Seder 2: Lessons from Genesis 2-3

 In Genesis 2:7 God forms a man from the ground, a human from humus.  Commentator Dru Johnson refers to him as the "dirtling."  God places the dirtling in Eden. With the geographical references in vv 10-14, the text emphasizes that this is a real place in the world.

The garden is wonderful, with lots of fruit available. But things are not yet optimal, God explains.  "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him" (Ge 2:!8).  Genesis 2:!8 stands in contrast with chapter 1, where various aspects of creation are described as "good" or "very good."Here we learn that a "just me and God" situation is not ideal.  Humans are meant to be in community.  

Through the exercise of naming other dirt-formed creatures, Adam learns that none of them is the companion that God intends for him.  But God has a solution to this problem.  He creates Adam's companion from his side.  

Genesis 2 ends with the observation that "the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed" (verse 25).  Johnson notes that later in the Bible, nakedness connotes  a lack of resources or protection---for example, it is the state of captives being taken into exile (Eze 23:29)---while "shame" means outward public shame rather than an inner sense of embarrassment.  There may be an implied "yet" at the end of verse 25.

The beginning of chapter 3 describes the serpent's efforts to deceive the man and the woman.  To the woman he asks a question implying that God is deliberately depriving them of things that are good.  That draws her into the conversation, as she clarifies what God had actually said.

Her reply in vv 2-3 includes a bit of new information not mentioned in Genesis 2:16-17.  God had not only instructed them not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree; he had also told them not to touch the fruit.  Biblical scholar Jeffrey Niehaus has argued convincingly that the best inference from the biblical data is that Eve here did not add to what God had originally said---otherwise, she would already have been sinning before the serpent deceived her.  

The serpent tells Eve that if she eats the forbidden fruit, 

• she will not die.
• her eyes will be opened.
• she will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Technically speaking, Johnson observes, all of these statements are true (sse verses 7, 22).  He highlights a lesson from Genesis 3:  Just because someone has authoritative knowledge, that does not mean that we should listen to that person.  

The man and woman learn this lesson the hard way.  Genesis 3:6 states that "she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate."  The language "took and gave" is repeated at other points in the Bible, generally with negative connotations---see Genesis 16:3; 27:14-17; 1 Samuel 8:14-15.

After the man and woman ate the fruit, "the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked" (verse 7).  The wording in this verse is also referenced later, in a kind of reversal in Luke 24:31.  When the disciples on the road to Emmaus broke bread with Jesus, "their eyes were opened, and they recognized him."  

In addressing what had happened, God first deals with the serpent, who has no more to say in the narrative.  There would be ongoing conflict between the offspring of the woman and that of the serpent---verse 15.  This verse is traditionally seen as the Bible's first presentation of the Gospel.  The Messiah, a descendant of Eve, ultimately would crush the serpent and all forces of evil.

God tells the woman that the pain and danger of childbirth will increase---verse 16.  He adds, "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" (NIV).  Johnson points out that another possible translation of this sentence is that "it"---the woman's desire"---would rule over her, rather than her husband ruling over her.  This possibility is suggested by the parallel language in Gen 4:7, where God tells Cain that sin "desires to have you, but you must rule over it."  There are certainly examples in Genesis where a woman's desires lead her to questionable actions---think of Sarai in Genesis 16, Rebekah in Genesis 27, and Rachel in Genesis 29-30.  

One major biblical theme originating in Genesis 3 is the question, "To whom are you listening?"  Instead of listening to God, who had commanded Adam to steer clear of one tree in the garden, he listened to Eve who had listened to the serpent.  Outside the garden, Adam would experience pain in producing food.

Instead of listening to the serpent, we should listen to the trustworthy voice of God (Dt 28:1; John 10).

Recommended resource:  Logos Mobile Ed Course OT304:  Human Discovery in Genesis 2-3.  

At Church of the Messiah on October 21, 2023, Kyle Kettering spoke on the effects of sin on the world and the coming of the Second Adam to solve the problem of human sin (Rom 5:12-21).  

