Greg Beale in A New Testament Biblical Theology (Baker, 2011) —
The Old Testament is the story of God, who progressively reestablishes his eschatological new-creational kingdom out of chaos over a sinful people by his word and Spirit through promise, covenant, and redemption, resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to advance this kingdom and judgment (defeat or exile) for the unfaithful, unto his glory. (162ff)
The Hebrew midwives emerge in the Book of Exodus as a noteworthy element of the continuing narrative. The beginning of the book features all generic names, except for these outstanding Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah (1:15). The only information we get about Moses’ parents is that his father is from the house of Levi and his mother is a Levite woman (2:1). And it’s “Pharaoh’s daughter” who gives Moses his name (lots of irony here, see 2:10).
But these Hebrew midwives—Shiphrah and Puah. The writer highlights their faith and sets them up as a foundational means through which God’s fulfills his plan to rescue Israel.
Exod 1:15 ¶ Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
Exod 1:17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
Exod 1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
Exod 1:20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.
Exod 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
What he did got their attention—
What an audacious thing to say to such distinguished men—
“What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you…”
Who was this man?
Why was he here?
When they heard of the resurrection of the dead some mocked and some shirked the discussion, but not so with Dioynsius, Damarius, and a few others.
Would this man tell them more?
What else would he disclose about the God who was previously unknown to them?
“What is he like?”
Wonder how they felt when they sat together to hear his teaching… “he has a name? he acts in history? he is described by images that we can understand?—
“Whose brilliance was this?
What creative mind are our lauds now owed?”
“Who? This God himself has spoken to tell us these things?
Words, you say, from this God’s own voice? Repetition, dear man, is that your job of choice?”
With a simple reply—“Goodness, knowledge, and power”—the man went on to say… “control, authority, and presence, you’ve never heard it this way?…
While you spend your time hearing and telling all that’s new, those of you who have believed are only just a few. Let me tell you more of his mercy, love, and truth; his glory and his action—this boldness is not uncouth.
Repetition, remember? That’s the task at hand, to say what he’s said and on that alone to stand.”
“Wait one minute,” they replied, “We have to know! Tell us his name! After what we’ve heard today we will never be the same. You’ve told so much of his goodness, of his joy, and of his grace… and now we wonder it is possible for us to see his face?”
“Wonder no more,” the man said, “his face you too will see, in all the joy and pleasure that there could ever be. As for his name, there is one that transcends all the rest, the LORD Almighty he revealed to Moses in the cleft.”
“Well, good, the LORD Almighty, he has made himself known, to you and us Athenians, this is no discov’ry of our own. And now we know his name, he is the one true God.”
He is Who Jesus is.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of those who trust him is old news. It is really old, really good news. What are we after in hearing again and again what we’ve heard before?
The hope of hearing the old, good news is that it would perpetually break new ground in our lives. Have you looked inside lately? It is full of jungle. Inside of me is untamed wilderness and deep dark caves. And there is a claim that lays hold to all of it— Jesus Christ is Lord.
So while the gospel is not new, there are new, unchartered territories in my life that are not yet under its rule. What I beg for my soul, for my family, for my church… is that the old good news of Jesus Christ would reach into these new territories of my life and establish its dominion. In short, this is sanctification– to be overcome by the gospel.
This is a helpful picture that Jason DeRouchie sketched on a white board this week in class.
Q: How do we know that this is the story of God’s redemption?
A: Because God’s revelation through the Holy Scripture tells us so.
And here is the fascinating thing about Holy Scripture: Not only does it tell us this is the economy of God’s salvation, it is also itself part of God’s economy of salvation.itself as an action of God in the world. And only after understanding this nature of the Book can we most faithfully hear its testimony to the action of God in the history of the world, preeminent in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This truth is paradigm shifting in how we understand the Bible. The Holy Scripture is not a detached text book that gives us an areal photo of God’s action in the world. It comes
If, then, when sought, He can be found, why is it said, “Seek ye His face evermore?” Is He perhaps to be sought even when found? For things incomprehensible must so be investigated, as that no one may thinking he has found nothing, when he has been able to find how incomprehensible that is which he was seeking.
Why then does he so seek, if he comprehends that which he seeks to be incomprehensible, unless because he may not give over seeking so long as he makes progress in the inquiry itself into things incomprehensible, and becomes ever better and better while seeking so great a good, which is both sought in order to be found and found in order to be sought?
For it is both sought in order that it may be found more sweetly, and found in order that it may be sought more eagerly.
St. Augustine, On the Trinity, 15.2, paragraphing mine
There is a significant origin and end point to history, which which we ourselves are cast members. It is a courtroom drama in which we are either false or true witnesses, “in Adam” or “in Christ,” justified or condemned, alive or dead. Neither masters nor tourists, we become pilgrims. Unlike masters, pilgrims have not arrived and they do not presume to inaugurate their own kingdoms of glory. They don’t have all the answers and they are not exactly sure what their destination city will be like; they are driven by a promise and by God’s fulfillment of his promise along the way. Yet unlike tourists, they are on their way to a settled place and every point along the way is a landmark toward that destination.
Michael Horton, The Gospel-Driven Life, 35
In light of yesterday’s post, notice what J.G. McConville writes about the Book of Jeremiah:
The adoption language of new covenant, especially in Hebrews, draws attention to the promise in Jeremiah (and behind it Deuteronomy) that God himself would act decisively to bring about the salvation that had always eluded his people because of their hardness of heart. The coming of Jesus is thus presented as the culmination of that “incarnational” trend, already visible in Hosea and Jeremiah, in which God commits himself, at cost, to the salvation of his people.
(J.G. McConville, Jeremiah in “Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament,” 217ff, emphasis mine)
If salvation through judgment is a biblical-theological theme (and I think so, see Dr. Hamilton‘s article here on Acts), then we should view God’s cost in saving to involve some sort of anguish. What I mean is that we should not view the judgment aspect of salvation to be arbitrary, or to be a mere means to an end. It is a means, yes, but it is a real means. It really costs something. The LORD is not zapping lightening out of the finger tips of one hand while he polishes his nails on the other. He feels the weight of his wrath that is justly poured out. He knows more about it than we do.
Galatians 5:1-2 – these two verses share an important relationship. Verse 2 is basically a restatement of what Paul has said in v. 1. The corresponding elements of the verses look like this:
The basis of the negative imperative in v. 1 (“do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”) is that Christ has set us free. Because Christ has set us free, do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Verse 2 explains the basis and imperative of v. 1 by a conditional situation:
“If you accept circumcision (think: submit to a yoke of slavery) then Christ will be of no advantage to you (think: you forfeit the freedom that he has accomplished for you).”
Now circumcision is probably not our problem. But we all have some type of “yoke of slavery.” What is mine? Yours? What it is that tempts us to make Christ be of “no advantage” to us? What are we looking to for salvation that undermines the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
May Christ be all…
