Deuteronomy Chapter Thirteen: Troublesome Yeast

History tells us that in pivotal times (socially, economically, religiously) the results of inconstancy are heightened. Think of any revolution...for its success it takes the body of revolutionaries to have a unified vision. Any compromise in that singular vision and the revolution itself is compromised. Paul says it this way, "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast —as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" 1st Corinthians ch.5 v.6-7). Paul boldly tells the young Corinthian church that your acceptance of the "old yeast" is like allowing a deadly pathogen free reign in your body, it's like using bad yeast to make bread.

There is no surprise that the book of Deuteronomy agrees with Paul on this matter. Before we go on though we should review the context of Deuteronomy. Israel is on the verge of the "Promised Land" there are heightened expectations. It'd be safe to say that Israel is tired, hungry, and anxious. With the long journey, nearly finished, as it's backdrop, God uses Moses to convey his sovereign message. The message is filled with blessings and curses (ch. 11 v.26-32), commandments (ch. 5), and calls to remembering times of grace and salvation (ch.4 v.10, ch. 8). To add to this they are on the banks of the river Jordan, their only separation from the promise*.

That is the context of Deuteronomy chapter 13, where we read about the deceiving prophet, "If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder [and it takes place] and [then] he says 'let us follow other gods' [...] you must not listen to the words of that prophet [...] (ch.13 v.1-5). The hinge of this first section of Deuteronomy ch. 13 turns in v.3-4 where we read, "The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you." The message is clear God allows testing to happen; testing creates an opportunity to grow in love for God. But God gives freedom enough to avoid his grace--to some extent--the deceiving prophet is proof enough for that.

The decisiveness of this "purg[ing]" is expressed v.6-8, where we read that the deceiver is to be put to death, not only that though but even if it is an intimate friend or relative. This obviously is not a 'timeless' law, but it does bare some valuable wisdom. Common reasoning tells us that intimacy yields an understanding that is void of judgmental sentiments, that's true, but the unfortunate by-product is a lack of objectivity in the face of harmful sin (remember a little yeast works through the whole dough). It is easy to demonize the judgment but in doing so we fail to remember that God works within history. In Israel's historical context there was nothing immoral about this, especially given Israel's pivotal place before and after settling in the Promised Land. In fact this judgment serves to protect Israel from the true evil of sacrificing children to idols (ch.12 v.31) which apparently was common among the areas pagan worship. In this way God keeps His people in relationship with Him, and preserves the livelihood of His people continuing the theme of 'mutual flourishing'. Also, in v.14 Israel is charged to "inquire, probe, and investigate" so that alleged claims of apostasy are verified and tested--this is not an inquisition, nor a Salem witch trial.

In verses 12 to 17 we read that a whole area, or town, is to be found guilty if "they are led astray" (v.13). This illustrates the biblical truth of all sin being both personal and corporate. For instance a culture's sin takes root in the people of the culture--it is both the culture and the people of the culture that are responsible. So the towns that are led astray are all together guilty because they chose the immediacy of pagan worship rather than the prolonging favor of the Lord. These settlements are to be fully devoted to God by destroying them, and not rebuilding them. This destruction, or testimony of the final end of sin, is a sad opposite to the covental watchtowers that Israel's patriarchs built to remember covenants (Gen ch.39 v.48-49, there are many others though I can't remember them currently).

We end this chapter not with more curse, or judgment, but rather the heart of covenant, "[if you follow God He] will have compassion on you, and increase your numbers, as he promised"(ch.13 v.17). When reading texts that challenge our post-modern and western sentiments let's remember that God is not contained in any culture or time period, nor are his covenants.

*This could be read as a type, as we Christians enter into the promise of Christ by descending into the waters of baptism similarly the Israelites descend into the river Jordan before entering into the Promised Land.

Besides Eat This Book I'm Reading

On top of Eugene Peterson's Eat This Book, which I am reading with the other contributor to this blog, I am reading Brian Mclaren's new book The Secret Message of Jesus. W Publishing was kind enough to give me two free copies of the book, along with 20 chapter samplers (which will hopefully be used to help with a word of mouth campaign). I am almost done with the book and from what I've read I'd say that it is a good introduction to voices like N.T. Wright and Dallas Willard. If you haven't read them check it out, if you have then you might find yourself reading a popularized version of their work. However the real treasure of the book is Mclaren's "lack of salesmanship" as Donald Miller says on the back. For the non-Christian bent out of shape because of our current political situation, or for other various reasons, this is a great and fresh intro to the subversive message of the Bible. I pray it appetizes their heart.

Eat this Book

Bryan and I are reading Eat This Book, a new book by Eugene Peterson about the "art of spiritual reading." He uses the metaphor of eating to give meaning to his phrase "spiritual reading." To put it simply, Peterson is proclaiming that the Bible is a book to be "eaten" and acted out, rather than reduced to information. I am excited to see how to do that. Wow, what a concept- living out what we read in scripture! Here is a quote that speaks to the smorgasboard, do it yourself evangelical church we live with today:

We don't form our personal spiritual lives out of a random assemblage of favorite texts in combination with individual circumstances; we are formed by the Holy Spirit in accordance with the text of the Holy Scripture" ( Peterson, Eat This Book, p. 15).

How often do we all do this- wrestle control from the author of our faith and take creative license with the life he has given us?

A Long Obedience Quote

I am still working on the Deuteronomy post, perhaps in a few days. In the meantime though I hope to share some invaluble quotes from books I have been going through. The first is from Eugene Peterson's A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

A Christian who has David in his bones, Jeremiah in his bloodstream, Paul in his fingertips and Christ in his heart will know how much and how little value to put on his own momentary feelings and the experience of the past week.

Wise words indeed. After finishing this morning I can whole-heartedly recommend it. While reading it I am sure you'll find, as I did, someone who is both scholar and pastor, poet and theologian

Personalized Outreach or The Da Vinci Code Again

Usually evangelical outreachs make me want to puke--alright that might be an overstatement but you know the type of thing I'm referring to. The big events where there is a magic show for twenty minutes and then the magician pulls a Gospel tract out of hat and shares the message of salvation as quickly as possible. I mean I am all for people preaching Jesus but lots of times this bait and switch evangelism just ends in confusion.

I was talking to a friend the other day about that movie The Da Vinci Code (I know you're probably tired of hearing about it) but we agreed that it would actually serve as a great opportunity to share about Jesus, and to answer previously unfielded questions regarding other 'faith' topics. So, I am going to enlist, this May 22nd I plan on taking some friends (I am guessing it will be an assortment: Christians and otherwise) to the movie. After the movie I hope to take them out and for a beer.

So this is my personal 'outreach event' and because it's personalized (me with some close friends) and the movie isn't 'Christian' I am all the more interested to see what happens. Try it out with me, I'll blog about the results and you can send some comments.

Deuteronomy Chapter Twelve: Where Does the Help Come From?

If Gallup were to take a poll on places in nature people think are 'spiritual' I am sure that mountains would rank high on the results. They are awe-inspiring in their shear immensity, they even point upward, to heaven, reason tells us. This reasoning is exactly what we find in the Promised Land, before the Israelites settle there. "You must demolish completely all the places where the nations whom you are about to dispossess served their gods, on the mountain heights, on the hills, and under every spreading tree," we read in ch.12 v.2--the message is that while man thinks that spiritual connectedness happens on a mountain God says worship happens where people gather in his name, "God [will choose the place] and put his name there" (ch.12 v.5).

The positions are dichotomous, man uses his reason to find a place(s) to be spiritually in tune while God creates a location where his name will be the focus (again v.5) rather than a place. While seeking out God in this way our journey has resonations with the psalmist, "I lift my eyes up to the hills--where does my help come from? / My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121). What the Psalmist knew was that the pagan worship that happened on the hills and mountains was marbles and bubble gum to the Lord who made those hills.

