Knowable Word - Bible study help

What We Miss When We Skip the Book of Lamentations

August 30, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

As a book, Lamentations is overlooked and ignored. Bible readers often don’t know what to do with it. It’s short and poetic, but it is found among the major prophets instead of within the wisdom literature. It is full of lament, so inspiration-seeking Christians cannot easily hop between uplifting verses. The book is heavy and sad, filled with the sorrows of the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem.

But this book is a gem. God has given it to us as his inspired word, and if we’re willing, we have much to learn from this volume.

An Extended Lament

The main thing we miss if we bypass Lamentations is an extended look at lament.

Many books of the Bible contain lament—including as many as one third of the Psalms. But Lamentations is the only book which is only lament. When we read this book, we face sorrow and grief from beginning to end.

Most Western Christians are not familiar with lament; it makes us uncomfortable. With Lamentations we are forced to wrestle with lament as a legitimate, biblical form of prayer.

The laments in Lamentations differ from those in many of the Psalms in important ways. The author of Lamentations confesses guilt on behalf of the Israelites (Lam 1:5; 1:8–9; 1:18; 1:22; 4:13–16) and recognizes God’s hand in the destruction of the city and the holy temple (Lam 2:1–10). Even though God’s anger is justified against his people, their sorrowful cry in the midst of a terrible situation is still legitimate.

This book of laments also makes Bible readers grapple with the issue of complaint. Complaining to God cannot be inherently wrong because most of Lamentations is a detailed list of all the ways the people are suffering. Therefore, we must learn to distinguish between godly complaint and ungodly complaint. (It may be helpful to use the term “grumbling” instead of “complaining” to make this distinction.)

Repeated readings of this book also force the reader to learn to live with the tension inherent in lament. Each of the five chapters of Lamentations is a separate prayer of lament, and none of these prayers resolve in a way that is satisfying to the modern ear. Far from being a problem, this feature of lament naturally turns the sorrowful Christian back to God, again and again seeking his face.

Trust in the Midst of Destruction

Lamentations helps us to acquire a taste for biblical lament, but it also gives us a brief glimpse into the moment in history after the fall of Jerusalem. The walls are down, the temple is demolished, and most of the population has been captured; how will the people who remain react?

We read the people confess their sins and the sins of their leaders (Lam 4:13–16). We see them cry out to the Lord in pain, wanting to be seen in their affliction (Lam 1:9,11,20; 2:20; 5:1). And we also witness these believers cling to the promises of God (Lam 3:31–33; 4:22).

A Lesson in Waiting

The most famous verses in Lamentations (Lam 3:22–23) have been quoted and misquoted at length, and they have inspired a wonderful hymn. But the middle section of the middle chapter of Lamentations is worthy of extended reflection.

In this passage we learn the importance of looking to God’s character—not our circumstances—for hope. We see that waiting on the Lord is not something we may need to do occasionally, but rather it is a baked-in part of following Yahweh (Lam 3:25–33).

Pointing to Christ

Reading Lamentations is a healthy challenge for those who believe that all the Scriptures speak of Jesus (Luke 24:44). How could a book so sad and filled with devastation speak of the Savior?

The judgments described in Lamentations are devastating and, in some cases, graphic. The people have been justly visited by God’s wrath, through the vehicle of the Babylonians, because they turned away from him.

In Lamentations we have a detailed picture of the wages of sin. We have a faint sense of what we deserve when we stand before holy God. And, therefore, we also glimpse a shadow of the judgment Jesus suffered for his people when he took their sins upon himself (1 Peter 2:24).

Lamentations is worthy of our attention. If, as the Church, we soaked in this book more regularly, we would develop greater sympathy for others, firmer trust in God’s promises, and a deeper understanding of God’s character and what it means to seek him.

Share or follow:

Hebrews: God has Spoken by his Son Whose Work is Finished

August 27, 2021 By Peter Krol

Hebrews appears to have been a sermon that was transcribed and then circulated in letter form. This theory explains not only the strange opening—with no greeting or identification of the sender—but also the regular alternation between exposition and application, and the label “word of exhortation” used in the appended postscript (Heb 13:22, phrase also occurs in Acts 13:15). Depending on your pace, you can read the whole book out loud in 45 to 60 minutes, which is a reasonable duration for a sermon. Reading the book with a view toward its live, public delivery helps us to grasp its organization and intentions.

