Saving Leonardo - a Review

Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning by Nancy R. Pearcey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve long had a soft spot in my heart for the arts. My wife is a painter and art historian. I love literature and novels. So any book merging Christian worldview with the arts, in the way Francis Schaeffer did in “How Now Shall We Live?” gets high marks in my book.

Pearcey walks us through the philosophical history that led to the art and literature movements of the past 2000 years. The secular/sacred dichotomy, fact/value divide is insidious and deeply unbiblical. Her take on the last 150 years of modern art history is particularly insightful, and not always negative.

Her conclusion is excellent. The church needs to support Christian artists, not only denounce the ungodly secular ones, and certainly not support the pop Christian kitsch. If the church is to incarnate the Gospel, it needs to do so in its communal life together, but also in story and picture.

This is more a college textbook than a popular read, but I commend it to every thinking Christian. 4 stars.

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Watership Down - a Review

 

Watership Down by Richard Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve had this book for years. My kids read it way before I did. I finally got around to it.

Adams is a GREAT storyteller. He knows how to slow the pace for dramatic effect at the cliffhanger points. He can tell a story within a story, even 3 or 4 layers down.

The rabbit warren of Efrafa was clearly modeled after totalitarian states, while Hazel’s community was free and open. (He wrote in the early 1970s). No one was allowed to leave Efrafa and the feedings were strictly regimented. Fertility was almost nonexistent as a result. Hazel’s band, on the other hand, left a warren about to be destroyed by human development (a common 1970s theme). They have a sort of exodus, crossing a river, and a desert, and finding their way to a new promised land on Watership Down.

But the Egyptians pursue. And Adams keeps it suspenseful till the end who was going to win. Would it be Orwell’s 1984 at the end, where the jackboot is successfully applied to the protagonist, who is forced to submit to the dictator’s regime? Or would freedom win out? I’m not going to say – you should read it yourself.

I don’t know anything about Adams, but he seemed to be a naturalist – he keeps up the rabbit psychology throughout to stunning effect. Anxiety. Fear. Sensitivity to danger. But he also depicts the various human personae in them. The dictatorial based on pure strength (Woundwort). The prophetic keen on insight (Fiver). The leader who can decide what to do (Hazel). The strategic and loyal soldiers (Dandelion and Holly).

The need for does to carry on the community is particularly intriguing. They only realize this halfway through, and it is a shock to the system. Without women, we cannot carry on. In their own animal way, Adams shows us this human need. Yes they are weaker, they need protection and guidance through terrible trials. But they carry us forward in ways the bucks cannot on their own. Definitely not politically correct in our day.

This is a good book, a great story. I commend it to you. 3 stars.

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Saint Patrick's Breastplate - a Defense

I've had church people tell me that the hymn Saint Patrick's Breastplate is wicked, pagan, and superstitious.  Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case in my current church, where we sang it the last 3 Sundays in the lead up to St. Patrick's Day, today.

Here's a verse by verse defense of this hymn.

1.  I bind unto myself to-day The strong Name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same,  The Three in One and One in Three. 

2.  I bind this day to me for ever, By pow’r of faith, Christ’s Incarnation; 

His baptism in Jordan river; His death on Cross for my salvation; 

His bursting from the spicèd tomb; His riding up the Heav’nly way; 

His coming at the day of doom; I bind unto myself to-day. 

3.  I bind unto myself the power Of the great love of Cherubim;  

The sweet “Well done” in judgment hour;  The service of the Seraphim,  

Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,  The Patriarchs’ prayers, the Prophets’ scrolls, 

All good deeds done unto the Lord, And purity of virgin souls.

There's nothing much controversial in these first three verses, though the third starts to get at the issue.  Is there power in the service of the Seraphim, or the Patriach's prayers for us?  Yes, there is.  Not automatic divine power, but encouragement for us as we consider them, which is spiritual power and strength.

4.  I bind unto myself to-day The virtues of the star-lit heaven, 

The glorious sun’s life-giving ray, The whiteness of the moon at even,

The flashing of the lightning free, The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks, 

The stable earth, the deep salt sea, Around the old enduring rocks.

This is the most controverted verse.  Do the sun and moon have inherent powers to move us?  This is not really the point.  It's a poetic reference to Psalm 19 - the heavens declare the glory of God!  All creation sings His praise, and this points us to God's creation as a pointer to Him.  We can take encouragement from His sun, moon, lightning, ocean, and rocks as a sign of His limitless power to take us by the hand and guide us to His course.  Those who lack a poetic sense most object to this verse.  The point isn't that the stars have virtues in themselves, but that God has made them as pointers to Himself.  We look to creation as a source of strength to hold on to God's power in our lives.

5.  I bind unto myself to-day The pow’r of God to hold, and lead, 

His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need. 

The wisdom of my God to teach, His hand to guide, His shield to ward; 

The word of God to give me speech, His heavenly host to be my guard.

Wonderful verse - nothing objectionable here - much like "Be Thou My Vision."

6.  Against the demon snares of sin, The vice that gives temptation force, 

The natural lusts that war within, The hostile men that mar my course; 

Or few or many, far or nigh, In every place, and in all hours, 

Against their fierce hostility, I bind to me these holy powers. 

7.  Against all Satan’s spells and wiles, Against false words of heresy,

Against the knowledge that defiles, Against the heart’s idolatry, 

Against the wizard’s evil craft, Against the death-wound and the burning, 

The choking wave, the poison’d shaft, Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

These verses articulate what few other hymns do.  We have enemies within and without that are seeking to do us in.  Our own temptations, and those hostile to the faith that are trying to take us out - spiritually and physically.  The last two lines of verse 7 refer to various methods of killing Christians, in martyrdom.  We seek protection from Christ against these acts.

