Weekly Links (10/26/2012)

Dwell much upon this partnership with the Son of God, unto which you have been called: for all your hope lies there.

You can never be poor while Jesus is rich, since you are in one firm with Him. Want can never assail you, since you are joint-proprietor with Him who is Possessor of Heaven and earth.

You can never fail; for though one of the partners in the firm is as poor as a church mouse, and in himself an utter bankrupt, who could not pay even a small amount of his heavy debts, yet the other partner is inconceivably, inexhaustibly rich.

In such partnership you are raised above the depression of the times, the changes of the future, and the shock of the end of all things. The Lord has called you into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ, and by that act and deed He has put you into the place of infallible safeguard. (Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace)

by Richard Shin

There’s a little bit of something for everyone here. Enjoy!

  • Tim Challies explores the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” in the context of homosexuality. With his brief commentary, he shares three autobiographical books that share the authors’ experience on this topic.
  • If you’ve been at Lighthouse for any span of time, you understand we place a strong emphasis on membership. I mention this because Jesse Johnson lists forty commands God gives from the New Testament while contending it is impossible to fulfill all of them without being part of a local body of believers.
  • Mark Dever is a pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Despite his place of (potential) influence, he doesn’t preach politics very often at all. But this sermon from 2010 caught my eye (and ears) because he deals directly with Christians and political involvement.
  • In this excerpt of his coming book, Michael Patton discusses five responses to the problem of evil. See how the inclusion and exclusion of three premises leads to one of five conclusions on the problem of evil.
  • We at Lighthouse Bible Church have the tremendous blessing of hearing expository preaching during worship. Many of us, however, choose not to take advantage of this gift. To help us, Dan Phillips shares ten ways to profit from expository preaching.
  • Desiring God is hosting its first ever conference on the theme of disability, titled “The Works of God: God’s Good Design in Disability.” John Piper invites you in this video to attend. I’m certain they’ll have audio and video recordings for us afterward as well. You may recall John Knight is referenced, to whose interview I pointed you a while back.

That’s it, folks. Enjoy your weekend.

Coram Deo

Sonlight Lesson: Confusion and the Vision

by Abram Kim

On October 7, 2012, Sonlight concluded the lesson on the 4th C of history, Confusion. The first three C’s are Creation, Corruption (the Fall), and Catastrophe (the Flood). The last three C’s are Christ, Cross and Consummation. On the timeline posted in the Sonlight room, we see that the 4th C of Confusion encompasses the period from the Tower of Babel to the incarnation of Christ.

Dennis Su did a fantastic job explaining that the 4th C is about how God confused the languages as Noah’s descendants disobeyed God and congregated at the land of Shinar instead of filling the whole earth (Genesis 11). It is a story well-known to those brought up in the church. But this historic account has more significance than just that we have hundreds of languages around the world and that our skin colors and cultures are a little different.

The question I had to my small group kids at the blue table (3rd to 5th grade boys) was, “Why did God want to fill the whole earth with His people?” God gave the same command to multiply and fill the earth to Adam and Eve. God’s intent from creation was to have a world filled with His created people. God thought it necessary to give this command again after the global flood wiped out all but 8 people on the earth. Noah and his family lived in a world so saturated with sin that Scripture describes God as “grieved” at the sinfulness of man (Genesis 6:6, ESV). Perhaps in this culture it was easy to forget God’s commands only a few generations ago to the original man and woman and so God thought it necessary to reissue the command.

The why can be explained in simply by the ultimate purpose of life, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But this does not explain thoroughly exactly why the entire face of the earth needed to be involved. We can only conjecture as to why God thought it desirous to fill the earth. I have shared on occasion with those who would listen that I considered God as wise and creative and beautiful in preparing for Himself a varied collection of peoples and cultures and time periods to worship the one true God for all eternity. Whatever God’s reasoning, He wanted the entire world to be filled with those that will worship Him and enjoy Him forever. Noah’s descendants were not obedient to this call and God forced the issue by confusing the language of the people.

