2 Peter 1:12-21, Introduction to the Prophets (3)

Basic questions for each book:

·       Who is the prophet?

·       When did he prophesy?

·       To whom did he prophesy?

·       What was the historical context of his ministry?

·       Overview or Outline of the prophecy?

·       What prophecies of the Messiah and His Kingdom did the prophet utter?

·       Note references to “the Name” and to the “Song of Moses.”  This last item is a personal interest of mine. 

o   The name of God that He uttered in Ex. 34:6-7 is in the words of the prophets (and the psalmists for that matter).  It was an encouragement to their faith in hard times, or as they prophesied of hard times to come.

o   And we have made it clear that we believe Deuteronomy 32, the song that Moses was to teach to the people of Israel, to be a preview of Israel’s history.  Thus, if the prophets are God’s spokesmen during that “history,” we would expect that they would be familiar with Moses’ song and would refer to the significant aspects of it that relate to their particular message.

There are several terms or phrases used in the prophets that need to be understood.  This includes “times of the Gentiles,” “the latter/last days.” “in that day” and “the Day of the Lord.”  We will briefly seek to consider these.

The “Times of the Gentiles”

·       Ezekiel 30:3: The future “day of the LORD” is equated with or part of “the time of the Gentiles.”

·       Luke 21:24: “The time that Jerusalem is trampled underfoot” continues until the “times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

·       Romans 11:25: In this context, great Gentile evangelism continues until the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”  What Paul is speaking of is the age of the Church.  We might expect that this occurs during the “times of the Gentiles.”

·       Rev. 11:2: This passage takes place in the tribulation period, and is still the “time of the Gentiles.”

·       Dan. 2,7: Daniel gives us the essence of the “times of the Gentiles.”  It is the time when Israel is in submission to Gentile governments.  In Dan. 2 (Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the great image) and Dan. 7 (Daniel’s dream of the same four Gentile world rulers) Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome are the Gentile empires.  The Roman version is revived in the last days.

·       Dan. 9:24-27: The 490 years of “Daniel’s 70 Weeks” are characterized by Gentile rule over Israel, but end with the establishment of Messiah on His throne in Zion.  Our understanding is that between week 489 and 490 there is a parenthetical time of undeclared length which involves the great evangelization of Gentiles and during which Israel is scattered among the Gentiles. 

The twin themes of the prophets involve the judgment of the nations and the restoration of Israel.  These both conclude in the establishment of the Messiah on David’s throne.

Ezekiel 3:16-27, Introduction to the Prophets, Part 2

Definition of Prophecy:

·       The word prophet combines two terms: phemi which means to speak and pro in the place of.  A prophet speaks in the place of God; he is God’s spokesman.  This is evident in all the above lineup of prophets.  Jeremiah has God’s word in his mouth (Jer. 1:9; 15:16). Isaiah answers the call of God, Whom shall I send and who will go for Us (Isa. 6:8).  Ezekiel eats the scroll with God’s words and then tells Israel those words (Ezek. 3:1-4).  Hosea became a prophet when the LORD began to speak by Hosea (Hos. 1:2).

·       There are two key phrases in the prophetic writings.  First, the word of the LORD (e.g. Hos. 4:1) which you will see countless times; this is their message.  Then, thus says the Lord (e.g. Ezek. 2:3-4).  The prophet receives his message from God and then declares it.  These men are never to be understood as declaring the platform of a political party in Israel but as declaring God’s word to the nation, including and especially the leadership.  All of this leads us to understand that the writings of the prophets are the result of the inspiration of God.  This is Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  These men were moved (lit. borne along) by the Holy Spirit as they spoke and wrote (2 Peter 1:20-21).  Thus we must conclude that God is continuing to speak through them today as we read and study their writings.

