Today in Blogworld 07.15.14

Mike Leake

Alex Gordon: A path to stardom out of left field

Gordon is my favorite player, so obviously I’m going to like this article. But you might too, if you are a baseball fan and love stories of how a “bust” turned into an all-star.

Evangelicals and Cities: A Discussion In Need of Clarity

Yep.

What Does “First Among Equals” Mean on an Elder Board

This was a question that we had to think through as we’ve moved to elders in our church. Wish we would have had this article about a year ago.

Why Your Church Needs More (Often) Announcements

Trying to find a healthy way to do announcements is one of the most difficult things. Sam Rainer has some great thoughts here.

If you’ve ever said that we only use %10 of our brain you should stop:

The Most Shared Verses In Their Context (Isaiah 40:31)

Mike Leake 1 Comment


At the end of last year, YouVersion highlighted the top 10 Bible verses that were shared the most. I found the list interesting and thought that it could be helpful to understand them in their original context. Today we are looking at Isaiah 40:31—which according to YouVersion was the fifth-most shared verse in 2013.

The Verse:

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)

The Context:

The prophet Isaiah is writing to a despondent people. They have been in exile for some 70 years. Their relationship with the Lord is so jaded that they say things like, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God” (Isaiah 40:27). They feel abandoned by the Lord and they’ve given up hope that the God of justice will act.

Isaiah 40:31 is the conclusion to the Lord’s response to this bad theology. In verse 28 he reminds them that God is the everlasting God that does not grow faint and weary. Though 70 years is a lifetime to us—it is but a drop in the ocean to the everlasting God. The Lord is strong enough to rescue them—not only from the captives but also from their despondency.

Not only does the Lord have unsearchable understanding and everlasting energy he graciously gives His power to the weak and down-trodden. Those that run on their own strength—no matter how vigorous—will eventually tire (Isaiah 40:20). Those who wait upon the Lord and draw their strength from him will not grow tired.

All of Isaiah 40 is in the context of the call to Israel to “Behold your God!”. This entire section is a contrast between the eternal omnipotent God and the idols crafted by human hands—hands that are no bigger than that of a grasshopper (Isaiah 40:22)

The Meaning:

Have you seen the new oatmeal commercials? One particular commercial has a lady that goes through her day overwhelmingly exhausted. She’s busy but she can’t stop—and so she blunders through her day desperately in need of some energy.

Many can identify with this poor lady. We are busy and we are tired. We are overstretched and yet we are too driven to stop. And so we pound down energy drinks–or perhaps now oatmeal snacks. It is no surprise, then, that a verse that promises renewed energy would appeal to a tired people.

But is this what Isaiah has in mind? Is God our energy source like an oatmeal power bar?

Yes and no.

The key statement in this text is the phrase “renew their strength”. And it’s important to remember the situation of those that first heard this promise. They aren’t merely tired because they are overworked. They are despondent because their bones have been broken by the discipline of the Lord.

They’ve been brought to a point where they have no hope in themselves. They are not like the “youth” who run on their own strength and in their own confidence. They are broken and cannot lift their legs out of bed—if they will ever move again it will come from the work of the Lord. And as they are brought to this spot of dependency upon the Lord—they find that in Him their strength is fully renewed.

So, if you are reading Isaiah 40:31 as if trust in God is like a pick me up from an energy bar, then you are not quite reading it correctly. God isn’t a jolt of energy for the self-confident. God is the source of strength for a desperate people.

Conclusion:

As you read Isaiah 40:31 and share the verse remember that it says more about our weakness than it does about our soaring. Yes, those that wait upon the Lord will eventually soar and run and walk. But it will happen in the Lord’s timing and through His giving of strength.

Waiting upon the Lord is not a pill that you swallow for a quick fix. Waiting upon the Lord means that we believe that He alone has the keys of comfort and we’ll sit at His feet until we are given that which only He can give.

Wait, They Said What?! (YWS Week 27)

Nick Horton 1 Comment

richardsibbessmallWelcome to a year of reading Richard Sibbes together! The reading plan for the entire year can be accessed here. I encourage you to stick with us, allow yourself time to read, and soak in the riches of this gifted and prolific Puritan preacher. You will be edified and encouraged.

If you have trouble with how Sibbes used words, check out the Lexicons of Early Modern English for definitions from the period.

Bowels Opened Study Plan

  1. Discuss Biblical Hermeneutics, which is the science of biblical interpretation.
  2. Explore various interpretations of the Song of Solomon.
  3. Brief outline of what I believe to be a correct interpretation.
  4. Canonization – Why is this book in the Canon?

