Three Years In

Right about three years ago, Ann and I moved here to Almyra, Arkansas, for me to serve the church here as pastor. We were a little uncertain about moving here into the middle of rice country. After all, there are three main crops in Arkansas County: rice, ducks, and mosquitoes. The rice is planted, the ducks eat the leftovers from it, and the mosquitoes thrive on the population!

We have, though, come to enjoy the distance we live from city lights and we have adapted to the distance we live from the grocery store. I like that I see the sun rise and set at the horizon, not behind buildings. I enjoy being able to see lots of stars.

In the time I’ve been here, I’ve been privileged to go back to school, work on projects I like, and make some amazing friends both in Almyra and around the state. This group of folks are wonderful friends and support to us.

What is weird for me is this: if you average out my lifetime, I average no more than 18-20 months in any given space. Going back to birth. Really. I live surrounded by people whose life story runs “Grandma came to that house, right there, and she never left the farm. Ever.” (Seriously, there’s at least two people I know with that story. She never left the farm).

That type of stability is not truly in my family history. (Allowing for the reality that both Grandmas of mine have gone into eternity.) There’s a great deal of mobility in our heritage, for both Ann and me.

So we live with this tension. At times, we want to load up everything and move just for the change. At other times, we like where we are. And we need some change.

What do we do?

Well, this week, we did some of what we do in my office. I took everything but the desks out. Seriously:

Those are some of my empty bookshelves. I cleaned out, cleared off, and threw away stuff. I stacked all the books in the sanctuary—it took 9 pews!

Then, Ann and I worked together to put it all back:

 

That’s right. I moved out of my office. Then I moved right back in. I like it here. Someone asked me recently what our future plans might be, and I told them that we didn’t have any. Our goal is remain where we are for as long as the Lord Jesus provides the opportunity.

Now, that does not change my campaign to be the next Commissioner of Baseball. I do expect that effort to take a while, and I may be able to shift to bi-vocationally pastoring the church. I’d only be gone during baseball season, after all.

All of this to say, I appreciate the patience and tolerance of my Almyra Baptist family. There are many other options to you for our pastor, but you keep me. Thank you.

You Asked for It: Numbers 14

When we last left our beloved Israelites, they were hearing a committee report that was less than positive regarding the invasion of the Promised Land. Ten of the twelve spies return the recommendation that the people return to the wilderness and not attempt the conquest.

The people agree. They determine to return to Egypt, rejecting the leadership of Moses, Joshua, and Caleb and planning to appoint a new leader. This is ultimately a rejection of God’s leadership of the people. Their declaration is this: we will go back. Or we will die in the desert. But we will not go into the Land.

There then occurs an interchange where God expresses to Moses that He would destroy all the people and raise up a complete nation out of Moses. I think one could safely extend that into a nation raised out of Moses, Joshua, Caleb, and their families, but this is not explicit in the text.

Instead, however, God assigns the judgment that so often seems to happen: He allows the people to have what they want. He tells them to go on, wander in the wilderness, and die there. Here we find, in essence, one of the sources of C.S. Lewis’ classic statement of the two kinds of people in the world: those who say to God, "Thy Will Be Done,” and those to whom God says “Fine then, have it your way.”

Moses informs the people of this judgment, and the people have a change of heart. They decide that maybe God’s way was better, after all. So, they finish the chapter going up to invade the Promised Land. And they lose. This is one of two defeats of Israel recorded in the entire Exodus-Conquest narrative that runs through FIVE books of Scripture, from Exodus through Joshua. What is the cause of both?

Disobedience.

They then back up and head back to the desert. It is going to be a long generation, while all those who have rejected God’s leadership fall by the wayside.

What can we learn here? It is not simply about conquests, is it?

It is about these three things:

1. Choosing to obey and trust God at the outset is always better. ‘Nuff said.

2. God is still a God of grace and forgiveness, and will graciously allow for repentance.

3. Judgment often takes the form of facing our own choices to their finality. At its heart, this is what occurs with rebellion: we reject God’s authority as King over our lives, and so lose the protection that comes from being His people. This holds true whether we see it manifest in drug abuse or other patterns of sin. Eventually, this destroys the person who did it.

4. There is also something to be noted here about the permanence of consequences. As bad as we hate to admit it, there are simply times that the damage cannot be undone. The people should have gone in, and been established in the land. Canaan should have been conquered in a sweep from south to north, the Twelve Tribes should have all settled on the west side of the Jordan River.

