Earthquakes and Your Worldview

Yes, your world view affects how you look at everything.

I submit the following article, about earthquakes and the New Madrid fault as a small sampling about how our pre-existing ideas and assumptions affect the conclusions we come to.  The article  cites research from scientists at Northwestern University, data from GPS satellites that movement along the New Madrid fault is extremely slow, a maximum of 0.2 millimeters; by contrast, the movement along the Haiti quake was about 7 millimeters per year, at least 35 times faster.  But some are skeptical of the obvious conclusion, and here is the interesting part:

Given the slow pace of geologic changes, Langston questions how a fault zone that produced such powerful quakes only two centuries ago could undergo such a dramatic transformation so quickly.
“It just doesn’t work that way,” he said. “It takes hundreds of thousands of years for the Earth to do something — either start up or shut off.”

Hmm.

Recent Bible Reading Observations

With my genre Bible reading plan, it seems I am never very far away — in numbers of days — from various passages I come across in devotionals or other mention.

Last Friday I read Job 1 (List 4), and was doubly blessed that same day to read the Spurgeon daily devotional — for Job 1:9.  Today I read Luke 2 (List 1), and the Spurgeon devotional again matched up, Luke 2:18.

The readings are always different, and yet on some days a clear “theme” or topic especially comes through, multiple times through the chapters I read.  One day in mid-January, several passages dealt with the parent-child and master-servant relationships:

• Mark 7:10-12 — For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’  But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)  then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother.”

• Ephesians 6:1-3  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),  “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

• Proverbs 19:26 — He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.

• Ephesians 6:5-8 — Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

• Proverbs 17:2  — A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

Today’s readings had more than the usual mention of women, widows, and prophetesses:  Anna (Luke 2; list 1), Ruth (list 6), and Hulda (list 7).  Interestingly, two of these were widows (Anna and Ruth), and two were prophetesses (Anna and Hulda).  My list 3 (1 Timothy 5-6) also included mention of widows:

1 Timothy 5:5 — She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day

The Mosaic covenant also had special mention today:

• Deuteronomy 29 (list 2), where Moses renews the covenant with the people just before they go into Canaan

• 2 Chronicles 34 (list 7), where Josiah, having heard the words of the Book of the Law, gathers the people together and renews that covenant

Bible Prophecy and Common Errors

After spending several months perusing the popular Christian blogs and message boards, especially those of the pre-trib rapture prophecy focus, I have learned that amongst all the good biblical teaching, a lot of error (and the tolerance of error) also exists “among the masses” (i.e., lay people — including those who write prophecy articles but are not among the class of serious Bible preachers and teachers).

I am not here referring to damnable heresies, matters related to salvation, or false teachings such as the emergent church or the prosperity gospel.  Yet these are errors of interpretation related to Bible Prophecy, basic flaws in exegetical reasoning.  Following are some of the more common ones I’ve come across:

1)  Nation of Israel in 1948 = the Fig Tree –  this notion has persisted for years, since at least the 1970s when Hal Lindsey and others posited that a generation is 40 years, and so to look for the return of Christ by 1988.  Then the length of a generation was extended, and now the same Bible teachers have concluded that a generation is really a human lifetime of 70 years, based on a reference made in one of the Psalms regarding man’s years of life.  1948 + 70 = 2018, and subtracting 7 years for the tribulation means that the rapture must occur in 2011.

Here I agree with reputable teachers, including S. Lewis Johnson and John MacArthur, as well as some prophecy teachers including Thomas Ice, that the passage in Matthew 24 is not talking about the secular nation of Israel born in 1948.  The parallel passage in Luke 21, after all, says “the fig tree and all the trees.”  Yet some Christians are so set on desiring the rapture now, so sick of living in this world now, that when I try to point out the obvious exegetical problems here they dismiss it without any consideration.  Obviously they are more set on what they desire, rather than on truly understanding what God has said so as to align their views with God’s purposes.