Christmas 2022: Matthew 2:1-12---the Mysterious Magi

 The biblical account of the magi in Matthew 2:1-12 raises lots of questions for readers: From where in "the east" did they come? How many of them were there? What was the nature of the "star" that led them to Jerusalem?

One imaginative ancient attempt to answer these questions and others is found in Revelation of the Magi, a work of Christian apocrypha that may have been written as early as the late 2nd or early 3rd century AD. The first translation of this work from Syriac into English was carried out in the Harvard dissertation of Brent Landau (now at the University of Texas). 

Revelation of the Magi imagines the magi as an ancient religious order of twelve men from the land of Shir in "the outer part of the entire East of the world" (2:3-4). Each month these men climbed the Mountain of Victories to pray silently at the Cave of Treasures, which housed books of revelation written by Adam's son Seth as well as the precious gifts that were to be given to the Messiah at the time when the star appeared. The magi taught the contents of the books to their families. When one of them died, his son would replace him in the order.

When the star appeared, its light took the form of a small human, a manifestation of Christ who instructed them in what to do next. To each of the men, the human appeared differently. One saw him as a boy. Another saw him on the cross. A third saw him rising from the dead. A fourth saw him ascending to heaven, etc.

The "star child" guided the magi on the long trek to Jerusalem. During that trip, their provisions were continually replenished and rough terrain was smoothed out before them. The magi were led to Bethlehem where they worshiped Christ and presented their gifts to him.

Christ, in this work, is present everywhere simultaneously. At the same time that he is living his life as a human in Galilee and Judea, he is also with the magi, whom he guides back to Shir. There they spread the good news to their countrymen, who also experience special visions and revelations when they eat the miraculous provisions that the magi bring back with them. Later the apostle Thomas comes to Shir. He baptizes the magi and others, and they carry out the Great Commission together.

The work is replete with allusions to scripture and the traditions of early Syriac Christianity.  In one interesting tradition, the sword that Simeon prophesies will pierce Mary's soul (Lk 2:35) is seen as reversing the effect of the swords which guard the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:24). Through the work of Christ, access to Eden is restored.

It turns out that the contents of Revelation of the Magi were summarized in a 5th century Latin commentary on Matthew that became popular in medieval Europe because of an alleged connection with John Chrysostom. As a result, some medieval art pictures the magi being guided by the "star child."

Revelation of the Magi is an imaginative work that tells us much more about the beliefs and traditions of its writer and his communiuty than it does about the historical magi.  It is more likely that the magi were royal advisors who used astrology in their work, and that the star was some distinctive astronomical phenomenon.  A number of candidates have been proposed for this phenomenon:

• Colin R. Nicholl's The Great Christ Comet makes the case for the Star of Bethlehem being a comet. 
• Mark Kidger in The Star of Bethlehem points to a combination of astronomical phenomena between 7 and 5 BC as a good candidate. 
• Ernest L. Martin in The Star that Astonished the World proposes a combination of astronomical phenomena in 3-2 BC.  He says that Jesus was born on the Feast of Trumpets in 3 BC.  

There is no general agreement on the identity of the star, as far as I know.  But studying the issue could be a fun way to learn more about ancient history and astronomy.

Whoever the magi were, wherever they came from, and whatever the star was, Matthew 2:1-12 carries the message that God's plan of salvation through Jesus the Messiah encompasses the entire world.

Seder 120: Numbers 24----Balaam's Third and Fourth Oracles: Israel's Coming King

 After his first two oracles, Balaam saw that there was no possibility he would be placing a curse upon Israel.  Numbers 24:1 informs us that at this point, "he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens."  Instead, the Spirit of God spoke through him, and he blessed Israel a third time.  He pictured Israel in an Edenic setting (24:5), and then he spoke more specifically about a king of Israel---"his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted" (v 7).  