8.  Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,  

Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, 

Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, 

Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. 

9.  I bind unto myself the Name, The strong Name of the Trinity; 

By invocation of the same, The Three in One, and One in Three. 

Of Whom all nature hath creation: Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:  

Praise to the Lord of my salvation, Salvation is of Christ the Lord. 

8-9 are a wonderful paean of praise to our Savior who is with us, and also the eternal Trinity.

Pride and Prejudice

I recently rewatched the BBC/A&E version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth.

It is a real case study and illustration of George Gilder's Men and Marriage.  Men are civilized by women when they seek to marry.  Darcy is a jerk when he first meets Elizabeth.  But as he seeks to pursue her, his jerkiness subsides, as he knows it must.  She's a jerk, too, at the beginning.  Love tempers both men's and women's rough edges.

It's a very Victorian-etiquette setting, Pride and Prejudice.  Maybe they were overly sensitive to things.  But we've been so desensitized to proper relations between the sexes, we could learn a lot from this story.  Men should be more accommodating to the feelings of sensible women like Jane and Elizabeth.  But less so to foolish women like Mrs. Bennett (her nerves!), and Lydia and Kitty.  Mr. Bennett was too accommodating to the latter three, and it cost him dearly.  The story illustrates in stark contrast the recent interest in distinguishing empathy from sympathy (Joe Rigney).

Something new I found on this rewatch was how the social prejudice against Mr Darcy hardened, even as Elizabeth discovered his true, good character.  At first it was the reverse.  Everyone thought him handsome and wonderful because he was so rich, but Elizabeth despised him for his gruff and prideful manner.  Proverbs 18:17 came to mind.  "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him."  Elizabeth believed Wickham's accusations against Darcy too quickly, without hearing the other side.  When she learned the truth, she was ashamed and repented of her prejudice, just as Darcy came to repent of his pride before her.

This is a true classic everyone should read or watch.  Peter Leithart has a great saying, "Real men read Jane Austen," and I agree.  To dismiss this great work because it's overly feminine and is just a bunch of letter writing between overly-wrought women is foolish.  Making good matches in marriages is foundational to society and it is taken seriously by Austen, as it should be by all of us.

Take up and read.

A Defense of Lent

What to do about Lent?

The kneejerk reaction in most of my circles is to mock the "what are you giving up" practice.

I disagree with that reaction and mockery, and we'll get to that, but first we have to clear the haze of centuries.

The reason we seek to do more with the church year is to avoid a rationalistic Gnosticism.  This view assumes that knowledge is the key, thinking about theological things, while physical action means little to nothing.  But we need to tune our physical lives to true theology.

Preaching that ignores the seasons is one form of this.  Many churches pride themselves on continuing to preach through Leviticus or Galatians, straight through Advent and Christmas, or through Lent and Easter.  It's more helpful when the Word preached fits with the season.  The 33 part sermon through Galatians can always be paused for a few weeks for the church year.

Another form of this Gnosticism is assuming Lent is inherently superstitious.  The reformers like Calvin understandably thought this way, as they saw extreme abuses up close, oppressing the conscience of the faithful, and wiped them away.  Today, we don't want to just react against Rome, making sure to do nothing that looks anything like them.  Instead we want to form a robust Christian life that includes our traditions and actions, without worrying if it "feels Catholic."  The problem isn't feeling Catholic, but burdening the conscience unduly.

The real reason for the church year was to focus on the life and ministry of Jesus, His main redemptive acts for us, and then to incarnate that in specific ways in our lives.  We've been doing well on that score with Christmas and Easter and a couple of other holidays.  We have family gatherings, feasts, presents, etc.

But when we get to Lent (and Advent), most Protestants balk.  If we do anything more than think about it, think about Christmas coming all during Advent, think about Easter coming during Lent, then we're convinced we're headed for Rome.  But Lent is a separate thing and more than just a build up to Easter.  It's for focusing on the ministry, temptation, suffering, self-denial, and obedience of Jesus, not just looking forward to His resurrection.  It's for remembering that God catches up all of OUR suffering, obedience, self-denial, etc in our lives into His redemptive plan for us, as He did with Jesus.  We're forgetting our union with Christ in His redemptive work.  Not that we're doing anything redemptive ourselves of course, but we are to follow in His steps.

We are inconsistent in shedding the penitential seasons while embracing the festive holidays.  We cling to this inconsistency because we think our church forefathers abused Lent more than they did Christmas.  But that isn't the case.  Christmas had as much bawdy revelry as Lent did meritorious self-flagellation.  Both were abused.  Both should be reclaimed.

It's true the New Covenant is grace upon grace.  Grace should be the emphasis, more than depriving ourselves.  Doug Wilson is right to point out that there was only ONE day in the Old Covenant to afflict our souls (Leviticus 16:31).  But the point of Lent isn't to afflict our souls for 40 days.  It's to remember Jesus' affliction, and take some small physical actions to enter into that affliction.  Not that we have to, or that it merits us anything.  But "it is good that I was afflicted" (Ps 119:71).

What good is it to set up a tree, and give your son a nerf gun at Christmas, to reflect the gift of Christ to us for our salvation?  Why even do it?  We shouldn't do it, many argue, because it's so paltry.  But we do it because it's what we CAN do as weak and frail humans to honor Christ's gift to us.  What good is it to give up fast food for Lent, to reflect the suffering and crucifixion of our Lord?  Why even do it?  Because it's what we can do as weak and frail humans to honor Christ's sacrifice for us.  Neither need be meritorious or self-focused.  We are incarnating Christ's actions to us as best we can.

So remove the Gnosticism from Lent, like you have from Christmas and Easter.  Do something tangible to remind yourself of Christ's self-denial, and that you His servant are not above your master.  It could be family devotions reading through hymns about our Lord's passion.  It could be giving up certain foods (bad for you anyway), or alcohol.  It could be praying for the persecuted church more intensely than usual.  The options are endless if you think about it.

