Series: You Can Trust Your Bible: P5 Reaffirming Moses Wrote The Pentateuch And Showing The Weaknesses Of The Documentary Hypothesis

Introduction:

    The last four posts have dealt with answering the question about who wrote the first five books of the Bible. I laid out in part one an outline of the historic Christian and Biblical position on Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch here Growing Christian Resources: Series: You Can Trust Your Bible - P1 Why Affirming Mosaic Authorship Of The Pentateuch Is Important. Then in posts two Growing Christian Resources: Series: You Can Trust Your Bible - P2 The Biblical Data And Jesus' View On Mosaic Authorship Of The Pentateuch, three Growing Christian Resources: Series: You Can Trust Your Bible: P3 Those Who Oppose Mosaic Authorship - Introducing Higher Criticism, and four Growing Christian Resources: Series: You Can Trust Your Bible: P4 Those Who Oppose Mosaic Authorship - Introducing The J.E.D.P Theory (a.k.a "Documentary Hypothesis") and its fruits I introduced readers to the opposing viewpoint, the documentary hypothesis or J.E.D.P theory, which asserts that multiple editors compiled the Pentateuch over a period of centuries from the time of King David until after the Babylonian exile. For these theorists, the Pentateuch came about by long evolutionary development, rather than as a by-product of Divine revelation through one author (Moses). 

    In today's post I want to round out our study of the Pentateuch's authorship and Divine inspiration by showing why it fits a much earlier time period, how we can know that Moses historically existed, and why we can trust that God inspired Genesis through Deuteronomy. 

Knowing that Moses existed.

    We can know that Moses lived, when he lived, and that he wrote the first five books of the Bible. As to the first affirmation that Moses actually lived, I refer you back to what I said in the first post of this series. We saw that other Old Testament authors treated Moses as a real person. Jesus in over thirty places in the Gospels (I only gave you a handful of those references earlier) treats Moses as a historical figure. For example in John 5:46, we read these words from Jesus: "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me."

    In addition, a famous Jewish historian who lived during the time of the Apostles in the first century by the name of Flavius Josephus wrote a huge history of the Jews called “The Antiquities of the Jews”. In books one to four of this twenty volume work, this competent Jewish historian treats Moses as a historical figure who wrote the first five books. In the opening paragraph of his "Antiquities of the Jews", Josephus wrote:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. But when the earth did not come into sight, but was covered with thick darkness, and a wind moved upon its surface, God commanded that there should be light: and when that was made, he considered the whole mass, and separated the light and the darkness; and the name he gave to one was Night, and the other he called Day: and he named the beginning of light, and the time of rest, The Evening and The Morning, and this was indeed the first day. But Moses said it was one day; the cause of which I am able to give even now; but because I have promised to give such reasons for all things in a treatise by itself, I shall put off its exposition till that time. "

How we date events in the Bible and how we know when Moses lived.

     What can we say of when Moses’ lived? Let’s understand that we can establish Biblical events and when they happened. 

A. Start with Solomon's Temple.

    Archaeology and Old Testament scholarship dates Solomon’s reign to had begun at 970 b.c. In 1 Kings 6:1 we are told when Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem: 

“Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.”  

    This gives us a date of 966 b.c. (keep in mind that dates before the time of Christ get less as you move forward in time and increase as you move to the past). 

B. Subtract 480 years from the date of Solomon's Temple.  

    If you subtract 480 years, you arrive at the date of the Exodus (with Moses) at 1446 b.c. 

C. Double Checking with the Book of Judges. 

    We can even double-check this time period by noting a time stamp of 300 years given by Jephthah in Judges 11:26, where he alluded to the battle Moses had with King Sihon in Numbers 21. Judges 11:25-26 reads: 

'Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive with Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?" 

The Book of Judges contains time stamps of how long each Judge presided over Israel. By accounting for overlaps in each Judge's leadership, we can arrive at an accurate date for Jephthah's remarks (close to 1100 b.c.) By going backward 300 years, we arrive at the battle Moses had in the Book of Numbers to be 1400 b.c.

D. Noting the timeframe in the Book of Judges.  

    As observed, the time frame of Jephthah’s words in Judges 11:26 would be 1100 b.c., bringing us to roughly 1400 b.c. or near the end of Moses’ time of leadership in Israel what is referenced in Numbers 21. Thus, we have Moses’ leadership of Israel dated from 1446-1406 b.c. (since he led them for forty years, Deuteronomy 29:5). Multiple lines of historic reference throughout the Hebrew Bible, coupled with definitive dates established by historians and archaeologists enable dating of Biblical events to be possible.

E. Establishing when Moses was born and died. 

    Moses lived for 120 years, which means, For convenience sake, we can assign Moses’ birth at roughly 1520 b.c. So, we have so far shown that Moses lived, and when he died (1520 b.c. to 1400 b.c.). 

Showing once more that Moses wrote the Pentateuch

A. The Historical Books of the Bible

show that Moses wrote the

Pentateuch

Since we have a time period for when Moses’ lived (1520-1400 b.c.), we can now show why Genesis-Deuteronomy was written in that time, and thus by Moses. Let’s show that Moses wrote the first five books.

The J.E.D.P Documentary Hypothesis of Wellhausen and company claims the first five books were written between 950-550 b.c., with Deuteronomy written during the reign of King Josiah, whom we say earlier reigned in Jerusalem from 640-609 b.c. 

    In the first post of this series we noted about Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, in the first post. He reigned over 50 years from 687-643 b.c. According to the summary of his reign in 2 Kings 21:8, which reads in part: “The Book of the Law, which my servant Moses commanded”, you have the existence of the first five books mentioned fifty years before King Josiah came on the scene. 

    The J.E.D.P theorists do not deny the historicity of King Josiah, nor the other kings for that matter, so we can then pursue earlier proofs of the existence of the first five books. Earlier when I cited 1 Kings 6:1 and its specific dating of the Exodus being 480 years earlier than Solomon’s temple, we had proof that the first five books had to have existed at least in his time, since he got the Exodus account from them (Exodus 12-15 to be exact)! 

    That brings us to at least 970 b.c., predating King Josiah’s time by some 300 years and already predating the oldest possible date for the writing of the Pentateuch by the J.E.D.P theorists (remember, they claim 950-900 b.c.) But there is more evidence against the J.E.D.P to note.

Studies of other cultures living in

and around the Euphrates River

(Ancient Near East) provide evidence

for the antiquity of the Pentateuch and

Moses' as a historical person.

When you study the outline of Deuteronomy or God’s Covenant with the Israelites in Exodus 20-23, the Covenant God made, as well as Moses form of writing in Deuteronomy follows a common form of covenant making that was active in the Middle East no later than 1200 b.c. This form, called “A Suzerain-Vassal” Treaty, was made popular from civilizations that existed in Mesopotamia, Assyria, and others. Since we have established Moses' days as being 1520-1400 b.c, the structure of Deuteronomy fitting the form of Ancient Near Eastern treaties would fit it well within the date of 1406 b.c. as dated by conservative Biblical scholarship.

Studies in Hebrew and its sister languages show the Pentateuch being written well before the alleged dates of the Documentary hypothesis, and hence Moses as the author. 

