Category: Biblical Theology

Note: This series comes from the notes of a course I am teaching on Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church. This material is organized similar to Graeme Goldsworthy’s book According to Plan.

Prophecy is the most common means though which God has communicated with people throughout history. In fact, you could summarize the story of prophecy as ‘the story of God speaking to His people through human messengers.’ This was how God guided His people, informed them how to act in certain situations, and warned them of things to come. Now, when most people think about prophecy they think about ‘foretelling’, but in most cases it is ‘forth-telling’. Simply, proclaiming the truth. Now, when prophets are ‘foretelling’ events it is important to remember:

“The Old Testament prophets’ words are the very words of God. When a true prophet predicts events, those events surly come to pass according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to the prophet.”[1]

Since the prophets words are the very words of God[2], God’s people are obligated to believe and obey them. When Israel disbelieved or disobeyed the prophet they were held responsible as unto God.[3] The prophets were the very ‘mouth pieces’ of God.

It is also important to understand that all prophecy is grounded in God’s covenant faithfulness. All of God’s actions in the Old Testament are related to His covenant promises. In fact, the principle expression of His relationship to His people is covenant. “The existence of prophecy among [His] people was a great blessing, for it indicated that God cared about them enough, even in their sins, to speak personally to them.”[4]

God’s covenant promises stand behind the prophets, in fact, the covenant promises are the foundation for the whole process of redemption. This is important to understand as we read the prophets. The prophets pick up on themes from Israel’s past and thus imply the continuation of God’s [covenant] faithfulness.”[5] Within this context the prophets speak of the future fulfillment of all God’s purposes.

Thus, in the Old Testament God speaks through prophets in order to communicate His ruling word, governing history for His purposes. Now, there are different audiences relating to the message that God delivers through these prophets, His ‘mouth pieces.’[6] Sometimes the focus of the message is on a remnant or few[7], other times the message is directed at the whole nation. Either way, the prophetic message could be summed up in three parts:

1. Prophets identify specific ways in which God’s people have broken the covenant.

Throughout the prophets this message is delivered in several contexts. These include social injustice and oppression, insincere worship, mixing pagan religion with the true faith revealed by God, and false worship of idols.[8]

2. Prophets warn and pronounce the judgment of God on those who are unfaithful to the covenant.

The prophets call for repentance among the people or else they will experience the judgment of God.[9] Sometimes this is issued in the destruction of specific important cities.[10] Whether it’s the end of the nation or the end of the world[11] the judgment of God is immanent because Israel continually rejects God’s grace.

3. Prophets speak a message of comfort and grace to the faithful.

The comfort and grace of God was offered to those who rested in trusting that God would bring about His promises. This would have been hard for them to see in their context, but God had greater plans for redemption:

“From our perspective we can see that nothing has gone wrong with God’s plan. The problem is human sin, and it becomes even clearer that this problem cannot be dealt with by those things that God had done [thus far] for Israel in her history. [But God]…in His wisdom led His people in a series of distinct stages of revelation towards the fullness of time when salvation would come in power.”[12]

A Prophetic Warning to God’s Covenant People

“From the time God establishes Israel as His chosen people under the terms of the covenant, there exists the warning against covenant-breaking disloyalty. It was largely the prophets’ responsibility to make this warning clear…As the mouth piece of God, the human mediator of the Word of God, the prophet reveals God’s plan for salvation.”[13]

All of this should be viewed in the context of a covenant relationship. We must remember that Israel did not deserve the good favor granted to them by God. God chooses absolutely without any condition, and chooses a people who are undeserving. What we come to see as redemptive history unfolds is that God’s plan of salvation not only applies to the Israelites, but will one day in its fullness have significance for all the nations of the earth.

“From the beginning there can be no dispute that the grace of God means that election is unconditioned by any virtue in those who are chosen, and that salvation is a free gift received by faith alone.”[14] Yet, at the same time people are responsible for their actions. Therefore we cannot let unconditional election or free grace undermine God’s judgment. In redemptive history we can see God’s deserving judgment against wickedness revealed in the days of Noah, against Babel, against Sodom, against Pharaoh, and against the pagan Canaanites.

Modern skeptics often point to these events in anger in order to wage emotional war against, what they see to be, the barbaric God of Christianity. But such judgments must be understood in light of the complete biblical picture of man’s rebellion against God. As for God’s elect, all of God’s judgment must be seen in context of the covenants God had made with them. There are firm warnings against turning away from the covenants.

