The main point of Romans 8:3, of course, is that the Law was undermined and made ineffective because of flesh, “flesh” here being shorthand for the condition of men and women under the reign of Sin and Death that characterized the OC. Made ineffective by flesh, by Sin, the Law cannot give the life it promises. But God did what the Law could not do, and He does it through the condemnation of sin on the cross and the consequent... Read more
At the end of Rom 7, Paul is looking forward to a deliverance from the power of sin and death that holds him. His wretchedness is not relieved by the law, but only made worse. But he hopes for a deliverance, one that he characterizes as a future deliverance: ?Who will set me free from the body of this death??E(v. 24). The statement in 8:1, however, is about a ?now,?Eand v 2 makes it clear that what happens ?now?Eis the... Read more
At the end of Rom 7, Paul is looking forward to a deliverance from the power of sin and death that holds him. His wretchedness is not relieved by the law, but only made worse. But he hopes for a deliverance, one that he characterizes as a future deliverance: ?Who will set me free from the body of this death??E(v. 24). The statement in 8:1, however, is about a ?now,?Eand v 2 makes it clear that what happens ?now?Eis the... Read more
1 Kings 9:26-28 The portrait of Solomon in 1 Kings 9 is by no means completely negative. Solomon continues building, providing defense for the land by building up fortifications at strategic points. Despite his estrangement from Hiram, he continues to have some kind of working relationship with him, as these verses indicate. These verses celebrate one of the glories of Solomon?s reign, his sea-trade. Israel is largely a land-locked nation in the OT; but Solomon goes adventuring on the sea.... Read more
?Walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness.?E Thus the Lord speaks to Solomon. And we respond, ?Say what? Walk like David?? Wasn?t David an adulterer and a murderer? Wasn?t his family an absolute mess? Wasn?t he a poor father, who spent the last years of his reign suffering the consequences of his passivity and sin??E The answer to all these questions is Yes. And yet, Solomon is told: ?Walk before Me as your... Read more
What are we to make of Paul’s discussion of sin in Romans 7? If we take it as a description of fallen humanity as such, it is difficult to see how it can square with other portions of Scripture or with the Reformed doctrine of sin. Paul presents sin as an external power that dominates and oppresses a victimized “I,” who really does want to do good. The problem, further, does not seem so much a matter of the heart... Read more
Jerome Walsh notes that the temple and palace of Solomon were completed 500 years after the exodus (480 years in 1 Ki 6:1 + 20 years for completion, 9:10). Walsh suggests that the 500 year total alludes to the Jubilee; this would have been the 10th Jubilee since the exodus, and might be seen as a kind of “SuperJubilee.” If so, then it is an ironic one. At the Jubilee, land returned to its original owners, its original JEWISH owners;... Read more
In a few earlier posts, I’ve hinted at the idea that the temple should be conceived of as feminine, a bride-house in which Yahweh the husband dwells. A curious turn of phrase in 1 Kings 9 fits with that idea. After the dedication of Solomon’s temple, Yahweh appears to him in a dream, warning Solomon of dire consequences for Israel and the temple if he turns away from Yahweh toward idols. 9:7, part of the warning, is arranged in a... Read more
Barth offers these wise words about the purpose of dogmatics (which consists, for Barth, of the correction, clarification, and criticism of church proclamation by measuring proclamation against the Word of God in the Bible): “Repetitive exposition according to the intentions of the theologians named will, of course, be indispensable for dogmatics as every step. But dogmatics cannot be only exposition. Its scientific character consists in unsettling rather than confirming Church proclamation as it meets it in its previous concretions and... Read more
And it was according to the finishing of Shlomoh to build the house of Yahweh And the house of the king And all the desire of Shlomoh which he took pleasure to do. And appeared Yahweh to Shlomoh a second time According as he appeared to him in Gibeon. And said Yahweh to him, ?I have heard your prayer and your plea for grace which you pled-for-grace before My face. I have caused to be hold this house which you... Read more
Leithart
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