Here we review the main components of the biblical narrative, then trace Abraham through the Bible, and close with a reminder that God's dealings with humanity in both testaments are always and only based on grace.

This week we undertook a helpful historical overview of the OT story from Abraham to the return from exile using a map of the Ancient Near East. We then looked at the foundational "relational dynamic" that underlies all of Scripture--this is how God relates to humanity, and relates to us. Four questions were raised to bring clarity to this critical relational framework of Scripture.    

The following two lectures were designed to help us interpret Jesus within his native historical setting in first-century Palestine and within his native Scriptural setting in the Old Testament. When Jesus himself sought to explain to others who he was and what he was up to he always turned back to the ancient Hebrew Scriptures and told that story as the way to make sense of his story. Seeking to enlighten two puzzled contemporaries how death and resurrection were expected scenes in the unfolding drama of his career, Jesus "took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27).

 

Following Jesus' example, his four biographers employ the same interpretive grid. They view Jesus through Old Testament eyes and thus use Old Testament personnel, stories, and images as the colors on their palette as they paint their varied, but complementary, portraits of Jesus. 

 

Under the title, "What on Earth is Jesus Doing?" we will take a careful look at just one chapter of Matthew's masterpiece portrayal of the one he knew as Savior. I trust this introduction to the life of Jesus will open our eyes, warm our hearts, and move our feet in the Lord's direction. May it help further a lifetime of discovery and transformation.

 

These two lectures were first delivered as Power Points at Rolling Hills Christian Church, El Dorado Hills, CA, in the Fall of 2005. 

• Part 1 John the Baptizer as Forerunner
• Part 2 Jesus: Baptizer and Baptized

The Apostle Paul

 

Paul is one of the protagonists in this Act of the Drama. For some brilliant insight on Paul and his role in the story, I suggest two authors:

 

    Michael J. Gorman, Reading Paul (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2007).

Gorman (PhD, Princeton) is Professor of Sacred Scripture and Dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. 

In this new introduction to the Apostle Paul and his gospel, written especially for lay readers, for beginning students, and for those unsure about what to make of Paul, Michael J. Gorman takes the apostle seriously, as someone who speaks for God and to us. After an overview not only of Paul's radical transformation from persecutor to proclaimer but also of his letter-writing in the context of Paul's new mission, Reading Paul explores the central themes of the apostle's gospel: Gorman places special emphasis on the theopolitical character of Paul's gospel and on the themes of cross and resurrection, multiculturalism in the church, and peacemaking and nonviolence as the way of Christ according to Paul. Gorman also offers a distinctive interpretation of justification by faith as participation in Christ—an interpretation that challenges standard approaches to these Pauline themes. Reading Paul demonstrates that the apostle of faith, hope, and love speaks not only to our deepest spiritual needs but also to the challenging times in which we live.

    Tom Wright (PhD, Oxford) is the Bishop of Durham, Church of England, and one of today's leading NT scholars. 

What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity? (Grand Rapids: Eermans, 1997). 

“Paul,” in New Dictionary of Theology, eds. David F. Wright, et al (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 496-499.

    Thessalonians. Our second year with the small group we walked  through Paul's letter to a small, relatively new, community of believers. Our discussion notes from 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 provide a good entry into Paul's mission and teaching.

The New Testament as a Whole

Paul is a main character in the expansion of God's blessing to the nations of the world. The record of that early expansion is recorded in the New Testament. But what is the New Testament all about? What are its main themes and how does it sit in relation to the Old? This book by Professor Silva answers those very questions. 

David A. deSilva, New Testament Themes (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001).

deSilva (PhD, Emory University) is professor of NT and Greek, Ashland Theological Seminary, Ohio. He is known for his expertise in the socio-cultural world of Jesus and the early church. 

In this little paperback is addressed Grace, Discipleship, Community, and Apocalyptic, by which deSilva means the Favor of God, which leads to walking in the Way of God, corporately as the People of God, who are drawn into the Triumph of God, wrought by Christ. He provides an excellent, accessible overview (one of the best I've seen) of the major motifs of the NT.

“For those who are new to the social landscape and teaching of the NT, David deSilva proves to be a trustworthy and engaging guide. For those sometimes bewildered by NT emphases that seem disjointed or strange to our world, he makes plain the complex and mysterious. For anyone ready to be inducted into the thought world of the NT and to be nurtured by its message, New Testament Themes issues an invitation that will not disappoint” Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary, California.

"The New Testament offers every reader many words of advice, promise, and challenge, but all of them are to be understood in light of a big picture--a way of viewing the world that is distinctly different from any understanding that we would achieve on our own. David deSilva realizes that the early Christians were introduced to this new worldview before they were expected to grasp the finer points of Christian teaching. He shares the life-changing revelation with us in a masterful exposition of what lies at the heart of these biblical writings. Almost every verse in these twenty-seven books [that we call the New Testament] can be understood in light of four central themes that illuminate God's revelation through Jesus Christ." Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Ohio. 

To orient yourself to our guide for the year, read The Bible in Time, "Getting Started," pages 7-12.

 

Also helpful here are our OT Starting Points

 

Our discussion will address The Bible in Time, sections 1 and 2, pages 13-16.

 

For supplemental material on the creation narrative of early Genesis, see Professor Fretheim's observations: The Creation Accounts of Genesis 1-2

 

On our Insights page, more resources are provided on (1) the ancient science of the Bible and (2) what is might mean to be created in God's image.

The Bible in Time, sections 3, pages 16-18. 

 

Our guest facilitator is my good friend of 20 years Scott Wieking, adult and family pastor at First Baptist Church, Davis. Scott and I have met once or twice a month for lunch since I moved back to Sacramento in 1999. Scott wrote a good study guide on the life of David, which I have posted on our OT Resource page, under Eugene Peterson's book Leap over a Wall.

 

Scott's handout for the discussion is here: Wieking. Genesis 3..pdf 

The Bible in Time, sections 4 and 5, pages 18-22.

 

The Flood Story teaches us many things. We directed our attention to but three things: the justice of God, the suffering of God, and the intentions of God.

 

1. We discussed the justice of God, as seen in the created moral order inherent in the world. Justice, in our vocabulary, often refers to bringing deserved consequences on the heads of the wicked. But in the OT world, God's justice includes much more, as it seeks to bring fitting outcomes to various sorts of people: for the wicked who refuse to repent, calamity; for the good folk who trust God and care for others, abundant blessing; for the helpless and needy, deliverance and protection. The first two aspects of God's justice are prominent in the flood story. 

