Seder 127: Numbers 31----Taking Vengeance?

 In the wake of the Baal Peor incident, God instructs Moses, "Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites" (Num 31:2).  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on August 15, 2026, Kyle Kettering pointed out that the words "vengeance" and "avenge" carry negative connotations for us.  Even when we're righteously indignant about an injustice in the world, we should not carry out personal vengeance.  As God instructs the Israelites in Leviticus 19:18, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people."

Kyle pointed out that in the Bible, the words for "justice" and "vengeance" are related.  This is reflected in our English translations.  For example, the Greek word ekdikesis has God "inflicting vengeance" in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 and "giving justice" in Luke 18:7-8 in the ESV.  When God "takes vengeance" he brings justice, setting things right and vindicating the innocent.

But vengeance is something that is strictly God's prerogative.  "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," God says in Deuteronomy 32:35, a sentence later quoted in Romans 12:19.  As the psalmist often does, we can pray for justice and leave the matter in God's hands (Psalm 94:1-2, e.g.)

Seder 102: Psalm 29---Praising God and His 7 Thunders 18 Times

 Psalm 29 is a song of praise.  Commentators mention that it is written in the style of the Ugaritic Baal Cycle and propose that it was written to emphasize that the God of Israel is the real "storm god", not the Canaanite deity Baal.

With its mention of the voice of God shaking the wilderness in verse 8, this psalm has been associated with God's Sinai revelation and with the festival of Shavuot/Pentecost.  At Sinai God was said to have been accompanied by his heavenly host, which is encouraged in verse 1 to praise him.  Rashi's interpretation of Psalm 29 reflects an association with Sinai and Pentecost.

On the other hand, the superscription for this psalm in the Septuagint reads, "A psalm of David commemorating the feast of Exodus, of the temple" (Lexham English Septuagint).  The "feast of Exodus" here is the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast associated with Israel's wilderness sojourn.  At the Temple the recitation of this Psalm accompanied sacrifices on Yom Teruah and at the Feast of Tabernacles, according to the Talmud (b. Rosh HaShanah 30b; Sukkah 55a).  One can see how the references to rain and storms in the psalm would go with the prayers for rain that were part of Sukkot celebration during the Second Temple period.  Scholar Bert Polman points out that the sevenfold reference to the voice of God in the psalm could go well with the seven trips around the altar taken by the water libation procession on the seventh day of the Feast.   

There is an interesting midrash on Psalm 29 which builds on the fact that the name of the God of Israel is mentioned 18 times in the psalm, the same as the number of sections in the Jewish Amidah prayer.  The midrash says that David wrote the psalm as a sort of "call and response" song, basing this interpretation on Deuteronomy 32:3:  "For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!"  Every time the psalm praises the name of God, the congregation is to respond with its own praise in the form of the corresponding section of the Amidah.

Esther Menn and David Sandmel give a good explanation of the midrash in an article from a book giving a variety of perspectives on Psalm 29.  

This book describes a number of interpretations and traditions related to the psalm.  A chapter on patristic exegesis explains that early church fathers saw in verse 3 a reference to the voice that came from heaven when Jesus was baptized as the power of the Holy Spirit descended on him (Mt 3:16-17 and parallels).  

Some traditions are associated with the seven times that the "voice of the Lord" sounds in the psalm:  For example:

• The seven thunders of Revelation 10:2-4 often have been seen as a reference to them.
• Roman Catholics have related them to the seven sacraments.
• Protestants have associated them with gifts of the Spirit.

Seder 161: Deuteronomy 32---A Pedagogical Song

 One of Moses' final actions was to teach the Israelites a special song.  Learning this song and heeding its message would be vital to their future (Dt 32:44-47).  

The song is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1-43.  Its words are directed to the entire cosmos (verse 1).  Scholars have classified it as a "covenant lawsuit."  One of its purposes was to be a witness against the Israelites (Dt 31:19).  

It also has a pedagogical purpose. "May my teaching drop as the rain," Moses begins in verse 2.  One leading lesson of the song is that God is the Rock---strong, reliable, providing protection (vv 3-4).  

