Living by Faith: The Faith of Noah

In Hebrews 11:7, the author writes, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” God prophesied to Noah about things of which he had never heard, and what is more, things of which no one in existence had ever heard. God told Noah that a great judgment was to come upon the earth and that he should prepare an ark and get his family into that ark so that they might be saved from a great and mighty flood. Though everyone no doubt thought he was crazy, Noah most certainly was not crazy when he trusted God and did exactly what God instructed him to do. He was not crazy when he built that ark over so many years and prepared his family and warned the world of the judgment to come, even when they would not listen to his severe but loving prophecies. 

When the day came to board the ark, some of Noah’s family followed him while the world mocked him and eventually paid a great price for doing so. But as for Noah, he became an heir of that righteousness that comes, not by works, but by trusting in the will, words, and ways of God. Noah and his family were saved by faith because they believed that God was faithful and would bring about all he had prophesied and promised. And though they had to suffer for clinging to God by faith, it was worth it because every one of God’s words did indeed prove true. 

Therefore, Noah’s faith is not about Noah, it’s about God. He trusted in the faithfulness of God and found God to be faithful and now his life cries out to ours and says, “I bid you to trust in God as well, for he who promised is faithful. God is the hero of my life: trust in him, hope in him, cling to him.” This is the testimony of Noah to us today, and I pray that we’ll have ears to hear. I pray that we’ll believe in and live by the Word of God even when the world thinks our way of life is nonsense, even when the world shames us for believing, even when the world strikes out against us. In times like these, let us remember Noah and cling to our God and Father by believing in and living by his words!

Book Review: “Has the Church Misread the Bible?” (By Moises Silva)

Moises Silva. Has the Church Misread the Bible? The History of Interpretation in the Light of Current Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987). 

This book is the first in a series on the subject of general hermeneutics, each of which seeks to contribute to the field by considering it in light of various relevant disciplines, specifically, philosophy, literary criticism, linguistics, history, science, and theology. It is assumed throughout the series that while one must be in right relationship with God in order to interpret the Scriptures well, this relationship does not guarantee a right reading thereof, and thus the need arises for interaction with extra-biblical disciplines. 

This inaugural volume, rather than touching on a particular discipline, seeks to highlight several tensions within the Scripture itself that have greatly affected the history of hermeneutics: Is the Bible divine or human? Is it literal or figurative? Is it clear or obscure? Is it relative or absolute? Silva asserts that the aim of modern exegetes ought to be the healthy preservation of these tensions rather than the artificial, or premature, resolution of them. The shadow of Origen looms large throughout this volume because it looms large throughout the history of hermeneutics, but Silva offers a balanced critique and affirmation of his life and work at various points. 

Silva’s perspective on the history of hermeneutics is honest but fundamentally positive. He believes that God has, and will, guide and preserve his people by his Spirit and through his Word, no matter the difficulties inherent in the interpretation of ancient texts. 

Be Rich in the Word: Applying the Word

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus gathered with his disciples in an upper room of a house in the city of Jerusalem and taught them many things. He was about to take up his cross and die in obedience to his heavenly Father and for the salvation of all who would believe in him. In other words, he was about to display the fullness of his love by loving his Father and his friends all the way to the end (see John 13:1; 15:13). 

Since he wanted his beloved disciples to receive eternal life and learn a way of life from him, he taught them, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). With these words, he was inviting them into his way of life, namely, carefully listening to the Father and then faithfully applying the words of the Father by doing his will in the world. This is the path to joy and fruitfulness in life, and Jesus longed for his loved ones to know and trod this path. 

Evidently, the Apostle John understood and applied his Master’s teaching, for many years later, he wrote these words to his beloved friends: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:3-6). In other words, love for God is expressed through obedience to God. It’s displayed by applying his words to life. 

Now, as critical as obedience is in the life of the believer, it’s designed by God to come about in a particular way. The details of this are very important, so please pay careful attention. First, Jesus fulfilled all righteousness by obeying his Father’s commands all the way to death on a cross. As the second head of humanity, he did what no other was able to do. Second, by his grace, God the Father applies the perfect obedience of Jesus to everyone who believes in Jesus so that they stand righteous before him as though they themselves had perfectly obeyed him. Third, based on the grace of God in Christ and their standing before God in Christ, the children of God learn to walk in his ways. They learn to obey. They learn to express their love by applying his words to their lives. 