Finally, I must concur with the perspective stated over 100 years ago by Sir Robert Anderson in “The Prince to Come”:

But having thus clearly fixed these principal landmarks to guide us in the study, we cannot too strongly deprecate the attempt to fill up the interval with greater precision than Scripture warrants. There are definite events to be fulfilled, but no one may dogmatize respecting the time or manner of their fulfillment. No Christian who estimates aright the appalling weight of suffering and sin which each day that passes adds to the awful sum of this world’s sorrow and guilt, can fail to long that the end may indeed be near; but let him not forget the great principle that “the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation,” (2 Peter 3:15) nor yet the language of the Psalm, “A thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4) There is much in Scripture which seems to justify the hope that the consummation will not be long delayed; but, on the other hand, there is not a little to suggest the thought that before these final scenes shall be enacted, civilization will have returned to its old home in the east, and, perchance, a restored Babylon shall have become the center of human progress and of apostate religion.
(emphasis added)

2)  Connected with the above date-setting attempt is the notion of an imminent, major collapse of the U.S.  After all, since America clearly is not a player in the End Times scenario, and yet the Tribulation must occur from 2011 – 2018, something dramatic must occur to completely wipe out America.  Various ideas have been proposed, such as a major terrorist attack, even an EMP attack, but the especially favored view is simply that the Rapture itself will take out so many American Christians, that the country will immediately fall into decline due to the absence of the believers.

I agree that America is under God’s judgement, in the Romans 1 sense as described by John MacArthur (When God Abandons a Nation), and we are seeing rapid decline.  I also agree that by the time of the Great Tribulation, America will be insignificant, on the level of other “banana republics” — and if things continue along the present course, in just 20 or 30 years that could very well occur:  but not in the next two years, and certainly not due to the sudden loss of population after the Rapture.  Here again I must consider the implications of scriptures that strongly associate a rebuilt Babylon (as a major commercial center) with the Second Coming judgments, and admit that God’s timescale may not be as soon as I would prefer.

3)  Ezekiel’s war (Ezekiel 38-39) as an event separate from Armageddon, likely coming either before the Great Tribulation or at its midpoint.  A variation of this includes two wars, Ezekiel’s war and a separate “Psalm 83″ war.  Here is a point of admitted dispute, a place to especially recognize that “nobody is right on every point,” because we can’t see the detailed sequencing in the Bible.  Until the 20th century, apparently Ezekiel’s war was understood as referring to Armageddon.  More recent Bible teachers see it as a separate event, either during or before the Great Tribulation, and underlying it (so I’ve observed) again is the 1948 date.  The end-times scenario describes a pagan system and a pagan anti-Christ that all unbelievers will worship; since Muslims are also monotheistic and would not bow down to some other, non-Muslim being, Islam must be destroyed first, and thus the Gog-Magog war is a mechanism to destroy Islam quickly, to bring in the European anti-Christ in the next few years.

I’m still studying this matter, though inclined to agree with those who say Ezekiel 38 and 39 is a reference to the battle of Armageddon, and not a separate, earlier event.  Ezekiel 38:17 is a strong indicator, where the Lord says “Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them.”  Joel Richardson at the Joel’s Trumpet blog points out many exegetical reasons, including Ezekiel 38:17, to support this view.  His answer to the dilemma of Muslims versus pagans is that the antiChrist is Islamic, and he makes much of Muslim “Mahdi” eschatology.  I’ve also read of many problems with the details concerning his ideas, so won’t go too far with that.

However, another possibility is simply that Islam will yet be defeated at some future point — not connected with any specific Bible prophecies — and so this too must occur before the end comes.  This does not seem very likely right now, with Islam apparently growing yet stronger in the 21st century.  At this point indeed we can have fun speculating about all the different possibilities, but recognize that God is truly in control and that He will bring it all to pass, whenever and however that will occur.  As Sir Robert Anderson also pointed out, the Bible prophecies are written vaguely enough to prevent anyone from deliberately attempting to fulfill them — yet specific enough that when the actual fulfillment does come to pass, it is clearly recognizable to all.