Interpreting Prophecy

     We have published on our blog an excellent article by Jewish Christian commentator Viktor Buksbazen entitled Some Guidelines to the Interpretation of Prophecy (in 4 parts, July 15,22,29; Aug. 5, 2017).  Here are brief reminders.

o   Interpret literally.  Inspiration is what we call verbal (to the very words) plenary (completely, without exception).  Thus we need to understand the prophet’s words in their original, historical context.  Remember: even the foretelling (predictions of the future) have been fulfilled literally.

o   Interpret harmoniously.  As 2 Pt. 1:20-21 indicates, Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture.  The word of the LORD is a whole, including what He gave to every individual prophet.

o   Interpret perspectively.  There are gaps in prophecy.  Someone has said, “Prophecy sees together what history sees separate.”  A profound illustration of this is in Isa. 61:1-3.  Jesus quotes half of this in Luke 4:18, the half that applied to His incarnation.  The other half applied to His return and reign and is still future.  Thus He left it unsaid.  Often the illustration is used of two mountain peaks.  From a distance they seem together; but if you climb one you see a big gap between them.  This is critical.

o   Interpret Christologically.  1 Pet. 1:10-11 reminds us that the prophets often did not understand what they said and wrote.  Having Christ in our rearview mirror we are able to understand some of what they couldn’t see.  Remember: the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).  The word of the Lord is God’s message that reveals how He exalts His Son.  The word of God is the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:2).

Jer. 23:16-29, Introduction to the Prophets, Part 1

Over the years we have “verse-by-verse” covered all the OT prophetic books (Isaiah – Malachi).  Thus, we are not going to repeat that.  However, we are going to do an “Introduction to the Prophets” over the next few posts.  As has been the case in our OT survey, some of this material comes from the teaching of Dr. Curtis Mitchell of Biola University when I was a student in the late 1960’s.

First, here are all the OT books categorized according to our English Bible.

Historical Books: 17 ·            By Moses: 5 ·            Others: 12 (Pre-Exile 9, Post-Exile 3)

Experiential Books: 5

Prophetical Books 17 ·            Major: 5 ·            Minor: 12 (Pre-Exile 9, Post-Exile 3)

Here is a lineup of Old Testament prophets who penned Scripture.

Prophet	Date (BC)	Subject
Pre-Exile
Obadiah	840	Doom of Edom (some think 585 BC)
Joel	830	Day of Lord, judgment of nations
Jonah	814-750	Nineveh called to repentance
Amos	765	Divine punishment for persistent sin
Hosea	755	God’s love for Israel (760-710)
Isaiah	740-690	Coming Savior, Israel’s King
Micah	735-690	Bethlehem’s King & Kingdom
Nahum	650-615	Doom of Nineveh & Assyria
Habakkuk	626	Lord’s Kingdom & people will triumph
Zephaniah	625	Remnant reserved for blessing
Jeremiah   *Lamentations	627-585   586-585	Jerusalem’s judgment & glory Crying over devastation of Jerusalem
Exile
Daniel	606-534	Times of Gentiles, Israel’s Kingdom
Ezekiel	597-570	Future restoration of Israel & land
Post-Exile
Haggai	536-518	Restoration of temple, kingdom foretold
Zechariah	520-480	Messiah, the Branch
Malachi	430-400	Final judgment & warning to the Nation

 

Song of Solomon 3, What does the Song teach?

 I want to share an article on Song of Solomon.  It is from The New Bible Commentary: 21^st century edition and was written by D. A. Carson.  He builds on the “marital love” theme.  I think you will find it helpful.

1. The Song of Songs, as its title suggests (1:1), claims to be the best song on married love ever written. It is superior to all other love poetry, and so we must give full heed to it.

2. It describes love in poetic rather than prosaic terms. This stands in contrast to the emphasis today on the mechanics and techniques of love-making which so easily debases the relationship.

3. God is concerned about the physical. After all, he made us, and he made us to make love. As this is such an important part of peoples’ lives he provided a whole book about it. But, to keep it in balance, this is only one book out of the sixty-six in the Bible.

4. It is not wrong to talk about the human body (see 4:1–5; 5:10–16; 6:5–7; 7:1–5). Today we will probably not use quite the same language as this book does, for it was written in a particular cultural setting. Also some of the descriptions may seem strange to us, but they refer as much to feel as to actual physical shape.

5. We must know God’s timing in love-making. Love must not be aroused until it is ready (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). The world says, any time, any place. God says, my time, my place.