So now that we understood the facts of the biblical account, I wanted the blue table to think about implications and application for today. The world today is indeed filled with people. We celebrated Columbus Day on October 8, 2012 to signify that an influx of Europeans invaded the Americas a few hundred years ago. There are so many diverse languages and cultures and people groups around the world. But the question is are they worshiping God? God doesn’t desire the world to be filled with sinful men again. Though He won’t wipe out the world with another global flood (the rainbow is the symbol of God’s promise), He will come to judge sin soon.

We find in Acts 1:8 the New Testament version of God’s command from Genesis. No longer are Noah’s descendants or Israel responsible to spread the glory of God to the ends of the earth. That responsibility now falls squarely on the Church of Jesus Christ. Herein lies the Vision of LBC’s MVP. That was the conclusion of the blue table’s small group discussion, and then we continued on in Sonlight with snacks and games.

The need for God-fearing and God-loving churches still exist today because the need to fill the ends of the earth with God-fearing and God-loving people still exist today. The vision of LBC is to be obedient to God’s command to fill the earth, and we as a Sonlight staff pray that the vision will be passed on to the next generation of God’s people to continue the work, until the Lord’s return.

BOB – Zechariah

by Stephen Rodgers

ZECHARIAH IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“Jewish exiles should rebuild their temple – and anticipate their Messiah.”

TITLE

Like nearly all the other prophetic books, the name of the book bears the name of the prophet who was responsible for its contents (Zech. 1:1). The name Zechariah (“the LORD remembers”) is quite common, appearing in conjunction with 29 other OT men.

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

Like Haggai and Malachi, Zechariah is one of the post-exilic prophets. In fact, he is mentioned several times in conjunction with Haggai, causing many scholars to theorize that the two were friends who returned from the Babylonian exile together as children, but didn’t come of age until later when they both began to preach and prophesy in 520 BC.

Per the MSB:

Like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Zechariah was also a priest (Neh. 12:12–16) According to tradition, he was a member of the Great Synagogue, a council of 120 originated by Nehemiah and presided over by Ezra. This council later developed into the ruling elders of the nation, called the Sanhedrin. He was born in Babylon and joined his grandfather, Iddo, in the group of exiles who first returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the High-Priest (cf. Neh. 12:4). Because he is occasionally mentioned as the son of his grandfather (cf. Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Neh. 12:16), it is thought that his father, Berechiah, died at an early age before he could succeed his father into the priesthood…According to Matt. 23:35, he was murdered between the temple and the altar, a fate similar to an earlier Zechariah (cf. 2 Chr. 24:20,21), who had been stoned to death.

There is some dispute as to which Zechariah Jesus was referring to. Per Constable:

The Lord Jesus referred to a Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom the Jews murdered between the temple and the altar (Matt. 23:35). This appears to be how the prophet’s life ended.[Gleason L. Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, p. 425.] This would make Zechariah one of the last righteous people the Jews slew in Old Testament history.

Some students of Scripture believe that the Zechariah to whom Jesus referred was the son of Jehoiada whom the Jews stoned in the temple courtyard (2 Chron. 24:20-22).[E.g., Eugene H. Merrill, An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 95.] However, that man died hundreds of years earlier, before 800 B.C., and Jesus seems to have been summarizing all the righteous people the Jews had slain throughout Old Testament history chronologically. Zechariah ben Jehoiada was the last martyr in the last book of the Hebrew Bible, Chronicles, so Jesus may have been speaking canonically, the equivalent of “all the martyrs from Genesis to Revelation.” Nevertheless that Zechariah was the son of Jehoiada, not Berechiah, and Jesus mentioned Berechiah as the father of the Zechariah He meant. “Son” sometimes means “ancestor,” but there is no known Berechiah in the family line of the Zechariah of 2 Chronicles.

The original audience consisted of the Jews who had returned from the Babylonian exile (see notes on Haggai).

DATE

Zechariah dates the prophesies contained in chapters 1-8 (Zech. 1.1, 7; 7:1) to 520 and 518 BC. The prophecies in chapters 9-14 are undated, but there is reason to believe that he prophesied (and wrote) those chapters much later in his life.

