Ryan Higginbottom | Knowable Word

The Bible Is Not About You

January 2, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

We are self-centered by nature. This egotism can be amplified in certain cultures and by some personalities, but we all have a central impulse to focus on the person in the mirror.

So it is not surprising that when we turn to the Bible we think about ourselves first. Our spiritual disciplines can easily become a vehicle for self-improvement.

So what is a healthy way to approach reading the Bible? How should we pay attention to and process God’s word?

For a start, when reading the Bible, we should not immediately look for ourselves in the text. The Bible has implications for us, but the Bible is not about us.

The Bible is about God

If the Bible is not about us, then what is it about? Don’t take my word for it—search the Bible from beginning to end and you will see there is one primary actor and one main subject. The Bible is about God.

Note how the book begins.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

And when the book ends, we see the servants of this creator-king gathered around to worship.

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. (Revelation 22:3)

God is infinite and eternal, so glorious and holy that humans could never know him without his self-revelation. And while God has revealed himself through his creation, he has shown himself in more detail and with precision in his word, the Bible.

Consider the way this displays God’s heart. He wants to be known! If you have access to a Bible, you are able to learn about this wonderful, powerful God. This is his desire!

The Bible is about Redemption

As we read the Bible, we learn who God is and what he is like. But we also learn about the place of humanity in the world and how we relate to God.

Adam and Eve turned against God early in the Scriptural story, disregarding his command and seeking their own way. God responded with judgment, mercy, and a promise. God’s judgment was the exile from Eden (Gen 3:22–24) and the curse—childbirth, the husband-wife relationship, and work in creation would all be painful and difficult (Gen 3:16–17). God’s mercy was that he continued to speak with the man and woman and that he covered their shame and nakedness (Gen 3:21). God’s promise was that there would be a child of Eve that would bruise the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15).

The rest of the Bible unfolds these responses of God and the fulfillment of his promise, and everything points to Jesus (Luke 24:44–48). Jesus was the Son of God incarnate; he came to make God known (John 1:18), to redeem God’s people (Titus 2:14), and to bring them to God (1 Peter 3:18).

So, the Bible is about God, but it is also about how (and why) he is redeeming a people for himself.

Implications for Reading

If God and his redemptive purposes are at the core of the Bible, that should shape how we read.

First, we should be aware of the big picture as we read. When we study the Bible, we are seeking the author’s main point of each passage and how we should respond. But when we are reading for breadth, we don’t have time for such a narrow focus. It is better to think about the themes and arguments of the book we are reading and how they connect to the overall sweep of Scripture. Reading for breadth is primarily about familiarity and understanding, not application.

We should be sure to interpret before we apply the Bible. Some people are in such a rush to come away from their Bible reading with a “nugget” on which to meditate for the rest of the day that they skip crucial steps. All basic communication means that we must understand before we act. This may mean that you end up with no victory token from your devotions, no Instagram-worthy verse to quote and post. And that is fine!

Finally, we should think corporately, not individually. Especially in the global west we have a far more individual mindset than the first audiences of the Bible. God has set out to redeem a people for himself, the Church. This collective body is not the same as a group of random humans! So, while applying the Bible has clear implications for us as persons, those implications (often) flow out of truths and commands for the corporate people of God. (So many of the New Testament commands are for you (plural), not you (singular)!)

The beginning of another year brings many of us back to the Bible. As we turn to the Bible for the first or for the ten-thousandth time, let’s make sure we recognize our place. We are part of this grand story, but none of us are at the center. That would be far too small a story.

Asking Better Small Group Questions

December 5, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

Small Group Network (2021), public domain

The longer I lead and attend classes and Bible studies, the more convinced I am of the importance of good questions.

Good questions cannot make up for sloppy study or errant understanding. However, without good questions, the Biblical truth that should pierce like an arrow may land like a jellyfish instead.

Questions are the delivery method, the interface between leader and participant. Assuming the leader does not want to lecture (please don’t!), questions are the primary way to fuel the discussion and learn what the Scriptures say.

Every leader and teacher can improve in their question-asking. Like anything else, this takes practice and training. Below, I offer three suggestions for those who want to grow in this area.

Envision Possible Answers

Here’s my recipe for level 1 improvement: As you write your questions, think of the specific people in your small group and how they are likely to hear and answer what you ask.

