The Holy Spirit & the Disciple, Part 2

The Holy Spirit and the Disciple, Part 2

Here I continue my reflections on Ephesians 1 and the Spirit as prayed for by Paul. Part 1 of Holy Spirit & the Disciple is located HERE on my blog ...

In bringing his thanksgiving to a close Paul informs the “Ephesians” of his continued prayers on their behalf. This prayer text is one of two in Ephesians (the other being in 3.14-21 and should be read carefully as well). The text itself is another long, single sentence with only a minor break in v.21. The main verb, “I do not stop giving thanks,” comes in v.16; vv. 17-19a give the content of the prayer on behalf of the those who read the letter, and vv. 19b-21 are an extended circumstantial clause modifying “the exceeding greatness of his power” (of v.19a).

The Meaning of “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation”

It is not just any thing that Paul prays for. He prays explicitly and specifically that God “give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation . . .” The “Spirit” is the object of the verb “give/grant” so it does not take long to recognize the crucial role of the Holy Spirit in this prayer (as he does in 3.14-21 too). The prayer is for God to grant the Spirit, characterized by the terms “wisdom and revelation.” Through the Spirit’s wisdom and revelation they will come to have a deeper knowledge of God and through the Spirit’s enlightenment of the heart Christians can have insight into their eschatological hope and God’s power for in their/our behalf.

This seems pretty straightforward to me. BUT there a few “word only” brethren who want to deny that “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” refers to the Holy Spirit. They often give a potpourri of reasons why this cannot be: 1) the Spirit only indwells through the word; 2) they claim that because there is no article in front of “pneuma” that this simply means “a wise spirit.”

My response to this is:

#1) denying the indwelling, or claiming only through the word, flies in the face of what has been said in 1.13-14. Paul has already made a factual statement that Christians are “sealed” in the Holy Spirit and that he is deposited in us as a first installment on our inheritance (cf. 4.30 where Paul makes this statement again).

#2) My response to number the article argument is that those who make it know nothing about Greek syntax. Syntactically the absence of the article is not a valid objection to this being a reference to the Holy Spirit. There are in fact number of cases where the Spirit is anarthrous (i.e. with no article). Here are a some: Mt. 12.28; Mk. 1.8; Lk. 1.15, 35, 41, 67; Rom. 1.4; 1 Pet. 1.2. Further, there is a grammatical reason for the absence of the article and that is its absence from the two nouns in the genitive as well. Paul would ordinarily write either “THE Spirit of THE wisdom and THE revelation” or “Spirit of wisdom and revelation,” both of which mean the same exactly the same thing. That is, in these kinds of constructions Paul almost always uses the article with both the accusative and its qualifying genitive, or he uses it with neither.

Further the phrase “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” is a semitism derived from Isaiah 11.2. Here the Spirit that rests upon the Messiah is described as “pneuma sophias kai suneseus” (= the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” One should note also the anarthrous usage in Isa. 11.2, LXX too).

The alternative understanding of this phrase is, to me, pure nonsense. I’ll grant the possibility that one could make sense out of “a wise spirit” or “a wise disposition.” But to speak that way about revelation is pure nonsense. What, one wonders, can “a spirit of revelation” possibly mean in ANY sense in English?

What is the Spirit to Do?

Paul prays for God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to “grant you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is not that they simply be indwelled by the Holy Spirit but that he be ACTIVE in their/our lives. Paul asks that God grant the Spirit “so that you may know him better.”

What? These people have already heard the gospel and obeyed the message being sealed in the Spirit -- surely they know God!! And why not just tell them to read and reread the Letter? Paul’s use of the word “epignosis” (“know,” see BDAG, p. 369) here does not refer to more facts or doctrinal knowledge. Paul prays that they “epignosis” HIM (that is God himself).

One of our great Restoration fathers, Robert Richardson, wrote that we do not have a relationship with a book but with a God who longs for relationship with his creation -- he was right. That is what Paul is discussing here. It is not enough to have memorized Ephesians (though there is nothing wrong with that).

Paul appeals to the God who has granted all spiritual blessings to us in Christ to act again through his Spirit to enable us to KNOW HIM. Paul has this idea in mind in Philippians 3.15 where he writes “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too, God will make clear [literally, “will reveal”] to you.”

Only a person who has been walking with God, getting to know him through his Spirit, will grasp certain truths Paul says. Paul has already spoken of God grace being “lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” (1.8), now he prays that God, through the Holy Spirit, will make this a living reality. The Today’s English Bible captures well the meaning of Paul:

“I remember you in my prayers and ask God . . . to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him.”

Though the NIV makes it appear as though Paul is making a separate petition, v. 18 (cf. RSV, ESV) tells us how the Spirit will enable us to know God -- by “enlightening the eyes.” Paul uses “photismos” here that means to “illuminate.” What specifically will the Spirit grant us insight or illuminate our heart in regard to (in this text):

#1) to understand the goal of our salvation that is the “hope to which he has called us.” This, as many other things in this prayer, relates back to the great thanksgiving in 3-14. Paul has told the Ephesians (and us) that God “chose” them in 1.4. We are not to simply see the fact of election in Christ but the significance of that calling into hope. Can we imagine the change that would take place in our churches today if Christians suddenly had their hearts ILLUMINED and grasped the significance of the hope into which they were called. We would live our lives in the shadow of the Second Coming. Not in arrogant smugness but in confident and joyful EXPECTATION of his appearing. Paul prays that the Spirit enlighten their hearts to understand this: he did not simply suggest rereading v.18 a million times -- this type of knowledge needs the work of God’s Spirit and that is why Paul prays for it.

#2) to see the glorious riches of God’s inheritance among the saints. This is especially important in light of the unity theme in Ephesians (see part 1). How many Christians do not see the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints? The Jewish Christians didn’t see it in the Gentiles and the Gentiles failed to see it in the Jews. It is a spiritual (i.e. of the Spirit) insight from the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to one who has grasped the necessity of unity in the Body, who will not tolerate division over petty matters for the glory of God’s inheritance is to precious to that person for that.

#3) Paul also prays that the Spirit enlighten the eyes of the heart/mind to grasp the incredible resources given to live the Christian life. In particular Christians need to grasp the great “POWER” that is available to us. The power that created the universe, the power that raised Jesus from the dead (v.v. 19-20) is IN Christians. That power, that great “seal” is none other than the Spirit himself. You will recall the social context of magic and demonology in Ephesus. How are these Christians going to live in a manner that is worthy of the calling in face of the great Artemis? and Fate? and Hecate? How can they face the “powers” and principalities and thrones (all of which refer to spiritual realities and not city council persons). How will they be able to defeat their own selfish attitudes? How will they overcome the intense racial hatred between Jews and Gentiles? (blacks and whites?) Paul says God has given them/us more power than was necessary to raise the dead! The Spirit works in us “like a mighty strength.” In ch.3 Paul makes it even more explicit “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with POWER in your INNER BEING . . .”(3.16).

It seems pretty plain to me that Paul teaches in Ephesians the following about the Holy Spirit:

1) we are sealed by the Spirit as an act of ownership and protection

2) God, by giving the Spirit, has made a down-payment on our eternal future guaranteeing our inheritance in his Presence

3) the Spirit of wisdom and revelation is given so we may know GOD -- so that we can “experience” God and have spiritual insight that we would not otherwise have

4) about the hope to which we were called

5) about the glorious inheritance God has among the saints from all walks of life

6) about the power God makes available to us in our inner being through the Spirit.

The Spirit is acting in Ephesians 1 outside of the written word. Paul is praying for him to do just that. We cannot make Ephesians 1 mean something it could not mean to them so we must admit that Paul does not tell them to go read the Bible -- they are already reading it (at least part of it in the form of Ephesians) but that is not enough. They need spiritual power that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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The Holy Spirit & the Disciple in Ephesians, Pt 1

The Holy Spirit and the Disciple in Ephesians, Part 1

I am dismayed from time to time how easily some dismiss the testimony of the "word" they seek to uphold ... especially about the Holy Spirit.

I will attempt to offer a more detailed study of Ephesians to show what Paul says about the Spirit. According to Paul, the Spirit actually works in the life of a Christian and that Spirit is not limited to, or chained, the written word.

I realize this will be a lengthy post so I beg your indulgence. Many offer all kinds of arguments devoid of serious exegetical study to cast aside the plain teaching of the NT that the Spirit lives and works in the lives of disciples. He does so in multiple ways, through the word and without. It is my prayer that my series of studies will encourage and bless you.

The Spirit and Prayer in Ephesians 1.15-23

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in all my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you teh Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, for above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come . . .” (Ephesians 1.15-21, NIV).