But even this third step flows from the grace of God in Christ, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Friends, Jesus accomplished perfect obedience for us, he applied it to us by faith, and he works it in us by faith. So our part is simple: to surrender to him and allow him to work his obedience in us that we may share in the fullness of his joy! 

With this in mind, let's devote ourselves to being rich in the word of Christ that we might be filled with the joy of Christ both now and forevermore!  

Living by Faith: The Faith of Enoch

In Hebrews 11:5-6, the author writes, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Enoch but what it tells us is enough. Enoch walked with God and then he was no more because God took him up. He didn’t die like most of us, rather, God just took him home. 

My first pastor, Jim Wilson, used to say that God and Enoch were very close and one day, while they were out for a walk, the Lord put his arm around Enoch’s shoulder and said, “Son, we’re closer to my place than yours, so let’s just go home.” Whether or not it happened this way, the point is that Enoch was spared the pain and suffering of death by faith. By walking with God and trusting him day by day. 

Indeed, the thing to notice here about Enoch is that he was commended as being pleasing to God before he was taken up. Being taken up to God was but a fruit of something that already existed in his life, and in verse 6 we find out what that something was: his faith. It was deep and enduring trust in the faithfulness of God. And without faith it is absolutely impossible to please God because the person who bothers to draw near to him has to believe some very basic things about him, namely, that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. And the point is clear: this kind of faith marked Enoch’s life, and he’s not any different from us. He was just a man; he wasn’t a superhero. What makes him remarkable is his faith in the remarkable God. 

For this reason, Enoch’s faith is not about Enoch, it’s about God. He trusted in the faithfulness of God and found God to be faithful, and now his life cries out to ours and says, “I bid you to trust in God as well, for he who promised is faithful. God is the hero of my life: trust in him, hope in him, cling to him.” This is the testimony of Enoch to us today, and I pray that we’ll have ears to hear it. I pray that we’ll join him the joy and privilege of walking, talking, and trusting in God each day.

Book Review: “Sanctified Vision” (By John O’Keefe and R. Reno)

John J. O’Keefe, and R. R. Reno. Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins, 2005). 

The aim of this book is to understand patristic exegesis on its own terms without making judgments about the correctness of their techniques or the truth value of their results. The chief difficulty in achieving this aim, the authors argue, is modern assumptions about the nature of texts, meaning, and interpretive practices. 

On the one hand, moderns assume that texts have referential meaning, that is, that every text points to an x outside of itself. Premodern readers, on the other hand, assume that the text is the x to which it refers, and thus they do not see the need to draw upon extra-biblical disciplines to establish the meaning and veracity of the biblical text. With this in mind, the authors probe into the Christocentric hermeneutic that dominated patristic exegesis, summarize three reading strategies that broadly characterized patristic exegesis (intensive, typological, and allegorical), and highlight the prominence of the rule of faith and spiritual disciplines in patristic exegesis. 

While the authors oversimplify, and at times misconstrue, the relationship between text and referent in the minds of patristic authors, their central thesis gets to the heart of patristic exegesis: to think in and through the Scriptures themselves, and intensively so, is to have a sanctified vision, and a sanctified vision is necessary for a right understanding of the Scripture and the purposes of God in Christ.

Be Rich in the Word: Memorizing the Word

The Lord is a God who speaks, and when he speaks, he reveals his glory, his purposes, his promises, his plans, his will, and his ways. When he speaks, he wants his people to listen to him so that they may know him, love him, walk with him, and glorify him in the earth. Since his words are so central to the life he wants to live with his people, he gives them a desire to hear it, read it, study it, meditate on it, and memorize it. And while memorizing his words can be challenging, he inspires them to do it for at least seven reasons.

First, memorizing Scripture is encouraged by Scripture. The Lord says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6), meaning, “you shall commit them to heart.” Or as Paul later wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). What better way to obey this command than to commit that word to memory?

