OLD TESTAMENT DIFFICULTIES

OT Difficulties: Creation, evolution, violence, sexuality

HERMENEUTICAL PREAMBLE

Biblical interpretation: the bible is without error, but our interpretations are

• Perspicuity of scripture (clarity of scripture): scriptures are clear for what’s essential for our salvation, not everything else is clear. Ex. God created everything (doesn’t tell us how)
• For most people, scripture is unclear (written in other languages)

What is the act of literary communication? Author communicates text to reader - meaning is found in author’s intention.

Reading biblical text: What is the author trying to communicate to us through the text?

Books of bible written at different times:

• Nahum, may be the only one book written by one author at one time - maybe jonah too

• Most books have history of composition (Torah, written as foundational figure over long period)
• Genesis - evidence of post mosaic content
• Psalms/Proverbs - collections
• Jeremiah (36) - window to process of development of book, 605BC, write what he’s been preaching (was burned, then re-wrote and added many more words)

Final form, scripture of the church (not the early form) that’s authoritative. (still a bit messy, who’s to say what the final form is)

*Reader: the bible, though written for us is not written to us.

• Every book had a specific contemporary audience in mind - people in their present.
• Helps explain why radically different takes 
• Samuel & Kings: negative view on Israel (sin)
• Ex. Abijah story is negative in these books (called Abijom...seed/chaos)
• Written during the exile. Answering the question: Why are we in exile? Because X,Y,Z...evaluating history of Israel and Judah based on whether they kept the law in Deuteronomy. King of north and south evaluated.
• Chronicles: positive stories of Israel (faithfulness)
• Ex. Abijah story is positive in chronicles
• Written in post exilic period. (because Silas allows Jews to return to land at the end). Asking: How should we live now? How should we relate to the past?
• We are looking over the shoulders of first readers.
• For us, we need to read the OT twice

1. Reading as the ancient reader, how would they understand this?
2. 21st Century christian. 

• Christotelic interpretations of scripture

• Ex. Reading Genesis 1&2: Addressing issues of their day, not our day.

1. Serpent was satan (to us), no ancient reader would have thought that, just thought the serpent was “evil”. Would not associate serpent as devil or satan
   
   

Period between resurrection and ascension: Luke 24

Debate: Christocentric comes out in the OT, or comes out after in NT (Jesus: “You should have known). OT Christocentric comes out in the light of NT (tremper - both)

• We need to be aware of our lenses that we view scripture individually. We all read scripture differently through our lenses (gender, nationality, economic situation, education)
• Acknowledge we need to read in community and read other books, discuss, etc.

Text: we have no independent access to the author. 

• Ezra (specialty on knowing the law well - rips out his own hair when law is broken) & Nehemiah (tears other people’s hair, ex) display different leadership
• We approach meaning of authors by study of the text itself
• We need to become conversant with the hebrew literature (stories & poems)
• Every culture and time period write their poems and stories in different ways

*Genre: something is written in is essential

• Genre triggers reading strategy
• Ex. “once upon a time” triggers reading strategy
• Ex. Song of songs “kiss me with the kisses…”: woman to her lover, or exodus from egypt (israel the woman, asking God the man, to take her into his bedroom to the promise land) - jews at the time of Jesus - genre interpretation to an allegory - 100AD to the 19th century, this is how it was read
• Allegory’s are obviously allegories - makes it obvious (ex. man named “christian” travelling to celestial land...lutenant “wisdom” and “prudent”)

*Author: no independent access to the author

• Deriving hypothesis based on text itself
• Even if the author were there, they may give more didactic approach - and may intertwine other text they may not always be aware of (may not even know themselves)
• God is the ultimate author of the bible
• What is the relationship between the human author's intention and God’s ultimate intention?
• NT use of the OT - hard to defend that the OT author was conscious of the future
• There is a deeper meaning in OT, sometimes brought out in the NT, where the human author wasn’t aware of the full ramifications of their work 
• Ex. John the Baptist: precursor to Jesus - announcing to Jesus coming. He has a message from the Lord “one is coming after me…”  - names Jesus, says he is the one. John is in prison, sends 2 disciples to ask Jesus - are you the one or is one coming after you. John later realizes Jesus is the one, but he questions it in the moment. John, as the author didn’t know the full extent to who Jesus was.
• Ex. Isaiah 7:14 - announcement Virgin will have child, context: Isaiah is saying it will happen in the next 10 years, to King Ahab (The Almah will have a child...perhaps it should have interpreted/translated the bible as “the woman”) - doubtful Isaiah knew he was saying future messiah was born to a virgin
• (Conolical to tremper - gospel representation through jesus words, not exactly what he was saying). Spirit inspired gospel writers, so spirit inspires the reader as we read bible. Reading bible isn’t academic enterprise, but spiritual (spirit to illuminate words)
• (daniel & ezra has Aramaic language, everything else Hebrew)

Misc: (Christotelic: has to be in in light of the resurrection) 

• Greg Biel: appeals to peripheral cognitive vision of the prophet (real hard to make the case that NT author exegete OT)
• Dispensational hermeneutic - plain reading of scripture
• Progressive dispensationalism 

TOPIC ONE: GENESIS, SCIENCE, AND THE ORIGINS OF HUMANITY

Bible & Science

Does the Bible Conflict with Modern Science?