 

One lesson is obvious: We harvest what we plant, if not in this life, certainly in the age to come. Two kinds of people, two paths, two outcomes. Paul agrees: "God will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life [now in part, then in full] to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath [now in part, then in full] on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness" (Rom 2:6-8). My bracketed additions emphasize that the outcomes aren't totally defered till Jesus returns. Consequences begin in this life, often as a natural outgrowth of the behavior. A violent alcoholic, for example, doesn't need God to send lightening bolts or heavenly spirits down to mediate the consequences for his recklessness. The misbehavior will draw upon itself its own disruptions to health, relationships, and career. He will serve in some sense as his own judge, arranging his own sentence. Read Romans 1:18-32 and note the recurrent refrain, "and God gave them up." By simply letting us have our own way God may help us experience the futility of our counter-productive choices. Though the short-term outcomes may be painful, as when the prodigal son found himself friendless and hopeless (cf. Luke 15:11-32), this might open the door for ultimate restoration. Only by having to eat the wild oats he sowed did the prodigal son "come to his senses" and realize he'd be better off in the Father's care.

 

The created moral order connects one's "acts and dispositions" with their fitting "consequences." This connection, as we all know, is not tight and direct. It's not a one-to-one correlation. Many wicked flourish, if only for a season. And lots of good people suffer, as the children of our alcoholic must have suffered. We are interconnected with one another, as though bound up in a complex spider web. The effects of our behavior, be they good or ill, reverberate out upon those around us. This accounts for much of the injustice in the world. And this sense of injustice moves us all to long for a reckoning, a day when justice for both the good and the evil will finally come to prevail. God himself promises to set things straight one day. 

 

2. The suffering of God. We are exploring the Bible in order to learn more about God's character. We need to know him aright if we are to be drawn to trust him, to love him, to worship him. We also need to have a proper understanding of his character if we, as his image-bearers, are to reflect him into the world. In the past when I encountered things in the Bible that didn't fit with my "I've got it all figured out" conception of God, I would senselessly stick with my preconceptions and disregard the "contrary evidence" that the Bible so often presented. Like most of us, my portrait of God was constructed from a limited selection of my favorite verses, using a "pick and choose" method of interpretation. I came to see the limitations of that method. I since have learned a different tactic, which is both more challenging and more rewarding. Now I (try to!) let the biblical data constantly revise and nuance my conceptions of what God is like and how he interacts with his world. The suffering of God was one area where my prior notions of God needed to be reworked.

 

"The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart" (Gen 6:5-6). God took a risk when he created human beings with freedom. They could reciprocate his love or they could spurn it. God thus made himself vulnerable to rejection and to pain and he made his plans liable to frustration by potentially rebellious creatures. He is no detached, heart-less, compulsive micro-manager, who sees to it that he always gets his way, even if he needs to steamroll over his creatures. No, the biblical God is quite different. The bible portrays him as an engaged, and responsive, Father, whose heart can be thrilled as well as broken. OT Professor Terry Fretheim provides us some wise perspective on this aspect of God's character. See see our Insights page. 

 

Knowing that God is so human-like in his genuine give-and-take relationships with his children we are far more prepared for the coming of Jesus, God-in-human-flesh. This fresh conception of God makes Jesus so much more intelligible. Of course God-in-Christ comes among his people and walks side-by-side with them--we saw God do much the same in the Garden in Genesis 2-3. Of course God-in-Christ was broken-hearted and wept when his people stubbornly refused to embrace his grace (Luke 19:41-42)--we saw God do much the same in the days of Noah. Of course God-in-Christ would suffer by virtue of his identification with humanity--we saw God do much the same throughout his relationship with humanity in the OT. Have we failed to see this "human-like" aspect of God in the pages of the OT? Perhaps we need to look more carefully and in so doing to have our conceptions of God modified along the way. For a penetrating word about the sufferings of Jesus see the excerpt from Douglas John Hall's book God and Suffering: An Exercise in the Theology of the Cross (Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1987) on our Insights page.

 

3. God's intentions beyond the flood are for the goodness of humanity and his creation. He longs that life might flourish and that we might thrive. Toward this end God promises to sustain the earth and never again take this destructive course of action, hence, the rainbow covenant. He also gives to Noah the same commission he gave to Adam: "Be fruitful and multiply." Noah, in this sense, is the new Adam for a new day. There is hope beyond the flood. On the nature of hope within the Bible, see our Embracing Grace discussion notes from last season:

The Epic of the Eikon: Eschatology

The Story Inspires Hope

 

 The Bible in Time, section 6. 

 

We set the stage for Genesis 12 by reviewing the major turning points in the biblical story: harmony, disruption, and restoration (see The OT Unfolds: part 1 and part 2)

 

Abraham is the prototype of how God will collaborate with humanity to restore people to himself and to each other, to replace disruption with restoration. People are blessed by God in order to share that blessing with others. The ancient nation of Israel is called "the children of Abraham" not just because of their family ties to Abraham but also because of the task of Abraham they were called to fulfill. Jesus, as Israel's representative King, was himself described as the "son of Abraham" (Matt 1:1) and we, in Christ, are likewise the "sons and daughters of Abraham" (Galatians 3:26-29). Thus the vocation of Abraham (Blessed to be a Blessing) is the common thread that describes the role of all of God's people from Abraham to today: we are all one people with one common role.

 

To share God's multi-facted blessings with others involves three things. We need to be: 

(1) Connected. We must be connected with others, intergrated into the world. You cannot share blessings with others unless your lives are intertwined with theirs. This is the opposite of the separation, isolation, and arrogant condemnation that has sadly characterized certain strands of Christian history.

(2) Distinctive. Though integrated, we cannot become so much like the world that we are indistinguishable from those we seek to serve. Full assimilation is the other side of the pendulum swing from isolation. God calls us to be holy, that is, separated from the world in order to serve the world. This is the kind of holiness God embodies and we are to follow his lead.

(3) Beneficial. We are connected and distinctive in order to enhance the world around us. We are here for the benefit of others, for their flourishing.

 

God demonstrates all three, both in his engagement with OT Israel and in his participation in the life of first-century Israel in Jesus. God gives us the example of how to be connected, distinctive, and beneficial to those whose lives he touched. For more on this, see last year's discussion: A Missional Gospel

 

How can we better connect with those around us? Is our behavior distinctively like Christ? How can we better contribute to the welfare of others, be it socially, economically, educationally, professionally, or spiritually? 

 

YHWH and Abraham worked together, as God likes to do. They were partners, collaborators. Read Genesis 12:1-4 and notice that BOTH God and Abraham had vital parts to play in the grand project of restoration.

 

Abraham could serve as the "blessed blesser" because he found God to be trustworthy and responsed with faith and obedience. This was the pattern of response that characterized his life. Note these verses that mark various episodes over a 30-plus-year period.

Genesis 12:4--he followed the Lord's lead, even when he wasn't sure where that path would ultimately take him. When crossing a river on stepping stones through the fog, we may only see far enough ahead to discern the next step. But, as it turns out, that's all we really need to see. Following the Lord's directives will lead us forward into the unfolding future, but sometimes only one step at a time.