This depends on a leader knowing their small group members and having experience talking with them about the Bible. Every group is different, so a set of questions that work well in one setting might not fit in another—even with the same Scripture passage.

When I draft a question, I imagine trying to answer it myself. Then I picture the possible answers my small group members will give. This step sharpens my questions, helping me to discard any vague and ill-formed inquiries. I am better able to point my friends toward what matters in the text.

Review the Meeting

We can unlock the next level of progress by reviewing the small group meeting with a friend afterward. Ideally, this is someone who attended the meeting, though that isn’t completely necessary.

The goal is to think carefully about the questions after the fact. Did they accomplish what you wanted? (You did have a goal for each question, right?) Were they clear? Try to hang onto your meeting notes and go through the questions one by one.

The best time to debrief is while the meeting is still fresh in your mind—optimally within a day or two. I find that if too much time passes, it’s hard for me to remember the responses to individual questions.

A Pre-meeting Discussion

The most intense way to upgrade your question-asking skills is a hybrid of my first two suggestions: Meet with a friend in advance of the meeting to talk through and plan your questions.

After you have studied the relevant Bible passage and made a plan for the study, get together with a friend and discuss the questions you plan to ask. This friend can draw out your intention behind each question. They can also answer your questions, and you can learn how someone in your group is likely to interpret and respond to them.

No Perfect Plan

These strategies come with no guarantee. Asking good questions in a small group is a learned skill; it is something we can practice and improve. However, because people are unpredictable, one of the other skills we need is improvisation. No study will ever go exactly according to script, so we need to be ready to reframe, drill down, or pull back.

The job of the small group leader is to understand and apply the Biblical text and then help group members to understand and apply it as well. Because questions are central to the second part of this goal, it is worth the effort to ask the best questions we can.

A Parable on the Dangers of Speculation in Bible Study

November 21, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

Amy tossed her phone on the bed. “Any idea what happened between John and Zack?”

From across the room, her husband David answered, “What do you mean?”

“Well, John always gets invited to Zack’s birthday party. But not this year.”

David and Amy Goodwin’s eleven-year-old son John was friends with Zack Thomas, who lived in the neighborhood. Today was Zack’s birthday, so Amy had just texted Charlotte, Zack’s mother.

Charlotte’s reply was pleasant enough. But Amy was hoping for more. Over the past two weeks she had been expecting a colorful card in the mailbox, announcing some big production: paint ball, or ice hockey, or white water rafting. John loved Zack’s parties, so Amy thought her message would trigger a forgotten invitation for her son. No such luck.

“I don’t know of any problems between the boys,” said David. “Maybe Zack isn’t having a party this year.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Amy. “It’s just that Charlotte’s text seemed so brief. I gave her an opening to mention a party, and there’s just nothing.”

“Can I see?” asked David.

Amy turned her phone toward her husband.

AMY: Happy birthday to Zack! Hope your new TWELVE year old has a great day! Any big plans?

CHARLOTTE: Thanks! Can’t believe he’s 12!

“I see what you mean,” said David. “But maybe she’s just short on time. You could be reading too much into something that isn’t there.”

“Maybe. I just think if that friendship was important to Zack, Charlotte would have said something—one way or the other. I hope John will be okay.”

Amy made a mental note to talk with her son about Zack. She knew John didn’t have any friends to spare.

A few weeks later, the Goodwins were heading over to the local pool on a Saturday afternoon. John, who wasn’t phased by any previous birthday drama, asked his father if he could bring Zack along.

“Great idea,” said David. “I’ll text Mr. Thomas.”

David pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped out a message.

DAVID: We’re headed to the pool. Do you want to join us? Or we can just pick up Zack on our way.

A reply pinged on David’s phone within 30 seconds.

JOSH: Sorry, we can’t. Charlotte’s parents are in town this weekend.

DAVID: No problem. Hope you have a good visit!

JOSH: Thanks. It will be a blast.

When they got to the pool, David relayed his text exchange with Josh to Amy.

“That’s a little weird, right?” asked David.

“What do you mean?” asked Amy.

“Well, I thought Josh liked his in-laws. But it sounds like he’s bracing for a hard weekend.”

“What? He said the visit would be a blast,” Amy said.

“No, he’s being sarcastic. Don’t you see? No exclamation point, no emoji. There’s no way he’s having fun,” said David.

