camp’s outskirts to the Tabernacle at the center. As they entered the outer court, Jerusha saw a sight she would never ever forget — a big, black, blazing altar. She could feel the heat even from the Tabernacle door. She was so overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, and the smells that she suddenly forgot all she had been taught by her parents and her priest. Her mind blanked. “Father, what…what…what’s that?” she stammered.

Baruch had suspected this would happen and was prepared. He had arranged for their priest to meet them at the altar this morning to explain it all to her in a simple way. And there he was, Priest Elnathan. “Good morning, Baruch. And my dear Jerusha, welcome to the Tabernacle — God’s picture gallery. As you can appreciate, there is too much to see in one visit; I thought that today we would simply look at one of these pictures of truth — this big brass altar. Do you remember the three S’s I taught you about the altar? No? Don’t worry, that happens to most children on their first visit. Let me remind you. The three S’s are: sanctification, support, and salvation.”

Sanctification
“Sanctification is a big word, isn’t it, Jerusha? What does it mean? Well, it can mean two things. First, it describes how God removes the weeds of sin and waters the seeds of grace in the believer’s soul. But it can also mean ‘set apart’ or ‘consecrated.’ For example, when I became a priest, I was ‘sanctified.’ Now, that does not mean I was made sinless — I wish it did! No, it meant that I was taken away from common and everyday work, and dedicated, or set apart, to God’s service. This is what we mean when we say, ‘The altar sanctifies the gift.’[i] Our sacrifices and offerings are sanctified by the altar. They are made acceptable and effective through contact with the altar. Without that contact, they would have had no value whatsoever. You might ask, what gives the altar this power? Is it magic? No. It’s mainly because God simply says it is so. But it might also be related to how it’s made. Underneath the brass is shittim wood from the acacia tree. This is the most beautiful and valuable wood in the world. Some call it incorruptible wood because it does not rot. So, our sacrifices are made beautiful and holy and acceptable when offered on this altar because God says so, and because they come into contact with something beautiful, holy, and incorruptible.

“But, precious Jerusha, remember this altar is only a picture of truth. Like every picture, it should make us want to see what is pictured. And do you know what is pictured here? It is the future Messiah. He is the real altar behind this picture altar. We don’t know everything there is to know about Him yet. But what the picture teaches us is that ‘whatever touches the altar shall be holy.’ Only through Him can our gifts and sacrifices be accepted. Every song, prayer, sermon, and service must be sanctified by contact with His beautiful, valuable, and incorruptible person.

Support
“The second ‘S’ is support. As well as sanctifying the sacrifice, the altar supports it. You will notice, Jerusha, that the altar is covered with brass, a metal that is associated with strength and endurance. In its hollow middle is a brass grate, which sustains and supports the sacrifice while the fire eats it up. Being made of brass, the altar and the grating are strong and firm enough to endure the constant blazing fire and burning heat until the sacrifice is completely burned up.

“Look at the fire, Jerusha. You wouldn’t last long if you fell in there, would you? That fire burns every day and every night, yet the altar is never burned up. Some of our older priests believe that this pictures the amazing strength of the coming Messiah. They say that when He comes, He will bear the burning wrath of God as He offers Himself, the ultimate sacrifice for sin, and yet He Himself will not be burned up. He will be like this altar — able to support the sacrifice for sin, able to lift it up from earth to heaven, until the sacrifice is consumed. I am inclined more and more to agree with these experienced, old men. They’ve been studying these things and praying over them for longer than I have. Jerusha, wouldn’t you love to be alive when our Messiah comes, when these pictures will come alive? When the altar will come alive! What a great day that will be!

Salvation
“I see you are getting tired. Let me give you the last ‘S’— salvation. The altar teaches us about the importance of salvation. Do you see how this altar dominates the Tabernacle? It was the first thing you saw when you came through the entrance, wasn’t it? It overshadows everything else. It is about eight feet wide, eight feet long, and five feet high. You can’t get anywhere else in the Tabernacle without passing it. Our national life centers upon it. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and festival sacrifices are made on it. By all these things, God is telling us that salvation from sin is the most important thing in the world. Our whole lives must center upon it and revolve around it. Jerusha, this is far more important than friends or play or school. The Messiah must be the most important person in your life — even more important than your mother or father.

