The End of an Era

I'm writing this post, because I think the time has come to close this blog.  I appreciate greatly those of you who signed up to follow it, and stuck with me through the years of off and on, up and down posting.  I pray you received something of blessing in that time. 

This blog began as an extension of the youth ministry work I was doing in Gravette, AR. And though I've tried many times to restart the blog, I've finally come to the conclusion that this blog can't really outlive the root that gave it life. 

I have started a new blog: Justin's Quest.  Though there will be some similar material there, the focus is decidedly different...and more personal.  At JQ, there will probably be much less in the way of standard Bible devotionals...and more about theology, reviews of books I'm reading, research I'm doing in various areas, the intersection of Christian doctrine with public policy questions, and just generally how I'm trying to integrate all of this in my own walk with Christ. 

Again, I thank you all for the love and support you've shown me over the years...and if you wish to follow my new blog, I welcome you (and your comments) there as well. 

Of chicken sandwiches and christian endurance

In James 1:2-5, the author writes:

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. (NLT)

If you're like me, this is a passage you're much better at quoting than living.  However, it seems to me that this is a timely message for Christians in America.  For a couple hundred years we've enjoyed a position of relative cultural dominance.  That is rapidly coming to an end.  Though the recent dust-up over Dan Cathy's (CEO of Chik-fil-A) support of traditional marriage, seems to testify that Christians (or at least free speech advocates) still enjoy a bit more vigorous support than some assumed, it would be wise for each believer to ask himself/herself "Just how far am I willing to take this?  Just how much do I believe in the words of James 1:2-5).  Though many (like myself) were able to purchase a sandwich at Chik-fil-A and enjoy nothing but unqualified support and acceptance from fellow believers, there were others (like the gentleman in this video) who were not blessed to swim in such warm and accepting waters.  What if I had been in his shoes.  Would I have had the courage to remain...to stand...to give my endurance a chance to grow?

And then morning came... (Genesis 1:1-25)

I had a very hard time trying to decide how to resume this blog. Finally, I fell back on the old adage: the best place to begin is at the beginning. Genesis has long been one of my favorite books of the Bible. When I was a kid, it was because of some of the cool stories (talking snakes, a boat full of animals, come on!) As I went through seminary, it became more important to me because it realized how so many of the grand theological themes of the Bible are laid out in Genesis. I think it's fair to say Genesis serves as a foundational text for Christians. This is not to say that it is more important than the Gospels. Rather, the Gospel story of the Christ is the crowning achievement of what Genesis inaugurates. Genesis cannot supplant the Gospel, but it can certainly support and enrich it. All that being said, when I re-read through the first twenty-five verses, what struck me was blatantly un-exigetical. This post is a devotional thought. Nothing more, nothing less. If one were so inclined, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to find fault with the reasoning. Nonetheless, it seems to ring true to larger narrative of Scripture and of our lives. We'll see what you think. It occurs to me that each time God created something, he saw that it was "good." The text tells us as much (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) What it doesn't tell us, however, was what I can only assume was implied..."this was good...but God had something better coming." It occurs to me that this is a lesson that's been lost on me many times in life. I reach a point of comfort--be it in a relationship, a job, a city I'm living in, or what have you--and things seem "good." I am quite upset, then, when something happens to disrupt this goodness. When the friendship sours, or the job ends other than I would have wished, or I have to move away. It is at these times that I experience another truth of Genesis. You will notice that after each one of these creative acts proclaimed "good," there was an evening. Perhaps this detail doesn't have much impact on we who live in the age of "cities that never sleep" of electric light...of 24 hour Wal-Mart service...but I wonder what the night time must have represented to the first hearers of the Genesis story. Wasn't night the time of danger? The time when thieves broke in to steal? The time when the wild beasts came nearest to menace family and flock? Yet just as the text tells us that the evening came, it was just as surely followed by another morning. And not only that--it was followed by another morning, with another good thing. This, the story that morning will always come for the Children of God, seems to me to be a fundamental message of Scripture. It's not a simple one to be sure. This is not of the same ilk as modern day "prophets" who would tell us that suffering is in our head, or that the cancer failed to go away for lack of our faith, or some other such rot gut. The God of Genesis does not deny the reality of the evening. He simply refuses to be bound by it. He will not allow it have the final word. Of course, this is the same theological story as we meet on another evening many years later...in a garden called Gethsemane. The evening fell...and with it, the "good" that had seemed so promising was lost. Not only for one day...but for three. Yet in the end, God demonstrated in His most spectacular fashion ever that even if morning tarries, in the end it will always come for those who fear God.

