Sound familiar?

The ruling power is always faced with the question, “In such and such circumstances, what would you do?”, whereas the opposition is not obliged to take responsibility or make any real decisions. Where it is a permanent and pensioned; opposition, as in England, the quality of its thought deteriorates accordingly. Moreover, anyone who starts out with a pessimistic, reactionary view of life tends to be justified by events, for Utopia never arrives—George Orwell, A Collection of Essays, 131

Still true, 85 years later

No one, in our time, believes in any sanction greater than military power; no one believes that it is possible to overcome force except by greater force. There is no “law,” there is only power. I am not saying that that is a true belief, merely that it is the belief which all modern men do actually hold. Those who pretend otherwise are either intellectual cowards, or power-worshippers under a thin disguise, or have simply not caught up with the age they are living in. Kipling’s outlook is pre-Fascist. He still believes that pride comes before a fall and that the gods punish hubris. He does not foresee the tank, the bombing plane, the radio and the secret police, or their psychological results.—George Orwell, A Collection of Essays, 118

It isn't a failure!

It might seem that God could have just stepped in after the fall and eliminated free will and the divine and human rebels who had abused it. Eden would be ensured and that would be that. While that would produce the desired end, the original means—free participation in God’s creation by God’s free-will agents, designed to be like him—would have been abandoned, amounting to a very flawed idea and spectacular failure. A resolution like that isn’t fitting (or desirable) for the God of the Bible. God’s original objective must come about in the way he intended.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 358

<idle musing>
That's the final snippet from the book. I saw an announcement yesterday that they are releasing a second edition, inserting stuff that Mike has on his website. They are calling it a posthumous tribute.

Next up is a collection of George Orwell essays that I picked up at a library sale last year. I bought it for his essay on the English language, but some of the other essays are well worth your time. Stay tuned!
</idle musing>

Callous (Tozer for Tuesday—on a Wednesday)

Perhaps the most dangerous situation confronting Christians today is what I call cauterizing the conscience. That is, making a person insensitive or callous to the world around him. In practical terms, he experiences a deadening of feelings toward morals. Quite simply, this moral insensibility is a lack of feeling. You cannot feel the whole moral question. The strange paradox is that a person may be troubled by his inability to feel, yet he cannot feel. Even among those who consider themselves Christians, there is very little outrage at the immorality of our times.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 34 (emphasis original)

Who's on the defense here?

The theological messaging couldn’t be more dramatic. Jesus says he will build his church—and the “gates of hell” will not prevail against it. We often think of this phrase as though God’s people are in a posture of having to bravely fend off Satan and his demons. This simply isn’t correct. Gates are defensive structures, not offensive weapons. The kingdom of God is the aggressor. Jesus begins at ground zero in the cosmic geography of both testaments to announce the great reversal. It is the gates of hell that are under assault—and they will not hold up against the church. Hell will one day be Satan’s tomb.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 284–85 (emphasis original)

That David guy—a man after God's heart?

The history of lsrael’s kings illustrates the point. King David was guilty of the worst of crimes against humanity in the incident with Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam 11). He was clearly in violation of the law and deserving of death. Nevertheless, his belief in who Yahweh was among all gods never wavered. God was merciful to him, sparing him from death, though his sin had consequences the rest of his life. But there was no doubt that David was ever a believer in Yahweh and never worshiped another. Yet other kings of Israel and Judah were tossed aside and both kingdoms sent into exile—because they worshiped other gods. Personal failure, even of the worst kind, did not send the nation into exile. Choosing other gods did.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 170

But how?

But did this salvation come by obeying rules? To ask the question is to miss the point. Salvation in the Old Testament meant love for Yahweh alone. One had to believe that Yahweh was the God of all gods, trusting that this Most High God had chosen covenant relationship with Israel to the detriment of all other nations. The law was how one demonstrated that love—that loyalty.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 169 (emphasis original)

Thought for the day

"While compartmentalizing the political, social, religious, and economic into different spheres of human behavior may create convenient analytical units, it does not reflect a reality where they are intertwined."—from a forthcoming article in Near Eastern Archaeology (88.1)

It's who we are…

Humans who survive birth without suffering severe impairment, however, are able to represent God as originally intended. They do so by means of a spectrum of abilities we have as humans. These abilities are part of our being like God. They are attributes we share with God, such as intelligence and creativity. The attributes God shared with us are the means to imaging, not the image status itself. Imaging status and our attributes are related but not identical concepts.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 59 (emphasis original)