“The brass altar also teaches us the uniqueness of salvation. How many sacrificial altars has God authorized, Jerusha? Yes, that’s right, only one. You must remember that, especially when you enter Canaan. There you may meet people who say that there are many ways to God. Please remember, Jerusha, that there is only one divinely authorized altar. God has appointed and approved of only one way of salvation. There is no other way to God, except through the Messiah who is pictured in this altar. There is no other name under heaven by which anyone can be saved.[ii]

“Lastly, the brass altar teaches us about the power of salvation. What do you see on the four corners, Jerusha? Horns! That’s right, one on each corner. The animals with the largest horns are usually the strongest. That’s why God often uses horns as symbols of strength. So here God is calling to the four corners of the earth, ‘Come to my powerful altar for a powerful salvation.’ That’s Israel’s role in the world, Jerusha. We are to call the nations to the one true God and the mighty salvation He offers through the coming Savior. We have an altar![iii]

“Anyway, you look very tired. There is an awful lot to take in, isn’t there? You have seen plenty to keep you thinking for many days. Talk to your father about the altar, and seek out the fellowship of God’s people. Above all, speak of the altar to God in your prayers, and ask Him to show you the Savior and the way of salvation He has pictured here. And, as He is revealed to you, whether suddenly or slowly, put your whole faith and confidence in Him and in Him alone. We will talk again.”

Tomorrow: Part 4 – God’s Bath

[i] Exodus 29:37; Matthew 23:19
[ii] Acts 4:12
[iii] Hebrews 13:10

The world’s largest visual aid

Dec 5, 2011 • By David Murray • 4 Comments

Time: March 1406 BC, 40 years after the Exodus.
Setting: The nation of Israel is encamped on the Plains of Moab, awaiting the order to enter the Promised Land.
Characters: Priest Elnathan, 10-year-old Jerusha, and her two parents, Baruch and Deborah. 

“Jerusha, my dear young student, you have been blessed with godly parents who have taught you about the God of Israel. But imagine going to a primitive people with little or no education and with little or no knowledge of God. How would you begin to teach them the way of salvation? What lessons would you begin with? What teaching methods would you use?” queried Priest Elnathan.

“Eh… I’d teach them the Bible,” suggested Jerusha.

Priest Elnathan looked over at Jerusha’s parents, Baruch and Deborah, who were trying to stifle their smiles.

“To make things even more difficult,” added Priest Elnathan, “imagine there was no Bible available, not even one book of Scripture. What would you do in that situation? Then, as if you were not facing enough problems, you find out that there are over two million people to teach, they live in a desert, and they are constantly on the move.

“That’s impossible!” exclaimed Jerusha. “You can’t teach all these people if you don’t even have a Bible.”

“Well, yes, Jerusha. It’s impossible for us, but not for God. For with God all things are possible. Deborah, you love history. Tell Jerusha a little of our nation’s history.”

“Well,” began Deborah, “God faced exactly this situation, this seemingly impossible situation, when we came out of Egypt about 40 years ago and camped in the desert at Mount Sinai. There were two million of us – mostly uneducated and spiritually ‘Egyptianized.’ And we did not have one book of Scripture between us! Genesis had not even been written yet. What was the Lord’s solution to this ‘impossibility’? It was, ‘Make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.’’[i]

“Yes, God started a building project!” interrupted Baruch, Jerusha’s father. “He ordered the construction of the Tabernacle and its furniture to serve as a huge ‘visual aid,’ probably the world’s largest ever visual aid! These ‘holy places made with hands,’ were ‘figures of the true,’[ii] or ‘pictures of truth.’ God pictured the truth to preach the truth. This divine method of teaching is sometimes called ‘typology,’ or more simply ‘pictures of truth.’”

Priest Elnathan stepped in and said, “Jerusha, today I’m going to teach you four lessons about these pictures. And soon you will see the pictures for yourself.”

“I can hardly wait, Priest Elnathan. It’s tomorrow I go to the Tabernacle, isn’t it?”

“No, Jerusha. I’m sorry to disappoint you,” said Priest Elnathan. “It’s next week we go. Unless Joshua gives the command to pack up and move from the Plains of Moab into the Promised Land, next Thursday I will teach you one last lesson, just to review and summarize all we’ve been learning. And the day after that is Tabernacle day.”

Jerusha looked sadly at her mother.

“I told you,” said Deborah. “You have to be a bit more patient. Now listen to the Priest.”

Simple Picture
“Jerusha,” said Priest Elnathan, “If you asked your Father, ‘What is Egypt like?’ your Father wouldn’t read you every line and word on the thousands of Nile Library scrolls that describe that powerful nation’s geography, would he? No. He would sit you down and draw a simple sand-picture of that country. Mountains here, big river there, pyramids everywhere, etc! He would show rather than tell. The sand-drawing does not say everything there is to say about Egypt, but it does say something – something that is true, understandable, and memorable. By putting it in simple picture form, your Father communicates truth in a far more effective way than thousands of scrolls would in this situation.