God's call is for his people to "seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes as his habitation to put his name there. You shall go there, bringing your [sacrifices]" (v.5-6). The idea is that this one place, where God's name will be stamped, will signify--more than a place to get good spiritual-antenna reception--but a space that offers Israel an opportunity to be unified, together, face to face, and under the name YHWH. Also, I like that God calls Israel to "seek the place"; this maintains his sovereignty as the judge while leading Israel, and us, into participation with him who was, is, and is to come.

Finally, the end of chapter 12 describes the depravity which some pagan worship practices had sunk to. We read, "do not inquire: 'How did these nations worship their gods? I also want to do the same.' You must not do the same for the Lord your God, because every abhorrent thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods. They would even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods" (v.31). This chilling passage bares witness to what happens when "reason" is let loose to do the business of faith. The human faculty of reason is good, surely it is God gave it to us, but the spiritual gift of faith must renew it before it attends to the spiritual things. Yet, these drastic spiritual perversions we see in Deuteronomy twelve will continue since man cannot escape the void in him that screams for God, thus "reason" will scramble, attempting anything to get a 'right' spiritual connection--as Deuteronomy ch.12 tells us: spiritualizing creation (v.2) and destroying it (v. 31) are signs of the fatal turn.

The Da Vinci Code: Escaping Authority?

There is lots of uproar, in blogs and sermons, about the Da Vinci Code movie--coming out May 22nd. Here are a few links to different evangelical perspectives: Christian History Mag, Christianity Today, Culture Watch, Brian Godawa (screen writer for To End All Wars)--also here is a link to a post by Dick Staub (Culture Watch) regarding the thoughts of Rowan Williams', the Archbishop of Canterbury.

All this fascination with 'religious secrets' and whatnot seems to be man's ongoing and infamous attempt to escape authority. But by doing this they merely exchange one authority for another, that of the God for a skeptic and highly individualistic culture. I think the words of Lewis are helpful, "A man who jibbed at authority in other things as some people do in religion would have to be content to know nothing all his life" (64 Lewis). Lewis' idea is that authority is inescapable, it's the truth. Christians shouldn't be surprised by the success of The Da Vinci Code; the cross is a stumbling block and it's easier to have faith in godless myths and wives' tales ( 1 Tim. ch.4 v.7) then to bow to reality, that of the crucified and risen Lord.

However, our call is to humble--knowing how much grace we've been given. Being vocally upset with people who don't know Christ, is like punching a blind man for not using a cross walk--better to walk with them.

Deuteronomy Chapter Eleven: If and Then

In the first section of ch.11 we read a long, but still summarized list, of God's sovereign action on Israel's behalf, now usually when people remind us of something, or multiple things, that they have done on our behalf we only have to wait a few seconds before they ask something they want of us; this isn't the case with God--since he is complete in and of himself--so in Deuteronomy (ch.11 v.3-7) something else must be going on. And that is in fact the case, the reason Moses shares these memories of God's sovereign action is so that Israel will reminded that God's sovereign action is not a memory, that they are covenant people. So, it makes sense that we hear the familiar plea (v. 1, 8) that Israel follow the law of the covenant. This charge is a call for Israel to be covenant people and part of being covenant people is faithfulness, both on the part of the Israelites and also on God's. It is because the Israelites are covenant people that they will continue to see God's sovereign action among them. And that is expressed well in the second section of v.8 and on into v.9, "so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey." We have heard that Israel's covenant faithfulness is part and parcel with them living "long in the land [...] flowing with milk and honey," but we haven't heard the first part before, "so that you may have strength to go in and take over the land." What we can learn from this new statement is that Israel will have the "strength" to conquer, in part because of their covenant faithfulness--Israel having a deep understanding of it's identity as the sovereign God's people--but more so Israel's strength will come from the knowledge that it is the Lord that has already gone before them.

This presents Israel's covenant relationship with God as an "if, then" relationship. If Israel heeds God's commands then they will receive blessing. I must admit this offends my theological sensibilities (a good thing for the Bible to do); I tend to think of God's inevitable overarching plan and this "if, then" thing just seems to complicate matters. But a fuller view shows that this "if, then" element is fundamental to covenant relationship. God desires, and of course by his grace, that we choose him by putting aside the often immediate pleasures of sin for the full pleasure of himself and his blessings. Further, this "if, then" bit isn't my own theological creation; the "if, then" relationship is described in v.13, faithfulness yields good crops (v.13-14). And in v.22 where out of covenant faithfulness sprouts more land. While the blessings are grand the curse is described in v.16-17: "Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you."

The chapter ends acknowledging the full reality of covenant, that is both blessing and curse. Moses tells Israel, and us, that both blessings and the curses be read from two different mountains (v.29) vividly showing the high stakes of covenant. We, as Christians, have been, "blessed [...] in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Eph 1:3). That is, our role in covenant relationship is not to be mercenaries*, expecting blessings because of our great service; no we are called to serve Christ out of love for the grace he has lavished on us by separating us from our sins and unifying himself with our hearts.

*The Mercenary and Servant distinction is due to John Piper, click this link for the sermon that it comes from.

Deuteronomy Ten: Fear the Lord

I have written a section concentrating on Deuteronomy Ten's meditation on fearing God. In doing this I didn't intend to belittle the rest of the text, I merely felt there would be plenty of writing material while just writing about the fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord, is an odd phrase for us twentieth century westerners. We are used to fearing people, dogs, maybe high heights, but certainly not God! The richest theological section of Deuteronomy ten is a meditation on that very thing: the fear of the Lord. But, for the sake of understanding the movements in the narrative we will enter just before. Moses tells the Israelites, "It was not his will to destroy you," recalling the positive end to God's initial frustration with his "stiff-necked people" (Exodus ch.33 v.1-6). The message is of hope not of judgment, still Moses charges the Israelites to "fear the Lord" (v.12). This, as we see when we read on, is a call to devoted acknowledgment, "fear the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and your soul" (v.12). Here we see a description of what fearing the Lord looks like in practice, "walk in his ways, to love him, to serve [God]." If we don't "walk in his ways," we end up the hostage of lesser destructive fears: death, other people, snakes, the list goes on. Better to take hold of what Jesus says in Luke, "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him" (Luke 12:4-5).

"To the Lord God belongs the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it" (v.14), Here Moses gives us a portrait of God's sovereignty, an image like this is given to us so that we can be drawn into a deeper understanding of God's complete awesomeness; this wisdom inspires the fear of the Lord. But the very next verse is a declaration of God's specific love and grace, "Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today" (v.15). Here, in the last two verses we see a summarized picture of God; he is simultaneously sovereign, and intimately involved in every intricacy of life here on earth, he is "mighty and awesome" and "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing" (v.17,18). It is because of this dual nature of God that he charges Israel, and us, to "circumcise [our] hearts" (v.16). Circumcision was a sign of the covenant God made with the Israelites; God's true desire is that the sign of covenant faithfulness be written on their hearts.

Throughout Deuteronomy Israel is on the verge of crossing the Jordan, they could nearly see into the promised land, but instead of focusing on the great and wild joys that they will have, Moses continually leads them to God. "Fear the Lord" he tells them--don't focus on yourself we hear, follow him. This is what fearing God is about--it is to look both joy and sorrow dead in the eye and remember that God's sovereignty is ineffable and his love is most intimate.

Augustine Hears an Apologist and I Change My Mind

I can remember thinking, even recently, that Christian apologists were bunch of tighty-whitey wearing grown up home-school kids. I know it's a caricature but that was the brand I sizzled on the realm of Apologetics. I thought that we as Christians should be more interested in sharing the love of Jesus with the world, if you go around arguing with people you sure aren't loving them, are you? Now I understand the false dichotomy I had set up. Sharing the love of Jesus can often take the form of sharing well-thought out reasons to why I believe in Christ in the first place. Surely there are some 'apologists' that seem to have forgotten that Jesus didn't die win a logical argument but there are just as many Christians who are bashful about sharing Jesus, under the guise of compassion.

I think all this crystallized while reading St. Augustine's Confessions. A third of the way through the book Augustine still isn't Christian and he reflecting on how he ended up where he did. He writes,

Even before I left Carthage I had listened to the speeches of a man named Elipidus, who used to join in open controversy with the Manichees, and I had been impressed when he put forward arguments from scripture which were not easy to demolish (105 Penguin).