Finally, a few words from Sir Robert Anderson, regarding the restoration of the Jews to Palestine, as an example of how we can know the general facts but cannot foresee the details of Biblical prophecy:

The decline of the Moslem power is one of the most patent of public facts; and if the dismemberment of the Turkish Empire be still delayed, it is due entirely to the jealousies of European nations, whose rival interests seem to render an amicable distribution of its territories impossible. But the crisis cannot be deferred indefinitely; and when it arrives, the question of greatest moment, next to the fate of Constantinople, will be, What is to become of Palestine? Its annexation by any one European state is in the highest degree improbable. The interests of several of the first-rate Powers forbid it. The way will thus be kept open to the Jews, whenever their inclinations or their destinies lead them back to the land of their fathers.

Not only would no hostile influence hinder their return, but the probabilities of the case (and it is with probabilities that we are here concerned) are in favor of the colonization of Palestine by that people to whom historically it belongs. There is some reason to believe that a movement of this kind has already begun; and if, whether by the Levant becoming a highway to India, or from some other cause, any measure of prosperity should return to those shores that were once the commercial center of the world, the Jews would migrate thither in thousands from every land.

True it is that to colonize a country is one thing, while to create a nation is another. But the testimony of Scripture is explicit that Judah’s national independence is not to be regained by diplomacy or the sword. Jerusalem is to remain under Gentile supremacy until the day when Daniel’s visions shall be realized. In the language of Scripture, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”  But long ere then the Cross must supplant the Crescent in Judea, else it is incredible that the Mosque of Omar should give place to the Jewish Temple on the Hill of Zion.

If the operation of causes such as those above indicated, conjointly with the decay of the Moslem power, should lead to the formation of a protected Jewish state in Palestine, possibly with a military occupation of Jerusalem by or on behalf of some European Power or Powers, nothing more need be supposed than a religious revival among the Jews, to prepare the way for the fulfillment of the prophecies.

References for additional information:
Ezekiel 38, 39 The Battle of Gog and Magog

Is the Parable of the Fig Tree about the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel?

Reading The Bible

Some Great Words from C.H. Spurgeon:

Perhaps there is no book more neglected in these days than the Bible. I do verily believe there are more mouldy Bibles in this world than there are of any sort of neglected books. We have stillborn books in abundance; we have innumerable books which never see any circulation except the circulation of the butter shop, but we have no book that is so much bought, and then so speedily laid aside, and so little used, as the Bible. If we buy a newspaper, it is generally handed from one person to another, or we take care to peruse it pretty well; indeed some go so far as to read advertisements and all. If a person purchases a novel, it is well known how he will sit and read it all the way through, till the midnight candle is burnt out; the book must be finished in one day, because it is so admirable and interesting; but the Bible, of course, in the estimation of many, is not an interesting book; and the subjects it treats of are not of any very great importance. So most men think; they think it is a very good book to carry out on a Sunday, but never meant to be used as a book of pleasure, or a book to which one could turn with delight. Such is the opinion of many; but no opinion can be more apart from the truth; for what book can treat of truths one-half so important as those that concern the soul. What book can so well deserve my attention as that which is written by the greatest of all authors, God himself? If I must read a valuable book with attention, how much more ought I to give my mind to the study of that book which is invaluable, and which contains truth without the slightest admixture of error? And if books upon my health, or books which only concern the doings of my fellow creatures occupy some of my time, and deservedly so, how much more time should I spend in reading that which concerns my everlasting destiny; which reveals to me worlds hitherto unknown; which tells me how I may escape from hell and fly to heaven?