Human beings, on the other hand, are fickle.  Although the Israelites have and will receive many blessings, they have a tendency to forget the source of their blessings (vv 5-18).  

Chief among those blessings is the special place that Israel has among the nations.  When God set up the nations and directed them to spread out over the earth (Gen 10-11), he set members of his divine council over the other nations but decided to supervise Israel directly (vv 8-9).  

There is a textual question surrounding verse 8.  The NASB, reflecting the MT, translates it: "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of mankind, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel."

On the other hand, the ESV has "according to the number of the sons of God" instead of "according to the number of the sons of Israel," reflecting the LXX, DSS, and other witnesses.  The NLT clarifies with "according to the number in his heavenly court."  

What could "according to the number of the sons of Israel" mean in this context?  One tradition says that the number in view here is twelve.  In Gen 10:15-19, where the names of the Canaanite peoples are given (12 names in all if we count Canaan), boundaries of their territory are delineated carefully.  But the Canaanites, this tradition says, are just occupying this territory temporarily until it is time for the Israelites to take over.  It's to that fact, presumably, that the final phrase in Deuteronomy 32:8 refers.  

Another view says that the relevant number is 70, the number listed in Genesis 46 and the traditional number of the nations. In this reading, it's Israel mission to the nations that is referenced at the end of Deuteronomy 32:8.  

One problem with the "sons of Israel" version of verse 8, though, is that at Babel there weren't any Israelites yet.  The "heavenly court" version makes more sense in context, in addition to being well-attested textually.  

There are hints elsewhere in the Bible that back up the "heavenly court" version.  At Babel in Gen 11, God was working in consultation with the heavenly court.  We see this in Ge 11:7 when he tells then, "Come, let us go down and there confuse their language ...."  We also see it in Deut 29:26, with its warning about Israel's likelihood of worshiping "gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them."  The elohim referred to here are presumably members of the heavenly court that had been placed over other nations.

There are further hints that God had placed heavenly beings over the nations in Psalm 82, where those beings are reprimanded; and in Dan 10:13, with its reference to a heavenly "prince of the kingdom of Persia."

The arrangement described in verses 8-9, with God supervising Israel more directly and delegating the supervision of other nations to subordinates, has been called the "Deuteronomy 32 worldview" by Michael Heiser.  This view is prominent in both Jewish and Christian traditions.  Gerald McDermott demonstrates its prevalence in patristic thought in his book God's Rivals. 

The song goes on to relate that if Israel abandons God, he will allow them to suffer the covenant curses and go into exile.  However, to protect his reputation and not give other nations the wrong impression, he ultimately will bring about Israel's restoration.  In the end, all nations will worship him together. 

 Here is the song's conclusion in the LES:  " Delight, O heavens, with him and worship him, you sons of God. Delight, O nations, with his people and prevail with him, all you angels of God. For he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will avenge and he will repay the enemies with vengeance, and he will repay those who hate, and the Lord will cleanse out the land of his people."

Paul quotes verse 43 in Rom 15:10 in discussing God's plan for all nations.  Deuteronomy 32 seems to have been a great help to Paul in understanding that plan.  He grieved the fact that a number of his fellow Jews were not receptive to the Gospel, but he was confident that God would ultimately bring many to faith in the Messiah, based on Deuteronomy 32.  In Romans 11:11, he declared, "So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall?  By no means!  Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous."  Here he alluded to Deuteronomy 32:21,  

Seder 161: Psalm 82---The Supreme Judge Corrects His Subordinates

 Psalm 82 gives us a glimpse at the operation of God's Divine Council, the advisory body of heavenly beings that God has created.  God does not need anyone's advice, but he is training both people and heavenly beings by giving them experience and responsibilities.  

There are other divine council scenes in the Bible---e.g., in Job 1-2 and 1 Kings 22.

In this case God seems to be evaluating the work of beings that he has given responsibility over the nations---see Dt 32:8-9.  He reprimands those who are not ruling wisely---vv 2-4.  