“Your Father told me a few weeks ago that you asked him “Father, what is God?” That’s when your Father came to me and asked me to get you ready for your first Tabernacle visit. I said to him, ‘Baruch, this is a wonderful moment in every Israelite Father’s life. When our children ask the most important question of all, isn’t it wonderful that we can say to them, ‘Hold my hand and I’ll take you to God’s Tent. There I will show you what God is like.’

“God’s Tent, the Tabernacle, does not tell us everything there is to say about God, but it says something – something that is true, understandable, and memorable. It is really Israel’s first ‘Bible.’ As such, it shows us God and His way of salvation in a series of simple, stepping-stone pictures.

Important Picture
“But, though the Tabernacle has simple pictures, they are also very important pictures. Jerusha, your Father gets the Weekly Camp News doesn’t he? Yes, I thought he was on the delivery rota. When that scroll arrives, what does he do?”

Jerusha thought for a moment. “He always seems to read the long stories first.”

“Yes, that’s right. But why?”

Jerusha was stumped. “I don’t know.”

“Let me tell you,” said Priest Elnathan. “Your Father reads the long stories first because these are the most important stories. There are other stories in the scroll, and they are important, but not as important as the ones with the most writing.  The Camp News editor decides what is most important and we trust him to make the right choices.

“When we pick up our Bibles, we know that all its contents are important. But we may also ask, ‘What is especially important?’ One way of deciding this is by looking at how much space is given to the various stories. For example, the creation of the world has about two chapters. That’s clearly important. But, how many chapters are given to the Tabernacle? Half of Exodus and all of Leviticus are devoted to it. What is the ‘Editor’ saying to us? He is saying, ‘This is very, very, very important. This is one of the chief ways I reveal Myself.’ Indeed, God reveals far more of Himself through the Tabernacle than through the creation. And, if we trust the ‘Editor,’ our preaching, teaching, and witnessing would reflect that far more.

Theological Picture
“Now, do you remember the main question we ask when we walk around the Tabernacle?”

“Yes, I do,” Jerusha responded. “What does this teach me about God?”

“That’s right. The Tabernacle’s furniture, and its rituals, are like painted theological pictures.[iii] These ‘figures of the true’ are God-centered ‘pictures of truth.’ That’s why anyone who wants to know what God is like spends many hours in the Tabernacle. When you go there next week, you will see people walking around with a priest to answer their questions about these pictures of truth. You will also see like-minded seekers discussing and fellowshipping together around the big bronze altar.

“God recognized that theological truth (truth about God) in sentence form would be very difficult for us Israelites to grasp. So, He gave us theological truth in sense form. He gave us things we can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. And every touch, sight, sound, smell, and even taste conveys truth about God’s character, especially His mercy and grace. This is the most vital truth to grasp about the Tabernacle. It sets forth, in picture form, the only way of salvation. And Jerusha, remember, remember, remember: no Israelite was ever saved by making the Tabernacle, serving in the Tabernacle, or trusting in the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle never saved anyone. What it pictures does! And what does it picture?”

“The coming Messiah!” Jerusha shouted.

Prophetic Picture
“Yes! That’s right. I love your enthusiasm, my young friend. But – and this is a big but – although the Tabernacle reveals much about God and His way of salvation, there is also something unsatisfying about it.[iv] God designed the Tabernacle in such a way that, while it taught much, it also taught that there was much more to learn. That’s why, while the Tabernacle does reveal God and His salvation to us, it also creates a longing and a hope for an even greater future revelation of God and His way of salvation.

So, the Tabernacle serves the present, but also points to the future. It pictures truth for the present, but also predicts more truth for the future. Wherever we look in the Tabernacle, our response should be, ‘That’s a great truth, but there is a greater revelation of that truth to come. God has shown the way of salvation, but there is a more glorious manifestation of salvation to come.’ Jerusha, an even greater Tabernacle of God will yet appear that will fully satisfy all our longings. God will tabernacle among us, full of grace and truth.” [v]

“Oh, Priest Elnathan,” exclaimed Jerusha, “I hope I’m alive to see that Tabernacle.”

Tomorrow: Part 2 – God’s Tent.

[i] Exodus 25:8
[ii] Hebrews 9:24
[iii] Hebrews 8:5
[iv] Hebrews 9:8
[v] John 1:14

God’s Face

Oct 24, 2011 • By David Murray • 5 Comments

A couple of weeks ago a friend asked me to do some Puritan Pods on how to preach Christ from Old Testament passages that were not obviously Christ-centered. So, bravely rising to the challenge, here are a few minutes of my thoughts on how to preach Christ from 2 Chronicles 7v14 :

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I don’t usually write out a full manuscript, but here’s what you might call a 75% manuscript (the main substance of my sermon) and here is my summary note, that I re-read a few times just before preaching.