    In addition to comparative studies of Ancient Near Eastern Documents helping make the case for Mosaic authorship and the antiquity of the Pentateuch, we find aid in the Hebrew text of Genesis through Deuteronomy itself. In the Hebrew text of Genesis especially, you see different spellings for the pronouns “He” and “She” than you would throughout the Hebrew Bible. I had a Hebrew Professor, an expert in the sister languages of the Hebrew (known as Semitic languages) who showed me a particular parallel for those spellings in languages like Ugaritic and ancient Babylonian, languages which were spoken in and around 1500 b.c. We established Moses would had been born around 1520 b.c. The grammatical oddities of those pronouns help us date Genesis easily to after 1400 b.c.

Archaeology supports the accuracy

and antiquity of the Pentateuch

As Moses wrote what he wrote in Genesis about the Patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we find that he was very accurate in what he recorded. Moses received from records of those Patriarchs in the times they lived. If I had more time, I could tell you of archaeological discoveries that confirm details, such as the city where Abraham would had lived for a time (“Haran”, discovered in the “Mari-Tablets”, which were found in 1933 near ancient Assyria or modern day Iraq, dated to 2081 b.c., the time of Abraham, confirming Genesis 11:31-12:5). 

    Moses’ extensive knowledge of Egyptian culture proves further that the author of Genesis thru Deuteronomy had an Egyptian background (the ten plagues, for instance, are against certain deities worshipped by the Egyptians, which we can date to the time-period of Moses and the Exodus.) On and on and on the evidence goes. 

Conclusion: 

    Whether archaeology, analyzing the Hebrew text of Genesis thru Deuteronomy, or examining secular history outside the Biblical text, we consistently land at a dating of these books between 1500-1400 b.c. We know when they were written, which in turn means Moses did write these books. Jesus is proven right. The Old Testament is right. You can trust the Bible you hold in your hands, that is on your device, and that your pastor preaches every Sunday.     

The Jewish Feast Of Passover And How It Points To Jesus Christ The Lamb Of God

Introduction: 

    Not too long ago I wrote a post that introduced readers to the major Jewish Feasts in the Bible here Growing Christian Resources: Introducing the Jewish Feasts, their meaning, and significance. My goal in that post was to highlight how the Jewish Feasts detailed God's relationship with His Covenant people, Israel, as well as prepare for the prophetic events surrounding the first and second comings of Jesus Christ. In that last posting on the feasts, I noted four reasons why it benefits Christians to study the Feasts of Israel:

A. To know Jesus better. 

B. Insight into Prophecy

C. Divine intervention in our lives. 

D. God keeps His promises.

    The first four feasts, the Spring feasts, point us back to Jesus’ first coming and the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. For the O.T, they commemorated the Exodus, the beginnings of the Jewish nation, the giving of the Law (Pentecost), and new spiritual beginnings. 

    The latter three Fall feasts, for New Testament truths, detailed what will be the situation of the Jews at the end of the Tribulation period prior to Christ’s return to earth. In the Old Testament, they signal the latter parts of the religious calendar and the beginning of the civil calendar. In today's post, we shall look at the Feast of Passover. I shall present major headings with comments to guide us through our discussion.

1. The Passover pointed to a saving event.

    Four main lambs in O.T. First Lamb (likely) Genesis 4:4; Passover Lamb Exodus 12; Sacrificial Lamb Exodus 29:39; Prophetic Lamb Is 53:7; The Person of the Lamb (John 1:29). As for Passover Lamb, it undergirded the other Old Testament portrayals of lambs. God used lambs to communicate the truth of substitutionary atonement. Jesus would come to fulfill all of the major meanings conveyed by the Old Testament portrayals, including the Passover Lamb. Whenever we look at the Passover's initiation in Exodus 12, we note the following characteristics and meanings of the Passover lamb. 

A. New beginning of new life. 

Exodus 12:1-2 "Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 'This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you."

B. Selection of the lamb. 

Exodus 12:3-4 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb."

(1). Spotless Lamb. 

Exodus 12:5 "Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats." 

(2). Slaughtered Lamb.

Exodus 12:6 "You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight."

(3). Sprinkled blood of the Lamb. 

Exodus 12:7 "Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it." 

(4). Sufficient Lamb

Exodus 12:8 "They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails."

(5). Satisfying Lamb

Exodus 12:10 "And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. 11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover." 

(6). Securing Lamb

Exodus 12:12 "For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

2. The Passover pictures our salvation. 

    In having looked at the Passover Lamb featured in the initial pronouncement of the Passover Feast, we can turn to consideration of the details of the Feast we find in the Jewish observance. Various details of the Jewish Passover or "Seder" meal includes the following components.

A. Removal of Leaven – cf 1 Cor 5:6-8 = our sanctification.

B. Elijah’s Cup (between the testaments) = Second coming

    This tradition was developed at some point in the Jewish observance of the Passover meal. Dr. Walter Kaiser explains the rite's significance:

"To this day, Judaism continues to reserve for Elijah a distinguished place and loosely to relate it to their fading expectation of the coming of the Messiah. This can best be seen in the cup of Elijah and the seat reserved for him at every Passover meal. The hope and prayer of every Jew at the conclusion of the Passover—”next year in Jerusalem”—is one piece of a larger picture of the coming Messianic era. And at the heart of it remains the open door for the new Elijah."

C. Four cups (blessing, sanctification, redemption, kingdom)

    The periodical "Israel my Glory", 2013 article on Seder (“Order”), notes how the Jews utilized the following passage from Exodus, with exposition on the meaning of the four cups. 

Exodus 6:6-8 "Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.’”

(1). The First Cup. This is the Cup of Sanctification. It is consumed early in the meal. Sanctification means “set apart.” Jewish people acknowledge, remember, and praise God that He selected, exalted, and set them apart by giving them His commandments. A prayer of praise is offered before the cup is drunk.

(2). The Second Cup. This is the Cup of Praise. After the story of the Exodus—the ultimate account of liberation from slavery—is read, the Cup of Praise is drunk with a prayer of praise to God for being the constant source of deliverance in every generation of Jewish history.

(3). The Third Cup. This is the Cup of Redemption. It is drunk after the meal and after the afikomen is found. (See “The Marvelous Afikomen.”) In the ancient world, redemption referred to slaves being purchased and liberated. Jewish people thank and praise God for freeing them from Egyptian bondage. Not only did God deliver them from the physical hardship of slavery but also from the constant exposure to Egypt’s false gods. No longer would the Israelites and their children be forcibly subjected to the worship practices of a pagan culture.

    The third cup also has particular significance for Christians. It is the same cup Jesus took “after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you’” (Lk. 22:20). The Cup of Redemption symbolizes what Jesus did for us: He shed His blood to redeem us from slavery to sin. That is why the apostle Paul, a highly trained Jewish scholar, wrote, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).

(4). The Fourth Cup. Everyone partakes of this cup near the end of the dinner. It is called the Cup of Acceptance or the Cup of Anticipation and celebrates the relationship God desires with His Chosen People. This is the cup the Lord Jesus used to symbolize the ratification of the New Covenant and to institute communion. He did not drink it Himself, however, but said He will drink it when the Messianic Kingdom is established (Matt 26:26-29).

