Proverbs

   With proverbs, like psalms, it is difficult if not impossible to know the exact historical cause of the individual writings but it is possible to get a sense of the culture and times in which they were written. It is also possible to look at the primary author who is widely believed to have been King Solomon. The International Bible Society (IBS) includes on their website the introduction to each book of the Bible as written in The NIV Study Bible. On this resource I found the following quote, “If Solomon is granted a prominent role in the book, most of Proverbs would stem from the tenth century b.c. during the time of Israel’s united kingdom. The peace and prosperity that characterized that era accord well with the development of reflective wisdom and the production of literary works.” As shown by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart in their book How to read the Bible for All Its Worth wisdom was very important to the Jewish culture. They point out that wisdom teachers or “wise men” had a very prominent position in society and that Jewish parents would send their children to these teachers to be trained in the ways of wisdom. The IBS references 1 Kings 4:29-32 & 34, at the same link above, which refers to Solomon’s great wisdom and the fact that he spoke proverbs. It is important to note that Solomon was not the only author of proverbs and that other people helped compile the book we have today but another good portion of scripture that points to his great wisdom and the riches of his kingdom is 2^nd Chronicles chapter 9.

    For insight into the literary theme of Proverbs I want to share these final quotes from the IBS, found again at the same link above, “The major collections of proverbs that follow range widely across the broad spectrum of human situations, relationships and responsibilities offering insights, warnings, instructions and counsels along with frequent motivations to heed them…In a variety of situations and relationships the reader is exhorted to honesty, integrity, diligence, kindness, generosity, readiness to forgive, truthfulness, patience, humility, cheerfulness, loyalty, temperance, self-control and the prudent consideration of consequences that flow from attitudes, choices and/or actions.” More lessons can be found at the IBS website linked above. The site also says, “Proverbs provides instruction on how to live wisely and successfully in the ‘fear of the Lord’”. Another quote from Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, from the same book previously mentioned, that matches this theme and provides further cultural insight states, “Non-Israelite wisdom also had as its goal the making of best choices… What the inspired biblical wisdom added was the crucial idea that the only good choices are godly choices. Thus from the faithful Israelite perspective, ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom’ (Prov 9:10; Ps 111:10 [emphasis added].

  I want to look now at Proverbs chapter two focusing mostly on verses 1-8. These verses say: 

 

^“1 My son, if you accept my words
       and store up my commands within you,

 ² turning your ear to wisdom
       and applying your heart to understanding,

 ³ and if you call out for insight
       and cry aloud for understanding,

 ⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
       and search for it as for hidden treasure,

 ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
       and find the knowledge of God.

 ⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom,
       and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷ He holds victory in store for the upright,
       he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

 ⁸ for he guards the course of the just
       and protects the way of his faithful ones.” (NIV)

From these verses I get the impression of a parent or teacher desperately trying to produce a desperation or desire for wisdom in the student or child. This impression comes from the strong wording of crying out for wisdom and the comparison to great treasure. What is really moving is the fact that wisdom is achievable and it is not a vain search but even more moving or inspiring is that the Lord, Himself gives it. God reveals himself to those who seek Him. He provides victory and He shields those who seek Him! Another part that stands out is the prompting to apply your heart to understanding. It is not enough to hear good teaching. You must understand it. This is relevant in my own life because I have received a lot of good teaching but I recently felt a prompting from God to apply to myself and make it more personal or real to my own life.

  Verse five says that you will understand the fear of the Lord. Using the research tools on www.Studylight.org again I found that the word used here for fear is translated as yir’ah which is given the following definitions:

 

1.     fear, terror, fearing
   1. fear, terror
   2. awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear)
   3. fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety
   4. revered

 

Although a couple of the definitions mention terror, I believe the most appropriate ones in this case are those in option c, those of reverence and respect. We are to revere our awesome God and let that reverence guide us in the choices we make.

  Another word I want to look at is knowledge. The word for knowledge used in verses 5 and 6 is translated as da`ath which is given the following definitions:

 

 

1. knowledge
   1. knowledge, perception, skill
   2. discernment, understanding, wisdom

 

A root word for the word da`ath is yada` which has the following definitions that give even more insight:

1. to know
   1. (Qal)
      1. to know 1a
   2. to know, learn to know 1a
   3. to perceive 1a
   4. to perceive and see, find out and discern 1a
   5. to discriminate, distinguish 1a
   6. to know by experience 1a
   7. to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess 1a
   8. to consider
      1. to know, be acquainted with
      2. to know (a person carnally)
      3. to know how, be skilful in
      4. to have knowledge, be wise
   9. (Niphal)
      1. to be made known, be or become known, be revealed
      2. to make oneself known
      3. to be perceived
      4. to be instructed
   10. (Piel) to cause to know
   11. (Poal) to cause to know
   12. (Pual)
       1. to be known
       2. known, one known, acquaintance (participle)
   13. (Hiphil) to make known, declare
   14. (Hophal) to be made known
   15. (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself

 

This kind of knowledge that comes from God is more that a head knowledge. It is a deeper knowledge that includes a level wisdom and discernment.