6. Family training is all important (8:8–10). The girl’s brothers, especially, trained her to be a ‘wall’ to keep out unwanted intruders rather than a ‘door’ that would let anyone in and so do damage to her life. The training proved successful.

7. There is a danger in taking each other for granted (5:2–8). These verses constitute a timely warning to those who fail to respond to the loving approaches of their spouse and describe the regret that follows.

8. Married love is exclusive (4:12). In terms of physical love each partner must remain as a locked garden and a sealed fountain. Each life is a private vineyard for the other (8:12). Neither is on the open market.

9. The smallest things can spoil a healthy relationship (2:15). Both partners must watch out for ‘the little foxes’ that spoil the blossoms of those early days of marriage. True love is both unquenchable and without price (8:6–8). No-one is immune from those things that seek to quench the fires of love, but true love, because its source is in the heart of God, can never be put out. Likewise, no material things can ever buy love.

10. Used illustratively, the song says some beautiful things about the relation of Christ with his beloved church. We are reminded, among other things, of the strength of Christ’s love (8:7); his delight to hear the prayers of the church (8:13); the sense of yearning for his presence (8:14); the invitation of Christ to share his company (2:13); the dangers of the failure to respond to his knocking (5:2–8; Rev. 3:20).

We cannot do without this book, especially in an age of ‘free love’. Let it remind us that God is deeply concerned about our love relationships, not only to him but to each other.

Song of Solomon 2, Intro. to Song of Solomon (2)

My wife and I read the Song together each year.  If you were to do something like that, and each had a different version of the Bible, you might see some differences in the headings that indicate who is speaking.  There is a reason for that.  Those headings are not in the original Hebrew.  Context along with some help from Hebrew forms help to understand who is speaking. 

Because of this, there are varieties of understandings about the key figures of this “drama.”  Many see it as one man (Solomon) and one woman (the Shulamite).  But one professor saw it as a woman (Shulamite) resisting a man (Solomon) because of her love for another (a shepherd).  Given this, I am going to share several broad outlines of the Song for you to consider as you read. 

·       My own outline:

o   Ch. 1-2: The Relationship

o   Ch. 3-4: Dealing with Estrangement

o   Ch. 5-7: Dealing with Separation

o   Ch. 8: The Conclusion.

·       From the KJV Bible Commentary, somewhat like the professor mentioned above.

o   Separation Accomplished and the Shulamite Reflects Sadly Upon the Ab sense of Her Shepherd-Lover, 1:2-5:8.

o   Seduction Attempted and the Shulamite Remains Steadfastly Loyal to the Absent Shepherd, 5:9-7:10.

o   Salvation Accomplished and the Shulamite Rejoices in the Presence of the Shepherd-Lover, 7:11-8:14.

·       From the MacArthur Study Bible:

o   1:2-3:5: The Courtship: “Leaving”

o   3:6-5:1: The Wedding: “Cleaving”

o   5:2-8:14: The Marriage: “Weaving”

·       Finally, from the Wycliffe Bible Commentary:

o   The mutual affection of bride and bridegroom, 1:1-2:7

o   The bride speaking of her bridegroom.  Her first dream about him,2:8-3:5.

o   The bridal procession.  The bride’s second dream.  Her conversation with the daughters of Jerusalem, 3:6-6:3.

o   The bridegroom’s further praise of his bride’s beauty.  Her desire for him, 6:4-8:4.

o   Final expressions of mutual love, 8:5-14.

Song of Solomon 1, Intro. to Song of Solomon (1)

Today we begin a brief introduction to the “Song of Songs” or “Song of Solomon.” 

·       Authorship and Date.  This is, according to Song 1:1, another work from King Solomon.  While some consider 1:1 to be a dedication of the book by whoever wrote it, the language of the verse is the only convenient way in Hebrew to show possession or authorship.  As for the date, there is no reason to believe it was written outside of the time of Solomon. 

·       Nature of the book.  Perhaps no book of the OT suffers more from the great variation of opinion concerning its nature than does this book.  E. J. Young, in An Introduction to the Old Testament, gives a total of eight views which are held concerning the Song of Songs:  Jewish allegory, Christian allegory, a drama, a collection of love songs, a type (of Christ), an adaptation of a pagan liturgy, a scene in a harem, and a parable.