Luke 4-5 and the Wilderness

A few weeks ago, Stephanie and I had the chance to visit the church where we met 10 years ago--the Woodmont Hills Family of God. While there, I had the chance to visit with an old friend, Terry Smith, who asked about how I was dealing with some lingering issues from my ministerial past. I told him I was not "over it," but I was "better." I also mentioned that being at work, in graduate school, and with a family...I didn't find myself with a tremendous amount of time for introspection. He admonition to me was, "You need to make the time; Because it is in the quiet moments away from the distractions that God meets us."

This encounter had been percolating in my mind when I came to prepare a lesson on Luke chapters 4-5. Perhaps I only saw what I needed to see, but for the first time the recurring theme of "the wilderness" stood out to me. A number of questions present themselves, like "What makes for a wilderness?" In the context of Luke 4, Jesus' temptation takes place in a place of physical isolation and probably some level of danger. Furthermore, the wilderness is not only external but internal as well. Jesus has fasted forty days and is "very hungry." In other words, he is in a weakened physical state. Perhaps most shockingly, we find that the decision to subject Himself to such treatment was not merely a personal fancy, but that in fact Jesus has been "led by the Spirit into the wilderness."(4:1)

After triumphing over his temptation, Luke tells us that Jesus emerges from this time of trial "filled with the Holy Spirit's power" (4:14) and immediately sets about His public ministry. It strikes me as significant that Jesus DID NOT enter upon his Messianic mission immediately following His baptism and the confirming sign of the Holy Spirit's descent.(3:22) It seems as if there is some necessary connection between the experience of suffering and deprivation, and Jesus' ability to emerge with the power (personal, moral, ethical, et al.) to fulfill His God-given mission.

Theology Matters 3

Theology Matters 2

Reflection Questions

1. The video talks about some of the differences between the view of the world espoused by classical Newtonian physics (e.g., mechanistic, perfect, timeless, unchanging, etc.) and the worldview necessitated by thermodynamics (e.g., changing, decaying, dying, etc.) How do you think these different understandings of physics have affected the the incidence of faith or belief? Does one view seem to "fit" better with the idea of God (or with the idea of no god) than the other?

A new generation of mathematicians and philosophers were convinced if only they could solve the problems and paradoxes that had defeated Cantor, maths could be made perfect again. The most prominent among them, Hilbert, declared: "the definitive clarification of the nature of the infinite has become necessary for the honor of human understanding itself." They were so concerned to find some kind of certainty. They had come to believe that the only kind of understanding that was really worth anything was the logical and the provable.

2. What do you think of Hilbert's declaration?

3. What's so bad about believing that the only kind of understanding worth anything is the logical and the provable?

Cantor had dislodged the pebble which would, one day, start a landslide. For him, it had all been held together the—paradoxes resolved—in God. But what holds our ideas together when God is dead? Without God, the pebble is dislodged and the avalanche is unleashed; And World War I had killed God.

4. Is it necessary for our ideas to hold together?

5. The claim that "World War I...killed God" is certainly not new. I'd like to know what you think of that claim. What do you think it means? Is it valid or not?

Theology Matters 1

What you’re about to read is a pilot program. It’s an attempt to address a fundamental danger facing the Church in America. Below is an excerpt from the proposal letter I sent to our elders—in case you’d like to understand a little better why we’re doing these lessons. The first three clips of the documentary Dangerous Knowledge follow. Later this week, I will post some thought questions to guide your reflection before next Sunday. As always, if you have any suggestions for improving the class, please don’t hesitate to share.

One of the greatest needs in churches today is for Christians to receive thorough grounding in a Christian worldview. This is a bit of a new challenge for American churches. For most of our history, we have existed in a society that tacitly (if not overtly) accepted and reinforced basic presuppositions about the world and life that can properly be considered “Christian” (e.g., that the Bible is an authoritative text and ought to be treated so; that there is, in fact, such a being as “God” etc.) Such cultural presuppositions enabled earlier generations to focus sermons, Bible classes, and personal work largely (if not exclusively) on things like the proper mode of baptism, organization of the church, etc. However, such questions are ONLY relevant if the person one is speaking to has already accepted a “Christian worldview”.

