Lectio Reflections: There is forgiveness....

A Song of Ascents.

A1 Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O LORD.

   ² Lord, hear my voice! Let Thine ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.    

     A2    ³ If Thou, LORD, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

            ⁴ But there is forgiveness with Thee, That Thou mayest be feared.

              B1            ⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,

                  B2                      And in His word do I hope.

              B1           ⁶ My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning;

                               Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

                  B2                    ⁷ O Israel, hope in the LORD;

A1  For with the LORD there is loving kindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.

      A2  ⁸ And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

        

Context:  The Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-135) have been described in different contexts: the people of God climbing Mt Zion to worship; Israel going up to Jerusalem (located in the mountains) at the three annual feasts; climbing the 15 steps leading from the outer court to the inner court of the temple;  returning to the promise land after captivity; or a spiritual ascent in the lives of God’s people. Referenced occasionally in the Midrash and Talmud, the history recorded is too faint to make a contextual statement. We can say that they all  “speak of Israel's return to God and restoration to fellowship with the Almighty in terms of the Jews' going up from all parts of the land to Jerusalem to appear before Jehovah and to worship Him there.” http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page112.html

Psalm 130 is a psalm that ascends from repentance to redemption through faith in the Lord and his word (waiting and hoping) that is laid out in a chiastic structure consisting of double bicolas or tricolas, (A form of Hebrew parallelism where meaning is found in the relationship of ideas).

It is out of a deep heart conviction of the soul, brought on by overwhelming (as if drowning in the depths of an ocean - overwhelming) stress of life.The Psalmist is aware of his separated position (iniquities) and seeks God's grace. 

Forgiveness is found through a repentance (or turning) from sin, and in one's faith in God. There is patience and hope in His word and nature ( loving kindness) and the promise of redemption. God is referred to as Yaweh (Jehovah) “LORD” (all caps in NASB)  the personal name for the God of Israel in verses 1,3,5,7, and Adonai “Lord” (only the first letter in caps), the term for Lord or master in verses 2, 3, and 6. While God is personal and intimate, He is also the master of our soul, able to lead us out of despair. In verse 3, both names are found in the same verse and provide an Interesting contrast of the nuance to consider.

In verse 4, we find forgiveness presented in the context of repentance and faith, as the means to receive God's grace and salvation. At first glance, fear may not seem an attractive outcome of forgiveness, but upon closer reflection, there is another aspect of fear that brings worship alive, and recognizes God in the light of his "otherness" or holiness.

 The concept of fear, for many of us, carries a negative connotation related to danger, which can cloud the original meaning of the author.

תִּוָּרֵא -Fear as translated from Psalm 130:4 is congegated as Niph.:45 Impf. 2 m. “to be feared” and carries the 3rd. definition in the BDB lexicon  to inspire reverence, godly fear, and awe: a. as attribute of God, לְמַעַן   תִּוָּרֵא that thou mightest be revered Psalm 130:4; BDB

The Halot, translates the context of the Psalm “to be feared” as  “to be honoured” (God) Ps 130₄

Keil & Delitzsch reflect:  “With the Lord is the willingness to forgive (הסּליחה), in order that He may be feared; i.e., He forgives, as it is expressed elsewhere (e.g.,Psalm 79:9), for His Name's sake: He seeks therein the glorifying of His Name. He will, as the sole Author of our salvation, who, putting all vain-glorying to shame, causes mercy instead of justice to take its course with us (cf. Psalm 51:6), be reverenced; and gives the sinner occasion, ground, and material for reverential thanksgiving and praise by bestowing “forgiveness” upon him in the plenitude of absolutely free grace.” (Emphasis mine) http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/kdo/view.cgi?bk=18&ch=130

When we consider a holy fear of awe and honor, it can take on a nuance of wonder and reverence as well as humility (to bow down) in our worship. The traditional concept of fear; that of being terrified, or “shaking in one’s boots” brings an awareness of something “unknown”, or “other” beyond oneself to an unexpected possible dangerous outcome.

God has been described as someone completely  “other” or "holy", and yet through his word, and our faith in Him, He can be known. There is a danger in following Yaweh, as we enter into His “otherness” or “holiness,” that provides no guarantee of safety or lack of suffering. God is Holy, "completely other", and we tremble in awe as we move towards Him on the basis of His forgiveness, while others one day will tremble "in their boots" on the threat of his judgment. One day every knee will bow!

As I reflected on this, a principle began to emerge. The restoration of our relationships (even those that are damaged down to our very soul) comes out of repentance and forgiveness, with God and each other. There can be hope, even when there seems to be none, based on God’s word and His nature (it is His loving kindness that leads us to repentance). Through this dynamic of repentance and forgiveness, God can give us patience to wait in the midst of our suffering and the ability to bear the pain until we are restored. It is sobering to note that our relationship with God can be affected by how we reflect His nature in the area of repentance and forgiveness to others. Yet as the Psalm begins with the author and the matters of his own soul, and then shifts to others, so we also bring our burdens to the Lord first, before approaching others.

