Two Realities Become One

Lately I have been studying a lot about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that means for this world. When speaking of what exactly happened when Christ raised from the dead and brought about His kingdom on earth, many scholars like to use the term of the kingdom as "already here but not yet fully." Although this is true in some aspects, this way of wording it can easily lead us into a dualistic mindset resulting in separating the world in Christ from the world of the "secular." Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers a clarity to this delima:

"One is denying the revelation of God in Jesus Christ if one tries to be 'Christian' without seeing and recognizing the world in Christ. There are, therefore, not two spheres, but only the one sphere of the realizations of Christ, in which the reality of God and the reality of the world are united. Thus the theme of the two spheres, which has repeatedly become the dominant factor in the history of the church, is foreign to the New Testament. The New Testament is concerned solely with the manner in which the reality of Christ assumes reality in the present world, which it has already encompassed, seized, and possessed. There are not two spheres, standing side by side, competing with each other and attacking each other's frontiers. If that were so, this frontier dispute would always be the decisive problem of history. But the whole reality of the world is already drawn into Christ and bound together in him, and the movement of history consists solely in divergence and convergence in revelational with the rational. But between the two there is in each case a unity which derives solely from the reality of Christ, that is to say solely from faith in this ultimate reality. This unity is seen in the way in which the secular and the Christian elements prevent one another from assuming any kind of static independence in their mutual relations. They adopt a polemical attitude toward each other and bear witness precisely in this to their shared reality and to their unity in the reality which is in Christ"

Source: A Testament to Freedom: The Essential Writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Worthy Readings : Being and Doing

"It is hard to know what else Jesus could have said to have made his point more clear. Let us restate it one more time: according to Jesus, there is not authentic Christianity, discipleship or Christian ethics apart from DOING the deeds he taught his followers to do. A fuller summary, influenced in part by a careful reading of the Great Commission would be this: the "deeds" dimension of Jesus' teaching enjoins concrete obedience to Jesus' commands, deed-teaching and disciple-making. Disciples of Jesus study, obey, teach and train others in the deeds Jesus taught and practiced. They do so, we must recall, as a joyful response to, and participation in, God's gracious deliverance and inauguration of the kingdom through Jesus Christ."

"Enter through the narrow gate...for the gate is narrow and the road is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Christian existence is a path that is followed, a way of living that is practiced. The road is narrow, many miss it. This is a terrifying warning, and one that makes no sense if the Christian faith is understood merely or even primarily as intellectual assent to convictions about Jesus, as an inspiring and encouraging personal relationship with him, or as a forensic transaction gaining us admission to heaven."
~ Both from the book Kingdom Ethics

Simply, Christ calls his followers to be salt and light in this word, flavor of moral goodness as opposed to moral evil that leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and light, as examples to a dark world of how humans are to genuinely live... Doing deeds and caring for the oppressed so that the world may see and give glory to our Father in heaven. We are to be signposts in a hopeless world proclaiming that death has been defeated and pointing towards the future hope. It is a sad thing to see the teachings of Christ reduced to a mere ticket into heaven resulting in a detachment and escape mentality from this world, cutting the nerve of any action to be apart of God's plan of redeeming it from corruption and evil.

The Power of Peppermint

Next time you hop on your bike, try dabbing a few drops of peppermint essential oil on your wrists. Smelling peppermint can help you ride harder and faster, upping your caloric burn by 15 percent. A study conducted at Wheeler Jesuit University found that athletes who sniffed mint ran faster, gripped stronger, and pumped out more push-ups. Chewing on minty gum or a Lifesaver can have the same effect, since taste and smell are so closely connected.

From: Psychology Today: June 2010

Tame Your Temptations

Ever tried to quit a bad habit, or even create a new one? Of course, we all have and this is a constant factor of life. Change. I recently read a great article in the Psychology Today magazine that made a lot of since about how the mind really works when tying to tame your temptations.

The article suggests that the key to strengthening self control is not to quit "cold turkey," whatever your are struggling with or even trying to implement in your life, but rather to set modest goals. The truth is, and anyone that has tried to keep a New Year's resolution can say, that our willpower can wilt. We break our resolutions, whenever they may be, for various reasons, including pushing our willpower beyond its limits. Using willpower puts strain on the brain, depleting our glucose reserves and sapping our energy. This then leads to a weakened resistance, eventually a handful of cookies in your mouth or 2 packs of cigarettes in one day. Resisting two temptations simultaneously taxes our will even more. To avoid willpower fatigue one should set manageable resolutions and tackle only one at a time. For example, if your trying to quit smoking don't try to quit drinking coffee in the same week!

Another suggestion that they recommended was to set up barriers between yourself and the temptation. Like not having a particular food in the pantry to even tempt you to indulge or avoiding certain types of people during that time that may trigger you to give in.

What is the most powerful control weapon? Simply having a humble view of your capabilities. Taking a realistic approach to quitting a bad habit or starting a new one is ultimately the best approach.

De Bush of Bush...1 month in Togo, Africa

Here is a brief summary of the mission....

The trip began at noon on Tuesday, May 11. We drove to the Tulsa airport for the first leg of our aerial journey, and flew to Detroit. We then flew to New York, and took the seven-hour flight across the Atlantic. We arrived in Casablanca, Morocco the next morning, where we had a six-hour layover. In that time, we visited the Blue Mosque, the third largest Mosque in the world, built in the 1980s. It was an amazing example of architecture, and a rather sad testament to the fact that so much talent is being put forth on something that is not the true way to eternal life. Also while we were in Casablanca we saw the ORU Business team, which spent the month helping a covert missionary under the guise of working with his business. We were able to meet with that contact for a short period and encourage him.

We then took a five-hour flight across the Sahara in the dark to Lome, Togo. Stepping off the plane was rather like stepping into a sauna; it was one in the morning local time, and still felt like it was eighty degrees and was definitely very humid. Our contact, "Papa" Nadjombe, picked us up and took us to his house, where we spent the remainder of the first night. The next day, we drove to the town of Atakpame, where the first pastor's conference was scheduled. The conference was a two-day affair, most of the segments being taught by an ORU faculty member who had come with us for the conferences. Our team also taught segments about children's ministry, a field that is not usually emphasized in West Africa. We explained the importance of such ministry, and gave strategies for effectively reaching, engaging, and teaching children. My contribution was a short lesson encouraging the pastors by reminding them about loving our enemies and forgiving those that persecute us.

The day following the first conference was Sunday, and our team split up into different groups to speak and lead children's ministry at several different churches. I went with another team member and had the opportunity to preach while she did kids ministry outside. That afternoon, the team traveled to Kara, which is about two-thirds of the way to the northern border. That Monday and Tuesday we did the second conference there, which was basically the same as the first for a different group of ministers. We traveled back to Atakpame, driving through the village of Bassar. There I saw the church David Wakefield (the grandfather of one of my team members) built in the 1950s. He was one of the first missionaries to the northern regions of Togo.

In Atakpame we rested for a day, then drove west into the mountains to the village of Aka. This was to be our base for the next few days, while we drove to villages scattered in the mountains to do evangelism crusades. The first was in a village that had no church of any sort and, to my knowledge, had never been preached in. After playing with the village children for a few hours, We set up a projector and sound system, and showed a video in French about God's power, which was then translated into the local language. After the video, our contact Nadjombe gave a message and encouraged the people to receive Jesus as lord. Roughly a dozen people responded to receive Christ and follow Him.

The next day was Sunday again, so the team split to minister in the village we had done the crusade in and one other. I was at the other, and helped with kids ministry. This was the first time that I have ever been surrounded with a hundred kids which we had no translator to communicate with. We ended up playing a series of games with them, then attempting to tell the creation story, ending up with the guy helping us telling the creation story himself …plus the birth of Jesus. The next day we fasted and prayed for the mission until dinnertime, and after dinner put on a crusade in the village we were staying at, where several dozen of the villagers accepted Christ.

I want to give a quick explanation about the format of the crusades, and what happens afterwards. Nadjombe is the head of AELVNA, the Lay Evangelism Association for Unreached Villages (the French translation of these terms is how the letters are arranged). He works with dozens of evangelists to plant churches and dig water wells in villages throughout Togo. He will visit several villages in an area and give salvation messages, and if there is not one already plant a church. Wherever a church is planted, one of the evangelists from AELVNA will live in that village for up to three months to train and teach the villagers about living as Christians and help organize the church.