Amy frowned. “You’re drawing a big conclusion from that little phrase. I’m not sure you’re hearing his intended tone.”

“I think it’s pretty clear,” said David. “I’ll have to stop by their house tonight on my walk. I bet Josh could use the interruption. We’ll throw the football in the yard for a while.”

How to Make the Bible Come Alive

November 7, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

If you lead a Bible study or teach the Bible in any capacity, and if you love God and his word, you want the Bible to come alive for your people. You want their hearts to catch fire as they read, listen, and engage.

The bad news is that we cannot do anything to make the Bible come alive. The good news is that we don’t need to make the Bible come alive, because the Bible is already living and active.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

The best way for us to “make” the word of God come alive for our friends is to recognize and act like it is already living and active.

Active in You and Others

If the Bible is indeed active, then it will change us as we encounter it. In particular, as we prepare to lead Bible studies or teach the Bible, we should be different people because of the text we have been preparing!

The most powerful evidence of the truth of the Bible is often the leader’s own testimony of its transforming power. Like all Christians, we should be growing in our love for God, growing in our love for our neighbors, growing in the fruit of the Spirit. We should not put ourselves as the focus of our discussion, but we should plan to testify to the ways God has been at work in us.

Sharing will not look like victory upon victory. That’s not my experience of walking with God, and I don’t hear that from others. Rather, the Bible works in us in many ways—to teach, to reprove, to correct, and to train us in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). Once we stop trying to be impressive, we can share about both the ways God is correcting us and the ways he is training us in righteousness.

Ideally this sort of discussion will help to create a culture within a Bible study group. Eventually, everyone will talk about the ways God’s word has been changing them.

What Do You Expect?

When we teach the Bible, our expectations influence our actions and interactions. Are we expecting people to be bored by the Bible or transformed by it?

Some leaders break out the bells and whistles. They think that if they jazz up the setting, or the presentation, or the activities, then people will really pay attention and get a lot out of the Bible study. However, this approach is doomed from the start. It presumes that the Bible is (at worst) boring or (at best) inert, and that what God really needs is a good carnival barker. If we expect people to be bored by the Bible, they will be.

A better approach is to recognize that the Scriptures are sharp and powerful. They may not affect every person the same way at the same time, but God’s word will accomplish what he wants (Is 55:10–11). If God’s word is at work within believers (1 Thess 2:13), then we should act as though that were true! This approach will affect the way we read the Bible out loud, how we ask questions, and how we pray for our friends.

The Living Word of God

How powerful is the Bible? To what degree is it living and active?

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; (1 Peter 1:22–23)

The word of God is living. It is abiding. It is an imperishable seed that brings new life to the dead. And it works mightily in God’s people.

We dare not act like it is boring or harmless. And we dare not presume that we can make that which is already living come alive.

We Love to Give Gold Stars

October 24, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

People love stories, and the Gospels and histories are some of the Bible books we’re drawn to most. But interpreting these narrative books can be tricky.

Here’s one hurdle. We have an impulse to label every character. We want to know: Are they good or bad? Was this particular action praiseworthy or condemnable?

We pose these black-or-white questions because it’s much easier to have Biblical characters in stark categories when we turn to application. We should be like the good person, and we should not be like the bad person.

Most often, the Bible does not bow to our desires for quick labeling. Applying narrative texts requires the hard, slow work of wisdom.

Jacob vs Rahab

Let’s consider Jacob and Rahab. Jacob’s story reads like a winding path, so we feel a strong impulse to grade him in each scene.

Here is the beginning of Genesis 35.

God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem. (Genesis 35:1–4)

Those foreign gods are curious! Did Jacob hide them under a tree so he could retrieve them? Or did he do it so there would be a defined marker of repentance?

The text doesn’t answer these questions. We are far more concerned about handing out (or withholding) gold stars than the Biblical authors were.

Compare this small incident in Jacob’s life with the story of Rahab, which begins in Joshua 2. Rahab was a prostitute living in Jericho, yet she hid the Jewish spies when they arrived to scope out the city (Josh 2:1–5). She lied about the spies to the king’s men, and this allowed the spies to return safely to Israel (Josh 2:23).