“Israel is saved by grace alone, but to be saved is not merely to be acquitted of guilt. It is a positive restoration to fellowship with the living God. There is always a real choice in front of the people of God: the way of life or the way of death, covenant blessings or covenant curses.”[15][16]

Basically, God makes it clear through the prophets that Israel cannot go on enjoying the blessing of the covenant while it rebels against the responsibilities of life in covenant with God. Over and over again God sends prophets to warn the people and call them back to Himself. The prophetic office from Moses to Elisha must be understood in light of God’s salvation, instructing His people how, and calling them back, to live in fellowship with Him. Here are a few examples:

Samuel has the role of helping the Israelites understand life under kingship.

Gad and Nathan function to minister to David as the kingdom develops.

Elijah and Elisha minister to Israel after the division from Judah and call the people back to true faith when infiltrated by foreign gods.[17]

Through the prophets God warns individuals that if they persist in unbelief they will be cut off from the covenant people and by implication their blessings.[18] Furthermore, if the whole nation persists in unbelief it will forfeit its blessings.[19] So, the covenants are both conditional and unconditional. “The condition is that those who reject the covenant in unbelief will find the blessings of the covenant removed from them.” But God’s promises are unconditional in the sense that He will bring about His promises in spite of His peoples unbelief. In other words, God will not allow rebellion to frustrate His purposes in fulfilling His covenant originally made to Abraham.

A Prophetic Cry on Behalf of God’s Covenant People

After the reign of Solomon there is a steady decline in the condition of Israel, which continues for another 400 years. Things continually got worse; the people lived with no regard for their long-term future. “One wonders why the people did not see their condition and do something about it?”[20] But, theologically we understand that the sinful nature of man will resist the call of continual reformation.

Another reason for the national decline is the separation of the northern tribes of Israel, which leads to syncretism with Canaanite people and their religious beliefs.[21] The southern tribes also practice unbelief by accepting some of the pagan practices.[22] “As time goes on it becomes clear that the limit is being reached”[23], and after Solomon the covenant curses become a reality. Yet, God continues to use the prophets[24] to call the people to return to Him and to covenant faithfulness.

As the nation continues to crumble one might wonder what was happening to God’s plan. Looking back from Abraham to Solomon God performed mighty acts of salvation for His people.

Israel’s denial of God’s kingdom leads to bondage in Egypt, where God mightily delivers them from captivity into freedom.

God binds them to Himself in a covenant relationship at Mount Sinai. This shows that redemption is more than release from bondage, but also a life in fellowship with God.

This freedom and fellowship is shown in Israel’s entry into the Promised Land and the establishment of their nation under the rule of God.

But after Solomon one might wonder what happened to the promises of God? The sinful people continue to deny God’s rule, the nation continues to rebel, and the kingdom disintegrates. Seemingly, God’s promises have begun to fade. But in the ministry of Elijah and Elisha there is a shift in the message proclaimed by the prophets.

Thus far, the “Books of Moses” had been the record of God’s covenant, and His acts of salvation for His people. During this time, “the main task of the prophets…is to call Israel to faithfulness to the covenant.”[25] But, as the decline of the nation progresses and the prophets begin to have new posture and a new perspective.

While the prophets continue to remind Israel of their failure to keep the covenant and threaten the judgment of God upon their sins, there is a new aspect to their ministry. What emerges is a recognition and cry for help, because Israel is incapable of true repentance and covenant fidelity. Therefore, they cry to God as the only one who can save them from total destruction. There is no tangible evidence of the promised kingdom of God.

An Unfinished Story?

As we read the message of the prophets we realize that while the Israelites are repetitively warned of God’s judgment, they are largely unrepentant.[26] So as one comes to the end of the Old Testament we find that nothing has been resolved and it becomes clear that it is a “book without an ending.”[27] But the story continues.

Looking back we see that God would ultimately save those who had faith in Him and His promises – completely, finally, and gloriously. So, from our perspective we need to understand that all of God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament are expressions of grace that function as ‘shadows’ of something greater to come But as we look back we see that God allows this shadow to fade so that the full light of the gospel may be revealed in its place.

Throughout the whole history of redemption God has been progressively revealing Himself and His plans. In the end we see that He is faithful to His original covenant commitment.[28] He is therefore, the savior God who restores His people and all of creation to His kingdom; He makes “all things new.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

a. Jesus is the true and greater Israel

We understand through the Old Testament that God’s redemption has failed to “come about” in Israel’s history since the relationship between God and man had been lost in the garden.

In the gospel we understand that God’s redemptive plan points to Christ as the only solution – for sin and unrepentant hearts. While the prophets continuously called the people to repentance, there was no covenant faithfulness. Thus the prophets called to God as the only one who can bring about true change – and He answered with Christ.

Where Israel failed, Jesus comes as the true Israel to carry out God’s purposes perfectly and “believers from all periods of history are credited with his perfection and righteousness as a gift.”

b. Jesus is the true and greater prophet.

