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The Beatitudes in the Prayers of King David

I have been teaching through the Sermon on the Mount for the better part of two years now in Sunday School and have never ceased to be amazed at its richness and complexity. Jesus was a master of the Scriptures, and everything he says is accordingly pregnant. Two things peaked my interest in Jesus’ use of the Psalms. First, in my study, it became apparent that in Jesus’ statement, ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,’ he is explicitly drawing from Psalm 37. The context of Psalm 37 therefore helps us to define meekness as ‘fretting not over evildoers.’ The meek person is one who can bear evil, and not return in kind, because justice lies in the hands of God (See further notes on this HERE). Second, I noticed David’s repeated pleas to God in which he states that he is ‘poor and needy.’ There were certainly times in David’s life in which this was true physically, but this was certainly not always the case (he was, after all, a king for a good portion of his life). It was, however, always the case that this was the state of his soul.

This intrigued me to the point that I decided to compile a brief list of parallels between the ‘Beatitudes’ and the psalms of David. Each of the psalms listed is explicitly ascribed to David in the superscripts. These are the only psalms under consideration, and I have not compiled a completely exhaustive list, but the parallels should be clear enough:

1. Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  • Psalm 40:17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!
  • Psalm 69:32 When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
  • Psalm 70:5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!
  • Psalm 109:21 But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.

2. Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

  • Psalm 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness
  • Psalm 43:2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

3. Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

  • Psalm 37:1 OF DAVID. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming…

4. Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

  • Psalm 63:1 A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDAH. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips…
  • Psalm 143:6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

5. Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

  • Psalm 18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

6. Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

  • Psalm 24:1 A PSALM OF DAVID. The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah…
  • Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

7. Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

  • Psalm 37:37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
  • Psalm 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

8. Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  • Psalm 7:1 A SHIGGAION OF DAVID, WHICH HE SANG TO THE LORD CONCERNING THE WORDS OF CUSH, A BENJAMINITE. O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, 2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. 3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, 4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, 5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah 6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. 7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high. 8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
  •  Psalm 9:9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.
  • Psalm 22:1 TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOE OF THE DAWN. A PSALM OF DAVID. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet– 17 I can count all my bones- they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
  • Psalm 31:15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
  • Psalm 35:1 OF DAVID.Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” 4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them! 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it- to his destruction! 9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation…

John Calvin: Christ in All the Scriptures, Christ for All Our Needs

Justin Taylor drew attention to a portion of this quote on his blog the other day. I had never read it. It comes from John Calvin’s Preface to Olvetan’s New Testament. It contains, perhaps, the most moving words I have ever read from Calvin – and one of the clearest summaries of the gospel as well. Calvin sought to behold Christ in all of the Scriptures, and may we follow his example, and his Savior:

Therefore, when you hear that the gospel presents you Jesus Christ in whom all the promises and gifts of God have been accomplished; and when it declares that he was sent by the Father, has descended to the earth and spoken among men perfectly all that concerns our salvation, as it was foretold in the Law and to the Prophets — it ought to be most certain and obvious to you that the treasures of Paradise have been opened to you in the gospel; that the riches of God have been exhibited and eternal life itself revealed. For, this is eternal life; to know one, only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, whom he has established as the beginning, the middle, and the end of our salvation. He [Christ] is Isaac, the beloved Son of the Father who was offered as a sacrifice, but nevertheless did not succumb to the power of death. He is Jacob the watchful shepherd, who has such great care for the sheep which he guards. He is the good and compassionate brother Joseph, who in his glory was not ashamed to acknowledge his brothers, however lowly and abject their condition. He is the great sacrificer and bishop Melchizedek, who has offered an eternal sacrifice once for all. He is the sovereign lawgiver Moses, writing his law on the tables of our hearts by his Spirit. He is the faithful captain and guide Joshua, to lead us to the Promised Land. He is the victorious and noble king David, bringing by his hand all rebellious power to subjection. He is the magnificent and triumphant king Solomon, governing his kingdom in peace and prosperity. He is the strong and powerful Samson, who by his death has overwhelmed all his enemies.

It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for Our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune. For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us; and we are by the same Spirit seated among those who are in heaven, so that for us the world is no more, even while our conversation is in it; but we are content in all things, whether country, place, condition, clothing, meat, and all such things. And we are comforted in tribulation, joyful in sorrow, glorying under vituperation, abounding in poverty, warmed in our nakedness, patient amongst evils, living in death.

