The Second Missionary Journey

Acts 15:36-18:22

            One of the saddest stories in the New Testament is tucked at the end of Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas want to check on the churches they established in Asia Minor. Barnabas wanted to bring his nephew John Mark, who had abandoned the original mission, and Paul adamantly and obstinately refused. They were at such loggerheads that they broke up. (What’s ironic is that years later, Paul wants Mark to join him, because Mark is helpful to Paul; 2 Timothy 4:11). Psalm 133:1 exclaims, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” and Paul himself will come to realize how important unity is to the witness of the church. I wonder how things might have gone had hot-headed Paul remained in partnership with the older, wiser Barnabas!

            That’s a question we cannot answer, but Paul set off to visit the churches in Asia Minor by a land route. Paul wanted to move on and open new churches, but the Holy Spirit prevented it. Maybe the Holy Spirit used something dramatic like a vision or dream; maybe it was conditions—a flooded river, news of brigands on the highway. However He did it, He eventually directed them across the Aegean Sea to Greece.

            In Greece, Paul had several significant experiences. In Philippi, a Roman colony (more about that when we read Philippians), there was apparently no Jewish synagogue, so we meet Lydia, a God-fearing Gentile. Later we meet an unnamed Romans jailer. In both cases, they are baptized along with their whole households. Two points here: Baptism begins at the beginning of the life of faith; it is the sacrament of initiation. Therefore it assumes a lifetime of following Jesus. Second, in the practice of baptizing whole households we are led to consider that that includes the children, too. So, perhaps a hint at infant baptism.

            Chapter 17 finds Paul founding a church in Thessalonica and being chased out by jealous Jews. The church remained, though, and Paul wrote two of his 13 letters to them to help them who had had their teacher ripped away too early. In Berea Paul found a warmer reception, and the Jews of the synagogue examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was correct, but trouble followed him form Thessalonica and off he went again.

            Paul’s time in Athens, the philosophical center of the world, forced him to work differently. His work attracted those philosophers, who wanted a well-reasoned account of his faith. Paul’s presentation on Mars Hill begins with their own religiosity and offers that the one god they don’t really know is indeed the one true God. Interestingly, his account leads from God as Creation right to the resurrection of Jesus, a point that was controversial in Greek philosophy.

            Chapter 18 brings Paul to Corinth (notice that the relationships and churches Paul formed on this journey account for more than half of his letters: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy). Paul stayed there for a year and half. Imagine how much more thoroughly he trained the Corinthians than he had been able to train the Thessalonians!

            In many ways, this second missionary journey was the central time of Paul’s ministry.

The Jerusalem Council

Acts 15

            The question of how a Gentile could become a Christian dominated the early church. Strict Jewish Christians insisted on circumcision (cf. Galatians). (The issue also shapes Romans and Ephesians. It’s in Colossians, too.) This may seem like a non-issue to us, because, of course, we are Gentile believers, and this question was solved in the first century.

            The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 is one of the most prominent efforts at this resolution. There was “sharp dispute and debate” that resulted in a gathering in Jerusalem, still the emotional center of the church. One of the things that is interesting to me is that because this was ultimately a theological issue, it was heard mainly by the apostles and elders. Doctrine is never up for a vote! Peter tells about his experience with Cornelius from chapter 10; Paul and Barnabas relate their activity and “what God had done among the Gentiles.” No one could question that the Lord had blessed the inclusion of the Gentiles!

            James (the brother of Jesus, not the apostle, who had been executed by Herod in 12:2) announced as much. However, at the same time he said, “Let’s not make it difficult,” he added several stipulations. The best way to understand the letter is that the apostles and elders in the mother church were asking Gentile converts to be careful of those practices that were common among Gentiles but particularly offensive to Jews. That the prohibitions were not permanent or draconian is seen in Paul’s later discussion of eating meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8-9, where he takes the same line: “It’s probably nothing, but make sure you don’t give unnecessary offense.”

Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Acts 13-14

            We refer to the events of Acts 13-14 as Paul’s first missionary journey, but that’s a bit of a misnomer for two reasons. First, Barnabas is a full partner in the work; frankly, he’s the senior partner in the work. Second, Paul didn’t go of his own volition. The church in Antioch sent him. More importantly, the Holy Spirit sent them (13:2, 4). It’s important to recognize the Holy Spirit’s role here and in our own work. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit works in hidden ways, and His direction is hard to see. Consider the calling of a pastor. There can be a lot of human maneuvering. Sometimes men angle to be considered; sometimes congregations argue and fight and disagree; sometimes the minority has it in their head to oppose the incoming pastor because he wasn’t their candidate; sometimes the incoming pastor isn’t anything like how he portrayed himself Yet, in all of that, in all of the church’s work, in her success and in her failures, the Holy Spirit guides and directs His church.

            A second thing that stands out is the shifting context. We are no longer in a familiar Jewish context. We are entering the world of the Gentiles. Jewish beliefs still loom large as Paul and Barnabas almost always begin in the synagogue, but Luke portrays that their message is received best by God-fearing Gentiles, a semi-technical term for Gentiles who were attracted to Judaism, but probably hadn’t done everything (especially circumcision!) to fully convert. One of the hints at this changing context is shifting names. In Paphos, Paul and Barnabas encounter a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, but he is more commonly known by a Greek name, Elymas. Saul himself begins to be identified as Paul (13:9), his Roman name. (We will find out later that Paul was a Roman citizen, which standing would have been to his advantage in that world.)

            Related, but third, being in a predominantly Gentile culture means that the apostles have to learn new strategies to share the faith. In Pisidian Antioch we see them making a typical presentation to a Jewish crowd (which gets them thrown out of the city—Jewish opposition really ramps up in the second half of Acts). But at Lystra, in a thoroughly pagan context, Paul and Barnabas are mistaken for Greek gods, and their approach to sharing the faith has to change.

In Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria

Acts 6-12

            Lest we think that everything was perfect in the earliest church, Luke sprinkles in several stories of conflict. In chapter 5, we read about the dishonesty of spotlight-seeking Ananias and Sapphira. In chapter 6, we read about a squabble in the church’s social ministry. Several things stand out. First, as I’ve already noted, prejudices exist. Second, the apostles don’t want the day-to-day responsibility for it. Third, in its freedom, the church creates a whole new order, commonly called the diaconate. The word deacon comes literally from the Greek word for servant. Deacons are not what we would call an ordained ministry, but they are a recognized order in the church (Philippians 1:1). While they seem to have been predominantly men (1 Timothy 3:8-10), women were also counted among them (Romans 16:1): in a similar way, our church body trains woman for service in an order called deaconesses.

            Stephen was one of the deacons, although he was certainly qualified to be what the New Testament calls an overseer, what we would call a pastor. He was full of grace, power, and wisdom. Opposition to Stephen in particular rose up in the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Perhaps Stephen was himself a former slave who had been raised in the Jewish Diaspora. Whatever the circumstances, Stephen acquitted himself well, reciting the history of Israel from Abraham to Moses. His argument was, at least in part, that the story of salvation included people who were from outside the narrow boundaries Stephen’s contemporaries had defined: he suggests that Abraham, Joseph, and Moses might not have made the cut by their rules. But when he says that his Jewish contemporaries did not actually follow the law, he went too far, and he was stoned to death.

            In chapter 8, the church finally moves out of Jerusalem, and it does it because of the great persecution that broke out. A number of things to note. First, the apostles stayed behind, and my study Bible suggests that it was primarily the Hellenistic Jewish Christians who were the object of the violence. That fits. In that day, Judaism was very narrowly defined by its most conservative practitioners, namely, the Pharisees. A Greek Jew would have been something that they tolerated without loving, but all their worst suspicions would have been confirmed if a Greek Jew started to follow Jesus! You can imagine young Saul saying, “See! I knew they couldn’t be trusted!” Second, the early church had a saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” When Tertullian said that two hundred years after the events of Acts, he meant that the more the Romans persecuted the Christians, the more people came to believe. In this context, persecution gives the impetus for taking the next step: to Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8).