Jesus is the true prophet heralding God’s kingdom.[29] Not only does Jesus proclaim God’s prophetic word, He is God’s Word.[30] Jesus is greater in than the Old Testament prophets because He is not a mere messenger sent to God’s people, He is God himself, come in the flesh. While Jesus is a prophet, He is more than that, He is the one to whom the Old Testament prophets pointed to. Remember, it was Christ who proclaimed to the disciples:

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”[31]

So, while the Old Testament prophets were messengers who declared ‘thus says the Lord’, Jesus had the authority to declare ‘But I say to you.’[32] The life and work of Jesus in revealing God’s redemptive purposes is the climax to the prophetic office of the Old Testament. Just as we read in the book of Hebrews:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”[33]

Let us be thankful that Christ earned all the covenant blessings by living a perfect life. Christ also consumed all the covenant curses on the cross. And by placing our faith in Him we are offered eternal life and the blessings that only He deserved, and are saved from the curses we deserve.

Continue reading “Biblical Theology- Part 11: The Postexilic Prophets” →

“That’s My King” – S.M. Lockridge

Note: This series comes from the notes of a course I am teaching on Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church. This material is organized similar to Graeme Goldsworthy’s book According to Plan.

“A consistent theme throughout the Old Testament is that of God as the creator, covenant-maker and redeemer.”[1] All of these themes point to God’s personal dealings with humanity. He is not a distant deity who is uncaring or unsympathetic.[2] In fact, we have the privilege of looking back over ancient redemptive history as a whole, which in many ways can be summarized as the story of ‘God saving His people’; and doing so because He loves them as His ‘son.’[3]

Now, what we often fail to consider is that the writers of the Old Testament mainly focus on key people and/or the great events of redemptive history. Goldsworthy points out the importance of noticing this point for us as we read the Old Testament:

This “easily obscures the fact that often whole generations are born, grow old and die without them [key people or great events. This perspective is important to realize that] life in Israel is not three miracles a day and a new holy war each week. Most people live their lives while God does no new thing.”[4]

Think about it, for every biblical hero there are thousands of Israelites of whom we never hear. We learn much about the life of faith in the famous figures, but what did it look like for the ordinary Israelite? Also, most of the Biblical narrative found in the Old Testament tends to focus on the nation as a whole[5], so how did these scriptures speak to individuals in everyday life? This question is answered in the wisdom literature and in the psalms. See, the questions of piety are dealt with in the Psalms, and the quest for knowledge and understanding and dealt with in the wisdom literature.

Wisdom: The Fear of the Lord

In Genesis we are told that man is created in the image of God. Being created in the image of God is significant to our relationship with God, with others, and with the rest of created order. We were created to reflect God in His creation. In order to know what this meant God gave humanity His word to guide us in these relationships. Simply put, God’s Word provides humanity with the “framework for a right understanding of the universe.” By God’s word we are able to rightly interpret reality. With this understanding humanity was given the freedom to:

“…use their God given brains and senses to gather knowledge, to classify it, to deduce relationships, to invent, to plan and to have dominion over creation.”[6]

Now, sin was an outright rejection of God’s order in creation as shown in His word. It was a refusal to accept and follow God’s revelatory word as the basis of knowledge and understanding. One of the main themes of Proverbs is seen in this principle:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.[7]

In Solomon’s prayer to dedicate the Temple the fear of the Lord is linked to God’s covenant with His people.[8] Therefore, fear should not be understood as terror. The fear of the Lord in the context of the Old Testament is:

“… a response of reverence and awe and trust to the redemptive revelation of God. It is the Old Testament equivalent to trusting in Christ or believing in the gospel. The fear of the Lord is the response of faith to all that God has done to redeem His people, and He Himself interprets what He has done by His Word.”

Remember that God’s revelation has been progressive throughout redemptive history. In the beginning the people of God failed to gain true knowledge and understanding by not trusting God’s Word. Later, while God was still forming His people, they came under the instruction of the law to show them what it was like to live in a proper relationship with God, and show them it is something they cannot achieve. The law revealed sin, which is, in essence, failure to trust or revere God.

By the time of Solomon all of redemptive history revealed that God’s word and His saving acts provide the framework of grace, which motivates the proper response to God. The proper place of humanity in relationship to God is complete trust and reverence. Therefore, those who trust and revere God above all other things are truly wise, for they have gained understanding. In fact, this is the central principle found in Solomon’s Ecclesiastes:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.[9]

None of us have ever upheld this. There is only one who has lived with complete reverence for the Father. There is only one who has upheld and kept all the commandments. That one was Jesus Christ, and through His perfect obedience we are granted righteousness when we place our faith in Him. Christ has fulfilled the whole duty of man for us.

