A not-so-brief introduction to part two...
What do you think of when you hear, or read, the word worship?
Go ahead and think about it, but not for too long! I want to know the first thing you think of. Well, I want you to know the first thing you think of.
Got it? Okay, now write it down, or type it into the comments, or tweet it at me, scrawl it on your palm with a Sharpie... whatever. It'll be useful later.
Showing posts with label Genesis 22. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis 22. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2015
Thursday, April 10, 2014
What is Worship Anyway? - Part One
Just a quick news flash – Last week, in the intro to this series, I
told you the second entry would be in two weeks, but I changed my mind. This
will be a weekly series until it’s done.
[edit! we're way way way behind on this series, but I am still working on it, so keep clicking those links at the bottom of these as long as they are there]
We’re talking about worship here, and, as
with any subject which has been plagued with misunderstanding and
misinformation over a long period of time, we’re going to need to start at the
beginning.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
My God's No Molech, Man!
What's with that title? Just read, man... it's all down there.
Want to know something shocking about the God you and I worship? Here's something: God told the patriarch Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, whom he loved to an as-yet-unknown location and present him as a burnt offering. Aside from the fact that Isaac wasn't Abraham's only son, which makes it look like the author momentarily forgot about Ishmael, this passage seems to blatantly contradict God's character, since He clearly condemns the murder of innocents, and especially the act of human sacrifice (Lev. 18:21), as was practiced in worship of the pagan god Molech.
Almost as shocking was Abraham's response, which was to essentially say, "alright, Lord, Your will is my command." Talk about a mindless automaton, right?
So, what about God here? Is Richard Dawkins at least partially right when he accuses the God of the Old Testament of being, "arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."? (for a guy who doesn't believe in God he sure seems to hate Him a lot...)
So, what's really going on here? Of course a Bible-believing, Christ-follower like myself doesn't believe any of those facetious statements and questions. But if we are honest with ourselves we will have to admit that, at face value, this incident might seem to validate some of the terrible things unbelievers say about our God. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if many of you reading this have, at one time or another - or possibly right now - felt uneasy about this chapter. There are some who likely avoid this story, skimming it quickly when they come to it and never looking back!
Well, my goal with this four-part series on Genesis 22 is to not only dispel the fears and misunderstandings about this wonderful section of Scripture, but to also tear away the ugly veil woven from false preconceptions, misinformation, and plain old ignorance, to reveal possibly the most radiantly beautiful story in all of the Old Testament.
To that end I will craft this into three distinct sections, meaning that there will be three more blog entries on this subject. The first will be an in depth look at something called the "law of first mention" and its presence in Genesis 22. You do not want to miss out on the information which will be found in that entry! In the second phase we will explore the prophetic - messianic really - significance of the event. The third and final will be a special treat, as we will look beyond Moriah all the way to the end times. I assure you that whatever your eschatological stance may be, you will be comfortable with this portion. Of the three this third one seems to be the most revelatory and profound to those I have shared with, so keep an eye out for that!
Next time: The Mysterious Law of First Mention...
Want to know something shocking about the God you and I worship? Here's something: God told the patriarch Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, whom he loved to an as-yet-unknown location and present him as a burnt offering. Aside from the fact that Isaac wasn't Abraham's only son, which makes it look like the author momentarily forgot about Ishmael, this passage seems to blatantly contradict God's character, since He clearly condemns the murder of innocents, and especially the act of human sacrifice (Lev. 18:21), as was practiced in worship of the pagan god Molech.
Almost as shocking was Abraham's response, which was to essentially say, "alright, Lord, Your will is my command." Talk about a mindless automaton, right?
So, what about God here? Is Richard Dawkins at least partially right when he accuses the God of the Old Testament of being, "arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."? (for a guy who doesn't believe in God he sure seems to hate Him a lot...)
So, what's really going on here? Of course a Bible-believing, Christ-follower like myself doesn't believe any of those facetious statements and questions. But if we are honest with ourselves we will have to admit that, at face value, this incident might seem to validate some of the terrible things unbelievers say about our God. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if many of you reading this have, at one time or another - or possibly right now - felt uneasy about this chapter. There are some who likely avoid this story, skimming it quickly when they come to it and never looking back!