It seems that the shared worldview of earlier generations is, if not gone already, eroding very quickly. No longer is it enough to answer the question “What does the Bible say?” for there are many people who simply do not accept that the Bible is a unique book. It is not enough to ask someone what they think God would have them do, for there is no common consent that such a being even exists.

This is an issue that I am deeply concerned about. It is not the sort of challenge that can be effectively dealt with in one or two sessions...nor even in a sermon series. The reason for this is because worldviews are constructed over a long period of time and are the result of a great variety of factors/inputs. Very often, the groundwork for the dissolution of faith is laid without people being aware of its presence. Consequently, I propose that the church would benefit from an ongoing class dealing with larger issues than the exegesis of a particular text. I envision this as a class that would cut across and integrate a variety of disciplines (e.g., theology, physics, logic, biology, history, hermeneutics, etc.)

Reflection Questions

If all that Cantor had seen was mathematics, then his story would be of limited interest; But from the beginning, Cantor realized his work had far wider significance…Cantor’s god was the Creator God…the god who set the planets spinning in their orbits. Whose mysteries were the eternal and perfect laws of motion.

Had Cantor been teaching in a theology department, his work would have been classified as “natural theology.”

1. What does this term mean? What do you think is the proper relationship (if any) between natural theology and special revelation?
2. Are there limitations to “Cantor’s god”?

What was inspiring for Cantor, frightened his critics. They saw mathematics as the pursuit of clarity and certainty. Everything Cantor was doing…seemed to them to be eating away at certainty. He soon faced a deep and implacable hostility.

3. What does Cantor teach us about the consequences of pursuing truth? Is it “worth it” to investigate?
4. What is “faith” and is it essential for human life? Why or why not?

Job: When Life Doesn't Make Sense--God

As with many books of Scripture, the most fascinating and important character is not the one the book is named after (in this case, Job) but rather the mysterious and hidden God who works through the other characters. As previously mentioned, the driving question of this book is posed by the Satan in 1:9-11. Much of Job’s story is about testing this hypothesis that people will only serve God for selfish reasons. However, there is another test being conducted…Job’s test of God.

Throughout this book, we’re forced to wrestle with theodicy (this is just a word that means, “If God is (1) all powerful; and (2) all loving; then why is there so much unjust suffering in the world?) Job wishes to put God to the test and demands answer for why this has come upon him. The counselors—fearful of having God put to the test—turn the situation back on Job and examine him. They pronounce Job to be responsible for all of his own sufferings and God to be blameless. Often, when people question why God allows terrible things to happen, we fall back into responses like those of the counselors (e.g., God didn’t really do it…He didn’t want it to happen…etc.) While those things may be true, they don’t evade the central problem that if God is, in fact, all powerful (and we believe He is) then He could stop evil. He could at least, stop little children from being molested (for example).

There is no easy way to solve the problem of theodicy. That’s another of the main points of Job. In fact, we cannot solve the problem at all. As Job learns, all we can do is have faith in God that despite the seeming victory of evil, in the end His will is being worked for all Creation…and that it is a gracious will. We can have no guarantee. We can have no binding legal contract with God for, as Job says, “Who can bring the Almighty to court?” In the end, the only assurance we can have that God will be there for us is His own word that He will be so. That’s just going to have to be good enough…because that’s all there is.

You will note, that Job never receives answer to the question, “Why did this happen to me.” What he receives, instead, is a visit and a vindication from God. The thing that Job needed most was not an answer…but his God. At times in life, we come to the place where words and explanations and rationality are useless. They have done all they can. At those times, there is nothing left to lean on except faith and one’s experience of fellowship with God.