The reference to Agag reminds us of the Amalekite king later defeated by King Saul (1 Sam 15), and of the fact that the infamous Haman of the Persian court was an "Agagite" (Est 3:1, 10).  On the other hand, the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch say "Gog" rather than "Agag."  Gog is the infamous prophesied end-time opponent of Israel who is defeated by God (Ezek 38-39; Rev 20:8).  The reference to Gog suggests that the king in view here is the Messiah.  Some have connected the beginning of verse 7 ("Water shall flow from his buckets") with Jesus as the source of "living water" in John 7:37-39.  

The beginning of verse 8 ("God brings him out of Egypt") parallels Num 23:22 ("God brings them out of Egypt"), speaking in the singular rather than in the plural.  In context, this seems to be a reference to the Messiah coming out of Egypt (Matt 2;13-15).  It seems that in Matthew 2:15, Matthew could have had Num 24:8 in the back of his mind along with Hosea 11:1.  

The first part of Num 24:9 repeats Gen 49:9, and it could again be a reference to the death and resurrection of the Messiah, as Kevin Chen has argued.  The second part of Num 24:9 refers back to the Abrahamic promise of Gen 12:1-3.

After this thrid oracle Balak made clear that Balaam would not be receiving any reimbursement for his efforts.  But before the two parted, Balaam gave him a free bonus oracle that explicitly refers to "the latter days" (v 14).  "A star shall come out of Jacob," he proclaimed, "And a scepter shall rise out of Israel" (v 17).   

This prophecy of the star and scepter has always been viewed as Messianic by both Jews and Christians.  The scepter imagery refers back to Gen 49:10.  William Grissom has suggested to me that the two parallel clauses of the prophecy might refer to the two comings of the Messiah.  

The prophecy about crushing the forehead of Moab (v 17) contains another allusion to Gen 3:15.  Num 24:17 is referred to later in Jer 48:45.  The dispossession of Edom (v 18) is picked up later by Obadiah.

Numbers 24 is one of the most important Messianic prophecies in the Pentateuch, given by a Gentile seer who blessed Israel in spite of himself.  Sadly, Balaam resisted God and the message God gave through him.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on October 8, 2022, Rob Wilson contrasted Balaam with the faithful prophet Isaiah.

Seder 120: Numbers 23----Balaam's First Two Oracles: No Curses Against Israel

Balak, the leader of the Moabites, had summoned Balaam from his home near the Euphrates to come and curse the children of Israel, who were camped near his border.  Balaam hoped to carry out Balak's wishes but had to admit that he could only say what Yahweh, the God of Israel, allowed him to say.  

Balaam delivered four oracles, recorded in Numbers 23 and 24.  In the first he affirmed the promises that God had made to Abraham.  "Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel?" he asked (Num 23:10), echoing the promise made in Gen 13:16.  

He described Israel as a holy people, set apart from other nations.  "Behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!" he declared (v 9).  Kevin Chen points out that the words for "dwell" and "alone" in verse appear together in only one other place in the Torah, in Moses' blessing of Israel in Deut 33:28: "So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew."  Balaam, like Moses in Deut 33, was describing an ideal, eschatological Israel.

Balak was upset that Balaam had blessed the Israelites instead of cursing them.  He decided that a change of venue might help.  Perhaps Balaam's "reception" would improve if they moved to a different hill.  

However, Balaam's message from Pisgah was consistent with his oracle from Bamoth-Baal.  "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind," he began, affirming that Yahweh keeps his promises (v 19).  

Again, Balaam reported God's long-term goal for Israel:  "He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel" (Num 23:21).  The Hebrew words for "misfortune" and "trouble" are often used for wickedness and perversion.  The Israelites had at times exhibited those things during their journey, even recently, but Balaam was looking beyond the present to what ultimately would be true.  

Balaam had to acknowledge, "For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel" (v 23).  The word for "enchantment", nachash, is related to the word for "serpent" in Gen 3.  Chen suggests a connection here with Gen 3:15.  The serpent would not be able to defeat Israel.  Instead, the seed of the woman would defeat the seed of the serpent.  