Literary Markers

While it’s not difficult to recognize large cohesive blocks within Hebrews, it is notoriously difficult to nail down the precise beginnings and endings of the sections. I believe this is because of the nature of spoken communication. When a discourse is meant more for the ear than the eye, the transitions will naturally be more audible than visible. They won’t appear in sharp pronouncements, but will normally sound quite transitional. That makes it difficult to know whether those transitional statements belong with the previous section or the following section, as they serve as bridges between both.*

To give a few examples:

Heb 1:4 transitions from the prologue by introducing the first topic of Jesus’ more excellent name making him superior to angels. But it is only the final clause in the run-on sentence that begins at Heb 1:1, so Heb 1:1-4 naturally gets put together when we outline the book.
Heb 2:17-18 both concludes the previous section (“therefore”) and introduces the idea the Jesus has become a merciful and faithful high priest, which becomes the topic of the next section.
Heb 5:9-10 again concludes the previous section, while simultaneously introducing the next topic, broken into three parts: Jesus is perfect, the source of eternal salvation, and a Melchizedekan high priest.

I’ll explain the sermon’s flow of thought further in the walkthrough below, but the remaining transitional statements are found in Heb 10:36-39 and Heb 12:12-13. When the book is read out loud, it is easier to hear how those transitional statements are woven right into the conclusion of the previous section, while also introducing new ideas that get explained further in the following section.

Heb 13:20-21 then concludes the sermon, and Heb 13:22-25 serves as a written note to accompany the transcription.

Thesis

Like any good public lecture, the main thesis comes right at the beginning (Heb 1:1-4). Stripping all the dependent clauses away yields the following as the sentence’s essential grammar: “…God has spoken to us by his Son…who…sat down.” There have been many ways God has spoken before now. But now he has spoken by his radiant, appointed, powerful, and purifying Son. And that Son has now sat down at God’s right hand to rule, as the rest of his work is done. God has spoken. Through this Son. Whose first phase of work is now complete.

That is the big idea of this sermon. There are many reasons to listen to this Son. There are many competing voices that may tempt you to listen to them. But his work is finished in a way that the work of the other voices can never be. Implicitly: Do not reject him who is speaking to you.

Walkthrough

The argument of this sermon is both extraordinary and extraordinarily complex, so I wish to do it justice but will only have the space to use the broadest of strokes. The main thing we ought to see (or hear, if you can read it aloud) is how the transitional statements introduce the main topics. The following exposition then takes up those topics, nearly every time, in reverse order.

Having stated the thesis (that God has spoken to us by his Son who sat down), the preacher’s first explanatory point is that Jesus has become superior to the angels because he’s inherited a more excellent name. In this first point, he does us the kindness of taking his two matters in order. First, Jesus is superior to the angels (Heb 1:5-14). Second, his name is more excellent than theirs (Heb 2:5-18). Between those two expositions is the first point of application: Pay closer attention (Heb 2:1-4)!

The next transitional statement (Heb 2:17-18) takes things in a new direction: Jesus had to become a merciful and faithful high priest. Now the preacher begins his pattern of addressing the subpoints in reverse order. First, Jesus is a faithful high priest, greater than Moses and Joshua (Heb 3:1-4:14). Second, Jesus is a merciful high priest, very much like the Aaronic high priests (Heb 4:15-5:10).

Next transition (Heb 5:9-10): Being made perfect, he became a source of eternal salvation, being designated a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Before he can really tackle this material, though, he must offer the second application: You have stopped hearing and doing (Heb 5:11-6:20). But then he explains his ideas in reverse order. First, Jesus’ priesthood is in the order of Melchizedek (Heb 7:1-28); he is a better priest. Second, Jesus’ priesthood brings eternal savation (Heb 8:1-9:28); he offers a better covenant in a better tabernacle. Third, Jesus’ priesthood is perfect (Heb 10:1-18); he offers a better sacrifice. This section closes with the third application: Keep helping one another to both hear and do (Heb 10:19-39, this application was previewed in Heb 3:12-13).

Next transition (Heb 10:36-39): You have need of endurance, and we are of those who have faith. He now goes into great detail showing us what faith looks like (Heb 11:1-40) and calling us to run with endurance as we consider the one who endured on our behalf (Heb 12:1-13).

Transition to sermon’s last main section (Heb 12:12-13), which is all application: Straighten that which has grown crooked or lame. Do this first in your walk with God (Heb 12:14-29). Understand how your vertical perspective affects your horizontal relationships (Heb 13:1-6). Then you can straighten out your walk with other people (Heb 13:7-19).