Per the MSB:

Zechariah’s opening words are dated from 520 B.C., the second year of Darius I (Zech. 1:1). The Persian emperor Cyrus had died and was succeeded by Cambyses (ca. 530–521 B.C.) who conquered Egypt. He had no son, he killed himself, and Darius rose to the throne by quelling a revolution. He was a contemporary of Haggai, and began his prophesying 2 months after him (cf. Haggai Introduction). He is called a young man in 2:4, suggesting that Zechariah was younger than Haggai. The length of his ministry is uncertain; the last dated prophecy (Zech. 7:1) came approximately two years after the first, making them identical in time with Haggai’s prophecy (520–518 B.C.). Chapters 9–14 are generally thought to come from a later period of his ministry. Differences in style and references to Greece indicate a date of ca. 480–470 B.C., after Darius I (ca. 521–486 B.C.) and during Xerxes’ reign (ca. 486–464 B.C.), the king who made Esther queen of Persia. 

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Zechariah was contemporary of Haggai, so he spoke to the post-exilic community as they struggled to rebuild Jerusalem, the nation, and the temple.  Like Haggai he exhorted them to focus on the temple, but unlike Haggai, he took a bit of a broader view, focusing on the future restoration of the nation to a greater degree than the future judgment (which makes it a bit of a departure from type, since it doesn’t particularly embody the classical “covenant lawsuit” pattern).

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are two main themes that pervade the book of Zechariah.

  • Israel’s Near Future. The first eight chapters of Zechariah read somewhat like a lighter version of Haggai.  Zechariah encouraged the returnees to rebuild the temple, repent of their sins (Zech. 1:2-6) and mirror God’s character in their treatment of the poor and vulnerable (Zech. 7:4-14). His night visions also expressed God’s care and continuing concern for his covenant people.
  • Israel’s Distant Future. The last six chapters of Zechariah read more like a less-obscure version of Isaiah, as they speak to how God would destroy Israel’s enemies (Zech. 9:1-8), establish their ultimate King (Zech. 9:9-17), gather His scattered people (Zech. 10:1-11:3), and rule over all creation (Zech. 14:1-21).

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

Considering that Zechariah contains elements that are prophetic, apocalyptic, and eschatalogical, it would be surprising if there weren’t any interpretive issues. They tend to be relatively minor however, such as the identity of the “three shepherds” or the “wounded man.” While interesting, none of that touches on the core of Zechariah’s message to the people of Israel regarding their future kingdom and messiah.

LITERARY FEATURES

Per the ESVSB:

The main genre of Zechariah is futuristic prophecy. Although the second half of the book contains some conventional oracles of judgment and oracles of redemption, in the first half the preferred medium is visions that embody in symbolic form what God plans to do. This part of the book needs to be approached much like the NT book of Revelation—by first allowing the images and symbols to activate the imagination, and then by exploring what those details symbolize. Visions and oracles of salvation predominate over images of judgment. Chapters 1–6 of Zechariah, with their striking otherworldly visions in the company of an angelic interpreter, form an important precursor to later apocalyptic literature.

OBJECTIONS

The most significant objection that has been repeatedly raised in the last ~200 years is the issue of alleged multiple authorship. As mentioned earlier, some scholars have posited a difference in authorship based on stylistic differences between chapters 1-8 and 9-14.  What is particularly interesting about the history of that dispute is that it did NOT arise as part of the higher criticism movement (on the contrary, the textual transmission evidence argues  against any split between chapters 8 and 9), but rather as a response to inter-textual issues.  Per Constable:

Until A.D. 1653 no one seriously questioned that Zechariah wrote the whole book. In that year Joseph Mede suggested that Jeremiah may have written chapters 9—11, in view of Matthew 27:9. In succeeding years other scholars proceeded to question the second part of the book (chs. 9—14) because of its differences in content and historical and chronological references compared to the first part. Today almost all critical scholars regard this book as the product of two or three writers who wrote either before the exile or after Zechariah…Competent conservative scholars have refuted the arguments of the radical critics adequately. [See especially Baldwin, pp. 62-70; Leupold, pp. 6-13; Merrill F. Unger, Unger’s Bible Commentary: Zechariah, pp. 13-14; R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, pp. 950-56; and Archer, pp. 425-30.]

