Koinonia

Wednesday Giveaway - Encounters with Jesus

“What can you do, or think, or believe to make yourself 'untouchable' to Jesus? The answer, according to Gary M. Burge, is nothing. In this insightful, well-researched book, Burge examines Jesus’ biblical encounters with everyday people and concludes, 'Nothing in our lives or situations will be an impediment to him … all are welcome'"

Sometimes we treat our academic studies of Jesus as if he was not a real person. By that I mean we study his socio-historical context, the way the Gospel’s frame his story, the theological implications of his words and deeds, but then act like his personal relationships are the territory of less weighty inquires. But how someone acts towards the flesh-and-blood people they encounter says volumes about them, every bit as much as the other areas of our study.

In Encounters with Jesus Gary Burge combines historical insight and theological reflection with a close look at the way Jesus treated the people who crossed his path, and ends up concluding that no situation or condition will impede Jesus’ approach.

To enter this week’s giveaway for a chance to win Encounters with Jesus simply comment below with your answer to this question: which Gospel encounter do you think of when you think of how Jesus treats those he meets?

The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible: It's In There (Tamar Edition)

 

I'm working on a paper that explores Genesis 38, and how it fits (or doesn't) into the rest of the Joseph narrative. 

In the process of doing research I was trying to find some more detail on Tamar, and turned to The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible to find the following,

"Tamar seduced Judah by hiding her identity...Tamar, showing him the pledges he had unsuspectingly given her, proved she had conceived by Judah himself...The Tamar story seems to anticipate several features of the Joseph narrative; in particular, both figures succeed in eliciting repentance from those who had made them suffer." - Tamar (person) pg 689.

Hidden identities, the giving of pledges, and receiving repentance after mistreatment? Looks like I have a number of paths to explore now in making a case for how and why this passage fits. Excellent.

Mason - Zondervan Academic

Now, About all that Killing...by Robert L. Hubbard Jr.

Joshua part 3

Bam! That’s the mental sound I imagine readers hear when they read the book of Joshua for the first time. Let’s be honest: reading it can be, quite frankly, a jarring experience—ethnic cleansing on a grand scale, all in God’s name. Questions abound …

*How can a God of love do that to people he created?

*Why didn’t he first give them at least one chance to repent?

*Does the book teach that it’s OK to use violence in God’s name?

These (and many other related questions) have no easy answer. But in this blog, let me try to cast some light on them.

Joshua: The Movie by Robert L. Hubbard Jr.

Joshua part 2

Actually, there’s no "Joshua" movie …. I just wrote that to get your attention! ;-)

But if there were, its hero would be Joshua—played by someone like Tom Hanks or Russell Crowe. My last blog explained how we got the book of Joshua. Here I introduce the person who gave the book its name and sketch out a few scenes that would, indeed, make a good movie.

"Joshua," Scene 1. Surprise! Joshua makes his biblical debut, not in Joshua 1, but in Exodus 17. There—and out of the blue—Moses tasks him with leading Israel’s defense against some Amalekite raiders. Joshua’s victory—the first in Israel’s short history—early confirms the leadership abilities later on display in Canaan.

Another surprise: after the victory, Yahweh orders Moses to make sure that Joshua hears God’s promise to wipe out Amalek (v. 14). Implicitly, this hints that Joshua would eventually succeed Moses. Of course, Joshua will have to wait forty years to take over!

Put Together by a Committee! by Robert L. Hubbard Jr.

Joshua part 1

Surprise! I’ll bet that you didn’t know this: a committee, not Joshua himself, wrote the book of Joshua. In fact, that committee is probably responsible for everything from Joshua to 2 Kings in our Bibles. At least, that’s the opinion of most recent scholars. Thus, behind Joshua’s "story" in the Bible (Story A) lies another "story" (Story B) of how we got it.

About Story B. Sometime around 630 B. C. a group of religious leaders met quietly, out-of-sight, in Jerusalem. We don’t know how many were there, but they probably convened at or near the Temple, perhaps in one of its rooms or residences. All attendees had access to the Temple complex since they all worked there.

Their agenda was simple: to launch a unique literary project—a major history of Israel from the conquest of Canaan under Joshua to the current king, Josiah. Frankly, deep concerns drove their proposed project. They were bummed big-time about their country’s chances of survival. There was too much idolatry in Judah, and they feared that, if nothing changed, God would severely punish the country for it.

Hebrew Corner 16: Jephthah’s Daughter

First, I just want to mention that this will be the last Hebrew Corner post (at least for awhile). After the holidays I will be starting a new series called "Bible Backgrounds" dealing with background issues from the ancient Near East that help us to interpret the Bible with fresh insights.