            So, we read about Philip (not the apostle, but the deacon) who went literally to a city in Samaria and then, at the Spirit’s prompting, to the road to Gaza, an historically Philistine city, where he witnessed to an Ethiopian eunuch. I love the question the eunuch asks. Philip wonders if he understands the Scriptures, and eunuch wonders how he could understand without someone to explain it. We confess that the Bible is clear, that it’s main message of salvation is obvious. That does not mean the Bible is simple. There are some difficult things, and, as we’ve discovered in Today’s Light, the thread of the story is easy to lose in the details—of Moses’ law, of the lists of names, of the obscure prophets. So, there is always a place for a man in my position, whose calling is in part to explain the Scriptures to God’s people, lest they misunderstand and go astray.

            In chapter 9, Luke gives a preview of the second half of the story by introducing Saul’s conversion. I can just imagine the tailspin that put young Saul into! Paul says in Galatians that he spent 3 years thinking about it (Galatians 1:18). We’ll pick up his story in chapter 13.

            Chapters 10 and 11 tells us about Peter’s long road to accepting that Gentiles could really become followers of the Way in the story of Cornelius. Peter demonstrates himself a good Jew by refusing—even in a dream!—to eat unclean animals. He is admonished the Lord not to call unclean what the Lord has made clean. Then, he summoned to the house of a Roman centurion! There he is surprised when his testimony is confirmed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a manner reminiscent of Pentecost. Then, Peter has to explain himself to the church in Jerusalem.

            It’s hard for us to fully comprehend the prejudice that existed in 1^st century Judaism against the Gentiles, and because the first believers were all faithful Jews that prejudice afflicted them, too. I’m searching for an analogy, and the best I can come up with is the prejudice that many Christians feel against Muslims. I’d like to think that if a Muslim converted we’d be thrilled, if for no other reason than that it’s a rebuke of Islam. But if we’re honest, there’s a lot of prejudice there that might prevent us from witnessing in the first place.

            The main point of chapter 8-12 is that the church carried the Word beyond Jerusalem into the surrounding region. Chapter 13 will send Paul and Barnabas to the ends of the earth.

            One last note, though, a thing that makes me laugh every time I read it. In chapter 12, an angel springs Peter out of prison (again) and he heads for the house where the church typically meets. A servant named Rhoda opens the door, sees Peter, and leaves him sitting outside! She tries to tell the others, who don’t believer her. And there’s poor Peter, a fugitive, on a dark street, knocking! It’s one of my favorite little stories in Acts!

Strange Stories of the Apostles

Acts 5

            Acts 5 demonstrates the powerful witness the church was giving in Jerusalem and the increasing persecution that accompanied it.

            The first story is the strange story of Ananias and Sapphira. Maybe strange isn’t the right word. How about disturbing? From our perspective, the punishment seems all out of proportion to the crime. Yes, they lied, but they still made a generous gift to the church. That they were both struck dead seems wrong. I’d suggest two things. First, the main point of the story is exactly to demonstrate the power the apostles were exuding. More on that in a minute. Second, I think it demonstrates that our ways of thinking are not always in line with God’s. We think, “What’s the big deal? They were a little dishonest, but they gave most of the money…” I’m reminded, though, of Jesus observing the widow in the temple and declaring that her small gift of two cents was more than all the others because she gave out of her poverty. The Lord is not so interested in the size of the gift so much as the condition of the heart, and Ananias and Sapphira’s hearts weren’t in great condition. They were more interested in the praise that came with their gift than with making an honest gift. The problem is not that they kept some back but that they showed the true state of their hearts by lying about it.

            The power of the apostles shines through in the next section, too. There, people lay their sick out so that Peter’s shadow can cross over them. In Jerusalem at least, the apostles are perceived as more powerful than Jesus had been! No wonder the leaders of Israel wanted to silence them.

            In the story of the apostles’ arrest, notice three things. First, Peter’s assertion, “We must obey God rather than men.” It bears thinking about. Sometimes we act as if that gives us permission to defy all sorts of rules. But the thing is that the rulers had specifically forbidden something the Lord had explicitly commanded. In that case, we’d have no choice but to disobey. But there are many other cases where we submit to the government. A lot more could be said…

            Second, Gamaliel shows exceptional wisdom. If it’s from men, it will fail; if it’s from God, you can’t do anything about it.

            Third, one of the most remarkable statements in the whole book is at the end of the chapter. Having been arrested and beaten, the apostles rejoiced “because they had been counted worthy of suffering for the Name” (5:41). I daresay that’s a pretty remarkable sentiment, and one that we would be hard pressed to emulate! But they loved Jesus so much that to be abused in some small way as he had been—and that because they were testifying of Him—was counted a joy! (See James 1:2-4.)

Healing a Beggar

Acts 3-4

            In today’s reading, Peter and John heal a crippled man. This action draws a crowd and becomes an opportunity to preach about Jesus. As we’d expect, the Jewish leaders don’t appreciate the effort, but the apostles are defiant. Witness and persecution are two main themes of Acts.

            There are a couple of things to highlight in the passage. First, Peter and John understand the miracle not as their own but an extension of the healing ministry of Jesus. They also see it as a promise of a greater gift to be given—times of refreshing, ultimately poured out on the last day at the resurrection. The chief priests were particularly disturbed at this aspect of the apostles’ teaching, namely, the resurrection of the dead (4:2). Why would that be a problem? Strange as it may sound to our ears, in ancient Israel resurrection was considered a revolutionary idea—not in the sense “no one ever thought of that before,” but in the sense that it was associated with revolutionaries who sought the overthrow of the occupying powers. So, it was considered subversive, dangerous.

            The last thing to notice is Peter’s bold declaration about Jesus: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” It’s an exclusive claim very similar to Yahweh’s in the Old Testament, that He would not share His glory with another. So, Jesus claims to be the exclusive way to salvation.

Pentecost

Acts 2

            In Acts 2, the early church is empowered to engage the mission of God through the gift of the Holy Spirit. There are a lot of things we could talk about, but let’s just highlight the gift of different languages, miraculously given. That day, people from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem, and the earliest believers could tell them all about Jesus. In the second half of the book, they were sent to the ends of the earth. Again, the message is clear: the Gospel is for all people.

            The end of Peter’s sermon is of particular significance for Lutherans. Peter calls the crowd to repent (a plural verb; you, as a group, repent). It seems that Peter’s call for repentance isn’t exactly what we usually think of as repentance, which is personal sorrow over and turning away from sin. The plural seems to indicate that Peter is calling collective Israel to turn and follow the One who is really their Messiah. On the other hand, the call to be baptized is singular. The point is that opponents of infant baptism will often appeal to this passage as a way of saying that some kind of prior, self-conscious repentance is necessary before someone can be baptized. But the shift from plural to singular undermines that position. Further, the promise in verse 39, that the promise is for them and for their children, is the closest we come to an outright command to baptize babies. Certainly it tells us that babies are meant to be included in God’s saving works.

Between Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Acts 1

            The Book of Acts, written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel (1:1), is the story of the Church’s earliest days. It recounts some of their troubles—doctrinal disagreements, interpersonal inequities, personal failures—so that we never fall into the trap of dreaming of some bygone golden age. But it is not primarily a story about their struggles; it is primarily the story of how the Church—sinful and disadvantaged as it was—engaged the mission that the Lord had given them.

            That work begins in chapter 1, when Jesus declares them His witnesses. The book is structured around that command. They are to testify of Him in Jerusalem (chapters 2-7), in all the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-12), and to the ends of the earth (chapters 13-28). Interestingly, the book ends with Paul in Rome. That is a nifty flipping of expectations. Rome considered itself the center of the world, where the most important men enacted the most important events in history, but as far as the Gospel is concerned the most important person (Jesus) did the most important thing (dying and rising) in Jerusalem, making that dusty, remote city the true center of the world.

            Also in chapter 1, we read about the election of Judas’ replacement, a man name Matthias. The significance here is that the Church is true heir of Israel, so there must be 12 apostles, just as their were 12 tribes. This idea of the true Israel resounds into the second half of the book, where Paul becomes an apostle, specifically an apostle to the Gentiles, because the promises of God are for all people.