Instead, there was another generation of wickedness in the land. Children who should have been born to peace had to fight in the wars of conquest. The tribes end up divided, leading to the troubles in 1 Samuel 11 (Note, especially, the Septuagint addition to the beginning of that, found in the footnote here in the NIV.)

The nation suffers long-term consequences because obedience was abandoned by one generation. And there was no going back: not even the very next day. There was one moment to do it right, and that moment was lost.

What is that moment for your life? What is that moment for your church? What is that moment for our nation? We have seen so many moments lost in our nation, from Dred Scott to Plessy v. Ferguson; from one election to the next; from any one of many moments where the following generations have had to suffer the consequences.

Consider the church God has placed you in: what are you kicking down to the next generation to fix? Minor poor teaching? Small compromises? They do not get better. It takes time to heal wounds, and it would be far better not to make them!

Your own life: walk with God now. There may be lingering consequences of the past, but do not pile them up.

Today’s Nerd Note: I’m not seeing much nerdy to address here. There is something to be considered by looking at a good atlas and contemplating the differences of approach to the Promised Land between here and Deuteronomy, but I don’t really have a comment other than just that: it’s interesting.

Also, note that the people do not take the Ark with them at the end of the chapter. It shows that the Levitical leadership had accepted the command of Moses not to go up and try the invasion. Also, it symbolizes the attempt to go without God. Not that the Ark is a weapon, note 1 Samuel 4, 5, and 6 on that.

Putting this whole incident into history, the Israelites possibly would have been established before the Philistines really try to move ashore in the coming years. How much better would life have been with that?

Book: Judges for You

Today’s Book is brought to you by Cross-Focused Reviews and The Good Book Company. Which brings to mind a question: I wonder if anyone’s ever started “The Bad Book Company?” seems like a bad call. Anyway.

Judges. This segment of Old Testament history is sandwiched between the success of Joshua and the romance of Ruth, and it’s not exactly the happiest book of the Bible. In all honesty, even Job gets a happy ending when God restored his wealth and family.Other than Lamentations, I cannot really place a book that comes out as grim as Judges.

The end-result being that many Christians avoid too much time in Judges, except in seeking a few hero stories like Gideon and Samson without delving too deeply into the milieu. Since Christians are hesitant to dig in here, it is unsurprising that many others are hesitant to dig in. On to that plane comes Timothy Keller’s Judges for You. This is published by The Good Book Company, and is available in hardback and ebook.

Judges for You is a study in the book of Judges looking at contemporary application. It is certainly expressed from a Christian perspective: this is more of a work to strengthen devotion than to contemplate academics.The goal here is application and inspiration.

In this, I find Keller’s presentation in Judges for You very helpful. He brings out usable points in the various segments of Judges. He also does not shy away from some of the questionable aspects of the stories. What about the morality of Jael’s hammer? How about the conquest in general? There’s an appendix that looks just at the moral implications of this action.

Feature-wise, this book is rich for its 220 pages. There is a glossary at the end to address unknown or lesser-known terms. There are maps and charts to provide a clearer understanding of the patterns in Judges.

There are a few drawbacks within the hardcover bindings of Judges for You. The first is the brevity, though this is good and bad. Clarity comes from brevity, but this requires Keller to not expound on several items. It certainly feels like more could be said regarding Gideon and Samson, for example, but time does not permit. The second is a personal quibble in terms of English translation of the Hebrew, and that is the decision to continue to use the small-caps Lord to render the Hebrew Tetragrammaton for the Divine Name of God. The glossary informs the reader of the actual meaning here, but fronting that meaning would have been preferable. The idea of the Divine Name of God and where it is and is not used are too valuable to be only in the back matter of a book.

This, however, is a minor quibble on my part. In all, to open Judges past an academic study on my part, Judges for You really helped open my eyes to some of the clearer applications of the Biblical writings. Keller’s presuppositions come through even as he presents both sides of an issue—like discussing gender issues in the church.

I gladly recommend Judges for You to those wanting to dig into this portion of the Old Testament.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for the review.

August 21 2013: Proverbs 21

Do you know what it means if I post on Proverbs 2 days in a row? That it’s going to be a week before I post again.

Proverbs 21: the NASB subtitles the chapter “On Life and Conduct” which is, well, the whole book of Proverbs. Thank you for trying, though.

 

Proverbs 21:8 speaks of the way of the guilty and the conduct of the pure. I see here an important reminder that the ways and means which we use to accomplish our goals are important. If you get where you’re going but get there badly, you have not walked with wisdom.