This is what we should in short seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are offered to us by him from God the Father. If one were to sift thoroughly the Law and the Prophets, he would not find a single word which would not draw and bring us to him. And for a fact, since all the treasures of wisdom and understanding are hidden in him, there is not the least question of having, or turning toward, another goal; not unless we would deliberately turn aside from the light of truth, to lose ourselves in the darkness of lies. Therefore, rightly does Saint Paul say in another passage that he would know nothing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

The entire Preface is available online HERE. You can use F3 to search for the particular section (just type in a few key words).

Family Worship: Biblical Examples

I picked up Thoughts on Family Worship, by J.W. Alexander from the church library today. In the opening chapter he gathers evidence for the practice of family worship/family religion (though the word ‘religion’ is much maligned these days) in the Bible (as well as in church history). In this post I have collected some of the texts he used as examples, for my own future reference, along with a few texts I have added and some introductory comments. And as if that weren’t enough, I throw in a relevant Jonathan Edwards quote that I think summarizes the biblical picture of family worship well.

1. Noah led his family into the ark:

  • Genesis 7:7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

2. Abraham was commanded to teach his family ‘to keep the way of the LORD’:

  • Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

3. Isaac ‘not only renews the fountains which his father had opened, but keeps up his devotions, building an altar at Beersheba’ (J.W. Alexander, Thoughts on Family Worship, p. 13):

  • Genesis 26:24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

4. ‘The book of Deuteronomy is full of family religion; as an example of which we may specially note the sixth chapter (Ibid, pp. 13-14)’:

  • Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

5. Not Joshua alone, but all those under his authority, in his house, will serve the LORD:

  • Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

6. Job’s faith led him to consecrate his children to the LORD, and offer up sacrifices for them habitually, even when sacrifice had not yet been explicitly commanded:

  • Job 1:5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

7. David not only pronounced benediction upon the people of Israel but saved a special benediction for his family:

  • 2 Samuel 6:18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house. 20 ¶ And David returned to bless his household.

8. Perhaps David had learned the importance of family worship from the practice of his own parents:

  • 1 Samuel 20:6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.

9. God calls families to his solemn assembly:

  • Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

10. When God brings Israel to repentance over the death of the Messiah, he will do so by families:

  • Zechariah 12:10 ¶ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

11. Parents brought their children to Christ to receive his blessing:

  • Luke 18:15 ¶ Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

12. Believing spouses and parents have a sanctifying effect on all those in their house:

  • 1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

13. The ‘household’ passages of the New Testament demonstrate household religious practice:

  • Acts 16:15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
  • 1 Corinthians 1:16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
  • Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household.
  • Acts 10:1 ¶ At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.

14. Aquila and Priscilla, ‘Paul’s “helpers in Christ Jesus,”…were able to teach a young minister the way of God more perfectly…You will find that one reason for their familiarity with the Scriptures was that they had a “church in their house” (Alexander):

  • 1 Corinthians 16:19 ¶ The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.

A Jonathan Edwards quote comes to mind, so with it I close this post:

Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church, consecrated to Christ, and wholly influenced and governed by his rules. And family education and order are some of the chief means of grace. If these fail, all other means are likely to prove ineffectual. If these are duly maintained, all the means of grace will be likely to prosper and be successful (reference coming).

Do Animals Go to heaven? (Animals in the Covenant of Grace and the New Creation)

I’ve been asked multiple times by various people what I think about the idea of animals in heaven. The Average-Joe-Christian, I think, immediately assumes that ‘all dogs go to heaven.’ But theologians often think this idea is crackpot at best. The following is a biblical line of thought that would lead one to conclude that animals make it, if not into heaven, at least into the new heavens and the new earth after the return of Christ. I’m not willing to die on this hill, but I think it is worth pondering:

1. Every living creature is, or possesses, נָ֫פֶשׁ, nephesh (often translated by the English word, ‘soul’):

  • Genesis 9:12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature (נָ֫פֶשׁ) that is with you, for all future generations:
  • Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (נָ֫פֶשׁ).

Soul, in this simple sense, simply means that both men and animals have an immaterial part of their being. There is a part of them that you cannot see. They are inwardly animated.

But is there a difference between the souls of men and of animals?

The Westminster Shorter Catechism is helpful here. Question 22 describes the soul of Christ in this way:

Q. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?

A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.