Most arguments for multiple scholarship in recent years have tended to rely on anti-prophetic bias since the textual and historical evidence has shifted back towards supporting a single-author hypothesis (which has also always been the universal tradition of both Jews and Christians).

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

  • Zechariah 1:3
  • Zechariah 4:6

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Other than Isaiah (and possibly the Psalms), Zechariah is probably the prophet with the greatest amount of messianic teaching.
  • Babylonia is referred to “the land of the north” even though it was actually east of Israel.  However, since Israel was protected from invasion from the east by a rather sizable desert, invading armies regularly attacked from the north (Zech. 2:6)
  • A “waterless pit” (empty cistern) was sometimes used as an impromtu detention cell (Zech. 9:11).
  • Inexplicable wounds on a person’s body were often associated with self-inflicted injuries in cultic practices (Zech. 13:6).

Other Works Referenced

  • Apologetics Study Bible, “Zechariah”
  • Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Zechariah”
  • ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Zechariah”
  • MacArthur Study Bible, “Zechariah”
  • NET Bible, Zechariah
  • NIV Study Bible, Zechariah
  • Reformation Study Bible, “Zechariah”
  • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Zechariah”
  • Dever, The Message of the Old Testament
  • Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
  • Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook

Laying on of Hands

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This was a big weekend for Lighthouse Bible Church as Pastor J. R. Cuevas of LBC San Jose underwent his ordination exam for pastoral ministry. Many people from San Diego remember that Pastor J. R. served on staff before moving up with the church plant team about two and a half years ago. He and his wife Kathy have been faithfully serving alongside Pastor John and Angela Kim to provide leadership for the church plant.

The exam began on Saturday morning. It not only consisted of an intense four hour oral examination, but Pastor J. R. was also asked to put together a personal systematic theology project which ended up being about 350 pages! The ordination council consisted of Dr. Paul Felix of The Master’s Seminary, Pastor John Kim of LBC San Jose, Pastor Jim Kang of LBC East Bay, and me from LBC San Diego, and we were all pleased that after many months of diligent preparation and study, Pastor J. R. passed the exam with flying colors.

The exam was broken up into four parts: 1) personal life and testimony, 2) general Bible knowledge, 3) systematic theology, and 4) practical theology. In the first section, Pastor J. R. was asked to share about his Christian testimony and calling into ministry. He was also given an opportunity to talk about his family life and personal spiritual growth. In the second section, he was asked general questions about the Bible including key themes, outlines, chapters, verses, and people of all sixty-six books of the Bible. The third section covered the entire spectrum of systematic theology including Theology Proper (the study of God), Christology (the study of Christ), Ecclesiology (the study of the church), and Eschatology (the study of end times). The final section quizzed Pastor J. R. in the areas of biblical counseling and practical church ministry.

Some of the members of LBC San Jose were in attendance, and I’m sure being there was a great encouragement to them as they were able to witness Pastor J. R. walk through each section skillfully. Not only could they see that he was well-prepared and competent for the ministry he performs, but everyone on the ordination council confidently affirmed him as well. I’m sure when the exam was completed, Pastor J. R. felt like an enormous burden was lifted from his shoulders! But he wasn’t quite done.

On the following evening, LBC San Jose hosted an ordination ceremony on Pastor J. R.’s behalf. It was encouraging to see so many people come out to support him, including a good number of people who travelled up from San Diego. During the ceremony, the council walked Pastor J. R. through a condensed version of the exam. For half an hour, everyone could get a taste of what he had to endure the morning before. As we all expected, he did remarkably well once again. After several people shared a word of encouragement, Dr. Felix gave a solemn charge for ministry from Ephesians 3:8.

It was a tremendous blessing and privilege to be here this weekend for Pastor J. R. As Lighthouse Bible Church continues to push forward in ministry by the grace of God, we are blessed to have faithful and able men of God to help lead the way. Praise God for an encouraging weekend of worship and fellowship experiencing God’s continued goodness and grace. Congratulations to Pastor J. R. Cuevas for his ordination for pastoral ministry!