The end of the dialogue [in chapter 28] teaches that people cannot find wisdom, whose dwelling place is known only to God, [except] in the fear of God; thus, this hymn judges the counsel of the comforters as lacking in wisdom…In the epilogue God will confirm this…by saying that the three friends have not spoken about Him rightly. (42:7-9)

Job also knows that in court he must have a witness to testify on his behalf, a witness more credible than the condemning testimony of his body. At this point, Job’s faith in God rises above his experience of suffering leading him to declare that God is his Witness (16:19), even his Redeemer (19:25-7), Whose testimony will vindicate him. Still, his pain terrorizes him and his dread is compounded by God’s silence. Finally, his confidence in his own innocence and God’s justice drives him to take a desperate course that will force God to act: He swears an avowal of innocence (chs. 29-31). Now God must answer him; for God to remain silent would be to concede Job’s claim to innocence.

Addressing Job, God affirms that He has structured the world exactly according to His blueprints (38:4-8). With this metaphor He claims that He has built justice into the structure of the universe. Moreover, God asserts that no corner of the world is outside His authority (38:16-24), thereby refuting any theory that injustice and suffering exist because God is in a struggle with a strong foe…God brings Job to realize that no human being has a proper perspective to judge the course of matters in the universe, let alone to accuse God of acting unjustly. The foundation of God’s argument in His speeches is that power and wisdom (justice) are one in the Supreme Ruler of the universe.

Awed by God’s majesty and overwhelmed that God in grace reasons with him, Job surrenders his complaint against God, realizing that a person must surrender even his rights to God because God is Lord. In yielding himself to God Job reveals beyond any doubt that he serves God out of love, not for material gain or prestige…In praise of God Job confesses, “I had heard You with my ears, but now my eyes have seen You.” (42:5). Clearly the author finds the profoundest personal answer to undeserved suffering to reside in the divine-human encounter. That God both appears to Job and speaks with him means that Job’s encounter is more than a mystical experience with a numinous force; it is a meeting with the personal God. God’s presence authenticates Job, drawing him out of his self-love to focus his affection on God. Job gladly abandons the complaints against God, conscious of the fact that he can trust God in His grace to accomplish that which is worthwhile from his undeserved suffering.
--[John E. Hartley, The Book of Job (NICOT series), (Eerdmans, 1998), 44-5, 49-50]

Job: When Life Doesn't Make Sense--the counselors

In our first lesson we looked at the person of Job. The second lesson focused on the role of the satan in this story. Today, we’ll consider the group of characters who are sometimes called Job’s “friends,” “comforters,” or “counselors.”

What kind of guys are they?
How do they try to help/guide Job?

You…have given no help. You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid. – Job 6:21

Why would Job tell his “counselors” that they were afraid? What were they afraid of?

If only you could be silent! That’s the wisest thing you could do. Listen to my charge; pay attention to my arguments. Are you defending God with lies? Do you make your dishonest arguments for His sake? Will you slant your testimony in His favor? Will you argue God’s case for Him? What will happen when He finds out what you are doing? -- Job 13:5-9

Job says that the counselors are defending God “with lies”? What were those lies?

What are some ways that people today try to defend God with lies and dishonest arguments? How do they rationalize their behavior?

Since they place their system of belief above their compassion for their troubled friend, their exhortations to repentance become a temptation by encouraging Job to seek God for reward, not for God Himself.

Because of their rigid understanding of [the doctrine that the righteous are always blessed and the wicked are always punished, the “counselors”] can only explain Job’s suffering as the result of some sin that he has committed. Then the only solution they can offer to him is the way of repentance. Because they encourage Job to repent primarily to escape his suffering and to receive God’s blessing, they unsuspectingly tempt him to use God for personal gain, the essence of sin. Therefore, if Job followed their counsel, he would confirm the Satan’s proposition that human beings are totally self-serving in their worship of God. [John Hartley, The Book of Job, NICOT series, (Eerdmans, 1988), 44, 48-9]

Job: When Life Doesn't Make Sense--the satan

Review
What is the main point of Job?
What did we learn about the man, Job last week?

Where does the Satan first appear in the story of Job?
Does his presence in the heavenly assembly seem odd to you?

Every time Satan is mentioned in the book of Job, he is referred to literally in Hebrew as “the satan.” In other words, the term appears in Job more as a title than a personal name.

What significance (if any) do you think there might be in the author of Job calling this character “the satan.”