Men, including Christ, who was truly man, have reasonable souls – that is, souls capable of reasoning. Animals have souls in the simplest sense (an immaterial aspect of being), but do not possess the faculty of reason (or, at least, not in the same way humans do). God shows mercy on those who are incapable of reason:

  • Jonah 4:11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Jonathan Edwards called the emotional experiences we share with animals ‘animal spirits.’ These would include goosebumps, heart palpitations,  sweaty palms, and raw sexual desire (to name a few). This illustrates our common soulishness (common to men and animals) but also distinguishes men from animals, since men are capable of higher reasoning and emotion (i.e. love).

2. Animals are explicitly included in the Covenant of Grace both in salvation from the flood and promises of future grace in its Noahic administration:

  • Genesis 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.
  • Genesis 8:21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

God’s covenant with Noah is a part of the unfolding of the Covenant of Grace. The ark is a type of Christ, who saves his people from the flood of God’s wrath as they are united with him through faith (they are said to be ‘in Christ’). Animals are brought into the ark and are included in the promise of the covenant. The ‘bow’ (think war bow, as in bow and arrow) in the heavens, as C.H. Spurgeon once said, points upward (toward the heavens) to demonstrate the way of salvation – God taking the arrow for his covenant people. It would appear that he takes the arrow for animals as well.

In the past I struggled with the idea of God’s covenant with Noah being an administration of the Covenant of Grace because it appears quite similar to God’s original administration of the Covenant of Works (similarities include the command to ‘bear fruit and multiply’) and because of the favored standing of animals within it. But the idea of animals being included in a unique way in the Covenant of Grace eases that tension. The Covenant of Grace calls men into a new relationship with creation, including animals. We are called to be stewards of all that exists – animate and inanimate – in light of the greatness of Christ’s atoning work, which is foreshadowed in the flood and ark.

It is also interesting to note that the post-flood world was a type of a new, and cleansed, creation that was to come. It is our first pointer to a ‘new earth.’ In this new earth there are animals. We’ll look at the ultimate ‘new heavens’ and ‘new earth’ below.

3. In the New Covenant administration of the Covenant of Grace, animals are explicitly declared ceremonially clean:

  • Acts 10:15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Hence animals possess a quality that unregenerate men do not possess – they are free from moral and ceremonial defilement.

4. The apocalyptic visions of John included those of heavenly animals:

  • Revelation 19:11 ¶ Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

This language is apocalyptic and metaphorical, but can you really imagine a king without a horse?

5. The new heavens and the new earth, while being new, share continuity with the old (and animals are certainly in the old)

Isaiah’s description of the new heavens and the new earth includes:

  • Isaiah 11:6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
  • Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.

While it is fairly clear that the language Isaiah is using is symbolic (hence the lion and the lamb pointing to Jesus Christ as the true Lion and Lamb, where power and weakness meet together in fullness), the particular symbolism used should not be ignored. The exalted Christ who comes to usher in the new heavens and the new earth is called ‘The Lion of the Tribe of Judah’ and ‘the Lamb who was slain.’ It is difficult to fathom Christ as a Lion or Lamb when lions and lambs are destined for non-existence.

Our ultimate hope is not for life after death, but for life after life after death – resurrection (both for us and the earth).

  • Romans 8:19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

We do not simply long to be taken up to heaven but for heaven to be brought down to us – on the earth.

  • Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

We are going to drink wine and eat bread in the new heavens and the new earth. This entails the existence of grapes and grain. If soulless plants may enter, why doubt that animate creatures such as animals would enter as well? They were created for God’s glory, and they glorify, and will glorify him.

N.D. Wilson on Trouble

This is a first for the blog. This site is usually dedicated to things I read and theological reflections, but I’ve decided to share a video.  I found N.D. Wilson’s biblical-theological study of ‘trouble’ to be thought-provoking, helpful, and moving. It’s a bit more than an hour long, so I probably need to motivate you a bit.

This talk is a prime example of why biblical-theology is a worthwhile enterprise. It would take a book-length work to truly unpack an idea like ‘trouble’ as it is conveyed in the Bible. But in a relatively short time Wilson manages to weave quite a narrative, and make some powerful, dead on applications along the way.

I had Ray Lamontagne’s song, Trouble, in my head for a couple of days after watching this video. Why does trouble dog us from the day we’re born? Is it all our fault? Is God to blame? Where did all this trouble come from and what’s the point of it? Watch the video for answers.