   Verses 2:9-22 describe further the benefits of Godly wisdom, discretion and understanding. They provide protection against the wrong paths of wicked men and a seductive adulteress and they are pleasing to the soul.

   When I read this part of Proverbs I felt inspired to write on it. I have not achieved such great wisdom as spoken about in these verses and I am still learning what it means to walk in the fear of the Lord but I recognize that desire for wisdom and knowledge that the teacher is trying to impart. It is refreshing and encouraging to see that God provides these if we seek Him for them. I want to have more wisdom and more hunger for wisdom in my life. This chapter of Proverbs may not contain the short, two or three line wise statements that characterize much of Proverbs but the exhortation to seek wisdom and the benefits of attaining it are still vitally relevant today. God’s desire to bless us and to give us wisdom is not affected by the passage of time since this ancient writing was written.

 

 

  www.Biblegateway.com was also used in the preperation of this writing and the scripture hyperlinks point to their site.

Psalm 8

    For our assignment on Psalms I am going to look at Psalm 8. It is impossible to know for sure what was going on in David’s life when he wrote this psalm. There is no historical context provided outside what is known of the characteristics of David‘s life, that being that he had a heart of worship and that he sought the heart of God, so I will have to focus more on the literary content and application of the psalm. Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart list Psalm 8 amongst the psalms that are hymns of praise in their book How to Read the Bible for All its Worth. They state, “These psalms – with out particular reference to personal miseries or joys, whether previous or recent – center on the praise of God for who he is, for his greatness and his beneficence toward the whole earth as well as his own people.”

The psalm opens by saying in verse one:

 

“O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.”

 

According to the Hebrew lexicon found on www.Studylight.org the original word for Lord used first is Hwhy which is a proper name. It is defined here as Jehovah = “the existing One” the proper name of the one true God The second use of the word Lord is a title. The translated word is ‘Adonay which is defined as:

 

1: my lord, lord

   a. of men

   b. of God

2: Lord – title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence

 

According the same lexicon ‘adonay is an emphatic form of the word ‘adown. When the word ‘adown is applied to people it could mean master, husband, governor, or king and it is a general recognition of superiority. More definitions can be found

here. I find this interesting because it gives more insight or feeling to what David was expressing. We commonly say Lord out of reverence or as a title for Jesus but it seems more personal when looking at other meanings, especially that of husband, used in David’s culture.

   Verse two says:

 

“From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.”

 

By reading an on-line commentary I found that Jesus, Himself, quoted a portion of this scripture in Matthew 21:16.

  Verses 8:3-4 state,

 

“When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?”

 

These verses really stood out to me! They partially led to my decision to chose this psalm. I can relate to the since of awe and wonder that David is expressing here. It can be overwhelming to consider what God has made. The universe is incomprehensibly massive. God’s creation is enormous and very, very detailed. I love the way David describes it as the work of God’s fingers in this translation. It is moving to think of God planning out where to put everything. Despite the vastness of this great universe God is mindful of mankind. The second part of verse four in the NIV and some other translations uses the word “care” while the New King James version uses the word, “visit” as shown below:

 

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?”

 

Using Studylight.org again I found that the original word is translated as “paqad” which, among others, has the following definitions:

 

1. to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for

A. (Qal)

1. to pay attention to, observe

2. to attend to

3. to seek, look about for

4. to seek in vain, need, miss, lack

5. to visit

6. to visit upon, punish

7. to pass in review, muster, number

8. to appoint, assign, lay upon as a charge, deposit

(Niphal)

1. to be sought, be needed, be missed, be lacking

2. to be visited

3. to be visited upon

4. to be appointed

5. to be watched over

 

We are a special creation that God cares for and longs to be with. It does not get more amazing than that!

   Verses 5-8 of the psalm say:

 

“You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.”

 

I believe from the context of the surrounding verses where David is pondering man’s place in the universe that these verses are speaking of mankind in general.

     I want to wrap up by briefly touching again on the relevance of this psalm to us today. The Psalms can give us insight into God and to Jesus. Jesus tells us in Luke 24:44 that the Psalms speak of Him. As shown above these words that were spoken to God by David thousands of years of ago inspired the writers of the New Testament a couple thousand years ago through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They were so significant that Jesus Himself spoke of them! The experience of David when he thought of the vastness of the universe and the greatness of our very personable and loving God is something that we can experience today. As one final quote from Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart’s book How to Read the Bible for All its Worth states regarding this particular type of psalm, “These psalms are especially adapted for individual or group praise in worship. They help us ‘sing praises to our God,’ something that is truly ‘pleasant and fitting’ (Ps 147:1). Genesis 1:26-30) but I found from reading the study notes in The NIV Study Bible that these verses are also applied directly to Christ in Hebrews 2:6-8 (see Hebrews 2:1-10 here). The same study notes were helpful in finding the reference in Genesis above and they also point to 1st Corinthians 15:27 and Ephesians 1:22 which like Hebrews quote this portion of the psalm. I should do further study on how these verses are used in the New Testament but since my focus here is on the psalms I am not going further into it. I simply want to point out that the Old Testament scriptures had relevance to New Testament writers and that they still have relevance today. Psalm 8 concludes by repeating the first line of verse one which declares, “ O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” David ends as he began by declaring the greatness of his Lord, and master.