Creation Order and Disorder

In the beginning there was proper order in God’s creation. This order was expressed in the harmonious and good[10] relationships between God, man, and the rest of creation. With the entrance of sin came disorder and confusion in which all of creation was affected with terminal and destructive consequences.[11] “Human thought that reflects this rebellion is foolishness, not wisdom, and involves a deliberate and wicked suppression of the truth.”[12][13]

The situation that ancient Israel found themselves in was that of attempting to understand what their present stage of redemptive history and experience meant for their lives.

“The Israelite believer had similar problems to those we have as Christians. What is the response of faith to the secular world? How does the believer relate to other believers and to unbelievers in a creation that is yet unregenerate?”[14]

The wisdom literature[15] of the Old Testament provided knowledge for the Israelites for proper understanding and living in a world in which all relationships were in disorder and confusion because of sin. While there is disorder in creation we need to be reminded of two great truths pertaining to gracious God.

God has never let sin completely destroy all order. Creation still has order in the sense that it can support life.

God, in His goodness, lovingly chose to reveal His word for the purpose of enabling the believer to progress in wisdom and understanding for life.

Salvation, or the regeneration of order, includes ‘right thinking’ and knowledge. Remember, God is a God of order.[16] Therefore God’s people should seek to live in a way that ‘orders’ their lives with God’s purposes, understanding that it can only be done in humble submission to God, motivated by His grace, and empowered by His Spirit.

The Wisdom Books

The wisdom books[17] of the Old Testament focus in on ‘right thinking’ and the search for knowledge.[18] Each of these wisdom books are written from the standpoint of covenant believing Israelites, and are essentially explorations of human experience.

In many ways these wisdom books provide a pattern for us to grow in wisdom as we “assemble our experiences and to examine them for the underlying relationships that make life coherent and meaningful.”[19] In Ecclesiastes wisdom is portrayed as “a divine gift[20], though also something acquired gradually[21], and as beneficial[22] if esteemed and employed at the right[23] moment.”[24]

The individual proverbs are just that, reflections on life in light of God’s creation order and revelation. In revealing Himself God provides the framework by which we ought to think. For the most part, “in normal daily experience the predictable relationship between deeds and their outcomes remain the principle way we learn about life, to determine how to pursue the good life.”[25]

As we reflect on experience, with an understanding of God’s mandate to us, “we are responsible for the decisions we make as we seek to be wise (to think in a godly way) and to avoid being foolish (to think in a godless way).”[26][27] Therefore, our decisions are wise when they are made in light of God’s revelation and a proper understanding of God’s will revealed in creation order. In the Proverbs one will find that God expects humans to make wise decisions, he “expects them to use his gift of reason to interpret the circumstances and events in life”[28] with consideration of the outcome.

But, while much of experience is predictable from patterns in humanity or nature, there is also much mystery.

“God is great and His ways are often hidden[29] from us. He does not reveal to us the whole picture of His will; indeed we could not understand it if He did. Thus, the believer may encounter suffering and tragedy that seem senseless and a denial of God’s care and control of events.”[30]

One needs to remember that there are limits to human empirical[31] wisdom. “Sometimes the normal relationship between deeds and their outcomes do not seem to exist.”[32] The book of Job illustrates this and encourages the reader to humbly recognize that God’s ways will not always be expressed in ways humanity can grasp. Consider Job’s friends who reason from effect to cause and conclude that Job must brought about his suffering by some secret sin. But this was not the case with Job, he was ‘innocent’ and did not have any empirical reason why he was suffering. At the very most we can conclude that “life can to some extent be foreseen”[33], but this is not always the case.

Thus, wisdom is not purely intellectual, but involves “trust in the sovereign will of a gracious yet mysterious God.”[34] Like Job, Jesus trusted in God when God was silent at the cross, He faced the suffering at the will of His Father, showing faith by crying to the only one who He could trust, ‘His God.’ Jesus is the true and greater Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his ignorant friends.

For us, we must also take into account the corruption of human understanding by sin. Sin has confused the pure and orderly relationships in creation, thus causing corruption and disorder. Sin also distorts and obscures the truth, making us prone to misunderstanding and false thinking.

Even in situations when we do not understand what God is doing, hopefully in the end we are driven to worship, namely because the fact that there is mystery in God’s ways which compels us to trust in His goodness. I think it was well said, while reflecting on the Psalms, that:

Wisdom and “understanding may wait but obedience cannot. Believers who faced trial and, although puzzled, continued in faith and obedience found their faith re-shaped in the light of their experience.”[35]

In many cases, whether the situation is out of ones hands, or has direct connection to the choices one make, one can look back and see God’s guidance in the situation.