Genesis 15:6--he believed, even when he couldn't figure out how God's promises might come to pass. Genesis 17:1--he was called to serve God faithfully by how he "walked," that is, by his entire demeanor and lifestyle.

Genesis 22:16--he obeyed, even when it seemed crazy.

That's it: follow, believe, serve, and obey. God's grace initiates and provides; we respond. This is all it takes to form that kind of collaborative partnership that God is seeking as his means of infusing more blessing into the world.

 

Christians are to follow in Abraham's footsteps. Read Romans chapter 4 to see how Paul spells this out.

The Divine Promise: "I will make you into a great nation" (Gen 12:2). Abraham was given a wonderful promise, one that included children, and grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. These would all be agents of God for the sake of the world--blessed to be blessings. But there was one major, nearly insurmountable, obstacle. Abraham and his wife Sarah have been infertile for decades. Our first encounter with this couple makes that plain.

 

Real-life Circumstances: "Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.) 30 But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children" (Gen 11:29-30).

 

At Odds. How do you respond with real-life circumstances seem to contradict the divine promise? What do you do when these two are at odds? Abraham will show us one way to navigate this common conumdrum.

 

Abraham's trust is a model for our own, trust that looks to God when God's promises seem improbable at best and appear to be contradicted by life's hard circumstances. It's no wonder then that Abraham's trust in God's promises was intermingled with fear (vs 1), doubt and uncertainty (vv. 2, 3, 8), like our own. That's normal. I don't think it could be any other way. What relationship doesn't mix trust and some degree of reservation--especially when things are strained.

 

Abraham doesn't try to deny his doubts, or gloss over them, but rather he faces them head-on and grapples squarely with them in the presence of God. Abraham's ability to voice his complaints and puzzlements directly to God provides us a heathy pattern to follow. We'll see more of this kind of behavior in the lament psalms.

 

How did God respond? Was Abraham chastized, rebuked? Not at all. Like a tenderhearted mother, God graciously reassures Abraham his child, telling him not to be afraid, that he will protect him (vs 1). Then God reiterates the promise (vs 4) and gives Abraham a tangible way to remember how abundant God's blessings will be (vs. 5). God helps him see beyond the contradictory circumstances, to imagine life when the promise comes true. "Look at the stars..."

 

And so Abraham trusted God's promises (vs. 6), a trust that gives evidence that things were right between him and his God. This is the basic relational dynamic we explored in our OT overviews lectures in the Fall: Part 1, and Part 2. God initiates and provides and guides and we respond with trust and obedience, with faith and faithfulness. That's the essence of life with God, whether you live in the days of Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jesus, Paul, or Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, or the 21st century. However much things change, this "mutual love" remains the same. This is what God is after.

 

Faith does need to look trouble in the eye. But it also needs to lift its eyes off trouble to take in a larger horizone. It needs to look back in time to the rehearsal of God's activities in the past. I needs a faith-inspiring trip down memory lane. To help with this, God reminds Abraham: "I am YHWH, who brought you up..." (vs. 7). Remember? This sounds much like the context without which the 10 commandments wouldn't make sense. "I am YHWH, your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery" (Exodus 20:2). Remember? Before launching into the commandments, we need a reminder of what God has done on our behalf. Before Abraham can grasp this promise, he needs to reflect back on God's prior episodes of promise-keeping. Then Abraham will be reminded afresh that God is worth trusting. This is why we frequently turn back to the stories written for us in the OT. By seeing God's goodness, his wisdom, and his loving loyalty displayed in concrete ways with his children in the OT, we get the reassurance we need that he is trustworthy.

 

Also of help is a fresh look at the future that awaits the outworking of his promises. This forward-looking view inspires hope and helps set present day adversities in a larger, more comprehensive framework. Read Paul's sage advice in Romans 8, verse 18: "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later." Paul didn't deny the sufferings, but neither did he let them fill the whole of his vision. He looked trouble in the eye, and he also looked beyond it.

 

Looking back and looking forward, rehearsing and reframing, are things that our frequent engagement with Scripture helps us do. One of Scripture's primary roles is to re-orient us to God's character, God's story, and God's agenda, things we quickly forget in the midst of our crazy lives. Peter knows we forget, which is why he purposed to help bring these blessed truths again and again to our attention (2 Peter 1:12-15):

Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.

One reason I find myself frequently in the Word of God is because I need again to get re-oriented. We neglect Scripture at our own peril.

Genesis 18

 

I couldn't help but make a few comments on God's dialogue with Abraham in Genesis 18. Read the chapter. It is most intriguing.

 

Partnership. God includes Abraham in the formation of his plans (vs 17-19). This is because God works with us, alongside us, in partnership. We saw this in the Garden narrative. The outworking of responding to God's love with loving loyalty is that we would walk with him and work alongside him. Walk and work. The nature of the work changes from situation to situation, but the call to participate in God's work in the world is alive today. We are God's apprentices and he entrusts aspect of his world to our care. He risks the short-term success of his venture on frail, fallible, fickle people, like us. It amazing. But what significant roles we have. Our actions matter in helping to shape the future.

 

And so Abraham, as part-owner in the business, so to speak, dialogues boldly with God. "Abraham approached him and said, 'Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?'" (Gen 18:23-24).

Read Exod 32:1-14. God lets Moses in on his plans. Moses objects to God's plans and makes a good case why God should do otherwise. God heeds Moses' advice and changes course. Amazing! I love this story. See how God respects us as partners in the world? What we say and do matters in helping shape the future, not just for us, but for God, too! What kind of God do we serve? What kind of governance over the world does he exercise? These questions need to be answered in light of the biblical data. Maybe things aren't as we thought they were. 

God hears the cry of the oppressed. Read verse 20. This is the God we worship. He is a compassionate God. We will see this aspect of God's heart again in Exodus 3 (note vs. 7). God is moved by the cries of the oppressed. And if we bear his image, so should we. The sin of Sodom wasn't just sexual. It was monetary. There were greedy and exploited the poor in the surrounding region. Listen to Ezekiel's explanation: “Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen” (Ezek 16:49-50). Despite their reputation for immorality, sexual sin wasn’t their only offense. Failure to care for the needy brought fatal consequences on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Mercy is a universal mandate. The withholding of mercy is a universal formula for failure. (For more on this, see God's Heart for the Downcast). 

 

What would it look like to reflect this aspect of God's character? How would we live if we too learned to hear the cry of the oppressed, the lonely, the puzzled, the hungry, the poor? For more on this, listen to Rob Bell's "Egypt" sermon from his "New Exodus" series, the link to which can be found under "Audio Sermons and Lectures" on our page Embracing Grace: Supplemental Excerpts and Sermons

The Bible in Time, section 8, pp. 26-28.

 

On our Insights page, you can find a brilliant essay from Professor Ellen Davis on the binding of Isaac, Genesis 22.