Lectio reflections: "Use both hands when proclaiming the Gospel!"

“in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left” (2Co 6:7 NAS)

Note the relationship of “the word of truth” (for the right hand) and “the power of God” (for the left hand) as weapons of righteousness that the believer is to arm himself with.

I compared this picture with the armor of Eph. 6:16-17 where in the right hand is the Word of God (sword of the Spirit) and in the left hand is our faith in Christ (shield) that places our identity in Christ, that when applied, protects us from the attack of the evil one.*

Frame this picture with 2 Cor 4:4, the enemy being Satan who blinds the minds of unbelievers, and 2 Cor 10:4-5, where the weapons of our warfare are for the destruction of strongholds, and a picture begins to emerge of the mission the believer is called to! In our position as believers we are able to “take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ” through our understanding of, and faith in the Word of truth! To be clear, the battle ground of the enemy is our mind, and it is our applied faith in Christ based on His gospel that sets us free!

Then I ran into a grammatical inconsistency in the Greek structure relating to the lack of the definite article evident in both "word" and "power," which gave cause for an alternate translation found in the NIV and the ESV where they rendered “the word of truth" (NASB/KJV) as “truthful speech” (NIV/ESV). However most translations inserted the definite article "in the power of God".

To translate the passage as “truthful speech” instead of "The word of truth" moves the meaning of the passage in a different direction. As I looked at the passage in light of this, I had to admit both directions had merit and were grammatically correct.  

The general rule when alternative translations emerge is, when in doubt, refer to the context. Our text is  found among a string of qualities that describe how to commend oneself as a servant of God in a hostile world.  As we discover how these qualities relate to each other, clues emerge that help us understand the direction the author intended for his original audience.  

In vs 4-5  “endurance” is expounded upon by many different qualities that describe the suffering the believer may have to endure in this world. 

In vs. 6-7 qualities that reflect the nature of God in the believer, that gives him the ability to endure vs 4-5,  

In vs 8-9, contrasts of living out one's faith in a sinful world. 

The transition found in vs. 6 – 7, centers on "the word of truth" or "truthful speech," as a means to stand firm as a servant of God in a sinful world.  The first translation looks to the Word (Objective truth) as a means to endure, and the second looks to Christ's nature reflected in the believer (subjective application of God's truth displayed in the integrity of the believer's verbal interaction when speaking to worldly people.)

Next I looked at how Paul used the relationship of the words  “word” and “power” in other books. I was looking for clues of how Paul related these two words together in other passages.

I found two other places where the same Greek words were related together that helped to clarify how he intended to use Logos or “word” in relation to the power of God.

”For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1Co 1:18 ESV). Here the ESV specifically relates the word to the cross (or gospel)and the power that comes to the believer when he places his faith in the gospel. Note that this passage includes the definite article for both “word” and “power” 

The second parallel passage is in 1 Thes. 1:5 “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit.

Here the grammatical construction in the Greek is identical both “in word” and “in power” with no definite article. 

Note in these passages that the relationship of "word" and "power" refer to the gospel and the context centers on salvation.

My conclusion is that in 2 Cor 6:7, both the ESV/NIV rendering of “truthful speech” and the NASB/KJV rendering of “word of truth” are correct, yet the lack of specificity invites ambiguity.

The New Living (NLT) appears to have a closer rendition: "We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense." (2Co 6:7 NLT) Note the right hand is for the sword (of the Spirit) "attack" and the left for the shield (of faith) "defense"

 Let's return to grammar and context: The grammatical absence of the definite article gives weight to Logos being translated as the "spoken word" combined with the context of Paul's literary style of "word and power" in relation to the gospel, gives weight that the "word of truth" he is talking about is the spoken proclamation of the gospel.  

Wow, this takes on a deeper meaning that our modern translations can sometimes miss. The power of God comes from the gospel, when it is proclaimed (spoken) and received by faith!

This truth is reflected in Rom 10:14-15 “¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?¹ And how are they to hear without someone preaching (speaking out loud)? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"  (ESV)

Someone once said if you take missions out of the Bible all you will have left is the cover! The enemy works hard to blind the minds of our culture to the gospel and his mandate for missions globally where Jesus has sent us to proclaim his gospel.