• Only Evangelical Protestants and Conservative Muslims that have issue with evolution
  
  

Four camps, evangelical protestants:

• Advocacy articles
  
  

1. Young Earth Creationism: affirms that creation took place in literal 24 hour days, most of them just a few thousand years ago. Literal interpretation of biblical text, and particular view of genealogies of genesis. Most spokesman for these are popular (Ken Haam, built creation museum, arc encounter in kentucky), but many are not well educated, or scholars. Most also do not enter into dialogue with other perspectives (Ex. Tod Biel). Largest majority of evangelical christians.
   
   

2. Intelligent Design Community: Young earth (steven meiers, william demsky). Philosophers of science (not really biblical scholars or scientists)...as you look at scientific evidence, some things evolution can explain, but also things that can’t explain (non organic to organic matter & certain complex biologic things, bacterium fligelum). Gaps in our scientific knowledge = finger of God. (Danger of) “God of the gaps”. Points to a designer not god of the bible… (John collins - Num 31, sabbath as sign on mosaic covenant - God “growing weary”, 6 day work week of creation, Exodus 31 - 7th day, rested and was refreshed)

3. Reasons to believe (organization): strong concordance - if you read the bible in the light of modern discoveries, the bible anticipates those discoveries. (Yew Ross? Physicist, leader with Biologist Fuzz Rona…) - read biblical text in light of modern science, and it’s understandable because of modern science. Ex. God spread out the heavens (read in light of the big bang theory, ...that is a reference to the big bang theory). Concordance reading with scripture and science.

4. Evolutionary Creationist: affirmation that bible teaches that god created everything, but doesn’t show us how God created everything - turn to science to answer those questions. They don’t threaten each other. (Tremper’s approach, Bruce Adam) 
1. Genesis 1-3 doesn’t teach evolution, it isn’t interested in questions science is asking
2. “Two book approach”
3. Westminster confession of faith: 2 books = word (speaks truth, we interpret scripture correctly) & nature (as we study and interpret nature correctly) = they won’t conflict each other
1. Bible trumps science (special revelation to us)... Science (general revelation to us). Both require interpretation.
2. Pope John Paul II: “Science can purify our religion; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes”
4. God is the creator, because the bible says so. Not because science can’t explain it. The difference in approach

“Anemic recognition of the providence of God.” God works just as drastically using secondary causes just as much as direct intervention. (Of course, he uses direct intervention)

• Ex. book of Esther.
• Science can purify our religion, religion can purify science idolatry and () pursuits
• (Gallileo) Augustine, Origin (hermeneutic flaws) - viewed Gen 1-3 (not literally)
• ….the view of Gen 1-3 seen literally, solidified in 20th century, especially after Darwin (?)

Arguments from Augustine and Origin… Creation: (sun, moon and stars on the fourth day after creation of other things - vegetation…). Criticisms of the bible in their day (what took the bible so long? 6 days)

• Bible used work week as an example to say how it was created, not literally

Genesis 1-11:

Is a unit:

Gen 1-2: creation  - literary prose but not poetry

Genesis 3: rebellion

Genesis 4-11: presents 3 stories, serve along with Gen 3 to demonstrate that human beings are persistent sinners, God is determined to judge sin, God is also intent on staying involved with sinful human creatures, demonstrated by token of grace, Adam and eve clothes, cain, favor to noah, tower of babel - no token of grace, but could be the languages (rather than removing communication) - preface to call of abraham.

• Beginning of redemptive history

• Continuity from Gen 12 and following

• Gen 1-11: Theological history (real events in the past), the theological descript means the focus on the account of the past is God and his relationship with human beings (rather than economic, political, etc history). It IS history, real things that happened in the past, however
• Gen 1-11: covers a vast amount of time, narrative scope
• Using largely figurative language
• Not giving literal depiction
• Gen 12+: chapters devoted to life of abraham, narrator slows down - details are more prominent

Toledot - occurs 11 times in genesis, formula for writing in Genesis: “this is the account of X..where X is a personal name” ….this is the account of Noah, this is the account of…

What were the functions of genealogies in the ancient world, and how were they instructed?

• Have more of an ideological, theological interest in mind (rather than historical)

Gen 1: period or comma - NIV with period...the earth was empty. Later greek and roman philosophy that this is addressed 

• Similarities among creation stories: start with pre-existent matter. Not addressing where the matter came from. How matter became orderly and functional (that’s the story Genesis tells us).
  
