16 Pt. 2)

April 3, 2016November 26, 2017Kirk E. Miller

Explanation

On Sunday, January 24th, 2016, I began a Core Seminar on Redemptive History & Biblical Theology at my church, Lake Drive Baptist Church. During the course of this series I’ll be sending out emails recapping lessons and directing recipients to resources for further study.

Rather than just share these recaps with my church family, I’ve decided to share them here on the blog for anyone else who might be interested. I will be posting them occasionally over the next couple of months on a weekly basis or so.

See previous posts:

Recap/review

We continue this week’s core seminar recap with a brief–and I mean brief–survey of the wisdom literature and the psalms.

Role within redemptive history

God supplies wisdom and songs for his covenant-bound, new-creational kingdom people.

The wisdom literature and songs (psalms) lead God’s people to live properly as his redemptive-historical people with regards to (a) how they are to relate and respond to God (worship and prayer [think: the psalms]), (b) down to earth, everyday, practical living (think: Proverbs), and (c) abstract questions about life (think especially Job and Ecclesiastes).

These books–Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon–are often the ones that feel the least “redemptive-historical.” They feel the least storied, in other words. The least related to the movement of God’s saving purposes across Biblical history. They feel closer to what we might call “timeless truths.”

But, even still, these books still assume redemptive-historical realities. They have redemptive history in their background.

For example, their guidance assumes the realities of redemptive history like…

(a) God’s original creation design…

e.g., Proverbs understands wisdom as something built into the fabric of creation (see Prov 8).

(b) The fall and the entrance of evil and sin into that design…

e.g., the account of Job is only possible in a world of suffering and evil. Or, again, the book of Ecclesiastes warns us of our sinful (i.e., fallen) tendency to seek meaning apart from God.

And (c) God’s activity to restore his creation through salvation and judgment…

e.g., the Psalms speak of God’s saving activity and his promises to save in the future, i.e., redemptive-historical promises.

Or, again, Proverbs makes clear that wisdom begins with something of a converted state–a disposition that is called “fearing God.” As such, Proverbs assumes the fall, that we are all sinful “fools” who need to be rightly re-oriented to God (conversion, regeneration).

In addition, these songs and wisdom books equip God’s people to live out that role as his redemptive-historical people in the nitty gritty aspects of every day life, in the midst of the full-range of human emotions and experiences.

Overview of Biblical material

Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.

Wisdom: Wisdom literature provides guidance (wisdom = “The skill of living successfully in God’s created but fallen world”) for God’s redemptive-historical people to live as God’s redemptive-historical people.
- Job – Wisdom is knowing what you don’t know (e.g., the cause of suffering) while remembering who does.
- Proverbs – Wisdom is living godly (= the beginning of wisdom is fearing God [chs.1-9]; and here is what that looks like [chs.10-31]).
- Ecclesiastes – Wisdom is avoiding the trap of seeking to find meaning apart from God.
- Song of Solomon – Wisdom is relishing sexuality within marriage.
Songs (Psalms) – The psalms are scripts that lead us to respond and relate to God properly in the midst of the full range of human emotions and experiences.

And, so, in closing, to recap the role of these books within redemptive history–God supplies wisdom and songs for his covenant-bound, new-creational kingdom people.

Redemptive-Historical Survey: 9 | The Monarchy & Davidic Covenant (LDBC Recap 4/3/16 Pt. 1)

April 3, 2016November 26, 2017Kirk E. Miller

Explanation

See previous posts:

Recap/review

This week we looked at two stages in redemptive history: first, the monarchy and the covenant God made with David and his descendants; and, secondly, the wisdom literature and the psalms.

We begin the first installment of this week’s recap by surveying the role of the monarchy and Davidic covenant in redemptive history.

Overview of Biblical material

1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles.

Israel rebelliously demands a king (1 Sam 8). God appoints Saul.
Saul disqualifies himself from kingship by disobedience.
David is appointed king and rules successfully, conquering much of the unconquered portions of the Promised Land and settling Israel securely in the land.
God makes the Davidic Covenant with David.
After David, Solomon becomes king. He oversees the building of the temple in Jerusalem.
After Solomon (David’s son), the kingdom is divided (1 Kgs 12:1-20).
- The Northern Kingdom, known as “Israel,” composed of the 10 Northern tribes.
- The Southern Kingdom, known as “Judah.”
During this period, these two divided kingdoms persist in rebellion and idolatry until eventually God punishes them both with exile. The kings, as leaders of the people, exemplify the evil behavior of the nation.
Whereas the Northern Kingdom sees much instability with regards to her kings (e.g., assassinations, regime changes, etc.), David’s dynasty remains unbroken in the Southern Kingdom.

Role within redemptive history

With the overview of the material in play, we now ask, how does this stage—specifically God’s promises in the Davidic Covenant—fit into redemptive history? How does God’s promises about a king relate to his purposes to bring about his new-creational kingdom?