    Clearly the four cups in the Jewish Passover, observed when Jesus instituted the Passover to be transfigured into what we know today as the Lord's Table, only served to reinforce the connection between the Passover Lamb and Jesus Himself. We go on to note other features of the Passover meal.

D. Bitter herbs (horse radish usually, salt water), bitterness and tears in Egypt. 

E. Charoseth (apples, nuts, a claylike substance). 

F. Recounting of the Passover Narrative

G. Hiding of the Afikomen (which means “that which comes later”). Middle matzos bread (all three in a Matzah bag or linen covering. The tray is called an “echad” tray. Jews take it to mean “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). Once afikomen is found, the meal is done. 

    These features convey the extraordinary meaning of the Passover to Christians. As we round the corner of the homestretch of today's post, let me draw the reader to see how what I just mentioned about the Passover has explicit New Testament verses attached to its ultimate meaning.

3. Passover personified by the Savior. 

A. A new beginning = 2 Cor 5:17

B. Selection of a lamb. Rev 13:8; Is 42:7

C. Spotless lamb 1 Peter 1:18

D. Slaughtered lamb Revelation 5:6-8

E. Sprinkled blood of the Lamb. Eph 1:7

F. Sufficient Lamb John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:21-25

G. Satisfying Lamb 1 Peter 3:18

H. Securing Lamb. John 10:27-29

Closing thoughts:

    No doubt the Passover celebration pre-figured what Jesus would achieve as The Lamb of God. His commemoration of the Lord's Table in conjunction with the Passover bridges the continuation of its importance to Christians today. We learned the following today.

1. The Passover pointed to a saving event, the Exodus, which in turn would pre-figure the ultimate saving event, the crucifixion of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

2. The Passover pictures the Christian's salvation, as it did Jewish salvation in the Old Testament. 

3. The Passover is personified in the Savior Himself, since He is the "Lamb of God". 

Part One: A Theology of Widowhood - How God Used Widows In the Bible To Impart Truths About Himself and His People

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to explore what I am calling "a theology of widowhood". God has quite a bit to say about widowhood in the Bible. My reasoning for exploring this subject is motivated by several considerations. As a pastor I have had the privilege of knowing or ministering to widows over the course of ministry. Some of the most influential people in my life were widows (my late mother and grandmother, just to name a few). Among the many people God used outside of my family to influence my life, no other group has taught me the important matters of the Christian faith quite like widows. 

    Beyond the personal evidence for the importance of widows in my life or the life of any local church, I find in my current preaching through 1 Timothy two verses that alert us to this notion of "a theology of widowhood". The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 5:3 "Honor widows who are widows indeed." The adverbial "indeed" is a translation of an underlying clause that speaks literally of "one who continues to be a widow". These are widows with no means of income, no family, and who were to receive care from the Pastoral ministry of Pastor Timothy and the benevolence of the church at Ephesus. 

    The second verse in the same context of 1 Timothy 5, particular verse 5, reminds us of how God can use godly widows in the life of the church,

"Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day."

    Such individuals are invaluable, since their prayers were used by God in the effectiveness of the church. How often I've observed this firsthand over the years. It is often that a minister will get tired in ministry. The prayers of a dear saint who is a widow can make all the difference, far beyond the cleverness of a church program or combined efforts of church members. 

    In today's post and the next one, I want to explore the theological significance of widows (or widowers), what God has to say about them, and what we can learn about this too often overlooked group of people. 

Getting a closer look at a theology of widowhood

    When I say "a theology of widowhood", I mean particular truths we can glean about God or the spiritual principles of Godly living from the Bible's teaching about widows. Think of widows in the Bible as a "window" through which we may observe major theological truths. 

1. Proof of one's profession of faith.

    I want to begin by considering one of the final verses in the Bible that gives us a clear example of the theological importance of widows to the Christian faith. James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus according to the flesh, writes these words in James 1:26-27 

"If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

    The term "religious" here speaks of "devotion" or an outward life that is committed to the Lord. Religion as a concept is not a negative, since it speaks of what ought to be a corresponding condition of the heart inwardly devoted to the Lord. The word "religion" itself, in its fundamental Latin derivation religio, speaks literally of being "tied to the Lord". 

    James is addressing claims people make about their level of devotion or "being tied" to the Lord. How does and individual or a church prove its level of spiritual devotion and health? Interestingly enough, James offers two proofs: how one treats widows and orphans and how one prioritizes personal integrity. In other words, there are moral, ethical, and theological litmus tests for a claim someone or a church may have about their level of Christianity.

2. God's Providential care.

    As one surveys redemptive history in the Bible, certain key turning points in God's Providence involved widows. God's Providence has to do with His preservation, guiding, and moving forward of history, people, and nations according to His most-wise purpose. Often, I have found that the most questioned attribute of God is not His Sovereignty, nor His love, but His goodness. How do we know God really cares? 

    Of all the ways the Bible affirms and confirms the reality of God's good-will toward all He has made (what theologians call His "common grace" or "benevolence"), one of the clearest illustrations involves widows.

    Solomon wrote these words in Proverbs 15:25,

"The Lord will tear down the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow" (also see Psalm 68:5; Psalm 146:9). 

    When we talk of common grace or God's good-will toward all He has made, such good will, though being a non-saving form of grace, is still His unmerited favor toward us who are undeserving of it. God has special, providential oversight towards widows, whether they be believer or unbeliever. Much as He causes it to rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) or causes the general revelation of Himself to be seen in all nations (Acts 14:17), such general evidence of His common grace is presented in the specific instances of widowhood in the Bible. 

    So, we've learned thus far that God uses widows to teach us about the proof of one's faith and the providential care of God in common grace. Let's note another truth in our "theology of widows".

3. Provision of God 

    What happens when a woman becomes a widow? Sources of income, scarcity of resources, and a sense of vulnerability can become painful realities. The sinful, selfish heart of human depravity can prey upon unsuspecting widows. In Exodus 22:22-24 the Lord gives this warning,

"You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. 23 If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; 24 and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless."

    God commands His people to provide for widows, whether in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 14:28; 16:11-12; 24:19) or the New Testament (1 Timothy 5:16). Why these commands to watch out for and care for widows? God Himself is Jehovah-Jireh, "God our Provider". 

    Several instances of God's wondrous provision are found in how He provided for widows. In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we read about the widow at Zerephath whom God used to minister to the prophet Elijah. Jesus comments upon this Old Testament widow in Luke 4:25-26,

"But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow."

    Notice what Jesus said in his remarks: "Elijah was sent". God sent the prophet. The prophet went to this widow, who had nothing left for herself and her son. Yet, though being a Gentile (Zarephath was a Canaanite city), she had evidently experienced the saving grace of God. She gave the last of her flour for bread to feed Elijah. Consequently, 1 Kings 17:16 records how God provided,

"The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah."

    The prophet Elijah's protege, Elisha, the successor to his prophetic ministry in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, experienced a similar miraculous provision of God to a certain widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7. 

    Time and time again we see God's promise of provision for His people emblemized in the lives of widows. How often do you and I doubt God's supply? Look at how He provided for widows in the Bible. The entire Book of Ruth is an example of how He provided for Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. They each lost their husbands at the beginning of the narrative in Ruth 1. Yet by the end of the Book, Naomi's sorrow is turned to joy and a gentile widow, Ruth, becomes married to Boaz, with them both being part of the lineage that would produce King David and ultimately the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

    In the next post we will see further truths illuminated to us through this exploration of "a theology of widowhood". 