But I must remark, that even among Christian people, the Bible is one of the least read books that they have in their house. What with our innumerable magazines, our religious newspapers, and our perpetual controversies about the Bible, it is too seldom that people read the Bible. There certainly is not that reading of it that there used to be. Our predecessors, the ancient Puritans, would scarcely read any book but that; and if a book was not concerning the Bible, they did not care about reading it at all. Perhaps therein they may have been too strait and narrow, and may somewhat have cramped their minds; but I would rather have a little truth, and have a mind filled with that, though that mind should only be as large as a nutshell, than have the most gigantic intellect, and have that crammed with error. It is not the greatness of our intellect, it is the rightness of it, that makes us men in this world, and right men before God. I beseech you, therefore, you who are members of Christian churches, if you have but little time, do not expend it in reading ephemeral books, but take your Bible and read it constantly; and I promise you one thing, that if you are already Christians, the more you read the Bible the more you will love it. You may find it hard, perhaps, at present, to read a short passage and meditate upon it all day; but as you proceed you will see such depths unfathomable, such heights beyond your ken; and you will discover such unutterable sweetness in this precious honey-comb dropping with drops of honey, that you will say, “I must have more of it,” and your spirit will always cry, “Give, give;” nor will it be content until you can have God’s statutes upon your mind daily, to be your songs in the house of your pilgrimage.

From Sermon #88, “The Plea of Faith,” June 22, 1856

Bible Reading: Update

A few weeks ago I mentioned upcoming changes to my Bible Reading plan.  Now that I’ve implemented most of these changes, I see that what works on paper doesn’t always work as well in the actual reading.

The three chapter grouping for Wisdom books is more difficult to get through, at least while reading Proverbs.  Having several lists to read through, I’ve found that reading only 1 or 2 chapters does help move the reading along at a quicker pace.  Certainly, reading 2 chapters instead of one takes extra concentration, but it is do-able.  At the three chapter point, though, my attention wanders — especially so, perhaps, when reading Proverbs, in which each verse is an independent thought unrelated to the verses around it.  So, despite my best intentions in that plan, I’ve made a slight rearrangement that should work much better:

List 4:  Job and Proverbs — 1 chapter a day — 73 days
List 5:  Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon — 2 chapters a day — 85 days

I’m now finishing a reading through Proverbs, reduced to two chapters a day for the next few days.  Then I’ll start over with these two lists.  This same modification can be updated to the proposed “Bible in 90 days” plan, for a total of seven lists instead of six.

My new ESV Large Print Bible

I now have a new hardcover Bible, an ESV large print, ordered from Amazon after Christmas.

After reading the ESV translation on the computer (in my Bible software “The Word”), it is nice to now have the ESV in a portable format.  My previous Bibles, bought in my early Christian years around 1990, are NIV text:  a hardcover NIV Topical Study Bible, and the NIV Study Bible.  Both of these books are adequate, but I now have greater appreciation for the ESV text and footnotes; and sometimes those study notes can get in the way of reading the text.  Last year when I first tried reading my Horner Bible Reading lists using my NIV Topical Study Bible (because of its larger print size), I grew weary of some of the “notes” (I think in the prophets section) that associated the OT prophecies with fulfillment in the Church Age.

At this point, my MacArthur Bible Commentary has all the study notes I need.  I’m not so interested in other study bibles, but just wanted a “basic bible” without other people’s commentary on it.  At first I considered standard print ESV Bibles, but I’ve noticed that I prefer expanding the text on the computer screen, and that when I read my NIV Study Bible I need my glasses to read the smaller print.  I found a webpage that lists all the ESV editions published, along with their font sizes.  The large print is a 12.75 point size, which actually is smaller than the standard “large print” definition of 14 point — but very readable, similar to standard non-Bible books.  As I learned, standard type for Bibles is around 7 or 7.5 points.  No wonder I have problems reading that, as compared to common fiction and non-fiction books published nowadays.