  
• Babylonian creation stories:
• The Enuma Elish (start with 2 dieties - represent fresh water and salt water, their mingling together create other gods). 2 older gods, 2 younger gods...Old male god, determines to kill younger gods. Old female god stops this..no one can stop her (Tiamak?) - gigantic serpent, Marduk (younger God) eventually takes over this god...shoots an arrow into her belly, cuts her in half to create the sky and waters. Job 38, Proverbs 32, Psalm 74 - create creation out of the many headed leviathan (=known as sea creature). Creates land, uses clay from earth and creates human beings.
• Atrahasis: variation of enuma elish - lesser gods go on strike from greater gods - eventually main god takes clay/dust of ground and mixes with blood of other god and spit of gods...creates human beings to dig irrigation ditches
• Creation story/bible: God breathing into the dust of the ground = figurative speech. Teaching not how God did it, but utilizing ancient near eastern idea, but that humans have some kind of divine element

• Lack of sequence concord between gen 1 & 2
• Document hypothesis (critical scholars, differentiate book of genesis
• Literary patterning
• Framework hypothesis: the first 3 days is communicating the forming of realms
• (Day 1) Light, darkness -> filled by the sun, moon and stars (Day 4)
• (Day 2) Sky, sea -> Birds Fish (Day 5)
• (Day 3) Land, Vegetation -> Land animals, humanity (Day 6)
• God’s of ancient near eastern: much more intertwining of creation and other gods
• Biblical view of God: dramatically different than other religions in ancient near eastern history. Biblical monotheism = radically different than any other gods in ancient near east
• Of course, God could create everything in a non “earthly/natural” way, but why would he need to? Desperation to make it work for the 6 days…
• (Animal death before the fall, book by O’brien...)
• Henotheism: a lot of gods, but only one god counts
• Inappropriate to consider “let us” language in genesis as trinity - author was unaware of it - but can also do pneumatological (using same language as the time, or referring to the whole divine entity, angelic)
• Power, presence, and Promise: David Firth - holy spirit in OT

Real events described in figurative language: Metaphors are powerful. Doesn’t need to be a real story to accomplish the purpose. We don’t always get explanation for divine requirements (ex. Don’t eat lobster)

• Bavinck - wrote compelling arguments on why creation was NOT a work week

Genesis 1:

1:8 Vault

• “God saw that it was good” ...not perfect, not great, but it is fit for life - functional

1:11-26

• The apex, after everything was created, is humanity. Made in the image of God
• Image bearing - never given exact meaning 
• Many years, thought it meant distinctive attribute humans have (ex. past theologians thought the uniqueness of humanity: reason, language - tremper doesn’t believe it’s the right way to go...animals have other languages)
• How is “image” and “likeness” used in other contexts in bible?
• Statues of kings that are set up around the kingdom - represent the kings presence and power in that kingdom
• Tell Fekhireya: location in syria - statue of king, using same image bearing term - best guide as to what image of god means. We represent God in his creation, we reflect his glory - like moon reflects glory of sun
• Humans are to rule creation, how to best tend god’s creation
• Many metaphors of God in OT as a human being, male (king, shepherd, warrior…)
• Also many feminine references of god - woman wisdom, woman teacher, mother (is 16:66, deut 32/33, psalm 131)

1:28

• Blessing is one of the main themes of Genesis - blessed humanity at the beginning, through the fall, lost that status. God pursues humanity with a passion to restore that 
• What does it mean to be blessed? Look back to Garden of Eden, original relationship with God and humanity. Harmonious relationship with God, moves into harmonious relationship with other people (Adam and Eve), harmonious relationship with human beings and relationship
• God’s ideal = Garden of Eden

1:29-2:4

• Creation using regular work week as metaphor for God’s creation
• Just as human beings work 6 days and rest the 7th, God’s creation is the same
• Tremper: takes “sabbath” as metaphorically, though israelites had law for keeping sabbath (not in NT)

"There is more evidence for evolution than gravity."

Genesis 2:

2:7-15

• Human beings have special relationship with God...breathing breath of life
• “Eden” = abundance/luxury
• Not a literal place - no place the four rivers flow out of
• Some people think it’s located in southern mesopotamia (if locating where the rivers flow down into, it should not be there)
• Some people think flood changes geology
• Adam described as priestly figure (work the land… “shamar”...garden)
• Fundamental job of priest: guard people, those under them to holiness

2:16-23

• Even though adam has harmonious relationship with god and creation, Eve was created
• Eve: “Ezer” = ally
• Not necessary to think taking rib literally from adam to form eve - tells us about the relationship between the man and the woman
• Charles Spurgeon: taken from side - show that they are mutual/equal individuals

2:24

• Married couple - leave and cleave to each other

Sidenote: Read song of songs as redemption of sexuality. (Also that type of intimacy is hard to achieve)

• God loves sex (Tremper Longman)

Genesis 3:

3:1-3

• Serpents seen as represent disorder
• Eve: fencing the law. First apologist (by correcting the serpent) and creating the law
• No explanation for why it’s bad except God said so
• They already know what’s right and wrong 
• “Knowledge” in hebrew is not just apprehension, but also means an experience
• Adam “knew” his wife and conceived son 
• Adam & Eve: asserting their independence, not following gods orders