I agree with my Lent-averse brothers that no such practice should be a conscience thing: if you don't do anything for Lent, don't feel guilty before the Lord.  Or a legalism thing: don't feel like you're meriting something with God for doing it.

But it's a season to do something tangible to acknowledge Christ's suffering for you, and that you are willing to suffer for Him, as He predicts we will (2 Timothy 3:12).

Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 - Review

Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 by Garrison Keillor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Garrison Keillor is an excellent storyteller and writer. He knows how to compellingly paint a scene and depict a person or a community with all their foibles and qualities.

Sadly, he also has an anti-Christian perspective. He makes you feel so good about rejecting basic truths. He weaves in some deep truth with lots of lies.

Here's what he gets right. He vividly describes temptations to sin. Pious Christians can learn something from this, as we tend to avoid admitting the reality of it. And he shows how people can respond to sinners graciously. Pious Christians often want to condemn and reject scandalous sin, getting as far away from it as possible, when we need to find our way to communal forgiveness and acceptance of outsiders and sinners, as they take a better and more godly path.

Here's what he gets wrong. His conclusion is that sin is normal and we shouldn't be so revulsed by it. Shame and a guilty conscience is always a bad thing. The church and its leadership are misguided in how to handle sin. The solution to sin isn't the cross of Jesus, but people who accept and love you for who you are.

Keillor gets all this across without ever being preachy, just telling a compelling story that is deeply true to life. This makes it all the more insidious. He appeals to common experience to argue for the truth of his assertions. A cranky, fundamentalist father. A sexual temptation. A first job that launches you into the world. An out of wedlock pregnancy leading to a marriage. "This is my life, my family," thinks the reader. But in the end, his solution is not God's grace in Jesus, but other people who won't condemn you.

I cried at some points, the story was so good. I read a lot out loud to my wife and kids. But I had to edit out the R-rated sentences. (Don't give this book to your kids. Ironically, one of my kids gave it to me for Christmas, without having read it all!) Keillor knows what it is to be human, and he's been influenced by Christianity, but he misses the main point of life: to pursue righteousness according to God's Word. He understands grace on a horizontal level - person to person and within a community. But he doesn't seem to think God has any grace or relevance for us in this life.

5 stars for writing. 1 star for message.

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Genuine Christian Fellowship

Genuine Christian fellowship takes trust and courage.

You have to sort out over time if someone is really for you, or just fighting the latest internet controversy and you are their stand in adversary.  Are they just sounding off their own opinions, or are they truly concerned for your welfare?

Some are always keen to offer "faithful wounds from a friend."  Yet we need to offer positive and encouraging words to our Christian brothers and sisters.  Genuine fellowship isn't there with the mere presence of critique or rebuke.

But it should be present sometimes.  If you feel you can NEVER offer a word of concern or warning or disagreement to a church member, you haven't yet reached genuine fellowship.  (This is true in marriage, too, especially from wife to husband.)

The Spirit of Christ is bigger than the current "issue."  If you can't remain Christian brothers, and disagree about Ukraine, or eating out on Sundays, or whether homeschooling or a Christian school is preferable, then something is dreadfully wrong.

In our fellowship time at church today, I received and gave a mild criticism or two, and I noted there was a total lack of offense on my part and theirs.  It was wonderful to note a sense of trust and respect to be willing to say and hear such things without freaking out about it.

If you don't have that sense in your church and with your Christian friends, seek it out.  It is a deep blessing from the Lord.

An Author for Women (and Men) to Read

I'm not thoroughly versed in books recently published for women, but just rediscovered Elizabeth Elliot.

Open to correction, but I think she's the best author for Christian women in the last 50 years.

She is straightforward, doesn't pander to sentimentality, and gives sound doctrine and exhortation for the anxious, distressed, or suffering soul.

This is an excellent introduction to her if you haven't read her before.  Short devotions that quickly give you the main message of her life to the world.

Her best known book recounts the missionary effort of a group of young couples, in which her husband and most of the men were martyred.

This led her to produce some excellent teaching on God's providence in suffering.

She also has some very good books on the particular virtues godly men and women.

She had a radio program for years, always opening with this Scripture: "You are loved with an everlasting love, that's what the Bible says, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

Let us not always be caught up with current controversies and social media food fights over the latest issue.  CS Lewis urged us to read old books as often as we read current ones.  We do far better to pick up Elliot from 20 or 40 years ago, instead of the latest Beth Moore offering.  Especially on the issue of men's and women's roles, it is extremely enlightening to read what the previous generation or two thought.

Paul, Provocation, and Persistent Persuasion - Acts 19

There's no doubt about it.  Paul was a provocative figure in the New Testament.  Wherever he went, arguments erupted in synagogues, riots started, and he occasionally got stoned for blasphemy.

None of this was wrong for Paul to do.  Many think that just by being provocative, one is against the Spirit of Christ, who was always gentle and kind.  Wrong.  He knew when to flip tables in the temple, and double down on criticism of religious leaders when they pushed back against Him.

But in Acts 19 we see a different and important side of Saul of Tarsus.  Two things stand out.

One, he wanted to go into a theater of rioting angry Artemis worshipers and persuade them of the Gospel.  But his friends convince him against it.  There are times to hold back, when the audience is so ragingly against you, that it would be no use.  Paul accepts this, and lets others speak for him.

Two, when the town clerk addresses the angry crowd, he says Paul and his group are not blasphemers against Artemis (19:38).  Now, he may have been partially ignorant.  I'm sure Paul asserted at some point that Artemis was not a real goddess.  But the point is that Paul was not KNOWN for blaspheming Artemis.  He provoked by declaring a new God, calling for allegiance to Him, and let people figure out that this meant they shouldn't buy Artemis statues anymore (19:26-27).