Many others have said far more about the details of translation, favoring ESV over others, or favoring some other version, and I don’t wish to belabor the point here.  As one who had only been familiar with NIV, the ESV took some getting used to.  For instance, where the NIV would say “firstborn” the ESV says something about that which comes first out of the womb.  However, two specific items in the ESV translation especially prompted the switch from NIV.  The footnotes in Job 40 and 41 — texts describing animals very much like the modern understanding of dinosaurs — are at least honest.  Whereas the NIV footnotes actually suggests animals (such as the crocodile), the ESV simply says “a large animal, exact identity unknown.”  The second item is the correct translation of Galatians 6:16 — “and upon the Israel of God.”  As many others are no doubt aware, the NIV translation alone renders that “even.”  I first learned of this while listening to Jim McClarty’s Eschatology series (the Greek is the same basic word “kai” which means “and”) and since then from others, regarding the Israel and Church distinction.  Church replacement advocates will cite the NIV of Galatians 6:16 as a type of proof for a case where Israel could also refer to the church.  Just this morning in my S. Lewis Johnson message (about Baalam’s first prophecy), he mentioned the very unsatisfactory NIV translation of Galatians 6:16, noting that he had written up a paper about the matter, and planned to send them his paper in the hopes of changing that in the NIV:

So at any rate, I hope that we will live to see the day in which that particular rendering is transformed.  The NIV likes to let people know and Ken Barker is now the man who is in charge of their work.  They like to let others know that if you see some rendering of the NIV that is wrong, you should write them and give them reasons for it.  And ultimately I am going to send them a copy of my paper and hope that maybe he will come to his senses and change that particular rendering.

I wonder if he ever did.  That was in 1985, and the NIV still says what it said then.

Bible Reading: Judges and 2 Chronicles

I’m now reading from 8 different lists of Bible books:  Gospels (currently Mark 5), Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 9-10), Epistles (Ephesians 1-2), Wisdom (Proverbs 11-13), History (two lists: Judges and 2 Chronicles), Prophets (Isaiah 33-34), and Revelation 16.

In the current readings, one thing that strongly sticks out is the similarities between the times of the Judges and 2 Chronicles.  Both were less than honorable times in Israel’s history, the one before and the other after the great monarchy age.  The tendency to do whatever they wanted, their apostasy and idolatry, is plain throughout both books.  Another obvious similarity:  good rulers and the associated benefits to the people, followed by wicked rulers (in the Kings) or no clear rulers (in the Judges) and the resulting apostasy and evil consequences.  Both books describe great military exploits under godly rulers, and great failures when the people stray and/or have wicked rulers.  In Judges 9 (day 299), Gideon’s son Abimelech gets himself into enough power among his mother’s family, and then slays his 70 brothers.  In 2 Chroncles 21 (reading day 300), good king Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, establishes his power and then kills all his brothers.  Both men later receive their just recompense for their wicked deeds.

My various bible readings have prompted further interest in bible study.  Of course, the studies (in the form of sermon series from good preachers such as S. Lewis Johnson) continue far after I’ve completed reading the book, at least until the next time through that particular list. Yet the study material is never too far away from where I am in the lists.  I’m now reading in Deuteronomy, but the “From Exodus to Canaan” series is now discussing Baalam’s prophecies in Numbers — not too far back in the readings.  I’m also listening to Johnson’s study through Acts, now up to Acts 12 — and soon enough I’ll be reading through Acts again.

I’m now considering a study through Judges, and after looking at a few possibilities, have settled on one from Believers Chapel (the church where S. Lewis Johnson preached), a series done by Dan Duncan.  He did 25 messages through the first 16 chapters of Judges.  I only wish he had completed the book, but if he did they do not have the recordings on the web site.  I’ve listened to the first one, an excellent introduction.

“The Prince to Come” and a KJV Translation Error

I’ve been reading through Sir Robert Anderson’s “The Prince to Come“, which is interesting reading — if not always easy reading, due to the more cumbersome 19th century writing style.  Some parts are rather dry, such as his detailed calculations concerning different calendars and the refinements to different degrees of the lunar cycle.  Still, he does emphasize the importance of literal, natural interpretation of scripture, and puts forth a strong case concerning understanding of Daniel’s 70 weeks.