There is more agreement on the belief that the Song has something to do with love than any other.  The great problem is how that love is to be interpreted and applied. 

o   Is it to be applied to Israel or to the Church?  In other words, is this an allegory describing God and His bride Israel?  Or is it speaking of Christ and His bride, the Church?  I have what I would call “devotional” books on the Song that apply the book in this way. 

o   Or is the book an attempt to raise the standards of human marriage?  Is it intended to be an assignment for pre-marital or marital-improvement counselling?  This would seem to me that this is the most common approach to the Song these days, that it is an encouragement to Christian marriage.

On that subject, I always remember Paul’s words in the marriage passage (Eph. 5) where he says, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.  Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife … and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph. 5:32-33).  I take that to mean that the principles in both settings are the same.  Thus, to me, in terms of application, the Song can be an encouragement to both our relationship with our Lord as well as our relationship in marriage.

Having said that, we have not really come to answer the question as to “interpretation.”  The best answer, for those of us who believe in a literal approach to Bible study, is to say that we must determine what the Song, in it’s original setting, was saying.  As we already said, most agree the Song speaks much of the nature of love.  I’ll close today’s post with a quote from a seminary professor, Dr. Robert Alden I think was the professor: “The Song may then be taken to dramatize the kind of love God expects Israel to have for Him in their covenant relationship.”  Having said that, we must remember that in the Bible the marriage relationship is also built on a covenant (e.g. Malachi 2:14).

Psalm 61

This is a Psalm of David.  David is a man’s man, so to speak.  He killed 200 Philistines on his own once.  He led an army.  He ruled a nation.  But he also knew the love of a friend, a peer, Jonathan; and he knew the overwhelming grief of Jonathan’s death.  He knew the heartache of family turmoil and the death of grown sons.  He knew what it was to be used and exalted by God, as in the killing of the giant.  He knew what it was to be severely rebuked and humbled by God, as in the tragedy that surrounded his first attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  He knew the trouble he brought upon his family and the citizens of his kingdom by his own selfishness and pride.  He had numerous situations in his life whereby he might have said, “My heart is overwhelmed.”  And apparently he is in the midst of one of these overwhelming situations.  And in that moment he is crying out to God.

And what does he cry?  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  Think about that for a moment.  What insight!  He is in the “slough of despond” or on the “narrow way” or whatever you might call it.  He has looked inside himself and what he sees is a heart that is weak, faint, and unable to advance.  This tells us that he is not ignoring the situation or blaming it on others or making excuses for himself.  He is facing it head on but it has overcome him.  He does not see in himself the resources to go on. 

What does he do but to look outside of himself?  He cries out to the God that he has learned to trust.  In smaller ways perhaps, or at least what he now might consider easier situations than what he now faces, God has sheltered him.  God has been the strong tower in which he has found protection from the enemy.  God has blessed him in the past and he anticipates will do so for years to come.  But he does not say, “God, get me out of this mess and back where I was before.”  He does not simply say, “God, protect me.”  He says, “God, advance me.  Take me to a better place than I was before my heart was overwhelmed.  LEAD ME to the rock that is higher than I.”  What a prayer for these “defining moments” in our lives.

Note the commitment, the faith of David.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.  In v7 abide means to sit down, to remain, to be in a restful situation.  In v4 abide is a different Hebrew word that has the idea of turning aside, as in turning off the road to a place of lodging.  David is saying he will turn aside to the place of fellowship with God.  He will seek God in the place of His dwelling.  The wings that he trusts in for shelter are not those of the hen that covers over her chicks in time of trouble.  That’s a nice picture, but here these wings are those of the cherubim that cover over the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle.  David pleads with God to lead him; he then commits to a relationship with God in which God can lead him.  For David this happens via pilgrimage, going to the temple.  For us this happens via our communion with God in the word and prayer.

Lastly note the effect of this approach to the overwhelming moments in our lives.  David has a confidence that God, by His mercy and truth (v7), will preserve him.  He will preserve him forever as an object of praise to God; and He will preserve him daily in faithful service to God (v8). 