Ephesians is surely the crown jewel in Paul's halo. Romans is often seen as the greatest of Paul’s letters but Ephesians certainly cannot be far behind. From a purely human point of view I actually enjoy reading Ephesians more than Romans. The Letter’s emphasis on Grace is great, its call to unity is needed as ever and its concern for the sanctified life is certainly something the church needs to pay more attention to. Ephesians has long complicated sentences that are pregnant with meaning.

THE PURPOSE OF EPHESIANS (i.e. Why was Ephesians Written)?

There is general agreement among scholars that the destination of “Ephesians” was the Roman province of Asia (“Ephesus” is a textual variant and is missing in p46, Origen, Sinaiticus and others). Ephesus was the principle city of Roman Asia and exerted great influence on the lives of both non-Christians and Christians in that area. Its social environment will help explain some key phrases regarding the Holy Spirit in Ephesians (though some, unbelievably, have denigrated the importance of historical context we believe it is of the utmost importance in hearing the apostle’s words).

When we spend more than a casual amount of time with Ephesians, with an eye to its first century setting, three distinct concerns (or themes) of Paul become evident and seem to dominate the Letter. FIRST, is the passion of Paul’s life, the Gentile mission. How God has reconciled and brought together, by his grace, both Jews and Gentiles into a NEW HUMANITY is a key concern of Paul’s -- this is the ultimate expression of God’s redeeming work in Christ. SECOND has to do with Christ’s victory over the “powers” for the sake of the Church, with the Holy Spirit playing a key role in our participation in that victory. The THIRD finds expression in the last half of the book (4-6 and reflects his concern with #1: the “Ephesians” are to maintain the “unity of the Spirit” by the way they “walk” with God.

Spirit language abounds in Ephesians for the Spirit in the Christian is the sine qua non of Christian existence.

The Significance of the “seal of the promised Holy Spirit” (1.13-14)

Paul announces at the close of a great thanksgiving (this is a single long sentence, vv. 3-14). that God is at work! God has done great work on our behalf. God continues to do great work on our behalf. That in a nutshell is what the thanksgiving is all about: We are here because of God’s choice, action, and grace and not our own (there is not one single solitary human action in vv. 3-14 indeed there is none in the entire first half of the book through 4.1 with the exception of 2.10). At the conclusion Paul makes one last and very significant comment we -- Christians -- have been “marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.”

The image of a “seal” is very important. “Seals” were very significant in the ancient world for a variety of reasons. Seals “authenticate,” “certify,” “mark.” Seals were also for “protection.” Most generally readily grasp the significance of the “seal” as a mark of certification or authentication (See Baur-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [=BDAG, 3rd Edition], p.980). These concepts are in our word but do not exhaust the meaning, nor the primary reason Paul chose the word “sphragis.” The choosing of this word relates back to the second major theme of Paul in the Letter -- concern for Christ’s victory over the “powers.” “Seals” in the common populace of the first century had a far more important function (to them) then business and that was their association with protection from the spirit world, fate, and magic. Ephesus was a hot-bed of magic, exorcistic, and superstition. We see this in Acts 19. 11-16, 19, 23-41.

Archeologists and historians have taught us a great deal about the common religion among those in Ephesus. The proverbial “Ephesian Letters” were magical letters that girded the crown, the girdle and the feet of the image of Artemis/Diana. These letters were often spoken or copied onto an “amulet” or “seal” and carried around by a person seeking to ward of the demonic powers [Everett Ferguson’s Backgrounds of Early Christianity, pp. 177-183 has a nice section on magic and fate highlighting Ephesus. See also Rodney Thomas’s “The Seal of the Spirit and the Religious Climate of Ephesus” Restoration Quarterly 43 (2001): 155-166 makes extensive use of archeological information to inform our understanding of Eph. 1.13-14].

Here is the situation. You have a group of predominantly Gentle Christians (though magic was by no means limited to the Gentiles as Acts 19’s story of the sons of Sceva amply demonstrates) who live in a world pervaded with fear of the supernatural world. The world was not a friendly place in the eyes of common ordinary folk. It is no accident that Paul uses the word “SEAL” -- a word that meant certify in business transactions or mark authentic and declared ownership -- but to the ordinary folk it meant PROTECTION! Paul is saying that the Ephesians, and you and I, do not have to go through the magical arts to seek defense against the spiritual war going on around us: God has given his seal to protect us. Christians are PROTECTED by the Spirit -- in Christ we have no fear of the “powers.” This dual role of authentication and protection is a cardinal teaching of Paul on the Spirit who lives with in us.

Next Paul says that the Spirit is an “arrabon” (“deposit” or “earnest” or “first installment” or “pledge”) of our inheritance. “Arrabon” is a commercial term meaning “payment of part of purchase price in advance . . . which secures the legal claim to the article in question . . . arrabon is a payment that obligates the contracting party to make further payments.” (BDAG, p.134).

This again is important both for the Ephesians, us, and current discussions. The Holy Spirit himself is given by God the Father as a “pledge” to Christians. It is not some representative or gift the Spirit bestows rather the Spirit of God himself -- the Spirit who was promised has been given to Gentile Christians -- indeed all Christians. Indeed in modern Greek “arrabon” has come to mean something like an engagement ring. For Gentile readers this is very important because it shows that the promise of the Spirit in the Hebrew Bible included them. The Spirit is given to us in anticipation of the greater intimacy of the eschaton.

E. J. Goodspeed’s The New Testament: An American Translation captures well the meaning of Paul:

“you have been marked with the seal of the holy Spirit that was promised, which is the advance installment of our inheritance, so that we may get full possession of it; and praise his glory for it” (Eph. 1.13-14, Goodspeed).

Paul’s pastoral concern for his readers leads him to use terminology they are very familiar with and could easily comprehend. They know the symbolism of sealing so the apostle begins his instruction on the Spirit by using a potent symbol of the Holy Spirit himself. We have been SEALED in the Holy Spirit. God DEPOSITED his Spirit IN US as a guarantee of our inheritance. He did this to bring glory to his name.

What a fitting conclusion to a thanksgiving (or “berakah”) that glorifies the Father for his work. He not only chose us, adopted us, predestined us, redeemed us, he also has given us a the Holy Spirit as our seal of ownership and protection and as a pledge that we will have our full inheritance. Now that is something to give “praise to his glory” about! The opening of v. 15 links back to vv. 3-14 so it was important to look at this section “briefly.”

In the next installment we will continue our reflection on Ephesians 1 and make some concrete observations of what the text says about the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of disciples. I thank God for the "Christmas" present of the indwelling and active Spirit.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Alexander Campbell's Christmas Musing, 1843

Alexander Campbell's Christmas Musings, 1843

It is Christmas morning here in the land of beer, cheese, Packers and snow. Several years ago I came across some "Musings on Christmas Morning" by Alexander Campbell and have always enjoyed them. Campbell was far more gracious and poetic than some admit. I share these with you as we celebrate the birth of the Messiah.

"THIS morning being Christmas, and, as the Roman superstition would have it, the nativity of man's Redeemer; assuming it as true, my thoughts naturally lead me to Bethlehem, Calvary, and the sepulchre of Joseph. And what mysterious, sublime, and animating associations cluster around those three places! How near the point of distance! Eight short miles measured the whole space from the manger to the cross! And how short the interval of time between the first birth from Mary, and the second birth from Joseph's tomb, of Arimathea! Not quite the half of three-score-years-and-ten completes the labors and the life of Heaven's and Earth's First Born! And yet what scenes and transactions crowd this narrow space of earth, and this short interval of time! ...

And how was all this accomplished! Born in a stable-circumcised the eighth day-- dedicated on the fortieth, at Jerusalem, in the Temple--persecuted into Egypt--nursed in the land of Ham--brought back to Bethlehem--removed to Nazareth, wehre he lived subject to his parents till he completed his thirtieth year, living so obscurely, too, as not to be mentioned but once after his return till about the time of his immersion; and at that time he is found in the Temple amongst the teachers, listening to their discourses and propounding to them questions... (excerpts from January 1844 of the Millennial Harbinger).

The Incarnation of the Word of God is worthy of celebration. The world has never been the same since Jesus came from God.

Merry Christmas and may it be filled with God's Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Thursday Nite at Lambeau Field

Thursday Night at Lambeau Field

It was cold. It was raining. It was Thursday rather than Sunday. The tickets were on the visitors side but they were row 7 on the 45 yard line ... and it was Lambeau Field Baby!

Jim Nichols, his two sons (Adam and Aaron) and myself headed north to watch the Green Bay Packers take on the Vikings. We got there and tried to grill some brats on a less than sizzling grill (cold and rain make heat hard to come by). We eventually got one ... but it was Lambeau Field.

