The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms by Brian Webster and David Beach

The subtitle to this book is "KEY INSIGHTS FOR READING GOD'S WORD". When I saw the title and subtitle I was very interested in reading this work. I don't know exactly what I envisioned reading, but it was very different than what I did read.

This work consists of a brief overview and introduction followed some comments amounting to a page per Psalm that are intended "to provide a basic orientation" and to "point out essential elements"(pg.11) for each Psalm. They hope that this book will help us as we endeavor to personalize these old and foreign Psalms in our relationship with our Lord. This personalization of the "Psalms involves several conversations: with self, with scripture, with community, and with God." (pg.25) By putting these ancient psalms on our lips when we pray, or sing, or read them, we will often compare our lives with what is written. By doing so we can begin to enter the thought world of these ancient writers and allow them to critique us, to encourage us, to guide our praise, and to help us draw closer to God.

With each Psalm comes a little bit of background. Here the indefinite words, may have, might have, probably, could have been, seem to, etc., are used. As one who is trying to get key insights into these Psalms, I find such ambiguity meaningless. Webster and Beach evidently feel that insight comes an understanding of background and of little understood terms. So they have given us the best they could in such a restricted format. But in so doing the soil they gave us to grow our insight is much too shallow. I would have hoped for more insight into the psalms as prophetic of Christ and the church.

For instance, in the their categorizing of the Psalms they have no place for messianic psalms. Although the back cover states that they treat various types of psalms such as messianic and prophetic, only prophetic is mentioned in the book itself. Those psalms that are, in my view, clearly messianic are allowed a reapplication to Jesus, maybe, and only if he actually quoted it. Psalm 16 is applied to Jesus only because "Peter and Paul extend this royal interpretation to Jesus, the ultimate Davidic heir in whom this psalm is fulfilled, not in preserving Jesus from death, but in his conquering death through the resurrection." (pg.52) I guess Peter's argument about David being a prophet didn't convince.

Additionally, those pesky imprecatory psalms, you know the ones that state that happy is the guy who kills the enemies children, are touched on. That is all, just touched on. No insight into the proper place for anger and vengeance. The relationship of this type of sentiment and the 2nd coming of Jesus in judgment would have been helpful.

So that sums up the problem I have with this book. It would make a somewhat decent survey of the Psalms. But to say that this book will provide essential key insights for reading God's word is much too much of a statement.

    

    

Review of Following Jesus, The Servant King

Review of Following Jesus, The Servant King
A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship
Written by Jonathan Lunde and published by Zondervan 2010

Many of you know that I have been thinking a lot recently about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I want to know what that would look like in my life. After all, if I teach this stuff I had better live it.

So when this book became available for review I snatched it up. The title made sense to me except the bit about “covenantal discipleship”. What was that? Discipleship by covenant? Discipleship appropriate to the New Covenant? Some other covenant? I guess I would just have to read it. And read it I did.

Lunde begins by wondering what Jesus meant by his words “follow me”. How we answer this question defines how we will live as Christians. And, how we live as Christians, heavily influences how the world sees Jesus.

So what did Jesus mean by asking those first disciples to follow him? Lunde points out that the Gospels clearly state that “when Jesus calls people to follow him, he summons them to a life of radical commitment to himself and his commands”. (pg.26) He could do this because he was king. By putting himself in this position, Jesus was declaring that he himself was Israel’s king, the divine messiah. And as such he had every right to demand such commitment.

But Jesus was also a servant. As servant, Jesus suffered and died for us. Jesus combines the role of king and servant in himself. So on one side Jesus as king demands total commitment and obedience, and on the other side Jesus dies to satisfy all our requirements before our forgiving Father.

So which is it? King or suffering servant? How can we relate to both roles of Jesus at the same time? In order to answer this question, Lunde asks three more questions (pg. 28-30):
1. Why should I be concerned to obey all of Jesus’ commands if I have been saved by grace?
2. What is it that Jesus demands of his disciples?
3. How can the disciple obey Jesus’ high demand, while experiencing his “yoke” as “light” and “easy”?

