The Gift Jesus Bequests to Us

This is our third time featuring the writing of Carolyn Kincaid who writes at Carolyn Kincaid’s Potpourri for the Soul and in keeping with the blog’s title, we have a potpourri of shorter devotional articles for you today. Find the original source of each by clicking the title links which follow.

Legacy

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful. – John 14:27 CSB

A friend came to me recently and asked my advice about a conflict she and her husband were having as they were updating their wills. Life can get complicated when we have previous marriages and families from blended households. We recently had an event where an attorney in our church gave moms some knowledge on what to do with wills and it’s gotten me thinking.

What does your will say? What might you leave to those you love that would have the greatest value? Because I’ve been thinking in this realm, when I read Jesus’ words in John 14:27, this is how I saw them, “I bequeath to you a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Since Jesus was getting ready to leave this world I could see it saying bequeath. This is what He is leaving in His last will and testament to them…and to us as His followers—peace. It’s nothing that any amount of money can buy. It’s nothing that can be earned by any amount of doing. He says the world cannot give it. It can only be obtained through Him and He is giving it freely.

How many times have I taken that gift for granted, or worse, shoved it in a closet and forgot that I had it so I didn’t use it? He also said, “So don’t be troubled or afraid.” That is simply synonymous with living, right? Don’t we all have times when our hearts are troubled or we’re afraid? But as a believer I don’t have to let that be my norm. Jesus told me not to be troubled or afraid. He bequeathed to me His peace.

In summary, two things—what are you leaving to others and what are you doing with what He has given you?

Yes and Amen

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. – 2 Cor 1:20 NLT

This is not new, nor did it originate with me, but as I was reading my Bible this morning what I was prompted to do was to insert my name in what Jesus was saying to His followers. [Please note, that this promise is only for you if you are following Him.] So, as I was reading John 14, that’s what I did. I encourage you to replace my name with yours and take His promises and commands as your own.

Carolyn, if you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who will lead you into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But Carolyn, you know him because he lives with you and will be in you. No, Carolyn, I will not abandon you as an orphan—I will come to you. You will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you Carolyn. I know you love me Carolyn, because you accept my commandments and obey them. And because you Carolyn, love me, my Father loves you. And I will love you and reveal myself to you. — taken from John 14:15-21

A beautiful song on this verse is Chris Tomlin’s “Yes and Amen” which can be found on YouTube. [see video below]

He is forever faithful and He watches over His word to make sure it comes to pass. Say, “Yes” to His promises and appropriate them for you and yours in this new year.

Jesus Plus ________

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10 NIV

I am still mulling over yesterday’s sermon. Pastor Matt preached on Matthew 14:34-36 and verse 36 says that they “begged Him to let them merely touch the fringe of His garment; and as many as touched it were perfectly restored.” Another version says, “perfectly well.” During my devotional time this morning I read 1 Peter 5:10, and thought, “Yes, another confirmation that God is about restoration in my situation!”

We all have areas in our lives where we would like restoration. Maybe it’s a broken relationship (those seem to touch each of us in some way), maybe it’s a sin in your life that you just can’t seem to be victorious over. It could be a sickness, alcoholism or addiction that you or a loved one suffer from.

It’s very natural for us to have a laser-focus on what ails us—on that area that needs to be perfectly well. However, what the Lord spoke to me this morning about was restoration in my relationship with Him for what it is—a relationship between my God and me alone. Not my God and me plus (fill in the blank). This is what Pastor Matt emphasized. Jesus alone is enough. Jesus alone makes me victorious. Jesus alone gives me a full, abundant life.

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This is the video Carolyn referred to:

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C201 is always looking for both submissions and suggestions for sources of material. Use the submissions page in the margin.

A Familiar Psalm as Poetry; As Drama

Four years ago I was composing a book review where I noted that while there has been much emphasis lately on the importance of respecting the various genres of scripture and reading each according to its unique style; the author of the book I was reviewing “suggests that they are all narrative, even to the point of labeling the poetic books as ‘wisdom stories,’ existing alongside ‘war stories,’ ‘deliverance stories,’ ‘gospel stories,’ ‘origin stories,’ and yes, in a category by themselves, ‘fish stories.’”

So when our son Aaron posted this to his blog earlier this week, I needed to read it twice to see the movement from micro-narrative to macro-narrative.

To make it easier for you to do, I’ve added a few sentences in italics below. It’s also helpful to ask yourself, “What is my present vantage point in this narrative?”

You can also click the title below to read the original.

^{Psalm 23 (CEV) 1} The Lord is my shepherd.
    I lack nothing.
² He lets me rest in grassy meadows;
    he leads me to restful waters;
³         he keeps me alive.
He guides me in proper paths
    for the sake of his good name.