Well, my goal with this four-part series on Genesis 22 is to not only dispel the fears and misunderstandings about this wonderful section of Scripture, but to also tear away the ugly veil woven from false preconceptions, misinformation, and plain old ignorance, to reveal possibly the most radiantly beautiful story in all of the Old Testament.
To that end I will craft this into three distinct sections, meaning that there will be three more blog entries on this subject. The first will be an in depth look at something called the "law of first mention" and its presence in Genesis 22. You do not want to miss out on the information which will be found in that entry! In the second phase we will explore the prophetic - messianic really - significance of the event. The third and final will be a special treat, as we will look beyond Moriah all the way to the end times. I assure you that whatever your eschatological stance may be, you will be comfortable with this portion. Of the three this third one seems to be the most revelatory and profound to those I have shared with, so keep an eye out for that!
Next time: The Mysterious Law of First Mention...
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Behold the Lamb
So, I'm studying Revelation 5 today, and I come to the amazing account of over 100 billion angels, plus the 24 elders and the four "living creatures," singing "worthy is the Lamb..." This is the last of three great "lamb statements" in the Bible.
Check it out.
"Where is the lamb?" Isaac to Abraham (Genesis 22:7)
"Behold the Lamb!" John the baptist (John 1:29, 36)
"Worthy is the Lamb." 10,000x10,000 and thousands of thousands (Revelation 5:12)
Okay, so, I turn back to Genesis 22 to refresh myself on the story. It is utterly amazing... I'll give you some specifics in a paragraph or two. Anyways, as I go to turn back to Revelation from Genesis I completely randomly turned right to Isaiah 53, which is nowhere near Revelation. Here's a sampling: "...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities..." (v. 5) His soul was made an offering for sin (v. 10), "...it pleased Yahweh to crush Him" (v. 10), "...My righteous Servant [shall] justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities" (v. 11), "...He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (12)...
Is there a more perfect chapter to turn to, from "where is the Lamb?" to "worthy is the Lamb that was slain," than the one chapter which is entirely dedicated to detailing the sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world?! The answer is no. The Lamb which John the baptist introduces will "take away the sin of the world," and Isaiah 53 is an in depth prophetic account of how He would accomplish that weighty task...
Now, check out some pretty amazing nuggets from Genesis 22, but first I need to tell you about something called the "law of first mention." This is basically the premise that the first biblical occurrence of something significant will set a standard for that particular topic. You will see what I mean momentarily.
Genesis 22, in reference to the account of Abraham offering Isaac, is the first time in the Bible you find the following words and phrases:
1) love - אהב - 'âhab
2) only son - יחיד בּן - bên yâchı̂yd
3) worship - שׁחה - shâchâh - this is actually the 3rd occurrence of this word, but it's the first time it means worship in the sense that we understand it. The first two times it just means to bow down.
Is anyone else thinking of John 3:16?
In the story Isaac carries the wood he would be sacrificed on up the hill, but not only that, Abraham laid that cursed wood on Isaac; the Father laid the cross upon the Son.
While Isaac carried the wood, Abraham carried the fire.
Moses tells us that Abraham "took the fire in his hand" as well as a knife; the instruments with which to kill and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Levitically, fire is linked with judgment. We talk of fiery wrath... what we read in Isaiah 53:10 that it "pleased Yahweh to crush Him" and then in Mark 15:34 Jesus asks the Father, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani," which means "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" The picture is clear that, while it was the Son's task to make Himself an offering for sin, it was the Father's task to dispense His wrath against sin upon His Son, and that it pleased Him to do so... and that, my friend, should cause you to rejoice... but first, pain.
Peter wept bitterly when at last he was made to realize the gravity of His sin against His Master. It was because of our sin that the Son had to die, and it was our sin which compelled the Father to lay our sin to Christ's account, and then to punish Him, the Just for the unjust, so that we could gain what we could not earn - eternal life.
Here's the conclusion: When Isaac asks Abraham "where is the lamb?" Abraham responds, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb..." What happens next is commonly known. The Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Lamb!) stops Abraham just short of dropping the dagger. Then a ram is found caught in a thicket... a ram, not a lamb. Then, and this is the thrust of the story, Abraham names the mountain "Jehovah-jireh" which means "Jehovah will see to it," for "in the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
What shall be provided?