“speak the word of truth (the proclamation of the gospel), in the power of God (Holy Spirit conviction); by the weapons of righteousness (the sword of the Spirit (His Word)  for the right hand and the (shield of faith) for the left”  (my translation :),

Armed thus, we will be able to take captive our thoughts to the obedience of Christ, and “to destroy strongholds of the enemy" (2Co 10:4 ESV), who has placed a veil of blindness to the gospel over the minds of unbelievers, (2Cor 4:4), and causes confusion in the church (as seen in the overall context of Corinth), and lures the church back to worldly behavior, as they hold their affections (direct context 2 Cor 6:12).

So stand firm Christian, proclaim the gospel in spoken voice, and use both hands!


*(Note there is a difference in the Greek word logos that translated for "word" (word of truth) in 2 Cor. and Rhema (word of God) in Eph 6. While some view Rhema as the spoken word, and consider Logos to refer more to the written or completed word, this is not the case in 2 Cor 6. In this context, the absence of the definite article, indicates that Logos carries a meaning that relates to the "spoken word", which is why I believe the NIV/ESV rendered the passage "in truthful speech" (2Co 6:7 NIV). 

God stirs the heart of his people to support those he has committed to proclaim the gospel (Ex 35:21, 1Cor 9:14)

And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD's contribution for the work… that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. (Ex 35:21, 1Cor 9:14)

Note the correlation of the “heave” and “wave” offering found in Ex 35:21-22 and Paul’s contextualization of the Levites to full time Christian workers in 1 Cor 9:13-14.

In Ex. 35:21 we find a parallel to A. God “lifting or stirring the heart” and giving a contribution that is lifted to God (through the "heave" offering) and B. God moving the spirit of individuals (:21) to give an offering (:22); specifically designed to sustain God’s servants (through the "wave" offering).

A. :21 The Hebrew word for a “heart stirred” אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂא֣וֹ literally means that the heart is “lifted up” in worship.

The Hebrew word “contribution” אֶת־תְּרוּמַ֙ת (terumah) has been identified as a “heave offering,” where a portion of the wave offering is heaved or “lifted” off and is waved up and down signifying that God is Lord of heaven. It was given to the priests “for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments."

As God lifts our hearts, we lift or “heave”, a portion of our gift to consecrate to God for worship!

B. :21 The Hebrew word for “moved” נָדְבָ֙ה literally means to: incite, impel, make willing.

The Hebrew word for offering תְּנוּפַ֥ת (Tenuphah) in :22 is the word translated for the wave offering, and refers to the whole of the offering that the terumah, or heave offering, is taken from. It is waved horizontally before the Lord, signifying that God is Lord of the earth, and was given to sustain the physical needs of the Levites.

As our hearts are lifted in worship, our spirit is moved to give a gift to sustain those He has called and set apart for ministry.

A few important takeaways:
1. Note the giving of the heave and wave offerings were to be a voluntary heart response to God who moved their spirit to give. This was an offering, not a tithe, ie: above and beyond, and not limited to a 10% system, based on the need.

2. The offering was given in the context of worship.

3. The same God that stirred the heart to give, provided the resources for the offering.

4. Paul applied the principles of giving to sustain the Levites to the support of full time Christian workers in 1 Cor 9:13-14, While he waved his right to receive gifts from the people he was ministering to as they were not yet mature in the faith, he did apply this principle from established mature churches who partnered with his ministry, like missionaries do today. (RH)

If you hear God's voice, do not harden your heart Chiastic structure of (Heb 3:7-4:13)

a Chiastic Structure in Hebrews 3:7-4:13. I wanted to introduce this concept early in our study as an illustration of the importance of how context, structure and especially literary structure can help in our understanding of Heb 4:12.

First note the general context that reveals the direction the author of Hebrews is going.

Chapter 1 The supremacy of Christ over Creation;
Chapter 2 the supremacy of Christ over the Angels;
Chapter 3 the supremacy of Christ as our High priest, (over Moses) and the promise of Sabbath rest.

This is a nice western outline showing the linear progression of thought that gives us an idea what is happening up to and including Hebrew 4:12 in relation to the important role of the Word of God and how it is used in our Spiritual growth (5:11-14).

There is yet another layer: the author of Hebrews writes in a Chiastic structure throughout this book that serves to weave together the linear concepts we have identified that tie together these concepts into relationships that serve to emphasize the direction of a main point in the passage.

1. In a Chiasm, the main point is in the middle instead of the end.

2. The structure then highlights specific thoughts or truths that come before and after that give thrust to the main point.

Our goal in this study is to discover the relationship between these thoughts and how they contribute to the main point.

In this example of a Chiastic structure, we mark the relationships with an arrow and a letter, and indent them to help them stand out (see diagram).

This helps us not only identify the relationships between the arrows, but also helps to surface the main point which is in the middle of the section rather than the end.

