Tag: Bible studies

The Gravity of Sin and the Righteousness of God

The Gravity of Sin and the Righteousness of God

Marissa

A couple weeks ago, I came across a post on Pinterest that I can’t stop thinking about. It was a screenshot of a Twitter exchange from 2020 between Joshua D. Jones and James White. Jones’s original post talks about how it’s surprising that so many Christians try to apologize for the fact that God kills people in the Bible. The part that struck me, though, was White’s reply. He said, “That’s because there are truly very few who have ever come to the firm conclusion, ‘My sin is so heinous before a holy God He has always had the right to destroy me at any point, no questions asked.'”

Quick disclaimer: I don’t know anything about Jones and very little about White (though I do recognize the name). I’m not necessarily endorsing either of them, but this particular exchange has given me a lot to think about and I want to spend some time on the topic today.

screenshot of a Twitter post and reply. Post by Joshua D. Jones says "Yes, God kills people in the Bible. Lots even. What's surprising is how many Christians try to apologize for God's behavior." The reply by James White says, "That's because there are truly very few who have ever come to the firm conclusion, 'My sin is so heinous before a holy God He has always had the right to destroy me at any point, no questions asked.'"

The Sovereignty of God

When we read about cities, people groups, and individuals in the Bible that God chose to wipe out, we often wonder how He could be so cruel. But as I ponder this James White quote and some of the news stories I’ve read in the past few weeks about horrible things that people do to each other, I think that’s the wrong perspective. We shouldn’t be shocked when God kills people; we should marvel at His incredible mercy for not killing more of us.

This mental shift still doesn’t entirely make me comfortable with some of the stories in the Bible. There are many times when God instructed His people to slaughter all the inhabitants of a city, including children and infants. The thought makes me feel ill. I know, though, that God has a different perspective on death than we do and that those people will be resurrected in the future. I also know, and this is aligned with White’s point, that God is sovereign. He has the right to give or take life (Job 1:21; John 10:17-18), the right to issue legal judgements, and the authority to carry out those judgments in line with His righteous Law (Ps. 7:10-12; 9:7-8; Lam. 1:18; Ezekiel 18). My feelings about it don’t change the fact that God has the right to decide who lives and dies or that He can order their deaths, then bring them back to life another time.

Faith often involves trusting God even when we don’t understand what He is doing. Usually, we talk about that on a personal level. We know we need to trust God even though we don’t know why some people are battling cancer, some are struggling to get out of poverty, and some are mourning loved ones who died young. It’s not easy to accept, but Christians talk about these sorts of things and encourage each other. Sometimes, we also talk about needing to trust Him with big-picture stuff. Usually, that’s in the context of trusting God while things in the world get worse and worse. But we don’t often talk about the times when it seems like God is the one that caused something bad because it’s harder for us to rationalize. I say “seems to” because no matter what we might think from our limited human perspectives, God is always good. It is hard to accept that His judgement is just as much motivated by goodness as His mercy is, but scripture indicates that is true even when we don’t understand how.

Image of hands folded on on open Bible overlaid with text from Is. 42:5, 7, NET version: “I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God. ... I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things.”
Image by Matt Vasquez from Lightstock

The Gravity of My Sin

Going back to the Twitter post that motivated this article, one of the things I was struck by is how personal White makes his statement. He said people are surprised by God killing people “because there are truly very few who have ever come to the firm conclusion, ‘My sin is so heinous before a holy God He has always had the right to destroy me at any point, no questions asked.'” White doesn’t say that people don’t realize that others’ sins are bad enough for God to kill them. He reminds us that all of us have sinned and that means God has the right to destroy any one of us at any point.

We spend so much time focused on God’s grace and mercy (as we rightly should) that we sometimes forget why we need grace and mercy in the first place. It might slip our minds that we’re included when Paul says “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” that “you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness,” and that “the payoff of sin is death” (Rom. 3:23; 6:19, 23, NET). God has the right to execute us for our sins. He told humanity that from the beginning: if we follow Him we’ll live, but if we sin even once we’ll die.

Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. Those verses I just quoted from Romans are interspersed with the Good News: “they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” and “now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life” (Rom. 3:24; 6:22, NET). We don’t have to die for our sins because Jesus died in our place. We need to hold the truth of the severity of sin and the incredible grace of God in our minds at the same time, lest we despise the Lord’s grace, forget what He has done, and become unrepentant sinners again (1 Cor. 6:9-11; 2 Pet. 1:3-11). Note that I said “unrepentant sinners.” God knows we’re not perfect, and Jesus continues to wash us clean when we repent after missing the mark. The danger comes when we decide our sins are no big deal and we can live however we like without bothering to obey God.