 

Our discussion notes can be found here.

 

Want to learn more about Abraham? I suggest the guidance of Professor Terry Fretheim:

"Genesis" in The New Interpreter's Bible: Genesis to Leviticus (Volume 1) (Nashville: Abindgon Press, 1994).

Abraham: Trials of Family and Faith (Studies on Personalities of the Old Testament) (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2007).

We discussed the story of Zaccheus's generosity in Luke 19 and saw how his being a blessing to others epitomizes what it means to be a true son of Abraham. Sound familiar? What we learned in Genesis 12:1-3 about the vocation of the people of God has not fizzled away when Jesus comes on the scene. Just the opposite--Jesus seems to understand his mission as an expression of Abraham's. And that's our mission, too! The thread runs throughout the entire biblical narrative. It's all one story with one governing motif.

 

Note also how Jesus defines "salvation." Nothing mystical here. This is hands-on, down-to-earth, and fully humanitarian. One is "saved" when one takes an about-face, reversing directions from exploiting others to serving others. Simple--and not all that different from Paul's description, for doesn't he say that salvation puts one on a path of good works? Eph 2:8-10. Note the re-direction of life's purpose that attends "salvation," like with Zaccheus, in the larger context of Ephesians (see verses 1-10). Combining the lessons from Abraham, Jesus, and Paul, we learn that salvation is a here-and-now restoration, putting us back on track with how humans are meant to live--loving God and loving others.

The Bible in Time, section 9, pp. 28-29. Professor Travis' insights were helpful.

 

The large story of Joseph, Gen 37-50, is complex and multi-layered, marked by crazy circumstances and strange turns of events. Like many of our convoluted tales, expressions of jealousy, unkindness, injustice, intrigue, and just plain bad luck pepper our pages. Mixed in are expressions of courage, loyalty, sacrifice, integrity, and a handful of fortuitous circumstances. While in the middle of things it can be hard to make sense of it all.

 

Discerning God's Unobtrusive Hand: Avoiding Deism and Determinism

 

After recounting the dysfunction of Joseph's family and the treachery of his brothers, we asked, "Where is God in all of this?" Frankly, his hand can be hard to discern at times, for his activity is not a little ambiguous. You could easily excuse a secular historian for retelling this narrative without mentioning at all the Lord's participation, which is far from obvious, especially for those who aren't looking for the nearly hidden clues. This story of Joseph seems to illustrate God's most common way of working in the world. He is present and active, sure; but he works behind-the-scenes, unobtrusively, hidden from public view.

 

When traveling the road of discerning God's hand in life's crazy circumstances, two ditches should be avoided. The absence of unmistakable "miracles" leads some to fall into the deist's ditch. "If God isn't clearly present, he must be absent." But are those the only choices? Can't he be present and active in more subtle, non-miraculous ways? I think the Joseph story teaches us that God often works in, and through, and behind plain ol' ordinary circumstances. At times, his activity can be difficult if not impossible to ascertain at the moment, in the middle of life's mess, but, after the fact, looking back, those who have eyes to see can detect how good things have been wrought out of bad. And that, I believe, is one of God's characteristic signatures (see Rom 8:28-29).

 

Another ditch is just as common--that of determinism, which posits that God has planned and executed everything that comes to pass. Though this clearly avoids the ditch of deism, it seems to me to go too far in the other direction. Far from absent, God is thought to be fully present in every event, micro-managing everything that happens. The principal criticism against determinism is that it lays at God's feet the blame for all the evil in the world. Isn't that too great a price to pay to insure God's presence? To explore more on this aspect of determinism, see Boyd's Is God to Blame? on our resource page from last year's small group study.

 

Reassurance

 

A great reassurance can be derived from this story. Whatever the mess, however bizarre the circumstances, however much humanity may contravene God's express wishes, he is so wise, so creative, and so resourceful that in the end he can be seen to have brought something good and beautiful from out of the mess. Notice Joseph's retrospective reflections in Gen 50:20. 

The Bible in Time, section 10, pp. 30-31.

 

Joseph, like the rest of us, has a story that makes most sense when anchored firmly within the over-arching story of God, starting with Creation and then starting again with the New Creation. The plot turns on three Acts, each emphasizing the relationship between God and humanity: Act 1: Harmony; Act 2: Disruption; Act 3: Restoration. "Project Restoration" began in Gen 12 with Abraham, who was blessed by God in order to be a blessing to others. Abraham's family are set apart to be "God community with God's commission."

 

Last week we followed Joseph, one of Abraham's 12 grandsons, from the land of Canaan to the land of Egypt. This week we'll see what happens to Joseph upon arriving in Egypt (Gen 39).

 

Joseph's Life and Ours

 

Cause                                        Effect

Betrayed by brothers               Joseph finds himself in slavery

Betrayed by P's wife                Joseph finds himself in prison

 

Life is far messier than we'd like. The evil deeds of other people can have far-ranging effects, complicating the lives of the innocent, as we see here. It is because we are relationally interconnected so many others that our behavior, be it good or ill, ripples its consequences well beyond our own little boundaries. This accounts for much of the injustice in the world. Life isn't fair and it rarely turns out as we hoped. When asked to sum up her life in 6 words, one friend replied: " Not quite what I had planned." 

 

What Happens When You Judge God by Your Lousy Circumstances?

Joseph lands first in slavery then in prison. If God were the orchestrator, micro-managing every detail, then couldn't he be charged with injustice and evil? Or, if God had intended on doing something else but found his plans completely overturned by others, couldn't he be seen as blundering or incompetant? If things turn our badly, as they did in Joseph's case, then how can circumstances be used to gauge God's wisdom, or his love, or his might?

 

Has God been Unfaithful to Joseph?

Perhaps, assuming we have a prior promise of God that Joseph's life would be rosy, trouble-free, full of uninterrupted happiness, unsullied by relational discord, injustice, unfairness, loss, grief, or illness. But I don't remember such a promise--not to Joseph, and not to you and me. Stuff happens. But it doesn't mean God has been unfaithful.

 

No, God has been faithful to Joseph. But faithful to do what? To insure never-ending bliss? No. God is faithful to do what is he does with all of his children. Read Gen 39 verses 2 and 21. What is it that God does with Joseph that we too can count on? God is with him and God is for him. God is present and God is good. His presence may be unobtrusive, as we saw last week, and his good intentions may be slow in making themselves known. God does not bulldoze his way, running roughshod over the other players in the story. His ways are more subtle, more mysterious, more nuanced. But we can be sure that whether we're in slavery or in prison, in bankcrupcy or in the hospital, in divorce court or in the unemployment line, nevertheless God is with us, and while with us he is for us.

 

Centuries later the Apostle Paul would celebrate this truth while languishing, like Joseph, in prison.

The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength (2 Tim 4:16-17). 

