Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Brief Musings on Gay Marriage and Religious Liberties

Personally, I do not feel that the church should feel threatened by the legalization of gay marriage. I do, however, think the church should not be required by the law to perform marriage ceremonies indiscriminately to both heterosexual and homosexual couples. Discrimination, while a taboo today, is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be, but not always. Performing marriage ceremonies, in my view, is an act of service or charity done by the church, and I don't believe the government should have any place in determining which people receive charities from which people. I think if a denomination decides that it is okay for its clergy to perform homosexual unions, then it has the right to do that. But if another denomination believes such a thing to be against the views and practices of their religion, then they should not be required by law to do so. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, after all...

I think that discrimination is key in our lives. We should love all people, but government cannot make us do it. It can pass civil liberties laws, which are a good thing I might add, but it can't make us love our neighbor as ourselves. We should have the legal right to withhold charity from whomever we please... because its charity. The question is, should we withhold this charity from gay couples who want to get married? And that certainly depends on the situation - just like any marriage. The choice should be up to the denominations, not the government. Seriously though, what gay couple in their right minds would ask, say, a Southern Baptist pastor to marry them? Any such move would be clearly political, and if they really wanted to get married, I would hope that they would be sincere enough to look for someone willing to perform such a ceremony. It would be wrong for anyone to insist that a pastor or church do something that they believe to be immoral - for some pastors that would be to perform a gay marriage, and for others it would be to deny a gay couple a marriage ceremony. Any sort of blanket law fails to understand the scope of the complexities of human existence.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Literary Structures of Genesis



Parallel Structure of Primeval History
Act 1:
A. Waters of Chaos at Creation
B. Blessing on humans
C. Fertility of animals
D. Fertility of humans
E. Dominion over creation
F. A garden planted with tree
G. Awareness of nakedness
H. Covering/concealment of nakedness
I. The acquisition of knowledge
J. Uttering of curses
K. Changed relational status: the man/woman
L. Population of Adam’s family
M. Trouble: Violence and corruption/Nephilim
N. Chaos: The Flood
O. Noah and his sons

Act 2:
A. Waters of Chaos at The Flood
B. Blessing on Noah and his sons
C. Fertility of animals
D. Fertility of Noah and his sons
E. Dominion over creation
F. A vineyard planted
G. Awareness of nakedness
H. Covering/concealment of nakedness
I. The acquisition of knowledge
J. Uttering of a curse
K. Changed relational status: Ham and his brothers
L. Population of Noah’s family
M. Trouble: Tower and city
N. Chaos: Language/dispersion
O. Sons of Shem/Terah/Abram


Chiastic Structure of Abrahamic Narrative


A. Intro: Journey to Canaan, promise of descendants
     B. Abram lies about Sarah in Egypt, God protects her
          C. Lot settles in Sodom
               D. Abram intercedes for Lot and Sodom, militarily
                    E. God says Abram and Sarai will have a son
                         F. Ishmael is born and blessed by God
                             G. Center: Yahweh’s Covenant – Abram and Sarai’s names changed
                         F'. Ishmael is circumcised and blessed by God
                    E'. God says Abraham and Sarah will have a son
               D'. Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Lot, in prayer
          C'. Lot flees Sodom
     B'. Abraham lies about Sarah in Gerar, God protects her
A'. Conclusion: Birth of Isaac 


Chiastic Structure of Isaac narrative


A. Abraham desires blessing for Ishmael, Sarah desires blessing for Isaac
     B. First son (Ishmael) becomes wilderness wanderer, second son (Isaac) stays in tents
          C. God’s reassuring promise: Two sons/two nations
               D. God speaks to Abraham
                    E. Isaac carries burden/wood for his own sacrifice/death sentence
                         F. God preserves line of Abraham/spares Isaac’s life
                              G. Nahor’s descendants
                                   H. Death and burial of Sarah
                                         I. Isaac marries Rebekah
                                   H'. Death and burial of Abraham
                              G'. Ishmael’s descendants
                         F'. God preserves line of Abraham/opens Rebekah’s barren womb
                    E'. Rebekah carries burden/pregnancy complications/death sentence
                D'. God speaks to Rebekah
           C'. God’s promise: Two sons/two nations
     B'. First son (Esau) goes out to the wilderness, second son (Jacob) stays in tents
A'. Isaac desires blessing for Esau, Rebekah desires blessing for Jacob