For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God’s enemies. … For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. …

But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Hebrews 10:26-27, 30-31, 39 NET (bold italics mark quotations from Deut. 32:35-36)

The Fear of the Lord

Image of two women studying a Bible overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "God has a plan, and it's a good plan that we can trust even when we are uncomfortable and lack full understanding."
Image by Ryan Klintworth from Lightstock

As I write this post, it reminds me of a line from a Christian song: “I think I made you too small. I never fear you at all” (Addison Road, 2008, “What Do I Know of Holy?”). Over and over, we hear that “fear the Lord” in the Bible really means to respect God. And that is true, but the Hebrew word used in all those verses in Proverbs is yare, and it has five main meanings (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, entry 907). Those meanings include “the emotion of fear” as well as “reverence or awe.” It can also be synonymous with “righteous living,” possibly because of ancient people seeing “fear,” in either the terror or awe sense, “as the motivation which produced righteous living” (TWOT). Our respect should include the knowledge that God can be terrifying to the unrighteous. “With the Lord as the object,” the word yare “captures the tension of shrinking back in fear and drawing close in awe and adoration” (NET translation note on Prov. 1:7).

The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord,
and acknowledging the Holy One is understanding. …

Fearing the Lord prolongs life,
but the life span of the wicked will be shortened.

Proverbs 9:10; 10:27, NET

Sometimes, we might think we have God figured out. We might think that He is safe, predictable, or fits into a box. But when we underestimate Him or limit our right and proper fear of Him, we risk falling into the condemnation of ancient Israel when they decided it was okay to offer lesser sacrifices, described serving the Lord as a tiresome burden, and said things that God made holy are common. Then, they had the nerve to be surprised when God said they dishonored His name (Mal. 1:6-14).

God doesn’t mind us asking questions. He doesn’t condemn us for wrestling with doubts. He doesn’t berate us when we don’t understand something. But if we approach questions like, “Why does God kill people in the Bible?” and then come away with the conclusion that God must have been wrong, then it’s a problem. He is not okay with it when we decide we know better than He does. In essence, it’s committing idolatry as we put ourselves before God. Right and proper fear of God–not our own human reasoning–is the foundation for discernment, wisdom, and understanding. We need to remember that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Is. 55:8-9), that He sees and understands things we don’t even know about, and that our feelings about His actions don’t change the essential rightness of everything He does.

It requires humility to truly acknowledge the Lord is righteous while we are wicked, but that is the truth of the matter (Dan. 9:4-5). We shouldn’t be shocked when God decided that people groups or individuals had to die for their wickedness. It should impress us with fear, awe, and reverence for Him, much the same as Ananias and Sapphira’s deaths did to the fledgling New Testament church (Acts 5:1-11). It can also make us think of God’s mercy towards wicked people that He does not kill and affords an opportunity for repentance; we have all benefited from that and humanity continues to do so today (2 Pet. 3:8-9). And for those who did die in those Bible stories that make us uncomfortable, we can remember that God has a different perspective on death than we do and that He will bring everyone back to life in one of the resurrections after Jesus’s return (see “Rethinking Heaven” and “Rethinking Hell”). He has a plan, and it’s a good plan that we can trust even when we are uncomfortable and lack full understanding.

Featured image by Jantanee from Lightstock

Song Recommendation: “What Do I Know Of Holy” by Addison Road

Click here to learn more about these books or to order a copy.
Wrestling with Judges 19-21

Wrestling with Judges 19-21

Marissa

Judges 19-21 is undeniably one of the most troubling narratives in the Bible. The story begins horrifically and keeps going from bad to worse. A Levite man’s concubine is raped and murdered in the town of Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin after he shoves her out the door into a mob. He cuts her body up, sends her to each of the tribes of Israel, and the men respond by raising a huge army of 400,000 warriors and sending them against Benjamin to demand justice. The Benjaminites met with an army of 26,700 men. In a series of three day attacks, Israel lost 30,000 men before overrunning the men of Benjamin. Only 600 Benjaminite survivors escaped into the wilderness. 

It is not explicitly stated that the Israelite army then murdered every woman and child in the territory of Benjamin, just that they burned every city in Benjamin’s land, but by the time they are done there are no women left for those 600 escaped Benjamite soldiers to marry and rebuild the tribe. Realizing this, “The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They said, ‘Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel! How can we find wives for those who are left?'” (Jud. 21:6-7, NET). The “solution” involves killing everyone in the town of Jabesh Gilead except for 400 virgins they give to Benjamin. Then the elders of Israel give the remaining 200 men from the mascaraed tribe of Benjamin permission to steal virgins gathered for an annual festival in Shiloh to be their wives.

I can’t even begin to wrap my head around how many people died in this horrific chapter in ancient Israel history. The numbers we are given tell us 65,100 fighting men died. That doesn’t include the remainder of the tribe of Benjamin (men past fighting age, women, and children) or all the people of Jabesh Gilead. It’s horrific. And the solution is almost equally horrifying: turn 600 women over to those 600 men and force them to rebuild the tribe. The Bible doesn’t shy away from discussing violence, but there is “atypical and excessive use of violence within Judges 19–21” (Matheny, 2018, p. 286). It stands out even among other violent stories as particularly horrible.

Image of folded hands resting on an open Bible, overlaid with text from Judges 21:23, 25, NET version: "The Benjaminites did as instructed. They abducted 200 of the dancing girls to be their wives. They went home to their own territory, rebuilt their cities, and settled down. ... In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right."
Image by Pearl from Lightstock

A Biblical Fiction Perspective

Whenever I read this section of scripture, I wonder what it was like for those women. This is the longest narrative in the book of Judges (Matheny, 2018), yet it still only gives us a history-level narrative rather than a human-level one. One of the reasons that I love reading well-researched Biblical fiction is because it helps bring the Bible narratives down to an individual, human level as the author and reader explore what life would could have been like to live in those days. Books like that give voices (albeit fictional ones) to people who are silent in historic records. It would be very, very easy to write any book about this incident as a horror story. I am a hopeless romantic, though, so I desperately want to believe that at least some of these poor women found good lives with their unexpected husbands.