Another Layer to the Christmas Story

Luke 2

            Luke 2 contains some of the most familiar stories in all the Gospels, especially the first 20 verses, which are the Christmas story. One of the issues with that kind of familiarity are that we stop hearing everything the story has to say. As an example, we aren’t always able to hear the anti-imperial rhetoric in the story, the challenge to the powers that dominate this fallen age of the world. Consider that the birth of Caesar Augustus was considered a day of ‘good news for the world.’ ‘Savior’ and ‘Lord,’ were likewise associated with Caesar. And peace, well, Caesar brought peace, the Pax Romana, to the world. So, here is the apparatus of world domination, enforced by the might of the Roman legions, opposed by another king, born in poverty, in a backwater town, who by the end of the Gospel will reign from a cross and create peace not by His victory but by His death. Caesar can make his claims, but Jesus is the one who is truly the Savior, who brings peace.

Infancy Narrative

Luke 1

            Luke is often described as the Gospel for the Gentiles, and there is sense in which that is true. The book is addressed to Theophilos, a Gentile name if there ever was one. (It’s a Greek word which mean lover of God.)

            On the other hand, Luke throws us right into the deep end of the Old Testament. We are instantly supposed to understand about priests and the temple and sacrifices. Zechariah and Elizabeth are described in a way that calls Abraham and Elizabeth to mind. Maybe more specifically, it calls to mind Manoah and his wife, Samson’s parents, because John will also share characteristics of being a lifelong Nazirite.

            There is also the assumption that we will understand Israel’s national hopes, hopes which took shape in the era between the Testaments. For example, in 1:13 the angel announces that Zechariah’s prayers have been heard. Now, it is apparent that Zechariah has not been praying for a child; he has given that up as no longer a possibility—hence his doubt at the angel saying Elizabeth would conceive. No, what Zechariah and the people outside are praying for is ‘the redemption of Israel’ (2:25). Israelites in this period understood such redemption in terms of, say, Isaiah 60:3 and the nations streaming to Israel. They were looking for the throwing off of the yoke of foreign powers and becoming the chief power of the earth themselves. Note this is not some merely human kingdom; they legitimately believed that the Lord would reign in their midst, so there was a spiritual component, too. I’ll have to explain more about that in Bible class on Wednesday.

            The announcement of Jesus’ birth likewise drips with Old Testament language—of David and his kingdom (Ps. 2; 1 Sam. 7). But with Jesus things are different. The Lord regularly blessed barren woman with children (Sarah, Samson’s mom, Hannah), but that a virgin would conceive without the help of a man—now that’s new ground! The structure of chapters 1 and 2 make this point again and again: John is extraordinary, a miraculous child with a distinct purpose; but Jesus is even more extraordinary, more miraculous, and with a greater purpose. John is forerunner; Jesus is gift. Jesus puts it this way, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28). John is the end of the Old Testament prophets, but Jesus is their fulfillment.

Response to a Question

Zechariah 7-8

            In Zechariah 7:1-3, a delegation from one of the towns comes to Jerusalem to inquire of the Lord whether they should still fast in the fifth month as a remembrance of the destruction of Jerusalem. The Lord’s lengthy answer begins by reminding them that ritual for ritual’s sake is not good. If the ritual inspires a holier life, a life of ‘administering justice and showing mercy and compassion,’ then the ritual is having its proper effect. Then, he reminds them of His promise, that the returnees will prosper (8:3-8), and He calls them to finish the temple (8:9ff.). So, again, the prophecy is on familiar themes: finish the work of the temple, love your God, love your neighbor.

The Rest of the Night Visions

Zechariah 3-6

            Zechariah 1:8-6:15 contains a series of visions that Zechariah saw, presumably on the same night (February 15, 519 BC; 1:7), hence, The Night Visions. I wrote briefly about the first three visions earlier this week. Now for visions four to eight!

            The fourth vision names Satan, standing beside Joshua, the high priest, accusing him, and the Lord rebuking Satan. Not incidentally, Joshua’s robes are filthy (a word which usually has to do with excrement…) Satan’s work has always been to accuse; that’s what the word satan means. It’s not a proper name at all. Sometimes it can simply be translated the prosecutor The accusation here is probably that Joshua, given his uncleanness, is not worthy to be the high priest, which explains the Lord’s response, “I have chosen Jerusalem.” It’s as if the Lord were saying, “Yes, it doesn’t look like much, but it’s what I have chosen.” Ultimately, of course, Jesus puts the great rebuke on Satan by saving humanity in the most ignominious way—dying on a cross. “Now,” as St. Paul says, “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

            Vision five shows a lampstand and two olive trees sustaining it. The lampstand was one of the furnishings in the temple, so the rebuilding of the temple is most likely the subject. The two trees are Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest. Verses 6 and 10 are the keys: the temple will be completed by the Lord’s Spirit, operating through these two men. No one should look at the humble beginnings and be filled with doubt about the Lord’s desires.

            The vision of the flying scroll seems to be a warning to the returned exiles that their ancestors had been exiled at least in part because of the injustice with which they filled the land. Relatedly, the vision of the woman in a basket is a representation of the wickedness of the people being carried away.

            The last vision takes us back to the first. Here Zechariah sees a vision of four chariots, as God’s messengers go out into the world, watching over and keeping tabs on the dangerous world in which the Lord’s small community dwells.

            The last bit of chapter 6 summarizes things well. The point of the visions is very similar to the point of Haggai’s prophecy: the temple will be built; Israel will be restored.

Introducing Zechariah

Zechariah 1-2

            Zechariah locates himself as a contemporary of Haggai, beginning his prophetic work in 520 BC. As Haggai, Zechariah is also concerned about finishing the temple, but he has a more pronounced interest in general spiritual renewal, too.

            One of the things that makes Zechariah challenging to read is that he often works in visions, as in chapter one when he has a vision of a man among the myrtle trees. My study Bible points out that these are names visions, not dreams. This marks Zechariah as very much in the apocalyptic tradition of Ezekiel, in which the Lord grants visions which are to be understood in symbolic ways. Another clue is the prominence of angels in the visions. It seems as if all eight visions in chapters 1-6 in a single night.

            The visions themselves can be difficult. First, we have a rider on a red horse among the myrtle. I’ve read that the imagery portrays an armed warrior emerging from the portal between heaven and earth, the idea being that the Lord Himself is investigating the condition of Israel in regard to her enemies. This is corroborated by the second vision of horns: the nations have gone too far. They were to be the agents of the Lord’s discipline on Israel, but they have done more than they ought and their power (the horns) is now judged.

            The third vision (2:1-13) uses the image of a measuring line, but flips it from the way that Ezekiel used it. Here it is not a warning of impending judgment; rather it is transformed into a vision of abundance. The gist of the angel’s message is, “Forget the walls! The city will be too big and too glorious!” Compare Zechariah 2 against Revelation 21-22.

Give Careful Thought

Haggai

            Haggai is a prophet in the post-exilic period. He is actually very specific about his ministry. He prophesies over 4-month period in 520 BC. The exiles of Judah were allowed to return to Jerusalem in 538 BC. By 536 BC, they had returned and laid the foundations for a new temple. Then, the work stalled, initially from opposition from neighboring nations, who framed the Jewish returnees as disloyal to Persia. By the time of Haggai, the delay seems to have been caused by the returnees’ own distraction. Haggai points out: they’ve had plenty of time to build their own houses!

            A feature of Haggai’s message that stood out to me was the repeated call, “Give careful thought…” Four times in two chapters. It seems to suggest that Israel knows better and if they just thought about it a little they would come to see the error of their ways. In my line of work, that resonates. I often feel like I don’t say anything particularly new and insightful in a sermon; preaching is really a practice in reminding God’s people what they already know (or already should know). In a famous passage in Galatians 5, St. Paul gives an extensive list of the works of the flesh, and as he often does in those sorts of contexts, the implication is, “You know this already; you know to avoid this.” Then he lists the nine fruits of the Spirit, and he (almost sarcastically) says, “Against such things there is no law,” as if to say, “Come on. This is obvious.”

