We all know “the Golden Rule” that the Lord Jesus taught, Luke 6:31:
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
The Old Testament judge Samson articulated the opposite principle, which we might call “the Leaden Rule.” His rule plays an important role in modern game theory, and illustrates an important difference between biblical and modern thought.
Christians sometimes ask why our Bible contains the books that it does. Why do we recognize some books as the Word of God, and not others? Why do the Bibles published by some denominations include books that others leave out? What about the claims of some groups to have new revelation that appeared after New Testament times (such as the Qur’an or the Book of Mormon?
Some years ago, I wrote two papers addressing these themes. Perhaps someday I’ll have time to redo them, but for now this post will provide some context so that you can read them for insight into these important questions.
(more…)
Some months ago an article in a magazine caught my attention. It was complaining about the increased gap between the rich and the poor in the US. The author acknowledged that even the poor had become much more wealthy over the past decade than they were before, but complained that the difference between them and the rich had increased. This increased difference, she claimed, was a problem, because it constituted “relative deprivation,” a serious sociological problem that has been shown to harm people’s health.
About a year ago, a brother wrote me, “Have you studied the words translated as ‘rule’ and “obey’ in Hebrews 13:7, 17, and 24? How do you see those words interacting with the present day view and use of authority in the church?” He was concerned with what he called “overbearing elders.” His question stimulated me to devote some attention to the topic, and others might profit from what I found.
This week’s message (April 26, Isa 11:6-9) considers the amazing promise of the wolf and the lamb dwelling together in peace. These verses are a promise of a return to the state of the Garden of Eden. We study both the links to Genesis and the NT explanation of this aspect of the Messianic kingdom.
This week’s message (April 19, Isa 11:2-5) focuses on the spiritual endowment of the promised King, which enables him to sense directly whether or not people fear the Lord (v. 3), thus avoiding the perils of superficial judgment and ensuring a rule of righteousness and truth.
This week’s study (April 5) on Isa 10:24-34 deals with the third of the three groups described last week, the people of Jerusalem. Unlike Israel, to be conquered by Assyria and promised only a remnant in vv. 20-23, Judah is assured that the Assyrian oppression will last only a very little while. The Assyrian’s southward march, which formed the basis of his boast in Isa 10:9-11, will continue to Nob hill, overlooking Jerusalem, but will advance no farther, and the nation that prided itself in hewing down its adversaries (Isa 37:24) will itself be cut clean by the Lord of Hosts.
This chorus from an old PPM song keeps coming to mind as I watch our leaders’ response to the current economic crisis and compare it to what we’ve been reading in Isaiah.
It’s been a while since I updated the blog links to the studies on Isaiah. (You can always get to the latest one from the link on the Cyber-Chapel homepage.) Here are the last three, with a brief synopsis of each.
The study for March 15 completed the analysis of the four stanzas of Isa 9:8-10:4, describing God’s past and future judgment against the northern kingdom. Arrogance, corrupt rule, fraternal strife, and social injustice must lead to divine wrath. The argument throughout this section corresponds to the “woe” and “therefore” sections of the interpretation of the Parable of the Vineyard in Isa 5:7-30. God means their misfortunes to capture their attention and draw them to the Lord, but they persist in their rebellion.
Isa 10:5-32, introduced in the study for March 22, corresponds to the description of coming the Assyrian invasion in Isa 5:17, 26-30. The section is an alternation between the Lord’s purposes for Assyria and the invader’s arrogant refusal to recognize that it is a tool in the Lord’s hand.
The study for March 29 looks beyond the horizon of Isa 5 to the future of the three main groups involved in the coming invasion. Assyria will be punished for its arrogance. A small remnant will return from the Northern Kingdom, consumed by the invader. Judah will be chastened to a lesser degree, but emerge largely unscathed.