    

The Doctrine of Scripture Series: Jesus In All 66 Books Of The Bible - How He Is Personified In Job Through Song of Solomon

Introduction:

    Over the last several posts, we have explored how we see Jesus Christ illustrated, mentioned, or appearing in the 66 books of the Bible. We noted how He is patterned in the Torah or Books of the Law. We also observed how He was anticipated in the historical books (Joshua through Esther). For those who want to review these previous posts, you may click on the following links:

1. To see Jesus patterned in the Books of the Law, click here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/01/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-jesus.html.

2. To see Jesus anticipated in the historical books of the Old Testament, click here for how we see Him in Joshua to 2 Chronicles http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/01/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-jesus_7.html. To note how we see Jesus in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, readers may click on that link here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/01/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-jesus_13.html.

    In today's post we will explore what are referred to as "the poetic books" or "wisdom books". In the Hebrew Bible, these five books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) appear in a slightly different ordering (Psalms, Job, Proverbs), with Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs placed also in a different ordering with other canonical books of the Old Testament that the Jews call "The Writings" (or "Ketiviim").

Different names for the same five books

    It is worth understanding why Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are referred to, as a collection, by different names. Most today refer to these five as "poetic books", due to their high content of poetry. Hebrew poetry, and poetry in the ancient world, differed from what we English readers may think of as poetry. 

    Hebrew poetry wasn't so much about rhyming words as it was in placing certain ideas in parallel lines to one another. Such "parallelism" served to either reinforce an idea, called synonymous parallelism (Psalm 23:1-2) or to contrast to ideas, referred to as antithetical parallelism (compare Ecclesiastes 3, with its contrasting ideas). Poetry in the Old Testament could also include painting word pictures (Isaiah 5), use of metaphor (implied comparison, Psalm 23), or speeches of judgment or blessing utilizing various figures of speech (the nine speeches given by "Job's friends" are put into this poetic form, mostly accusastory speeches). The purpose of Hebrew Poetry in the Old Testament was to evoke the imagination of the listener to connect with the truth of the text.
    
As for referring to Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon as "wisdom books", this designation refers to how wisdom was understood by the ancient Jews. "Wisdom" or "Chachma" (the "ch's" pronounced like "k's:) had to do with the skill of godly living or carrying out life as one applied God's truth to everyday situations. 

    In the wisdom literature, the emphasis tends to be more on the practical rather than the philosophical. With that said, there is no denying that books such as Ecclesiastes do indeed handle certain themes one would encounter in asking the "big questions of life", particular the area of life's meaning. Job tackles the problem of evil and God's Sovereignty. At times, the various Psalms will explore how sometimes the godly life is fraught with hardship (see Psalm 73). Still, even in probing such big topics often encountered in philosophical circles, the wisdom literature always drives at taking what is learned and applying it in life, to faith, and to relationships.

    Then as a final introductory note on these books, we come of course to that title of "writings" or "ketiviim" given by Jews as they recognized the inspired, canonical Old Testament in its Hebrew and Aramaic form. Jesus taught that He was mentioned in Old Testament through what He termed "The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings" (Luke 24:44). The Jews had Hebrew names for each division. The Law was the "Torah", meaning "that which guides, teaches". Then, they spoke of the prophets or "Neviim", using the Hebrew term for "prophet", ordering this section of the Hebrew Bible as "former prophets" (Joshua-Nehemiah) and "latter prophets" (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and then the minor prophets, or what they called "the twelve". 

    The third section, "the writings" or "ketiviim", began with Psalms, Job, and Proverbs. Then would follow Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, corresponding to those books of the writings that referenced King David or his son Solomon. The next part of the writings, following Ecclesiastes, are read in Jewish festivals, are called "The Megilloth", meaning "scrolls" - namely Lamentations, Esther (the other aforemention books, Ruth, Lamentations, and Esther, are often put in along with Lamentations and Esther as part of the festival readings). Then rounding out the list of "the writings" are Daniel, 1 and 2 Chronicles.

    Whenever you consider how Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs are ordered in our English Bibles, they personify the Lord Jesus in the three titles we explored. He is personified as our Wisdom from above (compare 1 Corinthians 1:30-31), who came as the way, the truth, and the life for obtaining eternal life by faith and living the Christian life by His strength. He is also personified in the poetic content of these five books to bring to our attention the reality of His personality as foreshadowed, speaking, and acting in the history of his people and the future to come. Lastly, He is the fulfillment of these five as "writings", as "the Word", since He Himself is unfolded in every book of the Bible. What follows below is a quick summary of how we find Jesus in these poetic books.

Job = Jesus our man of sorrow.

    As we arrive at this third section of the Old Testament, we find further pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Job, we find Job as a man acquainted with sorrows and heavy with grief. At one point, Job pleads in Job 9 for an intercessor between himself and God. For Job, I find Jesus our sufferer, since He too is described in Isaiah 53 as acquainted with sorrows.

Psalms = Jesus our praise.

    Psalms is composed in five installments or "books", cycling through the process of God's promise to sustain his people, restore Israel, and preserve His promises to David. Book one of Psalm is composed of Psalms 1-41, all written by David as he was getting established as King over Jerusalem. Book 2 of Psalms covers Psalm 42-72, detailing the times in David's reign when he would triumph, experience betrayal, and at times fail. Now of course, Jesus never failed at anything, however, like David, He did experience betrayal by his friends, attacks from his enemies, and ultimate triumph by achieving salvation for our sakes. In Book 3 of Psalms, Psalm 73-89, we find the David throne seen towards the end and after David's reign. Would the throne of David persist? Would God keep His promises to David and his descendants which He made in 2 Samuel 7:13-16? Jesus of course came as the final end and fulfillment of the Davidic line, coming as The Son of David to inaugurate his reign in heaven upon His ascension and completing the promises to David upon His soon return to earth.

    Books 4 and 5 of Psalms (Psalm 90-106 and 107-150) were mainly written in the time of Israel's remaining history in the Old Testament (Psalm 90 being composed by Moses as the exception). Here we see how God's people are portrayed in poetic form, with God promising to walk with them and restore them. Jesus came as the Savior and sustainer of His people. This is why Jesus is the praise of the entire Psalter. Finally, many, many Psalms are quoted in the New Testament as pointing to Jesus (Psalm 2; Psalm 16; Psalm 110, just to name a few.

Proverbs = Jesus our wisdom.

    When we arrive at Proverbs, here we find wisdom for living the godly life before the presence of the Lord. Wisdom is that skill to live for God in daily life. I find here that Jesus Christ is our wisdom, as stated plainly in 1 Corinthians 1:30.

Ecclesiastes = Jesus, the meaning of life.

    The general author of most of the Proverbs (Solomon), is the same author of Ecclesiastes. Proverbs is written by Solomon, advising his son, or what we could say from the stand point of middle age. Ecclesiastes represents a Solomon who is near the end of his life - full of regret. Whenever you read Solomon's life in 2 Kings, you find the tragedy of a man who started well for God, compromised, and nearly lost his soul. Only the preserving grace of God saved Solomon. It is here I find Jesus as the one who provides meaning, since He Himself is the meaning of life. Solomon repeatedly sought for meaning, crying out the refrain: "meaningless, meaningless". It is only that the end of the book that we find the source of meaning - God Himself.