As far as I can find out, there are only two fictionalized accounts of this moment in Biblical history. I read Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey by Barbara M. Britton back in 2019 and after recently rereading the book of Judges, I read Warrior of the Heart by Mary Ellen Boyd just this past week. Both follow the story of one of the women captured during the feast at Shiloh. Both hypothesize a man (strangely, named Eliab in both novels) scarred by the past few months, repentant for his role in the atrocities, and committed to making the best of the situation and treating his new wife well. Both show a woman wrestling with whether to accept this as God’s will and eventually falling in love with her husband.

Violence against women (though certainly not exclusively against women) is so much a part of world history, and it can be especially discouraging to see it in scripture because sometimes we wonder if that means God is okay with this sort of thing. One of the things we have to remember when reading passages like this is that just because it’s in the Bible doesn’t mean God approved of what happened. There are a lot of stories, especially in the Old Testament, that are a cautionary tales and proof that human beings mess things up horribly when they don’t follow God’s way.

Perspective from Ruth

Image of a woman studying the Bible, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "Judges 19-21 is undeniably one of the most horrific narratives in the Bible. Reading Biblical fiction and comparing Judges with the Book of Ruth can help us gain perspective on why the story might be included in scripture, and reassure us that Judges 19-21 was not God's final word on the topic of women or on the subject of building a righteous community."
Image by Pearl from Lightst

This story in Judges begins with the words, “In those days Israel had no king” (Jud. 19:1, NET) and it ends by saying, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes” (Jud. 21:25, WEB). They weren’t following God as their king the way they were supposed to, there wasn’t a righteous human ruler there to enforce God’s law, and people just did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. This story shows just how very wrong people can be when they think they are doing what is right. It provides context for why God answered the way He did when Israel asked for a king: “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do everything the people request of you. For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king'” (1 Sam. 8:7, NET). The community cannot be trusted to govern themselves even when they have God’s Law, as the tragedy in Judges 19-21 proved (Cohen, 2020).

In traditional English Bibles, the reading order of books in the Hebrew Bible goes from Judges, to Ruth, to 1 Samuel. Originally, the order was Judges immediately followed by 1 Samuel (Ruth was placed with Psalms, Proverbs, etc.). The original placement underscores the connection between everything that happened in Judges and the transition to Israel as a monarchy. The more recent placement, though, makes sense from a historic and literary level. Ruth takes place during the time of Judges (Ruth 1:1) and some scholars believe that “its placement in the Septuagint and Vulgate immediately after Judges” helps show “Judges 19–21 and Ruth are in dialogue” with each other (Matheny, 2018, p. 1-2). The silent, violated women of the book of Judges give way to the vocal, respected women in Ruth. In her thesis (which I will admit I have not read in it’s entirety yet), Matheny argues that “the story of Ruth can be read as a voice of canonical ethical response” to the Judges narrative, offering “an alternative voice of non-violence” after the horrors of Judges 19-21 (2018, p. 2-3). She bases her claim on close readings of the text, their position in canon, genre similarities (both can be read as parables/fables), and the use of language.

Ruth is one of my favorite Biblical stories. It has an “early and almost undisputed acceptance in the canons” of scripture, and there is no reason not to think it was meant to stand alongside the Law and the Prophets, perhaps even “as a commentary on those sections of scripture” (along with the other Writings like Psalms and Proverbs) (Matheny, 2018, p. 12). The Book of Ruth bridges the time of Judges and the time of Kings, both in a literary sense by coming between Judges and 1 Samuel in modern canon and in a literal sense as she and Boaz are King David’s great-grandparents (Ruth 4:17). Interestingly, the first king of Israel, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:17-21) and the next king, David, was from the town of Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah, just like the woman killed in Judges 19 (Judges 19:1-2; 1 Samuel 17:12). I’m not sure if that means anything, but it sure is intriguing.

Another connection between Ruth and the Judges 19-21 story can be found in the original Hebrew language. For example, Naomi’s sons are not said to have “‘taken’ a wife, they נשא אשה (1:4). The verb, נשא ‘lifted/carried’ wives for themselves, Moabites which means ‘to lift’ or ‘to carry’ connotes the issues of Ruth and Orpah as other, as foreign women. This is the same verb used at the end of Judges in the scene where the Benjamite men ‘lift’ and ‘carry’ wives for themselves at the festival dance in Judges 21:23” (Matheny, p. 299). That does not necessarily mean that Ruth and Orpah were taken against their will (it may simply underscore their status as non-Israelites) but it does provide a concrete link in the language of the two texts.

Ruth serves as a way pointing forward with an extraordinary display of חסד (“loving–kindness,” “covenant–faithfulness”), of self-sacrifice for the other. With the story of Ruth beginning with death and ending with life, it becomes clear that this story was meant to be one of the canonical voices of answerability to the horror and violence witnessed in Judges. It is as if the text of Judges 19–21 is calling out for a king to make things right and one reply comes in the form of a story about women, and in particular, a Moabite woman named Ruth.

