JESUS SAT DOWN

There are a couple ways to say something in the past tense in Greek. Scholars say that people make too much of these distinctions. But they are just that - distinctions.

The AORIST tense is a snapshot of the past. We know that something happened. We know that an event occurred. But we're not too sure about all the details of that past event and their significance. The PERFECT tense, which is rarely used in contrast to the AORIST tense, sees an event or a happening in the past as a completed action with durative and continuing effects to the present.

So...

The first three verses of the book of Hebrews are its overture. There are many descriptive ideas in this passage. However, there are only two true verbs. The first is in 1.2. God "spoke." The second is in 1.3. The Son "sat down" [AORIST].

In Heb 1.1-3 there are six phrases that detail the person and the work of Jesus, but all of them await this verb "sat down." But why though? Who cares about Jesus sitting down? What's the deal with that? Why is it so important?

If you keep reading Hebrews you will soon see that its purpose is to show Jesus as the faithful High Priest of the New Covenant. In the OT, high priests don't sit down because their job is never finished. But not so with a perfect High Priest who offers a perfect Sacrifice.

This little verb ["sit"] is so important to the writer of Hebrews that when he gets to 8.1 he says that the main point of what he has said is this: we have a high priest who has "taken his seat" [AORIST]. The writer of Hebrews uses this verb two other times. In 10.12 he repeats the vast theological significance of the sitting [AORIST] of Jesus at the right hand of God after He suffered once and for all for sins.

It seems as though these above references to Jesus sitting are primarily to assert theological points. However, the writer of Hebrews cannot hold it in any longer. When he arrives at his last usage of the "sitting" of Jesus [12.2], an AORIST verb will not cut it.

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down [PERFECT] at the right hand of the throne of God.

The point of this exhortation is to show HOW and WHY the sitting of Jesus presently means something to believers who need perseverance [10.32-39, ch 11]. He is the example we should look to. He has finished His work and endured more than we ever will [2.16]. He can sympathize us [4.15]. His finished work, His sitting down... it has continually effective results right now.

how do the NT writers understand the OT?

This is an awesome discussion. Two recent books should be helpful on this. This is an important question for anybody who reads the Bible.

 

Go here to see an overview chart.

LEViTiCUS [overview]

I went over some of the grammatical and theological themes of Leviticus today with my class. They were fun to outline for them. I thought I'd share.

First, when sacrifices were offered, it says that they were a "soothing aroma to YHWH" [NASB]. This phrase is used 16 times in Leviticus to anthropomorphically describe God's pleasure in the sacrifices [1.9, 1.13, 1.17, 2.2, 2.9, 2.12, 3.5, 3.16, 6.15, 6.21, 8.21, 8.28, 17.6, 23.13, 23.18, 26.31]. The most pleasing blood sacrifice to God, however, is the death of His Son. Paul notes this in Eph 5.2. It is the most pleasing to God because of the finality of atonement it brings.

Second, is atonement. This word is found 49 times in Leviticus. It implies the idea of appeasement, forgiveness, and/or a covering for sin. Atonement is also part of the idea behind the powerful NT word "propitiation" [found only in Rom 3.25, Heb 2.17, 1 Jn 2.2, 1 Jn 4.10].

Third, the phrase "without defect" [NASB] is used 18 times in Leviticus [also 18x in Numbers]. This phrase is used to show that those animals offered as sacrifices must be blameless and have no blemishes.

Lastly, and most significantly, the melody line of Leviticus is holiness. YHWH commands His people to "Be holy because I am holy" in 11.44-45, 19.2, 20.7, 20.26, and 21.8. He said that if they obeyed Torah they would be a holy nation to Him and for Him [Ex 19.5-6]. Israel's distinctness in how they lived was to point to the distinctness and holiness of their God. This likewise applies to us as the New Covenant people of God [1 Pe 1.16]. He has beckoned us to walk in such a way that shows forth who He is. He has given us the perfect example of this in His Son.

blessed

My wife had game night with the ladies tonight. So, I went to the Silver Chair, thinking I was going to be able to hit the books and study some. Fat chance. But it's ok. I was radically blessed. I got to sit and chat with some brothers for a while. The following is a non-exhaustive list of what our conversation included:

• how most modern music is dumb
  
• how music serves as one one of the greatest proofs for the existence of God [read more here]
  
• rabbinical and traditional Jewish interpretations of the OT and how unique they often are
  
• Paul's hermeneutic of creation
  
• how to diminish and augment chords
  
• how Jesus was known for drinking in Matthew 11 and why people are so afraid of that
  
• why old hymns are so dang good and pregnant with glorious truths
  
• men's and women's roles in the church and Deborah as a judge in the OT
• how cool it was to wear nasty hair and paint your finger-nails black and try to be punk rock when you were in college [this probably subconsciously made us think that we are really punk rock b/c we talked about the old days when we tried to be punk rock]
  
• how Mark Driscoll is often tact-less and right
  
• how the Gamecocks are the greatest
  
• about the false dichotomy between love and truth [1 Cor 13 says they're a happily married couple, ya know]
  
• about the stench that comes from theoretically upright, yet lifeless orthodoxy [and how we crave to be snapshots of love AND truth like Jesus was]
  
• about how youth ministers and worship leaders are not biblical/NT church offices
  
• and a bunch more

There are several great things about all that we discussed. First, cigars were present. It made it a bit sweeter. Second, the soft crispness of October's first Friday was light years past satisfying. Third, and most import, there was a near-tangible feeling of the Holy Spirit's presence when I got up to leave. He is there and He is not silent.