As we read these words, we are led to examine our own lives.  How well have we done in helping those who need help, something that God wants humans as well as heavenly beings to do?  

These negligent beings, God says, "have neither knowledge nor understanding" (v 5).  It is not that they do not know what they are supposed to do; it's just that that they are neglecting their duties, creating moral darkness that damages the moral order God has established in the world. 

God warns them that if they do not change their ways, they will face judgment.  "Like men you shall die," he warns in verse 7.  God made them, and he can unmake them.  

The psalm concludes with a prayer for God's kingdom to be fully established (verse 8).  

Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 in John 10:35-36, answering the objections of some who charged him with speaking too highly of himself.  He responds with a "how much more" argument, though it is not entirely clear how the argument works.  One possibility:  If these reprobate beings can be called "sons of God," how much more the unique Son that God had sent to them.  

Psalm 82 is the passage that launched Michael Heiser's study of the Bible's supernatural world, leading to his thesis research and later to books including The Unseen Realm, Supernatural, Reversing Hermon, Demons, and Angels.  

Seder 153: Psalm 28---Depending on the Rock and Shepherd

 Psalm 28 is an individual lament that concludes with an expression of confidence in God.  This is a familiar pattern in the psalms.  The act of praying helps us to see the truth more clearly.  

The psalmist calls upon God as "my rock."  This metaphor, which is prominent in Deuteronomy 32 and is picked up in several psalms (18:2,31; 19:14; 73:26; 92:15; 144:1).  God is strong and dependable and gives refuge and protection.  

The psalmist expresses his dependence on God.  He prays "toward your holy sanctuary" (v 2).  Solomon, of course, asked that prayers directed toward the temple be heeded (1 Ki 8:35, 38, 42).  

We may have a bit of a mixed metaphor in Psalm 28:1, since he asks the rock to "be not deaf to me," and rocks do not really have ears.  But God is strong and dependable in taking action for his people, which is the full meaning of him "hearing" or "being not deaf.

He prays that he not suffer the fate of the wicked (v 3) and asks for justice to be done.  Verses 4-5 say much about the works of God versus human works.  The wicked disregard the works of God and work to undermine God's works with their own works.  He prays that the wicked be judged according to their works. 

Later in the psalm he praises God in anticipation of deliverance and vindication.  He is no longer in despair but confident in "my strength and my shield" (v 7).  God helped David and later anointed kings of Israel and Judah---he is "the saving refuge of his anointed," as verse 8 says. 

He intercedes for God's people (v 9).  "Be their shepherd and carry them forever," he concludes.  We see such imagery elsewhere in Isaiah 40:11; 46:3-4; 63:9. 

Seder 134: Deuteronomy 2---God's Direction of the Nations

After recounting the disastrous results of the reconnaissance mission from 38 years before, Moses turned to more recent events.  Earlier that year, God had directed the Israelites to head north (Dt 2:3) but to steer clear of the Edomites.  

Based on Numbers 20:13-21, it appears that Moses had asked the Edomites for permission to cross their territory on the king's highway, an important trade route.  Edom had denied the request and threatened to attack.  It may have been at that point that God gave the instructions recorded in Deuteronomy 2:4-6, telling the Israelites not to engage in battle with Edom.  God had given these relatives of Israel their land, and Israel was not to fight with them over it.  

God gave similar instructors regarding the Moabites and Ammonites.  They were living in the places God had allotted to them.  

This was not the case, however, for the Amorites who lived further north.  God intended for the land they currently occupied to be part of Israel's inheritance (Dt 2:24, 31), a detail that had not been mentioned back in Numbers 21.  

A key message of Deuteronomy 2 is that God rules over, and has plans for, all nations.  This theme is picked up in Deuteronomy 32:8, which says that at the tower of Babel, when God "divided mankind," he "fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God."   Fifteen hundred years later in Athens, Paul would speak of God "having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling places" (Acts 17:26).  

The implication is that since God had set up Edom, Moab, and Ammon, in their own territories, he would do the same for Israel.  In particular, God had helped Edom and Moab drive away giants, and he would do the same for Israel. The new generation of Israelites could trust in God to lead them in conquering the territory he had allotted to them.  