Email and RSS readers may have to click through here to view the video.

Old Testament Introduction Lectures

Sep 29, 2011 • By David Murray • 11 Comments

Here are SermonAudio links to the next four lectures in my Old Testament Introduction course. The pdf documents contain a skeleton of the notes for students to fill in as we go along.

Lecture 5. Numbers Overview: Chastisement of a Covenant People

Audio     pdf

Lecture 6. Deuteronomy Overview: Renewal of a Covenant People

Audio     pdf

Lecture 7. Historical Books Overview: Redemptive History

Audio     pdf

Lecture 8. Judges Overview: Rebellious History

Audio     pdf

Lecture 9. Ruth Overview: Redeemer’s History

Audio     pdf

The previous lecture links are here and here.

And if you want to keep track of where we’re going with the lectures in the coming weeks, here’s the Course Schedule (pdf).

Two Mistakes in Bible Interpretation

Sep 20, 2011 • By David Murray • 5 Comments

Further to my posts in support of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of Old Testament believers, I’d like to highlight two common mistakes in Bible Interpretation.

Bible
1. Confuse the unfolding of truth with the existence of truth. Just because a truth had not been revealed (or clearly revealed) at some point in biblical history, does not mean that it did not then exist. One of the reasons that Rob Bell’s Love Wins fell into error was by concluding that just because the Old Testament did not reveal much about eternal punishment, that it did not exist.

But even the orthodox can fall into this trap. Maybe those with a passion for tracing the gradual unfolding revelation of God in the Bible (often called Biblical Theology), are especially susceptible to this tendency. That’s why Systematic Theology is often called the Queen of the Sciences; it is to be the controlling influence in our interpretation of the Scriptures. Of course, both Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology buttress one another, but Systematic Theology must have the last word.

2. Start with the “hard” texts: One of the principles of hermeneutics is to start with the “easier” or clearer texts, and then go on to interpret the more “obscure” texts in the light of the clear. If we get this back to front, we can get things upside down!

I’m afraid that some who have argued against the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of Old Testament believers may have inadvertently erred in these two areas.

Just because the Old Testament did not clearly unfold the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of Old Testament believers, does not mean that such an indwelling did not exist.

And to start with “hard” texts like John 7:37-39, or at least to let such difficult texts be determining texts, is very likely to mislead us.

Yesterday I tried to present an interpretation of John 7:37-39 that would be consistent with the Bible’s teaching about the necessity and nature of the Spirit’s indwelling of all believers. Today, let me give you a sampling of quotes from commentaries on John 7:37-39 just to demonstrate that such an interpretation of these verses has been common throughout Church history.

Of course, other commentators can be found to argue on the other side, but, generally speaking, they tend to arise from more dispensational writers in the last 120 years or so. Having said that, it’s interesting to note John Piper’s and John Macarthur’s support for the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of Old Testament believers.

Augustine
But without the Spirit we can neither love God nor keep his commandments….We should therefore understand that whoever loves already has the Holy Spirit, and by having him he becomes worthy of having even more of him. And the more he has the Spirit, the more he loves. The disciples already had the Holy Spirit whom the Lord had promised…But they did not yet have him in he way the Lord promised. They had Him in a more limited sense. He was later to be given to them more fully. They had him in a hidden way, but he was yet to be given to them more openly (Tractates on he Gospel of John 74.1-2; cf. 32.6 and On The Trinity 4.20.29-21.30).

John Calvin
And indeed he is speaking comparatively, as when the New Testament is compared to the Old. God promises His Spirit to believers as if He had never given Him to the Fathers. At that time the disciples had undoubtedly already received the firstfruits of the Spirit. For where does faith come from if not from the Spirit? The Evangelist then does not simply deny that the grace of the Spirit was revealed to believers before the death of Christ, but that it was not yet so bright and clear as it would be afterwards.

Martin Luther
He that cometh to Me shall be so furnished with the Holy Ghost, that he shall not be merely quickened and refreshed himself, and delivered from his thirst, but shall be also a strong stone vessel, from which the Holy Ghost in all His gifts shall flow to others, refreshing and comforting and strengthening them, even as he was refreshed by Me. So St Peter, on the day of Pentecost, Acts ii. 41, who, by one sermon, as by a rush of water, delivered three thousand men from the devil’s kingdom, washing them in an hour from sin, death, and Satan.