            Intentionality is a buzzword these days. Even my fitness tracker reminds me to be mindful. It’s hardly a new idea. 2500 years ago, Haggai reminded God’s people, “Give careful attention to your faith.”

Zephaniah

Zephaniah

            Zephaniah identifies himself as a descendant of Hezekiah, part of the nobility of Judah. Isn’t it interesting the various backgrounds from which the Lord calls His messengers—from noble Zephaniah to common Amos, the shepherd and fig farmer!

            Zephaniah also places himself during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). My study Bible suggests a date in the 620s, noting that a Scythian invasion (known from history but not in the Bible) as the occasion. If that’s correct, Zephaniah would have been a contemporary of the young Jeremiah.

            Like several of the prophets, Zephaniah’s main theme is the impending judgment of the Lord. If Zephaniah stands out from that pack, it may be in the sweeping way he announces that judgment. He says that in addition to judgment on human wickedness, the non-sentient creation will also be caught up in it (1:3). Most famous is his statement in 1:15, famously embodied in the Requiem Mass. The requiem mass was the medieval name for the service sung at the death of a Christian. It’s been famously set to music by a number of great composers, but if you were to look up the Sequence in Mozart’s requiem, you might well recognize it. “A day of wrath, a day of ashes.” In our hymnal, the judgment is toned down, but the song is adapted in hymn #508, “The Day is Surely Drawing Near.”

            Zephaniah does not get around to good news until chapter 3, where he prophesies the purification of the people of Judah and their return from exile, an event still at least a decade in the future. For all of His frustration with His people, He remains faithful to His promises. Salvation would come from the people of Israel, and that means that a remnant must remain until Jesus arrives.

Habakkuk’s Prayer

Habakkuk 3

            What do you do when you just don’t understand what the Lord is up to? You pray.

            Habakkuk’s prayer begins with praise, that is, the recitation of the Lord’s saving acts. Technically speaking, the only portion of Habakkuk’s prayer that is truly prayer is verse 2, where the prophet asks the Lord to repeat His intervention in terms similar to the Exodus. Most of the chapter (verses 3-15) is tied up in reciting how the Lord saved Israel in the past. While the imagery varies, it remains clear the prophet is alluding to the way the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt. (The language of plagues and the sea strengthens that connection.) Finally, Habakkuk accepts the answer to his prayer, deciding to wait patiently for the God who had so wondrously delivered Israel in the past to do the same in his day.

            I maintain that prayer and praise are two different modes of speech. They are related, but they are different. Praise forms the basis for prayer. As we recount the Lord’s mighty deeds, as we preach the Gospel to ourselves, especially that the Lord has saved us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, we are reminded why this God is a God we can count on, from whom we can ask. After all, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things” (Rom. 8:32)? Prayer, then, technically, is the request. Notice that Habakkuk’s confidence is not in his prayer, but in His God who has saved in the past.

Excuse Me?

Habakkuk 1-2

            Poor Habakkuk. He observes and bemoans the wickedness of Judah (1:2-4), and he gets an answer he neither expected nor wanted: the Lord will send the Babylonians as the agents of His divine judgment (1:5-11). Habakkuk can’t believe it! In 1:12-2:1, the prophet objects, “They’re worse than us!” “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil!” The Lord’s answer (2:2-20) demonstrates that He knows the weakness of His instrument, Babylon’s arrogance. The Lord, reigning from His holy temple, will sort things out, including judgment on Babylon.

Good News for Who?

Nahum 1-3

            We sure have seen the nations threatened and condemned—a lot!—in the prophets. Here the victim is Nineveh. (Whatever positive effect Jonah had didn’t last very long!)

            It’s hard to keep on reading these prophecies of judgment. The question is: is this good news or bad news? And the answer is: are you a Ninevite or an Israelite? When the nations are being judged, it is very bad news for them, and if we assume that we occupy the role of Nineveh here it’s very bad news for us! However, for Israel, the fall of Nineveh is very good news, the destruction of their enemies.

            An important consideration in reading the Old Testament—from Exodus on—is that the nations are cast as the enemies of the people of God. So, when we read about the total destruction of the Canaanites or when we read about the impending doom of Nineveh, we New Testament readers need to think of those two groups in the same way that we think of the defeat of sin, Satan, and death—our races truest enemies. As the Lord defends and protects Israel against her all too human and political enemies, so, too, in the death of Jesus does He defend and protect against our all too demonic enemies.

The Rising Again of Israel

Micah 7

            I wonder if Jesus had Micah 7:6 in mind when He said that He didn’t come to bring peace but a sword? NIV punctuates it like it’s a quote (Matthew 10:34-35). Since the end of Micah 7 prophesies the rising again of Israel, what Jesus had in mind might be that His followers were the true remnant of Israel and that the hallmark of His people would be their loyalty to Jesus.

Counterpoint

Micah 5

            Micah 5:1-9 is the completion of Micah 6:8-13, structurally speaking. It’s easiest to show it graphically:

            A The Lord strengthens a remnant (4:6-7a)

                        B Dominion restored (4:7b-8)

                                    C Zion and her king are humiliated (4:9-10)

                                                D Zion saved from the present crisis (4:11-13)

                                    C’ Zion and her king are humiliated (5:1)

                        B’ Dominion restored (5:2-6)

            A’ The Lord strengthens a remnant (5:7-9)—Source, Robert Chisholm, Handbook of the Prophets, p.422)

The message is that the Lord has plans for Israel: they will be restored to the land. The present trouble, including the failure of her kings and the fall of Jerusalem, fit into that plan. Ultimately, those who oppose God and His people will be destroyed, and God’s purposes will be fulfilled.

Offense and Blessing

Micah 3-4

            It’s not much of a title today, but the first part of the reading seems really to focus on things that offend the Lord. First (and third, 3:1-4, 9-12) is a judgment on the oppression of the poor by the rich, described very graphically as “tearing skin off from bone.” In our day, we hear a lot about the growing wealth gap between the very rich and the increasing number of poor, but I suspect most of us never think about that phenomenon in spiritual terms. Let me just suggest that—scratch that, let Micah suggest—Christians should be just as fierce an advocate of curbing CEO pay, limiting corporate profits, and a serious social safety net as they are about any other political issue.

            Second, the Lord is beside Himself about false prophets, prophets who will preach anything as long as they get paid and their bellies are full (3:5-8). Again, a contemporary application: preachers better be preaching Law and Gospel, not self-help—and a lot of contemporary preaching has more to do with that than with the Word of God. The preacher is called to say, with the prophets, “Thus says the Lord!”

            Slipped into this judgment is a beautiful little prophesy of blessing and restoration, reconciliation with the Lord, and the establishment of His peace. (Micah 4:1-3 is very, very similar to Isaiah 2:1-4.) But it doesn’t last for long, and the chapter continues with a warning that that day of restoration is not yet. The day of restoration is not yet. Israel must go through its purification, but the Lord will give His people the ultimate victory (4:11-13).

Introducing Micah

Micah 1-2

            Micah places himself as a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. He prophesies in the run-up to the fall of Samaria. Unlike Isaiah, Micah is not from urban Jerusalem; he is a villager from Moresheth, probably in the southern part of Judah.

            Micah’s prophesy runs generally in three cycles of judgment and hope: chapters 1-2, 3-5, and 6-7. In the first of those cycles, our reading for today, Micah condemns idolatry. One of his points is that Judah has been infected with the idolatry that is so prevalent in Samaria. He also condemns social injustice, especially as the rich and powerful defraud the poor. Still, the Lord will not abandon His people entirely, and He will gather a remnant as a flock in a pen.

The Reluctant Prophet

Jonah 1-4

            The story of Jonah has been familiar to many of us since Sunday school. Jonah, called by God to prophesy to Nineveh, flees in the opposite direction. Caught in a life-threatening storm sent by the Lord, the prophet is thrown overboard, swallowed by a huge fish, and spit up on shore to go to Nineveh.