Balak's anger at Balaam grew.  He said to Balaam, in effect, "If you can't say anything bad about the Israelites, don't say anything at all!" (v 25).  Still, he took Balaam to a third location, hoping for a different result.  Balak in Jewish tradition has been compared to Pharaoh.  Pharaoh tried in three ways to reduce the population of Israel (through enslavement, threatening the Hebrew midwives, and ordering that babies be drowned), and Balak tried three times to have Israel cursed.

Seder 118: Numbers 21---The Bronze Snake

 After the first "water from the rock" episode in Exodus 17, the Israelites were attacked by Amalek and achieved a military victory.  Similarly, after the second "water from the rock" episode in Numbers 20, the Israelites were attacked by Arad the Canaanite and defeated him in battle as well (Num 21:1-3)..  

The younger generation of Israelites was showing some courage, but they also shared some of the problems of their ancestors.  As the journey dragged on, they began to speak against God and against Moses (Num 21:4-5), turning up their noses at God's provision for them.  

God sent correction in the form of poisonous snakes (v 6), a punishment with symbolic significance.  Kevin Chen describes this incident as a kind of "fall" for the younger generation of Israelites.  By slandering God and his provision for them, they were succumbing to the temptations of the Serpent.  Chen sees significance in the fact that the Hebrew word for "serpent" in verse 7 is singular rather than plural.  The Israelites ask for relief from the poisonous snakes, but their real problem is with the same Serpent who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3).  It's really that Serpent which needs to be taken away.  The word for serpent appears five times in both Gen 3 and Numbers 21:4-9, linking the two chapters.

God provides relief by having Moses make a bronze snake and hold it up on a pole.  An Israelite who looked at the bronze snake on the pole would be healed of a snakebite (vv 8-9).  

This remedy has symbolic significance, as is pointed out in John 3:14-15.  The bronze snake is a type of Jesus, who was raised up on the cross to defeat the Serpent.  When the Son of Man is lifted up, the ruler of this world is cast out (Jn 12:31-34).  All who look to Jesus in faith are saved.  

In the imagery of the bronze snake Chen also sees a hint of the hiddenness of the Messiah's identity.  Some wrongly accused Jesus of being a servant of the Serpent (Mt 10:24-26; 12:24-29) and did not recognize a crucified man as the Messiah.

The Son of Man is lifted up on the cross, and we also should lift him up continually in our lives.  Kyle Kettering made this point in a sermon on John 3 at Church of the Messiah on September 24, 2022.

Seder 63: Exodus 25---Instructions for the Tabernacle

 When Moses met with God atop Mt Sinai, God gave him instructions on the tabernacle, a portable worship structure that the Israelites were to build.  God explained the purpose of the structure in Exodus 25:8:

"And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst."

The tabernacle would be made of fine materials---precious metals, fine fabrics, precious gems, animal skins, spices, and oil.  Remember that the Egyptians had provided the Israelites with these things when they left Egypt (Exod 12:35-36).  

The precious metals included gold, silver, and bronze.  There is a tradition that iron was not used because of its association with weapons of war.

Why make such a detailed listing of materials?  Dennis Prager suggests that this made for a transparent construction process without kickbacks or other corruption.  

The materials would be collected in a voluntary offering.  By contributing something to it, each Israelite could feel a personal connection with the tabernacle.  The whole process of building the tabernacle seems to have been devoid of strife or complaining, with people gladly contributing materials and labor.  

The most important object for the tabernacle was the ark of the covenant, a gold-plated wooden box that would contain the tablets of the Ten Commandments.  The ark had pleasing dimensions----2.5 cubits by 1.5 cubits by 1.5 cubits.  Note that 2.5/1.5 = 5/3, which is just a bit bigger than the "golden ratio."

Atop the ark would be images of two cherubim.  Cherubim were guardians of thrones or sacred space, like the cherubim that guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:24).  Images of cherubim (e.g., sphinxes) in royal courts of the ancient near East often had bodies of lions, human heads, and wings. In Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 10, the cherubim supporting God's throne had four faces, hands, and wings. 

Dennis Prager notes that the wings of the cherubim would shield the cover of the ark, which would shield the ark, which would shield the tablets, which would shield and safeguard civilization.  