Song of Solomon = Jesus, love of my soul

    Song of Solomon is literally love poetry between a husband and his wife. It begins with a young Solomon in love with perhaps his original wife. Psalm 45 aids greatly in interpreting this book, since there we see a young Solomon, presumably at the beginning of his reign as king in Israel and on his wedding day. Remarkably, Psalm 45 is quoted in Hebrews 1 as referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. As you read Song of Solomon, you find Solomon and his soon-to-be-wife pining for one another. We read in Ephesians 5:22-33 "husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church". Christ is the lover of His people, and calls us to love Him.

Closing thoughts:

    In the next post, we will see how we find Jesus in the prophetic books of Isaiah to Malachi.

The Doctrine of Scripture Series: Jesus In The 66 Books of the Bible - Joshua through 2 Chronicles

Introduction:

    In our last post here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/01/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-jesus.html, we began to consider how we find Jesus in the sixty-six books of the Bible. We looked at the first five books, assigning them the overall purpose of showing us the pattern of Christ. In our explorations of Genesis through Deuteronomy, we noted the following:

1. In Genesis, we see Jesus as the Creator       

   and Sustainer.

2. In Exodus, He is the Redeemer.

3. In Leviticus, He is foreshadowed as our 

    High Priest.

4. In Numbers, we Find Him as our Guiding 

    Shepherd.

5. In Deuteronomy, we discover Jesus as the 

    life giver.

    It is truly exciting when exploring Christology (the study of Jesus Christ in the Bible, including His Person, natures, work and offices). It is the preincarnate Christ whom Adam and Eve would come to know as that voice and Christophany in the Garden. It was He who would appear to Abram in Ur of the Chaldees (see Acts 7:3). He was that mysterious man that wrestled Jacob in Genesis 32 ( compare Hosea 12:4). 

    The patterns revealed by the Books of the Law would persist. Genesis 22 would give us a picture of the Son and the Father enacting the Son going to the cross, as seen with Abraham's offering of Isaac. Joseph in Genesis 37-50 gives us the fullest pattern of Christ in the life of Joseph. We see in Exodus the pillar of cloud by day and the fire by night. The God who appeared on the mountain to Moses (perhaps a Theophany of the Father) is by nature the Redeeming God that guided the people of God day and night in a Christophany pattern. God's revelation of the Tabernacle in Exodus, which we didn't even mention, has dozens of foreshadowings of Christ's person and work. 

    Then in Leviticus we see not only the priestly ministries of Aaron and his sons, but the sacrifices presenting a pattern of Jesus as our substitutionary atonement. Numbers, which we noted was titled in the Hebrew "in the desert", gives us a pattern of Christ as that Shepherd. One pattern we note in Numbers is the number forty. It was forty years of time in which the Jews wandered in that dry land. The number "forty" would signify a time of testing or a period for growth and development. Moses himself had three such forty year periods in his life. Jesus of course would be tempted of the Devil in the wilderness for forty days. Then we saw Deuteronomy, and how in that book, Jesus is that life giver, both physically and spiritually.

    In today's post we want to now look at what are called the "historical books". These books stretch from the conquest of Canaan in 1400 b.c. to the time of Queen Esther in 380 b.c. History truly is "His-story", meaning that God's providence guides the wills of men, the course of nations, the physical creation, and flow of time in bringing forth His glorious purposes. It is for this reason I assigned the general theme of the historical books as anticipating the Lord Jesus Christ. Due to the size of this section of the Old Testament, today's post will look at how we see Jesus from Joshua to 2 Chronicles.

The Historical Books (Joshua-Esther) = Christ is Anticipated.

Joshua = Jesus, the Captain of Salvation.

    We find that the author of this sixth book of the Bible, Joshua, has the same meaning in his name as Jesus. Joshua and Jesus both mean "Jehovah" or "Yahweh is salvation". Joshua would lead God's people through a 13 year conquest of the Canaanite nations to lay claim on the promised land pledged by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Book of Joshua historically speaks of the settling of God's people into their land. Exodus portrays the Christian's salvation, with Leviticus and Numbers giving ussome illustrations of what can be the fits and starts that come with the early days of Christian growth.

    When we come to Hebrews 3-4, we dicsover that Joshua's spiritual emphasis portrays the Christian taking responsibility and living out the Christian life and fighting the good fight of faith. The Christian life is not only about my position before God in saving faith, but also about me taking possession of the "land" of my Christian walk in continuing faith. 

    Certainly, Joshua shows how God would initially fulfill the land grant He pledged to Abraham, with its full realization yet to be accomplished in Christ's future earthly reign. Jesus Christ is that Captain of the Lord of hosts met by Joshua in Joshua 5. He leads God's people in their pilgrimage through this world to their heavenly home (see 1 Peter 2:9-12).

Judges = Jesus is our Deliverer.

    If the book of Joshua pictures the Christian life lived out before God in obedience and dependance, then Judges gives the mirror opposite of what occurs when the Christian backslides. We encounter a specially called people designated "judges", tasked by God to deliver the Jewish people from nations that subjugated them. Throughout Judges, we find the refrain: "the people did what was pleasing in their eyes". Despite the unfaithfulness of the nation of Israel, God kept His Word. The deliverance wrought by God through the imperfect judges points ahead to the Perfect Deliverer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ruth = Jesus is our Kinsmen Redeemer

    Ruth would become the maternal ancestor of King David, who in turn would figure prominently in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:1-17). Ruth's story centers around God's providential leading of her (a Moabitess) to become the wife of Boaz (a prominent Jewish man and ancestor of King David). The pivot point of the plot of Ruth would involve a certain law that required a near relative or "kinsman" to marry a woman whose husband had died to carry on the family bloodline. 

    The nearest relative of Ruth's first husband refused to perform his role, thus leaving Boaz as the next kinsmen. So much could be said, but suffice it to say, Ruth pictures the bride that none wanted, an outsider. Boaz portrays to us a kinsmen willing to redeem this unwanted bride. Boaz would take on Ruth's debts, the scorn she would undoubtedly had retained as a Moabitess, and the reputation of having been an outsider. Boaz redeemed Ruth for His own, much as Christ would redeem His church for His own - the Kinsmen Redeemer.

1 & 2 Samuel = Jesus our King

    As we move onward through the historical books, we come to meet two important kings: Saul in 1 Samuel and David in 2 Samuel. David is God's choice man, a man afater God's own heart. Saul and David are contrasts of one another, setting up a wonderful example of how the historical books anticipated Christ. Saul in many respects was like the first Adam, failing in his duties before God who had called him. 

    What was needed as a better King, a "second Adam-like figure". God told Samuel the prophet that in rejecting Saul, he had chosen David (see 1 Samuel 15-16). The covenant God would make later with David in 2 Samuel 7:13-16 would provide a key covenant promising the eternal kingship and throne for the Lord Jesus Christ (see also Psalm 110).

1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles = Jesus our Sovereign Lord.