The word “satan” is employed in two ways in the OT.
1. On the one hand, it describes the activity of a political foe bent on overthrowing the king (2 Sam. 19:22; 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25)
2. On the other hand, it refers to one who, like a prosecuting attorney, brings charges against another in court (Ps. 109:6, Zech. 3:1-2). Many scholars have taken this lead and posited that this figure was patterned after the court life of a large empire…[Some see this as imagery drawn from the Persian emperor’s use of] secret servants who toured the realm at random to discern the allegiance and behavior of the people and especially of various officials.

Some scholars conjecture that the Satan may be the prosecuting attorney of the heavenly council. If this view is correct, his task on earth was to discover human sins and failures and to bring his findings before the heavenly assembly.

What do you think? Does “the satan” seem more like (1) a servant performing a job assigned to him, or (2) the enemy of God as portrayed in the New Testament? Is there any way to reconcile these views?

Even if one buys into the notion that “the satan” was performing a role given him by God, his behavior in the text seems already to be exceeding his legitimate authority. Instead of uncovering disruptive plans, he acts as a troublemaker, a disturber of the kingdom. He…doubted what God affirmed [i.e., that Job was a good and honest man who served God with integrity] and sternly resisted persuasion to a different viewpoint. In the second scene before [God] the Satan would not even debate the issue of Job’s integrity, but rather denied it in an impudent style by challenging God with verbs in the imperative.

In 1:11 we find the satan essentially arguing with God about Job’s integrity and his reasons for fearing God. The satan consistently asserts that no one fears God for nothing…that if God were ever to take back all the blessings he had given Job, the self-serving basis of Job’s loyalty would be revealed. Whereas Job continually feared that one of his children might have cursed God in his heart,(1:5) the satan projected that Job would become so angry he would curse God to his face. (1:11; 2:4)

If the satan was a servant of God, he was a rebellious and impudent one.

Conclusion:
The most important thing about the satan in the book of Job is not the character himself, but the question he raises. “Will a person serve God for nothing?” What about you? Are you willing to honor and worship God solely because He is God…to give your life for Him whether you get anything in return or not? While it’s probably true that most of us come to God out of self interest (i.e., we either don’t want to go to Hell, or we really want to go to Heaven) the story of Job reveals a better way…a godlier way…for us to live.

What about you, would you serve God for nothing?

Job: When Life Doesn't Make Sense--Job

I suspect you’ve all heard of Job before. What can you tell me about him?

As near as we can tell, the text of Job is perhaps the oldest book in the Bible. (Some believe it was the first Scripture ever given by God.) It follows the life of a non-Jewish man named Job. The book calls Job a “man from the East.” This has led some people to assume that he was an Edomite, a Persian, or perhaps an Arab. There’s really no way to know for sure. It is important, however, to realize that he wasn’t a Jew.

Why do you think this might be important?

There’s a reason we’re studying Job now. As you recall, we just finished our study of Proverbs. Proverbs formed one of the foundational guides for life that young Israelite men were given. Yet, Proverbs—for all its wisdom—is not the only book of the Bible. There are 65 others meant to complement or, in the case of Job, challenge what we learned from Proverbs. Perhaps the most fundamental challenge to Proverbs in all of Scripture is the book of Job.

Why do you suppose that is? What would be a point of fundamental difference between Job and Proverbs?

I would suggest to you that the key passage for understanding the book of Job is the challenge posed to God in 1:9-11

Job’s story begins with this statement: There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. (Job. 1:1-2) This sentiment is repeated twice more by God Himself (1:8 and 2:3)

Dwell on this comment a moment. Let it sink it. Could anyone say this about you? Could you say this about anyone you know? Have you even heard about someone like this (who isn’t already in the Bible)?

Job was apparently a devoted and caring father. He looked after their spiritual as well as their physical welfare. We’re told in 1:4-5 that: Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Integrity is something Job is known for. Twice God spoke of Job’s integrity (1:8 and 2:3). Eliphaz too initially tried to encourage Job to take heart because of his life of integrity (4:6)

What does the word “integrity” mean?
Job’s wife asked him if he really meant to retain his integrity in 2:8. What did she mean by this? What was Job doing (or not doing) that maintained his integrity?