Worship: Praise in the Psalms

There are several types of psalms within Israel’s ancient song book known as the Psalms.[36] Each type of psalm is written within different situations, and for use in different situations. The psalms are prayers, praise, and instruction within the context of a relationship with God.

“They show how individuals and congregations think about God and their relationship to Him. Like wisdom literature, the psalms take their starting point from [remembering God’s covenant and recalling salvation history]. Unlike wisdom, the psalms are much more…a response to what God has done.”[37]

The Psalms are works that focus on the history of redemption, the covenant, and encounters with the living God. Take two focuses in the psalms for example:

1. Psalms of Praise

In these specific functioning psalms the psalmist will praise God as creator[38], protector and redeemer[39], as King and Lord of history.[40] The important point is this, “worship of God is typically a recalling of the mighty saving deeds of God within the history of Israel.”[41] Remember, memory[42] plays a primary role as a theme in the Psalms. Many of the Psalms recall the prayers that have already been answered, other bring to light God’s past acts of deliverance. These Psalms remind the reader of God’s reliability to His promises, which builds faith.

We are not ancient Israelites. But we can see a pattern of response here that we should emulate. We should be draw to worship as we consider the good news of Jesus Christ. Merely remembering the fact that Christ delivered us from slavery to sin, and we find rest in Him as Savior and Lord, should be sufficient to motivate praise at anytime. (good and bad)

2. Psalms of Lament

Psalms of lamentation often compare the declared status of God’s people with their actual situation. In these psalms the people are turning to God in the midst of sorrow, suffering, or persecution.[43] Often times these psalms are found after a psalm of lament as ‘songs of re-orientation.’[44] While these psalms of lament are launched from a heart of despair, most of them are followed up by, or “finish on a note of confidence that God will yet act to save and restore them.”[45]

Again, we can find a gospel pattern here. We will all find ourselves in times of suffering, sorrow, and persecution. Sometimes inflicted by our own sin, by others, and sometimes permitted by God. In the same way we must turn to God in complete trust and re-orient ourselves to considering that Christ endured the ultimate suffering, sorrow, and persecution on our behalf so that we would have eternal life. The gospel then becomes our ultimate source of comfort in real times of despair while here on earth.

Here is the point, the great objective facts about who God is and what He has done are the foundation for, and motivate all worship and obedience. Therefore, the psalms are expressions of fellowship with God by those who know what it is to be redeemed by grace. Simply put, true worship can only be a response to God’s character and His works, as he has revealed.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

What God has done in redemptive history provides the believer a framework to understand all of reality. With this framework the believer expresses fellowship with God by seeking wisdom and understanding from His Word and returning praise to Him alone.

“The word wisdom suggests a concern for the way we think, the way we use our minds or intellects.”[46] If we consider salvation history we understand that all of creation has been subjected to sin. Therefore we cannot assume that human understanding and knowledge are neutral: All aspects of humanity have experienced the deleterious effects of sin.[47] The natural reasoning capabilities of man only allow us to ‘see through the glass darkly.’ The Gospel alone provides salvation from the noetic effects of sin, and thus allows us to gain true wisdom.

As Christians we must remember that the Christian mindset comes about through the gospel, and so we must think of Christian wisdom as conforming of the mind to the gospel. In this sense all believers have the mind of Christ.[48] Christ is not only the wisdom of God,[49] but is also our wisdom.[50]

Our conformity to Christ is the fruit of our salvation. Therefore, “growing as a Christian really means learning[51] to apply the fact of the gospel to every aspect of our thinking and doing.”[52] It is only when we see the person and work of Jesus Christ are we able to properly understand ourselves, our experience, and the world around us. This has direct implication on what it means to be a ‘mature Christian.’ A mature Christian is:

“One who is able to look at the whole of reality through Christian eyes…He is learning to understand all things in terms of what they are in this corrupted realm and of what God intends them to be by virtue of His redeeming work. Thus, he is an integrated person who is learning daily through the gospel how to relate, not only to himself, but to all things according to the purposes of God.”[53]

We must learn to tie all wisdom and worship to three points of the Biblical narrative, namely, creation, fall, and new creation.

Continue reading “Biblical Theology- Part 10: Faith as a Life of Wisdom and Worship” →

Note: This series comes from the notes of a course I am teaching on Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church. This material is organized similar to Graeme Goldsworthy’s book According to Plan.

In the Pentateuch we are continually reminded of God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises. In being brought out of Egypt and having God covenant with them, Israel, the new nation was “re-born” as the people of God. It would seem that God’s promises to the Patriarchs were now becoming reality as the Israelites looked ahead to possessing the promised land of Canaan.