The Vikings were not exactly like the vaunted Purple People Eaters of days gone by. The Packers dominated the game in every area (t.o.p., offense, defense) but they could not finish the job of putting the ball in the end zone. The final was 9 to 7 ... Green Bay. No thanks to Bubba.

But it was Lambeau.

We ran over a bolt in the rear driver's side tire. Little jack. Little tire. Means the little old lady passed us on the way back to Milwaukee.

Got home about 2:15ish am. Had a great time ... it was Lambeau and Favre.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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The House

The House

Way COOL! The Transiberian Orchestra is one of the more talented groups around. I really like this light show. Merry Christmas.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Jewish Traditions & Hebrews 11: A Lesson in Authorial Givens

In light of an insightful comment made by Kevin Burt on my Jesus the Jew and Hanukkah post, I have decided to expand upon his insight in Hebrews 11. Most students realize that the Hebrews' Writer mined the Septuagint for framing his exhortation. But some do not realize that the Writer mines more than the canonical text but also uses Jewish traditions preserved in what we today call the Apocryphal or Deuterocanonical books. These allusions are often missed by today's student because of an unfamiliarity with these traditions but the early church did recognize them.

What follows below is a sampling of those traditions. I have cited the tradition that is in the text and then a source for it.

The Traditions of Hebrews 11

1) Song of our Faithful Ancestors by Ben Sira provides the form and basic structure mined by the Hebrews' Writer (Sirach 44-50).

2) The Akedah (Heb 11.17-19) or “Binding” of Isaac was an important part of Jewish liturgies especially New Year’s. Pre-Hebrews allusions to the story are in Wis. Of Sol. 10.5; Sirach 44.20f; 4 Macc. 13.12; 16.20; etc.

3) “Quenched the fury of fire” (Heb 11.34). This refers to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3.13ff (of the LXX). Specifically what is now called “the Prayer of Azariah.” In this we read:

“Now the king’s servants who threw them in kept stoking the furnace with napththa, pitch, tow, and brushwood. And the flames poured out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, and spread out and burned those Chaldeans who were caught near the furnace. But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace . . .” (Azariah vv. 23-26).

4) Tortured and refused to be released (Heb 11.35). The Seven Brothers of 4 Maccabees 5-16; especially 15.12-15, 20; 16.14.

“Nevertheless, though so many factors influenced the mother to suffer with them out of love for her children, in the case of none of them were the various tortures strong enough to pervert her reason. But each child separately and all of them together the mother urged on to death for religion’s sake. . . This mother, who saw them tortured and burned one by one, because of religion did not change her attitude. She watched the flesh of her children being consumed by fire, their toes and fingers scattered on the ground, and the flesh of the head to the chin exposed like masks. . . When you saw the flesh of children burned upon the flesh of other children, severed hands upon hands, scalped heads upon heads, and corpses fallen on other corpses, and when you saw the place filled with many spectators of the torturings, you did not shed tears . . . because of her faith in God . . .

O mother, soldier of God in the cause of religion, elder and woman! By steadfastness you have conquered even a tyrant, and in word and deed you have proved more powerful than a man. . .

5) Sawn in two (Heb 11.37). The Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah 5.11-14:

“And they seized Isaiah the son of Amoz and sawed him in half with a wood saw. And Manasseh, and Belkira, and the false prophets, and the princes and the people, and all stood by looking on. And to the prophets who we were with him he said before he was sawed in half, ‘Go to the district of Tyre and Sidon, because for me alone the LORD has mixed the cup . . . Beliar did this to Isaiah through Belkira and through Manasseh, for Sammael was very angry with Isaiah from the days of Hezekiah . . . And he did as Satan wished.”

6) They went around as animals and hid in caves (Heb 11.37-38). The Maccabean martyrs in 2 Maccabees:

“But Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, got away to the wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the mountains as wild animals do; they continued to live on what grew wild, so they might not share in defilement” (2 Macc 5.27)

“Others who had assembled in the caves nearby, in order to observe the seventh day secretly, were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their piety kept them from defending themselves in view of their regard for that most holy day.” (2 Macc 6.11)

“during the festival of booths, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals” (2 Macc 10.6).

Regardless of how one feels about the canonicity of these sources, a knowledge of them can certainly help us see the NT text clearer than before.

I have a whole series that I have done in the past on the Apocrypha and recommend a deep study of them for any one who seeks to understand NT Christianity or the early church.

Another lesson that is driven home through such study is that even such a writer as the one to the Hebrews' was Jewish and thought like a Jew. Even as he contrasts the new and older covenant he does so using distinctly Jewish ideas ... rather than repudiating his heritage he lives and breathes that heritage. We Gentile Christians have much to learn from him.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Jesus the Jew & Hanukkah

The 25th of Kislev ...

Today is the 25th day of the month known as Kislev in the Jewish calendar. That means today is the first day of Hanukkah . . . the Festival of Lights. This is a wonderful time of the year that has deep meaning for all the descendants of Abraham. It is a shame that modern, conservative Christians are not as familiar with this holiday. It is my purpose to share a few thoughts on this holiday.

As the student of the Gospel of John knows, the Jewish festivals form an integral part of the story the Evangelist tells about Jesus. In 10.22ff we read about one of those festivals that is missed by those unfamiliar with the Apocrypha: Hanukkah.This short study will attempt three things at once: 1) emphasize the Jewishness of Jesus; 2) help us understand our Jewish "brethren" better; 3) show how the author of John used a "non-biblical" feast to teach about the nature of the Son. I will give a short overview of what Hanukkah is about and then look at John 10.

The “History” of Hannukkah
Hanukkah is observed for eight days, beginning on the 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev which usually falls in December. Hanukkah means “feast of dedication” (cf. John 10.22) and commemorates the victory of a small band of devotees of Yahweh against overwhelming odds in the person of Antiochus Ephiphanes in 165 B.C. Antiochus had tried to impose paganism upon Palestinian Jews, many of whom were happy to comply. The High Priest Joshua (i.e. “Jesus”) changed his name to “Jason” to show his assimilation into the pagan Greek culture.

Antiochus imposed a number of restrictions on the People of God. He placed a pagan altar in the Temple of God for the worship of Zeus and offered swine upon it (the “abomination of desolation”). The Jews were forbidden the mark of the covenant - circumcision. The penalty for violating this law was death for the surgeon, the mother and the child. The Torah was banned and burned in large numbers. Young men were forced to have their circumcision “reversed” through a painful procedure and participate in the Greek gymnasium (which was done in the nude). The very survival of Judaism was at stake in this crises.

A small band led by an old priest by the name of Mattathias and his five sons revolted. Their struggle lasted three years and culminated on the 25th day of Kislev with the recapture and dedication of the Temple. The Jews cleansed and purified the defiled temple. The celebration culminated in the relighting of the menorah for eight days as was supposed to have been done in Solomon’s day. That is why the festival is celebrated for “eight” days. The festival has even been called “the Sukkot of the month of Kislev” (2 Maccabees 1.9; 10.6-8). It is appropriate here to quote from the writings themselves on how this wonderful event transpired:

“Then Judas and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins. Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes and fell face down on the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven. Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary.” (1 Maccabees 4.36-41)

Later in the same chapter we read:

“Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed. Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.” (1 Maccabees 4.52-59).

The Rabbis explained where the tradition of the eight days and the menorah comes from. The Talmud states:

“What is Hanukkah? Our rabbis stated: ‘Commencing on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev, there are eight days during with mourning and fasting are forbidden. When the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils therein, and when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed against them and defeated them, they made search and found only one cruse of oil, sufficient for but one day’s lighting, which lay with the seal of the High Priest. Yet a miracle was wrought therein and with it they lit the lamp therewith for eight days. The following year these days were appointed a Festival with the recital of Hallel and thanksgiving.’” (Babylonian Talmud, Shab. 21b).

Through the years Hanukkah has celebrated the faith of a few in the power of God to work wonders through powerless and weak. Thus the Festival celebrates God’s yeshua (“salvation” . . . also the name of “Jesus”). This faith was not only on the part of men but of the incredible sacrifice of women. This is especially evident in the book of Second Maccabees which relates the story of Hannah, a Jewish mother. I must summarize this great story.

The king tried to force Hannah, and her seven sons, to transgress the Torah and forfeit her faith in Yahweh. Rather than transgress (by eating pig meat). Rather than cave in she exhorted her sons to endure through gruesome torture and death. All seven sons died as Hannah watched and finally she herself was killed by the king. But as Hannah put it she gave her sons and her own life in “sanctification of God’s name” (2 Macc. 7.1-41).