How do we handle these overwhelming situations?  Do we face up to the realities of the situation?  Do we cry out to Someone who is trustworthy?  Are we pleading with Him, not simply to get us unstuck, but to lead us to a higher place?  Are we submitting ourselves to God so that we are able to be led? 

Eccl. 9:1-12, Journey through Ecclesiastes Ch. 12

5.    The Preacher’s Conclusion: 11:9-12:14

a.     Enjoy the simplicity of youth while you can, 11:9-12:8

b.    The best that can be said: fear God, 12:8-14

The Preacher has worked hard trying to find meaning in life through an “under the sun” philosophy.  But he has struck out again and again.  This may be frustrating, or “full of futility,” but we can be thankful he has been honest.  And he has walked this futile path so that we don’t have to.  We would do well to learn from him.

Years ago, as part of job training for my wife, we took a bus trip to Colorado City, a planned city.  We were going there to look at the fields of streets without houses, so that we might be encouraged to buy a lot and eventually build on it.  As we travelled a representative of the company was giving us a pep talk.  His whole pitch was that this was our opportunity to get in on the ground floor, with a certainty of making a lot of money eventually.  At some point he said, “You may have heard that money can’t make you happy; but we all know that’s not true.”  It’s like the old saying: “Money isn’t everything, but it way ahead of whatever’s in second place.” 

This is common in humanity.  I remember the early years in our trips to Ukraine after the Soviets left.  The primary goal of many people was to become like Americans, to have a car or two, to have big houses, and so forth.  The “lust of the eyes” is a strong desire.  We tried to tell people of the spiritual sickness evident in our country, even with all the money; but most people rejected our words. 

Here is the point.  All these situations I am sharing are evidence of futile living.  And the Preacher has experienced more than we ever will.  And he has concluded that life built on any of those foundations is doomed to futility.  He has been honest. 

Don’t get the idea that the Preacher is merely suffering from some severe type of depression.  I’m convinced that he is simply coming to the only possible conclusion when one omits a personal, infinite God from his life.  And there are two tragedies in this matter.  The first is that the people around us without knowledge of God through faith in Jesus Christ are in the same position as this preacher, whether they know it or not, and many of them do know it.  That ought to spark us to greater involvement with the unsaved for the sake of their salvation.  But the second tragedy is that many Christians are living just like the world “under the sun.”  We’re caught up in living for riches, hypocritical worship, pleasure for pleasure’s sake, and so on.  We ought to be a witness by the fact that our lives as Christians show forth an eternal purpose in Jesus Christ rather than the temporal meaning evident so often in the Church.  May this book, in its negative way, lead us to a more perfect alignment with God’s purposes for us in Christ.

The Preacher’s final advice is to “fear God.”  What does this mean?  To fear or respect or have reverence for God requires that we know who He is and what He requires of us.  That means we must be those who seek God.  That is where “fear” begins.  He says that if we seek Him we will find Him (1 Chr. 28:9; 2 Chr. 15:2; Deut. 4:29; Prov. 8:17; and especially Acts 17:24-28).  But remember that “finding Him" must eventually involve something beyond General Revelation.  In the OT God spoke in many ways; at the last He spoke through His Son (Heb. 1:1-3).  And as the Body of Christ, Christians today have one responsibility that involves the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  May we be faithful!

Eccl. 9:1-12, Journey through Ecclesiastes Ch. 8-11

2.    Human wisdom in relation to citizenship, 8:1-17

a.     Wisdom: there is value in obeying the king, 8:1-9

b.    Perplexity: the king is imperfect in his judgments, 8:10-15

c.     Futility: I can’t really find true wisdom, 8:16-17

3.    Human wisdom in relation to death, 9:1-12

a.     Wisdom: we all die, so enjoy life as much as possible, 9:1-10

Just to help us see again the nature of Ecclesiastes, let's note some things in this section.  First, from the Christian point of view of 9:5-6, do we really think that the dead know nothing?  Of course not.  But what is our source of knowledge about the “afterlife?”  It is the revelation of God’s word.  There we learn that, for believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  From Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus we see that there is consciousness after the death of the body.  There is the experience of pain and comfort.  And we know there is reward, both for the righteous and the wicked.  But for Solomon, he is not considering those things.  Having limited himself to General Revelation he only knows that everyone dies, and that death is the end of all things for that person in terms of connection with this life.