The torah narrative continues in Numbers where God’s covenant people are standing in the valley of Mount Sinai headed to the Promise Land. The looming question as we read the narrative is how will God choose to fulfill His promises? We begin to see a pattern, the fulfillment and delay of fulfillment of God’s promises are the organizing principle of the reminder of the Pentateuch and of Joshua.[1]

God’s Presence among His People

Commenting Numbers Goldsworthy notes that “nothing summarizes the position of Israel and the nature of God so well as the famous blessing that God told Aaron, Moses brother, to pronounce over the people.”[2]

The Lord bless (good harvest, peace, children) you and keep you (guard and protect);
The Lord make his face to shine (a pledge of good favor) upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance (treating them with good favor) upon you and give you peace (overall ‘well-being’).

These words are very significant to Israel’s identity; they speak the people’s restoration to God and God’s provision for His people in a fallen world. More importantly, the very name of God rests upon Israel.[3] Therefore, they have been chosen to proclaim the one true God to the nations. This never changes, because it is a gift of sheer grace based on election.

The presence of God is also witnessed in God’s gift of the Tabernacle. Throughout Moses writings we continue to see that the tabernacle was central to the life, organization, and governance of Israel. In fact, the organization of Israel’s camp demonstrated this. “The layout of the camp was carefully organized: the tribes formed an outside circle and the priests an inner one, with the tabernacle at the center. This organization was maintained even as Israel moved throughout the wilderness on their journey to the Promise Land.[4] Both in camp and while marching, the tabernacle was central, just as God was central to the very heart of the nation.

Within Israel Moses continues “his unique ministry as prophet and priest”[5] as God instructs him from above the mercy seat in the tabernacle on how God’s people are to properly live in relationship with Him. The details of God’s instruction are very meaningful. “The emphasis on preparations is so strong…that the long-awaited fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham concerning the land of Canaan appears to be imminent.”[6] Furthermore, to signify the presence of God, during the day a cloud rested above the tabernacle and during the night it was fire.[7]

“The sense that God actually lives among His people is enhanced by the guidance of Israel by the cloud. Whenever it is taken up from the tabernacle the people move on until the cloud stops at the place they are to rest. This is a pilgrim people whose God goes with them.”[8]

God’s name, the tabernacle, and His very presence leading Israel signify the fulfillment of the covenant, and the relationship of grace He has initiated with them. They begin they journey from Mount Sinai to the Promise Land and all is well in the first 10 chapters of Numbers. But at the 11^th chapter there is a sudden transition to rebellion which “vividly draws attention to the fickleness of the Israelites.”[9]

Israel’s Faithlessness

Simply put, Israel did not trust God. There are several instances where “the people refused to accept difficult conditions God was making them endure.[10]”[11] There were also instances where the people refused to accept the leaders God had provided for them.[12] “Nothing is more remarkable than the grace of God, and nothing illustrates that grace more than God’s perseverance and goodness to a continually rebellious and impatient people.”[13] Here are two examples from Israel’s history of rebellion and doubt in spite of God’s promises.

1. One of the most forthright examples of the Israelites rebellion occurred while Moses was away on Mount Sinai when the people created and worshipped the golden calf. Because of Moses intercession for them, as their mediator, God did not pour out His wrath on them even though they deserved it.[14] Notice that the Levites were faithful during this episode, thus God appoints them to guard the tabernacle.
2. Another explicit rebellion of the people of Israel is their refusal to enter the Promise Land.[15] Twelve scouts are sent to spy and report on the land of Canaan. Ten of them return in fear because of the strength of the people and their large fortified city, thus incite fear among the Israelites. Yet Joshua and Caleb remind the people of God’s presence.[16] But the Israelites remain faithless arguing that obtaining the land is impossible and it would be better to return to Egypt.

In light of His people’s faithlessness God declares to Moses: “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me?”[17] Again, Moses intercedes for the people and prevents their total destruction,[18] but they are judged. God declares that only Joshua and Caleb will enter the Promise Land with a new generation of Israelites. In other words, those who experienced the power of God in the exodus will wander for forty years in the desert and die there. Simply put, Israel would not trust God.