Elipidus might not control a large part of Augustine's narrative but Augustine was affected by the great gravity of Elipidus' apologetic. After reading that section in the Confessions I saw that apologetics weren't just some invention of 'modernism', nor an expression of Christian hubris, but rather a cogent voice of faithfulness to our Lord in a culture that often runs counter to the cross.

Flannery O'Connor and Holy Week

I was at the Salvation Army yesterday; after flipping through the old denims and weird collared shirts (you know what I'm talking about) I made my way to the book shelf and lo and behold I found a gem. It was Flannery O'Connor's collected works and it was a $1.49--leave it to some New Englander to give away such a collection. For those who don't know her well, well you should, she has been heralded by everyone from the likes of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus to your average American Lit. Professor. What I've been drawn to now, even more than her short stories, are her insightful essays where, among other things, she examines the role of the Christian writer in relation to various groups (the south, the Church, and other writers). Her voice, though initially shocking, gives a loud prophetic witness to state of man apart from Christ.

Here's a quote from her famous essay "The Grotesque in Southern Fiction":

There is something in us, as story-tellers and as listeners to stories, that demands the redemtive act, that demands that what falls at least a chance to be restored. The reader of today looks for this motion, and rightly so, but what he has forgotten is the cost of it. His sense of evil is diluted or lacking altogether and so he has forgotten the price of restoration. When he reads a novel, he wants either his senses tormented or his spirits raised. He wants to be transported, instantly either to a mock damnation or a mock innocence.

Flannery hits the nail on the head; this holy week let's let our hearts re-learn the "cost" of "the redemptive act" after all, the "cost" of redemption is the crux of our faith.

Warning Satire: Build a Virtual Church

Do you have what it takes to be a Christian leader? Now you can skip the process of seeking out God's call; just buy this Megachurch game and you'll find out for sure if you have what it takes!!

Deuteronomy Chapter Nine: Preserving Promise

You've heard it said; until recently in Baseball it was, "Who can beat the Yankees;" in the realm of Computers it might be, "Who can stand up to Microsoft," and in international politics it is (sigh),"Who can compare with the United States." Apparently, a popular phrase of the ancient near-east was, "You have heard it said of them, 'Who can stand up the Anakim?'" (v.3). We might tremble with awe in contemplating the power of sports teams and nations but what we learn is that, if our attitude is "Who can stand up to..." we are forgetting the sovereign authority of God (Deut ch. 7 v.17). Thus the response to the ancient cultural maxim "who can stand up to the Anakim" is that God can, and will (v.3).

To go on, God's defeat of the inhabitants of Canaan will not be an arbitrary act, nor will it serve merely as God's announcement that his power is greater than theirs. No, while the Israelites conquest will definitely announce God's power, more importantly it will serve as the simultaneous sounding of judgment and promise. In verses four through six there is a repetition of two statements, the two are summed up well in verse five: "It is not because of your righteousness that the Lord has brought me into occupy this land; it is rather because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you." What we hear, quite clearly in this passage, is that Israel is not the Lord's worker therefore receiving due wages (Rom. 4:4). Israel receives the promised land because of grace, not because of their righteousness. In fact, in verse six we stop hearing about the wickedness of Canaan and instead hear only about Israel's faithlessness--so they have no reason to boast.

Then from verse six to twenty-four we hear vivid descriptions of how Israel has been "rebellious against the Lord" (v.7). The height of their rebelliousness takes place, ironically, while Moses is hearing from the Lord and receiving the Ten Commandments. Moses walks down the mountains and finds all of Israel involved in worshipping a golden calf. Moses then destroys the sinful object by burning it with fire, crushing it, and then "grinding it thoroughly , until it was reduced to dust," (v.21)*. Needless to say, Israel is guilty just as all other nations and people are.

So if we are all guilty, people and nations alike, why was Israel preserved while the Canaanites suffered judgment? Before that question is answered it's important to understand that oftentimes God will bring judgment against even his chosen people because of their sinfulness (the exile is one major example). But back to the original question: why not Israel here, if they are in fact rebellious? The answer is given to us in the last section of chapter nine. Here we read that Moses lies "prostrate" for forty days and forty nights interceding for Israel, so that God would not destroy Israel. He even reasons with God, saying that to destroy Israel would be to forget the "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (v. 27); secondly Moses reasons that God's name would be trampled by the pagans if he doesn't see the Israelites into the Promised Land. So Moses gives God two reasons to preserve Israel: (1) because of covenant, (2) and because of God's own name and reputation. Here many people would question God as truly sovereign because how can Moses 'reason' with an all-knowing sovereign God? I personally believe that God's plan was always to preserve them, and not to destroy them, therefore keeping the covenant and bringing glory to his name. The reason, I feel, God put the question to Moses: "should I destroy them?" was to challenge Moses to step up as God's appointed leader of the Israelites. If we understand this section of Deuteronomy in this light we see a sovereign God desiring that Israel's appointed leader develop a leader's heart by crying out for those he has been given to lead, here God's sovereign authority is never put into doubt.





*As an aside Moses here foreshadows Christ by: (1) serving as an intercessor between God and man, (2) and by ridding Israel of the manifestation of their sinfulness (the difference between Moses and Christ being that while Moses destroyed the manifestation of their sin Christ destroys the root of our sin by offering a sacrifice once for all time (Heb. ch. 9 v.23-28)

Deuteronomy Chapter Eight: From Decadence to Decay

First, thanks to Matt for giving a solid post, articulate and well-crafted. Thanks. If anyone out there in the blogosphere thinks Matt should continue with me on this Exegetical journey through Deuteronomy give him some encouragement, by way of a comment on his last post.

If anyone knows a good picture for this post, let me know.

Now on to Chapter Nine & From Decadence to Decay.

At the height of a fruit's ripening process the last thing we might think would be that soon it will decay and be worthless. We might have this knowledge after seeing the process repeat many times but for someone who hasn't seen fruit go bad, it would seem that there would be no way to posit the completely 'other' end--that it's decay would follow it's decadence. Israel, never having seen affluence, does not stand at a vantage point where it can understand decadence and self-exaltation as the seeds of demise, however, God--via Moses--warns them, "Do not say about yourself, 'My power and my might have gotten me this wealth.' But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth [...]" ( v.17-18), and then, "if you forget the Lord your God and follow other gods to serve and worship them, I solemnly warn you today you shall surely perish" (v.19). To continue with the horticultural metaphor, if Israel "forgets" that all things come from God they are akin to a fruit falling from the vine; they will ripen quicker but they will perish quicker too. The lesson that Israel needs to learn is what Jesus tells his disciples in the book of John, "apart from me you can do nothing" (ch. 15 v.5).

Moses tells Israel that they should, "Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years [...]" (v. 2). We learn that God brought them the "long way" through the desert to "humble" and "test" them (v.2). The method God used to humble them was "by feeding [them] manna, with which you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (v.3). If Israel remembers this upon reaching the Promised Land they will never "exalt themselves" when they are at rest (v. 12-14). So Israel is called to a holy remembrance which is two-fold: (1) they must remember their God, (2) they must remember their humble beginnings so that they may see come to grips with the timeless truth that says, 'success, as the Bible sees it, is not a product of human ingenuity or force but humble faithfulness'. Both take root in the corporate acknowledgment that the Lord is sovereign and that he provides, or that he is the vine and we are the branches.

Deuteronomy 7: Mysterious Grace

The conquest of Canaan is simultaneously an act of great love, and an act of great judgment by God. Great love on behalf of his chosen people, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of great influence in the region, and a land that would be theirs for generations to come. There would be great judgment on the Canaanites, the seven peoples greater and stronger than Israel; their perverse fertility religions had built up the wrath of God, which would soon be poured out through His instrument Israel. Great mercy would be shown to Israel, despite their wandering and whining, by giving them the land, taking it from the current residents. In the Bible, and by their nature, the grace and mercy of God are always undeserved. Conversely, in the Bible, the judgment of God is always deserved. Thus we can say that although undeserving, God blessed his chosen people, and because the Canaanites were deserving of wrath, he cursed them. What should make us wince when we read Deuteronomy 7 is not our human sense of justice being violated, but an awareness of our sinfulness like the Canaanite, and an awareness of how undeserving we are like an Israelite.