Seder 101: Judges 11---Jephthah's Needless Vow

 During the period after Israel's conquest of Canaan, the Israelites failed to completely drive the Canaanites out of the land and ended up becoming much like their Canaanite neighbors.  In the words of commentator Daniel Block, the book of Judges, which chronicles this period of Israel's history, describes the "Canaanization of Israel."  We read several examples of Israel's descent into sin.  We also read of God's grace and faithfulness to his people, as he repeatedly rescues them despite their serious problems.  

Judges 11 describes a time when the Israelites who lived east of the Jordan River were threatened with a military invasion by the Ammonites.  Looking for a deliverer, the people in Gilead called upon Jephthah, whose family had previously driven him away.  Jephthah agreed to help them if they would make him their leader (vv 1-11).

After being appointed leader, Jephthah carried on a negotiation with the Ammonites.  When the Ammonites complained that the Israelites had taken land from them, Jephthah responded quite rightly that the Israelites had done no such thing.  Rehearsing the history recorded in Num 21, Jephthah asserted that God had given the Israelites their territory east of the Jordan.  

The statement of Jephthah recorded in Judges 11:24 is interesting.  Jephthah says to the Ammonite leader, "Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess?  And all that the LORD our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess."

These words raise a couple of questions.  First, Chemosh was the god of the Moabites, not the Ammonites.  The Ammonite god was Milcom.  In getting the name of their god wrong, was Jephthah showing deliberate disrespect to the Ammonites by implying that the name of their god really didn't matter?  It could have been like referring to their god as "Whatshisname".  

Also, Jephthah's theology is incorrect in saying that the Moabite or Ammonite god would give the Ammonites land, since it is Yahweh who allotted the nations their territories and their gods, who were angelic beings that he had created (Deut 32:8-9).  In making his statement, was Jephthah simply speaking the language of the Ammonite king, or did he believe his incorrect statement?  The answer may have some bearing on how we interpret what happened later.  

The Ammonite king did not back down, and so war ensued.  Jephthah, who was used to relating to others through tough negotiation, made a vow to God:  "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's and I will offer it up for a burnt offering" (vv 30-31).  

This wasn't a promise that Jephthah needed to make.  For Israel's sake, God empowered him to win the battle against Ammon.  

It's not completely clear what Jephthah was promising.  We know that when he returned home after the campaign and his daughter greeted him at the door, he was disheartened.  We also know that his daughter died without having the opportunity to marry or have children.  The usual interpretation (and apparently the only one before medieval times) is that he made his daughter a human sacrifice, but the text doesn't say explicitly.  It just says that he carried out his vow (v 39).  

Whatever the nature of Jephthah's vow, there was no need for him to carry it out.  It would have been better for him to substitute the payment called for in Lev 27, or to have broken the vow and taken the consequences.  God certainly did not want him to sacrifice his daughter.  

As a whole, the book of Judges highlights incidents that show Israel's depravity during this era of its history.  God by his grace continually delivered his people despite their fall into immorality.  One message of Judges is the absence of spiritual instruction and influence from the priests and Levites.  Jephthah was a fine negotiator, but he does not seem to have known God or understood what God really required of him.  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on April 30, 2022, Kyle Kettering discussed this puzzling account and stimulated us to think about what we might learn from it.  

Seder 43: Genesis 49---Blessings for the Sons of Jacob

 At the end of his life Jacob called his sons together, saying, "Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come" (Gen 49:1).  

The Hebrew phrase for "in days to come" be'akherit hayyamim, a phrase appearing 14 times in the Old Testament.  (the others are Num 24:14; Deut 4:30; 31:29; Is 2:2; Jer 23:20; 48:47; 49:39; Ezek 38:16; Dan 2:28; 10:14; Hos 3:5; Mic 4:1).  Many of these passages clearly have an eschatological context.