Yet in reading through chapter VII I found the following supposed inconsistency in the Bible:

According to the book of Kings, Solomon began to build the temple in the 480th year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt. (1 Kings 6:1) This statement, than which none could, seemingly, be more exact, has sorely puzzled chronologers. By some it has been condemned as a forgery, by others it has been dismissed as a blunder; but all have agreed in rejecting it. Moreover, Scripture itself appears to clash with it. In his sermon at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:18-21) St. Paul epitomizes thus the chronology of this period of the history of his nation: forty years in the wilderness; 450 years under the judges, and forty years of the reign of Saul; making a total of 530 years. To which must be added the forty years of David’s reign and the first three years of Solomon’s; making 573 years for the very period which is described in Kings as 480 years. Can these conclusions, apparently so inconsistent, be reconciled?

The text in 1 Kings is straightforward enough, but when I looked up Acts 13:17-20 in my own Bibles, the text clearly assigns the 450 years to the time BEFORE the judges and kings period.  As such, Paul’s account makes perfect sense and aligns with the Old Testament texts that reference these years.  first, 400 years in Egypt,  then 40 years in the wilderness, followed by 10 years of Joshua’s campaigns to take over the land.  The time of the judges and kings clearly follows AFTER the 450 years.

ESV, Acts 13:17-20:

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then ithey asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Other modern translations agree with this –  as does my Bible software’s “DRC” (direct translation from the Latin Vulgate to English), which reads:

17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they were sojourners in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought them out from thence, 18 And for the space of forty years endured their manners in the desert. 19 And destroying seven nations in the land of Chanaan, divided their land among them, by lot, 20 As it were, after four hundred and fifty years: and after these things, he gave unto them judges, until Samuel the prophet.

Only the King James Version, and the Geneva Bible from a generation before it, render Acts 13:17-20 in the manner described by Sir Robert Anderson:

The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.  18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. 19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.  20 And after that he gave [unto them] judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

In fairness, Sir Robert Anderson, living in the late 19th century, had no other English translations to consult.  Accordingly, he then tries to make sense of this “discrepancy” by some discussion about how the extra years mean that the Israelites came out of Egypt in the 16th century B.C. (not the mid-15th century B.C.), and the extra years were not included in 1 Kings, because those were years when God gave His people over to foreign rule, years that Paul counted but were not officially counted in the 1 Kings 6 text.  He puts this forth as a precedent for having a gap between two sets of periods of years.  Yet as he later goes on to say, such a precedent is not even required because of other texts that clearly and directly tell us there must be a time gap (between the 69th and 70th week).

Here, though, I only note an obvious, yet strange (to me), translation error in the King James text — and a challenge to the KJV-only crowd, who would insist that only the King James translation is accurate.  No doubt others are more aware of the translation problems and can answer this one, as to WHY the King James Version has Paul attributing the 450 years to the time of the judges and kings, when it makes far more sense to understand that the 450 years refers to the time in Egypt, the wilderness, and Joshua’s day.  For one thing, those years do add up to 450 years, to agree with several other Old Testament texts that refer to those years — texts such as in Genesis where Abraham was told that his descendants would be in Egypt for 400 years, and the year number statements given in Exodus, Joshua and 1 Kings.

From Egypt to Canaan: Insights from a Study through Exodus and Numbers

I’ve been enjoying going through S. Lewis Johnson’s “From Egypt to Canaan” series (from 1985).  This series started in Exodus, and then skips over some parts while focusing on various incidents in Exodus and Numbers, all related to the theme of the people in their wilderness wanderings.  I’m now more than halfway through, up to Numbers 20, and have learned a great deal.

One thing I’ve learned from this study is how to connect the Old Testament passages with the specific New Testament texts that relate back to the passage in question.  Now this is the way to truly interpret scripture, not by going beyond the text and speculating about other possible “allegorical” meanings, yet going beyond the actual Old Testament text to include the actual New Testament applications that relate to the text:  letting scripture interpret scripture.  Frequently in this study, SLJ refers to passages such as 1 Corinthians 10 and various chapters in Hebrews, where Paul and the writer of Hebrews specifically comment on the wilderness wanderings.