    Although these four books may seem upon first glance to cover the same ground, they present the history of God's people in different respects. 1 & 2 Kings gives the sequel of what occured following the death of David. Solomon his son would become the final king of the United Kingdom. Eventually, Israel would divide into two kingdoms (Israel to the North, Judah to the South). By the time it was all said and done, each kingdom would experience 20 kings, mostly evil, and with only the Southern Kingdom of Judah having a handful of Godly Kings. By 722 b.c. the Northern Kingdom would be sacked by the Assyrians. Later, in 586 b.c., the forces of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would destroy Jersualem in Judah and carry of the people to exile.

    It is in 1 & 2 Chronicles that we find the entire history of mankind rehearsed, with the narrative quickly getting us to King David and what would follow in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. I define these four books as having to do with the Sovereignty of Christ, since the winding paths of God's Providence guided the bloodline of the kings of Judah, as well as the destinies of the Jews who went into exile, to become the cradle that would bring about the humanity of our Lord through the virgin Mary. In the Hebrew Bible, 1 and 2 Chronicles are the final books. They help us to see how all of history flows in one ultimate direction towards what would be the incarnation and arrival of the Son of God into our world.

More next time....

The Doctrine of Scripture Series: Jesus In The 66 Books of the Bible - The First Five Books Of The Law

Introduction:

    Today we will begin to close out our series on the doctrine of Scripture. It is appropriate to conclude this series on the written Word of God by drawing attention to the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. Why so? Jesus Himself as the post-resurrected Christ, explains His relationship to the Scriptures in Luke 24:37-45 - 

"But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took it and ate it before them.44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."

    Over the last several months, we have explored the major truths associated with the doctrine of Scripture. We have touched upon the Bible's sufficiency, clarity, authority, necessity, inerrancy, and infallibility. We considered the tests or marks of canonicity, as well as grasping what is meant by "canon", its boundaries, and why only the inspired books, upon recognition and use, came to be known as the "Old Testament canon" and "New Testament canon". In today's post, we will begin to observe how we see Jesus in every book of the Bible. To aid our journey, I'll provide headings for each major section of Bible. We shall begin by noting how Jesus is found in the Books of the Law, also known as "The Pentateuch". 

Old Testament

    Perhaps a more appopriate title for that collection of 39 books we call "Old Testament" would be that of "Old Covenant". A testament refers to a document that becomes active upon the death of the one who drafted it. In the Old Covenant (also known as the Hebrew Bible, due to it having been composed originally in Hebrew, with portions of Daniel and Ezra written in Aramaic), we find the living God, the Creator, calling forth a people to be His own. 

    A covenant is made by one who is alive, and typically involves at least one other party, with both parties pledging oaths to one another. As our Bibles were translated, the Latin translation of the Vulgate would use the word "testamentum" to translate the Hebrew and Greek terms used for "covenant". I only bring out this point to remind all of us that the God of the Bible is living and the source of life itself - whether physical or spiritual. 

    In God's case, He made what are called "unconditional covenants" with men like Noah, Abraham, and David, pledging that He would be responsible for bringing about the fulfillment of those covenants. He pledged Himself to not give up on Israel, even though He knew she would fail Him many times. 

    It was the famous fifth century Christian Bishop of North Africa, Augustine, who famously said: "The New Testament in the Old is concealed, and the Old Testament in the New is revealed". Central to the revelation of Old or New Covenant Scriptures is the Person of Jesus Christ. What follows below is a sketch of how one finds Jesus in the books of the Bible.  

1. The Books of the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) = Christ is the Pattern.

Genesis = Jesus is Creator and Sustainer
    

    Genesis begins our exploration of seeing Jesus in the books of the Bible. We find Him as the Creator and sustainer in Genesis 1-11, providing structure for the created order and the covenant of grace in salvation to our fallen parents and race. One dominate theme we find in Scripture is that of "covenant". We find the pre-incarnate Christ calling out to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. No doubt it was He whom Noah preached about (albeit as God's promise of deliverance, not yet knowing the fulness of the revelation of Christ we find in the New Testament, see 1 Peter 3:18-20). God through Christ would verbalize his Covenant to Noah to never again destroy the world with a flood. No doubt Jesus would compare the last days prior to His return in Matthew 24 to the days of Noah.

    Genesis 12-50 continues this theme of Christ as creator and preserver by how He called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees to go to the promised land, beginning in Genesis 12. Stephen preached in Acts 7:2 that "the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham". One thing we learn about throughout the Old Testament is that God would often appear in what are called "theophanies", that is, manifestations of the invisible God to His people. Old Testament theology tells us that in most instances, such "theophanies" were "Christophanies", meaning that the Pre-incarnate Christ made Himself visible in and through the media of created things, whether fire (Exodus 3), a rock (1 Corinthians 10:1-6), a pillar of cloud that led the people (Numbers 9), or the Shekinah glory that suffused the Temple (1 Kings 8). God, presumably in the Person of the pre-incarnate Christ, would speak to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the remainder of Genesis.

Exodus = Jesus is the Redeemer.

    

    As we arrive at Exodus, we are 400 years removed from the days of Joseph, the last patriarch in Genesis. Exodus carries the theme of "redemption", since it records the greatest act of deliverance in the Old Testament - the crossing of the Red Sea by the Jewish people. Exodus 1-15 would detail the call of God to Moses and the Exodus of the people from Egypt. 

    It is in Exodus 12 that the rite of Passover is introduced, with the Passover Lamb playing the main part. The Jews had to take a first born lamb, kill it, and spread its blood upon the doorposts and gates of their homes. The sight of blood by the Death Angel, who would passover Egypt in the final plague, would exempt Jewish households from the death of the firstborn. Preachers of old would often use this to urge their listeners to believe on Christ and repent of their sins, stating how important it was to "have the blood of Christ applied over the doorposts of the heart". 

    The imagery of "the Lamb of God" is picked up in Isaiah 53 and is described of Jesus in John 3:29. Paul writes of Jesus as "The Passover" in 1 Corinthians 5:7, further reinforcing Him as the Redeemer. 

    Exodus 16-40 then describes the first year of the Jews journeys into the Desert following their Exodus. When we speak of "redemption"or "salvation"in the Bible, we talk of not only what Jesus came to "save us from" (God's wrath, our sin), but also what He came to "save us to" (life more abundantly, life as an adopted son or daughter of God, our heavenly destiny). Jesus is the Redeemer of Exodus. 

Leviticus = Jesus is our High Priest.

    

    The Book of Leviticus records the first 30 days of the lives of God's people following their Exodus. The institution of the Levitical priesthood was meant to provide representation of the people before the Holy God of Israel. The construction and consecration of the mobile worship center called the tabernacle offers many pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ (compare Hebrews 8-10). 

    The writer of Hebrews compares and then demonstrates how Jesus Christ's role as the believer's high preist excedes that of the Levitical priestly roles. We could comment more on the meanings of the sacrifices, the details of the tabernacle, and further comments on the priesthood, but we must move onward.

Numbers = Jesus is our Guiding Shepherd.

    

    In the Hebrew Bible, many of the books of the Old Testament are named by whatever the first word is in the text. Our Book called "Numbers" got its name from the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the "Septuagint". When Jerome did his translation of the Latin Vulgate, he simply took the Septuagint's title and transposed it into the Latin Bible. 