 

www.BibleGateway.com was also used in the preparation of this writing. All scripture verse links within it are to their site and are in from the NIV translation except for where otherwise noted.

Prophetic Scripture

   For our assignment on prophetic scriptures I want to take a look at Amos 8:11-14. I will focus on verse 11 but all four verses state:

¹¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
       “when I will send a famine through the land—
       not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
       but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

 ¹² Men will stagger from sea to sea
       and wander from north to east,
       searching for the word of the Lord,
       but they will not find it.

 ¹³ “In that day
       “the lovely young women and strong young men
       will faint because of thirst.

 ¹⁴ They who swear by the shame of Samaria,
       or say, ‘As surely as your god lives, O Dan,’
       or, ‘As surely as the god of Beersheba lives’—
       they will fall,
       never to rise again.”

  God is declaring that He is going to send a famine of hearing the word to the Jews. The Adam Clark Commentaries posted on studylight.org here refers to this as, “The most grievous of all famines, a famine of the words of Jehovah; a time in which no prophet should appear, no spiritual counsellor, no faithful reprover, none any longer who would point out the way of salvation, or would assure them of the mercy of God on their repentance and return to him. This is the severest of God’s judgments on this side the worm that never dieth, and the fire that is never quenched.” So what caused this famine to be pronounced? The International Bible Society gives some good insight into this in this posting from the introduction to the book of Amos found in the NIV study Bible. It states, “…Amos prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah over Judah (792–740 b.c.) and Jeroboam II over Israel (793–753). The main part of his ministry was probably carried out c. 760–750. Both kingdoms were enjoying great prosperity and had reached new political and military heights (cf. 2Ki 14:23—15:7; 2Ch 26). It was also a time of idolatry, extravagant indulgence in luxurious living, immorality, corruption of judicial procedures and oppression of the poor. As a consequence, God would soon bring about the Assyrian captivity of the northern kingdom (722–721). Israel at the time was politically secure and spiritually smug. About 40 years earlier, at the end of his ministry, Elisha had prophesied the resurgence of Israel’s power (2Ki 13:17–19), and more recently Jonah had prophesied her restoration to a glory not known since the days of Solomon (2Ki 14:25). The nation felt sure, therefore, that she was in God’s good graces. But prosperity increased Israel’s religious and moral corruption. God’s past punishments for unfaithfulness were forgotten, and his patience was at an end—which he sent Amos to announce.”

    The International Bible Society goes onto address the over all theme of the book of Amos at the same link above. It states, “The dominant theme is clearly stated in 5:24, which calls for social justice as the indispensable expression of true piety. Amos was a vigorous spokesman for God’s justice and righteousness, whereas Hosea emphasized God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. Amos declared that God was going to judge his unfaithful, disobedient, covenant-breaking people. Despite the Lord’s special choice of Israel and his kindnesses to her during the exodus and conquest and in the days of David and Solomon, his people continually failed to honor and obey him. The shrines at Bethel and other places of worship were often paganized, and Israel had a worldly view of even the ritual that the Lord himself had prescribed. They thought performance of the rites was all God required, and, with that done, they could do whatever they pleased—an essentially pagan notion. Without commitment to God’s law, they had no basis for standards of conduct.”

    It is clear to see from these statements the Jewish people had lost sight of God and the truth of His word. I want to now take a look at some of the words used in this scripture.

I used search tools and a Hebrew lexicon found on www.studylight.org to find the following word definitions. The word used in verse 11 for famine is Ra`ab and the meaning I found is:

 

1. famine, hunger
   1. famine (in land, nation)
      1. of Jehovah’s word (fig)
   2. hunger (of individuals)

 

This word is related to the word Ra`eb (a root word) which means:

 

1.          to be hungry, be voracious

a.       (Qal) to be hungry

b.      (Hiphil) to allow one to be hungry, allow to hunger

 

Since God is declaring this famine it can be said that God is allowing His people to be hungry so that they may search for Him.