God didn't get Paul out of the mess, but God did get him through. How? God was with him and God was for him, giving Paul the strength he needed. 

 

Abraham's later descendants would need to be reminded of this reality again and again, particularly while exiled in Babylon (after the destruction of the southern kingdom and Solomon's temple in 587 BC). Here are the words of comfort that (second) Isaiah speaks:

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
      O Israel, the one who formed you says,
   “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
      I have called you by name; you are mine.
 When you go through deep waters,
      I will be with you.
   When you go through rivers of difficulty,
      you will not drown.
   When you walk through the fire of oppression,
      you will not be burned up;
      the flames will not consume you.
 For I am the Lord, your God,
      the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isa 43:1-3).

I love that. We are his. He adores us. He is with. He is for us. As in Joseph's case, God being "for us" doesn't prevent us from hardship. The exiled Israelites found themselves in "deep waters," in "rivers of difficulty." God's presence didn't deliver them from trouble, but it did help them through trouble.

 

Reshaping our Prayers

 

I'm not sure we have clued into this. When friends are sick we're quick to pray for their healing, which, by the way, normally comes through natural means. But we're less quick to pray that God would equip them to endure the trial. When we focus on a quick escape for them (and for ourselves), we might be less inclined to prepare for the long path of endurance. Paul was beset by illness. He prayed, "God, take it away," only to discover that God promised instead to help him deal with it. This was not deliverance from trouble, but deliverance through trouble. He felt like he was being "tormented" by this almost satanic "thorn in the flesh." Of course he wishes it would be removed. But it wasn't so. He'd have to learn to cope with it, to find a way to adapt. Here's how Paul relates that HUGE lesson.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me (2 Cor 12:8-9).

Sounds like Joseph, lingering unjustly in prison for years, had to learn the same lesson. Was God faithful? Yes, faithfully with him, faithfully for him. Will he do the same for us? You bet!

 

How might this change our prayers for others? Instead of just asking God to “heal Jane’s cancer,” for example, we should be asking God to help Jane learn to live with her cancer. If you only pray for healing, you have ignored the real needs she confronts every day during the long 4 years of variable physical, emotional, and relational struggle.

 

For more lessons on prayer, see prior discussion notes here. 

 

Coming Alongside in Imitation of God

 

God’s “being with” us in our trials is an example for those of us who bear his image to emulate. We should be with others during their trials and provide the kind of companionship that Paul so desperately wanted during his hardships (see above, 2 Tim 4:16-17). We often cannot “fix” the complex problems that others have to endure. But we can come alongside and help them carry the load. Perhaps this is why Paul said that helping another bear their burdens is what it means to live out "the law of Christ" (Gal 6).

 

God is with us and he is for us, coming alongside us and seeking our welfare. This way of relating serves as an example for us. This is how we are to care for others. Paul makes it plain. Observe how God loves his children and then, simply put, "Imitate God" (Eph 5:1-2). Let me relate the text in full.

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.  

Joseph's Assignment

 

The story of Joseph is telescoped, focusing on Joseph’s exemplary response. His cries of frustration and lament are not recorded. But it would not be unwarranted to let the Psalmists speak for Joseph, articulating his more-than-reasonable complaints.Despite his crazy predicaments (slavery then imprisonment), he seemed to get over his griping and get on with making the most of it.

 

You won't be surprised to discover that in the midst of his adversity, Joseph resumed his life-long commission. He purposed to be a blessing to others--even during hardship, even to his adversaries! Read again Gen 38, verses 2 and 21, then read the verses that immediately follow. It was because God was with Joseph that Joseph was able to be a blessing to those around him.

 

Why is God with us? Just to comfort us? Or also to enable us to participate in his world-wide project of restoring blessing to people. He is with Joseph so that Joseph can collaborate with God to do good to others, to help them thrive, to make them prosper. Didn't we learn from Zaccheus (above) that this is the essential manifestation of salvation?

 

Would you like evidence that God is with you and is for you? Then get on board with "Project Restoration" and the evidence will be forthcoming. We are God's community with God's commission. And we find our joy and satisfaction when we get in sync with how we're designed to live. Even slavery and imprisonment can't thwart the divine commission going forward. It didn't stop Joseph. It didn't stop Jesus. And it needn't stop us.

First, we'll back up to Genesis 39 and take another look at Joseph and his relationship as steward of Potipher's household. 

 

The Master's Steward of the House

There are many intertextual links between biblical passages that draw on one another for mutual illumination. One prominent pattern in Scripture is the relation between the owner of an estate and his delegated servant, the faithful steward of the house.

Let’s see how that relationship works itself out in the case of Potipher, the owner, and Joseph, the highly trusted servant. Potipher was the “Egyptian master” (Gen 39:2). Though Joseph was but a slave, he was “put in charge of Potipher’s entire household and everything he owned” (verse 4). Under Joseph’s management, Potipher’s household was “blessed,” his affairs ran “smoothly,” and his crops and livestock “flourished.” Joseph, the servant steward, was given “complete administrative responsibility” over everything Potipher owned. There was but one lone item that was prohibited—Potipher’s wife.

Sound familiar? Can you hear the parallels with the situation of Adam and Eve? God, like Potipher, was the owner/master. He entrusted his garden estate to these two stewards, who were to manage God’s affairs on earth, running the world “smoothly,” as God would have it run, and seeing to it that everything “flourished.” The reign on God's behalf was to function as his royal image-bearer. God’s apprentices were given “complete administrative responsibility” over everything God owned. There was but one lone item that was prohibited—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Whereas Adam and Eve proved unfaithful with the prohibition, Joseph proved himself faithful.

These stories of owners and stewards find their way into several of Jesus’ parables. Jesus portrays Israel’s first-century leaders as stewards of God, entrusted to tend to the nation as a shepherd would care for his master’s sheep. The corrupt leaders, however, prove themselves unfaithful, and find their leadership rightly taken from them and given to Jesus’ disciples. The parable in Mark 12:1-12 tells this same story, using the imagery of stewards entrusted with caring for an owner’s vineyard. Pay attention to the echoes of the stories of Adam and of Joseph.

Isn’t this also our story? Isn’t God the owner of all things? Are we not his servant/stewards? Isn’t everything we “own” and everyone we meet really God’s possessions? Aren’t we simply entrusted with their care on his behalf? If that is the case, how should we be spending our time and our money? If this is the case, how should we be treating our family and neighbors and co-workers?

What has God entrusted to you? Who has God entrusted to you? You don’t have to look far. God’s “assignments” are often right under our noses.

The Bible in Time, section 11, pp. 31-33.

 

The Pattern of Joseph

 

The story of Joseph traces a pattern that will see again as we explore the biblical narrative. Like the story of master and steward, the story of "down and up" gets played out again and again in various settings throughout the biblical narrative.