Imago Dei

This last example directs us to what the Hebrew preposition means in Genesis 1:26. Humankind was created as God’s image. If we think of imaging as a verb or function, that translation makes sense. We are created to image God, to be his imagers. It is what we are by definition. The image is not an ability we have, but a status. We are God’s representatives on earth. To be human is to image God.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 42–43

Move along, there's nothing here to see (Tozer for Tuesday)

Most people, unfortunately, would peruse these pages with a sense of curiosity and soon grow bored and turn aside for the titillation of some new thing. Becoming fascinated with some exterior trinket, they soon lose interest in pursuing the presence of God. For those, someone always comes along boasting of some new religious gadget to play with. The poor, undernourished, immature Christian goes from one religious gadget to another, ending up with an emptiness inside that they cannot comprehend.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 26

It's a bit of a different outlook, to say the least...

My contention is that, if our theology really derives from the biblical text, we must reconsider our selective supernaturalism and recover a biblical theology of the unseen world. This is not to suggest that the best interpretation of a passage is always the most supernatural one. But the biblical writers and those to whom they wrote were predisposed to supernaturalism. To ignore that outlook or marginalize it will produce Bible interpretation that reflects our mind-set more than that of the biblical writers.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 18 (emphasis original)

Psalm 33 and Isaiah 40

Yesterday's devotional at Seedbed was on Ps 33. It's a short little thing, as devotionals usually are, but this one seems especially appropriate for today:

If you feel powerless today, or that the purposes of God are somehow being thwarted in the world, then take heart. God is in control of human history. His plans will unfold according to his eternal and unchanging purposes. The last headline of the newspapers of the world will be: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

I'm pretty sure that when they wrote this, they weren't intending to target a certain event happening in Washington, DC later today, but it is timely, isn't it?

And if you are one of those who is rejoicing over that event, remember that he, too, will one day bend the knee before the King of creation and give an account. Isaiah says it well:

5 The Lord’s glory will appear,
      and all humanity will see it together;
      the Lord’s mouth has commanded it.

6 A voice was saying:
       “Call out!”
And another[a] said,
      “What should I call out?”
All flesh is grass;
      all its loyalty is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass dries up
      and the flower withers
      when the Lord’s breath blows on it.
      Surely the people are grass. Isaiah 40:5–7 (CEB)

Judge Eternal, Throned in Splendor

546 Judge Eternal, Throned in Splendor

1 Judge eternal, throned in splendour,
   Lord of lords and King of kings,
   with thy living fire of judgment
   purge this realm of bitter things:
   solace all its wide dominion
   with the healing of thy wings.

2 Crown, O Lord, thine own endeavour;
   cleave our darkness with thy sword;
   cheer the faint and feed the hungry
   with the richness of thy word;
   cleanse the body of this nation
   through the glory of the Lord.
                         Henry S. Holland
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a terribly popular hymn, occurring in a little over 100 hymnals. Seems to be an appropriate prayer for our country right now.

There is a second verse:

2 Still the weary folk are pining
   for the hour that brings release:
   and the city's crowded clangour
   cries aloud for sin to cease;
   and the homesteads and the woodlands
   plead in silence for their peace.

</idle musing>

It's closed world, after all…

First, many Christians claim to believe in the supernatural but think (and live) like skeptics. We find talk of the supernatural world uncomfortable. This is typical of denominations and evangelical congregations outside the charismatic movement—in other words, those from a background like the one I grew up in.

There are two basic reasons why noncharismatics tend to close the door on the supernatural world. One is their suspicion that charismatic practices are detached from sound exegesis of Scripture. As a biblical scholar, it’s easy for me to agree with that suspicion—but over time it has widely degenerated into a closed-minded overreaction that is itself detached from the worldview of the biblical writers.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 17

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory (The Battle Hymn of the Republic)

545 Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory

1 Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
   He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
   He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
   His truth is marching on.

Refrain:
   Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
   Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!His truth is marching on.

2 I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
   They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
   I can read the righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
   His day is marching on. [Refrain]

3 He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
   He is sifting out all human hearts before His judgment seat;
   O be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
   Our God is marching on. [Refrain]

4 In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
   With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
   As He died to make us holy, let us die that all be free!
   While God is marching on. [Refrain]

5 He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
   He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
   So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
   Our God is marching on.
                         Julia Ward Howe
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Better known as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," it occurs in about 550 hymnals. Although it was written during the US Civil War specifically to encourage the belief in the rigtheousness of the North's cause, it does contain some good theology. Unfortunately, that theology is infused with a postmillenialism that I find hard to swallow—especially after the twentieth century!