            Two things we don’t often note, though: first, when Jonah gets to Nineveh, he does the barest of minimums. We are told that Nineveh is a huge city, but Jonah’s preaching seems designed to have the smallest impact. In Hebrew, his sermon is literally five words long, “Five days more, Nineveh overturned.” Yet, despite the prophet’s meager efforts, the whole city, all the way to the king, repents. There’s a lesson there about the power of God’s Word.  The power is not in the eloquence or skill of the preacher, but in the Word. As Isaiah tells us, God’s Word accomplishes what He desires.

            The second thing to note is in chapter 4. When the Lord has mercy on Nineveh, Jonah is angry and he tells the Lord, “This is why I didn’t want to come. I knew you would be merciful.” What he means but doesn’t say out loud is, “These people don’t deserve your mercy.” Wow. You’d like to think that we’re better, but guess what… We’re not. I remember in the weeks after 9/11, someone in Bible class got talking about Osama bin Laden along the lines of, “I hope he rots in hell.” When I gently reminded him of Jesus’ words, “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you,” (“Luke 6:27), he did not take it well at all. And there are other examples of the ways that we talk about the other, that tell us we’re not so different.

            The thing that Jonah lost sight of was that Israel didn’t deserve God’s mercy, either. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 reminds, “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” To steal a line from St. Paul, “It is by grace Israel was saved.” And it’s still the case, “By grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves—it is the gift of God, not by works so that no man can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

            So, neither the prophet nor we should ever lose sight of who God’s grace is for—every single human being, no matter how wicked we judge them—beginning with us.

Obadiah

Obadiah

            Obadiah gives us only his name, so we can only speculate about when he gave his prophecy. On the basis of verses 11-14, which portray Edom as standing by and gloating while an enemy besieges Jerusalem and which condemn Edom for joining in the sack of the city and hunting fugitives—on that basis it seems most likely that Obadiah prophesied around 586 BC, when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem.

            Whatever the occasion of the prophecy, what remains clear is that the Lord regards Edom and Israel as brothers (vv. 10, 12). Edom was descended from Esau, and so, in a historical sense, was exactly Israel’s brother. Edom’s history with Israel was long and checkered, marked by tension, open hostility, and warfare. (Saul and David both made war against Edom.) Of course, the relationship between Jacob and Esau was also rocky, so maybe an ongoing sibling rivalry is not unexpected. Despite this history, Obadiah clearly expected that Edom should have at least stayed out of Israel’s troubles, if not actively helping her. Certainly Edom should not have aided and abetted Israel’s attackers.

            And, so, Edom is treated like just another of the nations: under the Lord’s judgment because of her abuse of God’s holy people.

Prophetic Perspective

Joel 3

            As Joel wraps up his prophecy, he looks forward to a day of judgment on Israel’s enemies and a day of restoration. This makes a good time to comment on what is called prophetic perspective. Joel is seeing a locust infestation, but he can see indistinctly meaning beyond that initial crisis. He likens those locusts to an invading army—whether that’s the Assyrians or the Babylonians or some other army, who knows. But the locusts are clearly a foreshadowing of something greater, which Joel summarizes as the day of the Lord. And as we read on, we see that the day of the Lord is greater than even the defeat of Israel’s enemies. He talks of multitudes gathered for judgment and the darkening of the skies. We can see in that a foreshadowing of the last day. Joel probably doesn’t see all of that, but the words which the Lord inspires him to utter contain all of that.

A Locust Hoard and the Day of the Lord

Joel 1-2

            Joel’s prophecy focuses on the devastation caused by a locust hoard. If 1: 4 is to be taken literally, it might have even been a succession of locust hoards. Some suggest a drought also afflicted Israel.

            Joel uses these natural disasters as an opportunity to call Israel to repentance. They are a foreshadowing of the day of the Lord, a day of destruction for Israel (1:15), “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (2:2). Notice in 2:4-9 how Joel likens them to soldiers and how in 2:20 he refers to the locusts as “the northern horde.” Both Assyria and Babylon, while technically northeast and due east respectively, would have invaded from the north.

            This notion that disasters in the present are foreshadowings of God’s end-time judgment is important. Sometimes we want to know what present evil has occurred to occasion our troubles, but Joel offers an alternative explanation: they are reminders that the Lord will eventually judge a fallen world.

            Significantly, Joel prophesies that the Lord’s judgment is not His final word. He has a new age in store (2:28-32), a passage Peter quotes in connection to Pentecost (Acts). Peter’s appropriation of Joel 2 reminds us Christians that we already live in that new age through faith and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Out of the Blue?

Hosea 13

            After 13 verses detailing Ephraim’s arrogance and the Lord’s threats against her, like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, comes verse 14, “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” In one way, it makes no sense, especially since the words of judgment pick up again in verse 15.

            So, it is possible, and many commentators argue for it and some modern translations do it, to translate verse 14 as rhetorical questions, “Shall I deliver this people? Shall I redeem them?” One commentator puts it this way, “This would be like a judge saying, ‘Shall I let this prisoner go? Executioner, where is your axe? I will not have pity.’” It makes a lot more sense contextually!

            On the other hand, in his great chapter on the resurrection, Paul quotes this verse about the defeat of death (1 Corinthians 15:55). So, Paul, at least, took it as a promise not a threat.

            What if it’s both? What if the original reader is supposed to read the question, “Shall I deliver?” and think, “Well, the Lord would certainly be in His rights not to deliver! He’s made an airtight case for the unfaithfulness of Israel. Exile was the long-threatened punishment for breaking the covenant. Israel certainly has it coming.” But what if the ambiguity is supposed to move them further so that they say, “On the other hand, the Lord promises that His anger will not burn forever, that He delights in mercy, and that He has purposes for Israel that are not yet fulfilled. Maybe there is yet hope.”

            As C.F.W. Walthers directs, “Do not hold forth with the Law too long; let the Gospel follow promptly. When the law has made the iron to flow, apply the Gospel immediately to shape it into a proper form; if the iron is allowed to cool, nothing can be done with it” (The Proper Distinction, Lecture 39).

Out of Egypt

Hosea 11-12

            Matthew plucks Hosea 11:1 out of the Old Testament and applies it to the Holy Family escaping from Herod’s assault on the infants of Bethlehem by fleeing to Egypt and their return to Nazareth (Matthew 2:13-23). On the surface, Matthew seems to choosing a verse that has very little to do with the story at hand. I mean, in Hosea 11, the bringing out of Israel is followed by a recitation of their persistent disobedience. By I think Matthew is making a deliberate contrast: Israel was called out of Israel and became disobedient in the wilderness, but in Matthew 3, Jesus, who obediently came out of Israel, submits to John’s baptism and takes up a vocation of righteousness. Hosea is setting up the next two chapters of God’s love for Israel and Israel’s scorning of the love. Matthew is showing Jesus to be everything Israel was supposed to have been, the fulfillment of the Lord’s plans through that people.

            Which brings us to 11:8ff… Here the Lord demonstrates His heart. He loves Israel so much that He struggles with having to discipline them as they need to be disciplined. I talk often about the difference between God’s alien work and His proper work. God’s alien work, the work that is not natural for Him, is the work of punishment. No parent wants to punish their child, but sometimes a child’s disobedience forces a parent to it. So, too, with the Lord. Indeed, the Lord is the best of fathers, and His proper work, the work that reflects His deepest being, is to bless and care for us.

            Why doesn’t the Lord’s love just overturn all punishment? Because Israel (and we!) continue to resist. In chapter 12:4, especially, we see it. Israel’s forefather was named Jacob, but from the womb and well into adult life, he resisted the Lord’s claim on his life. Famously, he wrestled the angel on the banks of the Jabbok (Genesis 32:22-32). There’s a complexity to our relationship to the Lord. Having given us our own agency, we are free to resist Him, to wrestle with Him, and we do. The Lord’s love is steadfast and while He disciplines us when we disobey, His love endures forever. Consider Hosea 12:9: “I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed festivals.” He doesn’t give up on Israel, and He doesn’t give up on us.

What Does This Mean for Us?