There is a time to punch holes in the inconsistent worldview of the ungodly, as Van Tilian apologists love to do.  But Paul doesn't seem to have been emphasizing that, in Ephesus.

Showing people how wrong they are isn't always the best way to provoke them to consider the Gospel.  Sometimes simply proclaiming the truth of Jesus, and letting them sort it out over time is better.

Now, I know I'm overdoing this a bit, given verses 26-27.  Demetrius accuses Paul of saying their idols are nothing, that gods made with hands are useless.  My point is, if Paul had been provoking like this in spades as the hallmark of his ministry, the town clerk would probably have known.

Does Paul make the same point against idols on Mars Hill (Acts 17)?  Yes, he does.  But he first credits them for being religious, and after says God will overlook this ignorance, before coming to the climax of the resurrection of Jesus.

People today in the West don't have idols of gold and silver, usually.  But they do idolize their body, identity, ethnicity, sexuality, etc.  It's right to critique these things, and point out they are worshiping the wrong thing.  But a Christian should keep his main rhetorical focus on Christ Jesus as risen Lord and true Savior.

Giving Sunday Rest

"Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, maybe refreshed" (Exodus 23:12).

Although I've done it several times in a pinch, the general rule should be that Christians do not go to restaurants or grocery stores on Sundays.  Most think it's a pharisaical and legalistic add-on to the fourth commandment, but there are plenty of Scriptures like Exodus 23:12 that make it clear: don't make others work for you on the Sabbath.  That includes grocery store clerks and waitresses at restaurants.

There are two basic arguments I've heard against this.  First, "God wants ME to rest, so why should I prepare my own meal when someone else can do it who is willing?"  This is just ignorance of our Exodus 23:12 text (also Deuteronomy 5:14).  Sure, your servant will do whatever you pay him to do, whenever.  But the point of the text is to command you not to ask it of him.  You must rest, and you must give others rest.

Second and more compelling, Colossians 2:16: "Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath."  But I believe this refers to Judaizers insisting Christians obey the whole Old Testament ceremonial law.  If the seventh day of rest is abolished with the rest of the ceremonial law, why is it in the 10 commandments, and why do you go to church on Sundays?  Why was it established in the first few pages of the Bible (Genesis 2:2-3), way before Moses?  Sabbath rest is a sign of our ultimate rest in glory (Hebrews 4:8-10), and until we have that, we should observe a sabbath.

It's become something of a punchline in the evangelical world that the fourth commandment isn't about whether or not we go out to eat on Sundays.  But that's a cop out.  I beg to differ.  Of course the Sabbath is about more than this.  But it's included.

Saturdays are for house work and preparing for Sundays.  The old school pattern for Saturdays of mowing the lawn, washing the cars, getting groceries, vacuuming, extra cooking, and a Saturday night bath for the kids in preparation for Sunday was a very good one.  It parallels God telling Israel to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day, in preparation for the seventh (Exodus 16:22-30).  The goal should be to help yourself and others to rest the next day.

We shouldn't freak out if plans suddenly change, or someone's "ox is in a ditch," and we have to do some work or go to a store.  God understands (Matthew 12:1-8).  But we should plan for going to worship and fellowship with His people, not going to stores on Sundays.

Jesus Hears John Was Beheaded

 We read Matthew 14 as a family tonight, and it was very compelling.

Jesus hears His cousin John was beheaded, and He goes off to be alone for a while.  He had a foretaste of His own sacrifice that was coming.  He wasn't running away from it, but needed or wanted some time to think it through.  It was a prequel to Gethsemane.

But the people follow Him, and He has compassion on them.  He feeds them.

When we face trials and trauma, we need some time alone to reflect.  But we can't hole up and isolate.  We also need to serve and be with others.  When the sheep are hurting, they tend to wander off.  The shepherd notices, draws closer, and brings them back with tender feeding.  Even when we walk through the shadow of death, He is with us.  Jesus feeding us at His table, our cup running over, is more needed at those times than ever.

When horrible things happen to you, give yourself time to work through it.  But do so with others.  And find ways to give to others.  It feels like you don't have anything to give, and you don't want to.  Like breaking your leg, then doing physical therapy to walk again.  It hurts, and you don't want to.  You just want to crawl into a hole in the fetal position.  But giving is an essential part of working through the trauma.

I was awestruck to realize in Matthew 14 that Jesus went through this, just like we do.  He didn't respond sinfully.  He didn't isolate completely.  He saw the needs of others in His own pain, and reached out in service and compassion.  What a faithful high priest we have, who can sympathize with us in our own weakness!

Against Pro-life Abolitionism - part 1

In politics, the main goal is to propose policy that will pass, that is as close to your worldview as possible.

In theology, the goal is to articulate as biblical a worldview as possible.

Both of these are good stewardship of differing vocations.

But they sometimes don’t play well together.

 

Theonomists want there to be a single goal, same in politics and theology, but that’s absurd.  Do lawyers and doctors have the exact same calling, besides the generic, “to help people”?

 

I’m not advocating for a radical division between the two kingdoms (R2K).  It’s not theonomy or R2K.  There are different spheres of activity with differing specific aims (Kuyper).

 

Say no to pro-life abolitionism.  They are currently fighting against and defeating pro-life bills that would outlaw SOME abortions, just because they don’t outlaw ALL abortions.

Their zeal to call for repentance directly in political life is admirable, but then you have to do the work of making a law with many in the room who do not repent.  Do we just take our ball and go home and leave them to write their ungodly rules for us, or work to get our nation as close to godliness as we can?  Are we anabaptists, now, who drop out of society when they don’t meet God’s standards rigorously enough for us?