⁴ Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no danger because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—
    they protect me.

⁵ You set a table for me
    right in front of my enemies.
You bathe my head in oil;
    my cup is so full it spills over!
⁶ Yes, goodness and faithful love
    will pursue me all the days of my life,
    and I will live in the Lord’s house
    as long as I live.

The Shadow of the Valley of Text

by Aaron Wilkinson

I’ve been reading about Hebrew poetry lately and I’ve realized that I may have been reading Psalm 23 all wrong.

Over-familiarity is our worst friend when we’re trying to develop a deep understanding of a text. I’ve heard the words “The Lord is my shepherd” and everything that comes after so many times that I’ve come to take it for granted. It becomes an absent-minded recitation. While I think all of us who grew up in the church have a grasp for the basic ethos of the poem, I’m discovering that Hebrew poetry demands that the reader slow down to really unpack the parallel images and words that characterize it.

I’ll assume you’ve read or heard or sung this poem before. Shepherd, Green Pastures, Quiet Waters. This part makes me feel nice. Although the line “I shall not want” feels more like a wish than an assertion. When I see my friends getting promoted or engaged, I definitely do want. I could say a lot about how profoundly rebellious this statement is against an ambitious and consumeristic culture, but that’s not my main point.

The tranquil tapestry of this mellow meadow ends with this.

“He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

And then…

New paragraph. A gap in the formatting of the text! Now we’re going to talk about a new idea. If this were a film, we might put a scene transition here.

The camera pulls back from a tight close-up to a wider shot.

The tone is still optimistic but we’re no longer in that prior pastoral paradise.

But were we ever?

The way that the text is usually formatted suggests a shift that I’m not sure is meant to be there. Verse 3 and Verse 4 both use language of journeying. Being lead down the path and walking through the valley. Verses 1 and 2 show us images of stillness. Verses 3 and 4 get us moving. Unless the editors of the text are using the gap between the verses to symbolize a valley between hills, I think this break can be misleading.

Picture this: our scene opens on a young lamb, grazing on grass and sipping from a stream. We then see the lamb approached by a strong but gentle shepherd who signals to the lamb with his staff that it’s time to get moving. The lamb hops up and begins following the shepherd. As they go, they walk. They don’t run. They don’t hide. They walk.

The camera pulls back again.

Zoom out and we see that the two are, in fact, in a dark valley. Clouds thunder overhead and predators growl in the distance. Abandoned arrows, slash marks from swords, and spots of blood speak of some battle that was fought here recently. Warriors may still be crouching around the next bend. And there they walk, the sheep and the shepherd. Stopping for a break and a snack every now and then.

The green fields with quiet waters and the valley of the shadow of death aren’t two places. They are one. And Verses 5 and 6 will confirm this for us. How does the poem begin? Fields to graze in, water to drink, rest for the soul. Food, drink, rest. How does it end? A table in front of my enemies, an overflowing cup, goodness and mercy following me all the days of my life. Food, drink, rest – not in some idyllic ethereal otherworld, but in the very presence of enemies and threats. There are always the enemies, the shadow of death, but also the shepherd offers provision and comfort.

The camera pulls back one last time, this time showing a macro-image beyond imagination.

What’s more, we’ve zoomed out even further. We began in the sheep’s little world: the grass, the water, the shepherd. We zoomed out to see what the shepherd is protecting the sheep from: the valley. Now we are in “The house of the Lord, forever.” We end in the eternal transcendent House (surely this encompasses all creation) and the enemies and valleys are left sandwiched – surrounded – between the immediate local provision of the shepherd and the eternal promises of the future.

I’m sure there are layers of this poem that I’m still missing. The Israelites were masters of poetry so I’m sure that there are layers that shine out much better in the original language. But this poem is dense even in English. It’s packed. The images are tied together brilliantly and even the subtle implications of a verb like “walk” are carefully selected to tell us something about the beautiful relationship that God has to his creation, and the relationship between his providence and our challenges.

I think we miss this when we treat the Psalms first as theology and as poetry second. When we slow down and read them as poetry, their theology becomes much more profound.

Biblical Typology

Today’s scriptures are found in the links of the blockquote, and the key scripture in the image below.

You’re listening to a sermon where the preacher says something like, “…in this, Joshua is a ‘type’ of Christ.” What does that mean? Maybe a ‘type’ is someone that someone else likes, as in, “She’s definitely my type.”

No, it’s actually Biblical typology. GotQuestions.org explains:

Typology is a special kind of symbolism. (A symbol is something which represents something else.) We can define a type as a “prophetic symbol” because all types are representations of something yet future. More specifically, a type in scripture is a person or thing in the Old Testament which foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament. For example, the flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 6-7) is used as a type of baptism in 1 Peter 3:20-21. The word for type that Peter uses is figure.