 

Proverbs 21:18 gave me some pause. As a Christian, I hold firmly that the Righteous Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for wicked me (Mark 10:45). However, that is not contrary to this passage. Instead, this is perhaps reflective of the justice that runs throughout time: eventually, it is the wicked who are destroyed and the righteous who continue. Especially in a kingdom seeking to live based on God’s Wisdom.

 

Proverbs 21:28 is a bit of a mess in translation. Apparently, some take the second person mentioned as one listening to the liar in the first part, and thus doom him. Others shift to the contrast view and find the difference in success. I am going to punt and say that the point here is to be honest and avoid bearing false witness.

August 20 2013: Proverbs 20

I’ve said before, I think, that this is an intermittent project. I’d love another writer or two to flesh out the Proverbs blog, but I don’t have time to recruit. If you want to do it, drop me an email or leave a comment with your qualifications. Like if you are a Christian and have read Proverbs seriously. And we’ll talk.

Proverbs 20 is a continuation of the general wisdom section of the book. Overall, we see a recurrent theme: wisdom, skillful living in fear of YHWH, applies to all aspects of life.

 

Proverbs 20:8 speaks to the role of kings in life. They are there to sift evil out of the kingdom. The purpose of earthly government is to deal with justice issues. Now, modern-day folks like to add a lot to the term “justice:” to some, not having as good of medical insurance as the next guy is injustice. That’s not what we are dealing with here: here it is about the definite wrongs perpetrated by others.

 

If a king is not striving to secure justice for the people, if a government is about its own self-preservation and not about the people, that government is doomed. Either time will destroy it or the people will. The people should: when justice and right are neglected, the longer that wound exists, the more it festers and the worse it gets for everyone.

 

Proverbs 20:18 speaks to the need for securing advice on major issues. The king, though he should share in the risk and hardship of war, is not the only source of military expertise. He should consult with those who understand war perhaps better (or differently) than he does before he goes to war. This includes, to my mind, not only conversations with advisers but the study of the art. Any king or government official who has not read at least one Eastern and one Western classic text on war should never get his nation involved in one.

 

Sun-Tzu is free on Kindle. So are part of Carl von Clausewitz’ writings. Get them. Read them. Understand and grow. And then spread out: read others that critique these writings. Find wisdom in a multitude of counselors.

 

Proverbs 20:28 shows how the king keeps the throne. He does so through loyal people and through those who will tell him the truth. For far too long, we have seen people afraid to tell the governing authorities around us the truth—I would hazard it has been since someone advised President George H.W. Bush not to take out Hussein that an American President has truly been told the truth in such a way that he listened.

 

The result? A sincere lack of righteousness, a dearth of loyalty. And a thin hold on the continuation of the nation, much less any individual’s throne.

Clean this mess up! John 2

One of the difficulties with John’s Gospel is that John has a lot to say. His pre-Passion Week chapters usually contain at least two important and distinct events, and those events are also loaded with meaning.

John 2 continues this pattern. There are two important events recorded in this chapter. These do not appear to be dependent on each other, except that Jesus is involved in both. Both are, however, problematic in their own way and perhaps as important for the symbolism as they are for the actual event.

The first is the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Working backwards, John 2:11 is the key verse on this event. John identifies the transformation of water into wine as the beginning of the signs Jesus used to identify Himself, specifically as “manifesting His glory.” Now, I think the historicity of the event is necessary for the sign to have any meaning, but the meaning is large here.

Why? You have a celebration that people think is good enough. You have an inadequacy of human ability to sustain that celebration. You have the picture of ceremonial religion, which is being observed. And none of it is enough. Yet at the action of Jesus, everything is made better, and better than human eyes would have expected. The coming of the Christ is more than just a fulfillment of the ceremonial, the Advent of the Messiah is beyond all that could be planned and imagined. (More at Nerd Note 1)

The second key event is the cleansing of the Temple. John describes this event at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) all describe a clean out of the Temple at the end of Jesus’ ministry. For the Synoptics, this is the catalytic event that brings the Crucifixion into the Passover week when the opponents of Jesus had been planning to wait.

John records this at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. So, did He clean the Temple twice or once? I think twice (see Nerd Note 2). In this, Jesus attacked the commercialization of worship. He attacked the oppression of the poor in worship. He also took a whip to the spiritual superiority of Jerusalem over anywhere else. There were so many things wrong with what was happening, that there was no way to fix this politely.