My Expectation Is From Him

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 62:5

It is the believer’s privilege to use this language. If he is looking for aught from the world, it is a poor ‘expectation’ indeed. But if he looks to God for the supply of his wants, whether in temporal or spiritual blessings, his expectation’ will not be a vain one. Constantly he may draw from the bank of faith, and get his need supplied out of the riches of God’s lovingkindness. This I know, I had rather have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds. My Lord never fails to honour His promises; and when we bring them to His throne, He never sends them back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at His door, for He ever opens it with the hand of munificent grace. At this hour I will try Him anew.

But we have ‘expectations’ beyond this life. We shall die soon; and then our ‘expectation is from Him.’ Do we not expect that when we lie upon the bed of sickness He will send angels to carry us to His bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint, and the heart heaves heavily, some angelic messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes upon us, and whisper, ‘Sister spirit, come away!’ As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear the welcome invitation, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ We are expecting harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping soon to be amongst the multitude of shining ones before the throne; we are looking forward and longing for the time when we shall be like our glorious Lord-for ‘We shall see Him as He is.’

Then if these be thine ‘expectations,’ O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify Him from whom cometh all thy supplies, and of whose grace in thy election, redemption, and calling, it is that thou hast any ‘expectation’ of coming glory.

2.28a

Weekly Links (10/19/2012)

That is as if he said, You shall have as true an interest in all my attributes for your good, as they are mine for my own glory…. My grace, saith God, shall be yours to pardon you, and my power shall be yours to protect you, and my wisdom shall be yours to direct you, and my goodness shall be yours to relieve you, and my mercy shall be yours to supply you, and my glory shall be yours to crown you. This is a comprehensive promise, for God to be our God: it includes all. Deus meus et omnia [God is mine, and everything is mine, said Luther. (Thomas Brooks quoted in J.I. Packer, Knowing God)

by Richard Shin

The delivery of another set of weekly links for you to enjoy begins… now:

  • October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and one extremely practical way to appreciate your pastor is to pray for him. For this, Tim Challies rallied some articles to help us understand the importance of praying for your pastor. I imagine this is particularly pertinent for Pastor J.R. who will undergo his ordination exam this weekend.
  • At the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler, Jr. called a panel discussion with some notable theologians on the topic of the inerrancy of Scripture. A discussion among men like Dr. Albert Mohler, Jr., Gregg Allison, Denny Burk, Russell Moore, and Bruce Ware is surely something you don’t want to miss.
  • On a similar note, the Gospel Coalition has an article that distinguishes between taking the Bible literally and believing that everything in it is true. It can be subtle and many confuse the two, but there’s a clear distinction in the hermeneutics.
  • The Gospel Coalition also posted a video of a sermon clip by Matt Chandler where the crux is no one dies early. This is the same Matt Chandler who found out several Thanksgivings ago that he had a malignant brain tumor.
  • Tony Reinke at the Desiring God blog is beginning a new podcast series: Authors on the Line. It’s an interview series with authors who write about theological issues. The first one is in regards to the author of Charity and Its Fruits. OK, Jonathan Edwards hasn’t been resurrected (yet), but the interview is with Edwards scholar Kyle Strobel.
  • Kevin DeYoung has an article that points to seven cautions for polemicists. This is important for those who love to argue.
  • Michael Kruger draws from the genius of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings the importance of moral examples in the world. It’s one of the reasons those who have read the series so love it.

That’s it for now. Have a great weekend, folks.

Coram Deo

Grace Life Update

by Pastor Patrick Cho

The Grace Life Family Ministry has only met twice so far since the summer ended, but it has been a great couple of weeks! I know that change is rarely easy to adapt to, but I was encouraged to see so many people come out on Thursday evenings. The Bible study not only provides a chance for our married couples and parents to open God’s Word together, but it also is a wonderful time of warm fellowship. It also helps tremendously that Kids’ Club meets at the same time, thus freeing up parents to worship undistracted.

Not only has the time changed for our meetings from Sunday mornings to Thursday evenings, but the format has changed as well. Last year, the study depended heavily on homework and small group discussions, but this year we are moving to more of a large group structure. This way everyone is able to walk through a particular passage of Scripture together and all who come can equally benefit from the discussion times and feedback.