God's presence would appear atop the ark, between the cherubim, and from there God would provide the Israelites with continuing revelation (Exod 25:22).  The tabernacle has been likened to a "portable Mt Sinai."  

There would always be food on the table in God's house, with twelve loaves placed on top of a special gold-plated table (vv 23-30).  And the lights would always be on there, with light provided by the seven-branched menorah, a beautiful lampstand that would have features of an olive tree and an almond tree (vv 31-40).  

Rob Wilson gave a sermon on Seder 63 at Church of the Messiah on July 10, 2021.  He explained that God had no need for anyone to build a house for him, and that the tabernacle reflected God's desire to dwell among his people.  The fact that God gave careful instructions for the construction of the tabernacle reflects the importance of worshiping God on his terms.  

Rob showed that the ark and the altar would be situated at the centers of their areas of the ark.  God should be at the center of our lives.  

The ark would be covered with gold on the inside and outside.  In Jewish tradition, this detail is said to signify that the lives of those who strive to obey God's commandments should exhibit a consistency between outward behavior and inner character.  

Today there is no tabernacle, and God's people collectively constitute the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19).

Seder 14: Gen 16---Sarai and Hagar

As Genesis 16 opens, Abram and Sarai have lived in Canaan for 10 years. Abram is 85 years old, Sarai is 75, and they have not been able to have children.  God has promised that Abram will have many descendants, and they have faith in this promise (Gen 15:3-6).  But God has not told them who the mother of Abram's children will be.

The wait is difficult.  In that culture, a woman who could not have children was seen as a failure, and a woman of means would sometimes decide to have children through a surrogate wife.  Abram and Sarai eventually decide to try to have a child through Sarai's servant Hagar (Gen 16:1-3).

Their plan succeeds, but success comes with some consequences, beginning with strife between Sarai and Hagar.  Polygamy always ends up causing problems, as we see in several examples in Genesis.

The book of Genesis reports what happened, with the narrator casting no explicit judgments upon the actions of Abram and Sarai.  Some commentators have noted possible implicit judgment in the parallels in language between Abram and Sarai in Gen 16 and Adam and Eve in Gen 3.

Gen 16:2--"...And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai."

Gen 3:17--"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife...."

Gen 3:6--"...she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband..."

Gen 16:3-- "Sarai...took Hagar...and gave her to her husband..."

In general, God tends to give us a lot of opportunity to try things and learn from the consequences of our actions.  This is one example.

Overall, God was committed to working through Abram and Sarai in his plan to restore blessing to the world.  The choices Abram and Sarai made could be incorporated into that plan.  In particular, Hagar could be a part of that plan if she was willing to submit to Sarai (v 9).

Seder 11: Gen 12-13--The Promise in Peril

At some point after Abram and Sarai arrived in the land of Canaan, they left during a time of severe famine and sought refuge in Egypt.  Fearing that the Pharaoh would have him killed in order to add Sarai to the royal harem, Abram pretended that Sarai was just his sister, not his wife.  Pharaoh then proceeded to add Sarai to his harem (Gen 12:10-16)

Abram's deception put his wife in great danger and jeopardized the future of his family.  But God intervened, striking Pharaoh with plagues because he had abducted Sarai.  Pharaoh then reprimanded Abram and threw them out of Egypt (vv 17-20).

In this episode we see an example of how God would deal with people according to their treatment of Abram's family.  Pharaoh threatened that family and suffered as a result.  We also see that God's promise to Abram depends upon his grace, not upon Abram's goodness.

This passage in Gen 12-13 also foreshadows the later Exodus.  Abram and Sarai travel to Egypt during a time of famine, as Jacob would later.  They are in danger there, as the Israelites would later be enslaved.  Pharaoh suffers plagues, as Egypt would later.  Abram and his family are thrown out of Egypt with great wealth (12:16; 13:2), as the Israelites would be later.  And Abram then journeys by stages (13:3), as the Israelites would on the Exodus (Num 33:1).  The repetition of exodus themes in the Bible sends the message that God is consistent.  As he has acted in the past, so he will act again in the future.