When Israel came to Jericho and “devoted all in the city to destruction” (Josh 6:21), Rahab and her family were rescued, just as the messengers had promised (Josh 6:22–23). Rahab was welcomed as an ethnic outsider into Israel (Josh 6:25), and the author of Hebrews praises her for her faith (Heb 11:31).

My point is not to contrast Jacob with Rahab. Rather, notice how the text directs us to view these incidents. The Biblical authors commend Rahab’s actions, many of which seem to violate Mosaic law. On the other hand, the Biblical authors are silent about Jacob and the idols.

The Dangers and Effects of a Grading Mindset

This is a discussion about interpretation. There is no harm in asking scores of questions related to observations of a Biblical text. However, we must be careful to answer only the questions the Bible itself answers.

When we obsess about the ethics of every action of a character in a Bible passage, we are likely to miss the main point. We should investigate why the author wrote this passage in this way; if they were not concerned with parsing the moral grade of a character’s actions, we should not be either.

Our desire to grade each character’s actions often leads us to speculation. We assume that people in the Bible will think, feel, or act like us (or like someone we know), and our subsequent conclusions can lead us off course. We must be mindful of when we are making good and necessary deductions and when we are in the midst of conjecture.

This Too Points to Christ

We want our characters (or their actions) to be good or bad, but the Bible does not bend to this binary. We want to point to a hero, to someone whose actions are consistently and thoroughly good so that we can listen to and follow them.

In other words, we want Jesus. He is the only person in whom there is no sin (1 John 3:5, 1 Peter 2:22). His actions were perfect, and his good works atone not only for our bad works, but for our bad thoughts, desires, and natures.

Like us, Biblical characters have flaws, some of which are on bright display. But those flaws are not the point of the passage as often as we think. When we fixate on these questions, we drift away from what matters most.

Why We Skip Some Books of the Bible

October 10, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

When was the last time you studied the book of Nahum? What about 3 John? Have you read Ezekiel or Revelation carefully this year?

If you haven’t studied any of these four books recently, you’re probably not alone! I searched in vain for data on this question, but years in the church have convinced me that there are some portions of the Bible we rarely read, let alone study.

Let’s think a bit about our selective Bible reading.

The Books We Like

What parts of the Bible do Christians most often read, study, and discuss? What do our preachers most often take as their texts?

In my experience, we spend a lot of time in the Gospels, Acts, and (many of) the New Testament epistles. We are fans of Old Testament narratives like Genesis, Exodus, and—to a lesser degree—the books of Joshua through Esther. We dip into Psalms and Proverbs for inspiration and wisdom, and we might read the beginning and ending of Job. The only prophetic books we tend to know are Jonah and the first half of Daniel, because these chapters have strong narrative components.

In general, we like narratives, inspiration, and New Testament instruction. We shy away from the rest. Why is that?

The Books We Skip

There isn’t a single reason, and answers will vary by person, church, and circumstance. But here are my best guesses.

We skip Leviticus through Deuteronomy because we find them boring. There are too many laws, too many lists, and we find the books irrelevant.

We skip the middle of Job because it is lengthy and circular. We don’t really understand why it’s there. We skip Ecclesiastes because it is depressing and Song of Songs because it makes us uncomfortable. We skip Lamentations because it is so darn sad.

We skip the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) because they are dense and difficult. We think of these books as long and repetitive. We skip most of the minor prophets because they are obscure and challenging, and probably no one expects us to read them carefully.

We skip 2 John, 3 John, Philemon, and Jude because they are short. What could an epistle of only one chapter teach us?

Finally, we skip Revelation because it is confusing and controversial. We have heard of or seen people use this book incorrectly, and we’re not sure we’re smart enough to understand.

What Books Should We Read?

Functionally, we think spending time on these often-skipped books of the Bible is not essential to our Christian lives. We imagine we’re not missing anything crucial in our neglect.

The gospel of Jesus Christ affirms that reading those books of the Bible is not essential to being a Christian. When we come to Jesus, he commands us to repent and believe. No act of obedience or love is necessary to keep us in his family. He will not let us go!

However, Jesus also said that all of the Scriptures point to him (Luke 24:44–48). So, if we want a full picture of who Jesus is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do, we must look to the whole counsel of God.

That is, we should read (and study) the entire Bible.

