Archive for » March, 2011 «

Dysfunctional Families

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011 | Author:

I recently gave a sermon-lecture on the implications of Genesis 4:1 for family relationships.  I thought you might like to hear it.  It’s rather long – about an hour and a half – with some discussion at the end, but I think you will have an appreciation for this one verse that you might not have had before.

You can listen or download here.

If you don’t already have my book, Guardian Angel, this might convince you that you need to read it.  If you want to order the book, click here.

UPDATE March 22 10:46am EST: We transferred the web server to a new host late last night.  The audio files all still being copied over to the new location.  (I didn’t realize Skip was posting a new audio clip this morning, and I didn’t give him enough advance warning not to post it.  Oops!)  So on ALL of the audio files (including this one), you’ll see a “File Not Found” error.  This should be resolved in just a few hours though.  Thx for your patience.  -Patrick, Skip’s Tech Geek

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Herman Who?

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011 | Author:

Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Hebrews 5:11 NASB

Hard to explain – Is the good news hard to explain?  Is the story of Yeshua difficult to make intelligible?  Is your experience with grace exhausting to put into words?  I wouldn’t think so.  The message is really pretty simple.  Its implications might be enormous and complicated, but the fact that God loves us and has concern for us seems fairly easy to comprehend.  Furthermore, most of us don’t have a great deal of trouble talking about what has happened to us since we experienced grace.  So why does the author of Hebrews lead us to believe that it is just so complicated that only Ph.D.’s will get it.  The problem isn’t with the message.  The problem is with the translation.

The Greek word is dusermeneutos.  This is the combination of dus (meaning “difficult”) and hermeneuo (meaning “to interpret”).  But hermeneuo in the New Testament really means “to translate from one language to another.”  You will find it in John 1:38, 1:42 and 9:7 where it is without any doubt an expression concerning translation.  Why is this important?  Because “explanation” and “interpretation” are not quite the same as “translation.”  When we explain or interpret, we add meaning to a sentence.  When we translate, we transmit meaning from one language to another.  Consider the difference in this verse.  Is the author saying that it is difficult to explain (to add the proper meaning) the connection between Yeshua and the order of Melchizedek or is he saying that the translation from this Hebraic concept into Greek is difficult?  Is the audience unable to grasp it quickly because they are spiritually dull (as we usually understand this verse) or is it because they don’t have a keen grasp of the translation?  Which is it?

Since hermeneuo is always associated with “translation” in the New Testament, how did we come to believe that dusermeneutos was a description of difficult spiritual understanding?  The reason for this interpretation is that dusermeneutos is found in other Greek writings where it means “difficult to describe.”  But those writings are from later periods than the letter to the Hebrews.  Furthermore, this word is found only once in the New Testament, here in this verse.  That means there are no other occurrences for comparison within the context of the Netzarim Ketuvim.  We might conclude that translating dusermeneutos as “hard to explain” is really an interpretation.  It adds meaning to the text.  That raises a further question:  Why would the translators find it necessary to use “hard to explain” rather than the more obvious “hard to translate”?  Do you think there might be a theological motive here, one that suggests the author of Hebrews is not struggling with translation problems but rather with spiritual issues?  Does this suggest that the author of Hebrews is having difficulty conveying the idea of a new high priest and the replacement of the old sacrifices rather than simply having problems writing about Hebrew concepts in Greek words?  If you were a Jew, would you find it hard to explain the idea of the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant or would you simply say that some Hebrew ideas don’t have exact Greek equivalents?

Topical Index:  hard to explain, dusermeneutos, Hebrews 5:11

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Conversations on the Phone

Monday, March 21st, 2011 | Author:

As I continue to call readers, I discover so many needs and blessings.

Just so that you know what to pray about for the rest of the community, here’s what I have on my notes so far:

Cindy wants to be discipled.  Is there another godly woman out there who would be willing to start the friendship.

Susan is in a wheelchair and needs to be able to talk regularly with another woman who is on the journey.  Are you willing?