Even though we get a little sensitive about our “God of love” being so judgmental, his greatest act of love was an act of judgment. Where else do we see an act of great love and of great judgment in the Bible? At the cross we have the most loving event of all time, and also the worst, most unfair event of all time. In the judgment of God upon Jesus, we have life. In 1^st Corinthians 5:21, it illustrates this great exchange and juxtaposition of judgment and love: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” The central event of salvation was the most unfair, inhumane event of all time.

Lest we minimize the history of Israel and God’s dealings with her to allegory and illustrations, let’s think about the results of the conquest of Canaan. First of all, the Israelites were successful in occupying the land, but they did not exterminate the Canaanites. To be sure, many were killed, but also many were dispersed, and some even intermarried with Israelites. Let us not forget Rahab, the Canaanite woman from Jericho who would be part of the line of Jesus. Secondly, in God’s mysterious ways of grace, we see Jesus in the gospels, consorting with Samaritans (Hebrew-Canaanite mix), and going to the Decapolis, at that time known as the “land of the seven” according to Jewish tradition. In a land considered evil, he cast out a legion of demons and set a man free, and then sent him to tell people what God had done for him. (For more on the Decapolis, see here. Jesus showed his disciples what the kingdom would be like. It would be much different than a tiny, sliver of a nation-state; they would bring his kingdom to the world. The kingdom would encompass the entire globe and take root in all the cultures and peoples of the earth.

In Process: St. Augustine's Confessions

I am currently reading through St. Augustine's Confessions with the other formal Quest member. In it Augustine makes some brilliant observations about his coming to faith, here is one thought he had upon beginning to read the Bible which had particular resonations with me.

"So I made up my mind to examine the holy scriptures and see what kind of books they were. I discovered something that was at once beyond the understanding of the proud and hidden from the eyes of children. Its gait was humble, but the heights it reached were sublime" (pg. 60 Penguin or 3:5).

For more info on Augustine click here for a good Wikipedia article.

What's the Difference II: Sin and Suffering

In the early part of December I wrote a post titled "What's the Difference: An Authentic Look at World Faiths". Since then I have been thinking a bit about how different faiths answer the fundamental problems of our world. What do they say is at the root of war, famine, family struggles, etc. Being a Christian and having a B.A. in religious studies this has served to be an enriching project.

If you have questions you can either email them to me (check profile) or write a comment. Also, this is an editorial of sorts because after stating the truth claims of Christianity and Buddhism I follow them to what I see as the logical end, so keep that in mind. I should also say that if I come across as a bit of a hard-liner it is only in the effort to share truth. I have Buddhist friends (it's hard not to have them in Western Massachusetts) and we hang out often. And, oh yeah, I am still waiting for Matt to put his Deuteronomy post up--until then Deuteronomy ch.8 will have to wait. But, without further ado: What's the Difference II: Sin and Suffering.

Underlying all Christian beliefs is the most prominent Christian truth claim, namely Jesus death and resurrection, and one reason for it--as Christianity states--is sin. Sin is the fundamental state of all humans before God brings us into a relationship with himself, the root of it is in man's first assertion of self-dependence; since then sin has been passed down like a bad family heirloom all the way into our current historical context. Human sin, says Christianity, is responsible for wars, murders, theft, divorce, pollution, pretty much most of what we call crime. If sin is the problem, and as stated above Jesus Christ's death and resurrection is the solution, the road connecting the two is the word we hate: repentance. Repentance is literally to "turn away" from sin and turn towards God.

Buddhism, however, sees the problem as "suffering" (dukkha). The first of the Four Noble Truths is roughly: "all of life involves suffering". The second is that "suffering is the result of desire". The suffering and the problems of the world (see above) are the result of desire, accd. to Buddhism. Consequently, the solution to the problem of suffering is non-attachment, that we kick desire out like an unruly house guest. For Buddhism the solution is practiced through a variety of ways, traditionally it was monastic ascetism but for many western Buddhists meditation is a 'just as good' method of ridding one's attachment, and then suffering.

The difference between the two is vast. While Buddhism says that suffering is the major problem of the world Christianity says that suffering is the direct result of sin. The Christian says that while sin exists on this earth there will always be suffering. In so doing, Christianity sees the fundamental problem of the world not as suffering but as the cause of suffering, namely sin. The call to all humans then is to repent of both personal and corporate sin, only then will suffering begin to disappear as God's Kingdom and an New Creation take root in its place. Because Buddhism sees suffering as the main problem with the world, from a Christian perspective, it will never rid suffering from the world. The Buddhist quest to purge the soul of desire may be religiously athletic but in the end the world will still be messed up because sin is not addressed and Buddhists will be lacking the desire to really help uproot the problem at its root: sin. Thus, for the Christian, the purgation of desire is not a corrective to the world's fundamental problem. Further the best of Buddhist efforts to 'cure' the world end only in therapy, rather than repentance. This is so because if the problem is suffering then the best we can do is escape it and/or become insulated from it, rather than admitting that we are more often the catalyst for suffering, or to put it in Christian terms: that apart from Christ's redemptive work we are sinful.

Christians meanwhile by addressing the problem at its root and acknowledging that they are themselves the problem become renewed in Christ, by his death and resurrection, thus having renewed desire (rather than the Buddhist ideal of an absence of desire) to help usher in God's kingdom where there will be no death or mourning (Rev. 21:4) because the tree of sin will have been taken up by it's root, rather than clipping the branch of suffering off only for it grow back.

Emergent/Missional Church and ReformTheology

Have you been following the heated dialogue between reform theology people and emergent church people? (If not, it's the in thing--get with it!) Well, Andrew Jones has written an interesting post on the subject.

Click the link on the title, if you're interested.

Deuteronomy Chapter Seven: Justice and Election

This is a longer post than normal, even for the Deuteronomy series. If you have time read it all the way through, or come back to it. There should be a second part by Matt, the other Quest member, hopefully that will be soon (hi Matt!).

All comments are welcome.

Promises of bloodshed, war and total savagery, that might be the first impression of Deuteronomy chapter seven for a person looking from without; especially so if a person comes to the Bible presupposing it as a useless, or even horrible book. But this isn't the entire case, Deuteronomy chapter seven, understood in its context, is a loudspeaker giving voice to God's elective love and holy justice. I'll look at these two parts of the story somewhat more systematically in this post, so to provide a very clear picture of what, I see, as the heart of chapter seven.

First, I should say that the two prominent points of Deut. 7 (elective love and holy justice) all hinge on God as the initiator, sustainer, finisher. What this means is that God is the "prime mover"--to borrow an Aristotelian phrase. God sets Israel's conquest of the promised land into being and opens opportunities for them to receive ownership of the promised land. Therefore everything that Israel apparently accomplishes, they in fact do not; Israel, in the Old Testament, is always provided for in times of provision and punished in times of exile. In the OT Israel and God have a Parent/Infant relationship. This is often so clear, throughout the Bible, that we often gloss over it, but if we read carefully we understand that it is "when the Lord God brings [Israel] into the land [...] he clears away many nations before you" (ch.7 v.1); it is God who "brings" and "clears". There are many other verses, in ch. 7 alone, that indicate God as the sole provider for Israel; for the sake of time though I will trust this first verse will suffice.

We have a great window into understanding God's elective love when we read in v.7, "It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you. For you were the fewest of all peoples. What we see here is that God chose a nation that was puny in comparison to Egypt and the Canaanites (the inhabitants of the promised land). We rightly infer a few things here, God's omnipotence allows him to even use the weakest people group in accomplishing his plan, he therefore receives all the more glory. But also, we see God's love for a marginalized people group along with his desire to see them to a stable future, securing them, if they continue to follow him, in a good land (v.8-9, v.12-15). To step on a few toes, Israel is the greatest 'affrimative action' project ever put into motion: a damaged and hurt people group placed in a position of stability by grace.