Summary/Engagement

Last week we defined terms for biblical hermeneutics, the science of interpretation, and I made the assertion that Song of Solomon is often interpreted incorrectly. The discipline of biblical hermeneutics seeks to ensure a repeatable process for the correct understanding and interpretation of Scripture. The author determines the meaning, hermeneutics is the tool we use to determine what their meaning was. We have similar rules in all other things we read, notwithstanding the foolishness taught by many colleges that the reader or the text itself determines meaning, rather than the author. That is relativistic tripe. If anyone but the person who creates the work determines the meaning, what use is the author?

A Few Interpretations of the Song of Solomon

Ok, given what I said last week and above, let’s consider a few of the predominant interpretive styles of the Song of Solomon.

  1. The Allegorical Interpretation – There are multiple allegorical interpretations as the idea of hidden meaning leads to creative imagination rather than discovering the author’s willed intent. Some Jews hold the the book to be an allegory of Yahweh’s relationship with covenant Israel. Similarly some Christians view it as a relationship between Christ and the Church. They argue that elsewhere God speaks of his relationship to his people like that of a husband to his wife. The problem arises because the Bible never speaks of that relationship in a sexual way. In fact, ascribing a sexual aspect to the relationship of God and man is Pagan in origin. Similarly the idea of hidden meaning is Gnostic in origin. Whichever allegory an interpreter settles on is incorrect. The reader cannot determine the meaning, which is what imaginative allegorical interpretations do.Our guy, Sibbes, laid out in the very first sermon of Bowels Opened what he felt the allegory of the Song of Solomon was. He said, “So this book contains the mutual joys and mutual praises betwixt Christ and his church.” The only problem with this is the text does not support that interpretation. We’ll get in to that next week.
  2. The Cultic Interpretation – There are some that hold this book to be an erotic story taken from the fertility cults of the false gods of Tammuz and Baal. Yes, that Baal. The problems with this are many. Suspending for a second that it is heretical, the book doesn’t have the major themes associated with fertility cults. There is no dying and rising god who fought with some dark god and now needs the help of a lover to resurrect. The Song of Solomon is also not structured as a pornographic hymn but as a love song/poetry. This is an important difference between cultic fertility hymns and the poetry that it actually is. These interpreters also hold that the necessary information to support this interpretation was removed when it was put in to the canon. These claims are simply unsupportable and speak of ulterior motives for the scholars who hold to such a reckless interpretation. (Remember, not all Bible scholars are believers.)
  3. The Dramatic Interpretation – Others hold that the Song of Solomon is a drama. A play or lyrical ballad that tells the story of Solomon and the Shulammite girl. This interpretation holds forth this drama depicting Solomon and his one true love. The only problem with that is we also know Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. (1 Kings 11:3) Are we supposed to believe that in the most egregious adulterer in the Bible he had some idealistic notion of true love for but one? The other major problem is the lack of drama as a literary genre in the ancient near east at that time. The Greeks developed it in the fifth century, far after the book was written. There is also no commonality between Greek drama and the book, thus ruling out a later influence and revision of the book.

So, what does it mean?

These are but a few of the incorrect interpretations. All of them suffer from the same error; they do not let the Author speak. Allegory is an imposition of meaning by the reader on the text. The Cultic interpretation is an agenda in search of a victim. There is no support for their interpretation either. This is another case of the reader imposing meaning on the text. The Dramatic interpretation, without textual evidence, is again a case of the reader pushing meaning in to the text that the text does not support.

Why? Why are there so many interpretations? What does the book actually mean, then? Next week we’re going to explore what I think the author willed to convey, as well as talk about valid implications based on that. (Meaning – That pattern of meaning the author willed to convey by the words he used.)

Helpful Links

A COMPLETELY FREE online Hermeneutics class taught by Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Check it out!

Two helpful books:

  1. Robert Stein: A Basic Guide To Interpreting The Bible.
  2. Robert Plummer: 40 Questions About Interpreting The Bible.

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Last week, we read the First Part of Bowels Opened.

Next week, we read the third part of Bowels Opened, and consider its canonicity.

Pray For Your Husband Writers Needed

Mike Leake


Many people have joined us for our prayer challenges. Last August we launched the Pray For Your Wife challenge, in October we completed the Pray For Your Son challenge. On January 1st we will begin 31 days of praying for our daughters. March was dedicated to 31 Days of Purity.

Let us not stop there. I would like to dedicate an entire month—the month of August to praying for husbands. My wife will be leading this challenge, but she needs your help.

This is not the launch of that challenge. That is yet to come.

In this post I am asking for a few writers/prayer warriors to join me in this project. Writing all 31 days of prayers is really difficult. The project is far more beneficial if we have a team of people writing the prayers. Would you commit to writing prayers for your husband? One prayer? 3 prayers?

If so, please e-mail me here: mike [at] fbjasper [dot] org or my wife: nikkileake [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Secondly, I would like to have a Pray For Your Husband graphic. Any takers? Again—email me, if you want to volunteer to provide the graphic(s) for this project.

Thanks!