Different Books in Different Seasons

This argument requires a small caveat. Not every book of the Bible is the best choice for every person or at every time. I would more likely point a new Christian to John than to Jeremiah, and I’d offer different counsel to a recent widow than a missions-bound twenty-something. Wise friends, counselors, and church elders can help us know where to turn in God’s Word.

But much of the church has quietly developed a category of books of the Bible that need not be read or studied. These books rarely even come up in discussion.

While we cannot read and study all of the Bible at once, we should not ignore or neglect any part of it. There are riches on every page, as much in Leviticus as in Luke.

When You Study the Wrong Bible Passage

September 26, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

I fear I have become too reliant on the chapter breaks in the Bible. I know these are not inspired and that they do not always produce the optimal portions of Scripture to study. But they are so convenient!

Also, sometimes the chapter breaks are helpful markers. I’ve been studying Ezra and Nehemiah in my small group over the past year, and the chapter breaks in Ezra are great. They occur at logical transitions in the text, and we moved a chapter at a time through Ezra without any issues.

The same has not been true in Nehemiah.

Nehemiah in Jerusalem

There is rarely a single “right” way to divide a book of the Bible into sections for small group study. We might choose to take larger or smaller pieces at a time, and when these divisions resonate with the structure of the book, everything is smooth. When we choose a section that doesn’t match the author’s logical argument, we’re cutting the wood against the grain.

My group studied the first chapter of Nehemiah during one meeting and the second chapter during the next. When I was preparing the third chapter for the following meeting, I realized I’d made a mistake.

Nehemiah 2:1–20 describes how Nehemiah asked the king of Persia for permission to go rebuild Jerusalem. The king granted his request, and this was evidence of God’s work (Neh 2:8).

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and inspected the damaged walls and gates by night. He formed a plan and spoke persuasively to the Israelites in the city.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. (Neh 2:17, 18)

Biting Off Less Than We Should Chew

Nehemiah 3:1–32 is a list of the successful efforts to rebuild the walls and gates of city. We read of specific people, specific locations, and specific work. It is impressive.

However, at the end of the day, it is undeniably … a list. Lists are challenging to study. It is hard to find the author’s main point in a list.

It became clear to me that our group should have studied chapter 3 with chapter 2. After all, the work in chapter 3 is recorded as evidence to support Nehemiah 2:18 — “And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.”

It’s not that there is nothing fruitful to gain from studying Nehemiah 3. But the purpose of chapter 3 is to illustrate the work of God in chapter 2, so putting a dividing line between the two was not the wisest choice. In fact, I suspect the main point of chapter 2 would have landed with more force had we studied the two sections together.

Lessons Learned

This was another reminder to me of the importance of each book’s structure in the Bible. In preparing for my small group, I want to refer back to my book overview and an outline of the book when selecting the next portion of Scripture to study. This will help align my group’s focus with the logical units in which the original author of the book wrote.

You Need to Hear Directly From God

September 12, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

Picture it. You’ve made time for devotions. Envision your room, your chair, and (perhaps) your beverage. Now, what book is in front of you?

Angela (2015), public domain

More Than a Preference

You have a lot of options. You could listen to any one of a million sermons. You could grab a devotional book or a study guide or a book on a biblical topic. You could even pick up a commentary.

None of these resources are inherently bad, but they all have one thing in common. They put distance between you and God’s word.

The desire to use an extra-biblical resource is understandable. If you view your devotions primarily as a relaxing way to begin or end your day, you’ll think devotions should be easy. And since reading (or hearing) someone else’s interpretation requires less effort than discovering one yourself, it’s simple to see why many people prefer these materials.

Reading a devotional work or listening to a sermon can stimulate your spirit. But this is not the same as reading and studying the Bible for yourself. You need to hear directly from the mouth of God.

Perhaps two analogies will help.

Analogy #1

Jim is supposed to read Crime and Punishment for his high school English class, but he plays sports with his friends instead. When it’s time to consider the book in class, Jim relies on the plot summary he read online. During the discussion, Jim is able to talk about a few important themes of the book.

But when his teacher asks him pointedly about the book’s impact on him, Jim freezes. He cannot recall any of the powerful scenes or locate any of the moving prose, because he doesn’t know the work itself. He only knows this book through a filter.

Even when filters are reliable and thorough, they don’t offer a genuine interaction with the author.

Analogy #2

In the middle of the afternoon, Sarah knocks on her brother Mark’s door. “Mom wants you to clean up your room before dinner.”