Nancy – wants prayer that she will be more useful to YHWH

JoAn – needs prayer for finding work in Tennessee

Ed – in the process of adopting an 11 year old, needs prayer that God will bring it all about

Janet – needs prayer for two grandchildren, 7 and 11.

Linda – who asks for prayer for her husband who isn’t quite on the same page

Anita – who asks for prayer for her daughter who is struggling

Susan – who needs a new hearing aid

John – needs prayer for his business since it has really taken a beating in the recession

Gail – asks for prayer in the upcoming class she is teaching on Revelation

Patricia – needs prayer for her adoption agency, trying to care for many children but being exhausted in the process

I also talked with many who are doing well and being blessed.  I am so thankful for their support as they have resources that help everyone.

I will continue to call.  Only 616 people to go.

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Matthew, Session 66

Monday, March 21st, 2011 | Author:

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Matthew, Session 65

Monday, March 21st, 2011 | Author:

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Drunken Stupor

Monday, March 21st, 2011 | Author:

Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Hebrews 5:11 NASB

Dull – After a few glasses of a good wine, intellectual acumen suffers.  The edge has been taken off reason and the arguments aren’t quite as sharp.  That’s when Proverbs 22:29 applies the Hebrew word hashok.  In a pictograph, “to allow to destroy the open hand.”  Keep that picture in mind when you think of the Greek nothros.  By the way, Proverbs 22:29 is the only place in the Tanakh where this word is used.  The author of Hebrews would have known that the LXX uses nothros for this rare Hebrew word.  That certainly helps us understand what this author had in mind when he wrote northroi (plural) – “you have become dull, sluggish, obscure.”

Consider the context of Proverbs 22:29.  A man who completes his work promptly will be recognized by those of rank (the king).  His success comes from this recognition and endorsement.  In opposition to this idea, such a man will not find appropriate recognition among the hashukkim.  These “low people” who have no power to reward.  To stand before them (to be recognized by them) is a waste of time.  Proverbs motivates a man to set his sights on excellence and the recognition that comes with excellence.  Seeking recognition among the hashukkim is like allowing the destruction of a favorable response (the open hand).

The author of Hebrews may be using this imagery when he suggests that his intended readers are looking for solutions to life’s issues in the wrong places.  They are presenting themselves before those who cannot assist them.  How are they doing this?  By allowing their minds to fall into what is the intellectual equivalent of a drunken stupor.  They no longer press to discover the last bit of truth.  They have given up fighting to uncover all that is available.  They have declared an armistice with debate.  They would rather be comfortably consoled than concerned.  They have had too many glasses of Chateau Contented, Gran Cru Classé.  No wonder they can’t understand.  They are drunk on conformity.

There is always an edge to the word of God.  Razor-sharp, it cuts us.  We bleed ignorance and resistance.  But bleeding is what we must do if we are going to experience all that God intends.  No man comes to Scripture in armor.  He must come naked, stripped of his presence and presuppositions.  He must be ready to bleed before he can be infused with the truth for God’s words are not the comfortable words of logical men.  They are the words of prophetic revelation, of penetrating stabs into our carefully-sheltered consciousness.  The word of God is not hard to explain to one who has released his presumptions and his assumptions.

So tip your glass.  What are you drinking today?  Is it mental stupor you seek or are you inviting Him to fill your cup with suffering?

Topical Index:  dull, nothros, hashok, hashukkim, stupor, Hebrews 5:11

A Personal Request:  Most of you know that my daughter, Rachel, joined the Navy and is now in boot camp.  If you would be so kind as to send her a note of encouragement, it would mean a lot to her – and to me.  Just a small note would do. I just talked with her for the first time and she said that mail is very important to her as it is the only way she can hear from people.  If this is something you would like to do, her address is:

SR Moen, Rachel

Ship 3 Div 148

3600 Ohio Street

Great Lakes, IL 60088-3156

She has 3 weeks to go.  Thank you.

Skip

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Rebels’ Reward

Sunday, March 20th, 2011 | Author:

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Numbers 20:12 NASB

Not believed Me – It seems like such a trifling matter.  It seems perfectly justifiable.  In fact, the result is the same, or so it seems.  But Moses and Aaron lost a precious objective in this momentary display.  We know what happened.  What we might not know is why it happened.