The authors of the books of Maccabees believe that Mattathias, his sons, Hannah and her sons, could never have “witnessed” without the “hidden miracle” of God. God was present, God was active, it was who God delivered. For God is the God of the Covenant of Love. Thus during the celebration of Hanukkah, a Jew has often read the story of Judith and meditated on the passage in Zechariah . . . “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit [shall you prevail], says the Lord of hosts” (4.6). Not a bad passage to associate with the Festival of Lights.

There are other traditions associated with the Festival like the dreidel but detailing them all will make this “short” summary . . . way to long.

Jesus and Hanukkah

Since most Christians in the Churches of Christ often have little knowledge of the Feast of Lights or where it came from the above summary was necessary background for this part of my blog. This festival, though it has no “authority” as such in the Hebrew Bible, it was important not only in the life of Jesus but also to the apostle John as he tells his story in the Gospel of John.

John explicitly roots the encounter of Jesus with some Jewish leaders against the background of Hanukkah in 10.22-39. He even notes it was “winter.” As G. R. Beasley-Murray writes, "In the festival that celebrated the deliverance of Israel from a destroyer of true religion and the consecration of the temple for true worship, Jesus affirmed that God had consecrated him as the true Redeemer, whose deliverance issues in the kingdom of God and with it the worship of God under the new covenant." Indeed, Jesus is the "fulfillment of the Festival of Dedication." (Word Biblical Themes: John, pp. 84-85). Commentators of such stature as B.F. Westcott, F.F. Bruce and Leon Morris say much the same thing. Jesus is not only observing the feast but fulfills its meaning in his life (in John's argument).

Against the backdrop of a burning menorah, the illuminated testimony to the “miracles” or “signs” of God’s “salvation” of Israel, John tells us the living Yeshua was standing in front of the Jewish leaders . . . who did not “believe” his “miracles” (John 10.38). God is continuing to deliver his people. Not simply through the Maccabees but through the Son. Jesus is truly the “light of the world.” He is God’s shining “menorah.”

The only person who casts a different perspective on this text is, almost predictably, one of "our own." B.W. Johnson in both his "People's New Testament" and his "Commentary on John" (p. 164) says "Nay!" Johnson's argument is surely not rooted in the Greek text of John rather it seems to be rooted in a prior assumption -- Jesus would not observe a festival that "lacked biblical authority." He writes, "The feast of Dedication was not one of the divinely appointed festivals, and there is nothing in the Savior's ministry to create the idea that he would observe it . . ."

Westcott clearly blows that perspective out of the water. John wants to link what Jesus says with the Festival -- purposefully. Anyway Johnson demonstrates what a prior commitment to an assumption can do to a rather obvious intention in the text -- blind it. Jesus is a Jew and he thought giving God the credit for the deliverance through the Maccabees was a good thing. He did not have a problem endorsing this tradition just as he did not have one with the synagogue. And the Apostle thought it provided a "brilliant" opportunity to say something deep about who Jesus is and what he has done.

John 10 is a gem of a text that allows us to deal with many things at once. And since Hanukkah is being observed this time of year it also creates a sense of understanding of our Jewish roots -- that are all too often buried and forgotten.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Milwaukee, WI

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Divesting

DIVESTING

Surely some person some where has either blessed or cursed the chaos. We need a little chaos, however, to remind us that the things of this age are not the most valuable. That is hard to believe at times!

You see over the last several days I have been packing books, books, and more books. At the "encouragement" of my beloved wife, Pamella, I have begun to divest myself of books. And how I despise that!

But I have been able to do it. At present I have probably divested over two thousand dollars in books. I found good homes for books on tanks, submarines, the Luftwaffe, a multi-volume history of the Civil War, missiles, Stalingrad, etc. I delivered five large boxes of books to Half Price Books this morning as well.

I gave away about six years of Leadership and half the printed editions of Wineskins. Gone are books on art, ancient wine and even my lone book on UFOs. I divested myself of Astronomy and Sky & Telescope going back to the mid-1980s. But I just could not bring myself to get rid of my Star Wars comics!!!

Moving reminds us of just how much "stuff" we collect, even when we are not collectors. I cannot say that getting rid of all those books has made me a better person. But perhaps they will bless others who seek to explore new horizons. And besides ... I still have 27 boxes of books that I did not divest myself of. But I am learning to be nimble, :-)

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Christmas, Peace & John Lennon

Christmas, Peace and John Lennon

Today marks the anniversary of the death of the greatest musician of the 20th century, John Lennon. Though not a believer in Jesus he did grasp, ironically, some of the import of the message of the Babe from Bethlehem. One of my favorite "secular" songs for Christmas was written by Lennon in 1971 and it reached #2 on the charts. It is stirring and I find myself singing it over and over. I think this song is just as "prophetic" now as it was when I was a little kid.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon


"Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9.6-7, NIV)

"He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Micah 4.3, NRSV)

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good wil [sic] towards men." (Luke 2.14, KJV)

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Dark Night of the Soul - Psalm 88 and the Cry of Faith

The following is an old sermon I preached in Grenada, Mississippi in 2001. It is offered for a number of reasons but mostly for a friend. It deals with some "stout" material for this time of year but it is my prayer it will be a blessing. May it be so.

Dark Night of the Soul
Psalm 88
September 23, 2001 P.M.

INTRODUCTION

The fact of suffering has always been one of the greatest challenges to the Christian faith. Its distribution and degree seems random and unfair. People have always asked how this is to be reconciled with God’s justice and his love. Those are fair questions.On November 1, 1755 an earthquake devastated Lisbon, Portugal. Being All Saints Day, the churches were packed and thirty of them were destroyed. Within six minutes over 15,000 people died and 15,000 were dying. The world was shocked!

One of the stunned was the brilliant French writer and philosopher Voltaire. How could anyone believe in the benevolence and omnipotence of God now? He wrote a protest called “Poem on the Disaster of Lisbon.” Later he wrote a novel called Candide which is a brilliant satire on the notion that the world we live in is the best of all possible worlds. The book recounts the adventures of an ingenious young man, Candide, whose teacher, Dr. Pangloss, is a Professor of Optimism and keeps blandly assuring him that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.” He maintains this in the face of successive misfortunes.
When they are shipwrecked near Lisbon, Candide is nearly killed in an earthquake and Pangloss is hung by the Inquisition. Voltaire writes: “Candide, terrified, speechless, bleeding, palpitating, said to himself, ‘If this is the best of all possible worlds, what can the rest be?’” (Candide, p. 128, in The Best Known Works of Voltaire.).

The Bible is not glib about evil and suffering. Just the opposite is true. The Bible in fact is brutally honest about pain, misfortune and the challenge it presents to faith. Numerous psalms deal with this theme, the drama of Job, Ecclesiastes, the Prophet Habakkuk, Jesus addresses it, Paul does in a number of contexts and the entire First Epistle of Peter as well as Revelation in many ways wrestle with this theme.

The answer the Bible gives is not always as clear cut as we would like it to be. For example the Bible never explains the "origin" of evil as we would hope it would. Instead it seeks to provide ways for us to express and vent within the confines of faith and it seeks to show that Yahweh is worthy of our trust ... even in the darkness.

THE DARKNESS OF SUFFERING

Psalm 88 is one of those psalms that deal with the terrifying idea of the “absence of God” in our lives -- moments when he simply does not seem to be around or care. It is a lament -- a wailing (others include Pss. 3, 13, etc).

Psalm 88, however, is unique not only in the Psalms but in the Bible. All the other lament psalms move from complaint through supplication to expressions of trust and praise (cf. Ps. 130). Psalm 88 does not do this, in fact there is not a single expression of hope -- not a glimmer! The only indication of hope is the fact the psalmist is praying!

Psalm 88 is sometimes called “the granddaddy of all laments!” The reputation fits. The psalm is divided up into three sections: 88.1-7; 88.8-12 and 88.13-18. Each section ends with an image of darkness (mahsak, vv.6,18; hosek, v.12).

The psalmist LIVES in darkness. The Darkness is brought on by the apparent absence of God. Let’s read it together:

“O LORD, God of my salvation, when at night, I cry in your presence,let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help, like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your land.

You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. [Selah] You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call on you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you. Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the Shades rise up to praise you?[Selah] Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

But I, O LORD, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O LORD, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me? Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer terrors; I am desperate.

Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me. You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.” (Psalm 88, NRSV)

We get some insight into the mood of this psalm from its heading where we read “mahalath le annoth” which literally means “sickness to afflict.” Heman the Ezrahite, who is said to be the author, knew about the suffering of affliction.
We get a further sense of the despair contained in this lament when we notice carefully the vocabulary used. There are three words in Hebrew for “cry” or “call” and Psalm 88 use all three (vv. 1, 2, 13), as if to indicate Heman has exhausted every possible approach to get the Lord’s attention.