It seems evident from these questions, that Lunde deals with compromised or disaffected evangelicals on a regular basis. I would not have asked these questions from a why, what, and how paradigm. And because of this, for the first part of the book I felt that he was speaking carefully to someone next to me who had issues with Jesus’ lordship and subsequent obedience. Not that I don’t have questions about such issues or that my obedience has been perfected, it is simply that I have answered these questions for myself, and now I have other questions. So I listened to how he answered these questions in order to gain some insight in relating to those same questioning evangelicals. And there was insight aplenty.

Lunde feels that in order to answer the first question we “need to explore the relationship between grace and demand”. (pg.29) In their efforts to not be seen as legalistic, too many evangelicals have lowered Jesus’ demands for discipleship to a “realistic” level and then count on God’s grace to cover them for the rest. After all, we are saved by grace. So this kind of discipleship makes few if no demands upon them. They have compromised with the world and are false witnesses of God. From their life people cannot see God as holy – but as a Santa that threatens to bring a lump of coal as a gift but never does.

The answer to this dilemma is to understand what it means to be in covenant with God. Lunde writes that “the fundamental contention of this book is that discipleship to Jesus is best understood in this covenantal context”. So he takes us through each covenant and demonstrates to us what being in covenant with God means and does not mean. For instance, being in covenant with God does not mean and has never meant that we can forsake God and God will keep on forgiving and overlook our sin. Even in covenant with God our relationship with God must be consistent with the nature of God. This is the God who demonstrated on the cross not only how much he loves us but also how much he hates sin.

As helpful as it was to see how our relation to God is defined by our covenant with God, I am not so sure that this is the best way to solve the problem of lukewarm ‘disciples’. Knowledge has its place as a motivator, but true belief trumps all. The covenantal context for discussing the issues surrounding the making of disciples is important, and very helpful, but there are many fine disciples of Jesus who haven’t a clue regarding their covenant with God. They simply love Jesus and follow him because he is God and they know his love by the power of the Holy Spirit. They pray and Jesus answers. They fear and the Holy Spirit gives them peace. God works in their life because they not only believe in Jesus, but they believe Jesus. The problem of weak discipleship is to my way of thinking not a crisis of faulty knowledge, but of a lack of belief in the love and power of the Holy Spirit.

I know that Lunde is basically in agreement with this statement. He says the something similar when he writes about Adam and Eve that “(t)heir obedience is grounded in their trust of God, and their failure is the result of their mistrust – their unbelief”. (pg.45) He makes clear that in every covenant our need to act towards God in faith and obedience is expected. God will not condone sin regardless of the covenant. But in Lunde’s view our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit is one of enablement for character development, the fruit of the Spirit, rather than faith development through knowing the power of the Holy Spirit. My view is not an either/or, but a both/and.

Lunde answers the first question of why we should be concerned about acting righteously by pointing out that the new covenant is continuous with and fulfills all earlier covenants. Reformed theology anyone? “This realization, then, helps us to avoid one common mistake right away – that of appealing to the gracious nature of the New Covenant to set it off from the prior covenants and seeking by this to excuse a negligence regarding righteousness.” (pg.111) Lunde really wants us to know that the new covenant not only does not absolve us of acting righteously, but that it also provides the way for us to be obedient . This is through the changed heart and endowment of the Holy Spirit that provides a “deeper enablement for righteousness”. (pg.113) Yet he also says that “it should also be clear by now that there is a sharp dissonance between what Jeremiah and the other prophets depict in their discussion of the New Covenant people and what is presently visible among the followers of Jesus”. (pg.113)That this is the case leads us eventually to his last question, the how of it all. Yet first he wants us to see what it is that is expected of us as disciples of Jesus.

