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The Bible on the History Channel – What’s your prediction? Will the children in Jericho die?

March 5, 2013 in Bound Together, Joshua with 2 Comments

What’s your prediction? Will the History Channel make it clear that the children of Jericho died? If the mini-series does show the complete annihilation of Jericho, will many protests be raised?

The first episode of The Bible mini-series ended with the spies fighting it out in Jericho. Presumably, the next installment will begin with Rahab hiding the spies (Joshua 2:1) and the battle of Jericho.

If the series sees the destruction of Jericho through to the end, then everyone and everything in Jericho will be destroyed: babies included. This raises one of the thorniest questions in Scripture. After all, it is one thing to show Egyptian soldiers drowning in the Red Sea. But it is grasping the nettle, indeed, to graphically point out that all the children of Jericho died. Why did God order the execution of the three-year-olds?

If you click through to Scot McKnight’s post on this subject, you will see the kind of energy this question raises, as well as the wide range of explanations.

Justin Taylor addressed this topic in his post, How could God command genocide in the Old Testament? See also Trevin Wax’s post, Personal Reflections on the Canaanite Conquest). I won’t review all their thoughts. However, the point I would make is that apart from understanding the reality of corporation solidarity – the truth that people are “bound together,” the complete destruction of Jericho will make no sense.

I do not mean in any sense to minimize the solemness of the judgment of Canaan. It is so sobering to consider. My mind cannot put it all together. But surely part of our difficulty with the destruction of Jericho is that we are too individualistic in our thinking. Deep down many have bought into the idea that parents are islands distinct from their children. We believe that fathers should be able to make decisions apart from it affecting their families.

But we are not islands unto ourselves. It is just not how life works. The fact is, Jericho was in corporate solidarity. They were bound together. Together they faced judgment.

We might paraphrase John Donne:

No [parent] is an island, / Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.

Of course, there are many, many other biblical examples of children being included in judgment. The world’s children were not put on the ark during the Genesis flood. Infants were not evacuated before the judgment of Sodom. Or, moving to the heart of the matter, the result of one man’s trespass was that the many were made sinners (Romans 5:18)!

The fact is, apart from understanding the truth that people are “bound together” in corporate solidarity, the destruction of all of Jericho, including children will make no sense. But then neither will life or the Bible. This is my point in Bound Together.

So, what’s your prediction? Do you think that the Bible series on the History Channel will make it clear that everything in Jericho was destroyed? If they do, will there be much resistance?

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For more on this subject, Take the Bound Together Quiz. You don’t have to read the book to take the quiz. And you can be eligible for some great giveaways.

Losing Adam

February 8, 2013 in Bound Together, Genesis with 1 Comment

Increasingly, it seems, theologians who have identified themselves as evangelicals question the historicity of Adam or the need for believing that Adam existed. Jeremy Walker recently considered how the trajectory of rejecting an historical Adam would work out in our theology. Part of his argument relates directly to my next book, Bound Together. The focus of Bound Together is that we are not isolated individuals. Rather, we are bound together in corporate solidarity with others. The ultimate negative example of corporate solidarity is the doctrine of original sin which teaches that Adam’s sin was imputed to all his descendants as was a corrupt nature.

In terms of the consequence of giving up a belief in the historical Adam, what he calls, “losing Adam,” Walker writes:

Losing Adam means losing hope, for my solidarity with Adam as a man condemned finds its Scriptural counterpart in my solidarity with Christ, the last Adam, as a man redeemed. Adam is “a type of him who was to come” (Rom 5.14) – all the God-ordained parallels and constructs out of which my salvation finds its form and substance are lost if an historical Adam is lost. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive,” wrote the apostle in 1 Corinthians 15.22. But if there is no Adam in relationship to whom I die, how can I be confident that my parallel relationship with the Christ secures my life? If there is no imputation of Adam’s sin, why should there be an imputation of Christ’s righteousness? I cannot have one without the other. Thomas Goodwin’s famous illustration illuminates the concern: if there are, in essence, and as far as God’s dealings with the world are concerned, only two men in the whole world, two giants upon one of whose belts every other individual is hooked, then what shall I do when one of those giants is suddenly taken out of the equation? All of a sudden the existence of the other, specifically in that relationship of soteriological solidarity, begins to look more than a little hazy. If the one is a mere fairy tale or cipher, what of the other?