On Tuesday, May 24 we drove out of the mountains to Kougnohou, which was our base for the next week. Over the course of our stay, we visited the site of one of the chapels being built and continued to evangelize in mountain villages. It was the night of the twenty-eighth, our second night evangelizing in a village the name of which escapes me, when a small, skinny old man came forward to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As it turns out, he was the village sorcerer, and had accepted Christ the first night but wanted prayer to be filled with the power of God instead of that of Satan. He gave up his idol, and we prayed for him. Afterwards he was telling the other villagers about the peace that he felt now. We came back Sunday morning, and burned his idol. We then hiked with all the villagers who had come to church that morning about a mile into the bush to the local river, where we baptized the former sorcerer and thirty other villagers. Our contact told us that this had not happened in five years.

That Monday we visited a waterfall near Badou, which was absolutely picturesque. To reach the waterfall we hiked about a mile and a half through beautiful bush and across a small creek. We then drove back to Lome, and spent a few days debriefing about the trip and our experiences. The last Sunday we visited a church that the ORU team last year started. I helped with the kids ministry while some of the other guys preached. At six in the morning on Monday June 7 we flew out of Lome on our trip back to America and ended up in Time Square, New York City on a 12 hour layover. This was quite a culture shock coming from the bush of bush to one of the biggest cities in the U.S. It was my first time to see New York and we had a short good time looking around for a while. When then made our was back to Tulsa to debrief with the rest of the 1 month teams.

Thanks to all who supported me with prayers and financially during this time. With your help many lives were changed in some of the most remote places on earth. Thank you for your help in reaching these people and providing for them. Through your help we were able to give these people some form of hope for their lives now and in the future.

Gentle God

Here is a great blog post that one of my fellow classmates posted recently...please read, it will be worth you time.

http://echoesandmemory.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/gentle-god/

Why Work?

If you just answered..."To make as much money as possible, of course!" I would like to suggest thinking of the activity of work a little differently...and I will start by defining the underlining problem with thinking of work as something secular or separate from worshiping or glorifying God.

Dualism: the doctrine that there are two independent divine beings or eternal principles, one good and the other evil or the belief that a human being embodies two parts, as body and soul.

The Church had its first battle with dualism when the heresy of Gnosticism threatened the truth laid out in the Bible not long after the death of Christ. This way of thought has managed to penetrate the minds of Christians, especially in the west, and manifests itself in several ways as a radical discontinuity between Creator and creature, spirit and matter, religion and nature, religion and economy, worship and work, body and soul, and so on. This dualism is the most destructive disease that afflicts us. For now I will focus on the separation that has been made between work and worship.

Personally, I have had a dualistic mindset and am just now learning to change my worldview concerning these things. Over the weekend I read an amazing essay by Dorothy Sayers titled, Why Work? This essay addresses how for the majority, we have disconnected work from worship and work from pleasure. Sayers calls for a revolution in our whole attitude to work. She suggests that work should not be primarily looked upon as just a necessary drudgery to be undergone for the purpose of making money, but as a way of life in which the nature of man should find its proper exercise and delight and so fulfill itself to the glory of God. In this way work, which takes up the majority of a person's life, takes on a deeper meaning and purpose as it should. When we even hear the word work we tend to cringe. Sayers writes, "that it should, in fact, be thought of as creative activity undertaken for the love of the work itself; and that man, made in God's image, should make things, as God makes them, for the sake of doing well a thing that is well worth doing."

We should measure work not by the money it brings to the producer, but by the worth of the thing that is made. When work is reduced to a mere means of making money, although this is an obvious gain from work, one can find themselves becoming enslaved by work. Work then becomes a chore and a burden, something that is hated and despised. It is only when work has to be looked on as a means to gain that it becomes hateful; for then, instead of a friend, it becomes an enemy from whom tolls and contributions have to be extracted. What most of us demand from society is that we should always get out of it a little more than the value of the labor we give to it. By this process, we persuade ourselves that society is always in our debt...a conviction that not only piles up actual financial burdens, but leaves us with a grudge against society.

The second consequence of looking at work apart from worship is that at the present time we have no clear grasp of the principle that every man should do the work for which he is fitted by nature. The employer is obsessed by the notion  that he must find cheap labor, and the worker by the notion that the best paid job is the job for him. Only feebly do we ever attempt to tackle the problem from the other end, and inquire: What type of worker is suited to this type of work? People engaged in education see clearly that this is the right end to start from; but they are frustrated by economic pressure, and by the failure of parents on the one hand and employers on the other to grasp the fundamental importance of this approach.

A third consequence is that, if we really believed this proposition and arranged our work and our standard of values accordingly, we should no longer think of work as something that we hastened to get through in order to enjoy our leisure; we should look on our leisure as the period of changed rhythm that refreshed us for the delightful purpose of getting on with our work, that is if you value enjoying what you do. When one is engaged in a work that he or she loves and enjoys instead of how much it pays, then work becomes a pleasure and a joy. What do you love to do?

In nothing has the Church so lost her hold on reality as in her failure to understand and respect the secular vocation. She has allowed work and religion to become separate department, and is astonished to find that, as a result, the secular work of the world is turned to purely selfish and destructive ends, and that the greater part of the world's intelligent workers have become irreligious, or at least, uninterested in religion. All that God made was declared good and Christians should be able to do the same as they engage in the creative process of working. Every maker and worker is called to serve God in his profession or trade not outside it. How does one serve God while working? By doing well whatever it is that person is doing, and if it is enjoyable and a pleasure to do this will be done with ease because it is done with passion and perseverance. Work then becomes an expression of ourselves and not just a tiring burden in which we have no interest. When work becomes separated from worship then a person will end up spending most of their lives laboring poorly, not doing their best and thus not fulfilling the purpose for what they were naturally created to do. Bottom line...do what you love and take joy in your work!

Worship versus Magic: In Jesus' name!

Often, especially in the Charismatic and pentecostal circles, worship is confused with magic. By magic, we do do not mean slight-of-hand or baffling tricks as performed by Houdini, but rather an attempt to manipulate a deity or spirit and its power through incantation or invocation of the spirit's name. Note that the name of God was hallowed, and great care was taken lest one presume to use the Name apart from the will of God (John 15:43). To use God's name without a submissive relationship to his will could be disastrous (Acts 8:9-24; 19:13-20). The attitude of worship acknowledges and submits to the transcendent power of God, his will and program. Magic, however has an acquisitive attitude which tries to manipulate or control the power and the deity from which it comes. Magic may look like worship, and worship may be misunderstood for magic, but they have different presuppositions. Though Simon the magician was baptized, and though he saw the miraculous power of God at the hands of the Apostles, he mistook the salvation event at Samaria as an opportunity for power. Wishing to buy the power, he offered them money saying, "Give me also this power, that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:19). Instead of power he received Peter's stern curse and rebuke.

In Ephesus the seven sons of Sceva presumed that Paul was casting out devils by a new magical name, the mane of the Lord Jesus. So they tried their new found power-word in an exorcism, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims" (Acts 19:13). The evil spirit corrected their faulty assumption in its response, "Jesus I know, Paul I know; but who are you?" (19:15) To speak in the name of Jesus one must be in a submissive, obedient relationship with the Lord Jesus which they did not have! The words of Jesus himself give clarity of true values: "Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20).

Yes, there is power in the worship and service of God, but God remains the Lord of power. Do we worship the person of God or the power? As the Bride of Christ, we love the Bridegroom, not his money or clout. Imagine if the bride married just to eat the wedding cake or to get the groom's credit card. Because God is a God of power, power is available in his worship, and the temptation is always there to reduce worship and prayer to the mere exercise of acquisition of power. This is magic.

Magic is a manipulation of spirit or divinity to make it do what one wants. This is forbidden to Christians; we must always fearfully respect the name of Jesus. In all of our exercise of faith, we must submit to the sovereignty of God: he will do what he thinks best regardless of our best attempts and formulas to get him to act. God is not waiting on us to do a certain thing so that he can finally move and act but he does call us to participate with him in prayer and action because he desires a relationship.

Source: A Pendulum Swing between Prosperity and Suffering: What is the Role of Faith? (Essay) By: Dr. James Shelton

Does God exist?