J C Ryle
Before our Lord died and rose again and ascended, the Holy Ghost was, and hall been from all eternity, one with the Father and the Son, a -distinct Person, of equal power and authority, very and eternal God. But He had not revealed Himself so fully to those whose hearts He dwelt in as He did after the ascension; and He had not come down in person on the Gentile world, or sent forth the Gospel to all mankind with rivers of blessing, as He did when Paul answers” sent forth by the Holy Ghost.” (Acts xiii. 4.) In a word, the d­ispensation of the Spirit had not yet begun.

The expression, “the Holy Ghost was not yet given,” would be more literally rendered, “the Holy Ghost was not.” This cannot of course mean that the Holy Ghost did not exist, and was in no sense present with believers in the Old Testament dispensation. What the expression does mean is this. The Holy Ghost was not yet with men in such fulness of influence on their minds, hearts, and understandings, as the Spirit of adoption and revelation, as He was after our Lord ascended up into heaven. It is clear as daylight, from our Lord’s language about the Spirit, in John xiv. 16, 17, 26; xv. 26; xvi 7-15, that believers were meant to receive a far more full and complete outpouring of the Holy Spirit after His ascension than they had received before. It is a simple matter of fact, indeed that after the ascension the Apostles were quite different men from what they had been before. They both saw, and spoke, and acted like men grown up, while before the ascension they had been like children. It was this increased light and knowledge and decision that made them such a blessing to the world, far more than any miraculous gifts.

Bengel
When therefore we read” the Holy Ghost was not,” we need not be stumbled by the expression. It simply means “He was not fully manifested and poured out on the Church.” Peter, and James, and John, no doubt, had the Spirit now, when our Lord was speaking. But they had Him much more fully after our Lord was glorified.

Hengstenberg
The difference, relative in itself, is uttered in an absolute form: because the advancement in the Spirit’s influence is so important that the earlier does not enter into consideration, and the word holds good, ‘The former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind,’” Isa. .vxl 17. All that was said upon ch. i. 17 is true here likewise. That the Holy Ghost comes so much more abundantly into mention in the New Testament, points us to the fact that a great change in this respect had taken place.

Leon Morris
But there are references to the Spirits activities among people in earlier days. … So it is clear that the Spirit was active in people before this time. When John has said things like “So is everyone who has been born of the Spirit” (John 3:8), he surely cannot mean that the Spirit has not yet been given. He goes on to say that the reason for his statement about the Spirit is that “Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Putting all this together, we can see that what John is saying is something like this. It is true that the Spirit was active in some measure in Old Testament days and in the days when Jesus was on earth. But he did not come in all his fullness until the work of Jesus had been done. In the providence of God the work of the Son preceded that of the Spirit. The era of the Spirit, the time when the full scope of the Spirit’s work would appear, was “not yet.”

John Macarthur
His enhanced role under the New Covenant is more intimate, more personal, but still similar in character to the way we see him functioning in the Old Testament…

We have just seen that He (the Holy Spirit) graciously and sovereignly regenerated individuals during Old Testament times. It logically follows that, in the lives of those in whom He brought new life, the Spirit would have been busily engaged in the significant ministry of preserving and perfecting….A New Testament perspective definitely makes it clear that God, through the Holy Spirit, draws us to Himself and preserves us in that relationship (Rom. 8:29-30, 35-39; Jude 24-25). But we tend to overlook or be unaware of the fact that the Spirit also preserved Old Testament saints in their relationships with God.

See also John Macarthur’s sermon on John 7:37-39 where he interprets the promised Holy Spirit here as power to witness.

And so Jesus says, “You can believe now and have your thirst quenched now, but you shall seven and a half months away, all of a sudden find inside of you are going to be turned loose rivers of living water.” You know, that early church in the book of Acts, they just gushed all over everywhere, didn’t they? Man, they were just drowning people in the living water. But it can’t happen till Jesus goes away. And when He comes, the Holy Spirit, He’ll turn on the rivers. And that’s the story of the church, rivers of blessing….

…Now I want to draw a footnote out of this verse very quickly. Verse 39, there are some people who teach that there are Christians who don’t have the Holy Spirit. That is absolutely anti-Scripture, but it’s very common. Notice verse 39. “But this spoke He of the Spirit whom they that believe on Him should receive.” Who receives the Holy Spirit? They that believe on Christ. Part of them, some of them? All of them! Romans 8:9 if you don’t have that scribbled somewhere in your Bible or in your brain, you’re missing it, it says this, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Turn that around. If you belong to Him, you have His Spirit.