What Jesus expects is very simple, really. Total commitment. “As David’s great heir who reigns faithfully as Yahweh’s Anointed King, then, Jesus appropriately summons us to an absolute discipleship.” (pg.123) And as king “his realm displays the contours of his nature”. (pg.123) It is, after all, the kingdom of God.

In Lunde’s view there are three ways in which the righteous demands of the previous covenants are fulfilled in Jesus and the present kingdom of God. First, Jesus acts as a filter, then a lens, and then a prism. Since the law is to be written on our hearts, what does that look like? We don’t go killing sheep anymore in our worship services. At least we are not supposed to. Jesus filters out such stuff from the law because he has fulfilled in himself the intent and goal of those ordinances. Jesus acts as a filter for us in that what the law says only comes to us through Jesus and not in a direct manner. Our obedience to the law is through obeying Jesus’ commands and teachings. “The result is not a lowering of the law’s demand for righteousness. In fact, the opposite is true.” (pg.140) He is saving the how until later.

As a lens, Jesus focuses our attention onto the intent of the law. Its essence is distilled in Jesus’ teachings. “Jesus teaches that heart of the law’s intention is the expression of love to God and one’s neighbor.” (pg.142)

As a prism, Jesus elevates some commands of the law. One example is the prohibition of murder. Jesus sees the heart of the issue as anger and hatred and commands us to avoid this. It would be simpler just to avoid killing someone, but Jesus goes for the heart.

Jesus summons us to obey the heart of the law. He also calls us to fulfill the intent of the covenant given to Abraham. This mission to bless the nations will not be fulfilled with simple proclamation. How we as followers of Jesus behave ethically mediates this blessing to the nations. (pg.168-169) ”Jesus also instructs his disciples to go beyond mere proclamation. Since God’s kingdom was arriving in fulfillment of his historical actions of deliverance, Jesus’ disciples were to demonstrate its presence in tangible ways that image its presence. Proclamation and demonstration – these dimensions belong inextricably together. Without either of them present, God’s mission is only partially realized.” (pg.176)

A big part of demonstrating the kingdom is vulnerability. Since Jesus our king was vulnerable, so must we be. Lunde’s interpretation of Matthew 25 where the nations are judged on how they treated the least of Jesus’ brethren was excellent. Lunde sees the brethren of Jesus here as those Christian disciples who are sent into the world. This was the highlight of the book for me. I’ll let you read it for yourself to see how he maintains this view. I’ll say this: it is simple and elegant.

“Those who have submitted to Jesus’ reign are therefore commanded to participate in the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise to bless all nations by proclaiming and demonstrating the presence of his kingdom.” (pg.183) This is what we are to do in response to the call to be a follower of Jesus. This is preaching the gospel of the kingdom and living under Jesus’ authority. The question remains, how are we to do this?

This question, how are we to do this, is the “crux of our dilemma”. (pg.185) Lunde reminds us “that we have seen that the all-encompassing demand of righteous fidelity to God was always to be encountered in the repeated remembrance and reception of God’s gracious deliverance and provisions.” (pg.208) And “In and through all of this, the New Covenant gift of the Spirit will be actively making Jesus’ grace present to us.” (pg.209) in the end, the gift of the Holy Spirit as God’s gracious presence in our lives makes it all doable.

For the Holy Spirit will remind us that Jesus has already fulfilled all our personal requirements of fidelity before God for us. Indeed, the Holy Spirit will show us that Jesus is our representative before God. This renews our faith. Additionally, the Holy Spirit will show us that Jesus is also our redeemer and restorer. He will also show us that Jesus is Lord. Our involvement with the Holy Spirit is what makes the difference. It is the presence of God in our lives through faith in Jesus that molds us into disciples.