Back in the land of Canaan with increased wealth, Abram and Lot needed to spread out to provide more room for their flocks.  The strife among their herdsmen (13:7) foreshadowed later strife between Israelites and Moabites.  Lot chose to go east to a fertile area near Sodom and Gomorrah, a move that looked good at the time.  But as has been the case so far in the book of Genesis, people run into trouble when they head east in a direction away from the Promised Land. 

Here some have seen an analogy between Gen 13:10 and Gen 3:6.  In Genesis 3:6, Eve saw that the forbidden fruit looked good and gave it a try.  In Genesis 13:10, Lot saw that the Jordan Valley looked good and decided to go there.

Abram acts as peacemaker, reminding us of Matt 5:9.

After Abram and Lot parted ways, God reaffirmed the promise of the land (13:14-17).

Seder 3 Sermon: Behold, the Man

During our current isolation because of the COVID-19 virus, congregations are not able to meet physically, but they are supporting each other electronically.

For Seder 3, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon linking Gen 3:22 and John 19:5.  When he expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, God said,

"Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil." 

Kyle noted that it is possible to render the verb "was" rather than "has become" in Gen 3:22, which emphasizes all the things that Adam and Eve were losing--immortality, close fellowship with God in the Garden, moral clarity, the fertility of the earth....

A midrash pictures God moaning when Adam and Eve choose to eat the forbidden fruit.  

Kyle then linked Gen 3:22 with Pontius Pilate's unwittingly prophetic statement in John 19:5, when he presented Jesus to the crowd on the day of his crucifixion:

 “Behold the man!”

As the apostle Paul taught, Jesus is the second Adam, the one who regains what the first Adam lost, the one who has defeated death (1 Cor 15:20-26).  

Pilate's pronouncement has also been associated with a messianic prophecy in Zechariah 6.  Kyle adds an important link to this scripture chain.  

Seder 3: Genesis 3:22-4:26---East of Eden

In Gen 3:22-24 Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, with cherubim guarding the way back.  God's plan (the "long game") is to bring mankind back to Eden, however.  So we can also think of the cherubim keeping the way open for people to return.(See this recent column by Rabbi Daniel Lapin.)

In Gen 4 we read about Cain and Abel, two sons of Adam and Eve.  This chapter is the source of lots of speculation and a rich body of Christian and Jewish legends.

Both Cain and Abel make offerings to God, and Abel's offering is acceptable, while Cain's is not.  We're not told why explicitly, but verse 4 says that Abel brought the best of what he had, and the same statement is not made about Cain. We also see Cain's angry reaction, an indication of the attitude with which he brought his offering. 

We read in 4:5,7 that Cain's "countenance fell", which could mean that he is not "seeking God's face".

Cain goes on to murder his brother.  When God confronts him about his actions, he denies knowledge of, or responsibility for, them.  A midrash has Cain saying that God is responsible for what happened, since God is the one who gave people an "evil inclination" that they must master (v. 7).  However, God continues in verse 10, asking Cain, "What have you done?"  Cain must accept responsibility for his actions.

Cain has earned a death penalty for his actions, but God sentences him to be "a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth" (v. 12).  Cain goes east (v 16), foreshadowing the later exile of Israel.  One motif in Genesis is that when someone goes east from the land of Israel, that person is going away from God into dangerous territory, toward places like Sodom and Babylon.

Ironically, Cain the murderer is afraid of being murdered.  God, however, creates a "city of refuge" situation for him, where he is protected from being killed.  Cain has a family, and they are busy with the activities of life.  Away from God's presence, though, they won't have rest in their busyness.

It is interesting that God seems to be investing more effort in working with Cain than with Abel.  We're reminded of Jesus' example in passages like Matt 9:111-3; Luke 5:30-32.. God gives Cain every opportunity to repent and seek Him.

1 John 3:11-12 contrasts Cain and Abel as an example for us:

"For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous."

And John continues in I John 3:16,

"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."