Now to several specific observations from this series:
The miracles in Exodus are never again discussed as being important, later in the Bible (because the people were in unbelief)  — until Revelation, which tells of the future judgements which are very similar to the ones done to Egypt.  Here too is a great answer to those who interpret the Bible with too much of a naturalistic bent.  Just as the judgements in Exodus were supernatural events performed by God, without any human agent, so too will be the judgments described in Revelation.  God will get all the glory there too, and He will not share it with man, even to such notions as ascribing the actual cause of the end-times judgments to human nuclear war.

The giving of the law — a very interesting point is brought out in Exodus 17.  The law was proposed before it was ever imposed.  Had the people of Israel recognized that they could not keep God’s law, the actual living under the Old Covenant would not have occurred, and the time until Christ’s First Coming could very well have been much sooner.  The people willingly accepted the terms of the Old Covenant, saying “we will do it,” which only showed their true heart condition, that they did not understand their own sinful nature.

Typology
A type is really just another word for an example, or an illustration.  S. Lewis Johnson often points this out, emphasizing that typology does not include other things that some people often think of when they think of a “type.”  SLJ also gives many examples of true typology — of the illustration and what it corresponds to — throughout this study.

Typology and the two incidents where Moses struck the rock
The first incident, in Exodus 17, has Moses using the rod to strike the rock.  The rod used is the one Moses used to strike the Nile and turn its waters to blood.  The striking of the rock here illustrates Christ as “our smitten rock,” the one punished with the rod, and suffers and sheds blood.

In the later incident in Numbers 20, Moses is told to use the rod that is before the Lord (Numbers 20:9), which indicates a different rod, the one belonging to Aaron that had just blossomed and brought forth almonds in the previous chapter.  Speaking to the rock suggests our going to the Lord with our needs.  Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word for “rock” here is a different Hebrew word than in Exodus 17.  The Hebrew word for rock in Exodus 17 is a rock that is sharp.  The Hebrew word “rock” in Numbers 20 refers to elevation.  SLJ notes that often the words in Hebrew are used interchangeably, but thinks that this difference could be significant here — and further indication that the typology in Numbers 20 conveys the idea of Christ (the rock) elevated, and speaking to the rock illustrates our access to Christ, who has been exalted.

As S. Lewis Johnson observes:

If you turn back to Exodus chapter 17 and you were able to look at the Hebrew text at that point, you would find that the word for rock there is the word tswur.  That word is often associated with a sharp kind of rock, whereas the word that is used in chapter 20 of the Book of Numbers as the word cela and cela is the word that is often associated with elevation.  This distinction between these two words is not always observed.  That is the general sense of the two words and if that is true, it further supports the idea.  We not only have Moses told to speak to the rock, but we also have a different word for rock that suggests an elevated rock and of course the elevated rock would go very well with the idea of a high priest who is at the right hand of the Majesty on High.

Moses ruined the typology by striking the rock instead — an illustration that would suggest that Christ has to suffer more than once.  Yet this incident also shows God’s marvelous grace:  even when His people are disobedient, God still will bring forth the intended blessing, such as here where God still provided the people with  water.

Typology and the priesthood of Aaron
Numbers 20 also tells of Aaron’s death.  Here we see the flaw in the Aaronic priesthood — the high priest dies.  Yet Aaron as priest is an illustration, as he represents the function of the priesthood of Christ.  Melchizedek as a priest represents the person of Christ.

The Sin Unto Death
Numbers 13 and 14 tells of the tragic turning point at Kadesh Barnea, where the people refuse to go into the land.  The people finally reach a point where it is too late to repent, they must experience the judgment of 40 years in the wilderness.  It is very probable that out of the whole nation of Israel, there were more than just two saved people (Caleb and Joshua), yet they all reached a point where they experienced the final consequence of a sin that lead to their death in the wilderness.