 Here is a great article I found defending the existence of God, check it out:

http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/269

The Blood of Grapes: A quick case against abstinence

Wine was an important drink in the ancient world, and it figures significantly in the imagery of Jesus' death as well as his parables. Wine was consumed at daily meals (Gen. 14:18; Lk. 7:33-34). It was customary in Greek, Roman, Jewish and early Christian cultures to mix wine, usually with water. Wine mixed with water acted as a purifier and made the water safe to drink. Jesus appropriated wine as an element of the Lord's Supper and it symbolized his blood poured out as the blood of the pascal lamb slaughtered for the redemption of humankind. Wine was the table drink used in fellowship meals to affirm Jesus' banquet. It was also usually associated with feasting and celebration. In Hebrew, the word for feasting or banquet derives from the word for drinking. A great feast celebrated in the presence of God is common to the prophetic and apocalyptic imagery of later Judaism and anticipates the messianic heavenly banquet mentioned in Jesus' teaching. Wine was just a natural element in such feasts.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament view wine drinking favorably. Abundant wine was considered a sign of blessing and prosperity from God (Ps. 104:15) as was a season of good wine production. Wine was also considered a source of joy and one of the good things created for people. Conversely the lack of wine was a symbol of judgment and calamity (Deut. 28:30). In the Judeo-Christian tradition, complete abstinence from drinking was not the norm but the exception for reasons of strict religious purity. Daniel and his friends abstained from the king's wine, probably because it was somehow involved in the pagan cult and drinking it would be in violation of Jewish dietary laws (Dan. 1:8-16).

Jesus upheld the popular attitude toward wine. He drank wine and permitted its use in festivities like the wedding of Cana. So, the case for abstinence cannot be built from what the NT says of wine. Abstinence was not an issue in the early church, and there is no direct prohibition of the use of wine in the NT. However, as in the OT, drunkenness and excessive use of wine (which leads to addiction) is forbidden. Moderation is the watchword. The use of wine is dependent upon the conscience and the sensitivities of others. It is not to be indulged in if it will lead others to drink against the conscience.

A Cultural look at the Birth of Jesus

Luke 2


2:3 And everyone went to his own town to register

During this time there were only about 3 tribes left of Israel, the others had been scattered so much around the world that they no longer really existed together. One of these three tribes was the tribe of David. The decree for everyone to go to city of their ancestors was probably not a very good strategy to take a census. Joseph and Mary were probably more than happy to leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem since such an odd occurence had taken place with Mary...looking as though she had committed adultery. So, this huge caravan of people were heading to Bethlehem...and this was a problem because if anyone has ever seen Bethlehem they know that its just a little bitty town built on the side of a steep hill. More people were coming to the town to be registered than the town could hold.

2:6-7 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

While they were there...Joseph and Mary had been in Bethlehem for a little while before she gave birth, contrary to the usual story where Mary is almost about to give birth while they are looking for somewhere to stay. She gave birth to her firstborn....this is evidence that Jesus indeed had brothers and sisters. It is said that he was the first of about 6 others. There was no room for them in THE inn. This indicates that there was only one inn in the little town of Bethlehem and because there were so many people coming to the town to be registered for the census, it was of course packed. So, people would stay in the places for the animals, which were usually dug out of the hillside like a little cave. Before someone would stay in a place like this, they would run the animals out...they wouldn't stay with the animals! Mary placed Jesus in a manger...an animal trough, probably after laying down some fresh straw in the trough.

2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

This is probably the most obvious indication that Jesus was not born in December, but rather sometime in the spring. The only time the shepherds would actually live out in the fields were when the lambs were lambing or having their young, which would be in the spring time. If anyone knows anything about lambs giving birth then they will tell you that they need a little help unlike some animals. This is the reason that the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks and living in the fields; to help the lambs give birth if they began to have a great struggle. Another good indication that Jesus was not born in December is the fact that the census was called. Anyone in their right mind would not call a census and have people relocate to the land of their ancestors during the harsh winter. The reason that we celebrate Jesus' birthday in December is the fact that pagans used to also have a celebration during the spring time where they would worship the sun. So, the church decided (not sure exactly when) that they did not want to be associated with this pagan holiday and look like they were doing the same and made the celebration of Jesus' birth to be in December. So there you have it.

The Gift of Life: A look at the concept of the afterlife in the Old Testament (research paper)

DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE IN THE OLD TESTEMENT

Being a Christian that lives today, now having the New Testament and the Good News that it proclaims, how should we view the Old Testament concept death and the afterlife? Ancient Israel had little concept of a life after death or eternity spent with God. They just accepted that they did not know what happened after death, but it is apparent they believed one ceased to live and went to the grave or “Sheol.” The issue of death and the afterlife in the Old Testament is complex and more emphasis was given to life in the here and now. Death was viewed as a shadowy existence and the idea of a resurrection, found in Daniel, is commonly viewed among scholars as a late innovation that was influenced by foreign influences. Others believe that the concept was not adapted from foreign influences but rather has its roots in earlier Old Testament faith. It is not uncommon to hear some Christians question how the Israelites could believed in God since they had no idea of a future life. Roland Murphy in his book, The Gift of the Psalms, says, “This kind of reaction reveals how much Christians need to integrate the OT understanding of God and of life, if they would appreciate what the NT offers them. Belief means accepting God on God’s terms, as they are revealed.”
Concept of Death
Hebrew literature does not hide a sense of death’s power nor does it separate death from life as though it did not exist. Death is accepted and seen as the normal end of life. A good death is portrayed when an individual dies with sufficient offspring and at an old age. When it comes to asking the question of the origin of death, there seems to be little concern as well. The questioning for Israel focused more on how to understand the invasion of death into life. In contrast to the surrounding nation’s polytheistic view of life and death, this invasion was not articulated through speaking of divine powers which were threatening Yahweh and with whom battle must be done (ABD, “Death,” 2:109). Yahweh was seen as the ultimate source of life and death. In the Israelites mind, it was not possible to place the blame on competing divine forces. Although the Israelites did not have this polytheistic view, they certainly used the images from Canaanite mythology to represent Yahweh’s power over chaos and death. A great example of this imagery can be found in the book of Job when God is seen as in control of leviathan (Job 41). Yahweh was known to give or take away life (2 Kings 20:1-11). Life was dependent upon Yahweh whether one looked at this from an individual or communal perspective. Life in the here and now was of far more concern to the Israelites. The most prominent theme for Israel when talking about life and death was that life provided an opportunity for the individual and community to praise Yahweh. Praise of God was the sign of life. The inability to praise was a signal of death, even in life. The Hebrew Bible is abounding with the idea that death consists of silence and that the major characteristic of life is to praise Yahweh (ABD, “Death,” 2:109). The images of the underworld, or Sheol, as the space apart from Yahweh, assisted in the depiction of life. Death appears as a parallel to Sheol whether it is metaphorically speaking of death in the present life or death at the end of the physical life.
The attitude towards Death in the Old Testament can be seen as viewed with fear, anger and hostility. The most beautifully crafted text on the fear of death can be found in Ecclesiastics. Qoheleth seems to be very concerned with his own death. Some view his writing as a deep sense of fear brought before this reality of death. Others argue that although he may fear death, he is just simply expressing acceptance of his inevitable fate. However, the dominate attitudes towards death in the wisdom literature are anger and hostility as found in Psalm 6 and 102. Proverbs presents another view of life and death and relates them both to wisdom. The possession of wisdom is identified with life. When wisdom gives her speech in Proverbs 8 she says, “For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord, but whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death” (Prov. 8:35-36). Compared to Ecclesiastics, death in Proverbs is portrayed not to be feared because it is understood as a natural part of existence. Dying is understood as a negative way of living. It is a mode of living against the way of life as seen in the depiction and warning of the son not to get entangled with the “strange woman” or “wayward wife” (Prov. 2:19). Although the thought of death sometimes produced feelings of fear and anger, there were conditions when it was seen as an acceptable occurrence. First, death had to come at the end of a long life (Job 42:17). Second, the deceased had to leave behind descendants. Finally, funeral rites and the proper burial of the corpse had to be strictly observed (ABD, “Resurrection,” 5:683).