Matheny, 2018, p. 327

Reading Biblical fiction and examining the Book of Ruth as a possible answer to what happened in Judges 19-21 does not make the account any less horrific. But it can help us gain perspective on why the story might be included in scripture, and reassure us that the hopelessness and horror at the end of Judges was not God’s final word on the topic of women or on the subject of building a righteous community.

References

Featured image by MarrCreative from Lightstock

Song Recommendation: “Even If” by MercyMe

Click here to learn more about these books or to order a copy.
Filled With Wonder by A Wonderful God

Filled With Wonder by A Wonderful God

Marissa

One of the things I do every week on the Sabbath to help set it apart from other days is play Christian music. My toddler and I both love music, so we have something on every morning and a good part of the rest of the day. For the Sabbath, we have a playlist of contemporary Christian, Messianic music, and traditional hymns. We were listening to this playlist on the drive to church services a couple weeks ago, and Jean Watson’s version of a song called “Wonder” came on (here’s a YouTube link). Her music often strikes a cord with me; it feels so worshipful and the lyrics and style help me feel connected to the Lord. This particular song is one of my favorites, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since that day.

Here’s a link to the full lyrics (which I won’t quote here for copyright reasons). The song is a sort of prayer/blessing expressing the desire that God’s people “never lose” their “wonder” at Him. It’s a call to sit and stare at “the King” and appreciate His beauty. It’s using the word “wonder” in a sense that I don’t think we often consider. In this context, “wonder” means “the quality of exciting amazed admiration” and “rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience” (Merriam-Webster, “wonder,” noun, meanings 2 and 3).

When was the last time you thought about God with “amazed admiration” and focused on Him “with rapt attention or astonishment” simply because He is awesome?

I think it’s easy for us to avoid feeling wonder. We’re busy people living in a busy world, and wonder requires time to rest, to meditate on God’s nature, and to marvel at all He is and does. We also live in a scientific, logical world where we expect things to be explainable by normal means, and wonder involves recognizing there’s something higher, inexplicable, and marvelous than all that. We also tend to be self-focused and self-reliant, and wonder involves looking outside ourselves and standing in awe of the glorious God.

Image of a man pushing open doors to go outside overlaid with text from Exodus 15:11, NET version: "Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, working wonders?"
Image by Pearl from Lightstock

The Wonders of God

Interestingly, while expressions of wonder and amazement directed at God are a big part of the Bible (particularly in the psalms), most of the time the word is used it’s talking about the “wonders” that God does. This happens a lot when Biblical writers talk about God doing wonders among the Egyptians and delivering Israel (Ex. 3:20; 11:9-10; Deut. 4:34; 6:22; 7:19; 26:8; 1 Sam. 6:6; Ps. 105. 26; 106:7; 135:9; Neh. 9:10; Jer. 32:20-21; Acts 7:36) as well as wonders He worked or promised to work for them as they inherited the Promised Land (Ex. 34:9-10; Josh. 3:5).

Oh give thanks to Yahweh.
Call on his name.
Make what he has done known among the peoples.
Sing to him.
Sing praises to him.
Tell of all his marvelous works.
Glory in his holy name.
Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
Seek Yahweh and his strength.
Seek his face forever more.
Remember his marvelous works that he has done,
his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,
you offspring of Israel his servant,
you children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

1 Chronicles 16:8-13, WEB

We are meant to remember the wonderous things God has done and express our amazement and appreciation, as King Nebuchadnezzar, did (Daniel 4:2-4; 6:26-28) and as Bible writers did in Job, Psalms, and Isaiah (Job 9:10; 37:4; 42:3; Ps. 40:5; 65:8; 77:11; 89:5; 107:8; 111:3-4; 136:3-5; 139:13-14; Isaiah 25:1; 29:14). The first verse I thought of when I decided to write about this topic is one of those Psalms:

I will remember Yah’s deeds;
    for I will remember your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all your work,
    and consider your doings.
Your way, God, is in the sanctuary.
    What god is great like God?
You are the God who does wonders.
    You have made your strength known among the peoples.
You have redeemed your people with your arm,
    the sons of Jacob and Joseph. 

Psalm 77:11-15, WEB

In a world where so many people don’t believe in miracles or think they were only something for Bible times, not our modern age, we might not often think of the Lord as “the God who does wonders.” It’s something I think we ought to consider, though. We can, like the Psalmists, remember God’s “wonders of old” and “meditate on all” the work He is doing. Perhaps that will also help us open our eyes to notice the wonders He is doing today.

Reacting With Wonder

Image of a woman with her hand raised in prayer, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "A sense of wonder can be hard to come by in today's world, but it is one of the things that we should feel for our amazing, wonderful God."
Image by Pearl from Lightstock

God works amazing wonders, in the past and today. He is, by His very nature, wonderful. And when Jesus came–God in the flesh–people noticed. One of the things we see people in the Bible wondering at are the wonderful works and words of Jesus Christ (Luke 4:22; 13:17; 24:41).

Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.