We are currently walking through a study of the mind entitled, “What Do You Think?” The purpose of the study is to examine the effect that sin has on the mind and how God has allowed us as believers in Christ to think biblically. Last week, we looked specifically at Genesis 1, the creation account. In particular, we wanted to study what the Scriptures reveal about God because that would give us a solid foundation to think from.

God is the one who created everything that is, and He did so without any mistakes or slip ups. It was all very good. This helps us in how we think because it reminds us that God is the one who ultimately determines what is good from bad. He is the standard of goodness. That is not something we can accurately determine on our own. Oftentimes people come in judgment of God because He does not meet their standards of good, but the Scriptures don’t allow us that role reversal. God is good and has created what is good.

Besides revelation of God’s goodness, the creation account also helps establish the Creator/creature distinction. God is the almighty Creator who revealed His power, wisdom, and authority through what has been made (cf. Rom. 1:20). The more we meditate on the creation account, the more it should remind us that God is amazing in glory, and we completely fall short of His glory. Having this frame of mind is essential if we are going to learn how to think biblically.

It has been a rewarding study so far, but we’ve only just begun. I pray that everyone will continue to come out and that the study will really benefit us all!

BOB – Haggai

by Stephen Rodgers

HAGGAI IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“Jews returning from exile need to rebuild God’s temple.”

TITLE

Like nearly all the other prophetic books, the name of the book bears the name of the prophet who was responsible for its contents (Hag. 1:1).

Per the MSB:

Because his name means “festal one,” it is suggested that Haggai was born on a feast day. Haggai is the second shortest book in the OT (Obadiah is shorter) and is quoted by the NT once (cf. Heb. 12:26).

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

Apart from his name and title, we know nothing of Haggai, and his lineage and tribal origin remain a mystery. He is however mentioned twice by Ezra (Ezra 5:1; 6:14), both time in connection with Zechariah (another post-exilic prophet). No other person in the OT has his name, although some of the other names are similar (Gen. 46:16; Num. 26:15; 2 Sam. 3:4; 1 Chr. 6:30).

Constable notes one erroneous claim regarding Haggai:

Some editions of the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate versions of the Book of Psalms attribute authorship of some of the Psalms to Haggai and or Zechariah (i.e., Ps. 111—112, 125—126, 137—138, and 145—149). There is no other evidence that either prophet wrote any of these psalms. The reason for the connection appears to have been the close association that these prophets had with the temple where these psalms were sung.

The original audience would have been the Jews who returned to Jerusalem in 537 BC, but had neglected to restore the temple in that time.

DATE

Haggai is actually the most precisely-dated of all the prophetic books, recounting prophecy that he received between August 29 and December 18, 520 BC. However, that does not mean that Haggai then wrote the book during that same time.  Constable theorizes that he wrote the book after receiving the prophecy (which, to put it mildly, makes sense) but before the temple was completed in 516/515 BC:

Probably Haggai wrote the book between 520 and 515 B.C., the year the returnees completed the temple. Lack of reference to the completion of the temple, while not a strong argument for this view, seems reasonable since mention of the completion of the temple would have finished off the book nicely.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Haggai is one of the post-exilic prophets (the others being Zechariah and Malachi) who wrote after the remnant had returned from exile in Babylon (you might want to review Ezra and Nehemiah if this doesn’t ring a bell). They arrived in 538 BC, and began to rebuild the temple in 536 BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest (Ezra 3:2). However, opposition from their neighbors and indifference from the Jews themselves caused the work to be abandoned until 520 BC.

Enter Haggai, who comes on the scene and instructs the people to 1) finish rebuilding the temple, and 2) get their priorities straight. He pointed out that as the people of God, they should be more concerned with His glory and desires than with their own, a message we would do well to heed in our own day.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are two main themes that pervade the book of Haggai:

  • Priorities. The people had neglected the rebuilding of God’s temple while focusing on constructing beautiful homes for themselves (Hag. 1:2-4, 9). Haggai instructed them that God’s temple and work were to be their top priority.
  • Obedience. There are consequences for disobeying God (Hag. 1:6, 11; 2:16-17). But when God’s people follow Him (1:12), He graciously  provides the enthusiasm (Hag. 1:4), strength (Hag. 2:4-5), and resources (Hag. 2:8) to do His will.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

There are no significant interpretive issues with Haggai that I am aware of.