3:6-15

• Shows Adam was there the whole time during the conversation (“who was with her”)
• Adam was just watching, he was the one directly ordered
• God as warrior: showing his problem with evil 
• Up until now, God is seen as more of an artist
• Disorder in god’s ordered universe - as a warrior to bring order back to the earth

3:16-19

• “You will desire to control your husband but he will rule over you”.
• What fragments male/female relationships, injects inequality - isn’t the way God created us, but an outcome of sin
• Same word for “Desire” is also seen Gen 4: god’s warning to cain
• Pattern: Sin, judgment speech, announcement of judgement, execution of judgement, extension of grace
• Should not view tree of life as a magical potion - rather that they were eating from that tree, symbolic that death has now come into life

3:20-24

• Cherubim: biggest angelic warriors - bodyguards of god’s holiness

What is Gen 1-3 communicating?

• God did create everything, including human beings

The Controversy over the Historical Adam

The Conclusions of Population Genetics: Brief reflections by a non--specialist

How does evolution and biblical story come together?

• Big bang theory, doesn’t mean God did not create the universe

• Science may inform us how god chose to create human beings
• “God didn’t need to do it that way” that’s presumptuous, why not
• Humanity emerged from previous group 

Schools of Thought among Evangelical Protestants

Adam and Eve as Real People who were the sole progenitors of humanity

• (all views = we’re all sinners)

Adam and Eve as representative couple among larger population

• Emergence of homosapiens - Dennis Alexander & NT wright - prefer that Gen 1&2 occurs at a later point - neolithic period 11,000 BC - awareness of god through cave paintings, - God then determined these people are innocent and at that point THEN endows them with his image & commission
• Adam and eVe not people as a group - but as a representative couple within this group (priestly couple, king and queen that represents this group)
• At a certain point, humanity then rebel against god. Then introduces sin and death into the world.
• Pete enns - denies point that there was innocence in humanity - ignores Gen 1-3. (metaphors point to a reality - and to say there was a point never of moral innocence doesn’t read gen 3 correctly)
• Don’t learn of period of moral innocence from science, but from bible. So short lived - that no record in science. Bible gives us impression that it was a brief time before rebellion

The Fall and Original Sin with special consideration of Romans 5:12-21

• Romans 5:12-21: death came to all people because all sinned (paul refers to Gen 1&2)
• Analogy between historical figure and literary figure - paul could be doing that knowingly (Pete enns doesn’t think paul is in this verse)
• “Because all sinned” - bible is making the point
  
  

Adam and eve as representative of original humanity

• How does the original sin (Adam’s sin) affect us?
• (along with John Walton - article in journal Zigon), when sin first came into human experience, demonstrates that adam did what we would all do in his place (representative)
• Sin disrupted cosmic order, impossible for us not to sin (not that we’re determined to sin but we don’t)

Man & Woman creation:

• (Man created before woman) Animals are created before humans = not our authority
• Rabbinic exegesis = not grounding it in creation ordinance.
• William Webb - slaves, women and homosexuals
• Gen 1&2 don’t establish creation ordinance are eternal for all time

Archetypes can be historical, but they don’t have to be. (Ex. melchizedek = how he’s described in hebrews (no father or mother) - exploiting the idea to make a point about jesus). (ancient genealogies = not based on pure historical factors like today)

• Luke’s genealogy takes us back to Adam - means Jesus is part of humanity
• Read the genealogies in the light of ancient genealogies (historical interest does not drive them)
• History of genealogy & science (Tremper Longman)

Cannot really tell the difference between literal or fictional character unless the author makes a distinct point of it

(Francis collins - scientific view of bible)

Jamie Smith (Calvin theologian), templeton - origins

Root of sin = self absorption

Excursus: what about the flood? (Gen 6-9 as Theological history)

• John Walton & Tremper Longman = (2018) What about the Flood?
• Flood: same issues with science side and bible side as gen 1&3
• Bible side: worldwide flood (some interpretations = local flood, hard to defend with bible saying - waters go beyond mountains)
• Original participants may only think their world was so big
• Scientific side: lack of evidence
• If there were a worldwide flood, there would be evidence of a worldwide flood
• Hyperbole - to explain devastating local flood to describe god’s reaction to sin
• Ancient people used flood story of the red sea (well known babylonian flood story - gilgamesh flood story)
• Chicago statement of inerrancy (use of hyperbole is used in an inerrant bible)
• Ex. Joshua 1-12 = Joshua describes conquest would lead you to believe there aren’t any canaanites left = hyperbole because Joshua 13 - canaanites still own majority of the land. Judges 1 = after the death of joshua, tribes attack..canaanites are still left
• Literal scholars think they need to choose between Joshua 1-12, Joshua 13+
• "It’s a hyperbole to explain the conquering of the land" (not literal)

Book = Geology of the grand canyon (used by young earth - to show world wide flood) = not responsible cause or analysis

• Steve Moshier (Christian Geologist)

Analogy with the Book of Revelation (deep past and far distant future)