The immediate context is that the Lamb is what will be provided. What the LORD will "see to" is that a lamb is provided, and He will do it on that spot.
Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that on the very same hill (a place now called Calvary) some 2,000 years later God did indeed see to it that a lamb was provided. The Son, the only Son whom the Father loved, carried the wood He would be sacrificed on up that hill. There also the Father took up the fire, He laid it upon His Son, and there, in the very same place, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world laid down His life and was crushed under the wrath of the judgment of God for all sin for all time.
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
Check it out.
"Where is the lamb?" Isaac to Abraham (Genesis 22:7)
"Behold the Lamb!" John the baptist (John 1:29, 36)
"Worthy is the Lamb." 10,000x10,000 and thousands of thousands (Revelation 5:12)
Okay, so, I turn back to Genesis 22 to refresh myself on the story. It is utterly amazing... I'll give you some specifics in a paragraph or two. Anyways, as I go to turn back to Revelation from Genesis I completely randomly turned right to Isaiah 53, which is nowhere near Revelation. Here's a sampling: "...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities..." (v. 5) His soul was made an offering for sin (v. 10), "...it pleased Yahweh to crush Him" (v. 10), "...My righteous Servant [shall] justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities" (v. 11), "...He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (12)...
Is there a more perfect chapter to turn to, from "where is the Lamb?" to "worthy is the Lamb that was slain," than the one chapter which is entirely dedicated to detailing the sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world?! The answer is no. The Lamb which John the baptist introduces will "take away the sin of the world," and Isaiah 53 is an in depth prophetic account of how He would accomplish that weighty task...
Now, check out some pretty amazing nuggets from Genesis 22, but first I need to tell you about something called the "law of first mention." This is basically the premise that the first biblical occurrence of something significant will set a standard for that particular topic. You will see what I mean momentarily.
Genesis 22, in reference to the account of Abraham offering Isaac, is the first time in the Bible you find the following words and phrases:
1) love - אהב - 'âhab
2) only son - יחיד בּן - bên yâchı̂yd
3) worship - שׁחה - shâchâh - this is actually the 3rd occurrence of this word, but it's the first time it means worship in the sense that we understand it. The first two times it just means to bow down.
Is anyone else thinking of John 3:16?
In the story Isaac carries the wood he would be sacrificed on up the hill, but not only that, Abraham laid that cursed wood on Isaac; the Father laid the cross upon the Son.
While Isaac carried the wood, Abraham carried the fire.
Moses tells us that Abraham "took the fire in his hand" as well as a knife; the instruments with which to kill and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Levitically, fire is linked with judgment. We talk of fiery wrath... what we read in Isaiah 53:10 that it "pleased Yahweh to crush Him" and then in Mark 15:34 Jesus asks the Father, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani," which means "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" The picture is clear that, while it was the Son's task to make Himself an offering for sin, it was the Father's task to dispense His wrath against sin upon His Son, and that it pleased Him to do so... and that, my friend, should cause you to rejoice... but first, pain.
Peter wept bitterly when at last he was made to realize the gravity of His sin against His Master. It was because of our sin that the Son had to die, and it was our sin which compelled the Father to lay our sin to Christ's account, and then to punish Him, the Just for the unjust, so that we could gain what we could not earn - eternal life.
Here's the conclusion: When Isaac asks Abraham "where is the lamb?" Abraham responds, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb..." What happens next is commonly known. The Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Lamb!) stops Abraham just short of dropping the dagger. Then a ram is found caught in a thicket... a ram, not a lamb. Then, and this is the thrust of the story, Abraham names the mountain "Jehovah-jireh" which means "Jehovah will see to it," for "in the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
What shall be provided?
The immediate context is that the Lamb is what will be provided. What the LORD will "see to" is that a lamb is provided, and He will do it on that spot.
Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that on the very same hill (a place now called Calvary) some 2,000 years later God did indeed see to it that a lamb was provided. The Son, the only Son whom the Father loved, carried the wood He would be sacrificed on up that hill. There also the Father took up the fire, He laid it upon His Son, and there, in the very same place, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world laid down His life and was crushed under the wrath of the judgment of God for all sin for all time.
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
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