Second, memorizing Scripture helps renew our minds and transform our lives. Since all Scripture is breathed-out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) and since our lives are transformed by the renewing of our minds, the best way to be renewed and transformed is to saturate our minds with God’s own words.

Third, memorizing Scripture helps us know the will of God. King David wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). In other words, the words of God makes the will and ways of God plain to us, so that the more we memorize, the more will be made plain.

Fourth, memorizing Scripture helps us fight against temptation. Again, King David wrote, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). It is no wonder, then, that Jesus defeated Satan at every turn by accurately quoting and applying Scripture from memory. And while Jesus’ temptations were unique, there is still much we can learn from them, not the least of which is that Scripture rightly quoted and applied is a powerful weapon against the enemy of our souls (see Ephesians 6:10-20).

Fifth, memorizing Scripture helps us encourage other believers. As we allow the word of Christ to dwell richly in our hearts and minds, we are able to teach and admonish one another in all wisdom (Colossians 3:16). Encouragement that flows from Scripture is the best encouragement we could give to anyone, especially to those who believe!

Sixth, memorizing Scripture equips us to share the gospel with unbelievers. Peter encouraged us to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15), and the best way to be ready is to be able to quote our reasons from our Savior in his words.

Seventh, memorizing Scripture helps us to know God and enjoy fellowship with him. As we grow in the knowledge of God, we grow in treasuring God, worshiping God, and communing with God. So let us memorize his words so that we may know, love, worship, serve, and exalt him! 

See www.fighterverses.com for more resources and information on memorizing the Word! 

Living by Faith: The Faith of Abel

In Hebrews 11:4. The author writes, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” I don’t want to spend a lot of time on Abel but I do want to point out one thing. 

Specifically, the thing that separated Abel from Cain was not the particular sacrifice he offered or the amount he offered or anything so mundane as these. Rather, the thing that distinguished Abel’s offering from Cain’s offering was Abel’s faith. Abel loved the Lord. Abel trusted the Lord. Abel offered his offering to honor and give thanks to the Lord. The Lord then saw this and declared him righteous by faith not by works. And since Abel was commended for his faith, he is still speaking to us today even though he died a tragic death. Friends, his brother killed him in a passionate act of violence but his brother could not kill his witness to the world! 

Do you know why that is? Years ago the Lord taught me a lesson from this verse: the fruit of faith endures as long as the object of our faith endures—ponder that. Therefore, when we have faith in God, the fruit of our faith endures forever because God endures forever. If we trust in earthly kingdoms or riches or things, our faith will have a very short life. But if we trust in God, our faith, like Abel’s, will testify forever simply because God lives forever. 

Abel’s faith is not about Abel, it’s about God. He trusted in the faithfulness of God and found God to be faithful, even in death. Now his life cries out to ours and says, “I bid you to trust in God as well, for he who promised is faithful. God is the hero of my life, so trust in him, hope in him, cling to him.” This is the testimony of Abel to us today, and I pray that we’ll have ears to hear. I pray that we’ll learn to put our faith in the God who lives forever and who is forever faithful! 

Book Review: “Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters” (By Donald A. McKim)

Donald A. McKim. Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009). 

This dictionary, formerly entitled Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters (1998), focuses on the work of many of the most significant biblical interpreters from Jesus to the beginning of the twenty-first century. More than one-hundred scholars contributed essays summarizing the life and works of approximately two-hundred persons who were included in the dictionary because they either made a novel contribution to, or left an indelible mark upon, the practice of biblical interpretation. 

This unique work begins with a one-hundred-page prefatory essay that surveys the history of biblical interpretation. Composed by six scholars with various expertise, the essay is designed to bring coherence to the host of entries in the main body of the work by drawing the reader’s attention to the issues, contributions, and movements that have characterized the various epochs of biblical interpretation. Accordingly, it offers a brief treatment of the patristic period, the Middle Ages, the reformation and post-reformation period, the enlightenment period, and the modern interpretive milieu in Europe and North America. The essay is understandably superficial but necessary and helpful in the context of this work. 