TOPIC TWO: DIVINE VIOLENCE

Aaron seibert

The Controversy: God Commands and Participates in Acts of Violence

Old Testament

• Ex. Genesis 14: Abraham pursues 4 kings of east (captured Lot), 300 ish men took down all kings. “God gave them to Abraham” ...used many times throughout scripture - God did it for them
• Ex. Exodus plagues, Exodus 14 & 15 - God tells Moses to go back, camp on shore of sea so Pharaoh will think Moses is vulnerable (set up for pharaoh) - song of the sea to celebrate occasion “the Lord is a warrior” - first time the lord is explicitly called a warrior.
• The Conquest as a case in point (Joshua 1-12)
• Ex. Judges: time of moral depravity, spiritual confusion, political fragmentation - bulk of the book, accounts of judges. Moving in circles: Sinning (doesn’t always say, but usually idolatry) -> God turns them over to oppressor -> cry out to the Lord -> God raises up a judge (= rescuer, military leader, God gives the power to to deliver israel from the oppressor) spirit gives ability to do mighty acts -> period of peace -> RETURNS to sin.
• Ex. (Rephidim) God the warrior is often with the prophets, not the kings
• Ex. Deut 7, 20 - laws of warfare, talking about God as warrior. Israel’s responsibility to that
• Warfare in the psalms - Tremper Longman article - Psalm 98
• 49 out of 150 psalms - were set in the context of warfare
• Psalms built with warfare imagery, god as prophet
• Prophets were like lawyers of the covenant
• Prophets come when the covenant is broken - and to charge those who broke it: “Repent” or “Suffer the consequences
• Apocalyptic is different than prophecy - repentance with the hope seen
• Jeremiah: God talks to him directly
• Daniel receives visions, angel comes to interpret vision (God doesn’t give message directly) He isn’t charged to go out and spread news for repentance, more for comfort that God the warrior is going to come to destroy the oppressors. Daniel 7
• Prophetic and apocalyptic books talk about god as warrior
• Lamentations: poetical book.
• Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, Song of Songs: wisdom books - mostly don’t talk about God with divine violence, except Job (god bringing suffering, pain - Job says something like “god is shooting me, i’m his target practice)
• Very pervasive theme in OT

Contemporary thinkers: Eric Siebert, Ted Sparkes, __ Kelly - nullify or do away with theme of divine violence

• (“Show then no Mercy” ___ - 4 views of violence..Eugene Meril = tremper’s view / Cowles - philosopher = God of OT is not the real god, just a depiction of the authors...anything that doesn’t correlate with Jesus is not god as he actually is - if they’re right, do they fall into marcianism = OT is not canonical)
• Ex. dissertation from Trinity = Battle reports tend to be more hyperbolically presented

Interpretive strategies to say: Bible describes god as violent, but he really isn’t violent

• The god described in these OT passages is not the actual god
• Pete Enns: God allowed the israelites to describe him how they experienced him, but not really the god as he really is
• How do you find out what the actual god is then? Siebert points to Jesus: revelation of God. Jesus is the standard - anything that doesn’t meet that standard isn’t god as we know him. Mainly focusing on Jesus in the Gospels, but they don’t talk about the Jesus in Revelation.
• Marcionism (Marcion was popular theologian and preacher in 2nd century AD in Egypt - same sentiment and thought. OT didn’t line up with what God was really like, and how gospels present Jesus) - OT is no longer authoritative for Christians. The book of Revelation was problematic.
• BUT Jesus never criticizes the OT, he fully affirms the OT - Matt 5:17, ..also “OT anticipated my coming”
• 21st century west - specifically people not experiencing violence/persecution - those experiencing violence today can embrace the idea as god as violent much more

Richard dawkins: God as ”moral monster” - and other new atheists, answer their questions

• Our task shouldn’t be to answer them, they’re approaching with their own ideas of what is right and wrong.

Battle of Jericho

• Ambiguity of when it happened, 15th century or 13th?
• Depends on understanding of 1 Kings 1, if temple was built - symbolically or literally (# of years after…) leads to the 13th century or 15th century
• Archaeologists determine that jericho was not inhabited from 1550-___
• Because of pottery samples - some is detected, not much
• We may be misunderstanding archeological data
• We may be misunderstanding story of jericho - was it massive walls, the walls may have already been destructed before the battle - or it may have been smaller walls
• There are real archeological issues. To say the battle of jericho never happened - is wrong. There are ways of reading archeological record, and reading biblical text that don’t lead to conclusion it didn’t happen. 
• We should not conclude there is no historical record for it, but there may be some hyperbole used

Tom Wright - model of atonement (crucifixion) - recent books

(Gen 1 & 2 = equality of creation, God referred to mother and female many times in scripture too)

Neil Williams - dissertation on male/female god

The Laws of Warfare (Deut 7 & 20)

10 commandments: laying out general - case law to apply to specific situations to know how to apply

• To not murder: taking of life - what does that mean in their context

The Nature of Herem Warfare

• Herem: being brought under the band, being devoted to the Lord
• In the case of plunder: 
• The complete annihilation of the population