Hosea 9-10

            You know, sometimes I read the prophets and it just strikes me, “This is still God’s Word.” I mean, it’s not like it only applied 2700 years ago in the specific instance of Israel and her disregarding of the covenant the Lord made with her. Now, if you’ve ever sat in one of my Bible studies, you know that you have to be careful with the way that you bring it forward and apply, but it does still apply.

            What do these condemnations have to say to us? First, let’s remember that the Lord never completely abandoned His project with Israel. He did indeed fulfill the promises He made that through her all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. By the time that promise is fulfilled, there’s really only one truly faithful Israelite, namely, Jesus, but He did achieve His purpose. The Lord still promises today that His church will endure, that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. So, we have that assurance, even if there are only 7000 left (1 Kings 19:18), the church will endure and the Lord’s purposes through it—to bring the good news of Jesus to the world—will be achieved.

            Second, though, our reading today is pretty short on promises! How do these condemnations apply to us?  For starters, Hosea 9:7 says, “The prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac.” How does that apply? I’m writing this at my district pastors’ conference, and the speaker just made a point about the way we often simply don’t hear God’s Word. He preached a funeral sermon and talked in it about the wages of sin being death; he made the point the sin was the cause of death. One of his congregation corrected him, “Oh, no. She died of cancer.” Sin is definitely a teaching of Scripture that is unpopular. No one likes to have their sins pointed out. In many ways, we (including this preacher) soft-peddle sin and its effects.

            Scorn for God and His Word, pursuing prosperity and a comfortable life, pursuing one’s own interests at the expense of others—these are things that Hosea condemns Israel for, laying them out as reasons for the Lord’s anger and the impending judgment. And put Israel’s sins that way and we realize the same charges could be applied to us today! Are we then under the threat of exile or destruction? Maybe. A principle I stand by, “God has promised that His church will endure until the second coming; He has not promised it will meet in your neighborhood.”

            These are sobering thoughts, but as I’ve said, these are the words of God, and they still apply to us these many years later. At the least, this ought to motivate us to examine our hearts and lives, to repent our sins and receive forgiveness, and to strive to live out our faith.

Images of Israel’s Sin

Hosea 7-8

            Chapters 7-8 use several images for Israel’s sin that make some important points about the nature of sin. First up, 7:3, in which they delight in sin. Sometimes we are caught up in sins and loathe ourselves for it (Romans 7:21-25). Other times we are so used to, habituated to, our sin that it becomes normal; we don’t even notice it as sin anymore. That’s delighting in sin!

            Second, I found the likening of sin to an oven powerful. But it’s not just any oven; it’s an oven that doesn’t need stirring because it’s always hot. What an image for the constant temptation of sin! Because sin is always ready to seize us, we need to be constantly aware of its burning in us.

            Finally, today I appreciated 8:7, “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” My Bible’s cross-references remind me that we’ve read something similar before, but it’s an important reminder: play with the fire of sin and you get burned.

            So, today, a reminder to be on the watch for temptations to violate the Lord’s commands and to deal with our sin with immediate repentance. (Fortunately for me, my other devotions today included Psalm 86:5, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good!”)

Hosea 5-6

Hosea 5-6

            It’s so easy to think, “All Israel had to do was trust the Lord,” but it’s not always that simple. Well, it is that simple, but we don’t see things clearly. Imagine Israel. Hosea says they are sick and covered in sores (5:13). They know things aren’t going their way. They are surrounded by more powerful enemies Their economy is being squeezed. Things look grim. What’s the most natural thing to do? Find an ally. So, they turn to Assyria. What the Lord wanted was a radical dependence on him, that they would forsake their dalliances with the nations around them and their gods. I daresay we’re the same way. We want to rely on the Lord; we think we do. But our confidence is ultimately in different places—in our own abilities to fix our problems, in our finances to see us through, whatever. Those are pretty natural places to look for security, and we often don’t see it for the idolatry that it is.

            There are some important lines in chapter 6. The first paragraph (vv. 1-3) seem to be Israel’s confession, that the Lord who punishes also restores and that they only need to seek Him. The reference to “after two days, after three” in verse 2 may be the Scripture Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians 15:4 when he says that Jesus “was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Second, Jesus quote 6:6 in Matthew 9 and 12. The point here is that God doesn’t want mere mechanical performance of the sacrificial system; what matters is faith, faith that is active and living and manifests itself in a changed life. There’s a lot more that could be said there! I direct you to the Small Catechism and its discussion of Baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar. Finally, there’s a translational issue at 6:7. NIV takes Adam as referring to a place, down near the Jordan River. But the NIV’s footnote indicates that it could also be translated “like human beings.” NIV favors the first because of the second half of the verse and the word there that is there. Still, it’s interesting to think that maybe Hosea was being intentionally ambiguous, reminding Israel that for all her special role in God’s plan of salvation, she was still only human and therefore as much a part of God’s problem as the Gentiles.

Still Adulterers

Hosea 3-4

            Once again, Hosea’s marriage reflects the relationship of Israel with the Lord, and the prophet is sent to regain his wife. Apparently she had become a slave in the interim, because he had to redeem her for 15 shekels and some barley. Think about that: she had desired freedom to pursue her lovers and that had ended badly for her. There’s a lesson there: in our sinfulness, we think we can do better making our own choices, but the ways of God are always better in the long run—even if that long run takes us into the resurrection before we see the blessed outcomes.

            Chapter 4 has a lot going on. First, reading the prophets one would think the Israelites were a horrible people. I wonder if we need to understand some of the indictment in verse 2 in the way Jesus explains the 10 Commandments in Matthew 5. By that I mean, there’s probably no more actual murder in Israel than anywhere else (even if there should be less among God’s people), but Jesus explains that even anger is a violation of the 5^th Commandment. Second, my study Bible says that verses 4-9 are an indictment of the Levitical priests, and I see that. But the priests aren’t named as the subject right away. It’s just possible the verse 6, “I reject you as priests” is not just a rejection of that particular class, but a rejection of all of Israel who are a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6). To be clear, I think that the Levitical priests become the subject later in the passage. Third, I note the statement that the women will not be held guilty for adultery because it is the men encourage that behavior and are just as guilty. (That last makes a nice contrast with some of the things we read in Exodus and Leviticus, which always seemed to place the greater burden on the woman.)

Hosea

Hosea 1-2

            When we turn the page from Daniel to Hosea, we are going back in time. Hosea is part of a collection called the minor prophets or sometimes the Book of the Twelve. These are minor prophets only in the sense that they are much shorter than Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel. And they are collected from all over Israel’s history—from the 8^th century BC to the 5^th century. Hosea may be the oldest of them. He identifies his ministry with King Uzziah, making him roughly a contemporary of Isaiah.

            Hosea casts his prophecy around his own life experience. The prophet is told to marry a promiscuous woman, perhaps even a prostitute. He has children by her, named successively, Jezreel, a prophecy against the house of Jehu, Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi, twin prophecies against faithless Israel, who is just like adulterous Gomer. We’ve talked before about the analogy between adultery and idolatry. Idolatry is not just some sin. It is a sin that violated God to His very core, just as adultery violates a marriage to its core.

Dreams and Angels

Daniel 10-12

            Danel has a dream, well, I guess a vision technically. Whatever. He is talking to a man shining and golden, probably an angelic being. Angels figure prominently in this kind of literature. In fact, a lot of what we think we know about angels and demons has more to do with non-biblical books in this same style from this period.

            Anyway, the angel lays out a very thorough history between a king of the south and a king of the north. My study bible explicates chapter 11 in terms of the breakup of the kingdom of Alexander the Great and the intermittent war between two parts of that broken kingdom: the Ptolemaic (Egypt) and Seleucid (Syria) Empires. This story culminates with the king of the north invading and persecuting Israel. This is a reference to events that happened about 170 BC, when the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, conquered Jerusalem and desecrated the temple.

            Whenever things look bleak for God’s people, they look to the future when the Lord will set all things right. So, too, Daniel, who looks for a great confrontation and the resurrection and everlasting life. No wonder that by Jesus’ day so many Jews were ready to think that the day of the Lord was right at hand!