Read the whole thing here.

Without an Historical Adam the Good News Turns Bad

January 30, 2013 in biblical theology, Old Testament with 0 Comments

It is becoming increasingly “popular” to deny the historicity of Adam. Michael Reeves, on the Desiring God site, argues that denying an historical Adam has fundamental theological implications.

Nor it is not just that the biblical genealogies depict Adam as a historical figure, not just that Paul can build core arguments on his belief that Adam was as real a man as Christ (Romans 5; 1 Corinthians 15). Adam has a significance in the Bible that far outstrips the simple number of mentions he gets. In fact, he has a significance so great that without him we no longer have a recognisably Christian gospel.

Given space restraints, I will point out just two ways mythologizing Adam uproots the gospel.

(1) It Makes God Bad

Let’s put it this way: what if sin did not enter the world at a particular point in time, with a real, historic first sin? . . .

Read the whole thing here.

“Ways in the Manger” Sermon Series Thus Far

December 12, 2012 in Old Testament, Preaching, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Our children sang Christmas songs to the congregation with “great joy” at the Red Brick Church in Stillman Valley.

This post is also available at theredbrickchurch.org. You can listen to the sermons here.

Thus far in our “Ways in the Manger” series, we have considered the births of Isaac and Benjamin. The Isaac birth-narrative reminded us that God graciously moves his people from a place of cynicism to complete joy in Him. In the words of Jude’s benediction:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy . . . (Jude 24)

Despite their failures (Abraham and Sarah were far from perfect!) and despite all ours, if we know Christ, He will keep us from falling and bring us to His presence with mega joy! (Read more on exuberant joy here)

Last Sunday, we saw that history gives perspective on the sad story of Rachel’s death while delivering Benjamin. Benjamin, the father of a key tribe of Israel, was worth dying for. And babies in general are worth dying for! (Would you pray that abortions would stop?)

Despite the pain we face in a fallen world, be assured that God is working out His plan of salvation in history and Benjamin was an intricate part of that plan. The Apostle Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin! When we see how God has unfolded his plan over thousands of years, our confidence in what God is doing should grow.

One of my central concerns in preaching is always to relate particular segments of God’s Word to the over-arching whole of Scripture. In the case of the births of Isaac and Benjamin, we should recall that this is about the beginning of God’s people.

As for the big picture of Scripture, this quote from D.A. Carson is a beautiful summary. This quote will come up again in the 1 Timothy series. Carson explains what history and the Bible are all about.

God is the sovereign, transcendent and personal God who has made the universe, including us, his image-bearers. Our misery lies in our rebellion, our alienation from God, which, despite his forbearance, attracts his implacable wrath.

But God, precisely because love is of the very essence of his character, takes the initiative and prepared for the coming of his own Son by raising up a people who, by covenantal stipulations, temple worship, systems of sacrifice and of priesthood, by kings and by prophets, are taught something of what God is planning and what he expects.

Our church is thankful for so many children from Stillman Valley, Byron, Oregon, Davis Junction, Rockford, and other surrounding communities.

In the fullness of time his Son comes and takes on human nature. He comes not, in the first instance, to judge but to save: he dies the death of his people, rises from the grave and, in returning to his heavenly Father, bequeaths the Holy Spirit as the down payment and guarantee of the ultimate gift he has secured for them—an eternity of bliss in the presence of God himself, in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

The only alternative is to be shut out from the presence of this God forever, in the torments of hell. What men and women must do, before it is too late, is repent and trust Christ; the alternative is to disobey the gospel (Romans 10:16;2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17).

