Thursday, August 31, 2017

Obedience? Or politics?

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In the first book of Samuel, the sea-people represent in some sense Israel’s fear. Thus, one of the central issues of chap. 7, as in so many...
Tuesday, August 29, 2017

He will hear!

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Samuel’s intercessory prayer is emphasized by the comment that he cried out to Yhwh on behalf of Israel. This time, it is not the people who...
Monday, August 28, 2017

A recurring theme

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After Samuel disappeared from the biblical text for more than two chapters, he finally reappears in the narrative without introduction (1 Sa...
Friday, August 25, 2017

What was he doing all night?

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[First Samuel] Chapter 15, among other things, illustrates what Samuel meant when he declared that he, as a prophet, considers it as sin (חט...
Thursday, August 24, 2017

It's in your hands

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We have seen that Moses’ intercessory activity enabled Israel to make a new start. But ultimately, it is the people’s choice that will deter...
Wednesday, August 23, 2017

High standards

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The narrative states several times that God was going to destroy Israel (cf. Deut 9:8, 14, 19, 20). It was only through Moses’ sacrificial a...
Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Ouch! That hurts

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Just ran across a (longish) post that attempts to explain why 81% of self-identifying evangelicals voted for, and largely continue to suppo...

Moses as a type

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The twofold prophetic role anticipates Jesus’ life and ministry. As one who is part of the divine council, he speaks with divine authority (...
Monday, August 21, 2017

Why?

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Moses speaks to the people as one who has intimate knowledge of Yhwh’s nature and purposes. Not only does his prophetic utterance presuppose...
Friday, August 18, 2017

No, it's more than that!

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Often the prophet’s prime or sole responsibility is mistakenly perceived as receiving and communicating God’s words (judgment or salvation),...
Thursday, August 17, 2017

Me, at book exhibits

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This is me, at book exhibits (ARC = Advance Reading Copies) You've got to go there to see the whole thing...

Fix it!

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Restoring a breached wall by doing righteous community work is a longterm process. When the hour of destruction is advancing, it is the prop...
Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Judgment will catch up!

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[E]ven after their most grievous offense was pardoned, they continued to be rebellious (cf. Deut 9:22–24). The continuous intercessory activ...
Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Faithfulness hurts

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The fact that YHWH responds favorably to Moses’ threefold appeal reveals not only that mercy depends on YHWH’s character and His promises bu...
Monday, August 14, 2017

The stakes are high

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In spite of the fact that Israel has been obstinate and rebellious from the moment of birth (Isa 48:4; cf. Deut 9:7, 24), YHWH is determined...
Sunday, August 13, 2017

Where does the punctuation go?

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In John 1:3–4, that is. Is there a stop at the end of verse 3? Or does it come at the end of the phrase, with the relative pronoun and parti...
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Friday, August 11, 2017

The tension

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The covenant relationship, by its very nature, makes certain demands on both sides of the party (Deut 26–30), by which life and blessing can...
Thursday, August 10, 2017

Slaves, but freed ones

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YHWH’s legal claim to the ownership of Israel is based on His act of sovereign redemption. The verb פדה carries the sense of ransoming an en...
Wednesday, August 09, 2017

Booklust

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I just saw this at Evangelical Text Criticism . A New Approach to Textual Criticism: An Introduction to the Coherence-Based Genealogi...

It's a lonely road

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This act of humble self-abasement does not only come as a sharp contrast to Israel’s rebellious attitude, but also raises the question of wh...