Despite all of this, for much of the story, Job is basically suicidal. Consider the following passages:
· Let the day of my birth be erased, and the night that I was conceived… 3:3-26
· Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire. I wish He would reach out His hand and kill me. 6:8-9
· O God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I will never again feel happiness…I hate my life and don’t want to go on living. Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days. 7:7,16

In the final analysis, this is the Job we’re confronted with in Scripture:

Job, a man of great faith and flawless character, suffers deeply in every dimension of his existence—physical, social, spiritual, and emotional. These dimensions, to be sure, are intertwined in human experience and can be separated only for purposes of discussion. In the physical realm Job loses his vast wealth and all his children in a single day (1:13-14). In these events Job suffers from both the suddenness and the totality of his losses. A little later he is struck down by a dreaded disease (2:8-10). In the social dimension Job, the noblest elder of his community, is alienated from his family and friends as he sits in shame on an ash heap outside the city’s walls (2:7-8; 19:13-19). There the crowds, even the lowest rabble, scorn him as they make him the subject of their taunt songs (16:10; 30:1-15). Since even those who have come to console him turn against him, he feels the treachery of disloyal friends (6:14-23). Spiritually God’s silence terrifies Job (23:8, 9, 15). God’s apparent hostility leads him to imagine that God is a capricious despot, who delights in afflicting his servant (cf. 6:4; 7:17-19; 19:25). Troubled on all sides, Job feels the range of disturbed emotions: troubled thoughts (7:4, 13-14), uncertainty (9:20), rejection and hostility (10:3; 12:4), fear (9:28), dismay (21:6), loneliness (19:13-19), distaste for life (9:2), i.e., the lack of any sense of inner tranquility (3:26). John Hartley, The Book of Job (NICOT), (Eerdmans, 1988), 47-8.

Job Webliography

In preparation for our series on Job, I'm putting up a list of links/videos to additional resources I think might be worthwhile. If you know of any other useful material on Job you'd like to recommend I add to the webliography, please contact me via the comments section at the end of this post.

1. Theodicies in the Book of Job

2. The Book of Job Criticism

3. The Book of Job in MP3 Audio Format

4.

5. Audio of Alistair Begg's Sermon: Why Suffering?

Proverbs: Words to Live By: Chapters 26-31

Prov. 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
· Explain the imagery of this proverb.

Prov. 26:7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
· What does this mean?

Prov. 27:11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics.
· And what will that answer be? What might the critics charge?

Prov. 27:14 A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!
· What’s this proverb trying to say?

Prov. 27:21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
· What do you think this means?

Prov. 27:23-27 Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.
· What is the point of this proverb?
· How do you think it applies to you today?

The Sayings of Agur
Prov. 30:24-28 There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise: Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer. Hyraxes—they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. Locusts—they have no king, but they march in formation. Lizards—they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces.
· Why all this talk about animals? What do they have to do with being wise?
· Any ideas on what lesson we’re supposed to get from the lizard?

Prov. 30:29-31 There are three things that walk with stately stride—no, four that strut about: the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything; the strutting rooster; the male goat; and a king as he leads his army.
· Why does Agur say, “There are three things…no, four…”
· Why is the king leading an army mentioned last?
· So what is the overall point of this proverb?

Sayings of King Lemuel (and his momma)
Prov. 31:2-9 O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not waste your strength on women, on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol. For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed. Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress. Let them drink to forget their poverty and remember their troubles no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and the helpless, and see that they get justice.
· What is the overall idea here? What’s this proverb about?
· What did Lemuel’s momma mean when she said “women ruin kings?”
· What did Lemuel’s momma say about alcohol? What were her reasons?
· In what ways can the church “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves?”

Prov. 31:10-31 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
· Broadly-speaking, there are two things this passage could be about. What are they?
· What things make this woman so attractive…so “good"?

A Call for Reader Input

As we're nearing the close of our study in Proverbs, I'm preparing for Job and Ecclesiastes. Last week, I asked students in my Sunday AM class for input on changes they'd like to see with regard to format, presentation, content, etc. And decided that I'd like to solicit similar input from readers of the blog.

Do you have any particular suggestions regarding the format you'd like to see in these postings?

I notice that the N.T. Wright video I posted received several views rather quickly. Would you like to see more videos on the blog?

Following the completion of this study of the Wisdom Literature, are there any particular topics/books of the Bible you'd like to see addressed on the blog?