Jesus cleans it up, and cleans it up quickly.

There are some situations within churches that call for a similar treatment. Not necessarily the drive someone out with a whip aspect, but the quick, no time for discussion, no break for politeness action. Examples would be those who abuse children, ministers that take advantage of their congregation’s trust, and those who teach falsehoods: all of these should be removed, without hesitation, from any position that allows them to continue to perpetrate harm.

Woe be unto us if we do not clean up messes like these immediately when they arise in our churches. Jesus did not wait until the end of His ministry to drive the trouble from the Temple, He tackled it immediately. He just had to do it again—and we likely will have to do the same.

• Nerd Note 1: How to word this? There is debate, especially in modern American circles, over whether or not  the “wine” made by Jesus contained alcohol. This is based on the view that drinking alcohol is sinful and Jesus would not have enabled sin. While the second half of that statement should not be in doubt, the first portion is not so certain. It is certainly sinful to drink to intoxication. I would hold it certainly unwise to drink at all: there are many other ways to spend your money and get your calories.

However, much of our discomfort with alcohol consumption has as much to do with American tendency toward excess as it does with the actual beverage. In Israelite culture of the time, drunkenness was seen as wicked and foolish, but a small amount of alcohol due to natural fermentation was almost unavoidable. That typically the wine was mixed with water is also known, so there is no need to see Jesus as enabling drunkenness.

There is a further theory that the “wine” was actually fresh, good grape juice, the taste of which is better than wine. (I agree with that, subjectively.) This was so unknown that everyone was astounded and pleased by the taste. This is a possible view. I am inclined to hold, though, that the weight of history is for some alcohol content in the wine, though nowhere near the level of intoxicant—especially if one drank in ‘normal’ amounts. This does not abrogate the foolishness of alcohol consumption for the Christian indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). We have nothing in John indicating the disciples or Jesus drank the wine—or that they did not. We do have ample other Scripture to support staying sober.

• Nerd Note 2: There is an argument that John’s Gospel is a spiritual biography of Jesus and that John rearranged events to make a point rather than to be historically precise. This would be acceptable in the era in which he wrote. Lending credence to this on the Cleansing of the Temple is the fact that John does not record one in the extensive time he allocates to the Passion Week.

I do not see a need to do this, though. First, the Temple complex is a massive operation. There are many ways in which old habits would have returned, especially if that Jesus fellow with His whip is gone. Second, there are no other definite moments where John moves an event in that manner. The idea that John played fast-and-loose with the chronology really hinges on this event. Third, it fits. We see the Temple come into play early in the life of Jesus in Luke, Matthew, and Mark. Why not John?

Sermon Wrap-Up for August 18

Good morning!

Here are the links for Sunday, August 18, at Almyra Baptist Church:

Morning Audio is linked here

Morning Video is here:

Evening Audio is here

Evening Video is here:

Morning Outline:

August 18 AM

Text: Ruth 2:8-23
Date: August 18 AM
Location: Almyra FBC

How much is an ephah? About a tenth of a cor, silly. (Actually, about 5 gallons, roughly.)

About $2.70 worth of barley
Application Action: Spend $2.70 doing something for someone who can never repay you.

What can we do with 2.70? How long can we live? What could you buy?

Not a gallon of milk. Or gas.

Not even a cheeseburger meal from McDonald's.

This morning, we're going to look at 2.70 and see that even a small amount matters.

Now, to get into that, we need to take a look at our text this morning, Ruth 2:8-23 and start from that point.

Let's consider the story...

work through Ruth and her diligence

Address God at the back of the story  (Consider citing C.S. Lewis: "He seems to be at the back of all the stories, from the Horse and His Boy)

Address Naomi's enthusiasm for working in Boaz's field

Sideways glance: Is it better to begin romance on character or appearance?

Actions: $2.70 for Bibles, food for the hungry, children's school supplies; medicine; 

Consider this: The power of God is enough whatever you have...Ruth had $2.70 and look at what she became. What will happen with yours?

Evening Outline:

August 18 PM

Text: James 5:19-20

Date: August 18 PM

Location: Almyra FBC

Central Idea: Responding to Grace

Theological Idea: Humility of Helpers

Discuss laws--good, bad, excessive

Redemptive Relationships:

1. Certainty of wandering---not really if but when!

2. Necessity of graceful restoration

3. Death...or life

4. Gratitude for correction

5. Humility in the action