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Learning Things (10/3/15)

I have some book quotes sitting in my ‘drafts,’ but haven’t had time to actually write posts about them. This morning I have some time, so I thought I’d make a broader post on what I’ve learned so far this semester.

A Canonical Approach to the Psalms
I am taking a class on ‘the Writings’ of the Old Testament (Psalms-Chronicles in the Hebrew order of the Bible). My professor did his Ph.D work Book 4 of the Psalms – particularly on how Book 4 advances a ‘canonical’ understanding of the Psalter.

The Canonical Approach to the Psalms is intriguing, and I’ve found it helpful. The basic idea is that Psalms is arranged in an intentional order for the purpose of advancing a narrative. Psalm 1 introduces us to the Psalter as ‘torah,’ written in five books, like the Torah of Moses. Martin Luther called the Psalms a ‘little Bible’ within the Bible. The Canonical Approach sees it this way as well. Psalm 2 introduces the Messianic King whom the Psalter is written about. Books 1 through 3 show the decline of the messianic kingship, culminating in the final psalm of Book 3, which finds the kinship cut off and the people of Israel in Exile.

Book 4 (Ps. 90-106) finds the people in exile, ‘wandering in the wilderness’ like Moses in days of old (see Ps. 90-91). By Book 5 (Ps. 107-150) the people are ascending back up the mountain to Jerusalem and worshiping God. They still reflect on their captivity (Psalm 137), but they are mostly in a posture of worship, anticipating the restoration of the throne of David.

This theory of the Psalms as a ‘canon’ may have some holes, but it’s fairly compelling and gives us a macro way to demonstrate that aside from the experiential and worship aspects of the psalms, they are meant to have a narrative force that points us to Christ.

The Shepherd Hypothesis in Song of Solomon
We haven’t covered Song of Solomon in the course yet, but my reading has touched on this. The Shepherd Hypothesis, also called the ‘three person hypothesis,’ contends that the Shulammite (Songs 6:13) had two suitors in Song of Solomon. The story, in this theory, is that the Shulammite is in love with a simple shepherd man from her own territory, but is also being courted by King Solomon. Hence the back and forth action between the garden and the city.

I don’t have time at present to flesh this out completely, but if you take this approach, here’s a good example of what it entails. The palace scenes of someone knocking on her door actually describe her true love, the shepherd, traveling to the palace to find her and reclaim her love. He is in danger and flees, she chases him and is thus beaten by the guards. It makes a good deal of sense:

Song of Solomon 5:7 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, those watchmen of the walls. 8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love.

In the end, love prevails. The Shulammite turns down the advances of Solomon, in all his pomp and splendor, and returns to the country to be with her true love, the simple shepherd.

The most amazing thing about this approach is that it turns the ‘allegory’ of the story in a fascinating new direction while also allowing for literal interpretation that doesn’t involve Solomon as the prototypical lover (if you know anything about Solomon, that has difficulties). If you’re interested in seeing more about this you can read more about it HERE.

Christian Education
I’m taking a course on the educational ministry of the church. The main idea so far is that education is vital to the task of the church (as it’s included in the Great Commission). Nothing major to report on as of yet. I had to wrestle with the differences between preaching and teaching this past week. It’s one of those situations where there are clear distinctions but a lot of overlap.

A.D.D. Environments
I’ve spent the last six months in my new job staring at computer screens for hours upon hours each day. I’m working on curriculum, doing technical work, answering emails, answering texts, and trying to work on sermons and school work from time to time. I feel it changing me. I feel my brain gravitating toward attention deficits. It’s interesting.

Douglas Coupland, one of my favorite authors, has made the claim somewhere that we are all going to be forced into living in a state of attention deficits. He tends to think this is something we’ll simply adapt to, and that it won’t necessarily be a bad thing. I have my concerns, as longtime readers of this blog will know.  I have been thinking about writing a post called ‘A.D.D. Environments,’ that would details how our environments deeply affect our ability to concentrate. I haven’t managed to do it yet, and others have certainly written about this. (By the way, in the time I’ve written this post I’ve had a dozen text messages, the phone ring, and some American Heritage girls come to my door selling cookies).

I read Moonwalking with Einstein recently and found it helpful. I’ve actually used some of the memory techniques Joshua Foer describes there.  (You can watch his TED Talk HERE). Aside from the ‘memory palaces,’ my wife has a nice picture of me studying with my large soundproof earmuffs and my blacked out glasses on. They actually help to fight distraction quite well if you find yourself in a situation where you absolutely have to concentrate.  Adapting doesn’t simply mean capitulating to A.D.D. environments; it means finding ways to fight back.

Conjunction

image

This was our virtual view (from the SkyView app) from our neck of the woods tonight. Joviality and Love like a cat’s toys in the paw of the Lion; peace and love, a hippie’s dream, in happy conjunction.

I don’t know if this was the phenomenon witnessed by the Magi, but we drove around singing ‘We Three Kings’ anyway. It was a special night; one I’ll likely never forget. It’s a good night to re-read The Discarded Image.