In Deut. 7 holy justice is seen through God's promise of Israel's victory. When we read in v.2, "[...] and when the Lord your God gives them over to you and you defeat them, there you must utterly destroy them," we become instantly outraged, "What?! That isn't the God I know. I thought God was only about love? Surely this isn't love." we say. The response to our first reaction should always be a quest for a deeper level of understanding. Only then can we begin to see that if a totally righteous God declares his justice against an evil nation (ch.9 v.5), Christians must as assume that God is acting justly. Just as the man firmly rooted on this earth can never grasp the gravitational pull of the sun because of his detachment from it, us, in our sinfulness often forget the gravity of our sin, we focus on the 'here and now' of daily interactions. If we were to understand the grievances we cause each other and God we would begin to see that it is only by grace that we continue living in the first place. NC State Univ. Professor John Bowker writes, "There is no 'might is right' view of God in the Hebrew Bible: war is always a judicial business [...] Indeed God never fought on Israel's side at all. The question was always whether Israel was about to fight on God's side, the side of justice" (88 The Complete Bible Handbook). Then Bowker writes, "If the reason for war is justice, then its aim is peace" (89). So we see that peace is the ultimate aim of God's heart, but justice cannot be skirted in the acheivement of peace. So God decides to take Israel out of the pit of Egypt and crown them with compassion because he loves and has chosen Israel (election) but also because he desires that justice take place in Canaan (ch.9 v.5).

But this part of the post cannot end here, for what would that mean about our present situation, our historical context. Is war right? Who decides who deserves justice? Here we must understand that God in Deut. ch.7 is working in culture; since God desires to bless Israel with the promised land it must be achieved within an ancient near-eastern historical context, anything else and the unfolding fabric of God's sovereign story would be disturbed. We might continue cringing, while looking through the stylish eye-glasses of our post-enlightenment context, but in the end all our cringing will do us no good, simply put, this was how land was exchanged; if two parties desired it warfare happened, and warfare was common. Now though God has poured out his complete justice on the cross, so that mercy flourishes like a ripe fruit for those who turn away from themselves and enter into covenant with Jesus Christ.

In Review: J.I. Packer's Knowing God

I just finished J.I. Packer's classic Knowing God. Through the process of reading KG I found my prayer life beginning to change, or be redirected to God and away from any misconceptions that had snuck in. It was a bit of a tour de force of accessible theology covering attributes of God from mercy to wrath, goodness and severity. For those wanting some foundational theology, which is often like broccoli to a child--challenging to swallow-- but simultaneously rich and deeply biblical, it's perfect.

While remaining accessible Packer illuminates the great depths of God's personality, as revealed in Scripture. Both Packer's intelligence and his ability with the pen are clear throughout, though it is never put on display. Besides the Bible, Packer draws from Puritan theologians and many hymnists (Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley to name a few) in so doing he reminds us that to be good theologians we don't have to quote secular philosophy or parade an academic guise.

For anyone interested in 20th century evangelicalism, a clear and concise theology, or desiring a greater understanding of God's character, this would be a good place to start.

Here's a quote to leave you with:

For it is often the case, as all saints know, that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy is greatest, when the cross is heaviest" (97 Knowing God).

What is of True Importance?

If you are interested in reading through the article to which this post refers, click on the blue title above. It is definitely worth reading.

Jason Byassee, assistant editor of The Christian Century, wrote a guest column in the latest Christianity Today titled "The Almost Formerly Important". For those of you familiar with these two magazines you might instantly recognize the significance. CC is a bastion for the Christian liberal just as CT is a bastion, typically, for the Christian conservative. But not only that; we must remember that both CC and CT are competing magazines so it would seem like CT has given the enemy a loudspeaker. But not so. This act, which leans towards reconciliation, after on and off criticism of each other, is something that the politically conflicted Christian should be thankful for.

In the article itself Byassee gives a transparent congrats to evangelicals, "Congratulations, evangelicals: You're in charge." I mention the transparency because really his prose sets the congratulations up as "You're a puppet" rather than "You're in charge." Here is how Byassee does it: he mentions The Republican Party courting evangelicals: "The Republican Party has courted evangelicals long enough and well enough to have almost an insurmountable majority in Congress and, soon, in the supreme Court as well." Byassee tells us that it is the Republicans who have "courted" the evangelicals, therefore, leaving the evangelicals to be the puppet of a conservative ideology--whether they know it or not. Byassee's ironic subtlety bears witness to what is most likely the truth.

He goes on to describe his denomination's (Methodist) hey day of power, the impetus being the Prohibition. Byassee describes the goal of the Prohibition as to "spread Scriptural holiness across the land*." He then goes on to describe that their day is gone, all that is remaining are the monuments "built to [their] importance." Byassee's conclusion, in view of his denomination's past is that "church influence on politics is fickle." He then proceeds to warn evangelicals of erring in the same way: "do you really want to be allied with foul-mouthed know-it-alls on AM radio or with politicians who don't care a lick about Jesus?"

Byassee then slowly moves towards his conclusion, in the process pointing out that the religious left "is so far our of political power now that we're remembering the first task of the church is to be the church," then he says, in effect, we'll be waiting for you after your power has faded away.

In response to the article I'll say well done. It is about time we learn from the past, lay down our idols of political power and return to our Lord. Byassee uses an arresting quote from Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, perhaps hoping it will resonate with many CT readers, here it is: "Once you have made the world an end and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades matter more to him tha n prayers and sacraments and charity." Byassee here reminds us, via Lewis, that the end must always be faith in our Lord. Anything else, to use a phrase usually reserved for fundamentalists, is blasphemous idolatry it is trampling on Jesus Christ for the progress of man.

As biblical Christians we must hold fast to all of the tenets of our faith, not those of political parties be it liberal or conservative. As the other Christian magazine, namely Sojourners', phrase goes: "God is not a Republican or a Democrat." If you feel that Iraq is a just war we, as Byassee remarks, must be the first to repent rather than celebrate. If you want to take action against abortion, it must be done in a Kingdom manner, and here we aren't talking about the kingdom of this world. Similarly we are called to stand up for the poor, something the ideological conservative pigeon hole has prevented many evangelicals from doing. The list goes on, but what is imperative is to remember that the Bible has critiques for every worldview that isn't...well biblical. When an interviewer attempted to corner N.T. Wright under the label of a 'political Priest' he said that he didn't think he was a 'political Priest' but rather that he was claiming his allegiance to the Prince of Peace; are social action should be likewise.



*I might mention, as an aside, that the "Prohibition" had more to do with wives terrified that their husbands might commit an 'unmentionable' at a local pub than it did with pure "Scriptural holiness".

Deuteronomy Chapter Six: Mutual Flourishing

In the first four verses of Deuteronomy chapter six Moses says, "Hear Oh Israel" twice (v.3, v.4). We understand why in verse three, "so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey." What we come to understand early on in this chapter is that we are to listen to God for our own benefit. By this we get a clear picture of Moses' desire that Israel go on following God in the promised land, when they are without him.

The rest of verse four is what is called the "shema" "The Lord is our God, the Lord alone" the "shema" is a declaration of God's oneness. Throughout the rest of the Old Testament Israel will, in it's best times, cling to this declaration as the truth of God while they are living among people who worship false pagan fertility gods and agricultural deities. Moving along, Moses then calls on Israel to do more than just acknowledge the truth of God being the only sovereign over them, he charges Israel to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (v.5). So from verse four to verse five we see a natural progression from acknowledgement to adoration. More simply put, when Israel follows the command to know God as their creator--their Sovereign, all-powerful God--they naturally are moved to worship Him. This is one of the proofs of good theology, that after growing in the knowledge of God one will always be brought to adoration of God.

Moses' sermon continues, not only are the Israelites, and us by extension, to love him internally but love for God must possess a social dynamic. God's commands are to saturate times of meditation and times of action (as alluded to by the hand and head in v.8). Also they are to be written at every gateway and doorpost in the home, all of this to mean that love for God is not a personal thing only. It is both personal and social thing, it should saturate all aspects of existence (for a clearer picture of this read Deuteronomy 6:6-9 aloud).