Seems there is another verse, which I don't recall ever seeing/singing, probably because it makes the war setting too obvious for today:

3. I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
   As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal;
   Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
   Since God is marching on.

</idle musing>

A Supernatural view

New book, well not really new, I've had it on my shelf since it was published ten years ago(!). I excerpted from the shorter version way back then. I also started this one about that time, but when I came to his questionable assertions about a certain mountain, I set it aside until I had time to research it. Guess what? That time never came. So, I decided to read the rest of it anyway. For the next couple of weeks, I'll pull some quotations from it.

Let's start out by saying that I agree with his basic premise and have since being an undergraduate and being exposed to the reality of the heavenly council. Where we differ is in how cleanly and smoothly that idea is carried out in the Bible. He sees a very straightforward, literalistic interpretation throughout. I tend to see things a good bit messier.

That being said, I think the book is definitely valuable and should be read by the typical nonsupernatural-type Christian. I used to do a two-day guest lecture at the YWAM base in the Twin Cities about this stuff. The two-third world students caught it immediately. The Western world students were a bit more skeptical for the first hour or two. But when I sent them out for their lunchbreak with the assignment to find an example in the Bible, they came back amazed. It was everywhere. Exactly.

OK, enough background. Here's the first excerpt:

My goal is simple. When you open your Bible, I want you to be able to see it like ancient Israelites or first-century Jews saw it, to perceive and consider it as they would have. I want their supernatural worldview in your head.

You might find that experience uncomfortable in places. But it would be dishonest of us to claim that the biblical writers read and understood the text the way we do as modern people, or intended meanings that conform to theological systems created centuries after the text was written. Our context is not their context.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 13 (emphasis original)

footnote: Mike Heiser died last year of pancreatic cancer, which is a sad loss. Even though I disagreed with much he said, he was an asset to the Christian community.

Thou shalt not kill/murder

Many people have read the sixth saying and concluded that it prohibited all killing. Such an interpretation misunderstands the Hebrew vocabulary—the Hebrew word used here is rāṣaḥ, and it is properly translated as “murder.” It therefore does not pertain to any other sort of killing, such as capital punishment, war, suicide, or killing of animals for food. All those are fully acceptable in Israel, even at times required, and therefore do not stand as contradictory to this saying or to the preservation of order in the covenant community of Israel. Even when Jesus extrapolates from the saying in the Sermon on the Mount in the Second Temple cognitive environment, he extends the meaning from murder to the prior attitude of hate (Mt 5:21). He does not expand the principle to apply it to other ways in which killing takes place.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 255

<idle musing>
Well, that's the final excerpt from this book. On the whole, I found it a mixed bag. They do a good job of describing the cognitive environment of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible—at least prior to the Hellenistic period, when the ANE started to become more hellenized with the resulting change in legal systems.

But, diachronically, their approach doesn't fair as well. They definitely are wedded to the historical-critical paradigm, with all of its pluses and minuses. On the plus side is that they take the historical setting seriously, unlike so many other approaches. On the minus side, though, there seems to be a bit of tone deafness to historical theology, as a reviewer pointed out about all the Lost World series of books.

On the whole, though, I would still definitely recommend the book. There's a lot you can learn from it.

We'll start a new book tomorrow...
</idle musing>

Sabbath

This corresponds with the parallel observation throughout (especially) Genesis-Exodus that human efforts are not especially good at establishing and maintaining order or understanding the covenant as God working to establish and maintain order on humanity’s behalf. This idea represents one of the most significant divergences of Israelite thinking from its broader context (where humans are usually delegated to sustain their own order on behalf of the gods) so it is not surprising that the festival encapsulating this idea has no direct parallel [Sabbath].—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 252

The presence of God (Tozer for Tuesday)

This presence is both intangible and indescribable. Some try explaining it, but only those with a personal, intimate knowledge of God’s presence can truly understand. Some things rise above explanation and human understanding, and this is one. Many Christians are filled with good information, but only a few mercy drops fall into their languid soul to satisfy the thirst for God’s presence. Too many have never burst into the dazzling sunlight of God’s conscious, manifest presence. Or if they perchance have, it is a rare experience and not a continuous delight.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 17