When we say that someone is a type of Christ, we are saying that a person in the Old Testament behaves in a way that corresponds to Jesus’ character or actions in the New Testament. When we say that something is “typical” of Christ, we are saying that an object or event in the Old Testament can be viewed as representative of some quality of Jesus.

Scripture itself identifies several Old Testament events as types of Christ’s redemption, including the tabernacle, the sacrificial system, and the Passover. The Old Testament tabernacle is identified as a type in Hebrews 9:8-9: “the first tabernacle . . . which was a figure for the time then present.” The high priest’s entrance into the holiest place once a year prefigured the mediation of Christ, our High Priest. Later, the veil of the tabernacle is said to be a type of Christ (Hebrews 10:19-20) in that His flesh was torn, (as the veil was when He was crucified) in order to provide entrance into God’s presence for those who are covered by His sacrifice.

The whole sacrificial system is seen as a type in Hebrews 9:19-26. The articles of the “first testament” were dedicated with the blood of sacrifice; these articles are called “the patterns of things in the heavens” and “figures of the true” (verses 23-24). This passage teaches that the Old Testament sacrifices typify Christ’s final sacrifice for the sins of the world. The Passover is also a type of Christ, according to 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” Discovering exactly what the events of the Passover teach us about Christ is a rich and rewarding study…

For years, I assumed that this was simply a human way of defining aspects of a book with divine characteristics. After all, we say “Trinity” but the word itself isn’t in the Bible. But we know what we mean when we say it, but we recognize the actual word to be a man-made construct. Is it possible that our notion of Biblical typology is simply a human construct to try to make sense of certain parallels and similarities?

Well, it turns out, that the Bible itself makes the case for doing so.

This week as I watched a sermon online, this verse came on the screen:

What does this mean? I believe there are three things here beyond the immediate context.

Key – In a sense the Bible is herewith giving us permission to this type of textual analysis. The verse isn’t prophetic in the sense of having direct application to Joshua himself, but is Messianic in nature; referencing one who would follow after Joshua.  Thus we have a direct indication here to pursue this interpretation (hermeneutic) method.

Promise – The International Bible Commentary says it is “the divine guarantee that God is to do something better through his servant “the branch,” …a future Davidic ruler.” The Eerdman’s Bible Commentary says that Joshua and his associates are “a pledge of the approach of Messiah’s kingdom…” We can therefore look for these various ‘types’ to appear and know they indicate the One who is for them, someone who will come after but for us, someone who has already appeared.

Mystery – On the other hand, scriptures generally don’t fully connect all the dots. The correlation is there in general terms, but nowhere does the text say things with the bluntness that we, living in a bullet-point, cut-to-the-chase world would prefer. We must work these things out ourselves. We are within our rights to look for other examples of these types throughout scripture.

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Related:

• February, 2014 – Biblical Typology (This article gives far more examples than we had room for here today.)
• April, 2012 – Jesus After the Order of Melchizedek (One of the most challenging ‘types’ we encounter since so little is actually said about him.)
• Sermon: Prophetic Pointers – If you go to this sermon series by Bruxy Cavey at The Meeting House (also the source of today’s scripture screen shot) and choose Week #4 of the series Jesus BC, you can see the sermon where I heard the verse from Zechariah. Interestingly, Week #5, The Mysterious Stranger, is entirely about Melchizedek. (Warning: Bruxy may not look like the pastor of your church!)

 

 

Understanding Different Literary Forms in Scripture

Today’s thoughts are from the Bible In One Year (BiOY) page of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in England, the original home of The Alpha Course as taught by Nicky Gumbel, who also authored these thoughts.  What follows is excerpts, click through to read in full.

How to Read and Understand the Bible

How do we interpret the Bible and understand what it says about what we should believe and how we should live? In interpreting the Bible there are three main questions we need to ask:

• What does it actually say? The Old Testament is written in Hebrew (and Aramaic), and the New Testament in Greek, but we are fortunate to have access to excellent translations. Obviously it can help if we can read it in the original language, but generally we can be confident that most modern translations are trustworthy and accurate. As we read we need to be asking what it actually says. It can be helpful to use extra notes, or compare different translations, to help us understand it better.

• What does it mean? In order to answer this question we have to ask: What sort of literature is it? Is it historical writing? Poetry? Prophecy? Apocalyptic? Law? Wisdom? Gospel? The passages for today are each different types of literature, and therefore we read them in different ways.Next, we need to ask what it meant to the person who first wrote it and to those who first read or heard it. Then ask, ‘Has anything happened subsequently to alter our understanding of the text?’ For example, what difference does the coming of Jesus make to our understanding of Old Testament passages?