Matthew 15:23031, WEB

Contrast this reaction with those of the Jewish leaders who refused to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Before Jesus’s final Passover and crucifixion, “when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonderful things he did … they became indignant” (Matt. 21:15, NET). The wonders that Jesus did confirmed that He was truly the Messiah (Acts 2:22) and the wonders that His followers did after His death and resurrection proved the truth of the gospel (Acts 2:43; 4:29-30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:1-4).

The contrast in how new believers and stubborn, resistant religious leaders reacted to God’s wonders continued after Jesus’s death. When God healed a lame man through Peter and John in Acts 3, the people “were filled with wonder and amazement” (Acts 3:10, WEB) and “many of those who had listened to the message believed” (Acts 4:4, NET). But the religious leaders angrily confronted the apostles and put them in jail (Acts 4:1-22). The next day, “After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising God for what had happened” (Acts 4:21, NET). Instead of believing when they saw wonders, they threatened the men God chose to work through.

Holding on to wonder is important to faith. We need to make sure we recognize the awesome majesty of the God Who Does Wonders. Now, that doesn’t mean we just believe whatever we see; we are warned about “lying wonders” that could lead people astray at the end times (2 Thes. 2:9; Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22). We must exercise discernment to avoid being taken in by counterfeit Messiahs, but at the same time we should not let our vigilance make us blind to true wonders nor dull our sense of wonder (Acts 2:16-21; 13:38-41). A sense of wonder can be hard to come by in today’s world, but it is one of the things that we should feel for our amazing, wonderful God.

Featured image by Pearl from Lightstock

Song Recommendation: “Wonder” by Amanda Cook

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Inheriting Our Hope by Faith and Perseverance

Inheriting Our Hope by Faith and Perseverance

Marissa

There are so many encouraging Bible passages, and many of them also give us hints as to what we should focus on to maintain a correct mindset as we do our best to live godly lives. It is easy for our perspective to shift away from how God sees things to a narrower, world-focused view if we are not vigilant about holding onto the vision He gives us. Scriptures that mention the rewards God has in store for those who maintain their focus on Him can also help us figure out how to maintain that focus. Today, I want to look at one such passage in Hebrews.

Hebrews 6 begins by saying that we need to progress beyond the foundational principles of faith (“repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” [Heb. 6:1-2, WEB]). Once we’re solid on the foundations, we’re supposed to keep learning and growing. With that reminder, the author of Hebrews then delivers one of the most sobering warnings in the entire Bible.

For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt.

Hebrews 6:4-6, NET

That’s a frightening thing to think about. Our salvation is securely assured on God’s side of things, but we can still “lose” it in the sense that we can choose to utterly reject the gifts that God has given us. Most warnings in the Bible don’t just stand on their own, though. Whenever you see a “something horrible will happen if you do this” statement, there’s almost always a “but something wonderful will happen if you do this” statement close by to give us guidance and encouragement.

But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:9-12, NET

This is the section of scripture that caught my eye a couple weeks ago and inspired today’s study. There’s a lot of encouragement here. God is not unjust, nor does He ignore and forget the things that we do to serve Him and His people. We don’t need to worry that we won’t be good enough for Him so long as we keep trying. He only rejects those who fully understood His gifts and yet contemptuously reject Him, not those who are struggling. It is better, though, to “not be sluggish,” and so the writer of Hebrews warns us and then urges us onward.

There are two specific things the author of Hebrews seeks: “we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end” and to be “imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.” Those are the two things I want to focus on today.

Image of a grassy field with a few trees and a misty sky overlaid with text from Hebrews 6:11-12, TLV version: "But we long for each of you to show the same eagerness for the certainty of hope to the very end—so you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those inheriting the promises through trust and perseverance."
Image by W P from Pixabay

Eager for Hope

We passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:11-12, NET

Laundry, dishes, going to work, cleaning the toilet, scooping cat litter, cooking meals, reading depressing news stories–it can all pile up until it starts to feel like that’s the only thing going on in your life with a few windows for hobbies, Bible study, and friends. But we need to remember that the day-to-day things are not actually the most important things in our lives. When we follow God, we have a hope for the future that contextualizes everything else.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.

Romans 6:22-25, NET

The groaning and suffering is temporary. The redemption of our bodies will be just the start of our eternity in God’s family. We ought to remember that, and eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of our hope. When we can look ahead, we can more easily hold on to the joy and peace that God offers to His people.

Faith and Perseverance

Image of a grassy hill under a cloudy sky, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "No one has an easy road to the kingdom of God, but with His help we can hold onto hope and inherit the promises."
Image by Aria Film from Pixabay

We passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:11-12, NET

We inherit God’s promises through faith and perseverance. Faith in scripture is a very active thing; we don’t just passively have faith, we demonstrate it by our actions and it transforms our lives. When our faithfulness, steadfastness, and trustworthiness in relation to the covenant commitment we’ve made to follow God is tested, that testing produces endurance or perseverance.

My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

James 1:2-4, NET

Perseverance and endurance are closely related concepts. In Greek, it’s makrothumia (G3115) and hupomone (G5281). Makrothumia, used in Hebrews 6, means “patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance” (Thayer’s definition). It is also translated “longsuffering” in some verses. Hupomone, used in James 1 and 1 Timothy 6, carries the idea of “steadfastness, constancy, endurance.” It is “characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith” no matter what he is called upon to endure. (Thayer’s definition). The words are very similar, and together provide a picture of the type of commitment we must develop as part of our faith in God.