While in the wilderness a plague of deadly snakes is sent as judgment among God’s grumbling people. Moses cries out to God and intercedes for the people and is told to set a bronze snake on a pole in the middle of the camp. If anyone was bitten by one of these deadly snakes they were told to simply look as the bronze snake and they would be saved from death.[19] Looking at the bronze snake was simply an act of faith in the promise of God. “The brass serpent, the image of the curse upon Israel, was lifted up as a sign of God’s power over the curse and His deliverance from it.”[20]

It becomes quite clear that Israel is incapable of keeping their covenant promise. They continue to reject the paradise that God has placed before them, because they are simply afraid of completely trusting God. Near the end of Numbers[21] we are given a list of forty places where the Israelites camped after leaving Egypt, before ending up at the edge of the promise land. “The lengthy description of the long journey suggests that the people are now near their journey’s end; and if God has helped them thus far, then He will surly enable them to reach their goal, the land of Canaan.”[22] Hart reminds us of a reoccurring theme, namely, that God’s promises cannot be thwarted by circumstances or man:

“The failure of Israel to believe seemed to threaten the fulfillment of God’s promise of the land, but by the end of Numbers the picture is bright again. God has not revoked His promise; He is bringing His people into Canaan.”[23]

We continue to see that the history of God’s redemption moves from grace to grace.

Preparing to Enter the Promise Land

Forty years after the exodus event a new generation of Israelites prepare to enter the Promise Land. In the book of Deuteronomy we have the sermonic words Moses gives the Israelites before entering the land under their new leader Joshua.[24]

As the narrative continues we see a covenant renewal with the new generation that reminds and emphasizes Israel of their faithless history and God’s faithfulness to His promises.[25] In fact, much of Moses words are devoted to explaining that “even God’s people are intrinsically sinful, and the inevitability of their moral failure. Despite all God has done for His people, they will surely disobey.”[26] Yet here they stand prepared to enter the Promise Land. Moses exhorts the people to be reminded of God’s grace, and be obedient to God’s voice.[27] So, “to keep ‘moving’, Israel must keep listening and obeying.”[28] Goldsworthy explains:

“Now there is opportunity for a new beginning. The Lord…is a God who fights for His people. But, as ever, the covenant has a conditional side. Deuteronomy repeats the stipulations of the covenant that are to be obeyed…[expressing] the relationship of covenant faithfulness”[29] And the very essence of covenant faithfulness is expressed in these words: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

If there is only one God, and that God has chosen one people to make Himself known to all other peoples of the world, the grace shown to that people should motivate total devotion from the chosen people. These covenant stipulations, or sanctions, are graciously given to Israel to explain what it means to live in relationship with God by explaining what happens if you obey and what happens if you don’t. The focal point is God’s goodness in choosing and saving Israel, and the blessings that come from His covenant love. This points Israel to be reminded of their responsibility to live as the Holy people of God.

In Deuteronomy we find the “most eloquent expression of the kingdom of God and the purpose of creation.”[30] So, it would be a mistake to think that the reward/punishment structure simply functions to motivate covenant faithfulness by the treat of destruction. Remember, Israel’s salvation was not based on their faithfulness to God[31], but God’s sovereign grace and choice. Thus, they are stirred up to obedience ‘from the heart’[32] in response[33] to God’s redemptive love. “The goal of this election is that Israel should be His people in the good land, the new Eden.”[34][35]

This is something that the faithless Israel does not deserve. Israel may be God’s chosen nation, but not because of their moral stature.[36] In fact, God has chosen a ‘stiff-necked’[37] people who are prone to idolatry and disobedience.”[38][39]

Into the Promise Land[40]

The New Leader Joshua

After forty long years in the wilderness the Israelites are ready to face their enemy. Their new leader Joshua is reminded of God’s promise: God will give them the land and no one will be able to stop Him, and thus them.[41]

Joshua’s name literally meant ‘the Lord has delivered.’[42] Joshua was the successor to Moses and the person divinely chosen to lead the nation of Israel across the Jordan, to take the Promise Land in order to realize the covenant blessings that God had given Israel. So, Joshua gave life to Israel in that though him the covenant promises were realized and fulfilled.

Taking the Promise Land

God has given the land into the hands of the Israelites, but they must take the land in faith.[43] It is the initiative of God to give not only the land, but also the Canaanites into their hands. “As a response to this divine initiative, the first decision they must make on entering the land is to destroy all [remnants] of Canaanite civilization.”[44] There are several reasons for this command:

1. Israel is primarily acting as God’s agents of judgment upon a wicked civilization.[45]
2. God makes it clear that Israel would not be able to resist the temptations to turn and worship other gods at this stage in their national development.[46] In fact, “the general threat posed by the peoples of Canaan was so great that Israel had to [wipe out their culture] in order to avoid falling away from God and worshiping other deities.”[47]

“Israel’s conquest of the land is portrayed as a series of victories in which God directs the operation and Israel responds in obedience.”[48] Israel was called to return to God that which belonged to Him.[49] It’s important to notice that God does show grace to those outside of Israel. Rahab was an example of someone who saw the acts of God and believed in the God of Israel, similar were the Gibenonites.[50] This being an illustration of how other peoples and nations of the world could find blessing through Israel’s God.