A sponge, a dropper, and a pressure washer

Sep 19, 2011 • By David Murray • 1 Comment

Here’s how I would illustrate the similarities and the differences between the Spirit’s indwelling of believers in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

OT Illustration

The Spirit’s indwelling in the Old Testament: a water dropper continually dripping a little water on to sponge on a hot summer day.

NT illus

The Spirit’s indwelling in the New Testament: a pressure washer jetting water into a sponge with excess water pouring out everywhere.

Now turn to John 7:37-39 for Scriptural support for this illustration. There Jesus is watching the Festival-goers at the Feast of Tabernacles. But He isn’t joining in the festivities; because He’s sad. He’s sad because He sees so many thirsty and narrow hearts; but that’s about to change. He offers to pour water into thirsty hearts, and He promises to produce water out of overflowing hearts.

Water Into Thirsty Hearts
The Feast of Tabernacles reminded the Israelites of God’s provision of shelter, food, and water when the nation wandered in the wilderness. The Jews added the custom of filling a golden flask of water from the pool of Siloam, and pouring it out beside the altar as the people chanted Isaiah 12:3.

In this “watery” context Jesus stands in their midst and shouts, “If any man thirst let him come to me and drink!” He’s saying, “I am the fulfillment of the Scriptures you are remembering and chanting. I am God’s provision for your thirst. I am the well of salvation. Come, draw, and drink my water with joy. Come and be personally satisfied with my all-sufficient pardon, peace, joy, love, and hope.”

Water Out of Overflowing Hearts
But Jesus goes on to speak of something more than personal satisfaction, personal thirst-quenching. He says that whoever comes to Him and believes on Him will have rivers of living water flowing out from his heart, “as the Scripture has said.” Jesus was already fulfilling the Scriptures by being their thirst-quencher, but He says, “More fulfillment is near. I will also become your river-maker.” That’s another dimension altogether.

But what are these rivers? John says that Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit. And that raises the question: “What Scriptures predicted this?” Some have pointed to Isaiah 58:11. Others point to the numerous OT texts that herald a new day of spiritual blessing that would flood the boundaries of Israel and bless the world (e.g. Ezekiel 47).

However, what’s crystal clear is that such a day has not yet happened. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel remained very inward looking; fiercely and proudly and prejudicially patriotic. They had been specially blessed by God, but they certainly were not going to pass on these blessings to others. In fact, even in the verses just before this incident, the Jews were suspiciously accusing Jesus of wanting to teach the Gentiles (vv. 35-36)! What wickedness!!

Jesus looks at these narrow, bigoted, nationalistic hearts and promises a new day, when not only will individuals be filled with the Spirit, but they will overflow with multiple cleansing, refreshing rivers of the Spirit’s graces and gifts, becoming a blessing to those outside their borders.

But yes, this is a future day, for as yet the  Holy Spirit had not yet been given in this way (lit. it was not yet Spirit). With very few exceptions, the Old Testament church, and even the New Testament disciples up until this point, continued in their narrow-minded, narrow-hearted ways. And the reason for this inner problem was was an inner lack of the Holy Spirit. Does that mean that neither the disciples nor OT believers had no indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Well hopefully previous posts (here and here) will have begun to dissuade you of this idea. So let me return to the sponges to illustrate the similarities and differences between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the OT and the Nt.

Sponges and Spirit
Think of a dry sponge on a hot day. Now imagine a water dropper. The dropper drips water so slowly on to the sponge that while it gets wet, it never fills it up so much that the water begins to run out of the sponge. This was the OT believers and NT disciples experience of the Spirit up until now. Christ kept them supplied with a continual “dripping of the Spirit” that kept them spiritually alive and fruitful, but rarely so much that their spiritual life overflowed into the lives of others. The same would be true of the Old Testament Church as a whole.

But now imagine I come along with a pressure washer and start jetting the sponge. Almost immediately it would not only fill with water, but water would be flowing out of it in every direction. Welcome to Pentecost. Welcome to what Jesus was predicting in this verse. Out of the New Testament Church and out of the New Testament believer would flow rivers of living water. No longer, “It was not yet Spirit.” Now, “Spirit-filled rivers of living water.”

Delay?
But why the delay? Why not now? John says, “Because Jesus was not yet glorified” (v. 39). Prior to the New Testament, the Spirit had relatively little truth to work with; it had but pictures, poems, and predictions of Christ. Shadows. But when Christ was glorified – when he died, rose again and ascended – then the Spirit had much, much more truth to work with. Sunlight!