But you, as a person dedicated to God … pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:11-12, NET

As we commit ourselves to following God and enduring to the end, keeping our hope for the future at the forefront of our mind helps contextualize everything else going on in our lives. It also helps to remember that people of faith who have gone before us also had to inherit the promises through faith and perseverance. No one has an easy road to the kingdom of God. But with His help and by holding onto a right perspective on what’s going on, we can also eagerly hold onto hope and inherit the promises.

Featured image by Aria Film from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “By Faith” by Keith and Kristyn Getty

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Wisdom and the Proverbs 31 Woman

Wisdom and the Proverbs 31 Woman

Marissa

As I was recently re-reading Proverbs 31, I was struck by the opening line: “The words of King Lemuel—the revelation which his mother taught him” (Prov. 31:1, WEB). Taking the text at face-value, it seems that this section of Proverbs was written by someone called King Lemuel, but he’s recording his mother’s advice rather than writing something of his own composition. Unless Priscilla is indeed the author of Hebrews (which is a distinct possibility), this is probably the closest thing we have to a section of scripture written by a woman.

On the one hand, it is not remarkable that God would include a woman’s writings in scriptural canon. Men and woman are spiritually equal in His eyes (Gal. 3:28) and He has used women throughout history to serve in many roles including leader, teacher, and prophet. Of course God could include women’s writings in His Bible if He wanted to. But on the other hand, it is important to recognize this unnamed woman’s contribution because so many people don’t think God uses women in any sort of formal teaching role.

As I studied this passage of scripture this week, a footnote in the New English Translation caught my eye. The translators suggested that we might read Proverbs 31:10-31 not only as part of King Lemuel’s mother’s advice but as the conclusion for the whole Book of Proverbs. Some have said that “The poem captures all the themes of wisdom that have been presented in the book and arranges them in this portrait of the ideal woman” (Claudia V. Camp, Wisdom and the Feminine in the Book of Proverbs, qtd. in NET study note on Prov. 31:10). The Biblical proverbs frequently personify wisdom as a woman (Proverbs 1:20-33; 4:4-13; 8:1-9:11), and it would be in keeping with that to wrap-up the Book of Proverbs by talking about a good and wise woman.

Image of three happy women overlaid with text from – Proverbs 31:30-31, NET version: Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting. A woman who fears the Lord—she makes herself praiseworthy. Give her credit for what she has accomplished, and let her works praise her in the city gates.
Image by Pearl from Lightstock

Comparing Scriptures Side-By-Side

King Lemuel is a mysterious figure. We don’t know anything about him other than that his mother gave him the advice recorded in Proverbs. There are no other clues to his identity or where and when he ruled. The first part of Proverbs 31 focuses on advice about being a good king (Prov. 31:2-9). The advice includes don’t spend all your energy enjoying women and alcohol, secure legal rights for those who can’t speak for themselves, and judge righteously.

The remainder of the chapter is the famous “Who can find a virtuous woman?” passage. In Hebrew, this is an acrostic poem (each verse starts with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in order). It has often been read as a template for all godly women, though this seems to be stretching the meaning. For one thing, the woman talked about here is a wife and mother, which leaves some of the roles she fills out of reach for single or childless women. For another, the woman is wealthy and entrepreneurial, something that is not necessarily true of all godly women. If this is part of Lemuel’s mother’s advice for her son, we can read this as a description of the type of wife King Lemuel’s mother wanted him to look for. We can apply it more broadly as a pattern of wisdom and valor that both women and men can learn from (see NET study note on Prov. 31:10), but it does not seem that Proverbs 31:10-31 is meant as an exact pattern all women must follow.

Remember this quote we started with: “The poem captures all the themes of wisdom that have been presented in the book and arranges them in this portrait of the ideal woman” (Claudia V. Camp, qtd. in NET study note on Prov. 31:10). In light of that thought, I thought it might be interesting to put the virtuous woman passage alongside some of the sections of Proverbs where wisdom is personified as a woman.

Who can find a worthy woman?
For her value is far above rubies.

Proverbs 31:10, WEB

For wisdom is better than rubies.
All the things that may be desired can’t be compared to it.

Proverbs 8:11, WEB

The heart of her husband trusts in her.
He shall have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life. …

Her husband is respected in the gates,
when he sits among the elders of the land.

Proverbs 31:11, 23, WEB

Wisdom is supreme.
Get wisdom.
Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.
Esteem her, and she will exalt you.
She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
She will give to your head a garland of grace.
She will deliver a crown of splendor to you.

Proverbs 4:7-9, WEB

She seeks wool and flax,
and works eagerly with her hands.
She is like the merchant ships.
She brings her bread from afar. …

She arms her waist with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. …

She makes linen garments and sells them,
and delivers sashes to the merchant.
Strength and dignity are her clothing.
She laughs at the time to come. …

Give her of the fruit of her hands!
Let her works praise her in the gates!