   The word used in verse eleven for word is dabar which means:

 

1. speech, word, speaking, thing
   1. speech
   2. saying, utterance
   3. word, words
   4. business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

The final word I want to look at is hearing. The word used here is translated as Shama` which has the following long list of definitions:

 

   to hear, listen to, obey

1. (Qal)
   1. to hear (perceive by ear)
   2. to hear of or concerning
   3. to hear (have power to hear)
   4. to hear with attention or interest, listen to understand (language)
   5. to hear (of judicial cases)
   6. to listen, give heed
   7. to consent, agree
   8. to grant request
   9. to listen to, yield to
   10. to obey, be obedient
2. (Niphal)
   1. to be heard (of voice or sound)
   2. to be heard of
   3. to be regarded, be obeyed
3. (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon
4. (Hiphil)
   1. to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound
   2. to sound aloud (musical term)
   3. to make proclamation, summon
   4. to cause to be heard (noun masculine)
   5. sound

    

     The definitions that really stand out are those that mention yielding, obeying or understanding.

     How do we apply this today. It does not seem that in our modern American culture we are under the same kind of divinely declared famine as the Jews were in Amos’s day because the Gospel message is everywhere around us and it is very abundant. It does seem though that many do not take the time to listen or they refuse to listen. In John 6:25-40 (www.BibleGateway.com referenced here) Jesus says that He is the bread of life and that those who go to Him will not go hungry or thirsty. In these verses Jesus says that He gives eternal life. I am not trying to say that Jesus’ statement is a direct reversal of the famine pronounced through Amos but it does show God’s will for us. He does not want us to be spiritually hungry or empty. He is not hiding from us. There is much study that could and should be done in regards to Jesus’ words in the sixth chapter of John but because the focus of this writing is on prophetic scripture I will not go further into it here. One thing I do want to point out is the condition of the Jews when this famine began. They were conceited and self centered. As stated above their culture was full of immorality and corruption. They were deceptive and took advantage of others. They lost sight of God. Much of humanity and most modern cultures are like this today. People in general have lost sight of the truth. They are wondering around looking for answers. They are looking for something to satisfy them. They are turning to false religions for answers. They are in essence starving. They don’t realize that Jesus provides the answers and has already set forth the invitation. God can declare a famine as He did but living as the Jewish people did can naturally result in a spiritual famine without a direct declaration from God. What I mean to say is that just because someone doesn’t hear God it doesn’t mean he is not speaking. That person’s lifestyle can be so far removed from God that they don’t know how to listen. God can also still use silence to get people to seek Him deeper but God desires for people to hear Him and to come to Him. People must be willing to listen.

    I think it is also important to point out that this spiritually hungry or thirsty state is possible even in our Christian life. There have been many times that I have had to be reminded to focus on God or His words to me. We don’t necessarily have to be in a deeply depraved state to feel this way. When the concerns of life become over whelming we have to remember that Jesus is the bread of life and He has the answers. Many times I have gotten my focus on myself or my issues. I get caught up in going through the motions but I am reminded that Jesus is the one that refreshes us and feeds us.

The Parable of The Good Shepherd

    The parable of the Good Shepherd can be found in the Gospel of John so before looking at the parable itself it is important to take a brief overview look of this particular gospel. As discussed in our Bible translation class the Gospel of John is a personal account of the life of Jesus told by the Apostle John. The website www.allaboutJesusChrist.com summarizes it’s overview of the gospel by saying, “The Gospel of John presents many important lessons for living life on earth and determining our eternal destiny after we die. First, the book clearly establishes that Jesus Christ is the Jewish Messiah that was prophesized in the Old Testament of the Bible. Second, the book substantiates the purpose of Jesus Christ and the reason He was sent to earth by God. In addition, the Gospel of John distinguishes itself from the other gospels by focusing less on events and more on spiritual themes. Lastly, there is a clear message in the Gospel of John that helps us understand the truth about God, the truth about eternity, and the truth about making a choice to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.”

   It is also important to look at the audience that originally received the message being presented. While the Gospel of John may be addressed to a wider audience, when Jesus shared the parable He was speaking to a group of Jews as shown in verse 10:19. The Jewish culture was highly religious and they were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Messiah.

   The parable of the Good Shepard is located in John 10:1-21. In these verses Jesus states that He is the Good Shepard and the gate for the sheep. He also refers to thieves and hired hands. I will look first at the thieves mentioned. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible the word for thief used in verse 10:10 is Kleptes and the Greek Lexicon located on Studylight.org gives this definition:

 

 

1.   an embezzler, pilferer
   1. the name is transferred to false teachers, who do not care to instruct men, but abuse their confidence for their own gain

In verse 9:40 which leads up to this parable Jesus is confronted by a group of Pharisees. If they were still present when He gave this parable, as they often were when He spoke, it could be assumed that He was speaking of them. Verse 10:10 is often applied to the Devil as the enemy who comes to steal or destroy which is may also be accurate. An application of these verses to modern teachers who lack a personal relationship with Christ by Glen Williams, founder of E-Home Fellowship, can be a found here but although the comparison to the Pharisees is an interesting and perhaps accurate one I would cautions readers to weigh out the opinion for themselves. When it comes to the thieves I think it is important to note that Jesus said He is not like them because He came to bring abundant life. According to the same sources mentioned for my last word definition the Greek word for life used here is zoe and the definition given in the Lexicon is:

1. life
   1. the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate
   2. every living soul
2. life
   1. of the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic “logos” and to Christ in whom the “logos” put on human nature
   2. life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever. 