Joseph was the beloved son of his father. He finds himself unjustly mistreated.  Despite his suffering, he remains faithful to God, even seeking the welfare of those who abused him. The path downward is progressive: first betrayed by his own brothers, then down into the cistern, then down into slavery, then down into Egypt, then betrayed again by those he served, then down into prison, then forgotten and abandoned.

But throughout his descent he clings fast to God, remains loyal, resists temptation, and advances the welfare of those around them, even those who “own” him, who betray him, and who forget him. He is faithful and finds himself vindicated, elevated out of prison, out of slavery, promoted to the King’s right hand, entrusted with governance of the land. He executes his office well and ensures the prosperity of all the world. When raised to prominence, he does not misuse his prerogatives, but employs his privilege with generosity (feeding the world) and gracious forgiveness (reconciling with his treacherous brothers). Down, down, down, then up, up, up.

Ring any bells? Yes, this is the pattern Jesus himself followed. And it becomes a pattern for us to follow as well. Listen to Paul’s words in Philippians 2:

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

But centuries before Jesus took up this task and stepped into Joseph’s shoes, the role had been assigned to ancient Israel, who, like Joseph, was the descendent of Abraham. As Abraham’s offspring, Israel was to receive the blessing of God in order to disseminate it to the world, even if their faithfulness was met with injustice, even if those she was called to bless betrayed her, as in Joseph's case. This was Israel’s privilege, their heavenly calling, their sacred vocation. But, unlike Joseph, they did not remain faithful to God, nor did they employ their privileged blessings for the welfare of others. We will see in the stories of the kings how privileges were used for selfish gain while those in need were exploited. It was their failure to fulfill their calling to share their blessing that forfeited their blessing altogether. It was their failure to fulfill their calling that made it necessary for Jesus to take on their role, discharge their duties, and gather around himself a remnant of first-century Israel that would join him in resuming this ancient vocation. Finally, through Jesus and this little band of "restored Israel" God’s Abrahamic mission would again be advanced in the world. God had promised that he would employ a faithful people as his collaborators in the grand project of restoring blessing to the broken world. If the nation of Israel at large wouldn’t work with him on this, then the king of Israel in particular would. (For more on Jesus as God’s faithful Israelite, see our prior discussion Jesus through OT Eyes.)

God's Flexible Ways

The LORD's ultimate objective during the coming famine in the ancient Near East was to preserve the lives of people, both Egyptian citizens and the children of Abraham. We can imagine God having an endless number of options at hand that he could employ to accomplish his goals. As it turns out, against God's will (will=wishes=desires), Joseph's brothers betrayed him, nearly killed him, and sold him into slavery. This was far from how God wanted his people to behave. Fortunately, God is immensely resourceful, and can adapt his tactics to accommodate our fickle and selfish ways. Though the series of "scenes" in the unfolding drama may not play out of God would have liked, he can adjust his intermediary plans to still creatively achieve his long-term objectives. And God did just that.

Joseph, after interpreting Pharoah's dream and wisely advising him on economic and granery issues, is promoted (again!). From the prison, he is elevated first to be in charge of Pharoah's court (Gen 41:40), then finally in charge of "the entire land of Egypt" (41:41). Through the faithful stewardship of Joseph, God protects larges number of people in that region from perishing from starvation. Politics, in this case, wise and generous politics, were used in service of others and became God's tool of blessing. "People from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world" (41:57).

For a helpful review of God's flexibility, see Greenslade's comments in our Starting Points under the heading "Because YHWH is Engaged with and Responsive to Humanity, He makes Himself Vulnerable and is Flexible with His Plans."

Divine Agency: How God Normally Works

We then reviewed Travis' comments and closed our discussion with his words on page 33: "God normally acts with human cooperation, not without it." This paragraph led to a review of "divine agency," that is, of how God accomplishes things in the world. We then discussed how important our actions are, since they are often the tools God uses to advance his work of blessing in the world.

March 12: Joseph's Brothers (Gen 42-47)

The Bible in Time, sections 12-14, pp. 33-38.

What Imperils "Project Restoration"

Since the early days of Genesis God has been busy implementing “Project Restoration,” seeking to restore humanity (and the creation) back to wholeness by connecting us again with himself (addressing our spiritual dimension), uniting us in love with one another (addressing our social or communal dimension), and realigning us with our calling to work alongside God in caring for others and the created order (addressing our vocational dimension).

God has chosen to put this project into play by collaborating with Abraham and his children. In fact, God seems to entrust the bulk of his work in the Bible to the twelve tribes—somewhat of a risky venture. The ancient nation of Israel is God’s means, his primary tool, for setting the world right. The strategy is to grant Abraham’s children blessings, e.g., grace, bounty, and wisdom. The people in turn were to employ these blessing to help all the other nations of the world.

For this project to succeed, Abraham’s children need at least two things:

1.    They have to be alive.

2.    They have to be faithful to God.

The biblical drama is given suspense when it encounters frequent obstacles that jeopardize these two prerequisites. The story of the OT is marked by events that imperil Israel’s existence (foreign armies and the wrath of God) and her covenant fidelity (particularly, idolatry, neglect of the needy, and immorality). And so “Project Restoration” will seem to totter on the edge of collapse when Israel’s life is threatened and when its loyalty to God is undermined.

Joseph's Puzzling Actions

Joseph’s actions with his brothers appear puzzling. I think Professor Travis is heading in the right direction when he says that Joseph “is working on a plan to bring the whole family together” (p. 34). “His policy may be unusual, but its effectiveness is seen in the way his brothers are beginning to change” (ibid).

Judah, Also a True Son of Abraham

Judah shows himself to be a true son of Abraham, like his younger half-brother Joseph. Note his actions in Gen 44:30 and following.

Jesus said that the greatest display of love is the laying down of one's life for the sake of another (John 15:12-13). Here we see this spirit of love exemplified in Judah.

Synergism: God Working Through our Ordinary Activitities

Read Gen 43:11-14 and notice how human actions (vs 11: “Do this!”) intermingle with God’s work (vs. 14: “May God give you mercy”) to accomplish shared ends. This synergism, or “team work,” applies to much of our lives. Want health? “Do this!” Want friendships? “Do this!” Want to learn more about God? “Do this!” What to get a job” “Do this!” Want to be a blessing to others? “Do this!” And all along we ask God to envelop us with his mercy and take up our contributions and integrate them into his good plans. When this happens it's a "God thing!" As Ann noted, God most often works through quite ordinary means (and ordinary people!).

God’s Handiwork: Recognized Best in Hindsight

Read Professor Travis' brilliant comments on Joseph's discernment of God's hand in his circumstances, p. 36, the paragraph beginning, "First, he sees God acting through what has happened." Many circumstances are at the time "frightening, negative, and meaningless." To recognize the good that God might bring out of the mess is (near) impossible at the time, constrained as our vision is from within own own narrative. It often takes a reflective, faith-inspired hindsight to ascertain how good was eventually and creatively wrought from bad.