Sheol

The Old Testament books of wisdom literature reflect, for the most part, the standard Israelite perspective that there is no meaningful existence beyond death. However, there are a few passages that give the hope in some form of continued communion with God, which is later developed in the rest of the Old Testament in books such as Daniel and Isaiah. The traditional Israelite view is that death leads to a shadowy, insubstantial existence in the underworld called Sheol (ABD, “Dead, Abode of the,” 2:102).
There are many passages throughout the wisdom literature that reflect the idea of Sheol such as, “In death there is no memory of you; in Sheol who will praise you?” (Ps 6:5). Sheol is found to be the most common word used n the Hebrew Bible to refer to the abode of the dead, occurring approximately 66 times. Thirty-four times Sheol refers to human destiny, twenty-five it is linked directly with the fate of the ungodly. In seven passages the righteous contemplate descent into Sheol, though these are generally in times of crisis. This term is also used in the New Testament several times as the word Hades, most commonly translated to Sheol in the LXX. Hades shares many of the physical characteristics of Sheol and can be understood as the underworld. Sheol is typically depicted as a place to which one “goes down” and represent the lowest place imaginable. This word is often used in contrast with the highest heavens as found in Job 11:8.
The concept of Sheol is much like the description of the underworld found in Egyptian and Mesopotamian literature, but in comparison, few descriptive details have been found of Sheol (ABD, “Dead, Abode of the,” 2:102). The gates of Sheol are mentioned several times n the Hebrew Bible; one example being Job 38:17. This can be compared with the gates and gatekeepers found in the Egyptian and Mesopotamian conceptions of the netherworld. Bars and gates have to do with the Israelite view of the imprisoning power of Sheol and its impassable nature that prevents escape. Sheol, like Death, is described in the Hebrew Bible as having an insatiable appetite as seen in Prov. 27:20. This view is very closely related with the Canaanite’s deity Mot, who is associated with the underworld and also has a great appetite (ABD, “Dead, Abode of the,” 2:102). Later in the Old Testament, Isaiah plays on this imagery and turns the tables by having Yahweh swallow up Death forever. The term Sheol in the Wisdom literature was understood by the Jews as a place for the wicked or ungodly. It was also associated as a place where those that die an early death would find themselves. However, there are two passages which seem to point to Sheol as a universal destiny: Psalm 89:48 and Ecclesiastes 9:10. Sheol is further characterized as a place where there is no reward, and no knowledge or wisdom (Eccl. 9:10); and from which there is no return (Job 7:9; cf. 2 Sam. 12:23; Isa. 26:13–14). As such, Sheol is viewed as unwelcome and threatening. It does not offer hope for life after death or a basis for continued fellowship with God; and it is easy to see why an alternative view of the destination of the dead, especially of faithful Jewish martyrs, was considered desirable in later Old Testament times.
When reading through the Old Testament, one could easily assume that Sheol was the place where all the dead, both righteous (Jacob and Samuel being examples) and ungodly, eventually reside. For Ecclesiastics, stating that all human beings go to Sheol can be seen as a part of the overall tone of the book with an over exaggeration on the meaninglessness of human existence. On the other hand, there are other passages that suggest Sheol as the place for the wicked only. The latter view is most commonly used throughout the wisdom literature and the rest of the Old Testament. Thus, one can conclude that there is no evidence for the idea that Sheol is the permanent resting place for the righteous or all humanity. If it was in fact the destiny of all humanity, there would seem to be no point in largely cosigning Sheol as a place for the wicked and those under the judgment of God. Sheol is also often associated with those that die an untimely death or “evil death,” compared to the common fate of all humans. Comparatively, a natural death is associated with unification with kin and Sheol is never mentioned in this context.
Some questions have been raised to whether or not those who resided in Sheol could be consulted through necromancy and if it was indeed practiced by the Israelites. It is commonly known that such practices were expressly forbidden as seen in Deut. 18:11. Although it was forbidden, one can see that there are instances where a few Israelites did practice consulting with the dead (1 Sam. 28). There is abundant evidence for cults of the dead in the pagan world that surrounded Israel. Although this practice surrounded Israel, there is no clear evidence for a cult of the dead among the Israelites. However, there can be no question that many of the elements associated with the cult of the dead are found in the Bible such as laments, periods of mourning, acquisitions of tombs along with the erection of monuments and memorial stones (ABD, “Dead, Cult of the,” 2:106). For example, the cave at Mechpelah was originally purchased as a burial place for Sarah (Gen. 23:4). It also eventually became the grave of Abraham, then of Isaac and Jacob, along with Rebecca and Leah. It is mentioned in the Bible that the site is still a shrine for the children of Abraham in Hebron to this day. Such ongoing practice of visiting a tomb indicates that the Israelites continued to share many of the cultural and social assumptions of the Canaanites when it came to honoring the dead (ABD, “Dead, Cult of the,” 2:106). In other places one can see that the Israelites blatantly adopted the practices of Canaanites in disobedience to God. An example of this can be seen in Judges 17:5 when Micah had a shrine and made an ephod, later installing one of his sons as his priest. Several passages also speak about someone who has died as being “gathered to his people” (Gen 25:8). This may relate to joining ancestors in the afterlife, which could not be in Sheol since it is associated with isolation. This could indicate a belief in an alternative destination for the righteous but as said before, this idea is not clearly stated. Even though some Israelites practiced communing with the dead, Yahwism opposed these cult centers because private, family shrines threatened the Deuteronomic ideal of one God worshipped in the temple in Jerusalem. In the Exile, when the nation was at an all time low, the practice of consulting the dead was seen as morally offensive and was addressed more forcefully. Memorials and tombs were announced as unnecessary for the righteous dead, whose deeds would be memorial enough, while the wicked would “have no reward, but the memory of them is lost” (Eccl. 9:5).
The Israelites portrayed a heavy emphasis on living a long life as a sign of being blessed by God. Living a full life and being able to have many descendents to carry on the family name and family line was very important. To the ancient Israelite this was thought of more than the afterlife. Those who died in this way did not need their personal existence to be prolonged beyond the grave. As the Old Testament writers looked forward to the coming of God’s Kingdom, their main concern appears to be focused on what would happen to the community. It was understood that individuals might not survive to participate personally in Israel’s future glory, but because they saw themselves as being vitally linked to the community, the continued survival of the nation became their hope.
It can be seen that Sheol promised no hope for an afterlife but just a resting place for the dead. Some traces of the view of an actual afterlife can be found in the wisdom literature and is slowly developed throughout the rest of the Old Testament. As mentioned before, this view was especially popular during and after the Exile. Although hope for an afterlife was developed in later times and is said to be influenced by surrounding nations, there was little if any vision of an afterlife in Israel in the earlier Old Testament era. It is almost unanimously agreed that the country’s “healthy materialism” and “healthy eroticism” required it “to examine the meaning of man’s earthly existence to a degree and to a depth seemingly without parallel in the thinking of its contemporaries” (ABD, “Death,” 2:109).
The Old Testament writers encourage God’s people to seek knowing God’s presence and blessing now, rather than in the hereafter. The desire is for such a life to be long and fulfilled, avoiding the possibility of an untimely or unfortunate descent into Sheol. When reading through the wisdom literature, one can see that Israel is more attached to life and in no way dreams of a marvelous life hereafter. Human existence is viewed as a divine gift. The concept that life is the greatest gift and should be enjoyed as a gift from God is a major theme in Ecclesiastics. Death in the Israelite mind is only seen as something that comes to disturb life. In general, the person of the Old Testament was comfortable with the thought that they would not see immortality. They recognized and accepted that life returned to God who had loaned it in the first place. An example of this kind of thought would be, “when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send you’re your Spirit, they are created” (Ps. 104:29-30).

Development of Afterlife

The longing for an alternative to Sheol was satisfied in time, in the doctrine of resurrection set out in Daniel 12:1-3, which is seen now, not as something entirely new, but the clearer articulation of a hope that is rooted in Israel’s confidence in the justice of God and in his power to preserve his faithful people even from the threat of death. Even though there are traces of an alternative hope besides Sheol in the Old Testament, they are rare and dissimilar. The emphasis on a life after death started in Hosea’s time period and scholars mention that it was influenced by a Canaanite context. Between Hosea and Daniel, the resurrection idea was mentioned here and there, but it was mainly to point toward the political renewal of the people of Israel. If a resurrection was in the mind of Israel, it seems that the breath or spirit of life would have to return to its creator and then return back to the individual at a later time (1 Kings 17:21-22). The concept of the human existence was also different during Israel’s time than in our own. It was believed that the human being was composed of body and soul (breath). The person was not constituted of a perishable element, which would be our understanding of the flesh, and of an immaterial reality endowed with immortality, which we would call the soul (ABD, “Resurrection,” 5:684). Life ceased at the very moment when the breath loaned by God was taken back. This thought can be seen when Qoheleth says, “and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecc. 12:7). For Israel, there could be no victory over death unless a complete renewal of the human being was to occur. Also, it was believed that death could lose some of its sting if a person left behind a son or was buried in the tomb of his ancestors. It was accepted that the Israelite died, but through the continuation of the family line, Israel as a whole was preserved and continued to live.
Little by little, as the nation of Israel faced hardships and persecution, people began to ask about the fate of the faithful and the ultimate future that was prepared for him or her. While the faithful faced harsh persecution, the Yahwistic cause began to seem a lost one to the people. The doctrine of a resurrection is argued by some scholars as a reaction and fruit of the Jewish resistance to the Hellenistic world (ABD, “Resurrection,” 5:684). It is commonly accepted that the idea of a resurrection in the Old Testament was the result of external influences that came into play in various ways over the course of the history of Israel. Although this doctrine may have been influenced by external influences, the concept can be seen as being birthed out of an understanding of Yahweh’s character. The Old Testament largely proclaims Yahweh’s power and sovereignty, especially in Job. God is seen as the master of life and death. The remembrance of God’s character was called into play when the faithful people of Israel began to ask questions about life after death, namely his justice and faithfulness. The resurrection of the dead allowed God’s character to be displayed as one who was faithful to his servants, even beyond death. The doctrine also affirmed his power and control over death. The Jews began to assert that physical death does not nullify God’s justice nor cancel his covenantal relationship with individuals. Psalms 16 is an example of a text that points in this direction. Also, the idea that God will one day overcome death forever gave hope to the faithful and magnified His justice and power. Thus, the development and belief in the resurrection of the dead was based on Yahweh’s power, justice and love (ABD, “Resurrection,” 5:684).