      Now I want to look at the description Jesus gave of Himself, that of the Good Shepherd. To get a sense of what this reference may have meant to the Jews I want to include this dictionary entry for shepherd from Studylight.org, “The Bible mentions shepherds and shepherding over 200 times. However, the Hebrew word for shepherding is often translated, “feeding.” Shepherds led sheep to pasture and water (Psalms 23:1) and protected them from wild animals (1 Samuel 17:34-35). Shepherds guarded their flocks at night whether in the open (Luke 2:8) or in sheepfolds (Zephaniah 2:6) where they counted the sheep as they entered (Jeremiah 33:13). They took care of the sheep and even carried weak lambs in their arms (Isaiah 40:11). Shepherd came to designate not only persons who herded sheep but also kings (2 Samuel 5:2) and God Himself (Psalms 23:1; Isaiah 40:11). Later prophets referred to Israel’s leaders as shepherds (Jeremiah 23:1; Ezekiel 34:1).”                                                                                                                                                                     Since the New Testament parable was recorded in Greek it is also important to look at the Greek word for shepherd used here which is poimen. Using the same on-line Greek Lexicon I found this definition:

1. a herdsman, esp. a shepherd
   1. in the parable, he to whose care and control others have committed themselves, and whose precepts they follow
2. metaph.
   1. the presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly: so of Christ the Head of the church
      1. of the overseers of the Christian assemblies
      2. of kings and princes

“The tasks of a Near Eastern shepherd were: – to watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep – to defend the sheep from attackers – to heal the wounded and sick sheep – to find and save lost or trapped sheep – to love them, sharing their lives and so earning their trust.” The word is also translated as meaning pastor.

     It is interesting to me that the word shepherd came to represent Kings and God. The Jews were familiar with this but Jesus was not declaring Himself an earthly king and His message of having to lie down His life for His sheep would have been confusing to Jews as this would not have fit into their picture of what the messiah would be. Also, Jesus declared that He had other sheep that were not of that sheep pin which I believe refers to the gentiles which would have been offensive to many of the Jews. These concepts could have led to the dispute recorded in verses 10:19-21.

    So, while the Jews were confronted by their ideas of what their messiah would be what should we take from this passage? They did not understand what Jesus was telling them but as Jesus stated to His original audience He is our shepherd. He leads us and cares for us. He loves us to the point of dying for us. He is our gateway to salvation and we can rest in Him. He is not like the hired hand he mentioned because he did not run from the cross but accepted it although it caused it great pain. We can have our own misconceptions of Jesus or God the father but we see that it is love that He has for us. As a shepherd Jesus is our great leader and our defender against the enemies that confront us. 

    As sheep we are to follow His lead and trust in Him. We are to listen to His voice. This, I believe, can be a great challenge to us. I can confess that I have both heard God’s voice with great clarity and missed His soft whisper completely. I have even missed it when it may not have been so quite. Jesus said that His sheep know Him and His voice and that they will not follow the voice of a stranger. Today there are many voices that cry out to us and try to lead us astray but we can be thankful that we have a Good Shepherd to guide us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and He has grace and mercy for us as we grow in knowledge of Him and as we learn to hear His voice for He loves us.

 

A Passage from the Gospel of Mark

   I want to take a look at a passage from the Gospel of Mark. First, it is important to look at the historical context of the Gospel in terms of who it was written to. It is widely held that the Gospel was written to Romans. Professor Barry D. Smith states that in the Gospel of Mark translations of Aramaic words are provided and there are several explanations of Jewish terms and customs. He says that this, “suggest that the intended readers were not Jews and have no close acquaintance with Jerusalem.” He provides a lot of evidence that the audience was the Romans, which can be found here, and states “The intended readers of the Gospel of Mark were Roman or Italian, gentile Christians.” As Romans these recipients were very familiar with a culture which was very imperialistic and focused on military conquest.  Displays of strength or power may have been important to them.

    I want to look very briefly at the literary context of Mark by quoting the website AllaboutJesusChrist.org “The Gospel of Mark presents many important facts and significant lessons. First, it clearly establishes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah that was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. Second, it proves that Jesus was the Son of God, whom He claimed to be by living a sinless and perfect life. Third, the Gospel records Jesus’ miracles over nature…” This site also states, “The most important fact in the Gospel of Mark is the evidence that Jesus Christ overcame the power of death through His resurrection from the tomb. He proved that there is no power that can overcome Him, that He is the authority to forgive the sins of people, and that He is the One and only Son of God. Lastly, Jesus gives people perfect instructions for how God desires people to live, respond through challenging circumstances, and make choices regarding their future for eternity.” This information and much more can be found here. More good information is posted by the International Bible Society here.