But all this love for God does not vaporize once expressed. Acknowledging God as sovereign and giving Him glory lead to what I'll call mutual flourishing. Moses illustrates this rather well in verse 24 where he says, "Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good." So, as mentioned at the beginning of this post: commands, obedience to them, the acknowledgment of God as sovereign, and adoration of God all exist, partially for our benefit. I say partially because as of now the picture is not complete--in fact the most important part is missing; for me to really write about mutual flourishing it must be mutual--not just for us. So going back to Deuteronomy ch. Four verses five through seven we hear another reason to follow the law:

See, I have taught you decrees and laws
as the LORD my God commanded me, so
that you may follow them in the land you
are entering to take possession of it.
Observe them carefully, for this will show

your wisdom and understanding to the
nations, who will hear about all these
decrees and say, "Surely this great nation
is a wise and understanding people."

This is mutual flourishing; that God would receive all honor, glory, and praise and that He would sustain us, His people. J.I. Packer does a fine job articulating this in his book Knowing God (which I am currently reading for the first time) he writes, "God has voluntarily bound up his own happiness with theirs" (pg. 125).

Jesus tells us that "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them" (Luke 22:25) meaning that rulers of this world exalt themselves over their subjects so that they can gain profit at the expense of their underlings. To the rulers of this world their subjects are means to accomplishing their end (usually money and power). The perfect illustration of this style of leader is Pharaoh, the leader that God delivered Israel from. The biblical teaching of mutual flourishing declares that God is not Pharaoh, or Caesar, or (Donald Trump for that matter). God's desire that His name go forth into the world (Deuteronomy 4 v.5, Matthew 28:19) so that he receives praise, honor, glory and with that he will sustain and liberate all who are His.

A Clash of Kingdoms

When the Pharisees come up to Jesus usually there is something afoot (just a little Bible study helper); so there is no oddity in Matthew Chapter 22 where we read "Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him" (v.15 NRSV). They start out in typical form: flattery. "'Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us then, what do you think;" then the question arises and the treachery comes with it like a bad stench, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" (v16-17). This is the archetypical 'damned if you do damned if you don't' question because if Jesus replies with a revolutionary "NO!" Caesar will have actual grounds to execute him. If Jesus replies with a passive "yes" he will be alienated from those who might otherwise follow and listen to him (I should mention though, this is rarely a concern of Jesus'). The question remains.

Jesus bypasses the polarized responses of "yes" and "no" with, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax [...] Whose head is this, and whose title?" (v 20). Instinctively, I imagine, they reply, "The Emperor's," and here is Jesus' brilliance, "Give to the Emperor what is the Emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" (v 21).

We are left wondering, and in awe with all those originally present. This because Jesus' true genius is in what he doesn't say as much as it is in what he actually says. The image of Caesar that is imprinted on the coin is the reason why it should go back to Caesar, just as the holy imago Dei (image of God) imprinted on our hearts is the reason why we must dedicate our entire lives to service. This is the genius of the unsaid, through the spring of a Pharisaical trap Jesus gives a sovereign decree that we belong to God, that we bear his image.

Some have attempted to view this verse as a proof-text lack of care for the material world, they say, " it is only a 'spiritual world that Jesus cared about'". This incorrect exegesis, first creates a false dichotomy; in Jesus' world there is no sacred and secular, it's all sacred and Jesus does care very much about this world--second, it misses the cryptic in Jesus sovereign decree. Jesus is in fact charging us to live in this world as belonging to God. This, of course, shapes our actions. In the book of Acts (ch. 17:7) early critics of the Christians say, "They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus." While the world toils to satisfy self and perpetuates the fierce mechanism for what often passes as 'progress' Christians "[act] contrary" to the way of the world, the way of Caesar.

Christianity, stretching back far into Judaism, has always been counter-cultural. That is it has always thought culture to be both sinful and have graces. Acts 17:7 is a picture of that, the Christians in Acts are going against the grain of the world to offer hope, through salvation and healing. Apparently this threatened the religious and political regimes at the time, perhaps because they sensed that there was a new kingdom flourishing, the kingdom of God.

For us now, as Christians, we should instinctively (of course due to the Holy Spirit) reply "Jesus" when our identity is put into question. When someone wonders what political party, or theology we belong to are first response should be, "I am with Jesus."

Deuteronomy Chapter Five: The Two Spheres

"Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently" (Deut. ch. 5:1), this seems like the right place to start, with a call to assemble. Here Moses brings all of Israel together to listen to a list of commandments God has given them. As I have mentioned in past postings, this is a time of anticipation. However, anticipation often brings an ease in turning to the "right or the left" (v.32) and departing from the straight and narrow. The subtle draws of a promising future all to often give way to unfortunate ends, where the stuff of knowing God is exchanged for mere idolatry. This is what God wants to protect Israel from in Deuteronomy ch. five, and through the Ten Commandments.

Moses announces that the Lord established "this covenant" not with their ancestors but with all of them present (v.3). The covenant that Moses is refering to is the one that was initiated at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-24). Many of the Israelites hearing this in Deuteronomy wouldn't have been born at the time of Exodos ch. 19-24 so when Moses says, "Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, all of us here alive today" (v.3) he is sharing that the Ten Commandments have immediate importance with each of them, that the law is not something of the past but vastly important in their historical context. The Ten Commandments provide the framework for a faithful community and a faithful relationship with God.

Before I go into the Ten Commandments I should mention that until recently I had thought they were only for legalistic nuts or Charleton Heston. Now, through study of scripture and other 'wiser-than-me' authors I have come to believe that they still hold a prominent place within Christianity. I began to be turned on to this in John's Gospel. In the fourteenth and fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John Jesus seems to advocate the necessity of commandments, and the obedience to them (John 15:10, John 15:17, John 14:15). Jesus talks about commandments and love as if they were intertwined in a dance, central here is the idea that if we love Jesus we'll keep his commandments (our relationship to God, John 14:15), and if we are obedient to his message we will love one another (our relationship with each other John 15:17). The most important parts of life: God and each other.

In fact the Ten Commandments roughly break down into two spheres. The first four belong to our relationship with God and the following six relate to our relationship with each other or our community.

Here they go: (1) "I am the Lord your God" (that we'd acknowledge God's existence), (2) "You shall not make for yourself and idol," (that we'd not settle for anything less than God and that he'd receive true worship), (3) "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God," (that we'd not trample on the way we largely relate to God, through words), (4) "Remember the sabbath day" (that we'd acknowledge God's sovereignty over time by dedicating a day to him, and that we'd be agents of social justice by giving those under us a day off). These first four sanctify the following six--if we don't understand God then we will never truly understand the world, that is since he is sovereign over creation and the creator of creation.

Next are the following six: (5) "Honor your father and mother" (obedience to those who brought us into the world is important since they have more understanding and are responsible for us), (6)"You shall not murder" (Hmmm...no question), (7) "Neither shall you commit adultery" (again...no question), (8) "Neither shall you steal" (again), (9) "Neither shall you covet your neighbors wife (see the next one), (10) "Neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female slave," (wanting something that isn't yours can be very unhealthy if it takes away from expressing gratitude for what you have, as it usually does. Especially as seen in the prior commandment coveting people, or relationships, tears down social bonds and ruins community. The seed of covetnous leads us to undervalue the good of the 'present' while leading us forward down a destructive rabbit trail of "if I get this I'll be happy" or "consumerism").

Finally, Jesus bares witness to the importance the two spheres of these commandments when in the Gospel of Matthew he says the two most important commandments are " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [...] 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Here Jesus shows us what is of the utmost importance: God and people, this happens to be the core message of Deuteronomy five.

I know this is brief, considering the wieght of these commandments, but I hope that more than a list of 'do nots' they reveal a way to live in a faithful relationship with God and in a loving community.

Deuteronomy Chapter Four: Complacency is to Idolatry as Remembrance is to Thankfulness

"But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your mind, make them known to your children and your children's children" (4:9).