On this topic, it is critical to distinguish 'determinism' from 'flexible resourcefulness.' Determinism believes that God intends, designs, and effects all things that come to pass, a doctrine more common among Christians within Calvinistic traditions. The 'flexible resourcefulness' perspective, however, does not credit all things to God's premeditated design. This perspective does not think it right to lay the blame for all the evil in the world at the feet of God. Rather it recognizes that "he has a way of picking up the threads [of others' actions] and weaving them into his tapestry" (p. 36). We see God at work in this way in Joseph's story, working unobtrusively, behind the scenes, with ever-flexible tactics, creatively and selectively co-opting other's actions to serve his ultimately good ends. God has a goal in mind that he will achieve, but the path he takes toward that goal depends on the free actions of other players. In this way of thinking, God may determine the outcome, but leaves many of the details of the process up to others, us included.

Joseph sums this up nicely at the end of the story:

Don't you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people (Gen 50:20; The Message translation).

Paul agrees:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Rom 8:28).

The brothers, burdened with guilt, misread their adversity as an expresion of God's displeasure and judgment. See Gen 42:21. In the middle of life's crazy circumstances it can be difficult to tell how God is at work and where things might be heading. But down the line, looking back, it is easier to ascertain how disparate threads have been picked up and woven into something good, something that serves to advance "Project Restoration."

For more on how God seems to govern the world, see Jerry L. Walls and Joseph Dongell, Why I Am Not a Calvinist (InterVarsity Press, 2004). Amazon

What Kind of "Lord" is Joseph?

Because Joseph is a true son of Abraham, failthful to God and concerned about others, we can learn from him how leadership can be used in the service of people. We'll start by reminding ourselves of two extreme models of leadership, as explained by Jesus.

You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage (Matt 20:24-28).

How did Joseph govern? He was a wise and good administrator. He was creative and resourceful. He looked out for and advanced the welfare of others. He was gracious, kind, and forgiving. He served people from various ethnicities and nations. He was eager for reconciliation with his brothers and celebrated their return. He was generous. As a faithful steward of God, he governed as God would have governed. He then served as God's true image-bearer. 

Centuries later, when God is seeking for someone to manage the world, he looks for someone who will lead like Joseph did. He looks for a true son of Abraham. Who does he choose? He selects Jesus and appoints him Lord of the world. There is no one more qualified.

Terry Fretheim's excellent overview of the main themes of Exodus will frame our discussion. This can be found here.

We saw why it appears that Jesus is in the OT...because the OT is in Jesus. The OT story is about God's formation of a faithful people, recovering humanity so we live as we were intended to live. Jesus, as the faithful human, the faithful Israelite, seems to be anticipated frequently in the OT because he is stepping into these familiar roles played first by Adam, then Abraham, then Joseph, then Moses, etc.

We then did an overview of the book of Exodus, noticing the major movements of the narrative:

Life             The flourishing of God's people, even under captivity

Liberty        God redeems his people from captivity, from the forces of anti-life

Law            At Mt. Sinai God gave the new nation their guidelines for living

Love           The Tabernacle is built, the special meeting place where God and his people maintain their connection.

Major themes of the book were reviewed, from Terry's notes (see the link above).

1. A Theology of God in Creation: Redemption serves creation's goals.

2. The Knowledge of God: God seeks to be known, so he can be trusted, so that we can be blessed. He works among the Israelites in order to reveal himself both to them and to the Egyptians.

Read Terry's insights here and bring a copy of his intro, if you like, to our discussion group.

3. Images for God: God's management of the world (the way he chooses to exercise his sovereignty) is qualified by his willingness to suffer. I love this.

4. God's Liberation is Holistic: spiritual, political, economic, social, ecological.

5. The Place of the Law

In Exodus it is God’s Grace that sets his affection on disconsolate slaves, claims them as his own, and orchestrates their liberation. Then, and only then, does he provide them instruction (aka Torah, aka Law) on how they ought to conduct themselves as his agents of blessing in the world. Grace precedes law. Grace enables law. Grace prevents law from being some kind of a “favor earning game.” Grace provides the framework in which law then is the natural response to Grace. This is OT! This helps undermine the false dichotomy of “law versus grace.” On the beauty and benefits of God's Torah, see Pss 19 and 119.

Two NT scholars remind us what Easter means for us, in the present and in the future.

Mike Gorman: The Resurrection is the Foundation of All We Are

Or, as a pdf: St. Paul and the Resurrection. 2009.pdf

Daniel Kirk: Resurrection: God Wins 

Intercultural Relations

Note the cultural and racial tension between the two distinct ethnic groups: Gen 43:32; 46:34. Despite this, the first Pharaoh radically crossed the racial divide when he appointed Joseph to a prominent position in his cabinet. Read Gen 41:37-44. In keeping with this spirit of transcultural hospitality, this pharaoh extends his generosity to all of Joseph's people. See Gen 45:17-23. Amazing. This man served as an accomplice to his Creator.

The second Pharaoh, however, withdrew from such a just and kind foreign policy and retreated into violent nationalism, a practice too familiar to 21st-century readers. Read Exodus 1:8-22. These policies are anti-life and oppose God's goals of creation ("be fruitful and multiply"). These policies are anti-liberty and oppose God's goals of redemption ("liberation") for his people, his agents of blessing in the world.

Many racial and cultural distinctions are valuable expressions of our humanity and seem to persist in the new world that God will bring about. See Rev 7:9-10. Racial strife, division and violence, however, is altogether another matter. These are marks of our dark side and are to fall away with the coming of the Kingdom. The work of Israel's Liberating King Jesus overcomes racial divides by bringing his followers as equal brothers and sisters into one family. This single multi-national family is what YHWH had promised Abraham back in Genesis 12: "all nations will be blessed in you, Abraham." Paul spells it out in his letter to the house churches in the region of Galatia: 

You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you (Gal 3:26-29).