For Sunday’s sermon, the text is 1 Samuel 1-3 and the central question is this: “How does God bring His people through times of spiritual chaos?” For a major hint, see 1 Samuel 3:1 or Proverbs 29:18 (see this post)! If this question is not kept central in the sermon, we may easily begin to think this is merely a story about infertility and miss the main point.

Pray Like a Drunk?

December 11, 2012 in 1 Samuel, Prayer with 0 Comments

When was the last time you prayed this urgently?

I’m preaching this Sunday on the birth of Samuel: the third in our series, Ways in the Manger.

In the beginning of the narrative, Hannah longs for a child. She prays so urgently for a son that the priest, Eli assumes she is drunk. But Hannah assures him that she is as sober as a judge.

12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Lest, we get the wrong picture, notice the text says Hannah was “speaking in her heart” – - – only her lips moved. So she was not blathering like Otis on the Andy Griffith show. Still, she was pouring out her soul so urgently that Eli thought she was looped.

We ought also to notice what will become clear as the narrative progresses. The God of Israel truly was central for Hannah. She did not want a child who would become a small idol for her. I’ll have much more to say about that in the sermon.

I wonder when was the last time I prayed as urgently as Hannah? Is there ever a time when we pray so urgently because we are so concerned for the cause of Christ?

If You’re In a Tight Spot

August 24, 2012 in Old Testament with 2 Comments

The other night at dinner my family reviewed the Old Testament story of Jehosheba (2 Kings 11:1-3).* The quick summary is that a murderous woman named Athaliah made it her goal to murder all the heirs to the throne in Judah. But, for brave Jehosheba she would have been successful. Jehosheba was heroic. She hid her little nephew and his nurse for six years. Discovery at any time would have meant horrible death.

My family and I talked about what had to be true of Jehosheba in order for her to save the life of her baby nephew. We concluded that in a time of crisis Jehosheba combined clear thinking, faithful courage, and decisive action.

Our situations are rarely so dramatic as Jehosheba’s. But, you never know. Sometime soon you may find yourself in a tight spot. If you do, remember, that such moments call for courage, clear thinking, and decisive acting. Proverbs says, If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength (Proverbs 24:10). If you find yourself in a precarious position, whether physical or spiritual or emotional, some place that seems impossibly hard, then turn to Christ. Think clearly, put your faith in Christ, and take action.

The Bible says that Christians are not of those who shrink back. We do not wilt in difficult times. We press on, persevere, move forward. Christ has given us all that we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him. You can do it, however difficult it seems.

*Reposted from 2007, so the “other night” was 5 years ago!

Daniel in the Lions’ Den (Daniel 6): 2 Ways to Miss the Point

July 19, 2012 in Daniel with 0 Comments

Daniel in the Lion's Den image of a lion Daniel in the Lions’ Den (Daniel 6) is one of the most well known passages in Scripture (Daniel 6). Most people know that Daniel in the Lions’ Den is the story of how God closed the mouths of the lions so that Daniel survived. (My sermon on Daniel in the Lions’ Den, “Standing for Christ Knowing that Victory is Certain,” is available online.)

Yet, if the story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den is one of the most well known, it is also one of the least understood. Too many view it only as a sentimental story. Below are two ways to miss the point.

Two Ways to to Miss the Point of Daniel in the Lions’ Den

1. Fail to Picture Scenes Today in Which We Must Fear God Rather than Men – Chances are most of us will never run up against an edict from a Persian king. However, anyone who aligns with Christ will find plenty of times when we are required to stand for Christ even though we are threatened with dire consequences if we disobey. If we are going to get the point of Daniel in the lions’ den, we need to picture situations where it has significance for today.

Will we stand up for a biblical view of marriage?
Will we stand up for the sanctity of life?
Will we require our daughters to dress modestly?
Will we say “no” to the wrong kind of entertainment?

2. Believe that Daniel’s Hope Was Not Just to Survive the Night -Daniel’s dream was not to make it through a night with the big cats. After all, surviving the lions’ den did not change much for him.