I enjoyed how Lunde placed discipleship into a covenantal context. I also enjoyed how he wound up his discussion with the Holy Spirit. In my view righteousness is love. Love is developed in us through the believing Jesus and living in harmony with God’s Spirit. A loving person who is following Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit is a disciple. May we learn to be disciples of the one and only true God who has revealed himself in Jesus and come to live in us forever by His Holy Spirit.

From Panama #2

We are doing well, starting our second week here. The first week was teaching. We are near the pacific ocean, but we drove 2 hours and were at the Caribbean on Saturday! I have never been there before, it was beautiful. Sunday we went to church and relaxed.
Today we are going to a village to meet some family of our friends. In their culture, when you visit you take dinner with you! I like that! Especially since no one has the communication tools to let you know that they are coming.
Tomorrow we are headed 5 hours out into the jungle to spend 3 days at a Mennonite work with the indigenous people. Steve will teach and I will teach how to use a sewing machine, with a simple blouse to make that doesn't require a pattern. Everyone seems to have generators so they have electricity. Then we will be back here for the weekend and home on Monday.
Malana

in Panama, from Malana

We're here and we're fine, it is about 88 degrees in the day and 72 at night. Class went well today, we rested for the afternoon.
Steve will teach the rest of the week, I will teach sewing in the afternoon. Then on Monday (the 14th?) we will drive 6 hours into the jungle and stay a few days teaching at a Mennonite facility. There is a small hotel for $20 a night, or we could sleep on the floor at the community shelter...which do you think Steve would choose? Then back here on Thursday teaching on Friday, Saturday is a work day, then Sunday we pack up to leave for home.

Class consists of Americans, Candians, Panamanians, Colombians....and one Chinese who immigrated here. All classes are bi-lingual.

I'll check in again if anything interesting happens!

Washed and Waiting book review

Washed and Waiting: reflections on Christian faithfulness and homosexuality by Wesley Hill - published by Zondervan 2010

Many people would find it impossible to place the two identities, Christian and homosexual, together in the same sentence. Wesley Hill does not. In fact, Mr. Hill not only places these two identities in the same sentence, he also locates them in the same person - himself. He does this in much the same way as an alcoholic going to AA would. “Hello everyone, my name is Wesley. I am a homosexual. I’ve been clean and sober now for 15 years. I thank our Lord and God every day for giving me the strength to resist temptation. My God is faithful and He washes me clean from all my sin. I also thank each one of you for your support and help whenever I feel weak.”

“Thanks for sharing, Wesley”, the listeners respond.

Mr. Hill places homosexuality firmly on the list of sins. In doing so, he grapples with all the tensions that ensue within himself. He discovers as a young man growing up in a conservative Christian home that he has no sexual desire for women. Instead, he is attracted to men. At first he just ignores it and pretends that he is like all the other guys he knows. After a while he finally and painfully admits to himself that he is homosexually oriented.

After this admission to himself that he is indeed homosexual, Mr. Hill tries to figure out why. Here too he finds no answers that fit or satisfy. After years of effort to rid himself of these sinful desires, he concedes and then begins to look for outside help. This at first proves fruitless. He finds no one who actually speaks or writes to his situation. His questions remain. How can I follow Jesus? Will I always have these unwanted homoerotic desires?

In Mr. Hill’s pursuit of answers I find something that is simply amazing. Not that he finds good answers along the way, which he does. But how often he was given these answers and by such a variety of people. After he opens up to a professor at college, Mr. Hill continually finds friends, teachers, counselors, books and articles, that consistently point him in the same direction. Homosexuality is a sin. You sin only when you give in to its temptation. Sex is not the most important part of life. Loving and serving Jesus is. Find wholeness in following the Lord in purity and celibacy. Mr. Hill never notes how unusual this is, although he is very thankful for their input.

In the gospel Jesus is seen casting out demons and healing the sick. In this context He is questioned concerning the coming of the kingdom of God. In Luke 11:17-20 NIV Jesus said "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” Here Jesus identifies the present activity of the Holy Spirit as the finger of God revealing the kingdom of God.