 

Should I not go to work tomorrow because I know I’m not going to do my job perfectly?

 

Perfectionism in theological sanctification wreaks all kinds of carnage on people.

Abolitionist perfectionism will do the same.

 

Working for the possible politically is not compromise, but courage.  It’s actual engagement with the culture, instead of demanding all or nothing like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

 

Abolitionists overly confuse the theological and political.  Of course we want to apply God’s truth to the public square.  But we don’t quit and work against people and legislators accepting SOME of it, if they refuse to accept ALL of it.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 50

Joseph cares closely for the body of his dead father.  He embalms and buries him, which is more fitting with the hope of resurrection than cremation.

Unlike a few chapters later in the Bible, Pharaoh lets Israel go "to worship and come back."  Absent the slavery of Exodus, Israel is willing to leave their children and property in Egypt, and PLANS to come back.  Nothing in Egypt is preventing them from serving God there, at this point.

A highlight of Genesis is 50:15-21.  Joseph's brothers, still racked with guilt, fear him, and even tell a lie (probably) to get him to not prosecute and kill them, as Joseph now could.  Joseph's response is not to blame them for the lie, and hold their sin against him over them.  He truly forgives them.  He knows it is not his place to judge and condemn, even though he is prince of Egypt - that is God's place (vs 19).

Instead, he tells them twice not to fear.  He mentions their real sin against him briefly, but calls them to focus on God's providence and kindness, even in their sin.  They now have a place to survive.

Genesis ends with the death of the patriarch of the line of promise.  As the whole Old Testament, this propels us forward to ask, "What is God going to do about it, to keep His promises?"  Resurrection is coming...

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 49

I never noticed that Jacob at the end of his life overcame the favoritism he showed early on.  His blessing of his 12 sons is a just analysis of them, which is a true blessing from God.  When He shows us who we really are, it is a blessing.  He knows us better than ourselves.  Sometimes other people play God and condemn us wrongly.  But sometimes God speaks through their words to help us see ourselves.  Jacob does this for the 12 tribes of Israel, here in Genesis 49.

This is often overlooked as we hone in on the Messianic prophecy of Judah, which is certainly a highlight in redemptive history (vss 8-10). But Scripture is so rich, we should not ignore its other truths.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 48

Verse 15: "the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day..."

Jacob did a lot of bad things in his life.  Tricking his brother out of the inheritance.  Favoring one son over the others.  At the end of his life, he acknowledged God was his shepherd through all his faults.

God did not reject Jacob.  He is a God of grace.  "Who is a pardoning God like Thee?" (Micah 7:18).

Can we learn from Jacob's faults?  Certainly.  Did God bring no consequences upon Jacob for his sins?  He certainly did.  But in the end, he was a child of the covenant whom I fully expect to talk with in glory, about his life.  And that will glorify the mercy and justice of God.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 44 - Judah's Intercession

Joseph's brothers have learned their lesson.  Instead of selling a favored younger brother (Joseph) into slavery, they ALL go to Egypt to plead for Benjamin's freedom (vs 13).

I never noticed that in Judah's long speech, he offers himself in place of Benjamin.

This is what Jesus did for us.

In one way, He was the favored younger brother Joseph that Israel was supposed to defend and bow down to.  Instead, they hated and sought to kill Him.

In another way, He is our older brother Judah, and we are Benjamin.  He intercedes for us in our guilt, and spares our lives.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 42-43 - Joseph with His Brothers

Unresolved guilt and conflict will really mess you up.

The brothers know their guilt against Joseph and that God is bringing consequences on them for it (Gen 42:21).  But they can't resolve it, thinking Joseph is dead.  They never refer to God, though Joseph does (Gen 42:18).  God-fearers can resolve their guilt.  Those who forsake Him cannot.  The brothers show this twice.  All they see is a reckoning of judgment (Gen 42:22) and death (Gen 43:37).

Joseph is very suspicious of his brothers' intent.  Whether he means to do it on purpose or not, he treats them harshly.  This is a common response to those who have treated us badly.
Time may not heal all wounds, but it can bring a more sober judgment.  Joseph seems to propose a poetic-justice-type plan after 3 days.

Jacob is the most tragic.  A major downside to unresolved guilt and conflict is the strong tendency to blame and despair, and Jacob does this in spades (Gen 42:36).  He thinks a wild animal mauled Joseph to death, but (wrongly in his intent) blames his sons for it, though it is the literal truth.

It takes Judah's intercession to resolve the situation.  He convinces Jacob to give up his only beloved son to go to wicked sinners to redeem them all.

In these situations we try to patch things up ourselves, instead of trusting God's grace.  Jacob sends as much money and wealth as he can, hoping that will earn Egypt's mercy, when Joseph won't be much interested in that at all (Gen 43:11-14).  When Joseph sets a table of fellowship for them, the brothers stay focused on making sure they've paid him what they owe, as if they ever could (Gen 43:16-25).  They are afraid of him, another result of unresolved guilt.
Joseph serves Benjamin 5 times what the others get.  He is testing them.  Often the best way to determine if one recognizes their guilt in the past, is to see if they act differently in a similar situation now.  The brothers seem to pass this test, so Joseph will next force them to protect Benjamin, interceding for him, instead of the opposite they did to him.

Will we sacrifice our own reputation, wealth, and lives to defend the honor of the favored Son?  Or will we seek to kill Him out of envy and for our own self-advancement, as happened at the cross of Jesus?  

Refusing to take your guilt to God will lead you to destructive and sinful thoughts and actions against Him.  Acknowledging the guilt brings peace and restored harmony between God and man (Psalm 32:1-7).