   The specific passages I want to look at is Mark 10:35-45. In these verses Jesus says that anyone who wants to be great must be a servant. He points out that He is a servant and that His followers should be too. I do not want to over emphasize the message of Jesus’ power in Mark or the importance of power in the Roman culture but these things are very present throughout the Gospel and were very present in the lives of the recipients. Jesus even points out that this is the way of the gentile leaders which would have been well known to the gentile audience in Rome. After establishing that Jesus was a person of power and authority the message states that He came to serve. This may have been a change in perspective for many living Rome. In the context of this passage it is seen that even Jesus’ own disciples had a misconception of power or it importance and what His kingdom would be like. In verse 10:44 the King James Bible says that whoever wants to be great must be a servant while other translations use the word slave. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible the Greek word used here is doulos. According to the Greek Lexicon found on Studylight.org this word means:

1. a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
   1. a slave
   2. metaph., one who gives himself up to another’s will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men
   3. devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests
2. a servant, attendant

This is not the only area in Mark where this subject is discussed. A similar passage can be found in verses 9-33:35.

  So what does this mean to us today? My short writing in no way covers all of the themes, nuances, or concepts covered in the Gospel of Mark. There is much more to be learned from this Gospel but in our culture today the concept of service to another may be as foreign to some as it was to some of the ancient Romans. Our culture seeks power through force, fame, money, political strength or many other ways similar to the Romans but according to Christ we are to be servants. We are called to serve one another and to put others first. I in no way claim to have mastered this in my own life but it is clear to see from Jesus’ words presented by Mark in this passage that if we are to become more like Jesus we need to emulate the way He served others.

Epistle Essay

   For my essay on a passage from an Epistle I want to look at Galatians 5:13-18. In these verses we are instructed to love our brothers and live by the Spirit.

  First we need to look at the historical context of Galatians. It is believed that Paul wrote the letter during one of his missionary journeys but there is debate on which one and the timing. There is also debate on the geographical location of the people the letter was written to. What is known is the cause of the writing to this young Christian church. Judaizers were trying to influence the church and force them to follow Jewish customs. The International Bible Society posted this quote from the NIV Study Bible’s introduction to Galatians, “Judaizers were Jewish Christians who believed, among other things, that a number of the ceremonial practices of the OT were still binding on the NT church. Following Paul’s successful campaign in Galatia, they insisted that Gentile converts to Christianity abide by certain OT rites, especially circumcision. They may have been motivated by a desire to avoid the persecution of Zealot Jews who objected to their fraternizing with Gentiles (see 6:12). The Judaizers argued that Paul was not an authentic apostle and that out of a desire to make the message more appealing to Gentiles he had removed from the gospel certain legal requirements”. Paul directly references these events or the Judaizers in verses 1:6-10, 3:1-5, 4:8-11, 4:17, 5:7-12.

  The verses above share Paul’s message while sharing some historical context but we also need to look at the over all literary context. Paul defends his message in chapter one as coming from God and not man. In chapter two Paul share’s personal experiences of dealing with those who impose the law including a confrontation with Peter. He gives a strong statement on justification by faith in 2:15-16. He supports his point through the personal history of the Galatians and the life of Abraham in chapter three. He points out that Abraham was a man of faith and that the promise of redemption through faith came before the law. In chapter four he gives more examples from the life of Abraham and his wives. In chapter five we find the verses I chose to highlight. Paul now tells the reader to live by the Spirit and love his brothers. He has established that righteousness does not come through observing the law but by faith and he now instructs on how to live. In verses 5:19-21 he lists out ways of the sinful nature but what I find interesting is in verses 5:22-23 he does not list laws of a righteous life but characteristics (fruit) of a life led by the Spirit.

   Paul states to serve your brother in love and that the law is fulfilled in the command to love your neighbor as yourself. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible the Greek word for love used in verse 5:13 is agape. Studylight.org defines this as brotherly love, affection, good will, love, or benevolence. Using the same resources I found that in verse 5:14 the Greek word used is agapao which means to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. Paul echoes such statements in verses 5:6, 6:1-2 and 6:9-10. In verses 5:16-18 the word used for Spirit according to the same sources is pneuma. Two good definitions given are, “the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son” and, “the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ”

  So what does this mean to us today? We no longer have Judaizers infiltrating our church and trying to impose their views on us but we do have many denominations with different points of view. We are also confronted with legalism. We need to apply Paul’s teaching by serving each other in love while being guided by the Spirit. By submitting to the guidance of the Spirit we can avoid the trap of legalism while remaining true to what it is truly important. We can also avoid divisions by acting in love. It is easy to see, even without much translation, that this is still applicable to our culture and we all, myself included, need to apply it.