In the sermon’s conclusion (Heb 13:20-21), the preacher return’s to his opening thesis to drive it home. God has spoken in his Son by raising him from the dead. Because the first phase of his work is finished, he may now equip you with everything good that you may do his will. Those who listen to him will be pleasing in God’s sight.

Finally, a personal note has been appended to the sermon, giving a brief update on Timothy’s status and sending greetings from and for the brethren.

Conclusion

Though the argument of Hebrews may appear to meander at times according to the preacher’s stream of consciousness, the transitional statements, and the repetition of key words from those statements in the following section, do illuminate the path he wishes us to follow. Amid the exquisite detail and theology of this masterpiece, let us pay much closer attention to the one who is speaking, that we might keep helping one another to believe and do his word. For the long haul. Forever.

Interpretive Outline

Thesis: God spoke in a Son who sat down – Heb 1:1-4

The Son is superior to angels on account of his more excellent name – Heb 1:4-2:18
- Transition – Heb 1:4
- Superior to angels – Heb 1:5-14
  - Application: Pay closer attention! – Heb 2:1-4
- More excellent name – Heb 2:5-18
The Son is a merciful and faithful high priest – Heb 2:17-5:10
- Transition – Heb 2:17-18
- Faithful high priest – Heb 3:1-4:14
- Merciful high priest – Heb 4:15-5:10
The perfect, Melchizedekan Son brings eternal salvation – Heb 5:9-10:39
- Transition – Heb 5:9-10
- Application: You have stopped hearing and doing – Heb 5:11-6:20
  - Melchizedekan priesthood – Heb 7:1-28
  - Eternal salvation – Heb 8:1-9:28
  - Perfection – Heb 10:1-18
- Application: Keep helping one another to hear and do – Heb 10:19-39
The Son calls us to endurance and faith – Heb 10:36-12:13
- Transition – Heb 10:36-39
- Faith – Heb 11:1-40
- Endurance – Heb 12:1-13
Application: Straighten your walks with God and with people – Heb 12:12-13:19
1. Transition – Heb 12:12-13
2. Walk with God – Heb 12:14-29
3. Connection between walks with God and with people – Heb 13:1-6
4. Walk with people – Heb 13:7-19

Conclusion: May the one who spoke through his Son now equip you to please him – Heb 13:20-21

Postscript: Bear with this word of exhortation! – Heb 13:22-25

*This insight, and therefore much of my outline of Hebrews, is indebted to the keen observations of Albert Vanhoye in his Structure and Message of the Epistle to the Hebrews (affiliate link).

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

Share or follow:

Reading the Bible Today Without Losing the Benefits of Reading Like the Ancients

August 25, 2021 By Peter Krol

I haven’t read Reading the New Testament as Christian Scripture, but I appreciated this interview with its authors. In it, they speak of some of the differences between how we read the Bible today and how the ancients used to read it. We’ve certainly made many great gains in our understanding. But there remain some strengths of yesteryear we ought to be careful not to lose.

Every culture and age has particular insights and blind spots. This applies to biblical interpretation as well. In the West we’re a few hundred years into particular modes and habits of reading the Bible, what we can call modernist hermeneutics. Modernist hermeneutics serve us well in providing a depth of historical background, insights from literary analysis, and a focus on hearing the human author’s intent. But modern approaches to interpreting the Bible often fail to read theologically, canonically, and tropologically (for moral formation). Believing interpreters will also seek to interpret the Bible in these latter ways, but the modern hermeneutical commitments are ironically contrary to these good reading habits.
Premodern interpreters operated with different priorities and sensibilities when reading Scripture. Theological, moral formative, intra-canonical, devotional, and homiletical interpretations were seen as primary and ultimate because this is why God has given Scripture to his people—to shape us to be like him, to be holy as he is holy.

Check it out!

Disclaimer: Amazon link is an affiliate link. Clicking it and buying stuff will help to support this blog’s moral formation, at no extra cost to yourself.

Share or follow:

Show, Don’t Just Tell

August 20, 2021 By Peter Krol

It’s a key principle of educational philosophy: Show, don’t just tell. Communicating ideas is a good thing. But it’s even better if you can show your work, present persuasive argumentation, explain it clearly, and illustrate it vividly. The show-don’t-just-tell principle has many applications for teachers and leaders of all stripes. And I would like to zero in on one particular application of the principle to any who seek to teach the Bible: Show them how you arrived at your conclusions so they can repeat the process for themselves.

crop unrecognizable woman holding vase with pink ranunculus — Photo by Алекке Блажин on Pexels.com

Last week, I suggested that the best response you can hope for from those to whom you teach the Bible is, “What a great text, that shows me our great God!” Now I propose that one of the most important means for producing such a response is to show your work, and not merely tell them your conclusions. Here are some examples.