Guess what I did Today – I Met a Man who Came Back from the Dead

On this blog I generally stick to writing about things I’m reading at any given time. But something happened today I wanted to record. I work at a drug store, and I was helping a man find something he needed and then checking him out at the cash register. He then, with no provocation, says, ‘Have you ever met someone who came back from the dead?’

I checked myself, many thoughts going through my mind at once, and the first thing that came to mind was the resurrection of Christ. But I didn’t go there. I bit. I said, ‘No, I haven’t.’

He then responded, ‘Well you’re looking at one’ as he stuck out his hand for a handshake.

From there, I shook his hand and replied, ‘Congratulations, you are a blessed man.’

He then made his intentions clear: ‘Let me tell you,’ he said, ‘it’s better to meet Jesus on your knees than on an operating table.’

I was all ears at this point. I have never had someone randomly try to evangelize me before. And with that being the case, I was excited that someone was about to. Let me summarize what followed in the conversation, which was actually, basically, a monologue (by him).

He went on to tell me how he had had a major medical situation that made his heart stop working. He was dead for 27 minutes as emergency personnel worked on him, brought him back, and performed life-saving surgery. But here comes the rub.

He had gone to heaven and talked with Jesus, and Jesus told him that he was sending him back to be a witness – and that’s what he was doing – witnessing.

All right then, I’m thinking, what is he going to witness to?

‘I can tell you what Jesus looks like, what he sounds like, what he IS like,’ he said.

I couldn’t keep quiet at this point. ‘I know Jesus Christ,’ I replied. I’m quoting verbatim here:  ‘And I know a big book, with 27 little books, that tell me what he’s like.’

He then looked at me with a blank stare. Silence and awkwardness ensued for about 5 seconds as we paused. ‘You know, the New Testament?’ I said.

‘Oh,’ he responded, ‘but I saw him, I heard him, I can tell you what he sounds like, what he looks like,’ repeating himself.

I didn’t say it, though I told a fellow Christian who witnessed this whole conversation, but the thing I wanted to say was, ‘Did he speak Aramaic? You know that was his actual human language, right?’

That would have been too smug. I don’t doubt that Jesus can speak fluent English. But I certainly had the thought. I also thought of asking him if Jesus looked like he did in the paintings – pasty pale, girly. I wouldn’t have said it, but that didn’t matter, he wasn’t letting me get in a word at this point regardless.

He ended his presentation by telling me that if we met again he would tell me the ‘Ten Blessings of Jesus’ that were announced to him in his heavenly vision. He only had time to tell me one. It had to do with money. And sure enough a random person whom he didn’t know volunteered to pay on his mortgage shortly thereafter, fulfilling the blessing.

Finally, he summarized his talk – don’t meet Jesus on an operating table, meet him on your knees.

I thanked him, and he went his way.

My co-workers, all of them, know of my love for Jesus. And several gathered around to witness this encounter. Someone who I wouldn’t classify as a believer summed it up well, basically saying, ‘he didn’t want anything to do with that New Testament line you said to him.’ I had said one sentence, and it resonated more with the non-believing listener than this man’s whole spiel. Why? Not because of eloquence, not because of anything in me – but because I interjected the Word of God into the equation – not quoting Scripture, not preaching Scripture – just acknowledging Scripture’s existence.

I then used this as an opportunity to talk to my co-workers. ‘I would like to think,’ I said, ‘that if God decided to speak to me in an audible, booming voice tonight, it would not change my faith. He has already spoken to me clearly in the Scriptures, and I believe all that he has said there:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.
What more can he say than to you He hath said? To you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

I prayed as I drove home tonight. I said, ‘Father, you meant that conversation for my good. What are you going to do with it? What do you want me to do with it?’ No audible answer came. But I was reminded of the centrality of the gospel. The fact that this man’s gospel-less experience drove me back to the gospel is good.

There was no gospel in this man’s presentation, and no testimony in the biblical sense of the word. There was no sin, no falling down at Jesus’ feet and saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinner!’ There was no forgiveness of sin. There was no cross, no blood, no sacrifice, no spiritual redemption, no new heavens, no new earth. In some strange way there wasn’t even a resurrection. It was just an experience of happiness and blessing that could be mine if I witnessed for Jesus too. I cannot imagine that anyone could come to saving faith from such a conversation.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he was blessed to ascend into the third heaven. He couldn’t tell them anything about it. It was too glorious. So instead of talking about that he talked about the gospel:

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2).

If the man comes back, and I hope he does, I’m determined that this is what we’ll talk about as well.

Luke 16:27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house- 28 for I have five brothers- so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'”

Share the gospel, the GOSPEL – Jesus coming, dying, rising, returning. Even your own resurrection won’t convince them, only the good news of Christ’s provision and victory.

Romans 1:16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…

I have people telling me regularly that I need to read books like Heaven is for Real. I usually just smile and say, ‘Thanks for the recommendation.’ But silently, I say to myself, ‘I already know that – Praise God – I have his infallible Word.’

You don’t have to be on an operating table, nor do you have to be on your knees, to meet Jesus. You can meet him, learn of him, encounter him in the Bible – only then will you really be driven to your knees and have peace in the face of death.