If we were writing 9:7-8 we might want to issue a call to repentance or to living a holy life.  But instead, given the reality of our eventual death, the advice of the “Preacher” is to make the best of the things that occupy this life.  9:9-10 is admirable.  It’s a good thing to enjoy one’s marriage and to excel at work.  But how much more we have with a life devoted to the LORD!

b.    Perplexity: how you live doesn’t matter; you may die any moment, 9:11-12

4.    Human wisdom in relation to itself, 9:13-11:8

a.     Wisdom: wisdom is better than strength and folly, 9:13-10:4

b.    Perplexity: often foolish men are exalted, 10:5-7

c.     Wisdom: wisdom must be better than folly, 10:8-20

d.    Futility: everything to come is futile, 11:1-8

11:1-2: what does this mean? cast your bread on the waters? The idea that it speaks of “generosity” is supported by some, including Jameson/Faucette/Browne, Chuck Smith, Matthew Henry. And the same can be said for v6! Generosity or charity just throws it out there. You never know how it might help. Again, in the context of the Preacher's theme, this is the best solution to an otherwise meaningless life! (But for all that, v9-10, you will stand before God in judgment.) I.e. he has no answer for this because he is not taking “Special Revelation” into account.

We will conclude this journey through Ecclesiastes in tomorrow’s post, Lord willing.  I hope you are growing spiritually in this.  Even though the book presents a futile existence, those who hope in Christ should be encouraged both in living joyfully and in loving those whose lives are being lived in futility.

Eccl. 6, Journey through Ecclesiastes Ch. 4-7

3.    Vanity is demonstrated by various ideas, 4:1-6:9

a.     By the sad lot of the oppressed, 4:1-3

b.    By the futility of earthly endeavor, 4:4-6

c.     By the futility of the acquisition of riches, 4:7-12

d.    By the vanity of high station, 4:13-16

In other words, being wise, or righteous, finds its reward with God, not fickle man.  Without God in the picture, it’s all vanity.

e.     By the hypocrisies of formalistic worship, 5:1-7

f.      By the futility of working for riches, 5:8-6:9

I believe this (5:8) is what some call “the deep state.”  It is a very real thing.

In 5:10-12 we see the problem that is brought on by riches. 

As for 6:7, the satisfaction to be found in work, we see a good illustration of the difference between seeing things as Solomon does, through the lens of "general revelation,” as opposed to what the Christian understands through the lens of “special revelation” (Scripture).  Compare this to Eph. 6:5-8; Col. 3:22-25; 1 Tim. 6:1-2; 1 Pt. 2:18-21-25!

4.    Conclusion: All is vanity, 6:10-12

HUMAN WISDOM UNABLE TO AFFIRM PURPOSE IN LIFE, Ch. 7-12

Note the pattern suggested by the outline in the last half of Ecclesiastes.  Solomon expresses some words of wisdom.  Then he introduces other facts of life that seem to work against the value of his wisdom, leading to perplexity (what really is the truth in this situation) and ultimately futility.

1.    Human wisdom in relation to suffering, 7:1-29

a.     Wisdom: there is value in properly handled suffering, 7:1-14

Note the “better than” theme in 7:1,2,3-4,5-7,8-10 with the conclusion in 7:11-12.

Eccl. 7:7 deserves a second look.  We understand the last half of the proverb: a bribe debases the wise man’s heart.  But do we understand that “oppression” also destroys the wise man’s good sense.  The quest for power that results in oppressive and cruel treatment of others can overtake a wise man and cause him to do things that might surprise you.  Envy or jealousy is another one of those strong feelings that drive a good man to perform great evil (Prov. 27:4).

I love 7:10. It is a reminder that in Philosophy it is critical to ask the right questions. 

b.    Perplexity: it really doesn’t matter how we handle suffering, 7:15-18

c.     Futility: I’m still seeking wisdom, 7:19-29

I find it quite interesting that this wise man (Solomon), seeking the meaning of life in a humanistic way, nevertheless realizes that those who live their lives to please God will escape the immoral woman (7:26).