Mark puts his folded laundry in his dresser, makes his bed, and recycles the papers on his floor. Then he returns to his comic books.

At the dinner table, Mark learns that his mother wanted much more than a little straightening. She wanted him to dust the furniture, vacuum the carpet, and clean the windows. She wanted a deep clean.

Sarah wasn’t lying, but she wasn’t clear. And Mark didn’t ask Sarah or his mother for clarification.

In this scenario, the messenger softened the blow, and as a consequence, Mark fell short of obedience.

Your Father is Speaking

Portions of the Bible are impossible to envision without a personal encounter with God’s word.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11)

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:15–16)

…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17)

In the Bible, God has told us about himself. He has given his requirements, his promises, and his plan to save his people. He has shared the good news about the Savior of the world, his son Jesus. And he has described what his people should believe and do as they tell the whole world about him.

The Bible is lovingly and wonderfully given by God to his people for their good and the good of the world. You might prefer to read a different book, but when you meet with God, yearn for his voice. Don’t turn away from your heavenly father.

Context Matters: God Tests Abraham

August 29, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard about the way God tested Abraham, that when a long-awaited son was born, God told Abraham to raise his knife. Maybe you’ve been taught from the Scriptures how much Abraham trusted God in that episode and you’ve been inspired to do the same.

Is Abraham’s faith the central theme of this well-known story? Should we come away from it trying hard to be more like this Old Testament patriarch? Are there any aspects of this story that point ahead to the gospel of Jesus?

Context matters. It’s impossible to understand that testing of Abraham without understanding the preceeding chapters in Genesis. When we learn to read the Bible as a whole instead of as a hastily-gathered photo album of Sunday school tales, we’ll see that some of our favorite stories have a deeper meaning than we’ve always assumed.

Abraham’s Only Son

Some Christians say that, aside from the coming of Jesus, the birth of Isaac is the most anticipated event in Scripture. It’s hard to argue!

From the first time that God called Abram he spoke of all the descendants he would eventually have (Genesis 12:2). This certainly required faith instead of sight, because Sarai was barren at the time.

After 25 years, Sarah finally conceived and Isaac was finally born (Genesis 21:1–3). Isaac was the son of the promise, the child through whom God would keep his covenant vows.

Imagine Abraham’s shock, then, when God commands him to “offer [Isaac] … as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). But Abraham rises early and sets off with Isaac.

A quick observation of this passage (Genesis 22:1–19) reveals that the word “son” shows up 13 different times. And three times Isaac is called Abraham’s “only son” (Genesis 22:2, 12, 16). This may strike readers as odd, because Isaac is not Abraham’s only son! Ishmael was Abraham’s first son by Hagar (Genesis 16:1–4). Doesn’t he count?

Well, actually, no. He doesn’t count any more. Not for this purpose.

After God brought Abraham into covenant, Abraham struggled to believe that Sarah would eventually get pregnant. He begged God that Ishmael might be brought in for the purposes of God’s promises (Genesis 17:18). But God insisted that Abraham’s covenant line would be established through Sarah (Genesis 17:19, 21).

As long as Ishmael was around, Abraham might be tempted to think he had a good fall-back option if something happened to Isaac. So, while Abraham loved Ishmael deeply and God promised to bless him, Ishmael was sent away after Isaac was born (Genesis 21:8–14). Now, in terms of those living with Abraham, Isaac was truly Abraham’s “only son.”

So at the beginning of Genesis 22, Isaac is the one and only son in Abraham’s house. He is the promised son. This heightens and focuses the test for Abraham. How exactly can Abraham have millions of descendents through Isaac if he dies?

God’s Provision

On the way to the mountain, Isaac wonders where the animal sacrifice is, but Abraham is confident that God will provide (Genesis 22:7–8). Abraham is sure of much more than this—he knows that Isaac will come back down the mountain with him. He says as much to the young men that came on the trip (Genesis 22:5), and the author of Hebrews tells us that Abraham knew God was able to raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:17–19).

As Abraham is about to put his son to death, God stops him and provides a ram in his place (Genesis 22:13). God’s intervention and provision are so central to this episode that Abraham calls the place “The Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14)

Blessings Through the Obedient One

Many Christians have seen a picture of the gospel in Abraham and Isaac. A father was willing to put his cherished, only son to death. Some make the connection between Isaac and Christ because Jesus was also called “beloved” by his father (at both his baptism and transfiguration). Jesus is also referred to as the “only son” of God in the most quoted verse in all the Bible (John 3:16).