What Takes Place Before a Battle:

• Inquiry (Josh 5:13-15; 1 Sam 23:16)
• God needs to make his will explicitly known before his people go into battle.
• Israel can’t decide on their own if they are to go to battle or not
• Battle of Jericho - god makes personal visit to joshua to give strategy for battle and command him to go Josh 5:13-15. Burning bush
• God tells David he is to go to war - 1 Sam 23:16 - philistines fighting against Kyla. David inquired of the lord…
• Urim and Thummin - device used by the high priest to discern god’s will (dice like?) - can also turn out blank
• Deut 13 condemns divination - was very common of the day. The bible uses very little divination.
• Divination: way of resting information away from the divine realm. There is an option for the gods to not give an answer. A blank answer - gives god the ability to not answer.
• (__ ended up going to the witch of endor...because the urim and thummin kept coming up blank)
• Astrology: there is always some indication from the stars for the future (widely practiced by babylonians)
• Dreams: dreamer would tell interpreter contents of dream, and then they would have an answer
• Reading the liver of a sheep: most common form of divination
• If God says, “go into battle” then the next step is….(spiritual preparation)
  
  

• Spiritual preparation (Josh 5:2-12; 2 Sam 11)
• Warfare is considered an act of worship
• Battlefield is holy and consecrated ground (as holy as the tabernacle and later, temple)
• Must be as spiritually prepared as going into the holy place
• Why would israel undergo a mass circumcision before battle of jericho? Gen 34 Because they need to be spiritually prepared as they entered the promised land, because God will make his presence known on the battlefield. Also, because they observed passover before the battle.
• Ex. David, Bathsheba & Uriah - accentuates David’s sinfulness (Hebrew narrative: even more so than our own literature - narratives show rather than tell - esp in characters actions and motivations). “When kings go to battle, david was on his roof” - saying he should have been on the battlefield. Deut 23, Leviticus 14/15 - when man has emission of semen, he’s ritually unclean for a period of time (same with period) - seen as holy fluids...representative of life. If you come into something holy without doing the proper steps, it leaves you unclean for a period of time.
• David - anointed israelite, Uriah - hittite -> makes david look even worse
  
  

• Sacrifices (1 Sam 13)
• Pre-war sacrifices: 1 Sam 13 -> saul just anointed king
• Sacrifice = prerequisite before going into battle
• Because Samuel was late, Saul panics because troops are deserting him - so he offers the sacrifices himself
• Deut 20: you should actively go to your troops and ask them if they’re afraid, if they are tell them to go away - because God is a warrior and he’ll fight on behalf of his people
  
  

• The March into Battle (Num 10:35-36 - wilderness wanderings; 2 Chron 20:20-26)
• The transition: religious procession (the march into battle)
• The ark of the covenant plays a central role in these battles (the most potent symbol of god’s presence in OT) - contains objects like ten commandments, aarons budding staff, sample of manna - perceived of god’s throne. Cherubim are depicted on top of the ark - arms outstretched and looking down cause they can’t see his glory
• Two pictures of the march:
• Very long march: 40 year march, the wilderness wanderings (Israelites can be known as: “an army on the march into battle”) Hebrew wilderness camp = Ancient near eastern war camp = king is in the centre of the army, surrounded by bodyguards. Numbers 10:35 = “rise up o lord, scatter the countless enemies of lords battle” - take ark and lead people in a march towards the promised land
•  Jehoshaphat - Judah attacked, 2 Chron 20:20 -> as they march into battle, it’s like a religious procession (singing songs of praise). 

What Takes Place During a Battle:

• Numbers of troops and quality of weapons (judges 7:1-8, 1 Sam 17:45-47)
• The # does not matter. They do matter in the sense - you cannot go into battle without a superior force
• Ex. Gideon Judges 7: 33,000 troops (doesn’t matter which ones, dog lappers or cup water-ers -> just trying to narrow the number) … 300 people going in, shows the power of superior force
• Ex. David & Goliath: 1 Sam 17:45-4)
  
  

• Divine sovereignty and human responsibility
• Intertwining -> God could have fried David on the spot / Israelites marching around walls of jericho wasn’t neccssary for God to take down walls
• Beautiful display of divine sovereignty and human responsibility
• “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it’s god that saves you”
• Calvinists vs. open mindedness - hold these extremes in tension

What Takes Place After a Battle:

• Praise (Exodus 15, judges 5, psalm 24, 89, psalm 7, 91)
• The role of psalms in holy war
• Telltale signs of psalm before battle: “Rise up oh Lord”
• Psalm 7: before battle (lament, disorientation)
• Psalm 91: during battle (psalm of confidence, that God will take care of them)
• Talks of dangers of warfare (“arrow that flies by day / terrors”)
• Common references for military protection “my refuge, place of safety”
• Ends with divine oracle of protection on the psalmist
• Largest group of Psalms connected to warfare: celebrations/victory
• Psalms acknowledge defeat in battle
• Not only God fighting on behalf of his people, but also God fighting against his people
  