LITERARY FEATURES

Per the ESVSB:

Although the book of Haggai falls within the general category of prophecy, it is not a typical prophetic book. It is written in prose instead of the customary poetry. Although there are predictions of promised blessing, there are no oracles of judgment in the usual sense. Instead, God simply calls the nation’s attention to its low ebb, as though judgment had already occurred. There are also intermittent golden-age visions, as well as a narrative episode (Hag. 1:12–15). By means of a specific instance (the rebuilding of the temple), the book of Haggai is a relevant and timeless book on the need to put God’s work first in one’s life. For the prophet’s society, rebuilding the temple would be the visible sign of the people’s determination to put God first.

OBJECTIONS

There are no significant objections to Haggai that I am aware of.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

  • Haggai 1:4
  • Haggai 2:4

DID YOU KNOW?

  • A garmet that came into contact with consecrated meat (meat set apart for sacrifice) became “holy” (Lev. 6:27), but could not pass that “holiness” on to a third object. Ceremonial uncleanliness was transmitted much more easily that cleanliness, since anything touched by an unclean person became unclean (Hag. 2:12-13).
  • A signet was a kind of seal or stamp which functioned as a signature. It could be used as a pledge or guarantee of full payment of a debt (Hag. 2:23).

Other Works Referenced

  • Apologetics Study Bible, “Haggai”
  • Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Haggai”
  • ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Haggai”
  • MacArthur Study Bible, “Haggai”
  • NET Bible, Haggai
  • NIV Study Bible, Haggai
  • Reformation Study Bible, “Haggai”
  • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Haggai”
  • Dever, The Message of the Old Testament
  • Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
  • Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook

Signs of Spiritual Maturity #6: Conservative Decision Making Motivated By a Hatred of Sin

by Elder Peter Lim

Is it a sin for a Christian to own a Rolls Royce? Is it a sin to get a tattoo or body piercings? Is it a sin to play video games or watch TV for 24 hours straight? Is it a sin to _______? Whatever you fill the blank with, questions like these often come up in the course of life. Some things are definitely called out in Scripture as sin. But for the most part, people ask questions like these regarding the so called “gray areas.” I wrote an entire series on the issue of gray areas so I won’t rehash them here. Suffice to say, it’s never about the actual answer to these particular questions. It is always about the heart behind even the consideration of these questions. However, it’s worth mentioning again here that conservative decision making is inherently a sign of Spiritual maturity. I am defining “conservative decision making”as: to make decisions which lean on the side of giving up of personal liberties voluntarily for the sake of staying away from sin as far as possible, motivated by a hatred of sin. I am defining the other side, “liberal decision making” as: making decisions that may or may not be sin but since it can’t be proven to be sin, it’s considered to be okay. Of course this is a generalization and not every conservative decision automatically proves maturity. Simply put, life is not about ourselves and what we can get out of it. A mature believer understands that it’s about maximizing God’s glory by spreading the gospel. Personal liberties are not as important as avoiding the possibility of presenting a stumbling block to weaker Christians, of offending Christians who come from a more conservative background, of the lack of profitability of a liberty, and the possible appearance of sin, even if it’s not technically a sin with chapter and verse.

Stumbling Block

Both Matt. 18:6 and Romans 14:1 refer to stumbling blocks as an issue for the weaker brother. We are to care for our weaker brother by refraining from indulging in liberties which may cause him to stumble. A very stern warning is given that causing one of them to stumble is so bad that it’s better to tie a millstone around one’s neck and throw it out into the ocean. Weaker brothers should not use these passages as leverage against stronger believers to get them to conform to their own misguided ideas of godliness however. A weaker brother should humbly seek help and explain why an issue causes them to stumble. Stronger brothers shouldn’t rely on the weaker brothers’ ability to explain this. They should be able to proactively care and foresee that a liberty may cause the weaker brother to stumble because they are the stronger one. If they can’t see that, perhaps they are not as strong as they thought they were.