    Although the book does speak of the numbering of the tribes of Israel, that is not its main point. The book we know as "Numbers" has as its Hebrew name what is translated "in the desert". I prefer this original name for the book because it describes life lived before the Lord in this dry and thirsty world. We find God people wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Despite their unfaithfulness, God as the Visible Yahweh, the pre-incarnate Christ, leads them as a pillar of cloud, as a rock, and as a pillar of fire. 

    In Numbers 21:6-9, we find the people in such a state of unbelief that God disciplines them with biting serpents. He then tells Moses to fabricate a bronze serpent that is to be raised upon a pole. Those that look upon the "brazen serpent" will be healed and saved from certain death. The Apostle John in John 3:14-15 used that episode to highlight how Jesus Christ came to be the Savior. Christ would be placed upon the cross. Those who look to Him by faith will be saved. No doubt we see Jesus Christ in Numbers (or as we learned today, "in the desert") as the Guiding Shepherd who gives life to His sheep (see John 10). He guides His church in this dry old world toward their Heavenly promised land. 

Deuteronomy = Jesus the Life Giver.

    

    Whenever we survey the three final sermons preached by Moses at the end of his forty year trek with the Jews, we find him making the appeal to "choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:15-19). Deuteronomy is called such because of the repetition of the Mosaic Law (The term "deuteronomy" means "second law"). 

    Moses rehearses the Ten Commandments and the law given to him in Exodus. However, we discover that the Law of God was never intended to impart salvation, since the generation prior to the generation in Deuteronomy had shown themselves lawbreakers (as we all are born into this world). What was needed then, and now, is a new heart, a "circumcised heart", a new birth (see Deuteronomy 10; John 3:1-6). The Law of God points beyond itself to the Christ of God. 

Closing thoughts:

    Next time we will look at how Jesus is revealed in the historical books of the Old Testament - Joshua through Esther. 

The Doctrine Of Scripture: Historical Attitudes Toward The Apocrypha And Reasons Why They Are Not Divinely Inspired Scripture

Introduction:

    In the last two posts, we have introduced what are called "the Apocryphal books" and have offered a summary of them here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/10/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series.html and here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/10/the-doctrine-of-scripture-identifying.html. The term "Apocrypha" means "that which is hidden". Historically, this was thought to mean there were "hidden meanings" which were to be explored and found in the reading of them. In technical usage, "apocrypha" has come to represent any book that was not deemed as part of the canon of the Old Testament and in an even stronger sense, came to describe certain Gnostic Gospels and other literature which mimicked the New Testament canonical books.  In today's post we will close out our survey of the Apocryphal books by noting how they were viewed historically and reasons why they ought not be regarded as Divinely inspired books.

At first, popular, but not inspired. 

We have remarked in past posts about an influential Greek translation of the Old Testament called “The Septuagint”, which according to an accompanying letter prefacing the Septuagint called “The Letter of Aristeas” would have begun in 275 b.c. near Alexandria Egypt. I bring up the Septuagint because those who argue for the Apocrypha being inspired will note how the Apocryphal books are included in the copies of the Septuagint we have today. I have a copy of a critical edition of the Greek Septuagint in my library. The edition is based off of three 4th and 5th century A.D.Greek manuscripts of the Septuagint or Greek Old Testament, which of course contains the Apocryphal books. It is telling of course to note that when one surveys those three Greek manuscripts (called "Siniaticus", "Vaticanus", and "Alexandrinus"), they all don't contain the same amount of Apocryphal literature - which to me is very telling. 

    The one detail often missed by proponents of the Apocrypha is that the oldest complete manuscripts we have of the Septuagint derive from ancient book-like manuscripts called “a codex” (codices in the plural) from the fourth and fifth centuries. At best, this only proves that the Apocrypha were popular among the Christians, but most certainly does not prove they were regarded as inspired canon as the rest of the Old Testament books. Even if such books were in earlier manuscripts of the Septuagint, all it would prove is they were familiar to the Jewish people (much as we see in the Dead Sea Scrolls material, dated between the 3rd century b.c. to the times of Jesus in the first century). 

Some later thought they were inspired, but were inconsistent

As for the Jews, all the manuscript copies we have of the Hebrew Old Testament do not contain any of the Apocryphal books. I've aluded already to the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, however they are worth further commenting. The scrolls were discovered in the mid-1940’s in eleven caves around the Dead Sea region. Over the decades, it was found that the collection manuscripts of all the Old Testament canonical books (accept Esther), along with a few copies of the Apocrypha. All the Biblical books had some sort of commentary, yet none of the copies of the Apocrypha possessed a commentary. In the minds of the Essene Jews that lived around the Dead Sea in those days, there was a distinction between the canonical books and the Apocrypha. So, what about early Christianity? Certainly, we can find examples of the early church fathers quoting the Apocrypha from time to time. Yet, they never treat them the same as the canonical Old Testament books. 

         The Apocrypha became popular as a source for the devotional life of the early church, much like today where we have certain books written by A.W. Tozer or Oswald Chambers or Billy Graham that are devotional in nature. In the Middle Ages and Reformation, works such as Dantes "Divine Comedy" or Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" molded the minds of generations in thinking through certain themes of Christian life and piety. Such examples are good for personal use, yet would pale in comparison to the inspired, canonical books of the Old and New Testaments. 

         Even though there were local church councils that attempted to elevate the Apocrypha to the level of canon (such as the Synod of Hippo, 393 and two Councils of Carthage, 397 and 419 A.D.), their conclusions involved affirming differing parts of the collection of the Apocrypha. The Council of Hippo affirmed only half of the total number of Apocryphal books (minus the additions to Daniel and Esther). On April 8, 1546, the Roman Catholic Church Ecumenical Council of Trent affirmed the books of the Apocrypha that we have today in Catholic Bibles. Even in that pronouncement, Rome did not consider 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, The Prayer of Manasseh, or Psalm 151 as canonical.   

The Reformers/Protestants affirmed the original view about the Apocrypha 

In the wake of the 16th century Protestant Reformation, the Reformers and the successors affirmed the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament, all the while reaffirming that the Apocrypha were non-inspired. Martin Luther placed the Apocrypha after the New Testament in His German Translation. The Belgic Confession, Article 6, states the following about the Apocrypha, 

“The church may certainly read these books and learn from them as far as they agree with the canonical books.But they do not have such power and virtue that one could confirm from their testimony any point of faith or of the Christian religion. Much less can they detract from the authority of the other holy books.”

Conclusions: Why the Apocrypha are not the Word of God

From what we saw in the last point, the Protestant Bible of 39 Old Testament books (not 46) represents what was always understood by the ancient Jews and early Christians. We can respect the Apocrypha to a certain level. I find for instance much help in filling in the history of the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew when I read 1 Maccabees. I am touched by the martyrdom of seven Jewish sons before their mother’s eyes for refusing to compromise their Jewish faith in 2 Maccabees. The Jewish mind that wrote the “Song of the Three Holy Children” was pious in their imagination in speculating what Shadrach, Meschech, and Abdnedgo may had prayed when in the fiery furnace. Nevertheless, let me give you two reasons why we cannot accept these books as the Word of God.