S. Lewis Johnson here discusses the “sin unto death” spoken of by John in 1 John 5, pointing out that there is sin that leads to death, as distinguished from sin that does not lead to death.  1 Corinthians 11, and Acts 5, also describe situations where believers went too far and because of their sin they died.  As Johnson remarks, there are some Christians that are good for heaven, but not so good for earth — and so God takes them away, that they not bring further shame to God in their lives in this world.  The deaths of Moses and Aaron, as their punishment for disobedience in Numbers 17, is yet another example of the “sin unto death.”  Moses and Aaron too were forgiven of their sins, yet because of that sin they were not allowed to go into the promised land.  The daughters of Zelophehad also point out that their father did not take part in the rebellion of Korah, but died for his own sins — another example of distinction between the saved who nevertheless die because of their sins, as compared to the unsaved who died as a result of the rebellion of Korah.

A Bible Reading Challenge for 2010

It’s not too late to start a serious Bible reading program for the new year.  “Bible in a Year” programs, where you read through the Bible once a year, are a good start.  But how about trying something more challenging, reading the Bible several times a year, to really increase your understanding and memory of God’s word?  The following are three variations I have come up with, based originally on the Horner Bible Reading System, that follow a genre style reading where you are always reading portions from different sections of the Bible.  The overall instructions are simple enough:  start at the beginning of each list, and read a chapter (or 2 or 3, as indicated below) each day from that list.  Repeat the same for the second list, and so on.  The next day, you pick up where you left off the previous day, reading the next chapter from each of the lists.  When you reach the end of one of the lists, you start back at the beginning of that list.  No calendar restrictions with this plan, so if you miss a day you simply pick up the next day where you left off.  All you need is a Bible — either print or online software — and six or seven bookmarks.

Here are three such reading plans, with the easier (as in fewer chapters) plan listed first.

Plan 1
List 1:  Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, John — 1 chapter per day — 89 days
List 2:   Pentateuch — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy — 1 chapter per day — 187 days
List 3:  Epistles — all the New Testament letters, from Romans through Jude — 1 chapter per day — 121 days
List 4:  Wisdom  — Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon — 1 chapter per day — 243 days
List 5:  History — Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther — 1 chapter per day — 249 days
List 6:  Prophets — all major and minor prophets, Isaiah through Malachi — 1 chapter per day — 250 days
List 7:  Acts and Revelation — 1 chapter per day — 50 days

In this plan you read just 7 chapters a day, and you will completely read through the Bible in 250 days.  After a full year, you will have read through the gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, through the New Testament letters three times, and through Acts and Revelation seven times.

Plan 2 is the same 7 lists as above, but read multiple chapters for all except lists 1 and 7, for a total of 13 chapters a day:
List 2:  read 2 chapters a day, for 93 days total
List 3:  read 2 chapters a day, for 60 days total
List 4:  read 3 chapters a day, for 81 days total
List 5:  read 2 chapters a day, for 124 days total
List 6:  read 2 chapters a day, for 125 days total

Plan 3 is more intense, for those who would like to try something similar to the “Bible in 90 Days” plan — but reading through different parts of the Bible at the same time instead of sequentially from Genesis to Revelation.  This schedule is similar to plan 2, with slight rearranging to complete all the lists in a three month period, yet with only one more chapter per day — for 14 chapters a day:
List 1:  Gospels — 1 chapter a day — 89 days
List 2:  Pentateuch — 2 chapters a days — 93 days
List 3:  New Testament Acts through Revelation  — 2 chapters a day — 85 days
List 4:  Wisdom — 3 chapters a day — 81 days
List 5:  Old Testament History — 3 chapters a day — 83 days
List 6:  Old Testament Prophets — 3 chapters a day — 83 days

For now I am doing Plan 2.  Actually I am just ending a 12-list plan and merging some of the lists into the 7 lists used in plans 1 and 2 above.  Is anyone else up to any of these challenges?  Let me know which plan, and/or any other Bible reading ideas you have.