When the fullness of God’s revelation of Christ had come, then the fullness of the Spirit could be poured out. At Pentecost we see a new plenitude, perpetuity, pervasiveness, and publicity about the Holy Spirit. We see His work more intensively, extensively, and obviously. Narrow Jewish hearts would be so filled with Christ and the Spirit that they would burst their banks and overflow out into the nations with spiritual blessing (e.g Peter in Acts 2).

Five conclusions
I’ll post some quotes tomorrow from ancient and modern commentators to support this interpretation of this passage. But in the meantime, here are some conclusions:

1. All Old Testament believers were born again from above, had faith in the coming Messiah, and were continually indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Spirit was given to Old Testament saints prospectively, just as pardon of sin was given in view of Christ’s future atonement.

2. Old Testament believers’ experience of the Holy Spirit was usually limited to a degree of personal filling, but rarely a filling full, and even more rarely an overflowing to others in witness, evangelism, and mission.

3. The reason for the more limited experience of the Spirit’s indwelling was because of their more limited knowledge of Christ’s person and work.

4. Once Christ’s person and work and reached its apex of revelation, the Holy Spirit’s power was fully manifested in overflowing power.

5. The more we are filled with Christ, the more we will be filled with the Spirit, and the more we will overflow into the lives of others in witness, evangelism, and witness.

10 ways that believers experienced the Holy Spirit in the OT

Sep 15, 2011 • By David Murray • 4 Comments

Further to our discussion about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, John Piper takes us to the Aswan High Dam in Egypt to answer the question: How did OT believers experience the Holy Spirit?

asswan dam

I’ve put Piper’s 10 answers below, but you can listen to or read the whole sermon here; and please pay special attention to his exposition of #2 and #3.

1. The Spirit as Creator and Sustainer of Life

2. New Birth and Indwelling of the Spirit

Second, the OT believers experienced the new birth and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When Nicodemus was bewildered about Jesus’ demand for new birth by the Spirit, Jesus responded (John 3:10), “Are you a teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand this?” In other words, I’m not teaching or requiring anything new. Any Israelite who has ever been saved had to be born again by God’s Spirit. Otherwise how would they ever overcome their natural hostility to God? How could they have ever submitted to God’s law and pleased him—as many did, like Abel and Noah and Abraham and Moses and Rahab and Ruth and Deborah and David? Paul says in Romans 8:7–9, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed, it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God really dwells in you.” There are two groups of humans: those in the flesh (born of the flesh) and those in the Spirit (born again of the Spirit). Those in the flesh are devoid of the Spirit and cannot submit to God’s law or please God. Those in the Spirit are indwelt by the Spirit and are enabled by him to fulfill the just requirement of the law.

This means that all the saints of the OT who trusted God and followed his ways in the obedience of faith were born again by the Spirit and indwelt by the Spirit. For example,Numbers 14:24 says of Caleb, “My servant Caleb, because he has a different Spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into this land.” And Numbers 27: 18 says, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun, in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him.’” The OT believers were saved the same way we are: they were born of the Spirit, they trusted in God’s promises, and they followed his commandments in the obedience of faith.

3. The Constant Presence of the Spirit

Third, the OT believers enjoyed the constant presence of God’s Spirit. Psalm 139:7–10says, “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” Old Testament believers enjoyed the presence of God’s Spirit wherever they went. It gives me a lot of encouragement, when I am called to go places where I feel insecure, to know that the Spirit is within to give me the words I need and that he is also already in the place where I am going to prepare the way and to hold me when I get there.

4. The Spirit as Counselor and Teacher

5. The Gifts of Craftsmanship and Artistic Ability

6. Power to Denounce Evil and Declare Righteousness

7. Victory over Fear

8. Extraordinary Feats of Power to Help God’s People

9. The Ability to Interpret God’s Revelation in Dreams

10. The Gift of Prophecy

Did the Holy Spirit indwell OT believers?

Sep 14, 2011 • By David Murray • 30 Comments

A huge amount of ink and electrons have been devoted to answering that question.

Personally, I can’t understand why this is deemed such a complex issue. It all really depends on our answer to this simple question: Were Old Testament believers believers?

If the Old Testament believers were real believers, the Holy Spirit indwelt them. No one can be born again, believe, or repent without the inward work of the Holy Spirit. And no one can stay a believer for one second without the ongoing internal work of the Holy Spirit – neither in the OT nor the NT. Without the Holy Spirit constantly in and at work in our hearts, we will immediately apostatize.

So, here are the options:

1. Old Testament “believers” were not real believers.

2. Old Testament “believers” believed by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit but kept believing without the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit.

3. Old Testament believers, like New Testament believers, believed and kept on believing as a result of the Holy Spirit’s initial and ongoing indwelling work in their hearts.

