The Sacramental Life

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Posted using ShareThis

The format of this post is evidence that I don't know how all this stuff works. This last Thursday's Issues, Etc. had a great pastors' roundtable segment (about 55 minutes) on the nature and number of sacraments. This is one of those critical concepts that started me moving down this theological pathway. Does God actually work through physical means? In what ways? It does strike me that the biblical view is of a sacramental faith, one in which God uses humble physical means in very real and concrete ways to implement his promises.

An Introduction to the Old Testament - Obadiah

Dillard, Raymond B. & Longman, Tremper III. "Obadiah."  An Introduction to the Old Testament.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1994. 385-390.

Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament.  The identification of Obadiah is very difficult, as the author provides only a name, and that name is even a matter of debate.  Internal evidence seems to indicate that Obadiah would be dated to the sixth century B.C.  This is consistent with language suggesting Edom is responsible for a sack of Jerusalem.  In style, this very short book is quite like a single oracle against a neighboring nation which we might find in one of the longer prophets.  

Obadiah asserts the universal rule of God.  He talks about how God's covenant is being worked out in Israel through blessing and cursing.  God's prophets serve as messengers of the Divine Warrior - God who wages battle.  Throughout, we see that Obadiah points to God as the one who sovereignly chooses and cares for his own people.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

An Introduction to the Old Testament - Amos

Dillard, Raymond B. & Longman, Tremper III. "Amos."  An Introduction to the Old Testament.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1994. 373-384.

The relatively short book of Amos has tended to attract a great deal of attention, being the subject of a great deal of scholarly writing, especially in recent years.  Amos was active sometime during the first half of the eighth century B.C., so he is among the earliest of the writing prophets.  Amos' preaching is set in the northern kingdom though Amos himself is from Tekoa, in Judah.  Though on the surface Amos may appear to be a humble manual laborer, the term he uses of himself actually belongs to a more influential man, such as a breeder or broker of herds.  Amos refers to himself as not being particularly a prophet.  His brief book may well bear this out.  We don't know if these oracles were gathered over a long period of time or if they were possibly written in a very brief time period.  Either is entirely possible.  Regardless, it does not appear that Amos saw himself primarily as a prophet, but rather as someone engaged in his stated business.

We see that Amos has been subject to the higher critical methodology during the twentieth century, trying to pull the text apart and assign it to various authors, indicating various stages of growth.  This is, as usual, fairly unsatisfactory.

Amos is easily divided into three sections.  In chapters 1-2 he issues oracles against the surrounding nations, using a numerical formula to identify their sins.  Many readers are familiar with phrases like, "for three sins, even for four."    In chapters 3-6 Amos speaks judgment against Israel, typically using the pattern of a lawsuit, though also using a variety of other literary devices.  In chapters 7-9 Amos recounts five visions he received.  In the first four visions God brings judgment on sin, while in the fifth vision God brings salvation from sin.  

Amos' theology seems to be centered around five different themes.  He speaks of divine sovereignty and judgment, idolatry and social injustices, the covenant of God and the remnant people, the day of the Lord's judgment, and the power and efficacy of God's word.

As we approach the New Testament we see that Amos has blazed a trail for us in dealing with social injustice and God's covenantal gathering of all nations together in Christ.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

An Introduction to the Old Testament- Joel

Dillard, Raymond B. & Longman, Tremper III. "Joel."  An Introduction to the Old Testament.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1994. 363-371.

Joel is a fairly common name in the Old Testament, referring to approximately a dozen people.  This Joel does not seem to be mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament, though.  He apparently lived somewhere around Jerusalem and was very familiar with the temple and worship in Jerusalem.

Because of Joel's apparent assumption that the temple is in regular operation, it would not seem to date from the period between 586 and 516 B.C.  Enemies mentioned in Joel are common enemies for Judea, so their presence does not help significantly in the dating.  Because there are no mentions of the northern kingdom or of the rule of kings we may wish to think the book is from the time period after the exile.

Dillard and Longman suggest that possibly Joel was intended as a liturgical text for use in a time of lament.  This would explain its apparently not speaking specifically to any precise occasion.

Almost all interpreters outside of the early portion of the twentieth century have considered Joel to be the work of one person.  The book shows considerable unity and coherence.

Joel emphasizes the sovereignty, holiness, and compassion of God.  He also observes that God's sovereignty extends to all the other nations, not merely Israel.  There will be a day of judgment when God will show compassion on his people who are calling on his name.

As we consider the New Testament we see frequent references to Joel chapter 2, where God promises to pour out His Spirit on all people.  We can see strong themes of God's coming judgment which will bring compassion and deliverance as well.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

An Introduction to the Old Testament - Hosea

Dillard, Raymond B. & Longman, Tremper III. "Hosea."  An Introduction to the Old Testament.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1994. 353-362.

Hosea seems to be among the earlier of the prophets, roughly contemporaneous to Amos, Micah, and Isaiah, in the later portion of the eighth century B.C.  Some scholars suggest that Hosea has some composite authorship based on some irregularities in the lists of kings of the northern and southern kingdoms.  In recent years scholarship has generally affirmed the idea of a single author for the book, and that single author seemingly at the time period of Hosea himself.