Things I Never Noticed before in the Bible - Genesis 37-38 - Joseph, Judah, and Jacob's Family

I never noticed that because Jacob gives Joseph a fancy robe, Reuben and Jacob wind up tearing their robes in grief at the bitter envy it causes among the brothers.

When siblings are set against each other, it deeply grieves their parents.  Sometimes the parents are partial causes of the rivalry for their own faults, but the siblings are mainly responsible to stay and get on good terms with their siblings again.

The 10 brothers show their wickedness, willing to kill Joseph in the pit.  Reuben tries to spare him, as the oldest brother.  Judah in chapter 38 is connected to this - I always read it as a separate interlude.  But we see that even the brother chosen to bring forth the Messiah was deeply immoral and hypocritical.  God will use this deeply sinful family to accomplish His purposes in the long run.

None of this justifies their sin, but God's grace is greater than our sin.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 33 - Jacob Meets Esau

Jacob gives us a good example of how to relate to unbelieving family members.

When he meets Esau, he is polite.  Deferential, even.  He is generous, seeking Esau's favor.  But he settles apart from Esau.

God's people need to remember that (baptism) water is thicker than blood.  Jesus came to separate sister from brother, father from daughter.  It is a hard providence, but when a family member doesn't follow Jesus with you, a significant bond is lost.  Christians are often tempted to compromise God's truth to regain an unbelieving family member's favor.  We see this often with prominent leaders whose children go same-sex or trans, and they support them, instead of standing for God's truth.

Note, though, that Jacob doesn't refuse to have ANYTHING to do with Esau.  He patches things up as best he can.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 32

Jacob does not wrestle with God as a morally pure man.

He deceived Esau, his older brother, decades ago, and still feels guilty about it.  He fears him (Gen 32:11), and leans into God's promise to bless him (Gen 32:12).  He has been in exile with Laban, tricking the trickster to stay afloat financially.

What I never noticed is that the blessing Jacob seeks as he wrestles with God is very specific.  He doesn't want some generic blessing from God (Gen 32:26) - he wants protection from Esau.  And he gets it.

Many of us have people who loom large in our life as a threat.  A harsh father.  A school bully.  A bad church experience.  A less than loving husband.  This was Esau, for Jacob.

Our calling is to wrestle with God, and seek His blessing to preserve us, even if we were guilty in the past.  To claim His promises for blessing, and not disengage from Him, dispirited from those threats He allowed in our lives.  We continue seeking His face (Psalm 27:4, 7-10).

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 31

Here, Jacob leaves Laban without telling him, with God's approval.

Laban has treated Jacob unfairly for 20 years.  Sometimes the best you can do when treated unfairly and they do not admit fault, is show them their fault (Matthew 18:15) and depart indefinitely and as amicably as possible.  Appealing to God as you do so.  Jacob does this, preserving his family and estate as best he can.

God gives us these times to test and grow our faith in Him (Hebrews 12:3-11).  We are tempted to grow bitter against God (Heb. 12:15), but should instead focus on God's promises to us, and remind our family of them (Gen 31:13).

Psalm 13 was an excellent supplemental reading this morning.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Acts 7

 The point of Stephen's long speech to the Sanhedrin is clear:

God's promise to save and take Israel as His people doesn't rest on them occupying the land of Israel.  He justified Abraham before he was ever there or possessed it.  Our salvation rests on trusting in God's deliverer.  This was Moses at the time of Passover.  Israel rejected him, but God saved His people anyway.  Likewise, Israel rejected Jesus, but God saved His people through Jesus, anyway.

Don't trust in land, military, political power, or other earthly things.  Trust God alone to deliver you from your sins and from all our cultural problems.  He may use the former things, but do not trust in them.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 27

Isaac was misled by his senses to seek to bless the wrong son.

God had said Jacob would be the child of promise (Gen 25:23), but Isaac loved Esau more.  

Why?

Because Esau brought him food "such as he loved."  Chapter 27 says this at least 3 times.

Hunting is a thrill, and eating what you killed is a primal satisfaction (Gen 25:27-28).  It isn't wrong in itself (Gen 9:3), but leads Isaac astray.

He smells Esau's clothes and is convinced Jacob is Esau (Gen 27:27).

Our senses can easily mislead us to live and act contrary to God's covenant promises and boundaries.  Taste, smell, touch (Gen 27:21).  These are great blessings in themselves, part of God's gift in our bodies.  But our inordinate pursuit of them causes much trouble.

The revival of a masculine Christianity is generally a good thing, but being stereotypically masculine does not itself make one godly.  Jacob was more "effeminate" than Esau, but remained the child of promise, while masculine Esau flouted God's ways and devalued His blessings.  My denomination deliberately seeks to cultivate godly masculinity - a good thing.  But I've had young men ask me if I'd be welcome in our church, since they're not big on hunting, beards, guns, and other "macho" things.  Manly men are put off by much of the effeminate church today.  It ain't easy to shape a godly family/church culture that incarnates the truth that men and women are different, while also making room for different expressions of what it means to be a man and a woman.

Meanwhile, Rebekah has to scheme to get Jacob the blessing, and to get him a non-Philistine wife.  Jacob has to leave home, exiled for a time, the deceiver deceived by Laban...

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 25-26

From the beginning, God has called His people to live among unbelievers, but to avoid becoming like them.  There are some places we should not settle in, like Egypt (vs 2).  But God specifically tells Isaac to settle among the Philistines.  Jesus later prays that His disciples remain in the world, but as they are not of the world, that they would remain and be sanctified (John 17:14-16).

Isaac makes the same mistake his father did, lying about his wife to protect her, and is found out.  God's covenant people are perpetually tempted to cross ethical lines to protect themselves from the ungodly.  Or to try to advance God's agenda in ways of which He disapproves.  We tend to become like the world we are living in, and need to fight against it constantly.