Daniel bounced off the bottom of the lions’ den an old man (at least 83 per Wood, 153). The next morning, he crawled out an old man.
He crawled into the cave an exile having not smelled the fragrance of home in almost 70 years. He survived the stench of cats for a night only to smell the stink of Babylon the next day.
Daniel landed with lions because of a hateful hoard, and he was pulled out with people hating him.
Daniel skidded into the Lion’s Den missing his parents. He crawled out the next morning still missing them. Daniel’s hope was not finally to survive the lions (Hebrews 11:33).

Daniel was looking forward to a better country – - that is a heavenly one (Hebrews 11:16). He did not receive what had been promised (11:39-40). Likewise, we may or may not make it through the lions’ den. As a matter of fact, soon enough we won’t. But we will get to the other side. Listen: the world wasn’t really a different place the next day for Daniel. But the heavenly city will be different. You can count on that. Take it to the bank.

The point of the Bible is not that we will survive every trial in a fallen world. The point is to put our hope in Christ being certain that very soon He will return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Parents and Children: Don’t Drop the Baton!

July 9, 2012 in Daniel, Parenting with 0 Comments

Christian parents: it’s not enough to learn a lesson in life. We need to leave a legacy with our children. Consider the diagnostic questions at the end of this post to evaluate how well you are doing as a parent in leaving a legacy. Listen to the sermon here.

In a relay race it doesn’t matter how far ahead you are, if you botch the hand-off, you lose. And in Daniel 5, we see that even though Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by God, his son Belteshazzar did not learn (Daniel 5:22). Father and son botched the hand-off from one generation to the next. The results were tragic (5:30).

The story begins with Belshazzar throwing a major party in which he defiantly chose to use the golden vessels stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. It was his way of spitting in the face of the God of Israel (Daniel 5:1-4).

Big mistake. No matter how bold people act, their brashness disappears before God.

Immediately after Belshazzar and his minions began drinking from the golden vessles the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the wall. Belshazzar’s bravado turned to terror (picture the Nazis in the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark).

With a goal of interpreting the writing on the wall, the Babylonians once again summoned Daniel and he reviewed their defiance of God and assured them that judgment was coming. Daniel reminded Belshazzar that he had every opportunity to learn that only God is great.

And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this,

The chapter concludes:

That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being sixty-two years old (Daniel 5:30-31).

Parents: Are you leaving a legacy?

The question for parents becomes, “How do we avoid making the same mistakes as Belshazzar?” The first thing to be said is that there is no magic formula. As a pastor, I have observed many Christian parents whose children rebelled against Christ. (Notice that there are 270 comments on this post about unpacking forgiveness with rebellious children!) I do not mean to imply that if parents had only followed some formula, things would have turned out differently. Yet, there are principles to be lived out in our homes.

You can evaluate how you are doing by considering diagnostic questions under each point.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God- Parents must remember that the central goal for our families is that our children would believe the Gospel. More than anything else, when we gather before the throne of Christ, we want our children to be there. And God’s Word is what he uses to reach lost people. This means that we must be in church where the Word of God is proclaimed and the Word of God must be heard in our homes as well.

Parents: How many times has your family heard the Word preached in the last six weeks? It’s not enough for your children to be in church time while you are in the sermon. The preaching of the Word is God’s specifically appointed means for passing on the faith. (See the centrality of preaching in the life of the church).
Parents: How many times in the last six weeks has your family heard your voice read the words of Scripture? It’s not that hard. But it does take the humility of acknowledging your need for God’s Word. For more, see this post about family devotions when one of our children was 3.

Pray, pray, pray- If our children our to follow Christ, then we must pray for them consistently and often. Prayer must be a way of life in our homes.

Parents: Do you have a place to pray? As I explain in this post, there is great value in identifying a place where you get down on your knees to intercede for your family.
Parents: Do you pray together as a family?

Identify and repeat the central stories of your family – We must lead our families in tracing the goodness of God in our own family history. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we all have stories about how God has shown himself in our lives. In some instances, we have learned from our failures. In others, we have seen God bless our obedience. It is not enough for us to know the lessons ourselves, we need to leave a legacy with our children.