The articles cover a wide array of biblical interpreters and are generally informative and helpful for gaining a general view of an era or an interpreter. They include resources for further reading, and thus serve as a handy reference tool and a spring board for more substantial research. 

Be Rich in the Word: Meditating on the Word

Despite all his sinfulness and brokenness, King David loved the Lord and his Word with all his heart. This is, in part, why he wrote Psalm 119 and expressed himself with words like these: “In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word…I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes…Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:14,16, 48, 97). 

Do you hear his heart? David meditated on the Word because he delighted in the Word, and he delighted in the Word because he delighted in God himself. One of the ways we display the value of a person is by listening to their words, and the closer we listen the more value we display. So, again, definitions and techniques aside, meditation on the Word of God is a fruit of our delight in and valuing of God. 

To study the Bible is to seek a greater understanding of what God has said and done. To meditate on the Bible is to seek greater insight into the meaning and applications of what he’s said and done. In fact, the primary Hebrew word for meditation means “to speak under one’s breath, or to converse with oneself.” Have you ever been thinking so deeply about something that you’ve caught yourself talking out loud, or worse yet, been caught by someone else? If so, then you understand meditation. To study is to understand, and to meditate is to be captivated. This is why David wrote, “Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works” (Psalm 119:27). In other words, he’s saying, “Grant me knowledge that I may delight in you.” 

As we learn to meditate on the Word, we grow in love for God. “I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules…Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning…The Lord is my portion” (119:7, 54, 57). Indeed, biblical meditation is the fuel of true worship. 

As we learn to meditate on the Word, we grow in the knowledge of the will and ways of God. As David noted, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99). The same was true of Jesus when he was young (Luke 2:47) and of Peter and John after the Day of Pentecost (Acts 4:13). True knowledge before God is a fruit of meditation on the Word of God. 

As we learn to meditate on the Word, we grow in the ability to endure life’s many trials. David wrote, “Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes…Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts” (119:23, 78). 

Friends, meditation on the Word is a discipline that bears many kinds of fruit, so hear David’s heart, hear your Father’s voice drawing you toward his Word, and join David in the commitment to savor the Word each day. “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise” (119:148).

Living by Faith: The Creation and Our Faith (continued)

In Psalm 37:3-7, “Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord, wait patiently for him.” Creation is designed to inspire this kind of faith in our souls. It’s designed to teach us to believe in him who can do anything he wills to do. 

Of all the examples of faith we will ponder in chapter 11, this is the only one that looks backwards. What I mean is that every other instance of faith is of people who had to look into the future and believe that God was going to bring about what he had promised. But with creation we look at what we see, think back in time, and believe that what we see was created by God out of nothing. We look upon this living metaphor and learn deep in our hearts that if he can do something so powerful as this, then he can surely fulfill all of his purposes and promises in heaven, on earth, in our lives. 

And as I mentioned in an earlier post in this series, our beliefs about the specifics of creation come not from our imaginations but from the Word of God. For example, we get the idea that the universe came into existence by the word of God’s power from the Word of God. So, when we wake up and walk outside and see what we see, we believe that it was created by the speech of God because God has told us so in his Word. And when we look upon creation and believe the Word of God, we grow in faith. We grow in trust. We grow in childlike wonder. 

Now, to some extent, God has given us enough common sense to look at the created order and figure out that some massively powerful and intelligent being made all that we see. In fact, Romans 1 tells us that creation itself is enough to hold us accountable before God and it condemn us as fools if we fail to see the creation and believe in him. But faith is more than common sense. Faith is more than a series of intellectual processes. Faith trusts in God by clinging to his words, and so when our Father says that he created everything out of nothing by simply speaking it into existence, we believe him, and this is faith. 

So, I want to end this post by challenging you to set aside sometime this week, leave your electronics and other distractions behind, and go somewhere where you can behold the works of God in creation. Once there, remember what you’ve learned from Hebrews 11 and ask God to use his handiwork to build your faith. Ask him to work in your mind and heart as you gaze upon the things he’s made and meditate upon his power and faithfulness. Let creation do what it was designed to do in your life today!