God tells Moses to speak to the rock and it will produce water.  Moses, furious with the obstinacy of the people, strikes the rock twice.  Water still comes forth, but God calls Moses to the bar.  Notice what God does not say.  He doesn’t say, “Why did you strike the rock?”  He doesn’t say, “Why didn’t you listen to Me?”  He says, “Why didn’t you believe Me?”  We might object, “But, Lord, Moses did believe You.  He acted upon the rock, fully believing that water would come forth.  And the proof of his belief is that water did come forth.  The ends justifies the means.  He accomplished what You intended.”  That excuse might seem valid until we read the Hebrew.  The translation “not believed Me” is from the Hebrew lo-he’emantem.  This is the combination of lo, the strong negative (not), and ‘aman, a verb meaning to be firm, to build up, to establish.  This combination suggests two important ideas.  First, Moses’ action was not merely a momentary failure.  The strong negative implies the action was not a result of circumstances, an accidental misstep.  This is the lo of the Ten Commandments – absolute prohibitions – the equivalent of “do not ever.”  It is not ‘al, a less intensive negation that suggests circumstantial consideration.  When God uses this adverb, He strongly condemns Moses’ action.  Secondly, the verb ‘aman is primarily about providing stability.  It implies trustworthiness and reliability.  Moses’ action usurps the declaration of YHWH.  By not following YHWH’s command, Moses displays a disregard for the Lord’s directive and that suggests God’s word is not utterly reliable.  The final element here is that Moses displays this lack of trust in front of the people, thereby diminishing the reliability of YHWH in the eyes of His chosen ones.

Notice that even though the result is the same, what matters to God is the means, not the ends.  Moses’ action insults God’s character.  It doesn’t matter that Moses reacts to a lifetime of frustration with an obdurate population.  What matters is God!  Moses diminishes God’s character and that cannot be ignored.  Moses is God’s man, the man God chose to lead His people out of bondage.  As such, Moses is to represent God’s character at all times and in all ways.  A leader represents the one who empowers him.  Moses failed.

We might have imagined this was such a small thing that God would overlook it and forgive Moses.  After all, it was really the fault of the stubborn people.  But our rationalizations fall on deaf divine ears.  It isn’t the fault of the people.  It is the fault of not believing God.  God does exactly what He says He will do.  “I will be who I will be” doesn’t make mistakes and it is a terrible mistake not to trust Him.  A small misstep can impugn the glory of the Lord.  There is a price to pay for this lack of attention to the details.  God can certainly accomplish what He wills without the intermediary of human hands, but when He asks for our cooperation, He looks for our strict obedience, not our substitutions to reach the goal.  How we accomplish what God asks is far more important than what we accomplish.

You and I are working toward objectives God has provided.  Are we paying attention to the how more than the what?  Do we really believe Him?

Topical Index:  not believed Me, lo-he’emantem, lo, ‘aman, Moses, Numbers 20:12

A Personal Request:  Most of you know that my daughter, Rachel, joined the Navy and is now in boot camp.  If you would be so kind as to send her a note of encouragement, it would mean a lot to her – and to me.  Just a small note would do.  If this is something you would like to do, her address is:

SR Moen, Rachel

Ship 3 Div 148

3600 Ohio Street

Great Lakes, IL 60088-3156

She has 3 weeks to go.  Thank you.

Skip

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , ,  | 19 Comments

Seriously

Saturday, March 19th, 2011 | Author:

My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin.  And if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 1 John 2:1 NASB

May not sin – Seriously now, does anyone out there really think it is possible not to sin?  My guess is that no one after Luther could ever have imagined such a ridiculous thing.  Luther was quite clear about the whole mess.  The life of a Christian is a life of daily repentance.  We sin every day in word, thought and deed.  We are saddled with a sinful nature from the moment we are born (some of us even have it before we are born).  There is literally no escape.  We are all doomed until God elects to save us.