Chiastic Structure of Jacob Narrative


A. Naming of Jacob
     B. Esau Despises and casts off his Birthright
          C. Abimelech, Isaac’s conflict with the Philistines, wells violated, peaceful resolution
               D. Jacob is blessed and incites Esau to Murder
                    E. Vision of God at Bethel
                         F. Jacob vs. Laban
                              G. Leah vs. Rachel
                                   H. God opens Rachel’s womb – birth of Joseph
                              G'. Speckled vs. White Goats
                         F'. Jacob vs. Laban
                    E'. Vision of God at Peniel
               D'. Esau turns from his anger and Jacob blesses Esau
          C'. Dinah, Jacob’s conflict with Shechem, daughter violated, violent resolution
     B'. Jacob despises and casts off the idols
A'. Renaming of Jacob


Parallel Arrangement of Joseph’s Story
1A. Trouble with brothers: Joseph’s brothers hate him
1B. Trouble with brothers: Joseph’s brothers get rid of him

2A. Sexual temptation story: Tamar successfully seduces Judah
2B. Sexual temptation story: Potiphar’s wife unsuccessfully tries to seduce Joseph

3A. Joseph interprets two dreams: dreams of two prison mates
3B. Joseph interprets two dreams: dreams of Pharaoh

4A. Brothers come to Egypt for food: they bow to Joseph, Joseph fills sacks with grain and money, Reuben offers his sons as surety for Benjamin
4B. Brothers come to Egypt for food: they bow to Joseph, Joseph fills sacks with grain and money, Judah offers himself as surety for Benjamin

5A. Joseph calls for his family: includes only his brothers, they weep and have joyful reunion
5B. Joseph calls for his family: includes his brothers, their families, and his father, they weep and have joyful reunion

6A. Prospering in Egypt: Joseph prospers in his rule over all Egypt, Joseph is a blessing to the Egyptians
6B. Prospering in Egypt: Joseph’s family prospers and flourishes, Jacob blesses his sons

7A. Death of Patriarch: Jacob dies
7B. Death of Patriarch: Joseph dies




Saturday, May 25, 2013

Lecture Three: Minor Prophets and the Babylonian Threat







The Book of Zephaniah


Background

Estimated written dates around 640-609 B.C.

Son of Cushi (Ethiopian)

Traces ancestry to Hezekiah

Davidic royal family

Jerusalem Aristocracy

Delivered his message during the reign of King Josiah

Overlapped his ministry with Jeremiah

At this time, King Josiah was trying to reverse the evil way started by the previous kings.

Zephaniah’s prophecy may have been a motivating factor in Josiah’s desire to change the nation’s ways.

“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice

    I will punish the officials
    and the king’s sons
and all those clad
    in foreign clothes.
On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit."
-- Zephaniah 1:8-9

Message

Doom, Destruction, and Woe

“The great day of the Lord is near—
    near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
That day will be a day of wrath—
    a day of distress and anguish,
        a day of trouble and ruin,
    a day of darkness and gloom,
        a day of clouds and blackness—

     a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
    and against the corner towers.”
--  Zephaniah 1:14-16

Judah will see the destruction of all of her foreign gods and all those who worship them.

Other nations will also be destroyed for the sins they have committed.

The Nature of God and Humanity

Zephaniah seems to indicate that if you are constantly sinning against God and you do not repent then you will be destroyed.

“I will bring such distress on all people
    that they will grope about like those who are blind,
    because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
    and their entrails like dung.”
-- Zephaniah 1:17

God does not wipe away the righteous with the wicked.

"On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
    for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
    your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
    on my holy hill.
But I will leave within you
    the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
    will trust in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong;
    they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
    will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
    and no one will make them afraid.”
-- Zephaniah 3:11-13

Sin will eventually destroy you if you do not turn away from it.

God is not without love and compassion. Those who truly repent will be saved.

Issues with which Zephaniah dealt

Judah was deeply rooted in sin.

The people worshiped Baal and other gods.

The people had (for the most part) turned away from God.

Zephaniah had to confront the misguided theology of the people who believed there would be no consequences for their sins.

Biblical truths

Three major themes in Zephaniah

Day of Judgment

Indifference to God

Day of Cheer

Notable quotes from Zephaniah

"'I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,'
declares the Lord.
'I will sweep away both man and beast;
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.'"
-- Zephaniah 1:2-3

“Be silent before the Sovereign Lord,
    for the day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
    he has consecrated those he has invited.”
-- Zephaniah 1:7

"'Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.'
In the fire of his jealousy
    the whole earth will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
    of all who live on the earth."
-- Zephaniah 1:18

"'I have heard the insults of Moab
    and the taunts of the Ammonites,
who insulted my people
    and made threats against their land.
Therefore, as surely as I live,'
    declares the Lord Almighty,
    the God of Israel,
'surely Moab will become like Sodom,
    the Ammonites like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
    a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder them;
    the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.'"
-- Zephaniah 2:8-9

"He will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,
leaving Nineveh utterly desolate
    and dry as the desert…
This is the city of revelry
    that lived in safety.
She said to herself,
    I am the one! And there is none besides me.'
What a ruin she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!
All who pass by her scoff
    and shake their fists."
-- Zephaniah 2:13,15

"Sing, Daughter Zion;
    shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
    never again will you fear any harm."
-- Zephaniah 3:14-15





The Book of Habakkuk

Intro



Dates

No way to be sure

Probably composed during the late 7th century B. C.

