We’re reading through Judges at Oak Tree Church, and I’m posting some observations from my daily readings here within a day or two after the reading. I’d love for you to join in the discussion.
Tag Archive - Exodus
Book Review: Chronological Guide to the Bible
Chronological Guide to the Bible
Published by Thomas Nelson
(Note: This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson. This did not affect my review in any way.)
Let’s be honest, here – I am not a history buff in any way. It was one of my worst subjects in school. I almost failed both semesters in college! There has been almost no other subject that I have approached with as much dread as history; World, U.S., Social, Heritage – you name it, I hated it. And yet…
Supersize me
I’m teaching through the 10 Commandments at OTCC, and this weekend was the 2nd one – no carved images. You can listen to the audio here.
Anyway, although I got through the teaching on the commandment itself, there were a couple of things I didn’t have time to elaborate on, so I am going to do that in this post. Here is the passage in Exodus 20:4-6
You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
The commandment is pretty straightforward – don’t downsize God by trying to represent him by making something that could never represent him. That draws our focus away from him and kicks him out of his rightful place at the center of our lives.
His reason is because he’s “a jealous God”. In our small group this afternoon, we discussed that God couldn’t be jealous if our worship didn’t belong to him in the first place. He could be envious of our devotion to someone or something else. But jealousy means that we are giving away something that is rightfully his – our worship.
With this in mind, God makes two statements about how he deals with his people. (Listen to the first message in this series to understand why these apply only to those people who already have a relationship with God.)
First, for “those who reject me,” God promised that he would deal “with [their] children to the third and fourth generations”. Now some take this to mean that God places generational curses on families from which they cannot be freed.
I take issue with that because God clearly spells out in Deuteronomy 24:16 and Ezekiel 18:19-24 that each person is responsible for his own sins. This principle is carried throughout the New Testament, as well, in passages like Romans 14:12 and 2 Corinthians 5:10.
Here he is referring specifically to those who “reject” (some translations say “hate”) him. This is an intentional defiant attitude against God and his love and law by an individual person. What happens in a family when the parents reject God? The children suffer. They are not taught and do not experience God’s law or his love. What happens when the children grow up and do the same in their families?
Do you see how the effects of sin and rebellion can be passed down from one generation to the next? Not because God has cursed the family, but because the family has turned away from God, and God has to “deal with” those succeeding generations of rebels. Sin’s consequences always affect more than just the sinner.
Secondly, for “those who love me and keep my commandments,” God promised “covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations.”
Again, this doesn’t mean that as long as I do what’s right, my descendants can do anything they want, and God has to accept it. We are each still responsible to God for our own lives.
However, just like a person’s sin can affect a family for several generations, and person’s faithfulness to God can affect a family for generations. And according to this passage and others (Jeremiah 32:29, for example), the effects of our faithfulness to God reaches down through time far beyond the effects of our sin!
To those who love and obey God, he has promised his unending faithfulness. Consider: if a generation is 25 years on average (from the time a person is born until his or her first child), “a thousand generations” is 25,000 years! In human time, that’s pretty much forever! God promised faithfulness that humanity will never see end.
We don’t ever have to worry about God upholding his end of the bargain. When we faithfully keep him at the center of our lives, we can be sure that he will be faithful to guide us, protect us, provide for us, and so much more.
Don’t forget to be at OTCC (Twitter: @oaktreechurch) next week as we continue “Rewriting the Ten Commandments” with number three – “Don’t steal my identity.”
Proverbs 30
The last two chapters of Proverbs are sort of appendices to the rest of the book. Solomon seems to have compiled the first 24 chapters personally. Hezekiah had his guys put together 5 more chapters that Solomon didn’t include. But these last two are completely different.
First, we don’t know anything about the writers (Agur, Lemuel’s mother) or the recipients (Ithiel, Ukal, King Lemuel). Secondly, the proverbs are more like paragraphs than short, pithy sayings.
So, here are some thoughts from chapter 30.
Every word of God is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar. (30:5-6)
Many people are familiar with the prophecy of Revelation 22:18-19 that someone who adds to or subtracts from the Revelation (sometimes misapplied to the entire Bible) will be severely punished.
The results in Proverbs 30 don’t seem nearly as harsh, but the point remains the same – don’t put words in God’s mouth. Don’t try to make him say something he never said. This is actually the point behind the third commandment (Exodus 20:7), which I will be teaching on at OTCC later this spring.
There is a generation who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully.
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose molars are like knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human race. (30:11-14)
Four times Agur says, “There is a generation.” From the description, it seems to me like this is a recurring “generation”, and ours is no different.
Consider the national decay that a generation with these morals will bring:
- no respect of parents; probably includes rebellion against any authority
- no sense of right and wrong; they think they’re “pure” because they can’t see their own “filthiness”
- no humility; rather than locking eyes and looking at people, they look down on or away from them
- no compassion for others; their response to the “poor” and “needy” is to get rid of them so they don’t mess up the scenery (read: euthanasia, abortion-on-demand, etc.)
This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have not done wrong.” (30:20)
I know this can be taken a couple of different ways, but here’s how I read it. I get the picture of the adulterous person (woman or man) as a predator feeding off of their victims. Think vampire. When they’re done with the “meal”, they calmly wipe their mouths, look up, and say, “What?”
Under four things [the earth] cannot bear up…an unloved woman who is married… (30:23)
Wow – this one caught me off guard. Of all the things nature could abhor, a married woman unloved by her husband? Remember, the Bible is God’s very own heart and mind written down for us. What does this tell us about him? What does this tell me about me?
Family Time
We had an impromptu “Family Time” last night at church. It was impromptu only in that I didn’t announce it ahead of time (not that I wasn’t prepared).
For those of you who don’t come to Family Time meetings, basically it’s a time when our core members and attendees can give input or ask questions about what’s going on at church. I usually start with information that’s been building up, then have an open forum to discuss it.
Here’s a run-down of our discussion from last night (in case you weren’t here):
* Exodus 3:7-10 – “I’m going to rescue my people – Moses, you go to Pharaoh”. Our job is not to make plans and ask God to bless them. He is already working without us. Our job is to get on board with what He is already doing.
* Members from a church in Texas is flying up here this Thursday to look at our pews. They’re pretty sure they want to buy the whole set.
* We have some inexpensive and not-so-inexpensive building projects we’re working on for this spring and summer. Everyone can and needs to help.
* Ministry opportunities are posted very clearly on the lobby bulletin board, along with the person you need to contact to get involved. No excuses to not be involved in ministry at OTCC.
* I am hyped about our new teaching series that starts new week (Easter). It’s called “Come Alive”. Don’t miss it!
* I plan on having some guest speakers coming in over the next few months. One is Mike Ash from Next Level Church in Ft. Myers, FL.
* No evening service next week. Spend Easter with your families (after the morning service, of course!).
* No evening service the following week either. Our church leadership team is having a very important meeting during that time. If you are not a part of that meeting, you can pray together for us while we meet, start a group Bible study during that time, or get a ministry team together and do something. KEY WORD: TOGETHER!
The open forum is still open. Call, email, stop by my office, or even post your comments here.
Until next time,
Dan’l
The comments in this blog are always the personal opinions of Daniel Goepfrich and are not meant to be taken as official statements of Oak Tree Community Church, its staff, or its members.