You can tell them that God loves them. Or you can show them the “for” in John 3:16 and show them the logical connection in the verse between the first clause and the second clause. Now they can forever see for themselves that God sent his son, not because he was mad at the world, but because he loved it.
You can tell them that the Christian life is hard, but that it will be worth it. Or you can show them the context of Romans 8:28, how the “good” all things work together for is the “good” of conformity to the Son’s image (Rom 8:29)—which is a promise not of a healthy and wealthy life, but of crushing pain yielding to resurrection glory (Rom 8:17-25).
You can tell them the story of God’s great power demonstrated over Egypt in nine plagues. Or you can show them the structure of three groups of three plagues, each group with a unique emphasis, proving Yahweh to be the judge, the divider of peoples, and the destroyer of worlds. Once you have shown them this structure, they won’t be able to un-see it when they read these texts in the future.
You can tell them that chapter divisions are not part of the inspired text and should be taken with a grain of salt. Or you can show them Isaiah’s repeated refrain that clearly links the four stanzas of Isaiah 9:8-10:4 into a single poem, forcing us to read the text across the chapter break. “For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still” (Is 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4).

Now I am not saying that Bible teachers should show all their work. There are always more observations to be made than can be included in a sermon or Bible study. We can’t include everything, and we ought not explain everything that happened to excite us in our preparation. One key principle I communicate when I train teachers is this: Do only as much observation as you must do in order for them to see how what you’re saying is rooted in the text. As soon as they have seen it from the text, move on. Explain it. Illustrate it. Show them Jesus. Apply it.

But sadly, teachers often show too little of their work. They may move their people to tears or inspire them to take drastic action. But ask those people after the sermon or discussion why they should take such action, or how this Scripture moved them so, and too often they can’t explain it. It just “is.”

Let’s show them a better way.

Share or follow:

Does Proverbs Over-Promise?

August 18, 2021 By Peter Krol

Jim Davis has a brief but wonderful piece on this crucial question: “Does the Book of Proverbs Over-Promise?” Proverbs appears to offer extensive assurance of health and wealth, which some have taken almost as an assurance that we can manipulate God. In response, many others make the error of claiming that proverbs offer not promises but only probabilities.

Davis navigates this unfortunate state of affairs with a level-headed approach to the text.

To say the Proverbs are probabilities (rather than promises) is not false. It’s partially true. The sober, the cool-tempered, and the diligent will usually experience health and wealth more than the drunkard, the hot-tempered, and the lazy.
But only seeing the Proverbs as probabilities for wise decision-making minimizes what God wants for his people. He’s calling us closer to him. The conditions to these statements are that we trust in the Lord (3:5), fear the Lord (3:7), and honor the Lord (3:9). If they were merely probabilities for right living, why link them in any way to our relationship with God?

I’ve reflected on this very question myself on a few occasions. And Davis’s piece is worth your time as you consider it further.

Check it out!

Share or follow:

Review: The Visual Word

August 16, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

The Visual Word is an unconventional project. The book is the work of author Patrick Schreiner and illustrator Anthony Benedetto, and it attempts to add a visual element to written overviews of the books of the New Testament.

You may wonder how a visual component would be helpful in such a situation—this was exactly my question! Schreiner is professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he describes himself as a visual learner. “I find that I can grasp things and remember them better if I can see them. If they are arranged spatially. Students have had similar experiences in my classes” (page 10). When teaching, he found that his whiteboard sketches during class helped his students. This book is an attempt to reproduce, in part, a version of that classroom experience.

The Physical Object

The book itself is beautiful. (Moody Publishers kindly sent me the hardcover version in exchange for an honest review.) At 8.5×11 inches, it is larger than most books. I gather this was necessary to fit all the designs and illustrations on the page.

The pages themselves are also striking. Navy blue and gold are used throughout the book, and the book designers did an excellent job coordinating Bible themes and genres with colors.

Without being any sort of artist myself, I can see the highly skilled hand that produced the illustrations. Each drawing itself is more the size of an internet avatar or an icon—a small circle with a picture inside. The illustrations are the result of arranging many such drawings on a page along with brief words and phrases, connecting them with lines, and producing a visual aid to understanding each book.