Proverbs 31:13-14, 17-18a, 24-25, 31 WEB

“I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling.
Find out knowledge and discretion. …
With me are riches, honor,
enduring wealth, and prosperity.
My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
my yield than choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the middle of the paths of justice,
that I may give wealth to those who love me.
I fill their treasuries.”

Proverbs 8:12, 18-21, WEB

She opens her arms to the poor;
yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed with scarlet. …

She opens her mouth with wisdom.
Kind instruction is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household,
and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31:20-21, 26-27, WEB

Wisdom has built her house.
She has carved out her seven pillars.
She has prepared her meat.
She has mixed her wine.
She has also set her table.
She has sent out her maidens.
She cries from the highest places of the city:
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
“Come, eat some of my bread,
Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!
Leave your simple ways, and live.
Walk in the way of understanding.”

Proverbs 9:1-6, WEB

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain;
but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:30, WEB

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.
The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied.
The years of your life will be increased.

Proverbs 9:10-11, WEB

Virtue and Wisdom

Image of a man and woman studying the Bible together, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, " The "virtuous woman" of Proverbs 31 isn't just a list of things for godly women to do. It's something men and women can learn from as we apply the Book of Proverbs' lessons about wisdom in our lives."
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Modern readers often think of “virtue,” particularly related to women, as involving chastity and meekness. There’s a lot more to it than that, though. Proverbs 31:10 is one of several passages where the meaning has become obscured at the English language changes. Back in 1611, King James translators chose “virtuous woman” knowing that the word had been connected with “moral life and conduct, uprightness of life, the opposite of vice; a particular moral excellence” since around the year 1200 (“virtue,” etymonline.com). They may have chosen “virtue” instead of “valor” because around the 1590s, “virtue” also started to refer to women’s “chastity, sexual purity,” but it was an accurate translation choice at the time. Modern translations typically try to get away from those connotations of “virtuous” by using phrases like “a worthy woman” (WEB), “a wife of noble character” (NET, NIV), or “a capable wife” (CJB).

“a woman of valor.” This is the same expression used to describe Ruth (e.g., Ruth 3:11). The term חַיִל (khayil) here means “moral worth” (BDB 298 s.v.); cf. KJV “a virtuous woman.” Elsewhere the term is used of physical valor in battle, e.g., “mighty man of valor,” the land-owning aristocrat who could champion the needs of his people in times of peace or war (e.g., Judg 6:12). Here the title indicates that the woman possesses all the virtues, honor, and strength to do the things that the poem will set forth.

NET translation note on Prov. 31:10

The Proverbs 31 portrait of a woman who posses moral worth, virtues, honor, and strength isn’t just a list of things that godly women should do (a list which, as I have written about before, can seem intimidating or out of reach for some women). It is an example of what godly women can look like, the conclusion to the Book of Proverbs, and perhaps a continuation of themes personifying wisdom as feminine. This is a passage that men and women can learn from, particularly in the sense of examples for how to apply wisdom in our lives.

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Song Recommendation: “Build My Life” by Pat Barrett ft. Cory Asbury

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Live Your Faith Even When You Know Bad Things Will Come (Zephaniah Revisited)

Live Your Faith Even When You Know Bad Things Will Come (Zephaniah Revisited)

Marissa

I wrote about Zephaniah in my 2015 Lessons from the Minor Prophets series, but when I reread that post recently it didn’t really dig into the book of Zephaniah as much as I wanted. I’ve been picking a passage of scripture each week to read with my toddler, and a couple weeks ago it was Zephaniah 3:16-17. My toddler loves music, and I thought she might connect with a passage about God singing much like she has connected with passages like Psalm 23 and John 10 since she likes sheep. That made me want to revisit Zephaniah.

Christians often talk about the Bible as a living book. The words in it don’t change and new information isn’t being added to it anymore, yet it always seems like there is something more to discover when you revisit the text. Last time I wrote about Zephaniah, I focused on the message not to fear. This time, I noticed something connected but different.

Knowing Bad Things Will Come

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah (Zeph. 1:1), one of Judah’s righteous kings, but his book is mostly focused on future judgement. Josiah “did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, and walked in all the ways of David his father, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left” (2 Kings 22:2, WEB). He repented when he read God’s law and took steps to remove paganism from Judah, but that didn’t stop God’s plan to judge His people for their sins. You can read all about this in 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35, but let’s look at a few key passages.

When the king had heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, “Go inquire of Yahweh for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is Yahweh’s wrath that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that which is written concerning us.”

 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter); and they talked with her. She said to them, “Yahweh the God of Israel says, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, “Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I will bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.’” But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Yahweh, tell him, “Yahweh the God of Israel says, ‘Concerning the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before Yahweh when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you,’ says Yahweh. ‘Therefore behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.’”’” So they brought this message back to the king.

1 Kings 22:11-20, WEB

Josiah received the message from God through Huldah that he couldn’t do anything that would make God relent of His anger. The only thing God promised was to let Josiah enjoy peace during his lifetime because of his humble and repentant heart. It is after this that Josiah institutes wide reforms in Israel. He gathered his people to witness him make a covenant to follow God. He demolished locations of pagan worship and executed pagan priests. He ordered all his people to keep the Passover to honor God.