We can summarize the role of this stage of redemptive history as follows: Through covenant-bound promises to David, God specifies how he will exercise his new-creational kingdom intent of reigning over as well as through his people: he will reign especially through kings from David’s line.

However, due to disbelieving disobedience, as exemplified in the splitting of the kingdom, God’s people continue to fail to experience the full extent of God’s new creational kingdom.

Continue reading →

Redemptive-Historical Survey: 8 | Entrance and Life in the Promised Land (LDBC Recap 3/20/16 Pt. 2)

March 23, 2016November 26, 2017Kirk E. Miller

Explanation

See previous posts:

Recap/review

We continue this week’s core seminar recap by reviewing the role of Israel’s entrance and initial life in the Promised Land in redemptive history.

Overview of Biblical material

Joshua, Judges, Ruth.

After the wilderness Generation died, Moses preaches the Law at the edge of the promised land (Deuteronomy). He prepare the next generation to enter the land.
The torch of national leadership is passed from Moses to Joshua.
Joshua leads the people into the land and they/God conquer.
Joshua distributes the land, much of which is yet to be conquered, to the twelve tribes.
But, although the land is promised to them, the tribes fail to fully possess the land given to them. Many of its original inhabitants are left.
Israel’s leadership enters into a stage of judges (e.g., Ehud, Barak, Gideon, Samson, etc.), who are far from godly leaders.
The time-period of the judges is characterized by…
- (1) A lack of political stability:
- - No centralized government.
  - No king.
  - Israel is a group of loosely connected tribes.
  - Repeated oppression from surrounding nations.
- (2) A lack of moral stability:

Sum: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

Israel repeats a cycle (see Judges 2:6-23):
- (1) Disobedience/idolatry.
- (2) Divine punishment in terms of oppression of nearby nations.
- (3) Israel’s cry to God for help.
- (4) God raising up a judge and providing deliverance.

Role within redemptive history

So, now, as always, we want to ask, how does this episode fit into redemptive history? How does this initial entrance and life in the land relate to God bringing about his covenant-bound new-creational kingdom purposes?

We can summarize its place as follows: Although God is faithful to his covenant-bound purposes to bring about his new-creational kingdom, God’s people only experience a partial realization of it due to disbelieving disobedience. Continue reading →

Redemptive-Historical Survey: 7 | The Wilderness Wanderings (LDBC Recap 3/20/16 Pt. 1)

March 22, 2016November 26, 2017Kirk E. Miller

Explanation

See previous posts:

Recap/review

This week we covered the role of (1) the wilderness wanderings and (2) Israel’s entrance and initial life in the Promised Land in redemptive history.

We will break this week’s recap into two posts, one for each of those two “episodes.”

Overview of Biblical material

Numbers

From Sinai, where Israel received the Law, Israel continues towards the goal of God’s Exodus-deliverance—experience of the new-creational kingdom covenant blessings, esp. entrance into the Promised Land.
The people complain, and complain, and complain!
In unbelief (cf. the 12 spies incident) the people refuse to enter the Promised Land.
God responds by sentencing that entire generation (with the exception of Caleb and Joshua) to wander the rest of their lives in the wilderness. They will not experience the new-creational kingdom covenant blessings.
God supplies their needs during this time (e.g., manna, quail, water).
The people continue to complain and rebel.
But God remains true to his new-creational kingdom covenant purposes and prepares the next generation to enter the land (through a second giving of the Law, i.e., Deuteronomy [duet {two} + nomos {law}).

Role within Redemptive History

With that overview in place, we now want to ask, how do the wilderness wanderings fit into redemptive history? That is, how do they fit into God’s purposes of bringing about his new-creational kingdom?

Summary

We can summarize the role of the wilderness wanderings in redemptive history (the story of the outworking of God’s new-creational kingdom) this way: God’s people fail to enter God’s new-creational kingdom due to disbelieving disobedience. God postpones yet remains committed to his covenant-bound purpose of bringing about his new-creational kingdom.

Continue reading →

Redemptive-Historical Survey: 6 | The Mosaic Covenant (LDBC Recap 3/13/16)

March 14, 2016November 26, 2017Kirk E. Miller

Explanation

See previous posts:

Recap/review

This week we covered the Law or the Mosaic Covenant and its role in redemptive history.

Overview of Biblical material

Exodus 19-Deuteronomy 34.

God brings the people of Israel to Mt. Sinai (or Mt. Horeb) and he makes a covenant with them involving many laws.[1]

Terminology:

Before we move forward, we do well to note the various terms used to refer to this covenant so that, as we talk about this covenant and perhaps use these various terms, we are all on the same page in knowing what we are talking about.

The Law – Because this was law-covenant, a covenant involving many laws.[2]
Mosaic Covenant – Because Moses was the mediator of this covenant; it was given through Moses.
Israelite Covenant – Because this covenant was made with the nation of Israel.
Sinai Covenant (or covenant at Sinai) – Because this is where the covenant was made.
Old Covenant – i.e., “Old” as in contrast to the New Covenant. It is “old” now that it has been superseded.