The urgency of his plight is seen in the range of words he uses associated with death. Look at them: “Sheol” (‘grave” NIV, v.3), “Pit” (vv. 4, 6), “dead/death” (vv. 5, 10, 15), “grave” (vv. 5, 11), “darkness/dark” (vv. 5, 12, 18), “deep” (v. 6), “Shades” (‘the dead” NIV, v.10), “Abaddon” (‘Destruction, NIV, v.11), “land of forgetfulness” (‘land of oblivion” NIV, v.12). All of these words help us see the depth of misery and agony Heman is experiencing.

This agony is not some fleeting brush with depression. Notice the text gives us three chronological references. The psalmist cries out “at night” (v.1), he calls out “every day” (v.9) and his cries arise “in the morning” (v.13, Each reference with with a different word for “cry.”). Every possible approach, at every possible moment, has been tried and the result is only “darkness!” It is all darkness, which is literally the final word of the psalm.

Why is God absent? Why does not God hear? Why does God not rescue? These are questions we have all asked at one time or another. We ask them after attacks on the WTC? We ask them when our child is suddenly given a terrible disease? We ask that when the drunk driver walks away without a scratch and his victim is left paralyzed? We ask them when we ourselves feel abandoned by God.

Heman knows how we feel! I for one am glad the Lord has given us the psalm to help us ask and wrestle with these questions in faith.

Instead of rescue Heman says, “your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me, with all your waves” (v.7). Again he laments “Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me” (v.16). What vivid imagery and it doesn’t end here either. God seems to be the problem for Heman. He says “YOU have caused my companions to shun me” (v.8a) and again in v.18 “YOU have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend” (NIV).

Even life’s worst has to do with God, therefore Heman calls to God “out of the depths” of darkness and loneliness. It is a very realistic and haunting picture of one of God’s children suffering in this world of woe.

PSALM 88 AND THE CROSS

Many people have been troubled down through the years by Psalm 88. It is not the rosy picture they hope for. Many are not accustomed to hearing such honest and agonizing prayers “in church.” We usually eskew such grittyness. It is this lack of honestly with ourselves and with God that usually creates the problems in our faith to begin with.

One observer noted, “Psalm 88 is an embarrassment to conventional faith.” This is so because conventional faith is usually cold and lifeless and not connected to the realities of the world. Platitudes are the rule. This same observer then makes this comment, “Psalm 88 makes sense only in the light of Golgotha . . . Psalm 88 shows us what the cross is about: faithfulness in scenes of complete abandonment.” He is correct. Such suffering, such darkness of the soul, such abandonment can makes sense in the shadow of the Crucified One.

I want to make this as concrete as I possibly can. How does Psalm 88 relate to such scenes of abandonment as Auschwitz, a horror my mind has difficulty grasping! Or 9-11?

Elie Wiesel, one of my favorite authors, describes the depravity that confronted him that night he arrived at the Death Camp at the tender age of 15:

“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in the camp, which has turned my lifeinto one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forgetthat smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of children, whose bodies I saw turnedinto wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. NEVER SHALL I FORGET THOSE FLAMES WHICH CONSUMED MY FAITH. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silencewhich deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget thosemoments WHICH MURDERED MY GOD AND MY SOUL and turned my dreams intodust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God himself. Never.” (Night, p. 32).

Wiesel’s pit was, like Heman’s, full of Darkness. He uses the image of night powerfully all through his book to capture the absence of God and the absence of civility. It is gripping and moving. Where was God? In the face of such outrage? Why must there be a “Dark Night of the Soul? Why?

Later in his book, Wiesel describes the hanging of a young boy who had the “face of a sad little angel.” Even the hardened SS was hesitant to hang the boy in front of several thousand folks. The officer in charge refused to give the order, so three other SS troops replaced him for the execution. Two others were to be hanged and they were screaming -- but the little boy remained silent.

“Where is God? Where is He?” Eli heard someone whisper. The prisoners were forced to walk by and look at the boy in the face. Wiesel says, “But the third rope was still moving; being so light, the boy was still alive . . .” For over half an hour they had to watch the little boy struggle for life. Then Eli heard the same voice ask, “Where is God now? And I heard a voice within me answer him, ‘Where is He? Here he is -- He is hanging on this gallows . . .” (Night, pp. 75ff).

Wiesel lost his faith in God in the Darkness of his Pit. For him God literally hung to death in that boy -- never to be resurrected!

It is ironic that Wiesel cites Psalm 88 in the course of his book, Night. Corrie ten Boom, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Maximilian Kolbe and thousands of others did not loose faith in God in the Night of the camps. Instead that is where they found him! Psalm 88 was instrumental in being found by God. God had already provided them a language in which to lament. The very image Wiesel evokes so powerfully contains the answer to his question and the psalmist’s: Where was God?

In a way God did hang beside that little boy. God did not exempt himself from human suffering. He too hung on the gallows. At Golgotha, in the Night, at the Place of the Skull -- and honestly that ALONE keeps me believing in the God of love! Brueggemann is right. Psalm 88 only makes sense in the light -- or perhaps better -- the Darkness of the Cross. Such Darkness can only make sense by looking at the Passion of Jesus.

Here, at the cross, we learn the true depth of God’s own suffering with us. IT SHOWS FAITHFULNESS IN THE FACE OF ABANDONMENT. The psalmist has not, unlike Wiesel, lost his faith and that is why he continues to call on God.

And Ps. 88 is a scandal to conventional faith only because conventional faith fails to deal with Golgotha. No, Psalm 88 is not a prediction of Christ’s sufferings but it serves to articulate for us the experience Jesus would live out to an even greater degree than the psalmist could imagine. Facing the Cross, Jesus soul was “full of troubles” (cf. Mk. 14.33-34). He was shunned and even betrayed by his closest companions (Mk. 14.50). His only companion was Darkness (Mk 15.33). And like the psalmist, Jesus was faithful too. In the midst of the apparent abandonment of God, Heman cries, “My God, my God” and Jesus in the face of real abandonment cries “My God, My God” (Mk 15.34).

Psalm 88 shows that God does not, in the comfortable surroundings of heaven, turn a deaf ear to the sounds of suffering on this fallen planet. Instead God has JOINED us, choosing to live among an oppressed people -- Wiesel’s own race -- in circumstances of poverty and great affliction. He too was an innocent victim of cruel and senseless torture. At that black moment when the Night was the Darkest the Son of God cried out, much like the psalmist and the believers in those camps, “My God, My God why have you FORSAKEN me?”

The Christian message encompasses the full range of anger and despair and darkness so eloquently expressed in a book like NIGHT. It offers complete identification with the suffering in the world. But it goes a step forward, it offers hope. That step is called Resurrection. That is the moment of victory when the last enemy, death -- the Night-- itself has been defeated.

A seeming tragedy, Jesus’ crucifixion, made possible the ultimate healing of the world. The Dark Night of the Soul shall be vanquished.

CONCLUSION

As Heman suffered in Ps. 88, so God’s son suffered life’s worst. That is what the Cross is about. It says God loves us THAT much, to suffer like THAT! And there is nothing conventional about that kind of love. Sheer grace is always scandalous.

Benjamin Weir, a Presbyterian missionary, was taken hostage in Lebanon in the mid-1980’s. When he was released some one asked him how he survived and what advice he had for others in similar circumstances. He said, “I would suggest memorizing Psalm Eighty-Eight. That grand old Hebrew woe seemed more cathartic than anything.” It is cathartic!

To cry out in the Darkness is to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Christ of the Cross and with thousands of saints long since gone. It is indeed an affirmation of the hope that lies in resurrection. Sometimes we have to go through the Dark Night before we get to the Dawn! But we never travel alone.

-----

For a Friend.

Bobby Valentine

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The Cloud Has Moved: News from Milwaukee

The Cloud has Moved: News from Milwaukee

Numbers 9.15-23

For the last couple of days we have been digging our way out of a serious dumping of snow on us here in Milwaukee. Currently the temps are about 19 degrees (it was 10 as we went to worship this morning) and some snow flurries are gently falling.

This day in Milwaukee is a day mixed with sadness and joy for my family. Today I informed my family here at Southside that the cloud had moved, that I was resigning from the duties as pulpit minister effective December 31, 2006. I informed my beloved family that my family would be relocating to Tucson, Arizona and will begin working with the Palo Verde Church. This was a most difficult decision but I believe it is one that God has directed. I share below the letter that I read to Southside in both worship services ... with only the more personal stuff edited out.