I am honored and humbled that you take the time to read this blog. I want it to be as much of a blessing to you as it possibly can be. For that reason, I hope you will share any suggestions/requests you might have.

Be blessed, my friends!

N.T. Wright on Gnosticism

A friend of mine posted this video from YouTube and I thought it was so good and relevant, I would repost it here. Enjoy!

Proverbs: Words to Live By: Chapters 21-25

Prov. 21:9 It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home. [see also: Prov. 21:19 and 25:24]
· What’s the main point of this proverb?

Prov. 22:7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.
· How is this proverb illustrated today?

Prov. 22:10 Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too. Quarrels and insults will disappear.
· Does “throwing out the mocker” strike you as a Christian response? Why or why not?

Prov. 22:11 Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend.
· What does this mean?
· Which king is he talking about?

Prov. 22:13 The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!”
· What do you think the point of this proverb is?

Prov. 24:3-4 A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
· What does it meant to “build a house”?
· What other ways do people try to build their houses?

Prov. 24:10 If you fail under pressure, your strength is small.
· What’s the message for us?

Prov. 24:11-12 Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and He sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
· What’s the basic point?
· How can you fulfill this command individually?
· How can we as a church?

Prov. 24:27 Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.
· Do you understand?
Prov. 24:28-9 Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”
· Is there any reason these proverbs are stuck right next to each other?

Prov. 24:30-34 I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
· What’s the point of this?

Prov. 25:3 No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king’s mind!
· What are some possible meanings of this proverb?

Prov. 25:18 Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.
· The ancient rabbis saw slander as a violation of the commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.”

Greasing the Wheels or Sleazing the Deals?

Proverbs explicitly speaks of bribes no fewer than five times (15:27; 17:8, 23; 21:14; 29:4). The potentially disturbing thing for believers is that three times the book takes a decidedly negative perspective on bribes:

Greed brings grief to the whole family,but those who hate bribes will live. Prov. 15:27

The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice. Prov. 17:23

A just king gives stability to his nation,but one who demands bribes destroys it. Prov. 29:4

while the remaining two passages seem to encourage their use:

A bribe is like a lucky charm;whoever gives one will prosper! Prov. 17:8

A secret gift calms anger;a bribe under the table pacifies fury. Prov. 21:14

This is an instance where we do well to remember two things: (1) the "general" nature of Proverbs, and (2) the importance of context. Regarding the first point, regular readers should be familiar with the metaphor of Proverbs as "a floodlight, not a spotlight." In other words, the book offers us advice that is usually right...but not always. The proverbs are meant to be understood as if they are right most of the time--but not as immutable truths to be applied always and equally in all situations. Proverbs teaches contextual ethics.

This leads us directly into consideration of the different contexts in these five proverbs. The first three (i.e., those condemning bribery) seem to be focused on condemning those in positions of authority who accept bribes. The latter two proverbs (i.e., those that seem more accepting of bribery) are focused upon the wisdom of offering bribes.

It seems to me that there's a significant difference between acknowledging that something is effective, and affirming that it ought to be effective. I think Proverbs is just giving us straightforward advice: it's a bad idea to start accepting bribes because you're putting someone else in control of you when you do so...on the other hand, it may not be such a bad idea to offer bribes in order to get what you want. Sometimes, the bribe may even be a way of encouraging bad rulers to do good things. It reminds me of a discourse the late Milton Friedman had on the issue of how to clean up Congress.

A Fate Worse Than Singleness

It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home. (Prov. 21:9)

It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife. (Prov. 21:19)

It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home. (Prov. 25:24)

Obviously, these proverbs speak to the repeated importance of relationships. It’s always struck me as a little surprising that, despite the rising divorce rate and the fact that virtually everyone has either been burned by a toxic relationship or knows a close friend/family member who has, people keep getting married. A negative secularist view might say this is because we’re all stupid, or the oppressive power of religious taboo is so powerful it continues to exert the pressure to marry, or some such rot.

I rather think it’s because most people simply crave healthy relationships—even if we don’t know how to recognize them. Even if we’re the ones responsible for making relationships toxic, that doesn’t diminish our desire to have someone who will love, affirm, and accept us in spite of who we are.