It is God's plan for His people in the world both to prosper, and to be treated unfairly by the Philistines, as Isaac is (Gen 26:17-21).  We can work against such injustice, as Isaac does, but should not rail against God's providence.

Chapter 26 ends with another warning how not to live in the world: do not marry unbelievers, as Esau did (vs 34-35).  This will bring great distress, however tempting it may be in the present moment.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 24

For a man to be fully flourishing and fruitful, he needs a wife.

So God gave Eve to Adam in the garden.
He gave Rebekah to Isaac in Genesis 24.
He gave the church to Jesus, Abraham's true Seed.

But it takes a lot of work to take and have a wife, as Genesis 24 shows.
It is the longest and central chapter in all of Genesis, showing its significance.

It takes clear boundaries on the process - where to find a good wife, and where to avoid (Gen 24:1-9).
It takes searching far and wide.  It takes God's providence, beyond a man's control (Gen 24:10-21).
It takes a great deal of expense, and willingness on both sides (and their families) to be generous with their time and treasure (Gen 24:22-33).
It takes a great deal of communication, repeated (Gen 24:34-49).
It takes a woman willing to venture forth into an unknown future, with an unknown man (Gen 24:50-61).
It takes a man of prayer (Gen 24:63) and a woman of modesty (Gen 24:65), each willing to give themselves fully to each other (vs 67).

She is beautiful, willing to serve, hospitable.  He is waiting on God's timing and plan to provide him a wife.  They are both willing to follow their parents' counsel, as it aligns with God's wisdom, even when it seems there may be ulterior motives at play (Gen 24:30).

This is a glorious story, and it summarizes redemptive history.  God plans for us to love and to be loved by another.  Acting in accord with this plan brings us great blessing and joy.

Some on the right today are advocating for getting married as a political tactic, to strengthen the culture.  I find this a bit off-putting, as the purpose of marriage is far more central than this.  It reflects God's grand plan to give His Son a bride for all eternity (Rev 21:2).  But it is a cultural benefit, the more good marriages are established.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 22

There's a ton of typology packed into this chapter.

Isaac is the sacrifice that's missing, going up the mountain.
Abraham does not withhold his only son, as God does not, later, at the cross.

God provides a substitute sacrifice to spare his boy.

What I never noticed is how this is often a pattern for our own lives.
God sometimes calls us to a path that looks to us like only sacrifice, denial, and the death of our hopes.  But He takes us there to show that resurrection and new life, the keeping of His promises, is part of His plan.

God often tests our faith through the difficult circumstances of our lives, but He means to strengthen, preserve, and redeem us in the end.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 19 - Sodom

Abraham had convinced God not to destroy Sodom if there were 10 righteous people in it.  So, to this day the Jews require 10 men to form a "minyan," a quorum to hold an official synagogue service.

The angels meet Lot at the gate, and he urges them to stay with him, not in the town square.  Lot knows his town is dangerous.  Yet he sits in the gate, the place of judgment and official business.  This is where many go wrong in reading Lot, forgetting to interpret Scripture with Scripture.  They assume he should not be there.  That he should have left long ago.  But the text doesn't say or imply that.

2 Peter 2:7-8 is very clear: "if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials."

Lot was righteous, and distressed at the city's wickedness.  Having two daughters of marriageable age, he still stayed.  Faithful Christians can live in New York City, Las Vegas, and other Sodom-like places today.  There is something right about our impulse to separate from wickedness, but sometimes we're called to stay.  Missionaries often have to make this choice.
The trick if we stay is to not get attached to the world's ways and comforts.  God is going to judge it all, and you'd better find yourself rooting for God more than the judged on that day.  

This is Jesus' point in Luke 17:28-33:
"Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it."

Lot and his family show clear signs of having gotten so attached to the comforts of city life, that he didn't want to go when angels were trying to rush him out!  Much of the church today is so compromised, that if God were to do this today, the response would be the same as Lot and worse.  "Oh, God shouldn't have done that.  He should have given them more time.  That was too harsh."  Literally judging God as in the wrong.  This is why they stay away from the Old Testament and the Psalms and become Marcionites, talking about needing to "unhitch" from the Old Testament.  Yikes.  Make sure your heart is with God in all He does and says, not just the parts that comfort and inspire you.

What I never noticed in this chapter before was in verse 3.  Lot feasts the angels with unleavened bread, a clear prequel to Passover.  And Passover is exactly what is happening here: God taking His people (Lot/Israel) out of a wicked place (Sodom/Egypt), on the favor and intercession of someone else (Abraham/Moses/lamb).

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 15-17

These 3 chapters are bookended with Gods covenant promises to Abram in 15 and 17, with an interlude of unfaithfulness on Abram's part in 16.

He will have descendants as numerous as the stars.  Abram believes God (15:6), and that faith God counts as righteousness.  Abram has to do a fair bit of work on his end to establish covenant with God, cutting up the animals and driving away the vultures to preserve them.  Just as we have to do a fair bit of work in getting to church to renew covenant with God.

But in chapter 16, Abram's faith falters.  We don't know how long after chapter 15 this was, but it doesn't seem it was very long.  (Abram was 75 when he left Haran and is 100 in chapter 17.)  He listens to his wife, to bring about God's promises themselves.  Sometimes a wife is a source of wisdom; other times she may mislead a family away from faithfulness if left unchecked.

God restates His promise in chapter 17, 13 YEARS after Ishmael is born.  He's given Abram and Sarah 13 years to realize they may have done the wrong thing, and now He confirms it.  The child of promise isn't Ishmael but Isaac to come.  We have to keep our faith in God's future action, not in whatever we can do in the present to make it happen.