"December 3, 2006

Dear Family,

After a long and difficult year, 2002 turned into a magnificent blessing for my family. That year . . . my family was down for the count.

Then five men, Dana McMillion, Rodney Windell, Wayne Alexander, Al Gray and Monroe E. Hawley invited my family to a place called Milwaukee, WI. It was a hopeful sign and on my birthday, August 25, 2002, the Valentines were asked to work with God's wonderful family on the corner of 20th and Grange. That invitation was a gift from God!

Since then my family has experienced one blessing after another. These blessings were not simply my own but for Pamella, Rachael, and Talya too. We have learned what brats are, fallen in love with custard, we drink Sprecher's Root Beer, we play Sheepshead, and we can even find the bubbler.

We have been adopted here at this place. There are those in this family who have shared with us in ways that we can never repay or be worthy of receiving. We have learned what love really means through many of you. We are blessed by you and I am a grateful man.

Since 2002 the leadership of this congregation has changed somewhat. Dana and Rodney have been called to other places. Bruce Williams has been an outstanding addition to the eldership. There are no four men that I hold in higher esteem than my Shepherds here at Southside. They have been patient with my foibles. They have helped mature me in ways they cannot know. I consider it a great honor to know them and serve with them.

These facts have made my decision all the more difficult and agonizing for our family . . . In September, I became aware of a congregation, the Palo Verde Church of Christ in Tucson, Arizona . . .

After much prayer, after much discussion with Pamella, Rachael, Talya ... I have decided to accept an invitation to work with the Palo Verde church. I have informed the elders of my decision on Thursday night. Thus my family will be making the transition to Tucson in January 2007.

We are saddened by our departure from Milwaukee and Southside. It is our prayer that our friendship with each of you as individuals and with Southside as a congregation will suffer no loss but grow ever deeper. Our home, as it has been here, will be open to you when you want to get away from the 20 below zero winter.

The actual circumstances of being offered the position at Palo Verde has lead Pamella and I to truly believe this is God's will. We covet your prayers as we make this transition. We will be in prayer for you too. We seek our Abba's blessings upon you and I know he will be generous in them.

"May the LORD bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you."

In Christian Love,
The Valentine Family"

This is a major transition that I never would have dreamed off earlier in the year. But as Numbers says ... sometimes the cloud does move and we follow the Lord no matter where he leads. Or when.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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My Friend Clay

My Friend Clay

I do not remember not knowing Clay Parkinson. My family had just moved from New York to Pampano Beach in Florida. The Quintero's had just moved from California too. We all met at the First Christian Church there in Florida. Our families and Clay, and his wife Kathy, would be intertwined for the rest of eternity. The proverb was never more true when it said there is a friend that is closer than a brother.

Clay always took a deep interest in my life, my family and my ministry. I borrowed Clay's car to drive to my first "interview" in Mississippi. I drove that same car to Belle Glade, Florida and New Orleans where I was hired by the Barton Avenue Church of Christ. He was a man who loved Jesus, loved the lost and didn't care what color you were.

Life is a gift of grace from our Abba in heaven and Clay had a lot of it. As all humans do, he had his quirks but he could laugh and have a good time simply enjoying that grace.

Last Sunday morning, the Sun hadn't even come up yet, I got a call on my cell phone from my dad in Alabama. The conversation was short. All he said was "Clay has gone home." Clay had suffered terribly with cancer in the last days of his life and our merciful Father said enough was enough. Through it all God was glorified though.

I was given the awesome privilege of helping to lead in the celebration of Clay's life. God's human family was seen in its beauty and diversity on that day mixed with sadness and joy. Melvin, a black man, gave a powerful sermon asking if our "epitaph" testified to a God filled life as Clay's does. Alvin, another black man, sang a soul stirring rendition of being home with God. And I, a white man, shared memories and was asked to read a poem written by Clay.

Clay was and is my friend. As a kid he was Clay a friend of my mom and dad. As I grew older he became my friend too. Father I thank you for bringing Clay into not only my life but the lives of all the Valentines and Quintero's. We love Clay. And on Sunday last I knew Clay was with us as we gathered around the table in the presence of God ... and I smiled.

You, Me and the Cross by Clay Parkinson

They nalied our Savior to a cross
Where He suffered, bled and died
There He paid an awful cost
While His mother watched ... and cried.

Jesus knew no sin ... he spoke no guile
He came to do the Father's will
So He drank the pungent bile
And His blood flowed down Calvary's hill.

They sealed Him in a silent tomb
While Roman soldiers stood nearby
Tho' a grave was not our Redeemer's doom
In three days He arose ... alive!

God rolled aside the granite stone
And Jesus walked past the guards who swooned
Thus ... for all our sins He did atone
Satan's plan was ruined.

He washed our scarlet sins away
And made them white as snow
Eternal life shall be ours one day
For He told us so.

Now as the Father views the cross
He sees not His Son on the tree
God looks at two that once were lost
He sees you ... and He sees me.

Thank you Clay for the laughs. Thank you for the prayers. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for being my friend.

See you soon,
Bobby Valentine

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A Bold & Powerful Prayer

A Bold and Powerful Prayer

Today I am doing something radically different on my blog. I am sharing something written by a new friend ... a prayer that we can all pray and should pray.

Blogging allows me to meet many folks I never would have. One such person, though I have never met personally is Douglas A. Doser. Doug lives in Phoenix, Az and works for Arizona State University. He has been reading my blog and has even read Kingdom Come (yeah!!). Doug recently emailed me a prayer that prayed in his home congregation there in Az. This is a soul opening prayer. With his permission I am placing it on my blog for the sake of others to be challenged by this prayer. This, beloved, is a kingdom centered prayer.

"Lord we approach your throne this morning in the context of Jesus’ teaching and your word being real commandments in which we should live our lives – not simply nice sayings or things we only play lip service to.

We pray that we be shocked out of our naiveté and our complacency that is so easy to accept as Christians who happen to live in America. While 9/11 was a tragedy – and we continue to pray for those who lost loved ones and much more – we pray that event has led us to view the world in the way in which it really is – Fallen and in need of your word, presence, and love.

We pray that the wealth we enjoy in this nation and consider a blessing hasn’t become a stumbling block or given us a false sense of “special favor” in your sight.

We pray that we, as Christians not confuse worldly wars of physical death and destruction with the true day-by-day spiritual battle to glorify you and lead others to salvation in your heavenly Kingdom. We pray that we recognize and know the difference between worldly liberty and the spiritual freedom you offer in your Kingdom.

We pray that we do not compartmentalize our Christianity and our “worldliness” – having the ability to switch back and forth whenever it is the most convenient for either. We pray that we incorporate the values of a Christ-centered life – into our involuntary thoughts and actions. We pray that we truly live Christ’s teachings 24 hours a days, seven days a week until we breathe our last breath. Give us the strength, determination, and humbleness to make this so. Be with us as we strive to be above the world yet in the world at the same time. Keep us focused on, and always recognizing the narrow path. Help us not to fall in the ditch of unrighteousness on the one side or the ditch of self-righteousness on the other.

We pray that our commitment to Christ is not directly correlated with political freedom. We pray that we, as Christians would have the same commitment to your commands and desire to worship you – under the worst of political conditions. In other words, Lord we pray that each and every one of us would be here in your presence – even if there was a real threat of physical death. Instill in us the commitment of those early Christians who were willing to die in the Roman arena before they would deny you before men.

We pray for the nation we live in. We pray for all the worldly nations of this earth. We pray that we recognize events – whether positive or tragic – as spiritual opportunities to serve and glorify your name by helping and teaching those around us. Create in us a spiritual outlook toward this world instead of a worldly outlook toward your Kingdom.

We pray for all our political leaders and government officials – elected, appointed, hired, advisors, and consultants. We especially pray for those who have accepted Jesus. Let their Christianity reign over the temptations to act as the world acts. Let their “yes” mean yes and their “no” mean no. Let their actions and leadership reflect your Son’s teachings. Allow them to love their enemies and act like it – whether that enemy is simply on the other side of the political spectrum or a Terrorist. Allow them to be motivated by the Gospel in how they treat others vs. worldly fear. Allow their responsibility to govern effectively and competently overcome selfish desire for power. Allow them to focus on honesty; Let the results of effective government speak for their ability vs. harsh rhetoric and name calling - that divides.

We pray for political leaders who can effectively govern this nation and interact with the other governments of this world. Regardless of political affiliation, I know you don’t want us, as your body, divided over earthly politics. Help us as a nation and individual Christians realize this. Help us to strive to be above politics. Give us the wisdom to seek out and understand what the Christian’s true relationship to Civil Government should be. Give us spiritual perspective.