Daniel’s Prayer and Seventy Sevens

Daniel 9

            The first part of Daniel is straightforward enough. Daniel recognizes that he’s been in Babylon almost 70 years (605-538 BC) and prays that the Lord would keep His promise through Jeremiah that the exile would only last 70 years. One interesting note in Daniel’s prayer is the way that he contrasts the Lord’s righteousness with Israel’s sin. One scholar thinks that when we read “righteousness” in the Bible, we should not think of God’s “moral rectitude” but of His “covenant faithfulness.” That is, He had told them the consequences of violating the covenant terms, so He was just when He exiled them. But He also promised to hear and restore, and His righteousness would be proved by keeping that promise.

            Much more difficult is the promise of 70 sevens. At the outset, we need to acknowledge that 70 sevens is pretty obviously a symbolic phrase, probably of some divinely set span of time. But the temptation is to take it literally. Certainly by the century before Jesus, Jewish people were working those number and working them hard, because 70 time 7 is 490, and by 100 BC, it was closing in on 490 years since Daniel had begun his work. So, these verses were being applied feverishly and those times were filled with wild expectation that the day of God’s great intervention was at hand.

            Now, the early church inherited Daniel along with the rest of the Old Testament from their Jewish forebears. And there’s a lot in these verses that they would see in hindsight as referring to the Messiah. First, the Anointed One is literally the messiah. Second, there is a clear statement that the Anointed One would be killed Third, Jesus Himself had spoken of the abomination of desolation when He prophesied the destruction of the Temple. The final seven, then, was taken as the remainder of the era between Jesus resurrection and His second coming.

            Whatever we make of the details—and a lot has been written!—Jesus clearly referred to this chapter, too, so we have to struggle with it as we try to understand what He said about His own ministry.

The First True Apocalyptic Visions

Daniel 7-8

            Oof. What a set of chapters! Literally dozens and dozens of books are written about this portion of Daniel.

            First, there are connections with the prior chapters of Daniel. In chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar had been struck down so that he lived as a beast of the field, and in chapter 6 Daniel had been thrown to the wild beasts. So, the connection with the pagan nations with wild beasts is well-established. Additionally, in chapters 1and 5 Daniel had predicted the demise of Babylon, so a vision that speaks of successive empires fits.

            Whether in chapter 1 or here in chapter 7, the idea of four successive kingdoms makes the majority of scholar think that Daniel was written much later than Daniel himself. Daniel was active from at least 605 BC to 536 BC, but most scholars assume the book wasn’t written until about 160 BC. The Persians almost bloodlessly took over the city of Babylon in 539 BC, and the rest of the empire quickly followed. The Persians ruled the ancient near east for two centuries, until the conquest of Alexander the Great, a Greek, in a series of campaigns from 334 BC to 323 BC. Alexander died shortly thereafter, and his empire was divided into four parts, given to his four leading generals. At first the Egyptian quadrant ruled Israel, but Israel came under the control of the Syrian quadrant (the Seleucids) in 187 BC and a period of intense persecution followed until 175 BC. In 167 BC, a Jewish revolt under the leadership of the Maccabees threw off the Seleucid yoke. Most commentators, then, see Daniel 7 not as a prophecy of the future but a retelling of history.

            Whether Daniel was written in the 500s (the traditional view) or the 160s (the modern view), the fourth kingdom was still in the near future. Perhaps it should be identified with Rome, which was first starting to assert itself in the Mediterranean in this time period; maybe it should be identified with the Seleucids. Many Jews in the Maccabean period seem to have thought of this last kingdom in the latter way and they were looking carefully for the rise of God’s everlasting kingdom (7:26-27).

            As apocalyptic, the language here is highly symbolic. The idea of beasts should be understood as pagan powers. The various animal parts are intended to draw on popular associations. The lion was the most powerful of the land animals, and the eagle the most powerful of the animals in the sky. The bear was known for its power and ferocity, the leopard for its speed. Numbers also had symbolic force: 7 was God’s number, 10 the fullness of earthly power, 4 indicative of the 4 corners of the earth.

            From a New Testament perspective, the most important part is Daniel 7:9-14, the vision of the Ancient of Days and one like a son of man. In the centuries before Jesus, messianic expectation was at an all time high. So, when Jesus chose to refer to Himself as the Son of Man, he was tapping into widely known messianic expectation.

            There’s a lot more that could be said. I’ll deal with it in my Wednesday morning Bible class this week.

The Stories of Daniel

Daniel 2-6

            Daniel 2: Pharaoh had been troubled by his dreams of plenty and famine (Genesis 41), but he had at least told his magicians and wise men the dream before asking for an interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar is a breed apart and demands that his magicians not only tell him what his dream means; they must also tell him what the dream was. (One gets the impression that the king of Babylon knew that many of his advisers were shysters…) Enter Daniel, who like Joseph before him, gives the credit to the Lord.

            Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was about a huge statue made of gold, silver, bronze, and clay which was destroyed by a rock and crashed to the ground. Most modern scholars think the whole scene was made up after the fact to describe the succession of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and eventually Syrians (technically the Seleucids, a Greek people ruling over Syria) as the nations that oppressed Israel. Of course, if you don’t believe that God knows the future, you have to find a different explanation. The reality is that the dream has Babylon as the gold, but historically you could argue that Persia and Greece were the greater empires. The dream and its interpretations seem to have two purposes. First, it seems designed to stoke Nebuchadnezzar’s ego, similar to the way that the Lord enticed Pharaoh to arrogance so that He could glorify His name. Second, it looks forward to a lasting kingdom, which in Christian reflection means the kingdom of the Messiah.

            Daniel 3: Having dreamed about a statue, Nebuchadnezzar builds himself a statue and its quite a thing—90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. Think a giant obelisk, or in the language of archaeology, a stele. He falls right into the trap of arrogance laid for him. The three young men: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship and are thrown into a blazing furnace. Two quick notes: first, the fiery furnace should remind us for fiery trial, that is, the difficulties that come on us to test our faith. (The testing of faith is a theme through Daniel—part of that no-compromise agenda.) Second, when the king looks in the furnace, he sees four men, and one looks a son of the gods. The fourth may have been an angel, or it may have been the pre-incarnate Christ, that is the legitimate Son of God. Daniel is filled with messianic expectation.

            Daniel 4: Daniel 4 takes the form of a letter after the fact. Nebuchadnezzar narrates a story about a dream with a great tree cut down, it’s interpretation by Daniel, namely, that Nebuchadnezzar will be punished for his arrogance, and the fulfillment of that threat. The point of the thing is at the end of the chapter when Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the God of Israel. Another theme of Daniel: the pagan kings cannot help but acknowledge the Lord’s power.

            Daniel 5: That same theme continues in chapter 5, where, on the night of the Persian conquest of Babylon, the king is having a banquet. Filled with pride in his own power, a hand writes a message on the wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin—“Your days are numbered; you have been weighed; your kingdom is divided.” The Lord judges the great nations and His power can only be recognized, never denied.

            There’s a difficulty in chapter 5, namely, that it says Darius the Mede conquered Babylon. Historically, Cyrus was the Persian king who accomplished that in 539 BC. Skeptics will look at that and use it as evidence that the Bible is inaccurate. However, consult a decent study Bible and you will see there are ways to explain it.

            Daniel 6: The last chapter this week tells the familiar story of Daniel and the lion’s den, one of those iconic Sunday school stories. As adults we notice the continuation of the themes that God’s people are never to compromise their faith, no matter what the consequences, and that the Lord is able to deliver from every threat. Notice, too, the deep identification of pagan powers with beasts: Nebuchadnezzar becoming a beast, the king of Persia using wild beasts to impose his will. Why notice that? The vision of succeeding kingdoms and their beastly nature lies behind the fantastic visions that will occupy us next week.

Introducing Daniel

Daniel 1

            Daniel’s life experience takes us from 605 BC to about 536 BC, a span that takes us from Daniel’s childhood to his golden years. We can easily imagine Daniel being a tween, about 12, though that’s just a guess, when he was chosen for training, and that means he would have lived and worked to a good, old age of at least 81.