Idolatry happens when our hearts become complacent "After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time —if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol..." (4:25). It is after they settle in the land that Israel risks idolatry, is what we hear from this verse. Andrew Walls, former Missionary to Nigeria and now professor at the University of Edinburgh, says, "Hunters and Gatherers are the most likely to be aware of the High God," meaning that once a tribe settles it is able to cultivate and prepare its own food and therefore risks degenerating spiritually into local-agricultural Deity worship. Whereas the hunter and gatherers were immediately aware of their need for provision bringing them to worship an omniscient-sovereign God, the agriculturalists, or settlers, become in a sense complacent. They forget the God who provided for them while they were at their greatest need.

This statement rings true for Israel, that is why Moses tells Israel in Deuteronomy 4:9, "To [not] forget these things your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your mind." Israel has seen great displays of provision from an omniscient-sovereign God: freedom from slavery to a world power, water pouring out from rocks, bread from heaven, and the list goes on. If the Israelites let these great events of provision and freedom "slip from their mind" they will then regress into complacency, thus giving the perfect soil for idolatry and pride.

So, once Israel settles in the land of promise in one sense the sojourn will end in another it begins on a more significant level. The new journey that will begin is one of the heart; the Israelites must hold up what God has done for them above all other things. The true test for Israel is remaining faithful while living comfortably. Anyone will agree, it is only after having something that you risk taking it for granted, again, it is for this reason that Moses tells Israel, not to forget what God has done for them but to hold it up to the eyes of their heart.

As Christians we rest in another promised land, a new salvation has been given to us. Like Israel we risk idolatry and self-exaltation if we do not continually hold up what God has done on our behalf before the eyes of our heart. Complacency is the first step to sin, but remembrance of what God has done is the beginning of true peace and honest worship.

Deuteronomy Chapter Three: One Big No.

God gives Israel appetizers of the Promised Land in Deuteronomy ch.3, "for I have handed him over to you," (Deut. 3:2), the him being the King of Bashan (this came with all of his land). God then gives Israel the land of all the Amorites (Deut. 3:8), and to Joshua God says, "Your own eyes have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord will do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you" (Deut. 3:21-22).

Amongst all of this, the beginning of promise, Moses makes a plea to God, "O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your might; what god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours! Let me cross over to see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon," (Deut. 3:23-24). YHWH says no (Deut. 3:26). To understand why God might reply so harshly in a time of so much blessing we have to return to Deuteronomy ch. 1 where God first tells Moses that he is not to enter the Promised Land (v.37-38). Here we again witness the reality of sin. Sin destroys community, and creation but the worst effect is the offense it is to God. Think of it like this: when you offend someone do you always understand what, particularly, offended them? My response is often: "Are you serious, that little thing offended them?" What this tells us is that we are, at some level, detached from other people; we don't understand each other's hearts well enough to live in perfect community. It is this way with our relationship with God too. Sin is the ultimate offense to God. Oftentimes, we read the Old Testament or the Passion narrative in the Gospels and are left asking, "is sin really that big of a deal?" I believe that the answer is a hearty yes, the image we have signifying this reality is the cross of Christ; other than the crucifixion we have no frame of reference for establishing the level of offense sin is to God.

So when Moses asks God if he has changed his mind about allowing him entrance into the Promised Land God replies with a harsh "No". Here God isn't being a bully, no, rather Moses is failing to understand the gravity of sin, and his failure at keeping Israel out of sin (see chapter one). With that in view, we can see that God's grace lasts much longer than his anger (Deut 5:8-10) and his promise of the Promised Land remains a promise for Israel through the Hebrew Bible and on into the intertestamental period until Jesus initiates a new promised land in himself.

Thoughts While Walking Down Stairs

Background Thought: Carry out your theology to its logical ends... be consistent.


I was walking down the stairs from my classroom yesterday (I'm a fifth grade teacher), and my mind sort of switched on to a make believe argument with a Christian who is stuck on the issue of evolution vs. creationism. My mind sometimes does this. I hear an argument again in my head and I almost verbally respond to it as if it is really taking place, but it's all in my head. Anyways enough commentary on my thoughts. It seems to me that there are two main reasons why Christians think evolution is evil, a grand scheme of the devil to eradicate the Christian religion (you know, something like Harry Potter). I want to address these two reasons and ask some questions at the end.

The first reason is that it eliminates God from the picture and is an alternate explanation of how things came into being. So a Christian would want to argue in such a way as to prove that God exists and that everything came from him, instead of natural processes. That is not a hill that any of us can climb, and who are we to be God's advocate? The evidence of creation is clear enough to me- God can defend himself, and I'll hide behind him. Arguments from this reason are not very convincing because they take a changed heart to believe.

The second reason is one that I have heard often. Evolution places people on the same level as every other organism. By saying that we are just another species of mammal, we are denying God's special plan and design for humans. I think that Christians would like to preserve the dignity of humans so they can be saved - Christ came to save people, so we better make sure we aren't just a higher species of ape, we're people, and so we can be saved. The other day a person told me that a reason why suicide rates among young people are increasing all the time is because they are saturated with the ideas of evolution and so their lives are considered as meaningless. If they are just an animal, then what is there to live for? I agree with the diagnosis that their lives are purposeless, so they turn to suicide, but not because of evolutionary thought. Another friend said that it might be more dangerous to watch the Discovery Channel or read National Geopgraphic than watch MTV. I have never thought that humans have very much trouble placing themselves on "top." The human propensity to being godlike is incredible. Do we think that a century of evolutionary thought can change the human so much? I think that this is where evolutionists and Christians agree. Evolution places humans on the top of creation, and so does Christian thought- Christ came to save us, so we are the "top" reason he came. It is here that the Christian argument against evolution actually works against them. The gospel only penetrates the heart when it is softened and turned outwards to God, away from itself. Humans are by nature hard-hearted and self-exalting. Suicide can even be called the highest act of selfism or defiance there is- you took your own live, you are alone in the universe, you take orders from no one but yourself, God is not in charge of life and death, I am. My point is this: humans have no problem placing themselves on a pedestal. Lots of Christian thought also places them on a pedestal- the centerpiece of creation. What I'm saying is that the Christian arguments put people just as far from God as evolutionary arguments do.
Let's think where our arguments might lead before we begin them. For example, why are many Christians afraid that homosexuality will be proven to be genetic? Do they think that our genetic codes are free from the bondage and decay of the fall? No, let's not be surprised if sin is proven to be genetic, lets rejoice that God's word is true- we are sinners by nature. The truth is much deeper than we think. Let's be careful as we handle the truth, let it shape us, and not us wielding and shaping us.

What do you think? Do the common Christian arguments against evolution keep people in their prideful state and far away from Christ? If you agree, do Christians do this with other issues as well?

Deuteronomy Chapter Two: To Take and Give

We start to see some spiritual maturation in Israel in Deuteronomy Chapter two. Wherein the previous chapter we saw the sin of Israel exposed for what was when Moses tells us, "The Amorites who lived in that hill country then came out against you and chased you as bees do. They beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah. When you returned and wept before the Lord, the Lord would neither heed your voice nor pay you any attention" (1:45), this is where are left, a stark picture but an honest one if sin is the portrait.

Chapter two begins with God ending a period of literal repentance, "we journeyed back in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord had told me and skirted Mount Seir for many days. Then the Lord said to me: "You have been skirting this hill country long enough. Head north, and charge the people as follows [...]" (2:1). God then directs Moses to turn back towards the promised land. We might empathize at this point, for how often are we turned away from a promise in repentance, only for God to turn us back--when He see's fit.

Moses is then directed to head north through the territory of Esau where they are not to engage in battle for God "will not give you even so much as a foot's length of their land, since I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession" (2:5). Then Moses is called to lead Israel through the land of the Moabites. Again, God warns Israel through Moses not to attack the Moabites, "for [he] will not give any of its land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession of the descendants of Lot" (2:9). Simply put, Israel's spiritual maturity is seen in them listening to their Lord. Where the previous chapter we saw the sin of Israel, and it's fatal end, here we see obedience and its blessing, "I have handed over to you King Sihon the Amorite of Heshbon, and his land" (2:24).