• How does this apply to our lives? If we ignore this question, then our Bible reading becomes a mere intellectual exercise. Once we have worked out what it says and means, we must think through how it applies to our daily living.

Each day’s readings at BiOY involve three passages, you’ll have to click through to read these in full. There are also prayers at the end of each section. Again, click through to read.

In these passages, we see three different types of literature (poetic, apocalyptic and historical). We also see at least three ways in which to relate to God in our daily life.

1. Be real with God (poetry)

Psalm 144:9–15

God wants us to be real with him. The psalms are not prayers from nice people using polite language. They are often raw, earthy and rough. They are an honest, true and personal response to God. They are written in the language of poetry. We interpret poetry differently to prose…

Comparison is something that we often use in daily speech. It also comprises almost all the language of theology. When two things are compared it does not mean they are alike in all respects. Usually there is some intended point of comparison on which we are asked to concentrate.

The language of Psalm 144:12 is an example of such language: ‘Make our sons in their prime like sturdy oak trees, Our daughters as shapely and bright as fields of wildflowers’ (MSG)

…the psalmist inspires us to worship (v.9). He speaks of his longing for God’s blessing on his family, his work and the security of his nation. He ends, ‘Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord’ (v.15).

2. Make a difference by your prayers (apocalyptic)

Revelation 8:1–9:12

Apocalyptic literature is the literature of dreams and visions, of divine mysteries and the end of history. It is full of symbols that need to be decoded. In it we are given glimpses of things that are often at the very limits of human understanding, and the complicated and fantastic imagery can help us begin to grasp things that are beyond comprehension.

Apocalyptic literature is notoriously difficult to interpret. Within the Bible it is found in several places – especially the books of Daniel and Revelation. Typically, the reading from the apocalyptic writing for today is not easy to understand. It appears to be Christ calling the world to repentance and his warning of the coming judgment…

…We live in the time between the first and the second coming of Christ. We see evidence of much of what is written about in these chapters happening in our world. Our response should be prayer and repentance.

3. Fulfill God’s purpose for your life (history)

Ezra 1:1–2:67

God has a purpose for your life. You are called to do something special for him. The book of Ezra shows us that even when it is God’s plan, there will be plenty of opposition and resistance. But God is with you (1:3) and God’s plans will ultimately succeed.

In the book of Ezra we find ourselves in the more familiar territory of history. The historical books of the Bible are not simply records of what happened, they also provide interpretations of the events they describe. Historical writing was seen as a prophetic activity, both recording the facts and explaining or revealing how God was at work through the events that are described.

The opening verse of Ezra is an excellent example of this bringing together of fact and interpretation: ‘In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing’ (v.1).

Contemporary inscriptions show that Cyrus king of Persia allowed other captive nations to return home as well, so we are on firm historical ground here. At the same time the writer explains the significance of these events. He highlights how they fulfilled the earlier prophecy of Jeremiah that the exile would last approximately seventy years (Jeremiah 25:12 and 29:10).

This is not just a lesson in ancient history; it is a revelation of God. It shows us God’s faithfulness to his people, it reminds us that he is a saving God, and it demonstrates how he is in command and control of history.

Before the judgment: ‘Heaven fell quiet – complete silence for about half an hour’ (8:1, MSG). During this period of trembling suspense all of heaven is silenced, possibly symbolizing the opportunity for the prayers of God’s people to be presented to and heard by God.

…We each have a unique purpose for our lives. We have different projects, depending on our different jobs and passions and giftings, but our underlying motives should be the same – a concern for God’s glory and God’s people. God will fulfill his purpose for you.

A Favorite Verse in Context

We’re all familiar with red-letter Bibles where the words of Christ (and God) stand out through the use of the different ink color; but recently Zondervan released an edition of the NIV2011 where verses appear in larger type sizes — there’s about eight different point size fonts — depending on their popularity in online searches at BibleGateway.com.  

This edition is called The Peoples Bible and the name is appropriate, given that it’s a kind of Peoples Choice Award of Bible verses. I suppose it’s good to see what other verses people are seeking, but there’s a danger with memory verses when they’re ripped out of the fuller context; when you’re reading the verse in jumbo type or bold face, at the expense of the context.

The blogger at 365 Days of Praising references this with regard to the popular Jeremiah 29:11; the verse which begins, “For I know the plans I have for you…”

Jeremiah 29 is a favorite, particularly verse 11, but many times verse 11 is isolated from the rest of the context.  What I find interesting about this passage is that a time of testing came first before the promise…a seventy year test.  And notice the person receiving the promise has a part to play also…praying…looking…finding.  So first the test, then the seeking, finally the bringing home of the captive…good plans from the Lord our God.  Praise Him! 

She then provides the fuller context of verses 10-14 in the NLT; I’ve underlined the details we often miss:

10 This is what the LORD says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”