But we need to ask a question. Is this gospel connection a coincidence of language? Or does this passage make that case? We can gain a lot of clarity by reading to the end of the passage!

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time and repeated (and enlarged!) the covenant promises because of Abraham’s obedience (Genesis 22:16). And note the specific promises that are highlighted: Abraham will be blessed, his offspring will be multiplied, they will possess the gates of their enemies, and in Abraham’s offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Genesis 22:17–18). And, in case we missed it the first time, we are reminded that this came about because of Abraham’s obedience (Genesis 22:18).

In other words, because of one man’s obedience to God, the nations of the earth will be blessed. Now there’s a gospel connection!

I’m not claiming that a passage must have just a single arrow that points ahead to Jesus and his gospel. But when we only look at the angle of a substitute or the death of an only son, we might miss the main thrust of the passage.

God puts this man through a terrible test. By God’s grace, he passes. God provides a substitute. And the man’s obedience means untold riches for the world. This story might be better than we ever thought!

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

What We Miss When We Skip the Book of Ezra

August 15, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

The book of Ezra is an odd duck. It bears the name of a man who doesn’t appear in its first half. Though titled like a minor prophet, this is a book of history, one far shorter than most historical books in Scripture. And it is one of the few portions of God’s word set after the Babylonian exile.

I couldn’t find any data to justify this suspicion, but I would guess that Ezra is not commonly read or studied by modern Christians. I get it—among other barriers, there are long lists of names in chapters 2, 8, and 10.

Yet, this little book has much to offer!

God Works in the Hearts of Kings

God rules over kingdoms and kings—this is true everywhere and at all times. But it is made explicit with surprising frequency in the book of Ezra.

We see this in the very first verse of the book: “…the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing …” (Ezra 1:1)

We also read that the Lord “had turned the heart of the king of Assyria” toward the Israelites (Ezra 6:22). The author of the book blesses God “who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers” (Ezra 7:27–28). Finally, as part of his confession, Ezra thanks God that he “has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem” (Ezra 9:9).

In Ezra a group of Israelites journeyed from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of God. Since they left captivity, traveled through dangeous territories, and settled in an occupied land, these people needed the approval, help, and protection of the local and central rulers. God gave them this favor, often by creating in the rulers a desire to help God’s people.

In addition to these large examples, the Lord worked in large and small ways to bless his people through governmental (and even bureaucratic) channels.

Repentance Requires Radical Action

Shortly after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he learned of widespread sin among the people. They had “not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations” and had “taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands” (Ezra 9:1–2).

God’s people had taken wives who worshiped foreign gods. This was disastrous, as the Israelites were trying to reestablish a community of faith and these marital bonds were likely to lead them in the opposite direction.

It sounds shocking to our modern ears, but repentance in this situation needed to be drastic. Here was Ezra’s prescription.

You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives. (Ezra 10:10–11)

While the last two chapters of Ezra should prompt a longer discussion about marriage and divorce, one thing is clear. Ezra took sin and repentance seriously. His grief over his people’s transgressions would make the modern church stagger.

Worship is Central

The Israelites headed back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. They began with the altar and when that was finished, before any other part of the temple was constructed, they resumed the offerings, feasts, and festivals (Ezra 3:3–5). When they started to make progress on the temple itself, the people were moved: “And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid” (Ezra 3:11).

When the people finished the temple, they dedicated “this house of God with joy” and kept the Passover (Ezra 6:16, 19).

The narrative of the book then moves to the man Ezra, a priest and scribe. But this too is about worship. “Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). Though the people had resumed the temple practices, they needed the word of God at the center of their worship, so God sent Ezra.

All About Worship

The centrality of worshiping God is a central pillar of Ezra. Even the first two themes I mentioned in this article are connected to worship. (God’s work in kings helped the people build the temple; radical repentance was needed because the people were being led away from worshiping God.)

This is one way that Ezra connects to the overarching story of the Bible. We were made to worship God, but our rebellion means that we need a pure high priest to make our worship possible. Ezra reminds us of this central activity of the community of God and our dependence on him to draw us near.

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