In this case, Jacob's inspired blessings often point to the future of the tribes of Israel in the Promised Land---e.g., the scattering of Simeon and Levi among the other tribes.  But they do in at least one case reach far ahead in the future.  The blessing of Judah (vv 8-12) predicts that a line of kings will come from Judah, culminating in one called Shiloh (see KJV).  

There is more than one possibility for the meaning of "Shiloh".  (This is not the town of Shiloh, or Neal Diamond's imaginary friend Shilo.)  It may mean "tribute to him" (see NRSV), or it may mean "the one to whom it belongs (see NIV).  Both of these possibilities are consistent with a reference to the coming Messiah, and indeed, Gen 49:10 is seen as a Messianic prophecy in both Jewish and Christian traditions.  Targum Onkelos in Gen 49:10 says "until Messiah comes, to whom belongs the kingdom".  Gen 49:9-10 is the source for the presentation of the risen Jesus as the lion of Judah in Rev 5.  

The poetry in Gen 49 is often cryptic.  There is lots of wordplay on the names of Jacob's sons.  The dominant themes are royalty, prosperity, and abundance.  

John Sailhamer and his students often point out that there are four major poetic passages in the Pentateuch---the others being Exod 15, Num 24, and Deut 32-33---and all contribute to the proclamation of the Gospel.  See for example Kevin Chen's wonderful book, The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch, or Michael Rydelnik's The Messianic Hope.

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on Feb 6, 2021, Rob Wilson examined the blessings of Gen 49.  

Seder 29: Psalm 18---God Gives David the Victory

 David achieved great success as a military commander during his time as king of Israel, whether he was fleeing from Saul or expanding the borders of Israel.  He understood clearly that God was the source of his success.   He gave thanks and praise to God in Psalm 18, which is largely paralleled in 2 Sam 22.

David described being at the point of death and calling out to God for help (vv 4-6), whereupon God came quickly and powerfully to rescue him (vv 7-19).   David praised God's faithful treatment of his servants (vv 20-27) and acknowledged that God was the source of all his military success (vv 28-42).

The psalm ends by describing how God gives his anointed king victory over the nations (vv 43-50).  This part of the psalm points ahead to the work of the Messiah.  

The apostle Paul later quoted Ps 18:49 in Romans 15.  In Romans 15:7, he urged Jewish and Gentile believiers in Rome to accept each other, as Christ had accepted them.  He explained that it was God's plan to build a people from both Israel and the nations.  Jesus had worked with Israelites (v. 8) , coming to carry out God's promise to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham.   Paul showed that the nations were now praisiing God along with Israel, as predicted in scriptures like Ps 18:49, Deut 32:43, Ps 117, and Isa 11:10.          

The Psalms have quite a lot to say about the inclusion of the nations in the people of God.  Michael Heiser devoted a recent podcast episode to this topic, focusing on the "Zion psalms." 

Seder 9: Gen 11---The Rebellion at Babel

Genesis 11 describes a rebellion that took place at some point after the Flood.  If Gen 10:25 is a reference to this event, then according to the Masoretic Text, the rebellion took place a little over a hundred years after the Flood, but the Septuagint places it over 600 years after the flood.  (For more on the chronological issues here, see for example this link.)

People had been commanded to "fill the earth" after the Flood (Gen 9:1), but a group at Shinar resisted this command and united to build a structure traditionally known as the "tower of Babel".

Scholars today recognize this structure as a ziggurat.  A ziggurat was shaped like a pyramid and filled with dirt on the inside.  On the outside was a staircase, at the top of which food and a bed were provided for the god that they hoped to attract to come down to them.  Ziggurats were built next to temples for the worship of that particular god.  Behind their construction was the premise that gods had needs that people could meet, and then these gods could then be manipulated.  (For a good discussion of these things in Gen 11, see for example John Walton's commentary on the book of Genesis.)

In response, God says to his heavenly host,"Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech" (v 7).  At that point the nations are scattered (v 8).  Elsewhere, the Bible indicates that God delegated responsibility to supervise various nations to members of his heavenly host, reserving for himself the project of working through Abraham and the nation of Israel (Deut 32:8-9).  The description of that project begins in Gen 12.