 

All Bible verse hyperlinks in the essay above are from Biblegateway.Com

The Free Translation Method

  The free method of Bible translation presents the Biblical message in a style that is often considered more of a paraphrase of the original text rather than a literal or dynamic equivalent. Bibles that use this method include the Living Bible and the Phillips Bible but perhaps the most well known one is The Message. Because of the popularity of The Message and since it is the one I am most familiar with I will use it as an example of this translation method. The Message and other Bibles that use this translation method have been widely embraced because they are often easy to read or understand. A review by Kevin Kelly of The Message found here gives some insight as to why this translation method would be popular. He states, “At least once in your life you should read the Bible all the way through because it does not say what you expect it to say, no matter what you expect it to say. Here is the translation of the Bible you want to read: The Message. This new street-wise paraphrase is looser than a translation and so irks purists. But it is storming Christian campuses and youth groups with its boldness, readability, and strong vernacular. Translated by one amazing guy, it’s as far from old King James as one can imagine. For those who find the Bible warmed-over old news, The Message is like reading it for the first time.”

   The Message has found much acceptance in the Christian community but there are also many who appose such a translation as noted by Kevin Kelly above. This opposition is largely due to disagreements in how the Biblical scriptures are presented when paraphrased. One example of this opposition can be found at this link from Kjos Ministries in which they refer to Eugene Peterson who authored The Message, “What does Eugene Peterson himself say? In his introduction to The Message, he tells us that ‘This version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom keeps the language of the Message and fresh and understandable in the same language in which we do our shopping, talk with our friends, worry about world affairs, and teach our children their table manners….’ This sounds like a good idea, but what if essential Biblical concepts are not part of our everyday conversation?  Should we then rewrite God’s holy Scriptures to fit today’s more shallow and worldly communications? Remember, we are dealing with God’s holy unchangeable Word – not an ordinary book. God owns His message, we don’t. Only His own, well-guarded words can be presented as absolute truth.” This site also provides many convincing examples of how the verses can be mistranslated. Another good example of opposition with scriptural comparisons can be found at this site by Michael D. Marlowe.

    My goal is not to review The Message but the method that was used to write it and other Bibles like it. Even with all of the debate the Biblical paraphrases or free translations can serve some purpose in providing insight when properly translated but they also lack strength as a study tool. Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart make this point well in their book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, when discussing some of the Bibles written in this style, “On the one hand, these renditions often have especially fresh and vivid ways of expressing some old truths and thus each have served to stimulate contemporary Christians to take a fresh look at their Bibles. On the other hand, such a ‘translation’ often comes very close to being a commentary, but without other options made available to the reader. Therefore, as stimulating as these can sometimes be, they are never intended to be a person’s only Bible; and the reader needs constantly to check particular eye-catching moments against a true translation or commentary to make sure that not too much freedom has been taken.”

The Literal Translation Method

    The literal translation method of Bible interpretation seeks to translate the original languages of ancient texts into modern English while maintaining the sentence structure or grammatical style presented in the original document. This type of translation may also be referred to as “formal equivalence” or “word for word”. This differs from a dynamic equivalent translation (also known as “thought for thought” or “functional equivalent”) which translates the source language into English using more modern or common English structure, grammar or wording.

     One example of a Bible that relies primarily on the literal translation method is the English Standard Version. The translation philosophy used for this Bible is posted on the ESV’s official website. It states, “The ESV is an ‘essentially literal’ translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on ‘word-for-word’ correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original. In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a ‘thought-for-thought’ rather than ‘word-for-word’ translation philosophy, emphasizing ‘dynamic equivalence’ rather than the ‘essentially literal’ meaning of the original. A ‘thought-for-thought’ translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive opinions of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture. Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between ‘formal equivalence’ in expression and ‘functional equivalence’ in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework we have sought to be ‘as literal as possible’ while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence.” It is important for me to point out that the previous quote came from a source that used this particular translation method and therefore they are naturally supportive of it over other methods. I do not intend to promote one translation or translation method over another but simply to show the differences between them.

    As pointed out by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart in their book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, one of the issues of the literal translation method is that the translated sentence structure may be confusing to modern readers. The sentences may be obscure or lose some of their meaning because they don’t flow naturally to the reader. As seen in the quote from the ESV website this is one issue they sought to correct while maintaining most of the original structure. For this reason and others Fee and Gordon lean more to the use of the functional equivalence method but the literal method can still be an important tool to understanding the Bible. Fee and Gordon note, “If the best translational theory is functional equivalence, a translation that adheres to formal equivalence is often helpful as a second source; it can it can give you some confidence as to what the Hebrew or Greek actually looked like.”

 The important thing to remember when reading a Bible translation or choosing a translation method is that it needs to understandable while maintaining accuracy and that many different translations should be consulted to get a broader perspective.