The animal cutting ritual back in chapter 15 was culturally known.  Each party to the contract would walk through the pieces in the blood, showing that if they broke the contract, the other party could do that to them.  Cut them up and walk in their blood.  God goes through, but does NOT have Abram do so.  He promises to shed His own blood if God or Abram breaks the covenant.  He keeps this promise at the cross of Jesus, who shed the blood of God to atone for us covenant breakers.

When we falter in our trust in God's promises, He returns to us with more of the same promises.  He is greater than our hearts, and is intent to bless us in spite of our failure to trust Him fully.  Which we always fail to do.  Our trust is not in our faith, but in God's promises.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 14

Like Abraham, God's people get enmeshed in regional and global politics, and it costs them some of their family.  Lot is captured by the world.  Abraham takes initiative to recover him, but rejects the favors of the world (Sodom) offered to him.

There are plenty of times we must be on the initiative and fight to keep or take back our children or family from the world, and reject the bribes, comforts, and pleasure the world offers us.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 9

 Faithful-to-God people were vegetarians until after the Flood.  Then they could eat the meat of animals (Gen 9:3).  Vegetarians today, while they may be doing so for purely nutritional reasons, are unwittingly forbidding themselves what God has allowed.  

This was Eve's mistake in the garden, adding more prohibitions than God had.  This doesn't help, and often hurts our true godliness (Colossians 2:20-23).  To say that science/nutrition knows better than God what is best for us is the height of presumption.  We have a hard enough time obeying God's actual commands.  Adding to them is often a way for us to excuse our disobedience to them, while pointing to our following our own made-up rules to justify ourselves as righteous.  Many today think that if they are being healthy (according to their own standards), then God must favor them, regardless in what other wickedness they indulge.

God also institutes capital punishment, here (Gen 9:5-6).  Joe Biden's recent action to change the sentences of death row inmates to life in prison, along with all conviction that capital punishment is wrong, is also the height of presumption.  We receive a command from God to punish the murderer, but reject it because we know better than God what is right and wrong.

God restates the dominion mandate to be fruitful and multiply to Noah, and it seems He restates it to the animals as well (Gen 9:7).  He already said it to Noah in verse 1, so the "And you" in verse 7 is probably directed to the animals.  Confirmation of this comes in verses 8-10, when He makes a covenant with Noah AND all the animals.

The rainbow is God's sign of this covenant, to show us that He will remember the promise to preserve nature until the end.  Christians should not let LGBT co-opt this sign for themselves, but should cherish every rainbow in the sky as a renewal of God's promise.  The LGBT flag is a counterfeit of this.  But you don't stop valuing true currency because there are forgers out there.  Take back the rainbow as GOD'S sign of promise to preserve, rather than to pervert, nature.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 5-6

God named people "Man" (Gen 5:2).  Then He had Adam name the animals.  There is a hierarchy here.  Naming someone/thing is an act of authority over them (as parents do with their children).  Having people or creatures under us should not get us uppity, for we have a Creator over us.

Enoch (Gen 5:21-24) was the 7th generation from Adam, and special.  He did not die.  This is a type of Christ, the 7th -generation seven from Abraham (Matthew 1:17).

Genesis 6:22, where Noah does what God tells him to do, reminds me of the great Jewish rabbit joke about chutzpah.  God's people are meant to argue with Him.  When God told Abraham He was going to destroy Sodom, Abraham protested, but what if there are 50 righteous there?  Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?  When God told Moses He was going to wipe out Israel and start over with Moses, he protested: but then what will the Egyptians think?  But when God told Noah He was going to destroy the earth, Noah just said, "How big do you want the boat?"  This is a joke.  With a serious point: we should wrestle with God in His plan for the world, our nation and our own lives.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 3-4

"Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,[f] east of Eden" (Genesis 4:16).

All throughout Scripture this pattern continues.  The oldest, or natural-born son, is unfaithful and God provides another faithful son to continue the line.
 - Jacob counts on Reuben who fails him, and God appoints Judah instead.
 - Israel and Saul set their hopes on Saul as king, but he fails.  God has Samuel anoint David instead.
 - David loves Absalom, but he betrays him, and God provides Solomon instead.

 - Jesus is the God-appointed "younger brother" to the unfaithful Sanhedrin.

Painfully, the pattern continues for believers today.  I have seen it several times where faithful parents have a child who leaves the faith and the family, like Cain did.  The parents, like Adam and Eve I'm sure, are deeply grieved.  But somehow God provides another.  He gives Seth to Adam and Eve.  He may give other "adopted" children or grandchildren to parents who have for now lost their own children to the world.

However dark it seems when those you love the most go astray, God will provide a way and redeem His people.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 1-2

 Ah, January 1.  The day many Christians read Genesis 1-2.

I just did, myself, actually, and decided to revive this series: things I never noticed in the Bible.

First, I do recommend a Bible reading plan to keep you in the Word, and get to ALL of the Bible over time.  Ligonier always has a good assortment of plans available - see here - and this year I'm trying the Navigators plan.

Now, what did I find anew in Genesis?  Start with a trivia question: to what created beings did God first speak directly?  The answer: those in the sea and sky, the fish and birds (Gen 1:22).  What does He say to them?  The same thing He says to Adam the next day: "be fruitful and multiply."

This is a partial dominion mandate, missing the part where we are to rule and subdue the very fish and birds He spoke to the day before!  It's reasonable to infer from this that as we are also fruitful and abound, we are also ruled and subdued by God, even as we seek to rule His creation in His stead.

There's a lot of dominion mandate talk these days, and I'm for it.  But one aspect less conspicuous in the rhetoric is that as we rule we are also ruled.  Dominion doesn't mean we get to do whatever we want with the world and our lives.  We certainly name and order things, but our activity must stay within the bounds of God's commands, which He has clearly given us.