Allow us to be “blessed,” as peacekeepers in such a harsh, divided, name calling political climate. In the context of a nation at war in the worldly and spiritual sense – help us to remember that sin in sin. Help us to not justify sin because that sin somehow advances noble worldly or political goals. Let all of our actions, regardless of circumstances be in line with Jesus’ teachings and not justified through our earthly fears and weaknesses.

As Christians, we know that the only way to you is through Jesus. Open the hearts of our non-Christian, yet religious brothers and sisters in such a way that their spiritual writings may lead them to you. Lord, allow us, as Christians the world over to stand up and show others a better way of living vs. telling them how to live.

Help us to look at ourselves through the mirror of Jesus’ teachings. Help us to see ourselves as we really are – sinners. Help us to have the strength and honesty to make the changes we need to make in ourselves in order to live as you have commanded us to live. We understand your grace, but do not allow us to ever misuse or take advantage of it.

If we have any of the issues of the seven churches in John’s Revelation, we pray that we recognize those, repent and carry on, further reflecting your glory. Continue to open our eyes to the meaning of your word. Allow us to seek a deeper understanding as well as apply it to our lives.

Lord, you know my heart, help me to make the changes that I need to make to be the best use in your Kingdom.

We pray for each of us, as our bodies are temples. We pray that we take care of those temples in a physical and spiritual sense. We know that the Kingdom of God dwells in us. Help us to keep ourselves pure. Let us see ourselves for what we truly are – spiritual beings, belonging to you – yet occupying physical bodies in a physical world. Let us act in a way in which our neighbors see us as more than simply good, moral people. Help us to act and them to see, a people focused on your Kingdom; serving others; and unafraid of physical death or facing worldly concerns.

Lord, rightly or wrongly, we tend to think we are pretty good at the “thou shall not’s.” Help us to be better with your commandments of those things we need to take action on – going into the world, taking care of physical and spiritual needs of the least of our brothers. Let us never forget that anyone Christ died for is our brother, sister, neighbor. Help us to resist the temptation to be distracted into arguments over the best way to help the “least of our brothers.” Help us to act in this area as Jesus did time after time– moved with compassion. Allow compassion in us to overcome the methodology and rationalization of our actions or in-actions in this area. Allow us the time and clarity to truly see and understand needs, and then take care of those in need. Fill us with the compassion of Jesus and his ability to see our brother’s needs.


This is our prayer to you. Thank you for all the gifts you have given us – especially the ones we have yet to fully realize. Amen"

May this prayer bless you and me as we seek to do God's will on Earth as it is in heaven.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Know Your Hymns

Know Your Hymns

Dentist's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crown Him with Many Crowns

Weatherman's Hymn . . . . . . . . There Shall Be Showers of Blessings

Contractor's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . The Church's One Foundation

The Tailor's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . .Holy, Holy, Holy

The Golfer's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . There's a Green Hill Far Away

The Politician's Hymn . . . . . . . .Standing on the Promises

Optometrist's Hymn . . . . . . . . . Open My Eyes That I Might See

IRS Agent's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . I Surrender All

The Gossip's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . Pass It On

Electrician's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . .Send the Light

Shopper's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . Sweet Bye and Bye

Realtor's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . I've Got a Mansion

Massage Therapist's Hymn . . . . . . He Touched Me

Doctor's Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Great Physician

For those who like to surpass the speed limit:

~ 45 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . God Will Take Care of You

~ 65 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Near My God to Thee

~ 85 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This World is Not My Home

~ 95 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lord, I'm Coming Home

~ 100 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Precious Memories

Lord, give me a sense of humor,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.

Blessings,
Bobby Valentine

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Update on Kingdom Come

Update on Kingdom Come

I have recently become aware of two more reactions to my book, coauthored with John Mark Hicks, that I would like to pass on to my blog readers. I call attention to these for two reasons. First, these brothers have a good blog and deserve to be read. Second, I have an interest in how folks are reacting to the material in this book.

I have decided that it does not matter if a person really agrees with what John Mark and I have written or with our intepretations (the footnotes are there for others to follow up on). We believe that the conversation about the nature of the church, discipleship and God's relationship to the world are matters of utmost importance ... more important than the book. Thus if the book stimulates deeper reflection then we feel we have accomplished our task.

Alan Rouse placed a review of Kingdom Come on his blog "Christian Unity" at the following address http://rouses.net/blog/2006/11/book-review-kingdom-come.html While there you may wish to read through some of Alan's previous blogs. I appreciate his perspective ...

Mike Exum place a reaction to the book on his blog called "Messianic Gentile" (you have to love that title). You can access this as well as Mike's other blogs at http://mikez-blog.blogspot.com/2006/11/sojourning-with-kingdom-come-quote.html

John Dobbs has been doing occasional reactions to the book on his blog "Out Here Hope Remains." John's address is http://johndobbs.wordpress.com/ John is the Barnabus of the internet and I appreciate his ministry more than he will ever know. I am humbled and grateful for these brothers for taking the time to share as they have shared.

And I want to call attention to an excellent ministry by a friend of mine Joel Solliday. "Campus CrossWalk" is a national web-magazine devoted to reaching college age people and those who work with them. Their mission motto: “Living for Christ on YOUR College Campus.” The current issue theme is: "Tackling Tough Addictions." Go to:
http://www.campuscrosswalk.org/

This site is an outreach resource for college age people and other young seekers. It serves campus ministries among churches of Christ nation-wide. It contains a national directory of campus ministries in state schools and universities. Also, the articles and items speak well to the practical "life-changing" power of faith in Christ.

Blessings,
Bobby Valentine

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Unity & Mission

Unity and Mission

I remember having discussions back in my college days about the purpose of the church. Most agreed that near the very top of the list of purposes was the task of missions: spreading the good news of Jesus the Christ. And they are right. Did not Jesus tell his church "Go" ...

But do we realize that mission is dependent upon a prior commitment on the part of disciples? Do we know that world evangelism is simply impossible without something undergirding mission? As I read the New Testament there is.

What is this prior commitment that makes missions possible? It is unity! Unity of heart. Unity of mind. Unity of purpose. Unity in the cross of Christ. You see for some reason divided Christians; Christians that cannot get along, Christians who argue over trivia destroy the very essence of the message Jesus told us to proclaim.

The greatest threat to world mission is not a lack of money but a lack of unity among the disciples of Christ. The greatest hinderance to bringing non-believers to saving faith is not evolution but the division of the church. Without unity the message of the cross is seriously compromised - indeed Christians do the Evil One's work for him by remaining in a divided state.

You see the power of the message is seen in diverse people caring and loving for one another. When the world sees women and men; white folks and black folks, rich people and poor people all together ... caring for each other, sharing together, the world will take notice.

But division among Christians voids the message! Why? Because the message at its core is one of reconciliation. Those claiming to believe that message while remaining at cross purposes become exhibits of the percieved failure of the message of peace. It become a "reason" for disbelief.

The congregation in which I serve cannot fix other churches but we can make sure that the message is not subverted here. Unity provides the foundation to world mission. Unity is what makes the message believable.

"My prayer is ... that all of them may be one, Father ... so that the world may believe you have sent me" (Jesus in John 17. 20-21).

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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Reading - Christmas Suggestions

Reading: Christmas Suggestions

Well its that time of year again. Where has 2006 gone?? The sages from Kansas and Steve Miller are surely on to something when they opine we are all just dust in the wind that keeps slippin' into the future! Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye and some out there are scratching their head as to what to buy their minister, elder or friend as a present. Books! That is if the minister or elder likes to read ... and if they do not perhaps they are in the wrong calling. Here are my recommendations.

1) Jack Reese, The Body Broken: Embracing the Peace of Christ in a Fragmented Church (Leafwood Press, 2006). Reese has gifted the church with this book. This year, 2006, has not flowered into a year of healing the shame of division or the removal of blight from the Bride. However this book can provide some necessary nutrition for the health of the Body. I believe every preacher and every elder should read this book. It is elegant. It is showered with grace and love for all. It is in fact spiritual reading. I urge you to read this book.

2) John Mark Hicks & Bobby Valentine, Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding (Leafwood, 2006). I am partial to this book. Far from perfect yet I believe this book can help Christians among the Stone-Campbell heritage move to a kingdom perspective. The book is not written for scholars but there are even surprises for them as well. In this book we learn that WE have a heritage with a robust theology of the Holy Spirit, a rejection of any deistic understanding of God, a passion for caring for the disinherited, relishing the presence of God in worship, prayer and Bible reading. We also learn that our heritage can rattle our cages in our easy accomodation to American nationalism and even demands for freedom of thought.