  
• Psalm 89 (ends book 3, Psalm 90 ends book 4): Psalm 89:52 - is the doxology that is not connected to the psalm in this chapter, but ending book 3. Psalter was divided into 5 parts before final book was achieved. Lament - psalmist is brutally honest with God.
• “The Editing of the Psalms” - Gerry thought book of psalms is about establishment, maintenance and fall of davidic monarchy, last part of book makes emphasis of God as king - BUT this hypothesis breaks down. Not recording demise as much but calling on God to reinvigorate it. Ex. Psalm 132 - vibrant affirmation of davidic covenant)
  
  
• Psalm 24: psalm sung in the light of victory. Beginning with acclamation of god’s creation (Tremper wrote a book with Richard Carlson, physicist - explored multi creation accounts - how god created creation). Vs.1-6 Entrance liturgy, “who can enter into his precincts?” (lengthier entrance liturgy, psalm 15 - “who may dwell in your holy mountain”) - intent to keep those unrepentant from the holy place (bodyguards to the holy place). 
• Psalm 24 ends with interchange between a priest (1) who’s carrying the ark of covenant back from battle field & another priest (2) who’s standing at the gate to the temple area. #1 priest says “open up ancient gates…”, #2 priest says “who is this king of glory…” - he knows, but it’s a chance to give affirmation
  
  
• Psalm 18: not a hymn, but a thanksgiving one. (Thanksgiving vs. hymn - thanksgiving recounts a problem which God responded to) Psalmist remembers God’s intervention saving them from their enemies. Uses dramatic language. Theophanies (visual displays of god’s power) - displays god as warrior...uses words such as “earth shakes, mountains shook”
• Vs. 50 - “Hesed” - (NIV - unfailing love), covenant loyalty
  
  
• Psalm 98: divine warrior hymn, divided into 3 (equal length, 3 vs each) stanzas. 
• Begins: exhorting israel to praise god for saving them in the past
• **language of salvation in OT, typically always refers to military victory
• “Sing a new song” (tremper studied, article of “new song”) - always in the context of military victory (psalm, revelation) = victory shout, because God is making everything new through his warring activity
• 1st stanza: 98:1-3 “O israel, praise god because he is our victor in the past”
• 2nd stanza: 98:4-6 “praise God who is our king in the present”
• 3rd stanza: 98: 7-9 “praise expands beyond inhabitants of the world (rivers, hills)...because God is our future judge, and will judge with equity)
  
  
• Why would creation rejoice in such a thing? Romans 8:18 & Gen 3 - creation was subjected by God, to frustration (matheotes = hevel = meaningless in ecclesiastes) - in hope for God to come and judge all things. 
• Book of Revelation will cite this psalm in how Jesus will judge the people with righteousness and equity
• Psalm 150, psalm 29 (replacing name of god with baal) (mighty fortress is our god, melody of german beer song)
• Exodus 15, Judges 5: outside the psalms, celebrating victory - more specific (exodus - crossing the red sea, judges - deborah defeating the midianites)
• Psalms - written in non-historically significant way so worshippers who come after can apply the psalms to their own, similar situations: why christians find themselves so attracted to the psalms
  
  

• Herem (Josh 6:15-19, 24-25)
• In the aftermath of the battle of jericho - Joshua 6, marching around city - 7 times = completion. Trumpet blasts signal theophany of God, mimicking thunder. (Rahab)
• Herem = devoted to the lord (a belief that any property imperilling jewish religious life should be destroyed)

The Biblical Theology of Warfare from Genesis to Revelation

 (think of it as more of a pedagogical tool)

Phase 1: God fights the flesh and blood enemies of Israel

• Noah’s flood, crossing the sea, jericho

Phase 2: God fights israel (Josh 8:1-29, 1 sam 4-5, lam 2)

• Overlaps with phase 1 (also chronological overlap)
• Josh 8:1-29 Battle of Ai - Hebrew “dump city”. Achan stole some of plunder, becomes almost like a canaanite (valley of Achor). Definition of “god’s people” has never been strictly ethic category but a religious category (ex. Rahab was basically adopted as an israelite)
• Gibeonites (turned out to be neighbors) - problem came here because Joshua didn’t inquire of the lord
• 1 Sam 4-5 Eli = judge, characterized by spiritually dull person (son’s are wicked, can’t hear from the lord as well as saul)
• “Ark of Ancient near eastern warfare” Yadin - archaeologist 
• Eli dies, daughter in law gives birth 
• Jer 7: defeat of Judah
• Lam 2: (written in aftermath destruction of temple, babylonian army)
• Lamentations - composed of 5 poems, either 22 versus or multiple of 22 (66?) - first 4 chapters are acrostic - successive letters begins with letters of poems. 1 letter has 3 verses each. Acrostic represents totality Chapter 5, display yahweh as warrior. 
  