In the passage of Hebrews, relationships surface that contrast a hard and soft heart; Listening to God's voice through his Word, which lead to belief and obedience (cultivation a soft heart) in contrast to ignoring God's word, unbelief and disobedience (cultivating a hard heart).

Note the importance of listening to His voice, in 3:7, 15, and 4:7 and the relationship of listening to His voice to an understanding of His Word (3:9-11, 4:12-13),

This helps put Hebrews 4:12 into perspective in relationship to understanding how the word of God can help us discern the voice of God.

The relationship between the Word and the Spirit is what helps connects the Biblical passage to our personal lives. As we believe it, we apply (obey) it to our personal situation; Here God reveals to us what is behind our inner thoughts, motives and attitudes that can harden the heart.

If we do not listen to God's Spirit through his Word, His Word remains on the page, And His Spirit can get lost in the many voices of our subjective mind. If we shut out God's voice, our heart can grow hard, even in His presence, as it did to the Israelites in the wilderness.

The main point warns us to fear God (Heb 4:1) in how we deal with issues of the heart which can determine if we are to receive his Promise to enter into God's rest.

Remember the overall context is the Supremacy of Christ, and the importance of subjecting our will to His. While the heart wages war with the sinful nature of the soul, true peace can be found when we make Jesus Supreme through faith obedience to His Word

Well this is the gist of it. While one does not need to have all these "methods of Bible Study" to glean from God's Word, they can, when applied correctly, give us tools to dig deeper and confirm what His Spirit is saying to us.

God's voice in Discipleship (IS 50:4)

The importance of listening to God’s voice in discipleship.

Understanding Hebrew poetry, and the NASB translation help unlock the meaning of Is 50:4.

The Hebrew word לִמֻּד, (limmud) is listed twice in the verse identifying a Hebrew poetic structure drawing attention to two roles of the disciple: To listen to God’s voice and sustain the weary by teaching him or her God’s Word.

Note the parallelism in the two stanzas of AB and ABC;

A) The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
B) That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.

(the above is a poetic bicola or two lines that reflect an advancement in thought – He has given me the tongue (or word) to sustain the weary.

A) He awakens Me morning by morning,
B) He awakens My ear
C) to listen as a disciple.

(A Tricola, or a three line stanza reflects a climatic relationship, note the repetition of lines one and two that puts the emphasis on the third line on listening to God’s voice, which is why I reversed it in the summary statement above.

Both in the Old and New Testament God’s voice was communicated in the written and spoken word. The emphasis in this verse is on the prophet hearing the spoken word, ie: not in dreams or visions but in the waking hours.

I believe the NASB rendered a more accurate translation of the Hebrew word לִמֻּד, limmud as “disciple.”

The Hallot lexicon differentiates the definition in the NASB and the ESV which is translated as “taught”

—1. adj. taught, trained: with לִמּוּדֵי הָרֵעַ trained to do evil (Jer 13:23);

—2. pupil (ï תַּלְמִיד, (Is 50:4)

I tend to like the BDG lexicon which incorporates both
“taught, as disciples”.

Where does one look to hear God's voice?

Subject: Where does one look to hear God's voice? In His Word, to His Spirit, To other believers? A combination of the three? Some have suggested Luke 17:21 can provide an insight.

NIV/KJC "because the kingdom of God is within you"
NASB/ESV For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."

The translation hinges on the little Greek Word ἐντὸς (entos) that can be translated as "within you" or "in your midst" This word is only used twice in the NT, the other being in Matt 23:26, " "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also." Here there is no question that it is translated "inside" or "within." The context in Luke 17 is even a little blurred as to the immediate audience, is it the Pharisees? or the Pharisees and the Disciples? And of course, how does Luke's Greek audience play into his word choice and what he is trying to say them. There is reason to believe that what Jesus is saying to the Pharisees is part of a larger lesson he is trying to convey to his disciples (see :22,and greater context of Luke, where Jesus uses his outward ministry as a method of teaching his disciples). So I decided to outline all 24 chapters of Luke in order to grasp the over all context to help me wrestle with this one little word ἐντὸς (entos)! I got to chapter 22 today in my study, and found a parallel passage to Luke 17:20-21 in Luke 21 (See below). Two interesting observations, (1) the location of the Kingdom seems to be connected with the coming or presence of Jesus. (2) There seems to be contradiction in the immediate context of Luke 17 and Luke 22 re: whether there are signs to be observed in the coming of the Kingdom.

"Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed (Luke 17:20)"

31 "Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. (Luk 21:31)"

 I believe the answer to the above discrepancy of signs indicating the coming kingdom and the difference in translations regarding ἐντὸς (entos) regarding the location of the kingdom, are deeper than "either - or" answers, and that God is trying to say something more profound than I was looking for that will expand our understanding of the depth and riches of his Word!