Offending Others

We all vary to a certain degree when it comes to considering the needs or desires of others more than our own. As an example, the way we dress ourselves is often a result of considering others’ expectations. We wear clothes that are appropriate for different situations. In most cultures, one would not wear a tank top and shorts to a wedding, no matter how much one prefers to be comfortable, out of consideration for others. Romans 14, while used as an example of not causing a weaker brother to stumble, contains truths which extend beyond the weaker brother. Indeed that consideration for the weaker brother is a direct result of the fact that we are not our own. We belong to Christ. (Romans 14:7-8) Therefore, the mature believer will decrease his own desires for the sake of others whom Jesus died for. He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30) This is true whether the brother is a weaker one or a stronger one. All things are to be done to the glory of God and not to offend neither the brethren nor the public at large. (1 Cor. 10:31-33) It is good to consider not offending others. (1 Cor. 10:24)

Lack of Profitability

It is an important point that we do profitable things with our lives rather than simply doing anything we want to do that can’t be proven to be sin. (1 Cor. 10:23) Often, verses such as this one are ignored because it’s difficult to define what things are profitable and what are not. Immature believers may use this difficulty to their advantage to “get away” with dabbling in unprofitable things. This kind of reasoning fails to understand that God is able to peer accurately into their hearts and know exactly their motivations. Because our time here on earth is limited, we must use our time and resources profitably, motivated by a desire to make God’s name known throughout the nations. Evangelism must be at the core of our priorities whether it’s decided on a career path or even what city to live in. A mature believer cares little for weather, recreational lifestyle, hobbies, or even financial security, compared to the opportunity to participate in a dynamic church where Christ is preached to the lost.

Appearance of Sin

A mature believer is concerned about not portraying the appearance of sin, even if it’s not a sin that can be backed up by evidence or proven with an explicit chapter and verse (Eph. 5:3). This verse in the NIV is translated “there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.” The following words through verse 6 connects this failure in sexual immorality with “any kind of impurity”, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, course jesting, idolatry, empty words, and disobedience. Where there is sexual immorality, the other sins are not far behind. These are words which are vague but well-understood in a general sense. A mature believer doesn’t need an explicit prohibition to be able to recognize that the general character of their life must go conservatively away from these things. Immature people will try to excuse their sinful behavior by appealing to the lack of a precise point at which a questionable act is unquestionably sin. They fail to consider that the lost world is watching them and their carelessness in life’s decisions which can influence them in the wrong way. It indicates that their heart doesn’t consider God and His holiness worthy enough to sacrifice all their fleshly desires.

Sin is offensive to God because He is holy. If we have been transformed to be like Christ, then we should be offended by sin as well. So why do we struggle with the temptation of sin? Although we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), we are still influenced by our sinful flesh. Although we have been positionally justified, we are still sinners. Although we will never reach a state of sinlessness in this life, it is clear that we are to be holy as He is holy. This pursuit of holiness keeps us humble and dependent upon Him for our strength. Conservative decision making is a natural result of the desire to live a holy life. This marks a maturing Christian.

Whose Goings Forth Have Been From Of Old, From Everlasting

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Micah 5:2

The Lord Jesus had goings forth for His people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time. It was ‘from everlasting’ that He signed the compact with His Father, that He would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of His people; it was ‘from everlasting’ that He gave Himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of His head to the sole of His foot He might sweat great drops of blood, that He might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death. His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting.

Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hast goings forth in the person of Jesus ‘from everlasting.’ Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but His delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did He think of them; from everlasting to everlasting He had set His affection upon them. What! my soul, has He been so long about thy salvation, and will not He accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will He lose me now? What! has He carried me in His hand, as His precious jewel, and will He now let me slip from between His fingers? Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will He reject me now? Impossible! I am sure He would not have loved me so long if He had not been a changeless Lover. If He could grow weary of me, He would have been tired of me long before now. If He had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, He would have turned from me long ago.

Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am His everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to Him by His Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

2.27p