Final Statement

After looking at death, life and the concept of an afterlife in the Old Testament, one can better appreciate and praise the view of the afterlife that is presented in the New Testament. The New Testament speaks of God alone as immortal, contrasting humans as only mortals which is evidence by their death and promise of a future gift of immortality. 1 Corinthians shows a prime example of the mortality of humans with the promise of immortality in the future, “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with the immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53). The New Testament is clear that death was not a part of God’s original plan for the human race (Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:21). Christ’s death is seen as destroying the one who hold the power of death and as now having the keys to death and Hades. Death is now viewed in the light of the resurrection of Jesus. He is seen as the first from the dead. Death does not separate us from Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). As in the Old Testament, one can experience a living death in the New Testament as well. One can be dead in sin and pass from death into life when encountering Christ in this life. The New Testament depicts eternal life as given now, but not in fullness. The tension between the already and the not yet is seen clearly and “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26). Only by understanding the Old Testament concept of the afterlife and reverence they had for God as in control of both life and death, can one begin to fully appreciate the eternal life that is offered in the New Testament. In his Letters and Papers from Prison,
Dietrich Bonheoffer expresses this understanding:
My thoughts and feelings seem to be getting more and more like those of the Old Testament, and in recent months I have been reading the Old Testament much more than the new. It is only when one knows the unutterability of the name of God that one can utter the name of Jesus Christ; it is only when one love life and the earth so much that without them everything seems to be over that one can believe in the resurrection and new world…

After understanding Israel’s perspective of death and the afterlife through reading the wisdom literature and the rest of the Old Testament, one can see how it presents a refreshing emphasis and appreciation of the present life. Throughout the ages, the emphasis has undergone a turn from focusing on the life here and now to a greater preoccupation with the afterlife and an eternity spent with God. As a Christian today, one can learn from the mindset of the ancient Israelites and begin to not only thank God for the gift eternal life with Him, but also stand in awe and receive the gift of life with gladness.

Relationship: More than words

Today I was just thinking about our relationship with God and how, at times, it can be very shallow. When I think about my relationship with God I tend to relate it to human relationships because this is all I have to go by when asking myself..."What does a relationship with God look like, or how can I deepen my relationship with God?" The latter question is what I desire. Although I do communicate with God and am getting better at being honest with him about myself (which is a funny thing to think about, how we try to hide our inner thoughts from God and not express to him in prayer what we are really thinking even though he knows our thoughts!) I find that sometimes my life and actions do not line up with my words. This is the acid test of how much I truly love and honor him. Since I value my relationship with God, I try to find ways that I can demonstrate it. I am finding that a deeper relationship with God consist of just more than communicating with him. We can also deepen our relationship with Him by how we live our lives, the choices that we make and the attitude of our hearts towards Him. We can honor our relationship with him by our actions, how we truly live day by day. I know this is nothing new, but rather an old and well known teaching by Christ himself. But if we are honest with ourselves and each other, at times this proves to be a challenge. Let us seek to deepen our relationship with Christ by moving beyond just communicating with Him to honoring and loving Him by the way we live and the choices we make daily. I believe the key to this making the daily choice to humble ourselves, dethroning ourselves, our selfish will and desires, so that God would be honored and glorified. In this way we can move into a deeper relationship with God where we actually walk and live with him instead of just talking with him occasionally.

Ecclesiastes: Searching for rest

A couple weeks ago we finished our study through the book of Ecclesiastes. This book is also apart of the wisdom literature in the Bible. Some quick facts:

Ecclesiastes was not written by Solomon as most think, but about Solomon by a man named Qohelet (meaning "preacher" or "one who calls an assembly" in Hebrew).
This book addresses the fact that acquiring wisdom and knowledge alone can deter your faith and lead to a meaningless life if not first accompanied with the fear and experience of the Lord. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10)

The book opens up with the words, "Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." This is better translated, "Vapor of vapors" and is the same thing in English as saying... more meaningless than the most meaningless thing...vapor of vapors. From the very beginning the book has a very pessimistic feel to it and some may ask why this book is even in the Bible. Well, I'm a simple, get to the point, kinda guy so I won't go into all the details of this book but rather just give you a quick overview of the point that God is trying to make through the writings of this man.

First of all, the main point of this book is that everything is vapor, meaningless, or here and gone the next without starting with the fear of the Lord as stated in proverbs, and experiencing Him in your life. This word experience is very important and Proverbs 9:10 states it "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the KNOWLEDGE of the Holy One is understanding." The word knowledge means experience. So, not only is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom but also experiencing him in your everyday life. Everything is vapor without first having a relationship with God.

Qohelet starts out basically saying that everything will always be the same, you do not matter, and nothing will ever change so you might as well just get on board..."That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." He never mentions God at all, and this is exactly the point. This is the mentality that people end up with without having God in the picture.

Qohelet starts out in 1:12 saying that he searched for wisdom....and found it. In our day it would be the same as always searching for knowledge, reading many books, getting a degree, doing the right thing, trying to live a "wise" life, worshiping knowledge instead of God. After Qohelet attained wisdom he proclaims that "this also is just like chasing after the wind." In other words it is meaningless without God.

In chapter 2 he decides that since the attainment of wisdom was found to lead to an empty life, maybe wisdom accompanied with partying will satisfy his restless soul. Qohelet says, "I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom." He then moves on to acquiring material things... building a huge house, planting a big garden area, having all the toys to play with such as a big boat, four-wheelers, vacation home, etc... He says in 2:4-9, "I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards...I acquired male and female servants...I also gathered for myself silver and gold...So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem (insert your city here)...Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them." He then comes to the same conclusion after filling his heart with much partying and acquiring all the material things that he desired...in 2:11 he says, "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had dome and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind." This too was found to be vapor and meaningless without a relationship with God.

Throughout the book he continues to pour out his heart and it ends with this in 12:13..."Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man's all." This is reinforcing the same thing that is said in Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  If you are reading this and have experienced all that Qohelet is talking about, I'm sure you too have found that all is "vapor and meaningless"- there is no LASTING joy or satisfaction apart from God.

Class notes: What is evil? What is good?

Today in class we had a discussion about good and evil. Towards the end of the class the professor left the room and told us to discuss amongst ourselves and answer the question, "what is the definition of evil?" When he returned he asked us what we had come up with and we said, "evil is the absence of good, like darkness is the absence of light or cold the absence of heat." Then he replied that this was not necessarily correct, but that a better definition of evil could be found as Augustine quoted, "evil is the deprivation of what is good." I found this to be a better explanation of evil. If you can remember in Genesis God created everything and called it good. Then why does evil exist? Well, just think, if there were no law then the law could not be broken, but with the law comes the possibility for the law to be broken. With truth comes the possibility to lie and with good comes the possibility for evil. Human beings are a special part of God's creation in that we do have the freedom to choose to consciously bring glory to God. If we did not have this choice (if Adam and Eve were created without freedom of choice to disobey God) then we would be no different than the great mountains or the splendor of the sunrise and sunset. These things have not choice whether they will glorify God, but we do. God did not create evil but man has the potential to deprave the good and use it for evil purposes; to twist what is good and make it evil. As we all know what is good can easily be abused and turned into an evil. What is good can become depraved and used for evil purposes, such as alcohol and sex to name just a few.