Book Review: “The Company of the Preachers” (By David L. Larsen)

David L. Larsen. The Company of the Preachers: A History of Biblical Preaching from the Old Testament to the Modern Era, 2 Vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic and Professional, 1998). 

The focus of this two-volume work is on biblical preaching which Larsen defines as the explication and application of the content and purposes of the Bible, the living Word of God. This implies that biblical preaching is inextricably bound, in its aims, processes and outcomes, to the nature and character of the God who has revealed himself through the Word. Larsen rightly asserts that there is a crisis in preaching in our time, and thus he seeks to draw upon the vast resources of the history of preaching to instruct, correct, and inspire modern preachers to practice and promote lively expository preaching once again. 

He is unashamedly evangelical and places himself squarely in the flow of classical biblical Christianity. Thus, he asserts that the foundations of biblical preaching are the conviction that the Bible is indeed the living Word of God, that the Bible is designed to be proclaimed by those who are called of God to do so, and that the study of the history of preaching is necessary for any preaching ministry to flourish over time because it provides cautionary tales, ministry-shaping insights, and the hope that God will cause his Word to prosper in every age. 

Larsen commences his survey of history, then, with a treatment of preaching in the Old and New Testaments, a feature which is somewhat unique and refreshing. From there, he guides his readers on a journey through the history of preaching in the early church, the Middle Ages, the Reformation and Enlightenment, the Victorian Era, and the twentieth century. The final two chapters on the twentieth century, to which he devotes nearly two-hundred-fifty pages, are particularly impressive. As a whole, his presentation is thorough, insightful, readable, and likely to enflame the preaching ministries of all who will listen well and then take up this study on their own. 

Be Rich in the Word: Studying the Word

Psalm 111 begins with a call to and declaration of praise. “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation” (111:1). But the question is this: why is the Psalmist so eager to give thanks to the Lord that he promises to do so in the midst of a worship gathering and also calls on others to join him? The answer is found in verse 2. “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (111:2). The reason the Psalmist is so jubilant is because the Lord is so great, and he has revealed his greatness through his works. From this we learn that the works of the Lord make the greatness of the Lord visible, but because his primary works are contained in his Word, we must study his Word to delight in his works. 

The Hebrew word for “study” means “to frequently return to a place” so that one becomes intimately familiar with it. So, to study the Word of God is to regularly return to a particular place until we gain insight into the works of God and grow in love for God himself. Indeed, delighting in the Lord begins with hearing and reading his Word, but it deepens and grows as we repeatedly go to his Word and seek to understand what he has done. 

As the Psalmist delighted in the works of the Lord, he came to see five ways in which they reveal his greatness. First, the works of the Lord are full of the glory of the Lord, displaying his righteousness, faithfulness, and mercy. “Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful” (111:3-4). Second, the works of the Lord reveal the compassionate provision of the Lord for his people, and his enduring commitment to them. “He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever” (111:5). 

Third, the works of the Lord reveal the more ultimate purposes of the Lord. “He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations” (111:6). Fourth, one of the works of the Lord is the granting of his words which are to be understood and obeyed. “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness” (111:7-8). Finally, the works of the Lord reveal the gospel. “He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!” (111:9) 

The Psalmist achieved these insights by carefully studying the Word, and we can achieve similar insights by doing the same thing each day. As the Psalmist concludes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (111:10) So, let us delight in the works of the Lord by studying his Word. If you need help learning how to study the Bible, I’d encourage you to visit www.blueletterbible.org and take advantage of their many study tools.

Living by Faith: The Creation and our Faith

In Hebrews 11:3, the author writes, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” God created the heavens and the earth to display his glory and build our faith. In other words, one of the main purposes of the created order is to help us believe in God. It’s to help us trust in his power and goodness and wisdom and beauty and ability to do anything he wants to do. It’s to help us press on in the assurance that he’s willing to act on our behalf for the glory of his name. 

