Genesis

Since the year has turned over, I am starting reading the Bible in a year from scratch. I've ditched the plan I was using before in favor of looking at passages in a more acceptable context rather than through arbitrary divisions.

Naturally, this means I'm looking at Genesis (and Matthew, when doing NT readings), and I have again been struck at the types of Christ that we see in the first few chapters. I mentioned these in some post awhile ago, but these are the ones I've identified so far:

• Adam as a type of Christ and Eve as a type of the church: when Adam is naming all of the animals, we see that nothing else in creation was sufficient to be his match, and so Eve was specially created not just for Adam, but also from him. In the same way, we were created for and from Christ.


• Adam again, when he chooses Eve over God. We read later that Eve was deceived by the serpent, but Adam ate knowingly, choosing to remain with Eve. In the same way, Christ knowingly chose to become sin on our behalf (2Co 5.21) so that we would be united with him (Ro 6).


• The prophecy of 3.15, while not a type, is nonetheless an important part of the narrative and reinforces our focus on Christ in the opening chapters.


• Finally, the institution of blood sacrifices is apropos. When Adam and Eve realize their nakedness (often taken as a symbol of sinfulness; compare to Revelation, the parable in Matthew of the wedding, and so on), they sew their own coverings, which nicely (and properly, I think) symbolizes our own efforts to cover up our sin. But when God throws them out of the garden, he kills two animals and clothes them in animal skin. We see that blood must be shed, first, and second, that God must do it. While this particular type probably doesn't have the "legs" of the others, it's nonetheless a poignant reminder of the death of the innocent in place of the guilty.

I've also tried to pay attention to the narrative a bit more as I've gone through here, in the sense that I've tried to see what the point is behind the story.

The murder of Abel is recorded in part to illustrate (as we read later in I John) the conflict between the righteous and unrighteous, and, I think, Satan's efforts to prevent the prophecy of 3.15 from coming to pass.

In that same vein, I think it's conceivable to view the events of 6.2 as Satan's effort to corrupt the human race. We certainly skip a lot of historical data when reading through Adam's genealogy, but in terms of the plot, we're really looking at how we got to the Flood. Noah survives, I think, not because he is somehow different than everyone else spiritually (I include him in the damning indictment of 6.9), but because God had preserved him in some fashion from the corrupting influences mentioned in the beginning of the chapter.

This is about as far as I've made it so far, but it's been profitable, both in review and in identifying some themes that I'll be looking for throughout the OT.

No More Sea

Last month was a fairly slow month here, largely due to the holidays and other pressures that took me away from blogging regularly. Since it's the new year, I figured it was about time to pick things back up.

We are nearing the end of our study in Revelation at church. This has occasioned a couple thoughts for me in the past few weeks, and I thought I'd briefly share them.


The first relates to chapter 21, where we read that there is no sea in the new heaven and new earth. This occasioned little comment during the sermon, but I thought it would be properly linked with the end of Micah:

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

It's thrilling to me to connect these two passages because it represents the absolute removal of sin in the new heavens and new earth.

The second thought is occasioned by a comment during the end of a fairly good sermon two Sundays before Christmas. The pastor said something to the effect of, "You were hoping for gospel at Christmas, but we're going to get judgment."

It was striking to me that he set the two in opposition, because judgment really is a part of the good news. We see it, for example, in Psalm one, where the wicked will not stand in judgment. For the righteous, judgment holds no fear, and instead is intended to vindicate. More apropos the text, judgment is cause for good news (cf Re14.6) because we are witnessing the final end of sin.

It is appropriate and right to use judgment to exhort—our God is a refining fire—but God's judgment is not to be divorced from his gospel. It is not merely intended to frighten man to conversion (though it very well does, I suppose), but also to encourage believers that God will cleanse not just the world of sin, but our bodies of their sinful nature.

Christmas Verses

Since most of my three readers will not be receiving a Christmas card from me this month, I thought it would be good to post the verses I have included in my cards this year. There's a PDF available if you'd like something to print out.

The texts follow:

The angel said to him, "Fear not, Zacharias!" And the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary!" And the angel said to shepherds, "Fear not! For behold, I bring you the gospel of great joy: unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest!" (Luke 1.13,30; 2.10,13)

Who is this King of Glory? He is the LORD, strong and mighty. We beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father. And his name is called "The Mighty God." (Psalm 24.8, John 1.14, Isaiah 6.9)

This mighty God has done great things for you that you might serve him without fear. Many, O LORD my God, are your wonderful works that you have done, and your thoughts toward us. If I could declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered:

You forgive all our iniquities and heal all our diseases.
You redeem our life from destruction, and crown us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
You satisfy us with good things, and renew our youth like the eagle’s.
You execute righteousness and judgment.

(Luke 1.49,74; Psalm 40.5, 103.3-5)

Now Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared, committing himself to the one who judges righteously:

I will declare thy name to my brethren, and in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD praise him! O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together; for I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears; he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither has he hid his face from him—but when he cried unto him, he heard.

(Hebrews 5.7; 2 Peter 2.23; Psalm 22.22,23; 34.3,4; 22.24)

I wanted to connect some central themes of the gospel ("fear not," God's glory and might, his works for us) to the person and the work of Christ. I limited myself to a page (including footnotes for the references). It was difficult to put everything together as I wanted.

I think it came out well, though, and it really does highlight so many important pieces of the gospel. Glory to God in the Highest, indeed. We have so much to be thankful for.