We also talked about how a person determines what is good. The professor gave a great example and pretended like he had an apple in each hand. In one hand was a fresh, crisp green apple ready to be eaten. In the other hand he had a slightly rotten apple with a brown spot that suggested that a worm had crawled inside. Then he told us that we would automatically determine that the fresh green apple would be the good one. He then suggested that he did not think so, and that he had come to like the taste of the rotten apple; he had acquired a taste for the rotten apple over the fresh one. He now actually preferred the rotten one over the fresh one and called it good. What I say is good can be different than what you say is good, there is no standard. The point of the example is to say that without a standard to measure what is good then what is good can never be determined. Without a standard, what is good or right would always be moving around and one could never achieve moving towards it. It would be like a train trying to get to a particular station or point and never arriving because the station continues to move around. You have to have a standard by which you measure something, and our standard is determined by God himself. Whatever God declares as good is good. This is how we identify what is good and what is not. He is the judge of such things. Remember, everything that God created is good and intended to bring him glory. We should be in the business of coming alongside Christ in restoring what has been twisted for evil purposes and abuse, leading people to him so he can renew their minds. Let us also be careful not to call something that God has declared good an evil. I know there are plenty of things that Christians declare to be evil and reject completely because of the way it has been abused and twisted for evil purposes.

Is the Bible free of error?

Biblical inerrancy: is the doctrinal position that the Bible is considered accurate and totally free of error.

In many of our circles of faith we tend to believe that the Scriptures are inerrant, or without error. Biblical inerrency is true, depending upon what you mean when you say that the Bible is inerrant. Some may say, "it simply means what it says!" But there are actually two different ways to view this subject.

Some literalist or conservative Christians teach that the Bible is without error in every way on all sorts of matters: chronology, history, biology, sociology, psychology, politics, physics, math, art, and so on. This is not true. The Bible does contain errors concerning historical dates and numbers. When encountering this truth, one has to remember that this is not even the POINT in the Bible, to present everything single detail literally without error.

The sense of inerrancy that is most in line with Christian tradition means that the Scriptures are always right (do not err) in fulfilling their purpose: revealing God, God's vision, God's purposes, and God's good news to humanity.

The Book of Job Part 2: Mythology and the Bible

Toward the end of today's lecture we started talking about the creature named Leviathan in chapter 41 of Job. Contrary to many ideas about this creature...like proof for dinosaurs or aliens!... Leviathan is a Canaanite mythological being. If you read Job 41 you will see that Leviathan is described like a dragon. Yes, we have dragons in the Bible! Isaiah 27 also talks about this "Leviathan" as the "fleeing serpent," a snake like creature having 7 heads. Psalms 74:13 speaks of God breaking the heads of Leviathan, and later in 14...crushing his heads. Also, Leviathan is associated as living in the sea. The people of ancient times looked at the sea as chaos and evil because it was mysterious and unknown. God talks to Job and asks him..."will you play with it as a bird, or will you put it on leash...?" God seems to be asking Job, sarcastically, if he is the one able to put Satan on a leash. This dragon can also be found in Revelation 12:3, fire breathing and with 7 heads. If you look at 12:9 you will find that this Leviathan is actually "that ancient serpent." So, Leviathan is the picture of  Satan! The Devil is pictured in the Bible as a seven headed fire breathing dragon. This may be what is said to be in Genesis 3. Leviathan in Job and Revelation is portrayed as the Devil or "the twisty serpent." Also, in Revelation 20:2, "He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years..." Never was it portrayed more clearly than this, that the creature Leviathan is meant to represent the ancient serpent in Genesis 3, and Satan. In Job 41 God is seen as having control over Leviathan and defeating him throughout the rest of the Bible. From this we see that Satan is not out of God's control.

MYTHOLOGY AND THE BIBLE Over the last several centuries, many have attempted to mythologize the inspired Word of God. Atheists vigorously attack the Genesis account of creation, calling it nothing more than a fictitious story that should be placed alongside (or even “behind”) myths like the Babylonian creation account. Liberal theologians similarly labor to make Scripture conform to secular sources, claiming that the Israelite religion is a mere “Yahwization” of pagan religions (i.e., attributing to Yahweh what pagan religions attributed to their gods) [see Brantley, 1993, 13:50]. Such attempts to mythologize Scripture represent a blatant attack upon God’s Word.
But even though the Bible is not based on pagan mythology, on occasion it does contain unmistakable allusions to it. Consider, for example, Isaiah 27:1: “In that day Jehovah with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the swift serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent; and he will slay the monster that is in the sea.” Here, the inspired writer makes reference to leviathan in a prophetic passage depicting the future victory of God over His foes. As Pfeiffer has observed:

Isaiah was, of course, a strict monotheist. He did, however, draw upon the common stock of poetic imagery known to his people just as contemporary writers allude to mythology to illustrate a point without thereby expressing or encouraging faith in the story so used (1960, 32:209).

Among the clay tablets found in ancient Ugarit (present-day Ras Shamra), there was one that described with similar words a creature called Lotan: “When thou hast smitten Lotan, the fleeing serpent [and] hast put to an end the tortuous serpent, the mighty one with seven heads...” (as quoted in Pfeiffer, 32:209). In explaining the language of Isaiah and other Bible writers, John Day commented:

Canaanite mythic imagery was the most impressive means in that ancient cultural milieu whereby to display the sovereignty and transcendence of Yahweh, along with His superiority over Baal and all other earthly contenders. Although the Hebrews did not borrow the theology of Canaan, they did borrow its imagery—here the imagery of Baal’s enemy, Sea/Dragon/Leviathan (1998, 155:436, emp. added).

Day believes the problem is not one of borrowed mythology, but one of borrowed imagery. In summarizing his view on this subject, R. Laird Harris wrote: “We may conclude that mythological symbols are used in the Bible for purposes of illustration and communication of truth without in the least adopting the mythology or approving of its ideas” (1992, p. 165, emp. added). To suggest that the godly men and writers of the Old Testament believed in these mythological creatures is to make an abrasive and completely unwarranted assumption. In the words of Old Testament scholar, J. Barton Payne, such a view should be “roundly denied” (1980, 1:472). Elmer Smick noted:

Reading primitive meaning into a piece of monotheistic literature where the idiom can be viewed as a result of simple observation or the use of quaint expressions is poor methodology. On the other hand, we must be cautioned against the rejection of all mythological usage in a strained attempt to remove the writers of Scripture from such contamination (1970, p. 222).

In the book of Job, there no doubt are allusions to mythology (cf. 3:8; 26:12), but Job itself is not a mythological book. Rather, Job is presented as a devout monotheist who rejected then-popular mythological concepts (cf. 31:26-28). It is quite possible that a mythological element can be seen in the poetic language of Job 3:8: “Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan” (Job 3:8; see Hailey, 1994, p. 49). [The KJV rendering “who are ready to raise up their mourning” misses the reference to leviathan, which is obvious in the original language.] Many scholars identify the leviathan of this verse with a mythological creature described in Ugaritic myths. According to such mythology, a marine monster named Lotan was capable of altering the entire world order by eclipsing the Sun or Moon with its body (Payne, 1980, 1:472). Smick has suggested, then, that in the context of chapter 3, “Job, in a cursing mood, employs the most vivid, forceful, proverbial language available to call for the obliteration of that day” (1978, 40[2]:215). In his commentary on Job, Roy Zuck made the following observation concerning mythology and its relation to the book.

Was Job indicating belief in a creature of mythology? No, he was probably doing nothing more than utilizing for poetic purposes a common notion that his hearers would understand. This would have been similar to modern adults referring to Santa Claus. Mentioning his name does not mean that one believes such a person exists (1978, p. 24).

Thus, even though the Bible may make allusions to mythology, “neither the book of Job nor any of the Old Testament has the slightest hint of belief in any such mythology” (Smick, 1970, p. 229). 

  Resource:  http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2017

Lecture Notes: The Book of Job

This semester I am taking a class called Psalms and Wisdom Literature. In this class we are digging deep into the wisdom literature found in the Bible including Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastics. Throughout this semester I will try to share all that I can with you as I learn from my professors. Here is what I have learned about the Book of Job so far...it may be a little choppy but I hope you can take it as nuggets of truth and investigate it further for yourself.

