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.
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
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 theLord’s sacrifice
I will punishthe 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 theLordis near—
near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of theLordis 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 darknessand
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 distresson all
people
that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against theLord. Their blood will be poured outlike 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 meekand humble. The remnant of Israel will trustin the name of theLord. Theywill 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 theLord.'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 silentbefore
the SovereignLord,
for the day of theLordis near. TheLordhas 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 theLord’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 insultsof Moab
and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insultedmy people and made threats against their land. Therefore, as surely as I live,' declares theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, 'surely Moabwill become like Sodom, the Ammoniteslike Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will
plunderthem; the survivorsof my nation will inherit their land.'"
-- Zephaniah 2:8-9
"He will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria, leaving Ninevehutterly 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 rejoicewith all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! TheLordhas
taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. TheLord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fearany
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
sayto
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 costfrom 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 violenceagainst
your brother Jacob,
you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever."