            Daniel is clearly patterned on Joseph, from the book of Genesis. He is portrayed as a sort of golden boy, handsome and bright, just as Joseph quickly rose to prominence both in Potiphar’s house, where he, unfortunately, became desirable to his master’s wife; in the prison in which he was incarcerated; and before Pharaoh. Just as Joseph served in the courts of a foreign power, so did Daniel; just as Joseph interpreted dreams, so did Daniel.

            More than a replay of Joseph, though, Daniel became an example of how an Israelite could stay faithful to their God in face of tremendous pressure to compromise. In this chapter, he proposes a small test to demonstrate that staying kosher was possible and even better than the alternatives.

            This no-compromise theme runs through Daniel. No wonder it became one of the most referenced books in the period between the Testaments! In the centuries after the exile, it seems that Israel determined never to fall into idolatry again. (See, for example, Ezra and the controversy around intermarrying with pagans.) Beginning with the conquest of Alexander the Great in the late 300s and running for the next two centuries with Alexander’s successors, Israel faced incredible pressure to hellenize, that is, to adopt Greek practices and to soften some of their more distinctive practices; their refusal led to all sorts of persecution. In such an environment, the example of Daniel shown brightly. So Daniel became the great example of a man who could beat the pagans at their own games but do it on the Lord’s terms. No wonder he became a hero.

 

            Now, the book of Daniel works in two parts. Chapters one to six are full of stories, many of which a modern reader will find familiar. The three men in the fiery furnace are here. So, is the origin of the phrase, “The writing in on the wall.” And the very famous story of Daniel in the lions’ den rounds out the section. Keep these stories in mind, because the last six chapters are filled with fantastic visions (the technical term for them is apocalyptic), and, if we pay attention, we will see how the stories provide the framework for understanding the visions. (I personally find N. T. Wright’s summary of Daniel in The New Testament and the People of God, pages 292-294, very helpful, and I’ll be relying on it in this blog quite a lot.)

Ezekiel’s Vision of the Temple, Part 1

Ezekiel 40-42

            Ezekiel’s culminating vision concerns a new and rebuilt temple. The instructions are very detailed, and one can find pictures online that demonstrate that detail. Some think that this is the temple Zerubbabel should have built after the exile. Some think it will be built in the future—both Jews and some Christians. Probably the whole thing is an idealized vision. A few details confirm that judgment. First, notice that Ezekiel envisions temple courts that are a perfect square, suggesting maybe a symbolic description. Second, in chapter 47, we’ll read about a river flowing out the temple, a geographic feature that never existed on the top of Mt. Zion. Probably we are to think of this temple as an idealized vision and the lesson in its detailed description is that, if the temple is ever rebuilt, Israel must treat the temple as holy, unlike the desecrations of the earlier chapters.

The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37-39

            Wrapping up this section of Ezekiel needs two comments. The first is about Ezekiel’s most famous vision: whether you knew it was his or not, almost everyone knows the vision of the valley of dry bones. The big question, of course, is what is this vision about. My answer makes some assumptions. I assume that understanding the fullness of God’s revelation is only possible after the ministry of Jesus, especially after His death and resurrection. That is the lens which brings the Scriptures into focus. So, for example, although there is evidence of the Trinity all the way back to Genesis 1, it wasn’t until the church reflected on the nature of God in the light of Christ that we came to confess it fully. In terms of Ezekiel 37, I think we need to recognize that Israel’s understanding of the afterlife was long in developing. In many of the psalms, for example, we find the word Sheol, the grave, the place of the dead, and it is a nasty place, described as dark and wet, like a dungeon. No one praises the Lord from there (Psalm 6:5, a psalm of David). Yet, by Psalm 116 (unattributed and undated), we read that the death of the Lord’s holy ones weighs on Him, and David himself hints at some kind of hope beyond death. Still, I don’t think Israel had really thought about bodily resurrection until much later, 150 years before Jesus or so. So, the vision of the valley of dry bones is, in its first instance, a prophecy about Israel’s national restoration. We can’t discount that this vision fired the imagination and understanding of later generations who came back here to better understand the fate of God’s people after their physical death. Even though I don’t think that’s what Ezekiel was talking about at the time, certainly in mature reflection we see here an image that draws us forward to the resurrection on the last day.

            The second comment is from chapter 38 and the naming of Gog, from the land of Magog. Probably this is some unknown ruler for what we name as Asia Minor, and the point is that the Lord’s justice will extend to the farthest nations. The problem is that Gog and Magog are named in Revelation 20, and dispensationalists have set all sorts of people’s hair on fire about some mythic, end-time battle called Armageddon. So, let the Ezekiel set the terms on which Revelation draws, and Armageddon becomes a sort of symbol for the world’s opposition to the Lord and His church, which extends until His return in glory. May be I’ll be able to comment on that when we get to Revelation later this year, but for now, let’s just see Gog of Magog as one more nation against whom the Lord speaks.

Catching Up

Ezekiel 28-39

            I’m sorry I’ve been very lax about this blog. Here are some notes from the last several days’ readings.

            In chapter 28, there is a reference to Noah, Job, and Daniel as proverbial figures of wisdom (also in chapter 14). The odd man out here is Daniel, because the only Biblical character of that name is not a proverbial wiseman, but one of Ezekiel’s contemporaries who at the time of Ezekiel is only just starting his memorable career. I think most commentators understand this Daniel to not be the Biblical character. There is a reference to a Danel in the literature of Ugarit, a city northwest of Israel, north of Tyre and Sidon, which was influential before the time of David. Now, here’s the interesting thing, to me, at least. If Daniel is non-biblical secular character, what of the other two? The way the story of Job is framed in the Bible, I would think it likely that he was a more widely known character outside the Bible. (For example, while no one knows exactly where Uz is, it’s definitely outside of Israel.) As far as Noah is concerned, many ancient cultures have a flood story of some sort; only in the Bible is the main character named Noah, but this could be a reference to that person named in many civilizations and by many names. It strikes me that this is evidence that Ezekiel (and Israel) lived in the real world. A thing I've often said about the Bible that makes it stand out from other religion's sacred texts is that the Bible so clearly fits into what we know of the world from other sources.

            In chapters 29-32, Egypt comes under the Lord’s judgment because she is a “reed staff,” that is, one that cannot support a person’s weight and does damage when she fails. Remember that the kings of Israel on several occasions looked to Egypt as an ally against either Assyria or Babylon. But by this time in human history, Egypt is past her prime and can’t provide the assistance that Israel and Judah imagine.

            Chapter 33 brings back the idea of Ezekiel as a watchman, calling out the warning of approaching enemies. These are passages that make me personally uncomfortable, because there are prophetic elements in a pastor’s call. So, verses like, “I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood,” (v. 6) stand out for me, as if to say, “Make sure that you preach the law, point out people’s sins, call them to repentance.” That is a part of my work I don’t love to do and certainly not as bluntly as Ezekiel does! I tend to take a gentler approach to calling people out of their sin, and verses like this make me nervous, like I should be more forceful. Still, verse 11 shows us the heart of God, that He does not desire the death of a sinner, so He doesn’t love the work of condemning and punishing, either. Oh, well, those are not your problems, they’re mine.

            Chapter 34 compares the rulers of Israel to bad shepherds. While there is plenty of evidence that the people themselves embraced and engaged in idolatry, very often the leaders of Israel, especially the kings, are blamed for it. Leaders bear greater responsibility (which plays into my unease in the paragraph above!) The good news here is that this language is grabbed up by the Lord, in Psalm 23, for example, who is a shepherd who provides and protects. Also, in the Gospels, especially John 10, in which Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who loves His sheep enough to die for them, and Matthew, in which the crowds are like sheep without a shepherd, but Jesus has compassion on them.

            Finally, chapter 35 is last of the oracles against the nations, this time highlighting Edom, the historical descendants of Esau. The common criticism of Edom is that they should have acted like Israel’s brother, but they did not. We’ll talk about that a little more when we get to Obadiah.