  
• Purpose of lamentations: type of lament, to address God and evoke his pity so that he will change his attitude towards Israel. Also minimizes that the people deserve it - but focus on, change his attitude
  
  
• of Yahweh appears to fight in battle with judah 
• “Like an enemy”
• Deut 27 & 28 - blessings and curses embedded in covenant. Matter of obeying law to maintain relationship (“faith without works is dead”) - look at it as a gracious religion not legal. 

Phase 3: God will come and fight the oppressors of his people (daniel 7; zech 14, malachi 4)

• OT, referring to the exilic and postexilic prophets (malachi, zechariah, daniel)
• In spite of present difficulties, God is in control and he will have the final victory (living in oppressive governments, seems like babylonians and persians are in control but God is and will have the victory). Aka. You can thrive in a toxic culture, and gives guidelines how to live in such a toxic culture. 
• Zech 14: exploitation - the Lord intervene
• Daniel 7: 
• Apocalyptic vs. Prophecy: 
• Prophecy: god speaks to the prophet, the prophet is commissioned to speak to the people with the hope they will repent. Purpose of prophecy is to elicit repentance to God
• Daniel: Apocalyptic message for the faithful - announcing the doom of the oppressors, encouragement, to look behind surface - though other kingdoms look like they’re in control 
• Sea-chaos. 4 sea monsters = anti creation forces, disrupt gods good order
• Beasts = represent kings/kingdoms. Oppressive evil, violent, destructive, human government
• 1st and 3rd beast = hybrid (israelites not a fan of mixture/hybrid)
• 2nd beast = bear, violent towards people
• 4th beast = not organic nature
• Trinitarian Daniel 7:13
• “Ancient of days” = represents God
• “One like the son of man, on a cloud” = (seen in those days, only god can ride a cloud) - like a human being, in the presence of the Ancient of days (Revelation - christ returning on cloud, Luke/Matt)
• This figure will intervene and defeat beasts to establish eternal kingdom
• *This message ends the OT = loudest expectation coming out of OT, developed intertestamental books
• Warrior Messiah (seen as human descendant of david, take over rome, etc)

Phase 4: Jesus fights spiritual powers and authorities (matt 3:1-12, 11:1-19, 26:47-56, eph 4:8, Col 2:13-15)

• NT - First voice heard = john the baptist
• Matt 3 & 11: “Are you the one, or should we expect another?” - Jesus shows the disciples, and says he is the one, he has heightened and intensified the battle - so it’s not just towards flesh and blood, but rather the spiritual powers and authorities (not defeated by swords/spears, but by dying - taken to the cross)
• Uses military language to display significance of these events 
• Col 2:13-15 - (Eph 4) post battle victory hymn

Phase 5: Jesus wins final battle over human and spiritual enemies (Mark 13, Rev 19:11-21)

• Final judgement
• Revelation - progressive cycles
• “Revelation” - paul spilsbury 
• Jesus has final victory - coherent/organic unfolding of god’s battle against evil

Ethical reflections (Gen 15:16)

• We are currently in phase 4 - very clear in NT that Christians are not to use physical violence in the name of christ or for the furtherance of the gospel (Eph 6:10 - NT Holy war mandate / armor of god)
• Daniel 10 - disturbing vision, not spiritual battle just begun - OT glimpse of spiritual battle going on behind physical battles
• Isaiah 27:1 - lord will strike down leviathan (representing anti-creation forces - evil), spiritual battle, one that humans aren’t invited to participate in. 
• 2 Cor 10 - struggle is spiritual
• Rom 7: war going inside me

How to understand the Conquest: can’t just limit our understanding of jesus to the gospels - understand through apocalyptic texts (which includes gospels)

• Recognize every time god appears as warrior, act of divine judgement on sinners
• Gen 15: reassures to abraham - will eventually receive the promised land
• Not actual evidence that canaanites were involved in child sacrifice (pagan cultures did engage in that)
• Siebert & Enns (view of more of a story)
• Meredith Kleine - OT prof: talked about the conquest as “intrusion of end time (consummation) ethics into the period of common grace” for the purpose of warning others to turn to God. (Preview of the final judgement)
• Does Not’ bring disaster on wicked, and greatness on righteous - not the case according to Jesus in the gospels or revelation in the consummation. But there will be a separation between the sheep and the goat
• Conquest = preview of final judgement
• We don’t hear the message of revelation with as much joy as those in the midst of torture and death...

TOPIC THREE: SEXUALITY AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

The Controversy: The bible’s perspective on sexuality challenges contemporary western society’s ethos

A Biblical theology of sexuality

• “Naked but feeling no shame” (Gen 2 and the edenic view of sexuality)
• Covering themselves (Gen 3 and the marring of sexuality)
• The already not yet redemption of sexuality (song of songs)
• The consummation of sexulaity?

The Laws of sexuality and marriage in the torah

• The relationship between the ten commandments and the case law
• The relationship between the seventh commandment and leviticus 18 & 20
• Christian view of the law
• Ceremonial law
• Civil law
• Moral law
• Redemptive-ethical trajectories (Matt 19:1-12)
• The NT teaching on sexuality (Rom 1:18-32; 1 cor 6:9)
• How to love in the midst of controversy over sexuality