This theology makes a mockery of John’s letter.  As F. F. Bruce says, “Sin, indeed, is so thoroughly uncharacteristic of the Christian life that a life which is marked by sin cannot be called Christian.”[1] If Bruce is right, if John really believes that sin is the exception to the rule, then why are we so saddled with personal and collective guilt?  Why do we think that sin is so infectious it is more like measles than moral decisions?  Maybe our problem starts with the wrong idea of sin.

John uses the Greek verb hamartano.  It is the equivalent of hata (het’ah).  Both words have the same primary meaning: to miss the mark.  Whether in Greek or Hebrew, the idea must be tied to Moses’ declaration, “These things are not too difficult for you.”  Everywhere the biblical record simply assumes that moral obedience is completely possible.  It couldn’t be any clearer than here in John’s first letter.  John doesn’t write in order that the continuous sinful actions of followers can be ignored or erased.  He writes so that followers will know what to do in order not to sin.  The Greek me hamartete combines the conditional “not” (me) with an aorist, active subjunctive tense of hamartano.  Aorist means this is a past, completed action, not an ongoing one (“I sinned,” not “I am sinning”).  Active means the action was done by the subject (I am the one who sinned).  And subjunctive means this is an indefinite statement (if I might have sinned).  We might expand the translation, “that, as a matter of fact, you might not ever miss the mark again.”  John uses the same construction in the next part of the verse, the only difference being a change from plural (you) to singular (anyone).  John can hardly be mistaken.  He fully intended that his instructions would allow followers to not miss the mark any more.

So what happened?  Augustine and Luther, that’s what.  These men read Romans 7 as a personal report of Paul’s “conversion.”  They understood the text to say that everyone does wrong even when wanting to do right, does bad even when wanting to do good and basically cannot help sinning.  That picture has distorted everything the Bible teaches about possible obedience, so much so that most Christians today believe that sin is inevitable and that God functions as a perpetual forgiving machine.  What is the point of trying to live a righteous life if I sin every day in word, thought and deed?  It is an exercise in futility.  I might as well give up the quest, recognize that I just can’t help myself and hope that God will still take me to heaven in the end.

How destructive to the Kingdom is it to have soldiers who believe they can never measure up?  How debilitating is it to the purposes of God for His people to think that holiness is simply beyond human living?

Either John is right (along with Moses) and sin is the exception to the rule, or Augustine and Luther are right and we are riddled with sin.  It is either completely possible and expected to live according to God’s revealed instructions or it isn’t.  How you answer that question will do more to determine your outlook on life than just about any other theological inquiry.  What do you say?

Topical Index:  sin, hamartano, hata, miss the mark, 1 John 2:1

[1] F. F. Bruce, The Epistles of John, p. 48.

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The More We See

Friday, March 18th, 2011 | Author:

the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:6  NASB

In the same manner as – No one who claims to know Jesus will deny the truth of John’s statement.  If we say we have fellowship with Yeshua and that we participate in His unwavering love, then, says John, we ought to behave as He behaved.  We ought to walk in the Way.  More than that, we should be living in the same manner as He lived.  The Greek is a bit more complicated.  Literally it says, “ought as that one walked also himself to walk.”  “In the same manner as” is an attempt to capture the meaning rather than the exact wording.  But we get the picture, don’t we?  We see that if anyone is really a follower of Yeshua, that person will approach life with the same code of conduct, the same frame of mind and the same attitude of heart.  John could hardly make it any clearer when he states the opposite.  “If anyone says he knows God but doesn’t keep the commandments, that person is a liar.”

With this in mind, great New Testament scholars like F. F. Bruce can say “obedience is the full flowering of our love for Him,”[1] and “the character of God will be displayed in those who abide in Him,” and “so the life of Christ in His people will be manifested as their behaviour resembles His.”[2] Apparently everyone on both sides of the great Messianic divide agrees.  Those who call themselves by His name must demonstrate His actions.