It would be difficult to find in the Bible a more tragic story than that of Jephthah and his daughter in Judges 11:29-40. The question arises from time to time whether he really sacrificed his daughter—perhaps he dedicated her to lifelong service in the sanctuary where she would have remained a virgin. Some of the arguments used are that the text emphasizes her mourning her virginity (seemingly not the biggest issue if she were being sacrificed), that Jephthah as a judge on whom the spirit had come would not do such a despicable thing, and that no priest would have officiated at such a sacrifice. These can be answered by noting how having children was important in their understanding of afterlife, and how depraved behavior was in the Judges period—even by judges and priests. We would note also that Jephthah hardly had grown up in an environment where he would have been instructed in the law.

All of this having been said, the real issue deals with some of the details of the Hebrew text, which is why this passage is included in our Hebrew corner today. There are two Hebrew elements to explore, both in 11:31. 

Hebrew Corner 12: Cain's Sacrifice by John H. Walton

In popular circles the tradition that Cain’s offering was unacceptable because it was not a blood sacrifice is still very common, despite the fact that no major evangelical commentary on Genesis in the last several decades endorses it. The offerings that Cain and Abel bring are described in the text by the term minhâ. In Leviticus, the minhâ is discussed in ch.2, where NIV translates it as "grain offering." Its purpose is simply to give a gift to honor deity, and is usually given in a context of celebration. It often accompanies an animal sacrifice, but usually is comprised of grain. Outside of ritual contexts, the term can be used in personal or political senses. In political contexts it refers to tribute paid from a vassal or subordinate state to the overlord (2 Kings 17:3-4). When individual persons are involved the term refers to a gift to give deference or honor (Gen 32:18; 43:11; 2 Kings 8:9). These usages are duplicated in cognates across the Semitic languages.

Consequently, it is clear that the problem with Cain’s sacrifice did not have anything to do with the absence of blood. Fruit and vegetable offerings would have been just as appropriate for a minhâ as animal offerings would have been. Additionally it should be noted that even Abel’s offering is described in terms of "fat portions" with no reference to blood. Finally, blood is usually used in the sacrificial system to accomplish kpr (NIV: "atonement"—see next week’s blog). Genesis 4 neither mentions a need for kpr nor the procurement of it for Abel. We must look elsewhere to identify the fault in Cain’s offering.

Adapted from J. Walton, Genesis (NIVAC)

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) teaches Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament and the forthcoming A Survey of the Old Testament (Third Edition).

Reclaiming the Old Testament in the Church by John H. Walton

What would account for how few sermons are preached on the Old Testament? Its canonical status is no less than that of the New Testament, and it comprises two-thirds of our authoritative revelation from God. So why is it preached so infrequently? I am persuaded that much of the explanation is found in the fact that we simply don’t know what to do with it. Every person reading through the Bible has experienced at one point or another that uncomfortable feeling of wondering, “What is this doing in my Bible?” Maybe they are reading Leviticus or Song of Songs. Perhaps they experience it even in some of the narratives of Genesis.

The key to approaching the Old Testament is to remember that at every point it is God’s revelation of himself to us. Our first question, therefore, should always be, “What does this passage tell me about God?” It is interesting that what is preached most are the Old Testament stories. Unfortunately, when we read them, we are often drawn to the characters in the narratives as we seek to have the faith of Abraham, the courage of Esther, the loyalty of Ruth, the heart of David, etc. There is nothing wrong with challenges to have more of those qualities in our lives. But in the end, these are stories about God more than about Abraham, Esther, Ruth or David.

If we want to be like God, we need to know God. We come to know God (as we come to know anyone), by hearing his stories. God has created us to be in relationship with him and the Bible allows us to know him so that we can deepen that relationship.

I was raised being steeped in the Bible in my home and in my church. Early on I became expert in the names, dates and places, especially of the Old Testament. But we cannot think that knowing the Old Testament is achieved by knowledge of the trivia of the Old Testament. Knowing the Old Testament entails knowing the God of the Old Testament.

I have found that if I only teach students the hard data of the Old Testament, the basic content framework, both professor and student often walk away from the experience with a hollow feeling—there must be more. It is important to move beyond the basic content to communication of what the Old Testament is and how it works. I want students to walk away sharing my excitement about the Old Testament as an essential part of God’s revelation of himself. I want to give them a primer on how to understand the Old Testament and how to understand its role in contemporary society and in their life and church. This is what Old Testament sermons and lessons also need to accomplish.

Questions: Do you find it difficult to move from trivia to revelation? To what extent do think that the authors of the Old Testament intended the characters in the narratives to be role models? Are there genres where you find it more difficult to think in terms of the text revealing God?

If you want to learn more about how to approach the Old Testament in this way, you can find some guidance in J. Walton and A. Hill, Old Testament Today.

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) teaches Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament and the forthcoming A Survey of the Old Testament (Third Edition).