 

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls

    The Dead Sea Scrolls were an important archeological find that has given insight into Biblical history and culture. The scrolls were found in a series of eleven caves from 1947 through 1956 near the ruins of Qumran. The scrolls included many Biblical and non-Biblical writings that have influenced our understanding of the Bible today. www.ibiblio.org, a website that refers to itself as the public’s library and digital archive states, “The scrolls and scroll fragments recovered in the Qumran environs represent a voluminous body of Jewish documents, a veritable ‘library’…Unquestionably, the ‘library,’ which is the greatest manuscript find of the twentieth century, demonstrates the rich literary activity of Second Temple Period Jewry and sheds insight into centuries pivotal to both Judaism and Christianity. The library contains some books or works in a large number of copies, yet others are represented only fragmentarily by mere scraps of parchment.” Different on-line resources very on the total number of documents found but most estimates are between 800 -1000. They also state that Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages were used in the writing of the scrolls. Another online resource, Century One Bookstore, published a list of facts regarding the scrolls which included the following information on what was found in the caves, “There are now identified among the scrolls, 19 copies of the Book of Isaiah, 25 copies of Deuteronomy and 30 copies of the Psalms…There are nonbiblical writings along the order of commentaries on the OT, paraphrases that expand on the Law, rule books of the community, war conduct, thanksgiving psalms, hymnic compositions, benedictions, liturgical texts, and sapiential (wisdom) writings.” Century One’s complete list of facts can be found here. Other discoveries in the Dead Sea caves included a copper scroll that contained the locations of other treasures, a scroll over twenty-six feet long known as The Temple Scroll and at least part of every book of the Bible except for Esther.

  The finding of the scrolls was significant because they supported other known Biblical sources and provided evidence to their accuracy. The website www.allaboutarchaeology.org states this importance well when it says, “The Dead Sea Scrolls comprise the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found, dating back to 100–200 B.C. This is dramatic, because we now have absolute evidence that Messianic prophecies contained in today’s Old Testament (both Jewish and Christian) are the same Messianic prophecies that existed prior to the time Jesus walked on this earth. ” It also says, “The Dead Sea Scrolls sat untouched in a perfect, arid environment for approximately 2,000 years. As prophetic events in the Middle East appear to be accelerating, it’s remarkable to read prior Messianic prophecy with absolute assurance like no other time in history. We now have utmost confidence that the Old Testament (Jewish Tanakh) that we read today is the same as existed in 100 to 200 BC. This means that the over 300 Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah preexisted the birth of Jesus Christ.” As shown the scrolls have had an important impact on Biblical translation because of the wealth of knowledge they provide about Biblical times. They are an important resource because they validate other historical writings that were recorded after them.  

 

 

 

 

The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary – A Non-Canonical New Testament Writing

     The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary presents a story about Mary’s origin and gives a brief account of her life leading to the birth of Christ. This account of Mary states that her birth was foretold to her parents by an angel of the Lord who also said that she would give birth to the Messiah. In both accounts her parents were told to give her the name Mary just as Mary was told to give her son the name of Jesus.        

    The text states Mary’s father was named Joachim and his wife, Anna, was barren. Joachim had been publicly ridiculed for not having children. When the angel appeared to him he pointed to past accounts of barren women who had given birth and said that such births were often intended for something wonderful. He then appeared to Anna and declared that she would give birth to a child that would be more blessed than any other woman. This again is similar to the Biblical account of an angel appearing to Mary to announce the birth Christ thus giving a since that Mary was like Jesus in the way her birth was foretold and her divine purpose in life.

  The account states that Mary’s parents had vowed that if they had a child they would dedicate it the Lord so when she was three years old they brought her to the temple where she was raised and trained. When they arrived she climbed the steps to the temple without assistance which was seen as a miraculous sign. It also states that Mary was visited by angels and had visions on a daily bases.

  The account then presents a story how Joseph was chosen by the priest through a sign given by God to be Mary’s husband. It wraps up by telling how an angel appeared to Marry and Joseph to declare the coming birth of Christ.

    This account has a strong cultural impact that persists to this day. It provides much of the legend of Mary and also contributes to her standing in the Catholic Church. It has led to traditions that are still held to some extent. Scott P. Richert explains a Catholic perspective in his blog, “In earlier centuries, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated with greater fanfare. Now, most Catholics probably don’t even realize that the Church has a special feast day set aside to celebrate it. But, like the Immaculate Conception, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an important date in our salvation history. Christ needed a mother, and Mary’s own conception and birth, therefore, are events without which Christ’s own birth would have been impossible. It’s no surprise, then, that the Christians of the second century A.D. recorded the details of Mary’s birth in such documents as the Protoevangelium of James and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary. While neither document bears the authority of Scripture, they provide us with everything that we know about the life of Mary before the Annunciation…”

    Although parts of the account do appear to agree with many Biblical references, (see http://ministries.tliquest.net/theology/apocryphas/nt/mary.htm.) it cannot be considered canonical as there are problems with it. One main problem is that it highly supports the worship of Mary. It uses phrases such as, “The blessed and glorious ever-virgin Mary” throughout the passages. In Luke 11:27-28 we see Jesus’ response to someone blessing Mary, “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, ‘Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.’ He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” The term ever-virgin refers to a belief that Mary remained a virgin for the remainder of her life when Biblical scriptures refer to Mary having other children after the birth of Christ. Finally, there is no Biblical evidence that Mary ever performed a miracle.