Bach’s little Minuet in G ends, not surprisingly, on G, while the bass plays a descending series of notes that are part of the G-major chord: G, D, and G. With the G, and the fragments of the chord, the Minuet comes to rest. The next to last note in the melody of the hymn “Come Thou Almighty King,” is also a G, but the G here does not bring rest and resolution, but sounds incomplete without the following F.... Read more
INTRODUCTION We are attempting to form Christian culture among the churches of Moscow, and to see Christian culture shape the wider Moscow community. The Christian culture of the church enters a world with its own stories, rituals, and norms of behavior. A culture war is inevitable. THE TEXT “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles... Read more
Someone has no doubt said this before; I might have said it before: The destruction of Egyptians in the Red Sea is an application of the lex talionis. Egypt killed the children of Israel in the Nile, which turned red with their blood; so Yahweh put Pharaoh and his best to death in the Red Sea. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, burn for burn, water for water. Read more
Kregel has just released John Day’s Crying For Justice , a study of the imprecatory Psalms by a PCA minister in Washington state. It’s the most careful, balanced, and biblical treatment of the subject I’ve seen. Day addresses all the current views on imprecations, the objections lodged against them, and provides in-depth exegetical discussions of three representative imprecatory Psalms. It’s a valuable and important work. Read more
Galatians 3:26-29: For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise. In many churches throughout the centuries, godparents have joined parents... Read more
The sermon today is about marriage and family, but I don’t want the unmarried men and women here to hit the mute button. The sermon text may not apply directly to you, but you should be preparing now for the roles that you are likely to assume in the future. How? First, to the unmarried men: Don’t wait until you’re married to begin learning how to lead. Learn how to lead now. Find ways to serve now, because you are... Read more
1 Corinthians 6:15-17: Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one flesh with her? For He says, The two will become one flesh. But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. As we saw in... Read more
Amos Frisch has a very good article in the JSOT (2000) where he examines the allusions to the Exodus in 1 Kings 1-14. There are many excellent and fruitful insights here: 1) Hadad the Edomite lives through an exodus story, and is a kind of Moses figure (1 Kings 11). 2) Solomon is described as a Pharaoh in 1 Kings 12: especially 12:4 (compare Exod 1:14; 6:9; Dt 26:6). 3) Jeroboam is a figure of “Mosaic proportions,” and Frisch notes... Read more
I don’t believe in the existence of a “Succession Narrative” (2 Sam 9-1 Kings 2), but James Ackerman, who does believe in a succession narrative, makes this interesting connection between Shimei’s execution and the earlier history of David (which does not depend on belief in a succession narrative): “two of Shimei’s servants run away from their master and flee to King Achish of Gath. We then remember that many years before, David, servant to Saul, had been forced to run... Read more
I don’t believe in the existence of a “Succession Narrative” (2 Sam 9-1 Kings 2), but James Ackerman, who does believe in a succession narrative, makes this interesting connection between Shimei’s execution and the earlier history of David (which does not depend on belief in a succession narrative): “two of Shimei’s servants run away from their master and flee to King Achish of Gath. We then remember that many years before, David, servant to Saul, had been forced to run... Read more
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