Likely no later than 597 B.C.

Reference to the Babylonians in 1:6

Habakkuk the Prophet

Book provides no information about him

No references to him in other book of the Bible

Could have been a priest-prophet

Referenced in the apocryphal work of Bel and the Dragon

Historical/Religious Setting

Kingdom of Israel has already been exiled

Judah is the only representative of the people of God

Probably a continuation of the warning to Judah that they will be invaded by Babylon

Chaldean (Neo-Babylonian) Empire is the dominant world power at the time

Map of the Neo-Babylonian Empire


Meaning

The main message we can take from this prophet is that we can trust God in the midst of the trials we may face.

No matter what life throws at us, we need to have faith and trust in Him because He will get us through it.

God is a powerful God.

We can easily get sucked into the violence of the world, but we should bring all things before God and wait for His answer.

Lessons

In Habakkuk 1, the prophet questions God on all the wickedness in the world and he waits for God’s answer.

"I will stand at my watch
    and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
    and what answer I am to give to this complaint."
-- Habakkuk 2:1

We can also learn that we need to have patience.

We are not going to get the answers to all of our questions as soon as we ask them.

We can also learn to have hope in the certainty of God’s word.

Issues

Habakkuk was dealing with the fact that evil people were getting their way while the righteous were being put down. The age old question of “If God is good, why doesn’t He do something about evil?”

Habakkuk was one of the few people that was still following the ways of God and it was getting him nowhere.

The people believed that God was no longer involved in their lives and had returned once again to worshiping idols.

Habakkuk starts to doubt God Himself because God was not answering him.

Habakkuk 1:2 says: “How long, O LORD, will I call for help, and you will not hear?”

God tells Habakkuk that the evil of the people will be punished, yet He will still use evil people – in this case the Babylonians – to destroy Judah.

Habakkuk chooses to accept and trust God’s answer even though he does not like it or completely understand it.

Truths

Personal Level

Habakkuk is complaining to God

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (1:2)

Personally, Habakkuk tells us that God really does listen, but we simply do not understand what God has to say

“He [God] offers grace rather than vengeance. The good do not delight in the punishment of the evil; rather, they show compassion for them” (Oden).

Corporate Level

Be warned not to fall for man’s vices:

“Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion.” (Habakkuk 2:6)

“Woe to him who builds up his realm by unjust gain” (Habakkuk 2:9)

Live in a community of faith:

“The angel who watches over the church has gone out with you. So they lie down in empty places day by day, bringing upon themselves judgment as seen in the dispersion of the people” (Oden)

“You came to deliver your people, to save your anointed one” (Habakkuk 3:13)




The Book of Obadiah

Background

It is generally accepted that the book was written around the time that Jerusalem fell, around 587 B.C.

Not much is known about the prophet Obadiah.

“Obadiah” means “servant of Yahweh”

He is speculated to have been buried in Samaria.

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, confined to a single chapter best known as “The Vision of Obadiah.”

The book is set right after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians around 587 B.C.

When Jerusalem fell, the Edomites watched and did nothing to help.

Instead, they joined in the destruction.

They believed that God would act on their behalf and protect them, even though they were a violent and angry people.

Message

The prophecy: God will destroy Edom!

Israel and Edom had partaken in a long-time family feud, going all the way back to Jacob’s theft of his brother Esau’s birthright – and even before then Genesis portrays these two twin brothers as fighting “in utero.”

The prophecy came true and God smote the Edomites.

This reminds us that God will hold us accountable for our unforgiveness towards others.

We must be loving and compassionate to be accepted into the Kingdom of God.

Theme seen in Revelation:

"He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.'"
-- Revelation 21:6-8

In the New Testament, Jesus says that we must forgive and even love our enemies.

Edom chose revenge over forgiveness, and the judgment of God fell upon them.

The descendants of Jacob eventually returned home, but the descendants of Esau were permanently wiped off of the face of the earth.

"Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,
    you will be covered with shame;
    you will be destroyed forever."
-- Obadiah 1:10







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Special Thanks

Julia Pennings
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Grant Berquist
James Vandermark

Matt Ryan

Teera Kieckhaefer
Rebecca Crane
Jessica Gerig
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Eugene D. Smith
Sarah Murphy
Melissa Schaver
Vince Clark

Joshua Craig

Nick Eckart
Jessica Raquet
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Peter Kraiss
Cody O’Riley

Maria Johnson
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Ian Lofgren

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