Psalm 19:1-2 tell us that the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands day by day. In Isaiah 6:3 the angels declare in the presence of the Lord that the whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord. Romans 1:20 teaches us that the creation was designed to reveal the glory of God to us and powerfully witness about some of his most important attributes, and the question is this: do we have eyes to see what our eyes are seeing when we look upon creation? 

Then here in Hebrews we’re told how God has designed his creation to function in the lives of those who believe. The believing soul is supposed to look upon creation and say, “O my soul, since the heavens and the earth and all that’s in them were created by nothing more than the will and words of God, he must be exceedingly great, powerful, intelligent, artistic, and good. And since he can stretch out a universe; since he can make the sun shine and rise and fall and govern days and times; since he can make the moon wax and wane in its cycles; since he can make the skies team with the birds of the air; since he can make the seas gather into their place and team with fish and all manner of creatures; since he can make the land rise out of the sea and be filled with lakes and rivers and mountains and trees; since he can make the land team with the beasts of the field and all manner of crawling things; since he can create men and women in his image and cause their nations to rise and fall—since he can do all this and so much more by nothing more than the word of his power, then he must be able to fulfill his purposes and promises in the world and in my life.” 

Many years ago I attended a pastor’s retreat in the mountains above Santa Cruz, California, and somewhere along the way I went out onto a deck to think and pray about some things that were troubling me. It’s funny that I can’t even remember what those things were now, but I can remember looking at the tall mountains and the pine trees that stretched out as far as my eye could see. I can remember beholding the night sky and gazing upon the millions of stars that filled it and I can remember breathing in the cool, crisp air. I can remember preaching to my soul and saying, “Charlie, if God can create and care for all of this, surely he can care for you. Surely he can handle your problems. Surely he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Surely he loves you more than these. So, trust in his will and words and ways, and believe that he will act on your behalf.” I can still remember the feeling of peace that washed over me in that moment and, though I don’t remember what happened from there, I suppose the Lord acted on my behalf because, again, I can’t even remember what was so troubling to me! 

Friends, the Lord is faithful and creation is designed to help us see and feel the power of this fact. In other words, creation is designed to build our faith. I’ll say more about this in the next post in this series, but for now, let me pose the question: when you look upon creation, do you have the eyes to see what you’re eyes are seeing? Are you allowing God to strengthen your faith through the works of his hands? 

Book Review: “A History of Biblical Interpretation” (By Alan Hauser & Duane Watson, eds.)

Alan J. Hauser, and Duane F. Watson, eds. A History of Biblical Interpretation, 2 Vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003-09). 

This multi-volume set (two more volumes are forthcoming) probes into the history of Jewish and Christian interpretation of the Tanak and the New Testament from a decidedly moderate-to-liberal point of view. The editors have included helpful summative essays at the beginning of each volume that survey the contents of that volume in some detail. The various chapters, then, are written by a variety of specialists and cover such diverse subjects as inter-textual exegesis, the Septuagint, the Targumim and Midrash, the formation of the canon, medieval exegesis in Jewish and Christian contexts, Eastern Orthodox exegesis, and Reformation exegesis in Catholic and Protestant communities. 

While these volumes are laudable and somewhat unique in their scope and erudition, the decidedly moderate-to-liberal bent of the editors and authors renders them of limited use for advancement in the study of the interplay between interpretation and proclamation. Specifically, the disposition of the editors is that the canon of Scripture, in its development and transmission, is primarily, if not totally, the product of human effort and genius. Thus, they assert that there is an inherent diversity of meaning in the Scripture itself which leads them, for example, to affirm Marcion as one who saw what was actually present in Scripture. 

On the one hand, we may acknowledge that more conservative scholars at times downplay the impact that socio-cultural phenomena had on the formation and transmission of the canon, but on the other hand, we must reject the notion that these phenomena loomed so large in that process. God has indeed revealed himself through nature, the prophets, and preeminently in Christ (Ps 19:1-5; Heb 1:1-4), and he is thus primarily responsible for the revelation, reception, formation, and transmission of the canon. Fundamentally, the Bible is revelation rather than tradition. This we whole-heartedly affirm, and this the editors of these volumes seem to deny or at least ignore.