As promised, Israel enters the land after forty years of wandering and finally finds rest.[51] There was very little that Joshua and the people had to do other than reap the rewards of victory. The prime example being Jericho, where the collapse of the walls signaled for them to enter the city and ‘take’ it.[52]

The land of Canaan was Israel’s inheritance, promised to their ancestors and given to them by their God in a covenant. Gratitude and praise were expressed by bringing the first fruits of produce to God[53], and obedience to the covenant stipulations.[54]

The only reason the promise has been fulfilled is because God has fought for them. Just as the exodus was marked with God’s hand in bringing them out of slavery so is God’s hand in bringing them into the promise land.[55] It is interesting to note that the Israelites entrance into Canaan is very similar to their exit from Egypt. In the same way that God removed obstacle of the Red Sea for the Israelites to exit Egypt, He stopped the Jordan River so that they could cross on foot.[56]

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Gospel Living

In the Gospel accounts we see a parallel between Jesus forty days in the wilderness and Israel’s forty years in the desert. The temptations were almost identical, relating to food, protection, and idolatry. But Jesus did not give in to the temptations. Jesus is the new Israel who succeeded where Israel failed.

Remember, in the wilderness the people of Israel were humbled, tested, taught that God was faithful, and shown His provision. God’s feeding them with manna showed His children that they are given nourishment from God. We see Jesus speak of Himself as the true sustaining nourishment from God:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”[57]

The writer of Hebrews uses the imagery of Israel’s journey to describe the Christian life. Reflecting on Hebrews 11 Millar writes: “life with God is always a journey, in which people respond to His grace…faith throughout the Bible involves an initial commitment/repentance followed by a lifetime of similar decisions to submit to the sovereign Lord.”[58]

Gospel Obedience

In the narrative of Genesis-Joshua we continually see God’s people disobey, rebel, and doubt God. This problem points to ‘the problem underneath the problem’, human beings are intrinsically sinful and it is inevitable that we will morally fail. But God continually shows grace to the Israelites even when they fail. What we understand now it that the grace which God had shown to Israel in the past would be surpassed by His provision of a lasting solution to the problem of human sin.[59] Man’s sinfulness is what brings condemnation before God, which is revealed by the law and expressed in Israel’s inability to keep the covenant.

“The ultimate function of the law is not to enable obedience, but to expose disobedience, paving the way for the divine intervention which will eventually enable real obedience, and a new intimacy with God Himself.”

Yet Christ was without sin, upholding the law perfectly, and made a new covenant of faith with us. God intervenes for us and makes obedience a real possibility through Christ. In other words, Christ upholds the law and we are righteous through His obedience. Again, Christ is the true and greater Israel to which we are grafted in.[60]

Gospel Relationships

We see God’s grace and its implications of the exodus event in the lives of the Israelites.

“The nation has been redeemed, and now belongs to God. As His unique people, they must submit to Him in worship. He has redeemed them from Egypt to enjoy a relationship with Him, and to do so in His land. They must not treat one another in a way that is incompatible with how He has treated them in redeeming them.”[61]

What we see in this quote is the correlation between Israel’s obedience to worship, the land, and to human relationships.[62] How does this relate to us now? First, the proper response to God’s grace shown in salvation through Jesus Christ should be shown in our everyday life as worship.[63] Next, the land is no longer the locus of God’s relationship with His people, Christ is.[64] In other words, Christ is the promise land through which spiritual nomads find rest and nourishment.[65] Last, in view of the mercy God has shown us in redeeming us from slavery to sin, we extend that same mercy to others.[66]

The Gospel of Salvation

During the wanderings of the second generation of the Israelites we see a beautiful contrast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They rebelled against God’s directing word and God judged them by sending poisonous snakes among them. In doing this God turned their hearts back to Him for help. The Israelites cried out for mercy and God answered by commanding Moses to make a serpent out of brass and lift it up for the people to see.

The people were only commanded to look at the serpent of brass, and those who did were healed and lived.[67] Jesus said of Himself:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

What was Jesus saying? Remember that the brass serpent was an ‘image’ of the curse upon Israel, in brining healing to those who looked at the serpent lifted up God was showing His power over the curse by delivering His people from it. This is profound.

Jesus said, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”[68] Jesus was lifted up and exposed on the cross as the one accursed.[69] Just as Paul wrote, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”[70] See, Jesus bore the curse of sin n the cross for us. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[71]

Continue reading “Biblical Theology- Part 8: God’s Faithfulness and Israel’s Faithlessness” →