Listening to Him, learning from Him, and walking with Him are not easy, but indescribably fulfilling when they are experienced. He is faithful and good.

A LEViTiCAL CONSECRATiON

"Be holy for I am Holy."

• Lev 11.44
• Lev 11.45
• Lev 19.2
• Lev 20.7
• Lev 20.26
• Lev 21.28
• Num 15.40
• 1 Pe 1.16

A DEUTERONOMiC PURGiNG

"Purge evil from your midst, O Israel."

• Dt 13.5
• Dt 17.7
• Dt 17.12
• Dt 19.19
• Dt 21.21
• Dt 22.22
• Dt 22.24
• Dt 24.7

FiRST SAMUEL 4-8

It was a bloody battle. 34,000 Hebrews died. They thought they should bring the ark of the covenant into town. After all, it was YHWH's presence. Maybe then they'd win or something. The Philistines heard them screaming and hollering when the ark rolled in. They got scared. Being the sneaky enemies of God that they were, the Philistines went and stole the ark of the covenant. Eli was judge at this time. When he found out, he fell out of his chair and cracked his neck in half and died. When Eli's daughter-in-law, who was pregnant, found out about all this she went into labor and gave birth and died. Before she died, she, probably in a really painful tone, said we should call her son Ichabod. Ichabod means "the glory has departed."

Then, these wily little Philistines put the ark of YHWH in their god's cute little house. His name was Dagon. The next morning, the Dagon statue was bowing down before the ark. Not cool if you're a Philistine. So they just sat ol Dagon upright again. The morning after that there was more bad news in the Philistine Herald, the local news papyri: the Dagon statue had not only fallen down again, but his hands and his head were busted off. After realizing how stupid their statue god was, they knew they had to get rid of the ark. But before they could, YHWH struck them with tumors and killed many of them. He is holy [6.19-20]. Don't presume on His glory or His presence.

After 50,000 more were slaughtered in Israel, the Hebrews knew that God's presence could not be confined to a box and that His promised mercy was all they needed. Thus, they pleaded with Samuel, "Don't cease to cry to YHWH for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines" [7.8]. Knowledge of need for intercession and rescue was not enough. They needed YHWH himself. But they rejected him as king [8.7].

Spiritually and practically pondering, how do I treat the presence of the living God? Or is it even on my radar screen? How often does His holiness influence the decisions I make? How often do I see my functional and pragmatic gods fail and fall before His wisdom, yet I still return to them? Under what circumstances do I think of Him as my King?

Father, thank you for Jesus and how all your promises are yes in Him [2 Cor 1.20].

JESUS in the OT

You should always have an eye for seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. Whether it be who He is or what He accomplished or some historical fact that was prophesied – “beginning with Moses and all the prophets” – He is “in all the Scriptures” [Lk 24.27]. For example,

He is the perfect high priest because His priesthood is forever [Heb 5-9]; He is the 2nd Adam, faithfully living in direct Sonship to God [Rom 5 and 1 Cor 15]; He is our glorious Boaz, faithfully redeeming us who don’t deserve it; He is the new Joshua, giving His people final rest [Heb 4]; He is the King of all kings, from Judah’s tribe and David’s line [Gen 49.10, 2 Sam 7.12-13, Rev 19.16]; etc.

This morning I was greatly helped regarding this by Mr Edwards in his “A History of the Work of Redemption.” Here, he says that....

The types of Christ were of three sorts: instituted, providential, and personal. The ordinance of sacrificing was the greatest of the instituted types; the redemption out of Egypt was the greatest of the providential; and David was the greatest of the personal ones. Hence, Christ is often called David in the prophecies of Scripture; as in Ezk 34.23-24.

He then listed some other texts. But when I sat back in my squeaky little chair, I realized that I was helped in two ways by his comments. First, those three distinctions seem like excellent parameters for Christocentric typology in the OT [without being an allegorization nut-job, of course]. Second, I started thinking deeply of David’s life. Edwards is right on target. Christ can flagrantly be seen all through David’s life in the Scriptures. David was from Jesse. He was a shepherd. He was anointed before his ministry/service [see “the Spirit” in 1 Sam 16.12-13]. He single-handedly defeated the enemy of God’s people. He was a king. He had kingdom covenant promises [2 Sam 7]. He was a warrior. And so much more.

The more I pondered and thought, the sweeter Jesus became to me. O Lord, show me Yourself in your word, in creation, in your Church, and by your Spirit. Amen.