P.S. He writes some pretty good books as well. My daughter and I are back into the 100 Cupboards Trilogy reading the Chestnut King.

Memory, part 2: Remembering the Name

  • Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

In Exodus 3 we encounter one of the most astounding stories in all the Bible. Here God appears to Moses in the burning bush, he announces his intention to deliver Israel from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, and he declares the name by which he is to be known by his people – ‘I Am Who I Am.’

In building upon a biblical theology of memory, which I began HERE, this text is very helpful. The key phrase here is in v. 15. This name, which God has revealed to Moses, is not only the name by which he is called, but the name by which he is to be remembered. The name ‘I Am Who I Am’ is to be God’s memorial. The NASB brings out the idea of the Hebrew well in its translation, ‘This is my memorial-name to all generations.’

We touched upon the fact in the previous post that God’s people were often commanded, and often chose of their own will, to set up various types of memorials ranging from Jacob’s rock at Bethel (Gen. 28) to the institution of the Passover to Samuel’s dedication of the ‘ebenezer’ in 1 Samuel 7 to Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper, which is to be observed ‘in remembrance’ of him. In each of these cases, physical objects were used to ‘hold’ memories for God’s people. In other words, these physical object would be used as instruments to evoke remembrance from them in the future, to call their minds back to the mighty works of God. The memorial of Exodus 3:15, however, is quite different, in that it is not a physical object. Rather, it is a name – His memorial-name.

Names are mysterious in many ways. They are non-physical, yet a name may, in some sense, carry the identity of a person. If you ask me who who I am, I will answer first with my name. My name is me. My name is, in some respect, my identity. It’s no wonder then that in so many cultures and times throughout recorded history names have carried such weight. It is also no wonder, then, that God has been in the business of changing people’s names since the time of Abram. Gd announces to Abram (Father) that on account of His promises to him his name will be Abraham (Great Father) (As I’ve heard it put, he went from being Daddy to being Big-Daddy). The name expressed the identity and purpose of the man and thus carried a great importance.

Consider the previous paragraph an aside. The important issue here is that names carry memories. Names are written on tomb stones. It is a common practice of my family to walk through a nearby cemetery and read such names. We know nothing of these departed ones, but to those who knew them, loved them, the names alone stand as a memorial, holding memories that flood back at the mere recognition of the name. Names are memorials, and memorials carry memories – especially after we are cut off from the one who bore the name.

It would be an interesting experiment, and you might want to try it, to simply speak the names of family members, and note the memories that come to mind. They will all have one thing in common – they are memories of the past. And as such, they will evoke emotion – either negative or positive. Old resentments will come to mind. Past wrongs and hurts will be evoked. Or perhaps joyful memories of fun times, laughter, and love will return. Yet, as I argued previously, even the best memories will prove to be melancholy longings for the past.

All memories are longings for the present in some sense. In the negative cases, we often wish to return to the past to right wrongs, to act in hindsight. In the positive cases we wish to return to the past to experience it anew. In both cases we are longing that the past were the present.

And, with this being the case, God comes to us and says, ‘I AM’ – this is my memorial-name. When you remember me, I am not the past. I am not something that can be changed, nor am I something that you can experience as you once did. I am NOW, and will be. Was he the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Certainly. But the important thing about God’s past relationships with his covenant-people is that he still is. Remember him, but remember him in such a way that you never forget that he is in the present: ‘Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not, as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. Great is thy faithfulness.’

God’s faithfulness implies that he is like a rock (or rather a rock is like him). He is unmoving, fixed, steady. We change with the seasons, but with him ‘there is no shadow of turning.’ Through his memorial-name, ‘I AM,’ he declares this to us in the most intimate of ways.
If I want you to know me I tell you my name. God wants you to know him, so he tells you his. Don’t take that lightly. And beyond revealing his covenantal name, he reveals himself in the flesh in Jesus Christ, whom the New Testament declares to be ‘I AM’ in the flesh – the first and the last, the beginning and the end, who was and is and is to come, the alpha and the omega.

Think of the names of those whom you have lost. Let the memories flood back. And then remember the memorial-name of God. Since God is the eternal Now, since God IS period, he is not the God of the dead but of the living. So live.

Jesus understood Exodus 3 better than anyone:

  • Mark 12:26 “And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

Cling to that memorial-name, run to it:

  • Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.