Then how come Christians in general don’t follow the actual behaviors of Yeshua?  How come they worship on Sunday (He didn’t) and celebrate Christmas and Easter (He didn’t) and eat whatever they wish (He didn’t) and tithe according to the needs of the mortgage debt (He didn’t) and say blessing before meals (He didn’t) and pray to Mary (He certainly didn’t!) and restrict women to certain roles (He didn’t) and treat the Church as a replacement of Israel (He didn’t)?  How can great scholars like F. F. Bruce (and many more) say this and, at the same time, remain within the religion of Christianity?  The answer is paradigm shift.  What John says as a Jewish Messianic believer is transformed into something a post-apostolic age Christian would say.  In other words, John’s words are re-interpreted by the Church!  The paradigm says that John converted from Judaism to Christianity and therefore, all that John says must fit within the Christian idea of following, not the Jewish idea.

Can there be any doubt about the meaning of John’s phrase “in the same manner as” from a Hebraic point of view?  No!  The words are used over and over in the Tanakh to describe a way of life centered in Torah obedience.  That is, in fact, the way Yeshua lived.  But for most Christians these texts have been adjusted to fit the theological commitments of the Church.  The words are the same, but the meaning is radically different.  The paradigm provides the meaning.  It always has.  The question is which paradigm makes the most sense: the one that governed the culture, ethos and language of John as a Jew or the one supplied by Origen, Chrysostrom, Augustine, Aquinas and Luther?

If Jesus was a Jew, then where did Christian thinking come from?

Topical Index:  Torah, obedience, in the same manner as, 1 John 2:6, F. F. Bruce

[1] F. F. Bruce, The Epistles of John, p. 52

[2] Ibid., p. 53.

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In The Long Run

Thursday, March 17th, 2011 | Author:

“this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22 (R. T. France translation)

Becomes unfruitful – In the Bible, the race doesn’t go to the swift.  It goes to the diligent.  Abraham stepped out for God – and faltered – but he didn’t give up.  He kept plodding until he reached Moriah.  Then God knew – and so did Abraham.  David started with a bang – and fell.  But he kept going forward until God called him, “a man after my own heart.”  Paul ran the race over dozens of years.  Samuel spent his life chasing God.  So did Ruth.  And Mary.

In the long run.  That’s what being a follower of the Way is all about.  Biblical wickedness takes a long time to unfold.  So does righteousness.  We may be forgiven guilt in a moment of grace, but birthing righteousness takes a long time.

When Yeshua speaks about the poor man or woman who hears the good news but is buried by the world’s concerns and seductions, He doesn’t say that this person is unproductive.  He says that the word sown into this life becomes unfruitful.  The verb (ginomai) is present tense, middle indicative.  That means it is a statement about an action of the subject involving only the subject that is happening now.   The word of God is purposeful.  It is designed to bring about productive change.  But in this case, something happens that prevents this word from fulfilling its intended design.  Right now in this life the word is not doing what it is supposed to do.

This person could be the picture of success.  After all, this person is motivated by the worries of this world and the desire for riches.  That means there will undoubtedly be great effort expended on security and accumulation.  Since these two concerns govern the lives of most men, the world will take note.  Self-reliance will be lauded.  But all of this effort has a huge price.  It chokes the word and without oxygen and nourishment, the word doesn’t produce.  Oh, the word might be there, somewhere, buried among the unused treasures of this life.  The word might be honored occasionally, recognized from time to time, intermittently venerated, but it will not become fruitful for if it did, issues of security and accumulation would have to radically change.  In the long run, everyone will see that there is no fruit.  There is only worry and desire.

No one can measure the value of his life at this moment.  That measure is restricted to the other side of the grave.  But everyone can determine if the word is becoming fruitful or not.  How?  By measuring the temperature of our worry and accumulation energy.  By measuring the amount of oxygen we are giving to God’s productive purpose planted in us.

Topical Index:  becomes unfruitful, ginomai, long run, Matthew 13:22

I continue to make phone calls to readers.  At about 6 or 7 a day, it will take several months so if we haven’t talked yet, be patient.  It is my objective to speak with every one of you.

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , ,  | 4 Comments
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