I’m not sure how well I described this; to get a clearer picture, take a look at the sample pages the publisher has made available.

The Writing

Schreiner’s aim in his writing is something we at Knowable Word certainly appreciate.

First, I believe one of the most important things to do when reading the Bible is to read it contextually. For most, this means historical context. This is vitally important, but this book focuses on the literary context.[…]To read well, readers must follow the flow of an author’s argument. (The Visual Word, page 10)

For the most part, the book hits its mark. For example, the way Schreiner wrote about the book of 1 Peter gave me a clear, bird’s eye view of Peter’s purpose in writing and the flow of his argument through the book. This is exactly what I’d want from a resource like this.

There was at least one curious decision in these outlines. Schreiner takes all of John’s epistles (1, 2, and 3 John) together. After expressing in the introduction a desire to highlight the literary context of each New Testament book, it puzzled me to see topics from 2 John and 3 John simply attached to similar sections in 1 John.

The Illustrations

While Benedetto is obviously adept as an illustrator, I must confess that I didn’t get as much out of the spatial representation of the outlines as some of Schreiner’s students did. I acknowledge that this may just be me and the way my brain processes and absorbs information, indicating no weakness with the book at all.

Most of the illustrations seemed like standard, top-level outlines of Bible books, written perhaps in rows or columns instead of in standard outline format, with some accompanying icons. Some of the arrangements of the words and pictures were hard for me to follow. With a few exceptions, the illustrations did not add a lot of value to the book overviews for me.

A Valuable Resource

Despite my hesitance in the previous section, I found this book to be a helpful resource. Along with videos from The Bible Project (from which Schreiner admits to takings some cues), I envision using this volume to remind me of the big-picture structure and argument of New Testament books.

You can buy this book at Amazon or directly from Moody Publishers.

The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If you make Amazon purchases after clicking through those links, this blog will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Share or follow:

What Response are You Going For?

August 13, 2021 By Peter Krol

As a Bible teacher, I believe I have failed if my students’ chief reaction is, “What a great teacher!” While it makes me feel great in the moment, it does little to help others to know God through the Lord Jesus Christ. A better reaction would be, “What a great God!” This would reflect a proper honor toward the Lord whom I seek to represent when I teach his word.

But follow me for a moment. At the risk of sounding unduly provocative, let me propose that there is another response that would be even better than “What a great God!” And that is the response, “What a great text!” And less I be misunderstood, let me expand on what I mean, because a fuller expression of this best reaction would be, “What a great text that shows me our great God!”

If all people get from my teaching is “What a great speaker,” then I have sadly made the teaching more about me than about the Lord. And believe it or not, if all they get from my teaching is “What a great God,” then I may still have put myself at the center. Because if I’m not careful, they will have to return to me time and again in order to behold how great their God is.

But if their response is “What a great text (that shows me our great God),” then I have succeeded at equipping the saints. You see, I don’t want them to remember only how I made them feel, or how inspired they were. I don’t want them to remember the stories I told or the personal application I drew for them. No, I want to teach in such a way that people can’t help but see the presented Scripture text in such a clear way that they will never be able to read that text again without seeing the chief message pop off the page for them. I want them to gain confidence that, when they study this passage, they can arrive at the same conclusions I have presented to them. I want them to trust that, when they study this passage, they can meet with the same God I have showcased before them. I want them to expect that, when they return to this passage in the future, they will be able to apply the same message in new and fresh ways to address whatever new circumstances they have come to face since they sat under my teaching.

In other words, I don’t simply want them to be fed or inspired by what I tell them. I want them to be equipped by my example to feed themselves and gain ongoing inspiration with the help of God’s Holy Spirit. This requires me not only to proclaim the truth, but also to show them how I arrived at that truth. If my methods are not transparent to them, they will never be able to imitate them. And if they can’t imitate them, they’ll be like scientists attempting to replicate my published lab results. If they can’t replicate those results on their own, they are likely to eventually question the validity of my conclusions altogether.

This goes not only for preaching, but for teaching Sunday school, leading a small group, and even leading family devotions. What response are you going for?

Share or follow:

What Does “All Israel Will Be Saved” Mean?

August 11, 2021 By Peter Krol

In Romans 11:26, Paul makes a statement that has baffled interpreters for generations: “And in this way all Israel will be saved.” New Testament professor Jared Compton has attempted to explain the key phrase, “all Israel will be saved,” in this brief piece.

Compton approaches the topic through a series of four interpretive questions:

What does he mean by “saved”?
What does he mean by “Israel”?
What does he mean by “all”?
What does he mean by “will be”?