If #1 is true, then the Bible is not true (Jn. 8:56; Heb 11).

If #2 is true, then Old Testament believers were not as depraved as we are, as they did not need the ongoing indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. (And in some ways, this debate really is a debate about the nature of human depravity in the Old Testament. Could anything less or other than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit keep a believer believing, repenting, hoping, obeying, etc?)

If #3 is true, then the question that’s left is: “In what ways did the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit differ in the Old Testament compared to the New, especially post-Pentecost?” Everyone accepts there was a difference. But what was it?

That’s a question I’ll return to in coming days (there are some difficult texts to deal with that seem to contradict #3), but in the meantime let the weight, significance, and consequences of the three options clarify our thoughts.

Lectures on Exodus & Leviticus

Sep 10, 2011 • By David Murray • 0 Comments

Here are SermonAudio links to the next two lectures in my Old Testament Introduction course.

Lecture 3. Exodus Overview: Redemption of a Covenant People

Lecture 4. Leviticus Overview: Worship of a Covenant People

And if you’re really keen, here are the skeleton notes that I give to the students and ask them to fill out as we go along.

Lecture 3. Exodus Overview: Redemption of a Covenant People (pdf)

Lecture 4. Leviticus Overview: Worship of a Covenant People (pdf)

And if you want to keep track of where we’re going with the lectures in the coming weeks, here’s the Course Schedule (pdf).

The Old Testament on one page

Sep 2, 2011 • By David Murray • 27 Comments

Here’s my attempt to sum up the contents of the Old Testament books on one page.

The Pentateuch: Covenant People

  • Genesis: Creation of a Covenant People
  • Exodus: Redemption of a Covenant People
  • Leviticus: Worship of a Covenant People
  • Numbers: Chastisement of a Covenant People
  • Deuteronomy: Renewal of a Covenant People

The Historical Books: Redemptive History

  • Joshua: Rewarding History
  • Judges: Rebellious History
  • Ruth: Redeemer’s History
  • 1&2 Samuel: Royal History 1 – The Beginning
  • 1&2 Kings: Royal History 2 – The End
  • 1&2 Chronicles: Review of History
  • Ezra & Nehemiah: Restoration History
  • Esther: Ruler over History

The Poetic Books: Wisdom for Time and Eternity

  • Job: Wisdom for Suffering
  • Psalms: Wisdom for Worshipping
  • Proverbs: Wisdom for Living
  • Ecclesiastes: Wisdom for Thinking
  • Song of Solomon: Wisdom for Loving

The Prophetic Books: Threat and Promise*

  • Obadiah: Vengeance & Victory
  • Joel: God Requires and Responds to Repentance
  • Amos: The Lord Roars and Restores
  • Hosea: A Faithful God and a Faithless People
  • Jonah: Great Sea, Great City, Great God
  • Isaiah: Trust God not Man
  • Micah: Punishment and Pardon
  • Nahum: The Judge, Verdict & Sentence
  • Zephaniah: Look within, Look around, Look ahead
  • Habakkuk: Human Complaints and Divine Responses
  • Jeremiah: From Old to New Covenant
  • Lamentations: Repentance in hope of restoration
  • Ezekiel: The Glory Departs and Returns
  • Daniel: Godless Kingdoms and God’s Kingdom
  • Haggai: The People’s Work and God’s Work
  • Zechariah: Israel’s Return and God’s Return
  • Malachi: Priests and People Sin Against Love

* I’ve taken the prophets in chronological rather than canonical order.

Now see if you can sum up all that in one “Twitter -length” sentence! I’ll give you my summary once I see your ideas.

Update #1: Sharp eyes have noticed that I’ve missed out Jeremiah and Joshua. That’s because my students are completing assignments on these books and I want them to do some thinking!

Update#2: OK, I give in, I’ve put the titles for Joshua and Jeremiah in as well. And see below for my summary of the OT.


Lectures on Pentateuch and Genesis

Sep 1, 2011 • By David Murray • 2 Comments

Here are SermonAudio links to the first two lectures in my Old Testament Introduction course.

Lecture 1. Pentateuch Overview: Covenant People

Lecture 2. Genesis Overview: Creation of a Covenant People

And if you’re really keen, here are the skeleton notes that I give to the students and ask them to fill out as we go along.

Lecture 1. Pentateuch Overview: Covenant People (pdf)

Lecture 2. Genesis Overview: Creation of a Covenant People (pdf)

And if you want to keep track of where we’re going with the lectures in the coming weeks, here’s the Course Schedule (pdf).

 

 

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