Hosea makes his prophecies at a time when there was increasing prosperity in the land.  Unfortunately the increased prosperity seems to have led to rejection of God and his promises.  Hosea's prophecies indicate that the nation of Israel will undergo judgment due to their sin, a situation which subsequently came about.  One of the most troubling issues in Hosea is that the prophet seems to be commanded by God to enter into sin by taking a promiscuous woman as a wife.  Dillard and Longman do not suggest a good way of dealing with this conflict, but they do suggest several alternatives.

The book of Hosea is mostly poetic, with only a bit of prose at the beginning.  As a collection of oracles Hosea is a bit unclear.  He does not make very tidy delineations between the different oracles, particularly in chapters 4-14.  Similarly, the overall structure is a bit muddled.

Hosea tends to use a great deal of metaphor and simile in his poetry.  

Hosea's theological message seems to be centered around the ideas of the strength of God's covenant, the theme of marriage as an allegory for the spiritual life, and the idea that people face judgment for sin and salvation out of that sin.

As we look to the New Testament we see allusions to or quotations from Hosea as Romans and 1 Peter use the names of Hosea's children, Paul cites Hosea in 1 Corinthians 15.55, and throughout the New Testament Jesus is presented as the Son of God who is obedient to the Father.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

An Introduction to the Old Testament - Daniel

Dillard, Raymond B. & Longman, Tremper III. "Daniel."  An Introduction to the Old Testament.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1994. 329-352.

Daniel is one of the easiest books of the Old Testament to read and one of the hardest to understand and analyze.  The narratives, which are not terribly artful, are engaging stories.  Yet people have a great deal of difficulty deciding how to interpret the writing adequately.

One of the biggest issues in dealing with Daniel is the authorship and date.  Until the 20th century the general opinion was that the book was written by the prophet Daniel, probably sometime in the sixth century B.C.  There are some portions of the book which are in the third person which have long been debated, but there was no convincing reason to assign the composition wholesale to anyone else, and there were no other strong candidates.  In the 20th century scholars, primarily disputing the chronology, the names, and the accuracy of the prophecies, have assigned the book a relatively late date of composition, placing it in the second century B.C., so required to explain the actions of Antiochus IV.  The identification of Darius is also difficult.  Dillard and Longman engage in a fairly lengthy discussion of the possibly identification of different characters and dates, eventually concluding that the book was probably written by Daniel, sometime in the sixth century B.C.  They would suggest the burden of proof for another author would rest on those who claim Daniel is not the author, which is necessary only if one wishes to deny the possibility of accurate predictive prophecy.

Daniel contains narratives which are highly symbolic and apocalyptic in nature.  Sometimes he explains the significance of his symbolism, sometimes he does not.  Particularly in the latter portion of Daniel we see apocalyptic visions, including those which have led some scholars to millennial points of view and even numerological predictions of Christ's coming.

Daniel's theology is summed up well on p. 3448, "God is sovereign.  He overrules and eventually will overcome human evil."  Where does this lead us in the New Testament?  We see Jesus as the culmination of all the struggles of the world.  He is the warrior who becomes the king, defeating the powers of evil fully and finally.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com

An Introduction to the Old Testament - Ezekiel

Dillard, Raymond B. & Longman, Tremper III. "Ezekiel."  An Introduction to the Old Testament.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1994. 313-327.

Ezekiel, the son of a priest so a priest himself, lived and served in the late seventh century and early sixth century B.C.  He was not able to work as a priest becasue he was exiled far from Jerusalem, among upper-class Judean exiles in southern Mesopotamia.  Ezekiel is outstanding in the prophetic books because of its many dated oracles, with dates given in terms of Jehoiachin's exile.

The book of Ezekiel has an apparent strong personality throughout, though during the middle of the 20th century scholars have started disputing the authorship and the individual oracles.  The disputes are mostly based on the specificity of Ezekiel's prophecies and his apparent knowledge of intimate details of temple worship in Jerusalem.  Other questions that frequently come up in dealing with Ezekiel is the prophet's mental health.  Ezekiel seems to have extremely vivid visions and engages in rather a lot of very striking object lessons, often doing things which would make him appear insane, or at least a social outcast.  Then again, we see that the prophecies of Ezekiel serve to tell people why they are outcasts.

In common with Isaiah, Zephaniah, and the LXX of Jeremiah, Ezekiel starts with oracles of judgment pertaining to his historical movement, turns to oracles against foreign nations, then concludes with prophecies of blessing.  There is an extended narrative about a temple which does not coincide with any temple ever known to be constructed, presumably a heavenly temple.

Ezekiel's theological concerns are God's holiness, God's transcendence, his grace, mercy and sovereignty, and the responsibilities of individuals to repent and obey God.

As we consider the New Testament, we see that both Ezekiel and the Gospels speak to a people who are in distress, whose sins have separated them from God.  The vision Ezekiel records of the water coming from the altar of God is easily related to Jesus' statements about himself providing living water.  The water is seen as that which transforms and heals the world.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com