There was no king like him before him, who turned to Yahweh with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; and there was none like him who arose after him. Notwithstanding, Yahweh didn’t turn from the fierceness of his great wrath, with which his anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocation with which Manasseh had provoked him. Yahweh said, “I will also remove Judah out of my sight, as I have removed Israel; and I will cast off this city which I have chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’”

2 Kings 23:25-27, WEB

I think it’s fascinating that Josiah did righteous things on a nation-wide scale and committed himself to keeping covenant with God even though he knew that his righteousness wasn’t going to turn God’s wrath away from his country. Josiah didn’t do all of this because he thought it would change God’s mind about punishing Judah (at least, there’s no indication of that in the text). He did it because it was the right thing to do even though his righteousness and the actions he took as the nation’s leader would not be enough to stop God from pouring wrath out on the people. There’s a lesson in that for us today. As we draw closer to the time of Jesus’s return, praying for people in the increasingly ungodly world or trying to make things better might seem a hopeless task, and yet it is still something we ought to do (see 1 Tim. 2:1-8).

Image of a man reading the Bible with text from Zeph. 3:14, 15, 17, NET version: “Shout for joy, Daughter Zion! Shout out, Israel! ... Israel’s king, the Lord, is in your midst! You no longer need to fear disaster. The Lord your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver. ... He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you.”
Image by Anggie from Lightstock

A Day of Darkness

It’s often hard when reading books of Old Testament prophecy to separate what has already happened from what is still in the future. There are even some dual applications of prophecies, where the prophecy applied to something that happened with ancient Israel and to something that has happened or will happened during the New Testament church era. Even when the prophecy was directed at ancient Israel specifically, though, we can still learn from what happened and extract lessons for today (see 1 Cor 10:1-11). Revelation and prophecies in the gospels tell us the time before Jesus’s return will involve judgement from God on the earth and outpouring of His wrath, much like God told Zephaniah about. Josiah’s rule was followed by the fall of Judah and Babylonian captivity for ancient Israel. Zephaniah’s prophecies clearly reference that, but some sections also sound more like Revelation and a time that is still to come.

The great day of Yahweh is near. It is near and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of Yahweh. The mighty man cries there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high battlements. I will bring such distress on men that they will walk like blind men because they have sinned against Yahweh. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
…
“Therefore wait for me”, says Yahweh, “until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms to pour on them my indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth will be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.”

Zephaniah 1:14-17; 3:8 WEB

As much as we all look forward to the time of Jesus’s return, the resurrection from the dead, and the transformation of His faithful followers to become like Him, the path to get there is going to be hard. Amos wrote, “Woe to those who wish for the day of the Lord! Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come? It will bring darkness, not light” (Amos 5:18, NET). We must pray “may your kingdom come” while also knowing that there will be hard times before “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15, NET). Like King Josiah, we need to choose to live good lives today even knowing that God’s wrath is coming.

Rejoice With Singing

Image of a woman studying the Bible, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "Josiah was one of ancient Judah's most righteous kings, yet prophecies foretold God's wrath would still descend on the people. Even knowing that bad things were coming, Josiah committed himself to living righteously and doing good in his nation, and we can learn from that example today."
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Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, you nation that has no shame, before the appointed time when the day passes as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Yahweh comes on you, before the day of Yahweh’s anger comes on you. Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the land, who have kept his ordinances. Seek righteousness. Seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s anger.

Zephaniah 2:1-3, WEB

Even in the midst of great calamity, God always offers a lifeline of hope. Josiah’s righteous actions and heartfelt commitment to God delayed God’s wrath until after his lifetime. People after him were told that if they seek God, righteousness, and humility and keep His ordinances they may be hidden in the day of His anger. It’s similar to what Jesus told people when speaking of the time before His return: “be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36, WEB). And even if we don’t escape the bad experiences, we can still look forward to glorious joy on the other side.

Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. Yahweh has taken away your judgments. He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you. You will not be afraid of evil any more. In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid, Zion. Don’t let your hands be weak.” Yahweh, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. … At that time I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says Yahweh.

Zephaniah 3:14-17, 20, WEB

This imagery is incredible, and a stark contrast to the burning wrath earlier. It’s a hopeful, encouraging passage that talks about God’s future with His people where they will sing, be glad, and rejoice with no reason for fear. I also love the details about God’s feelings toward His people, especially that “He will rejoice over you with singing.” I usually think about angels and people singing praises to God, not about God Himself singing. It’s amazing to think that we are the reason He breaks out into joyful song (or joyful shouts, depending on the translation). At this time, God will be with us, and He is mighty to save. We’re already seeing fulfillment of that now, with the Father and Jesus dwelling in us and accomplishing our salvation (John 14:18-20; 15:4-5; 17:20-23).

Josiah was one of ancient Judah’s most righteous kings, yet Huldah’s and Zephaniah’s prophecies foretold God’s wrath would still descend on the people. Even knowing that bad things were coming, Josiah committed himself to living righteously and doing good in his nation. We can learn from that example today and also from the hopeful message at the end of Zephaniah’s book. Knowing that God loves us and protects us, we can be calm and unafraid as we work to live righteous lives even when we’re going through trials at the moment.

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Song Recommendation: “Even If” by MercyMe

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