Such a desperate longing for love can be inspiring, but without at least a modicum of cool rationality such desperation can lead to terribly tragic decisions. When I was younger and experiencing some of those consequences, a good friend told me, “You know, there are worse things in life than being single…like being married to the wrong person, for example.”

The watchword Proverbs would give us for today is: discretion. Look before you leap. If you think you love someone, take the time to be certain you’re loving with your mind as well as your heart. Contrary to popular belief, covenants (such as marriage) that are lightly entered into cannot be exited without serious long-term consequences. Remember, there are worse things than being single.

Proverbs: Words to Live By: Chapters 16-20

Marriage and Family
Prov. 17:6 Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.
Prov. 17:21 It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
Prov. 17:25 Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.
Prov. 18:22 The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD.
Prov. 19:13 A foolish child is a calamity to a father; a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.
Prov. 19:14 Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the LORD can give an understanding wife.
Prov. 19:18 Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.
Prov. 19:26 Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.
Prov. 20:11 Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.
Prov. 20:20 If you insult your father or mother, your light will be snuffed out in total darkness.

· What is the Bible (particularly, the OT) perspective on how to deal with those who bring grief to the family? Do you think this is still valid?
· The New Testament often speaks of the church as a “family.” In what ways do the family principles of Proverbs apply to the church?

Chapter 16
Prov. 16:26 It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on.
· What do you think of this? Does it sound cruel?
· In what ways has life given you an “empty stomach”?

Prov. 16:32 Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.
· Why?

Chapter 17
Prov. 17:8 A bribe is like a lucky charm; whoever gives one will prosper!
· So…is God saying we should bribe people? [see also: Prov. 17:23 and 18:16]
· What are some ways in which we “bribe” people today…but may not think of it as wrong or as bribery?

Prov. 17:19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.
· What do the first and second parts of this proverb have to do with each other?

Chapter 18
Prov. 18:17 The first to speak in courts sounds right—until the cross-examination begins.
· What lesson are you supposed to get from this?

Prov. 18:18 Flipping a coin can end arguments; it settles disputes between powerful opponents.
· What do you think is the main point of this proverb?

Chapter 19
Prov. 19:2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.
· How is this relevant to you?

Prov. 19:3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.
· How does this fit with what we read in 16:3?

Chapter 20
Prov. 20:4 Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.
· Notice, it’s not enough simply to be willing to plow…you have to plow in the right season.
· How might that idea relate to our lives?

Prov. 20:21 An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end.
· Are there any biblical examples? (Prodigal Son – Lk. 15:11-32)

Prov. 20:28 Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through love.
· What is the real basis of authority?
· What is it that makes God, “God”?

Proverbs: Words to Live By: Chapters 11-15

Review
If you boil Proverbs down to two choices, what would you say they are?

What does it mean to describe Proverbs as “a floodlight” rather than “a spotlight”?

Speech
Prov. 10:19-21; 11:9, 12-13; 12:6, 26; 13:2-3; 17:27-28; 18:4, 20; 20:15

What light does James 1:26; 3:1-12 shed on the topic of speech?

Have you ever considered how God created the world in the first place; or how when Isaac was tricked into offering his blessing to Jacob, he could offer no blessing for Esau? (Gen. 27:1-37)

How would you summarize Proverbs’ teaching/perspective on wise words?

Do you think that our society respects the power of words? Why or why not?

Wealth & Work
Prov. 11:4, 15, 18, 24, 28; 12:11, 14, 24; 13:4, 7-8, 11, 22-23; 14:20, 23-24, 31; 15:16, 27; 16:8; 17:1; 18:9, 11; 19:4, 15, 17, 24; 20:13

How would you sum up Proverbs’ teaching on wealth? Is it a gift from God, or the result of your own hard labor? Is wealth good or bad?

Chapter 13
Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. Prov. 13:20 [see also Prov. 14:7]
· How is this relevant to your life?

Chapter 14
Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. Prov. 14:4
· What does that mean?

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can fully share its joy. Prov. 14:10
· What does this mean?
· Why would it be important for people to remember this?

Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. Prov. 14:13
· Why do you think God wants us to face this reality?

Chapter 15
The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but He delights in the prayers of the upright. Prov. 15:8
· What’s the difference between sacrifice and prayer?
· How is this relevant today?