1. There are no prophecies.

In my reading the Apocrypha, I never come away concluding that they are of the same caliber as the Old Testament canonical books. There is no prophecy in them (compare 1 Maccabees 9:27; 14:41). 1 Maccabees 9:27 “There was great tribulation in Israel, the like of which had not been since the time prophets ceased to appear among them” (New American Bible, revised edition). 1 Maccabees 14:41 “and that the Jewish people and their priests had decided the following: Simon shall be their leader and high priest forever until a trustworthy prophet arises”  (New American Bible, Revised Edition). The distinguished scholar Bruce Metzger has noted in his Annotated Edition of the Apocrypha that the phrase “thus says the Lord” never appears in any of the Apocrypha. In the canonical Old Testament books (i.e. our 39 books), this phrase “thus says the Lord” occurs over 3,000x. In the Canonical Old and New Testament books, we have 700-800 prophetic predictions, with two-thirds fulfilled already in history. The Apocrypha never contribute one prediction that is evidenced by historical fulfillment, let alone any that would point the way to the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. They contain errors in doctrine and history.

At times there are inaccuracies, such as Tobit mistaking the time of the Assyrian Empire for the Babylonian Empire that emerged 200 years after the fact, as well as teaching a form of salvation by works in Tobit 12:9. Greek Scholar Bruce Metzger edited an annotated edition of the Apocrypha, citing nearly ten inaccuracies in Tobit, drawing the conclusion that the book is a work of fiction, rather than history. 2 Maccabees 12:43-47 teaches offering prayers for the dead, a main reason for the Roman Catholic Church adopting it into its canon to support its doctrine of Purgatory developed in the Middle Ages.  The books of “Bel and the Dragon”, “The Song of the Three Holy Children”, “Judith” and “Susanna” are inserted by the Roman Catholic Church into the text of the Book of Daniel in their Bibles. These four books are to be taken as fictional records, rather than actual events. 

The Jews, Jesus and the Apostles, and the early church of the first 300 years never accepted them into the Old Testament Canon.

The Jewish philosopher Philo, a contemporary of Jesus, never once quoted the Apocrypha in all his writings, citing only the Old Testament canonical books. The Jewish historian Josephus, though quoting from the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, uses them only for their historical value, and not as Scripture. In his book “Against Apion”, Josephus mentions the books which the Jews regarded as Scripture, corresponding to what would be our 39 book Old Testament Canon. Jesus never quoted the Apocrypha as Scripture, but only referred to the “Law and the Prophets and the Writings”, that is, the Hebrew Old Testament canon (see Luke 24:27,44). The New Testament contains not one quotation from the Apocrypha nor does it attach the well-known phrases “thus says the Lord” or “it is written” to any other sources is quotes outside the canonical Old Testament. This pattern persists into the early church as one reads a collection of early church writings known as “The Apostolic Church Fathers”.  

  Although we may use the Apocrypha as sources for better understanding what the Jews believed in between Malachi and Matthew, grasping the history of that 400 year period, and even enjoying a good bit of religious fiction, the Apocrypha ought never be used to establish doctrine nor ever be considered inspired Scripture that saves and feeds the soul.

The Doctrine Of Scripture Series - Introducing The Apocryphal Books

Introduction:

    To anchor ourselves in today's post, let me reference Romans 3:1-5,

“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ‘That You may be justified in Your words, And prevail when You are judged.’

    Paul references God having gave the Jews what he calls “the oracles of God”. The text before us is concerned about what salvation is, and what God uses to bring it about. Paul identifies what salvation is by noting what it is not, gaining God’s approval by good works. Instead, He argues towards the end of Romans 3 that salvation is received through faith alone because of God’s grace won for us by Christ. 

    So how does God bring salvation about? God in the Person of the Holy Spirit works conviction in the sinner’s heart by means of the Scriptures. Of course, it is imperative that we have the right books, the right words, otherwise salvation will not come about, which is why the issue of Canon is so important.

1. The importance of knowing which books are the words of God.

    You will notice Paul uses an interesting – “the oracles of God”. The word “oracles” translates an underlying Greek term meaning “spoken words”. It is one of the strongest terms for defining what sort of book the Bible claims to be. To know which books are the inspired words of God is the concern of conversations about the subject of “canonicity”. This phrase “oracles” pertains to the Hebrew Bible or what we call the Old Testament Canon, with the familiar 39 books of our English Bibles (having been 22 or 24 books in the Hebrew Bible, same contents, with some of the Bible books combined together, thus the difference in numbering). In this series of posts, we have looked at the doctrine of Divine inspiration of the Bible and issues surrounding the Canonicity of the Old Testament. For those curious about such matters, or those with either a Roman Catholic background or having family or friends in the Roman Catholic Church, these next several posts will hopefully prove informative. As we noted in the last post, the question of canonicity deals directly with two issues.

A. Ultimate authority is the first issue when discussing canonicity.

    First, there is the matter of Biblical authority. Notice what Paul writes again in Romans 3:4 "May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ‘That You may be justified in Your words, And prevail when You are judged.’ Who is to say what governs the spiritual lives of Christians? Does the Church formulate the Canon, and thus hold authority over which books belong? Or do the inspired books of the Bible themselves bear marks of their inspiration and consequently lead to recognition, acceptance, and use in the forming and growth of the Church? 

    I would contend that it is the inspired books of the canon of the Old Testament (39 canonical, inspired books, not the so-called non-inspired "Apocryphal books", which I'll argue for in later posts), coupled with Jesus’ resurrection, that were the twin foundations responsible for the Holy Spirit’s birth of the Church. Whenever one studies the roughly 20 sermons and addresses of the Apostles and their associates in the Acts of the Apostles, this two-fold foundation of Scripture and Christ's resurrection provide the means for the Spirit's work in the early church. 

    As The Holy Spirit worked through the New Testament Apostles and their associates to write the New Testament books, the growth and expansion of the church were by-products of the composition, recognition, and gradual usage of the New Testament books. Those New Testament Gospels, letters, and the Apocalypse of John would come to function alongside the already established canon of the Old Testament. In future posts, we will eventually get to the equally fascinating subject of the New Testament canon, its development, and function in the early church. For now, we return back to our discussion of the canonicity of the Old Testament, and the question of the Apocryphal literature written between Malachi and Matthew. 

B. Understanding which books are inspired is the second issue when discussing canonicity.

    Canonicity not only touches upon the matter of authority, but also in answering the question “which books are the inspired books”. This matter of inspiration, or what Norman Geisler refers to as “propheticity”, is the key issue in defining the contents and limits of the canon. Which books have the final say in matters of faith, practice, this life, and the life to follow? Far from just a academic curiosity, the question of canon affects the lives of millions of God’s people. With these interrelated matters of “authority” and “inspiration” governing how we discuss the importance of “canon”, we come to the topic of these next several posts concerning the so-called "Apocryphal Books" (or what Roman Catholics call "Deuterocanonical Books", meaning "second canonical books"). 

Closing thoughts for today

    For now I leave the reader with two thoughts. First, for an introductory post I've written in the past on this subject of the Apocryphal books, readers are invited to click here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2015/02/p16-why-bible-has-66-books-defining-and.html Secondly, the diagram below lists out the Apocryphal books for the reader's reference. Next time we will explore a more detailed description of each of these books, as well as summarizing how they were regarded in Jewish and Church history.