3) N. T. Wright, Simply Christian (HarperSanFrancisco, 2006). This is the book of the year and possibly the book of the century to date. Certainly the title should resonate with any in a restoration heritage. Yet Wright goes about making a refreshing statement of not only what Christianity is but what it means to live that faith in our contemporary world.

4) Terence Fretheim, God and the World in the Old Testament (Abingdon 2005). One of the consistent challenges of biblical Christianity in our American setting is the not so subtle forms of neo-Gnosticism that runs rampant in our "spiritualities" and other doctrine. This will probably be (sadly) one of the least read books on this list. Not because it is necessarily a difficult read (it is not!) but because it has a hundred pages of notes. But if I had the ability to make preachers read a book I would force them to read this one. What "good" is creation? Does God love creation? Not just humans but creation? How important is it in Scripture? Fretheim has shown that it is at the heart of biblical faith. I love this book. It is scholarly. It is rich. It is spiritually healthy.

5) William H. Willimon, Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry (Abingdon 2002). Willimon is a preacher's preacher. He has lived and breathed "pastoring" for longer than I have been alive. This book will speak to your heart and your mind.

6) James K. A. Smith, Whose Afraid of Postmodernism? Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to Church (Baker Academic 2006). This could be the best book on "postmodernism" written ... it is without a doubt the best I have read. Smith asks serious questions of the church and how she (you and I) can function in the new emerging worldview. Great book.

7) N. T. Wright, Judas and the Gospel of Jesus (Baker, 2006). This is the latest from the pen of the Bishop of Durham. This is a Gnostic buster! About the same size and design as the National Geographic's publication edited by Meyer, Erhman and company. This is an easy to read work (assumes the reader knows nothing) and is a handy book to share with anyone intersted in the sensationalism around the Gospel of Judas.

To Consider:

8) Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Eerdmans, 2005). I read this book as I was working on Kingdom Come and it richly blessed me. Peterson takes the reader through a spiritual reading of Deuteronomy, Luke/Acts, Exodus and has some marvelous reflections on Baptism and love.

9) Thomas Merton, Contemplative Prayer (Image, many editions). Let the Spirit wash over you through this work.

10) Jim Wallis, God's Politics (Harper 2005). This is certainly a book that you will have a conversation with. Wallis takes on both the Republicans and the Democrats in this book which may make him unpopular with both. But he takes his faith seriously and seeks to integrate it into a truly biblical public theology. You may not agree with some ... and some may not agree with a lot ... of this book but I do not think you can read a better book to hear a counter point of view that is God saturated. You will be blessed.

This is a short list I know. However these are some books that in my view are a cut above.

Merry Christmas,
Bobby Valentine

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Gospel According to Moses - Deuteronomy #5: The Gracious Gift of Life, 30.11-19

The Text

11 Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it? 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (NRSV).

We have entered into the third speech of Moses with this stirring text. Beginning at 29.1 we hear Moses' farewell speech flow from his heart. This humble servant recalls the wondrous mighty acts of God (i.e. his amazing grace for Israel) all through chapters 29 and 30 . . . the Lord has indeed been gracious to his People. The Lord has proven himself not only a Redeemer but also Faithful to the faithless. This is why Israel must put her hope, faith and trust in Yahweh, even as Moses is about to depart. Israel's faith can not rest upon any human, not even one so great as Moses. It is the Lord, who has redeemed Israel with a mighty grace, that is to be the object of devotion and faith.

Israel is at a fork in her existence. Up to this point Moses has been the highly visible Man of God sent to be her prophet and mediator. But now Moses is about to depart and he is preparing Israel for this transition. It would have been easy for an Israelite to think God had loved Israel for Moses' sake and so the people lean upon him, but Moses encourages them that Yahweh is Faithful to Israel and not just him.

A Time for Choices


It is now time for each Israelite to make a choice for God even as Moses is about to die. Each individual Hebrew must choose to honor the covenant of love (cf. 7.9) with the Redeeming Lord. To live by the covenant means we are under Yahweh's Lordship, not our own. We will live as he wants us to. We cannot say I'm on the Lord's side but I won't alter my wish as he wishes (cf. 29.19)! That is not a choice for God, but for the Idol of Self.

Our text declares there are only two real choices a human being can make in life. We, in America, talk about choice and freedom a great deal. Abortion on demand is reduced to a choice, drugs are simply a choice, even sexual lifestyles are said to be our choice. We have the freedom to choose whatever we want and live however we want. Choice has become a very large idol even in American Christianity . . . some may even call it God.

Have you noticed, though, that the choices we fight for as fundamental tend to be quite trivial. They are meaningless and carry little significance in the grand scheme of things. Moses, a man with great insight, says that life can really be reduced to two very basic choices that every human must make every day of his or her life. Moses says the chultimaten to us is the ulitimate choice: The Gift of Life or The Agony of Death! This is it. There are no other choices at all. Everything we do in life, every action, every moment flows directly from this ultimate choice that we have made for either life or death.

When life is reduced to what it is all about, when we peal back all the veneer - the choice that must be made is not to difficult to see. The Choice to live for a God, who loves us the way our God loves us, is the only choice. The choice to live for God and follow his ways is made even easier because Moses tells us that the Lord's commands are not burdensome. They are intended to bless and guarantee quality and abundance in our lives. They are not in the heavens as to be beyond reach. They are not even across the sea where they are out of sight. No they are near and in the heart (30. 12-14).

Beloved, God has never intended his Gracious Torah to be an instrument of death, rather it is to be Life and Blessings. It is only in the context of legalism that Torah becomes a burden. Man in his sinful nature turns the Torah into something it was never intended to be . . . a means of gaining, attaining and winning salvation. The Law, not even the Law of Moses, was intended to bring salvation. Israel did not earn salvation by observing the Torah . . . she was ALREADY saved when God gave the Torah. She was saved by grace (not works) in the Exodus itself, she was not redeemed at Sinai! Exodus comes before Sinai; Calvary comes before Pentecost; Grace comes before faith; it always has and always will. The Torah was to enable Israel to live in fellowship, to experience the blessing of life with God.

Moses says the covenant is simply loving the Lord our God and to walk in his ways. We honor God by making a covenantal decision for Yahweh everyday of our lives. We cannot love God and fail to live in a way that honors him. What Moses is challenging us to do is to choose life . . . in so doing we will honor God.

Why Choose the Gift of Grace - that is Life?


To reject God and to walk in our own ways is to choose death. Only the proverbial fool would willingly choose death over life. Only one self-deceived would follow such a course. Who would reject what God has done on our behalf. He has defeated the "Gods" of Egypt, the Pharaoh and his mighty armies, he fed Israel as they wandered in the wilderness and graciously blessed them so that even the soles of their sandals did not wear out. He has given them a land flowing with milk and honey and most amazing of all . . . he has made his abode in their midst! What god has ever done what Yahweh our Lord has done?

Moses asks which will we choose; The Gift of Life and blessings from God or Death and destruction away from God? We all must individually make that Ultimate Choice. There is no escape from it, God has not given us that particular choice.

Resources for Living the Choice

Living for God, loving him and walking in his ways is a lifetime commitment. But God does not leave us alone to our own strength and devices even in the Hebrew Bible! Earlier God had commanded that we circumcise our hearts (10.16) as a way of showing our love for him. Humans, however, stained as we are with Sin do not have it in their own ability to do this. Moses informs us that God, in his amazing grace, performs the needed surgery for us. He will circumcise our hearts so that we may be able to love and serve him with all of our hearts. Here the gracious word:

The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and LIVE . . . (30.6)

Israel's religion was never one of Self-reliance but God reliance. God did not give the commandments and then expect Israel to climb a ladder to righteousness. Boot-strap religion is alien to the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. God knows we will never live perfectly and that is not the point of Deuteronomy 30. We are not expected to be perfect. Moses says that what is expected is that we make a choice for the Gift of Life! We make the choice for life and God will take care of us . . . I call that Good News. I call that the Gospel According to Moses. I call it Grace. I, nor you, are or ever will be (in this life) perfect, but we can make a choice to serve the Lord.

Concluding Thoughts


Moses closes his speech in vv. 19-20 by calling heaven and earth as witnesses. We have heard God's grace proclaimed, we have heard the word in the Torah, we have heard the Faithful One say he is on our side . . . so what will we choose? God will not allow us to stay on the fence . . . he has too much invested in you and me. We must choose him or reject him. We must make the Ultimate Choice, the only choice in life that matters, we must choose Life or Death. Moses pleads with us to choose God's gift of life . . . in fact he almost commands us to choose it (30.19). We must choose him for in a very real way his is Life. I love the text:

hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life . . .(NIV)

May the Lord bless and keep those who have read this piece. And may he make his face shine upon them.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

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