To be frank, I would probably disagree with Compton’s answers to a few of these questions. But I’m eager to link to his article anyway because he models some excellent Bible study skills in the process of seeking to answer his (insightful) questions. He engages with the text. He observes carefully. He reckons with the context of Paul’s argument in the chapter and this section of Romans.

Even if I might disagree with a few of the answers, based on further observation and investigation of the same text, I have much trust that Compton would be a fellow with whom one could have a productive debate on such things. One who isn’t committed to a particular theology despite the text, but one who may arrive at a set of theological conclusions precisely because of the text. I am happy to send you his way to consider his careful handling of this challenging topic.

Check it out!

Share or follow:

Context Matters: We Bless You in the Name of the Lord

August 6, 2021 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard it as a greeting or call to worship: “The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!” (Ps 129:8). Or if you haven’t heard it in such a setting, I suspect it is not difficult to imagine hearing it in such a setting. A simple internet search takes me quickly to a slide with this verse superimposed over a pastoral background image.

Now while it is fully consistent with scripture to pronounce God’s blessing on God’s people, this particular blessing comes in a rather unexpected setting. If we read the Bible’s poetry as we read other poetry and not as a fishing hole for motivational sentiment, we’ll see that some familiar expressions take on a deeper meaning than we originally thought.

The Blessing

Of course, the Bible often tells us of God blessing his people, even from the very beginning (Gen 1:28). He commands the high priest of Israel to pronounce his blessing (Num 6:22-27). In their lowest moments, the people long for this very blessing (Ps 80:3, 7, 19). The apostles often conclude their letters with such words of blessing (e.g. 2 Cor 13:14).

So the pronouncement of a blessing, either in greeting or as a call to worship, is a right and proper thing to do. But let’s not allow that fact to prevent us from reading Scripture as coherent literary texts. Let’s not ignore the context.

Psalm 129

Psalms 120-134 are a collection of “songs of ascents,” which pilgrims to religious feasts may have sung on their climb to Jerusalem for national feasts. As one of those poems, Psalm 129 meditates on the lives on those pilgrims who have suffered under deep affliction. This affliction seems incongruent with the life of blessing promised in Yahweh’s covenant. “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me” (Ps 129:2).

Ps 129:4 is the turning point, where the poet remembers Yahweh’s righteousness, which requires him to fight back against wicked oppressors. The rest of the poem pronounces not blessings, but curses on those who would dare oppress Yahweh’s people. “May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward!” (Ps 129:5).

And observe the entirety of Ps 129:8: The final curse is that, regarding these oppressors, nobody will ever look upon them and pronounce Yahweh’s blessing on them.

Nor do those who pass by say,
‘The blessing of Yahweh be upon you!
We bless you in the name of Yahweh!’

Conclusion

The irony of the greeting-card use of Ps 129:8 is that the statement “We bless you in the name of the Lord” is the very thing the poet does not want people to say. He wants those who hate God’s people to go without hearing such words or receiving such a blessing. And when we ignore the context, perhaps we fail to grasp the profound point that there is a time and a place not to bless. Instead, we can set our hope in the Lord Jesus to show up once again and set right everything that has gone wrong.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

Share or follow:

We Need the Hard Texts

August 4, 2021 By Peter Krol

J.A. Medders has a wonderful piece for preachers entitled “Pastor, Your People Need the Hard Texts.” While he’s speaking to those who speak regularly from the pulpit, his point applies just as well to those leading small group studies. And to those studying God’s word for themselves, who are inclined to skip the weird or uncomfortable parts of the Bible.

Medders focuses on the disturbing narrative of Genesis 38, which includes sexual deviance, deceit, abuse, and neglect. We tend to be much more comfortable with Genesis 39, where the good guy resists the wiles of sexual temptation. But we need the grisly reality of Genesis 38 just as much.

The story of righteous Joseph ghosting Potiphar’s wife is no stranger to podcast feeds and pulpits. But if we aren’t careful, we could fall into the heinous error of communicating only one situation of sexual sin—a man resisting the advances of a woman—and then inadvertently paint women as the reason sexual sin happens. There’s a reason why #ChurchToo exists. We need a wide-angle lens for identifying sexual sin. And Genesis 38, in context with Genesis 39, shows us the sexual sin of men—Onan and Judah—and the sins of abuse and neglect that Tamar endures.

This is quite important stuff. Check it out!

Share or follow:

« Previous Page