This clash between Moses and Pharaoh recorded in Exod 5-15 is more than just a battle of two nations. It is an expression of a cosmic clash between Good and Evil, between YHWH and the powers of darkness. Listen to Fretheim's comments:

...political interpretations have often ignored other dimensions of the event. The identity of the anti-God forces in the narrative is a matter of no little import in this regard. Pharaoh is not simply another tyrant, and the event is more than historical. The text makes clear that God's activity is also directed against Egypt’s gods (12:12; 15:11; 18:11). Pharaoh is seen to be both a human being and an embodiment of cosmic forces working against God's creational designs.  Redemption is thus both mythically and historically conceived and hence is universal in scope. The historical redemption is real and con­stitutive in character because it participates in a cosmic victory. To interpret salvation in sociopolitical terms only or primarily scales down the import and effect of what happens at the Red Sea

How Five Women Collaborated with God to Resist Evil

Read Exodus 1:8-2:10 and notice the humble but courageous efforts of Shiphrah and Puah, Moses' mom and older sister, and Pharaoh's daughter. God's creative use of unlikely agents is also brightly on display. We read their stories and then discussed their character traits, like courage and wisdom. We also noted the situational nature of ethics, e.g., promoting life trumped honoring the king as well as speaking the truth. Cf. Acts 5:29  

Exodus 3 is discussed by Stephen Travis, The Bible in Time, section 15, pp. 38-40. Of note is God's insistence of accomplishing his plans by means of frail and frightened people, like Moses here, and like us. Which prophet didn't feel unqualified for the task? Even Paul confesses that he was insufficient for his assignment. Surely this collaborative approach hinders the smooth outworking of God's goals. But he will have it no other way. Think of Adam, Abraham, Joseph, to name a few.

Who is YHWH?

YHWH is God's personal name, like David is mine. What does it mean? In context it means something like "I will be who I will be, faithfully with you and ever for you, working out my promises of restoration."

If you explore 2:17-3:21 you can fill out the meaning of the name YHWH beyond its etymology. We noted that YHWH is one who

Hears the cry of his oppressed people (2:24) and seeks to rescue the downtrodden from captivity (3:8-9)

Is faithful to his promise to Abraham (2:24; 3:6; 3:16) to undo the sin of Adam (Gen 12:1-3) by forming a blessed and faithful people through whom he can bless all the nation of the world

Loves to collaborate with us to accomplish his goals (3:8, "I will rescue"; 3:10, "you will lead"; and 3:17, "I will lead you")

Pledges himself to be with us as we work with him (3:12: "I will be with you")

In our lives, YHWH is for us, and wants to work with us, together advancing his project of restoration in the world, starting with us!

Escape from Egypt. Read Stephen Travis, The Bible in Time, section 16, pp. 40-42.

Exodus as a Pattern of Liberation. Note the importance within the biblical drama of the Exodus Pattern.

1. Exodus from the Oppression of Egypt (circa 1270 BC; see timeline on page 275)

2. New Exodus from the Oppression of the neo-Babylonian empire (circa 539 BC), see Isaiah 43:14-21 and throughout Second Isaiah (40-55)

3. New Exodus from the Oppression of "Sin," see Romans 6:14; 8:12-14 and throughout Paul's theology

Change in Leadership. This is not just the amazing release from a mighty, enslaving captor, but also the replacement of that warlord with another lord, a kind, wise, and good master. This is a restoration of the Garden relationship of humanity and our rightful King, our True Father, in which we were the privileged "junior apprentices" of the Creator of the world. The change in magistrates is evident in the Exodus story. Moses' main message from YHWH to the usurper is "Israel is my firstborn son. Let my son go, so he can worship/serve me" (Exod 4:22).

We former captives have been Liberated for Loyalty.

Note the opening of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments): "I am the YHWH your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 'You must not have any other god but me'" (Exod 20:2-3).

Trusting, loving loyalty. This is the heart of our relationship with God. In learning that he is full of goodness, wisdom, and might, we are called to trust him (which is what "faith" means), to love him with all we have and all we've got (something Jesus said is central), and to give him our exclusive loyalty (the first and governing commandment). Combining these three responses together one could say that humanity's fitting way to respond to God's grace is through trusting, loving loyalty. This is what God asked of Adam and Eve, of Abraham and Sarah, of Joseph, of Moses, and here in Exodus of his liberated children. This, too, is what he asks of us. If "believing" in God doesn't equate with "trusting, loving loyalty" then it isn't the kind of belief that God is after. The books of Deuteronomy, Hosea, and Jeremiah spell this out.

If you'd like to explore this, see our section "Jeremiah's Message" on our page of OT Insights.

The Passover, a Ritual of Personal Remembrance. Exod 13:8: "Explain to your children, ‘I am celebrating what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’ This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: ‘With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.' So observe the decree of this festival at the appointed time each year." Observe the object of deliverance. It is "you," even if you were born decades or centuries later. This is our God; we are his people; this is our deliverance; this is our ritual of celebration. Moses does the same with the new generation about to enter the Promised Land. See Deut 5:2-3.

It is by personalizing ancient historical events that we make this story our own. We do the same with the passover of Jesus' death when we celebrate the ritual of the Lord's supper, that is, communion, or the holy Eucharist. Likewise with baptism. Jesus' death becomes our death; Jesus' resurrection to new life becomes our resurrection to new life. See Romans 6. 

We then followed Professor Travis' outline of topics: The first passover; the necessary wilderness detour; the importance of the cloud and fire; and the puzzle of God's hardening of Pharaoh's hardened heart.

The Covenant at Sinai, section 17, pp. 42-44. For more on Exodus 19:1-8, see last year's discussion, A Missional Gospel

Our guest facilitator is my good friend of 20 years Scott Wieking, adult and family pastor at First Baptist Church, Davis. Scott and I have met once or twice a month for lunch since I moved back to Sacramento in 1999. Scott wrote a helpful study guide on the life of David, which I have posted on our OT Resource page, under Eugene Peterson's brilliant book on David Leap over a Wall.

 

Scott's handout for our discussion of this wonderful passage is attached here: Exodus 19 Handout.pdf

Reflections on the Past Year

 

Our closing evening of the season was excellent. We opened our discussion time with some reflection, looking back at the year and noting the important gifts that God brought us by means of our small group. Here are a few things that many of us said we valued:

·         We love it that this group is a friendly, welcoming group of people, making us feel accepted and at home. Because we have connected to this group, we feel like we’re a part of the bigger church; we’re no longer strangers in the large crowd of Sunday mornings.

·         We love it when others demonstrate that they care, by lending us a helping hand, an empathetic ear, a comforting presence; by taking an interest in us, getting to know us, and becoming a friend; by showing up at important times and events in our lives (like the hospital or a memorial service); by helping us navigate through difficult seasons (such as illness, grief, divorce).

·         We love that this group is a team, with opportunities to participate at many levels. Thanks were given to the many hosts and culinary contributors. Thanks also were given to those who pitched in for our periodic service projects (for example, Powerhouse dinners, and our Christmas family).  

·         We love it that God has shown us that the OT is all about him, how he interacts with us, and what together we can accomplish in the world. The OT is no longer as foreign to us as it was, nor can we charge it with irrelevance. This is God’s story, and it shows us his character, his passions, his ways. What we know of God through Jesus we see on display in YHWH. Because we are among his children, the OT is our story, too. We appreciate teaching that makes the Bible understandable, sensible, useful, valuable. The weekly readings and discussions remind us what really matters and keep our perspectives aligned with the aims of God.

·         We love the book basket and the wealth of resources it provides. We have found great books there that we have read, re-read, and passed along to friends and family.