In this chapter we also might take note of the difference between "given" and "taken". Here, God gives a land to Israel, but he is also specific about which land. He does not give Israel the land of the Moabites, nor does he give them the land he promised to the descendants of Lot. The point is, that land is not for them, God has already given it to a different people. If, like the previous chapter, Israel decided to take a land that was not theirs (e.g. the Moabites land) the end would be, again, fatal. To take what is not first given is sin, and self-focused, but to receive of what God has given to you can be, in a sense, can be humbling because to receive is to simultaneously say, "I did not provide for this by myself" and "I am in need of this". The gladness of the receiver's heart acknowledges the grace of the giver.

Also, there is a natural ease that comes with receiving, and a natural dis-ease that comes with taking. The ease in receiving exists because God, who is eternal, creates a conclusion to an event before it has been actualized, this is clear when God says to the Israelites, "The Lord your God, who goes before you, is the one who will fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your very eyes, and in the wilderness, where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child [...]" (Deut. 1:30-31). However, the one who takes and does not receive wages war against an already resolved conclusion, thus the fatal end we witnessed at the end of Deuteronomy chapter one. The second problem that the "taker" creates is a frustration with God's desires, or to put it simply: they mess with the people humbly waiting on God. This is part of the fallen world, where "toil" happens because people in high and low positions are struggling against a God's desires.

Along with the Israelites we too are called to "receive of" not "take from". Salvation, at the core of Christian belief, depends alone on God. He not only gave himself as a ransom for many by dying on the cross, but he also reveals himself to us; are part in the relationship is to receive.

We must daily ask ourselves, what in us is making war against God's heart and his purposes. When we feel we have an answer, repentance is the solution. The first question, however, should be: "What is God's heart, for me and my community and all the nations."

Deuteronomy Chapter One: A Need To Turn Away

I've been reading through Deuteronomy and have been seeing some things open up to me. I'll try to share one a week. Here is one on Deutronomy chapter one.

Bryan

In Deut. 1:27 it says, "You grumbled in your tents and said, 'the Lord hates us, so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us." Moses rebukes them, telling them, "Do not be terrified, do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did in Egypt, before your very eyes" (1:29-30). Still they are afraid. Rather than hesitate, or stutter step, towards their land, they all together reject it. And then...enter God: "Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers...And the little ones that you thought would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad--they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. But as for you turn around and set towards the desert along the route to the Red Sea" (1:35, 39-40). Then, upon hearing this they try to atone, or put things right, for their sin. Instead of following God's new command and literally repenting (going back to the Red Sea), they say in effect, "Well, O.K. I guess I'll do it," this is akin to the child who tell his father that the task assigned him is to big:

"But Dad, the garage is huge, I really don't want to clean it; even if you will give it to me as my own hang-out space."
"Well then son, I'll discipline you."
"No, No, No--O.K I'll clean it."

In this analogy we see God's fierce desire to provide. Though God appears, at a first read, to be tyrannical a closer look shows us that the real picture is the tension that is naturally created between a holy and loving God and an obstinate and hard-headed people. God desires to bless his people with land and Israel, like spoiled children, tell him "No, it's just to much effort," even though Moses makes it clear that it will be God that will be providing everything they need to succeed in battle (1:29-30). God, instead, confers the promised land to a generation that do not yet know "right from wrong" (1:39b), perhaps implying that He will raise them up to know his ways, so that they will be fit for the promised land*.

Of course, they go anyway in so doing they reject the path of repentance of sin that God has laid out for them (1:40) and they fall deeper into sin by trying to make things "right" on their own terms, by attempting to atone for themselves. So, the end of the chapter is grim, "And you came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you" (1:45).

*on this note the Bible is not explicit

Entering Rest

This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem. Say to them, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates. This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers.

Jeremiah 17:11-22

The text above first sounds intruding; our initial reaction might be "What if I have business to do on the Sabbath. Should I just not do it then? And why the specifications on 'heavy loads'?" After listening to the text, many times over, I remembered Jesus saying, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-29). In this light God's command for his people to rest is less fire and brimstone then it is a compassionate plea that his people not be burdened; "be careful not to carry a heavy load on the Sabbath day." When we carry heavy loads, when we burden our minds or hearts with pounds of stress we reject the light load of Jesus. Rather than heed Jesus' plea to lay down our burdens we turn inward, telling ourselves that we must accomplish "X" or we will be failures. This whole way of thinking is founded on human effort, human accomplishment, human progress.

In God's command for Israel to observe the Sabbath we hear him tell us to turn away from the grotesque spirit that drives us forward like clockwork. Again his command to Jerusalem is no different from Jesus' "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The truth of the matter is that it is only his load that is light and his yoke that is easy.

The author of the book of Hebrews writes, " anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience" (Hebrews 4:10). The rest that Hebrews talks about is the very rest that we hear about in Jeremiah and Matthew, that of Sabbath rest. In Christ we have the ability to partake of that rest continually, rather than bracketing it off to a day, by realizing that only the Lord is sovereign and that the method of worldly accomplishment is counter to the cry of Christ, "all who are weary, and burdened and I will give you rest."

True Belief

About the Holy Spirit Jesus said that “when he comes he will prove the world wrong about sin and […]: about sin because people do not believe in me” (John 16:8-10). It seems odd that Holy Spirit doesn’t convict the world of sin because, perhaps, the world lacks a moral compass. No. The Holy Spirit “proves the world wrong about sin […] because people do not believe in [him].” Though initially peculiar a deeper look at this passage, I feel, can reveal a theological vista. It is through belief that humans actually become moral beings; that is what the verse tells us.

Orthodoxy and orthopraxy are two words we don’t hear very often. Orthodoxy we might associate with a strict group of far-right moralists, but literally it simply means: right belief. Someone can have orthodox beliefs about a chair, for instance: it is for sitting in. Orthopraxy is the even lesser known word, it means: right action. The two words are intrinsically related. For instance it is only after a person has an orthodox view of a chair that the person can use the chair in accord with orthopraxy. Right belief and right action are related in this way, in a twirling dance, belief leading action.

*

As I watch the news I am stunned and saddened by some current events. We don’t have to focus on events like 9/11 or the multitude of natural disasters; events at home: a divorce in the family, or an infant death, speaks loudly enough. But there is also plenty of good too; with every natural disaster there seems to be a well-spring of human aid and money raised. But, more simply, we can witness everyday kindness in a car stopping for someone to cross the street, rather plainly just some going out of their way.

It seems to me as I meet new people and continue to develop other relationships that there are people who seem to either focus on the negativity or the good stuff. Some watch the news and see things like global warming, natural disasters, war, and famine. For them the world is a gloomy place lacking hope, deficient in future possibility. On the other hand there are people who believe the world is ‘just great’. They focus on things like: human progress, countries forgiving third-world debt, or the recent successes of a family member. Both types of people don’t have a right view of the world.

Right belief of the world, or an orthodox view of the world—in general terms—is acknowledging both the good and the bad, the sin and the saving power. Christian theology tells us that we are in tension between the “already” and the “not yet”. A Christian way of understanding the world sees the impending judgment of sin and the future of a new creation where there is no famine—where peace reigns and everyone rejoices in the love of their creator. Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, it starts out small but grows to the largest of plants. While Jesus has placed the seed of hope in the ground by dying and being raised again (the “already” mentioned above) the seed of his kingdom is still growing (the “not yet”).

*

It may sound odd but before belief was something you thought it was something you did. In the Middle Ages the word belief was actually two words: by + life; this way people knew what you believed by your life, belief was lived out belief, not lip-service belief.

So, if we live in a world with both sin and God’s saving power we must share Christ, through word and deed, because it is only after the humans acknowledge Jesus as the Lord that the seed of hope grows a new shoot reaching out. Admitting the struggle and sin is the only way to peace; having an orthodox view of the world is the first step to right action in it.