Parents: Can you point your children to mistakes made in the family which need to be avoided?
Parents: Does your family know of several stories in which God provided or answered prayer in incredible ways? Family stories are one of our most powerful ways to teach our children.

Two ways to defeat pride. I recommend the easy one.

July 5, 2012 in Daniel, Humility with 1 Comment

Race Car Trashed Car Crash Pictures There are two ways to battle pride: the hard way and the easy way. I commend to you the latter. Either way you go, learning humility requires an experience.

On Sunday I preached on the pride puzzle in the life of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4). Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar that pride was going to take him down. One would think that Nebuchadnezzar could have averted his downfall. After all, he was one of the most accomplished leaders in history (see hanging gardens, Babylon walls, victory over the Egyptians). Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar that he was going down and the king knew Daniel was reliable (Daniel 2:46).

Yet, a year later, in the midst of his bragging, Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way.

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:28-33).

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar how to beat pride the easy way.

27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Daniel 4:27

Daniel’s phrase, “practicing righteousness,” might also be translated “giving alms to the poor.” Daniel realized that Nebuchadnezzar would not become humble through an intellectual exercise. If Nebuchadnezzar was going to become more humble, then he need to engage in worship. He needed to teach himself (by giving to the poor in this case) that God is the only King over all ages and all the earth. The pastoral point of the chapter is, only experiences which allow us to see ourselves in relation to God humble us. If we want to defeat pride the easy way, then we must act in ways which will yourself to experience the smallness of ourselves and meditate on the greatness of God.

If we do not choose to defeat pride by acting in ways that acknowledge the greatness of God, then we can count on the fact that God will provide experiences which teach humility. Herod, for example, learned the hard way.

20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. (Acts 12:20-23).

Act in ways that acknowledge the glory and majesty of Christ. Serve, give, love, confess, be baptized, take communion, pray, hear the Word preached. These are the easy experiences by which we will defeat pride.

Calling these the “easy” way to defeat pride is not my description. It is what Jesus said: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. I commend to you Christ. Take his yoke upon you and learn from Him. He will give you rest.

Pride? You Probably Think This Post is About You

June 29, 2012 in Daniel, Humility with 5 Comments

Sunday (D.V.) I am preaching on the Daniel 4 and the “pride puzzle” seen in the life of Nebuchadnezzar. (Hit play at the end of this post if you need to know whether or not this post is about you. . .)

The puzzling part of pride is that we are powerless to combat it. Few want to be proud. There are exceptions like Muhammad Ali who never put a premium on humility. Yet, most know that the consequences of pride are severe.

It seems that it would be easy enough to tell ourselves to be humble. Yet, even capable and well-intentioned people walk precariously along the cliff of pride until they finally take a quick step over the edge. Case in point Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:33) or Herod (Acts 12:23) who was eaten by the worms.

Mac It’s Hard to be Humble Davis isn’t the only one finding it hard to be humble. Why is it that competent people, who are warned about their pride, and who want to be humble, are haughty right up to destruction? (Proverbs 16:18)

I am not posting on the heart of the answer yet, (though there is a strong hint here), but part of the reason we struggle to be biblically humble is that we misunderstand what true humility is like. Both C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton clear up a couple of misunderstandings about humility.

Chesterton said that we suffer from humility in the wrong place

But what we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt — the Divine Reason. Huxley preached a humility content to learn from Nature. But the new skeptic is so humble that he doubts if he can even learn. Thus we should be wrong if we had said hastily that there is no humility typical of our time. The truth is that there is a real humility typical of our time; but it so happens that it is practically a more poisonous humility than the wildest prostrations of the ascetic. The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a nail in his boot that prevented him from going on. For the old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him, work harder. But the new humility makes a man doubtful about his aims, which will make him stop working altogether.” . . .

We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table. (Orthodoxy, chapter 3)

C.S. Lewis adds that humility is not always talking down about self

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is a nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap, who took a real interest in what you said to him.

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