First of all, the Book of Job has to be seen through the lens of its genre. There are many different styles of writing or genre throughout the Bible and each style is used for a particular pupose. The story of Job is a parabolic story (not a true story as one should know by all the poetry in the middle) and has to be understood in the light of reading a parable. This can be seen by its parabolic characteristics revealed in the original Hebrew language that it was written. For example, the very first line of the Book of Job, "There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job," has a similar meaning in Hebrew to our..."Once upon a time in a land far, far away there was this man..." So, one can see in the opening line in Hebrew that this is a parable. The point of a parable is not to tell real factual stories but to convey a particular truth or point through that story. Whether Job was real or not is not important to the POINT of the story.

Another major aspect of the Book of Job is that the main point of the Book of Job is not "Why do the righteous suffer?" as many would ask... but rather, "Why do you serve God?" or "Do human beings serve God for God's sake or for their own profit?" If the question, "Why do the righteous suffer?" is asked the book does not make sense because of the way God reacts to Job when Job questions Him, but if the latter is asked, the point of the book has clarity.

Relationship

When talking to God we have to remember that he is all knowing (your father knows what you need before you ask him. Matt 6:8) He doesn't just want information but a relationship.

Religion

Religion is about using God to receive an idol, the Gospel is about receiving God as the gift. ~ Mark Driscoll

Strangers in Romanina...a true story

We had been traveling all day across the world, and it wouldn’t be long before the sun would drift away below the field of clouds, staining the sky with burnt orange. Our destination was a little town named Medias in the country of Romania. After flying the long stretch across the ocean from the United States, we finally arrived in capital, Bucharest, and made our way through the blank and somewhat disgruntled faces of customs. As we exited the airport and made our way to the road, the taxi drivers had the appearance like seasoned hunters that fixated their eyes on the grand prize coming towards them. One hefty man in particular decided to quickly take the opportunity that had presented itself before the others had a chance. We thought we might blend in, but as hard as we tried I’m sure we still looked like two deer in the headlights, and the locals could see it. After agreeing to a decent price for the ride without specifying the currency we would be using, we got in the car and poured into the busy streets making our way to the Bucharest train station. While on our way we listened to a little techno, exchanged a few words with the taxi driver, and listened to him exchange a few seemingly vulgar words with the other drivers. Then we arrived at the station. After being such a gentleman and helping us with our luggage, the driver kindly waited for us to pay him. We quickly dug in our wallets for the correct amount of Leu that was agreed upon. The hefty man had obviously been planning this moment on the way to the station and just could not let the opportunity pass. He insisted that we pay in our native currency. After all, isn’t this the price that we agreed upon before entering the taxi? It was a loop hole that he had carefully schemed out in his mind. We were new to this and found ourselves letting him take advantage of us. So we finally paid him a week’s wages and made our way into the station.

            The next step was to get the train tickets, but first that meant that we had to find the ticket booth. As we entered the station there was another man posted, fishing for easy bait. Disguised as a kind gentleman that just wanted to help dumbfounded travelers for no reason at all, he led us

to the ticket booth and helped us buy our tickets to Medias. I was suspicious the whole time with this fellow and even asked him at the booth, “Why are you helping us?” He replied, “No reason, I just want to.” I gave him the benefit of the doubt and started thinking that it must just be a part of the culture to be so generous. After he placed the tickets in our hands it wasn’t five seconds later that he presented us with his own open hand, asking for a little money for the assistance. Once again we had fallen into a carefully planned trap and it was quickly destroying our trust in anyone. If not careful we could be guilty of placing the entire population into the same category as these two men. This little man was persistent and latched onto us like a leach. He was not going to give up until we gave him something. After we spent a good five minutes telling him that we were not going to pay him we realized that we did not have time to bicker with strangers, so we finally gave in to his request and paid him. He received the money with a satisfied smile, a generous thank you and a look on his face that said that it was all worth it. As he left us he began to search for his next victim. Fighting the tendency to judge the culture in the light of these two men we hopped on the train excited about this new experience and took our seat next to two older men that looked like they had been doing this their entire life. The sober feeling that we were excited strangers in someone else's homeland flooded over us.The train ride was a long one that was expected to last about five hours. Before leaving to Romania our professor had informed us that these trains do not announce to their customers where they are stopping. Being in Romania many times before, he let us know that our stop in Medias came two stops after a certain town named Sigishwara, so towards the end of this five hours we had to be sure and keep our eyes open. The sun quickly disappeared into the horizon giving way to the night. Tired and numb from traveling all day, we stared blankly out the widow and finally fell asleep. After we awoke we realized that the two old men were still sitting in the same spots, both falling in and out of sleep exhausted from a long day’s work. It wouldn’t be long until we were to arrive in Medias so we kept our eyes peeled. The train stopped at Sighisoara like our professor said, so we knew that our stop would come soon. The first stop came after Sighisoara, then not long after we felt the train slowing down again for the second stop.  Looking out the window we saw nothing but open fields, trusting that this should be our destination. We grabbed our bags and headed for the door to get off the train. It came to a halt and we poked our heads out of the train door to see nothing but corn fields to our left and right, only the sound of crickets singing in the night broke the stillness of the night. Something wasn’t right, but if we missed our stop that would start another chain of events that we did not want to deal with. We had to decide quickly if we were to get off here or not. After asking each other if we should get off and staring into corn fields confused, the train started to slowly move again to its next destination. Questions were racing through our heads as the train started gaining speed. We decided to stay on the train with much confusion. Worry started to prod at our minds with questions and doubts. The crowd on the train was thinning out now that we had been on so long, but the two old men were still there. All we had to do was ask someone where the stop to Medias was, but the barrier of communication stood towering in front of us. So in desperation I attempted to climb over it. I began to speak in English to these two men hoping that they might know at least a little; they didn’t. Interestingly we were able to understand one another enough to communicate, broken as it was. After saying the name Medias over and over, and pointing forward while nodding our heads together in agreement, we finally had a sense of peace about the whole situation. Still not sure if they understood us, our only option was to wait anxiously for the next stop. About twenty minutes later, we looked out the window and could see that we were entering another town. Thankfully, my friend Brian had used his trusty tool Wikipedia, which he thinks is one of the greatest inventions of all time, to investigate this town called Medias before we left the States. Peering out the window, he was able to recognize the famous clock tower that stood high in the center of the town. Relief flooded our hearts and we made our way to get off the train once again. It was now was about 1 am. We jumped off the train and found that a short woman was making her way directly toward us. Because of our prior experience in this situation, we were obviously suspicious of this person and attempted to ovoid her. She continued to come toward us so I asked her, “Who are you?” She said her name was Dora and that she was there to pick us up. Jokingly, I told her that I thought she was just another person wanting to help us for money. She quickly replied, “So you think I look like a beggar?” The embarrassment of making cultural mistakes came over me as I laughed and assured her that I didn’t think she looked like a beggar. After we made our way off of the train tracks we came to a flight of stairs that led underneath the station where another woman was waiting. She introduced herself and approached us with a hug. For the first time, we both felt warmly welcomed into this foreign country. After joking with Dora about our prior experience of almost getting off at the wrong stop, we jumped in the taxi and made our way to the base. The town was quiet and still as the taxi driver sped through the empty streets. We then turned onto a dirt road and entered an area that looked like it had been ravished by war. This was getting a little spooky. After bumping, tossing and turning in the cab up the hill on the torn road we arrived next to a three story house with a barren yard. (Honestly, the word base had filled my mind with different expectations of what it would look like. I was expecting a huge base, like some kind of military base.) We entered the house and were welcomed by another lady named Christina. She told us to have a seat and relax while she brought out some food for us to eat and some hot tea to sip on. After joking around and conversing for a while they directed us to our room where we would be staying with five other guys. Safe in our new beds at our new home, we struggled to fall asleep as we anxiously anticipated the unexpected events of the next three months that would played a significant part in shaping the rest of our lives.

Morning Stillness

Today I got up early!...for the first time in a long time, and I remembered why I love greeting the day early. I love that stillness and quietness in the early morning, before everyone and everything starts moving around. I enjoy that crisp cool air that hits the face and refreshes the lungs as you first step outside in the early morning while the sun is making its great accent... the warmth of the rays that hit your face and body first thing in the morning. The peace that is felt in the early morning is one thing I miss. The intimate conversations and meditation that takes place in the morning between myself and God is what I was reminded of today. The birds beginning to sing and the squirrels rustling around in the trees. Everyone is quiet and still, barely moving around. Your side of the world is waking up and its a time of thankfulness for life and another day. Many times I can remember God speaking to me in the early morning, many times I have walked around outside before the commotion starts, this is what I miss and about the early morning. It's as if it's just you, God, and creation.