Similarly I see God’s fingerprints everywhere in Mr. Hill’s life story. At every turn God seems to supply the right person, the right book, the right incident to shape Mr. Hill into a disciple of Jesus. If this isn’t clear evidence of the kingdom of God, what is? Our God is faithful. Amen.

Mr. Hill carries this topic to the arena where I agree it should be discussed - into the arena of discipleship. He tears down the notion that sexual fulfillment is necessary to being a disciple. Marriage is good, but serving God is best. He points out that we Christians have drunk too deeply at the well of worldly wisdom and have become blinded to the sacrifice necessary to follow Jesus. This insight applies to all, not just people with runaway desires. The sex addict can refrain from giving into temptation, follow Jesus, and we applaud. The drug addict and alcoholic can refrain from fulfilling their temptations, and we applaud them. Why not the person tempted by homoerotic desires? Can’t they fight the good fight too? With Mr. Hill I say of course they can!

But why not go further? Can the bitter person overcome the bitterness that plagues them day in and day out? Can the impulsive shopper avoid malls? Can the sharp tongued speak kindly? Can someone forgive themselves for aborting their child? All of these and more must live with the continual tension of knowing what is right and true yet have to deal every day with contrary desires.

It took me 10 years of struggle with daily depression to find one day that I hadn’t been depressed in a while. I rejoiced in the grace of God! Yet it took years of a daily turning my mind away from thoughts that depressed to the truth of the constant love of Jesus. In the same way I’ve learned to resist panic attacks. Jesus is the answer.

We all have some weakness somewhere. Some people cannot drink any alcohol without becoming a drunk. Some people cannot have a credit card without topping it out and going broke. Each of us has a struggle tailored to us. Yet we all can be victorious in Jesus. Even the person tempted with homoerotic desires.

Does this mean that Mr. Hill will find the day where he will just notice that he hasn’t had to battle these desires for a while? I sincerely hope and pray so. But if he doesn’t? I pray that Mr. Hill be faithful to Jesus.

I agree with Mr. Hill that we do not always need to know the cause and reason for our assorted weaknesses. But through the power of the Holy Spirit we can all live a life pleasing to our Lord and God.

Thanks for sharing, Wesley.

Psalm 23 Digested

In the depths of my closet I found an old prayer journal from the first year I was a Christian. At that time all scripture was new to me. This was my meditation on Psalm 23:

Jesus loves me
He takes care of all my needs
All I need do is ask Jesus to take care of it for me
and wait patiently with expectation
through whatever the circumstances may be
he fulfills my need

Yes, glory to Jesus

I need no more seek to fulfill my own desires
Jesus leads me to them
and presents them to me

Jesus loves me so much
- and he is God -
that he is willing and able to take care of me
even if I should fall
Jesus certainly is love and mercy

I'm Back

Recently I awoke from a dream where I asked the Lord why we had to be like children to enter the kingdom. My thought then went to the desire many of us have to be sure of something before we believe. You know, we want all the facts before we can make a sound judgment. The Lord then indicated to me that the reason we cannot have all the facts before we believe is not that he wants to deny us the facts, it is simply that we would not understand them if he gave them to us. Our conclusions would not be right. Additionally, because of our past experience we would bend the truth into something we could control. Jesus is the Truth and Lord.

So childlike faith is the essential element we provide in coming into the kingdom. This is the kind of faith that trusts someone as a default position. Children have to be taught to distrust strangers. It is a faith that believes what is told to them simply because they trust the one speaking. A simple, complete, faith.

I am looking into my own heart and wondering if my faith can be like this. I know it must. But to do so I must throw away every crutch, every desire, every hope that connects me to this world/age/system. I need to be totally the Lord's. The only thing that hinders my faith is my desire to be something in this world. To have my own stuff, my own life. My life is now the Lord's and not my own. I have given it freely and He took it. He has given me His in return. My life in this world for His. But I must live his.