The Real World

What do you expect life to be like? Do you expect an ordered, predictable calm where your plans are unobstructed? Do you assume that people will agree with you and affirm your choices? Do you think you will be able to avoid sickness, accident, and injury? Do you believe you can plan your way out of stress and avoid situations where you feel overwhelmed? Yah!...If you live like a hermet monk!

Our experiences become more difficult when we carry unbiblical, and therefore unrealistic, expectations into them. We are shocked when we find ourselves in stessful situations. We question God's goodness and wonder what has gone wrong with our faith. We think that God has changed the rules on us.

That's why....lets say for example...a man named "Fred" was so disappointed. He was one of the good guys. He played by God's rules. He worked hard, made wise choices, and exercised a lot of discipline. He was serious about his relationship with God and active n his church. He was a faithful husband to "Judy" and an involved father. Given all this, "Fred" assumed that God would continue to give him the "good life."

He didn't want something extravagant. he just wanted his life of work, Christian friends, and family to go on without a hitch. But now "Fred" stood at what once had been the doorway of his dream home. A hurricane had blown it all away. Except for a few photo albums, everthing was gone. "Fred" could not calculate the loss.

Where was God? Why would he let this happen? Whey had "Fred" bothered to work hard, only to lose it all? "Fred" knew he should pray, he didn't want to. He was shocked, angry, and disappointed. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

What words would you use to discribe the world in which we live? In Romans 8 Paul describes it like this...

For the creation was subjected to fustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its BONDAGE TO DECAY and brought into the glorious feedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creations has been GROANING as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

These are the phrases that Paul uses to describe earthly life between the fall of man until Christ comes once agian as King of Kings. Creation is subject to frustration, in bondage to decay, and groaning as in pains of childbrith and we live in the midst of it all.

What pours and overflows out of your own heart when the boat is rocked a little and the heat is on? Life on earth is a wilderness. Each day we face unexpected difficulties. In it all, God works to expose, chage, and mature us. he has not forgotten you or the promises he made to you. He has not left you to the limits of your power and wisdom. In ways that are glorious, yet often hard to understand, God is in your Heat. He calls you to turn from questioning him to examining yourself! Where do you question his goodness, grace, and love? Where do you toy with the idea of going back to your old lifestyle...because this dosen't seem to be "working." God is not absent from your heat. When you are in the middle of the heat, you haven't somehow gotten yourself outside the circle of God's love and care.

Formula Christianity

Today my professor brought up a topic that I would like to expand upon. He mentioned that sometimes we as Christians want to do what works. What can I do to get God to move? What do I need to do to get God to meet my need? Should I fast or pray a certain prayer in a certain way? Then if I do it right then this means that God will do. I'm thinking the simple answer to this is...again...God is not constrained to our formulas. I don't believe that God is waiting for us to get the formulas right...then he can finally do something! No. God is the one at work...not us. He does what is right and whatever pleases him. Will not the judge of all the earth do right? Not to say that we should never pray again or fast or do any of the other things that we do...but we should check our motives for doing so...do that hard work of examining our heart. Do you do these things knowing that God is sovereign and out of your control? Why pray? I believe to join him in what he is already doing. Why fast? For me it is to expose and remove idols that I have set up in my life and refocus on who should be my true object of worship and attention. The gospel proclaims that GOD is the one that has reached out to US, not the other way around, and is at work in our lives and in the lives of others, READY to do good.

You Will Suffer

Lately I have been reading and studying the topic of suffering and how one should view it in the light of Christianity. Personally, it is a hard subject to study and I still have many questions running through my mind but as I have looked into God's Word and received teaching from people I respect and trust this is what I have come to believe as true so far...

Many people can become confused in the midst of suffering and begin to doubt, question and grow angry at God. This type of attitude while suffering is the result of either bad teaching or no understanding of suffering as a Christian from a Biblical perspective. Some people seem to think that when becoming a Christian and having a relationship with Christ, all suffering should cease and that we should now be exempt from having to encounter any troubles in this world at all. This is not what the Bible teaches. God did not even spare his own Son from suffering. God does not promise us that we will not suffer in this life when we become His. In fact, he lets us know that we will indeed suffer and gives us hope, strength, even joy in the midst of suffering. The truth is that sin and suffering are a part of the world that we live in. People will experience pain and suffer emotionally, physically, financially, etc. I'm sure at this point you naturally want to stop reading about this topic and shy away from encountering the truth about suffering and pain, but I encourage you to continue and come face to face with the raw truth.

So the question is...Why suffer? Does it have a purpose?

Suffering is awful. We hate it. We run from it like a gazelle fleeing from a hungry lion. We will do almost anything to avoid it. But suffering is an inescapable part of living in this world. God does not spare even His most faithful servants from it but WORKS IT OUT FOR THEIR GOOD and the good of those around them. Job, Joseph and Paul are just three examples of people that encountered intense suffering. Since the original sin of Adam, this world has lived under a curse, a curse of suffering and death that will remain until Jesus Christ is revealed as the King of Kings. Our bodies grow old and suffer numerous painful ailments. Exercising their God-given free will, sinful human beings continue to inflict devastating pain on one another. And the blood of the martyrs has often been the seed of the church. In the midst of it all, many are tempted to shake their fist at God and say, “Why me?”, as if something strange were happening to them or as if they expect to somehow be exempt from the painful trials of this world. We should expect suffering in this life—Jesus promised it to us. We cannot expect God to spare us from all suffering when He did not spare His only Son from suffering.

It is hard, especially for Americans, to learn to die to self and the pleasures of this world. The Western, consumer-driven culture is designed around satisfying our every desire and avoiding suffering. This is probably why some in the West have developed a "health, wealth and prosperity" theology but not a theology of suffering. We are taught to live for the things of this world, and this has infected our churches. But when we come to faith in Christ, we receive a new master who has called us to be on mission with Him, and faithfulness to that mission will involve suffering. I do believe that God is good and wants the best for us but the fact is that God does not equate what is best for us and others around us with how much money we have and how much pain we are free from. From what I understand now, God decides what is ultimately good for us based on how it will glorify himself and point us to him....because he is GOD! think about that. Now, when this type of subject is introduced to someone in the midst of suffering it is even harder to talk about because it seems as if God has some type of ego problem and needs all attention on himself to the point that he even works out suffering such as cancer, murder and rape to glorify him in the end. God does not rape people or give them cancer!...but he does work these terrible results of a fallen world in disobedience to him out for the good of those that love him and for his glory. He is bigger than sin! Sin and suffering do are not out of God's control!

Another crucial thing to understand when considering suffering and pain is the sovereignty and goodness of God. He is both in control and good. God is not pleased with the suffering and pain that takes place in this world because of sin. The Bible tells us that he gets angry, weeps, grieves and even mourns because of the pain caused by sin. Well, if we are to consider the sovereignty of God one may ask...If he is sovereign, then doesn’t that mean that everything that happens is God's will? The answer is NO. There are many things that are not God's will...we call them sin. Everything that happens does not proceed from God's will as if he wanted sin. Everything is not in obedience to God. There is sin and rebellion and this is not what God wants. Darkness, evil and sin do not proceed from the character of God and God works out everything in the end for his ultimate redemptive good. This means that God is bigger than sin, evil, Satan and demons and that in the end God works out all things for the good as stated in Romans. This does not mean that all things are what God wanted or decreed or willed, but it does mean that even when there is sin and rebellion that he is big enough to work it out for his good and he does. God is not just sovereign but also good.

The bottom line is that the purpose of all of life is to glorify God and to make His glory known. Personally, I tend to squirm a little when I truly think about this...that all of life, everything, even suffering is intended to glorify God. But, once again I have to make the decision of whether I will believe in my own image of who I would like God to be or will I believe in him for who he really is and reveals himself to be? No sane person seeks out suffering. But as his children having a greater hope we embrace suffering when it comes, trusting in God's sovereignty and provision. We can suffer purposefully instead of purposelessly. When we suffer hardship well, trusting God along the way, we send a message to hurting people around the world so they can see a glorious God who loves them and gives strength in the midst pain. There should be a difference in the way a child of God suffers verses one that does not know him. Again the question is not...Will I suffer? But, when will I suffer and how long? This is the raw truth. The other question is...how will I suffer? Purposefully or with no purpose at all? Our suffering serves a purpose and that is to ultimately glorify God. Please feel free to comment! I would like to hear what you guys think about this subject.

Some content from: Mission Frontiers Magazine. Jan-Feb 2010. pgs. 4&5

More great teaching on God's hand in our suffering can be found at:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/redeemingruth/gods-hand-in-our-suffering