SHBC Sunday schoolGetting to Know God Better, Week 1August 24, 2008
GettingtoKnowGodBetter,Week1
IntroductiontoAnthropomorphism
TypesofLiteratureintheBible
Question:HowmanytypesofliteraturearethereintheBible?Answer:Yes
OldTestament / NewTestamentLaw / Genesis / MajorProphets / Isaiah / Gospels / Matthew
Exodus / Mark
Leviticus / Jeremiah / Luke
Numbers / John
Deuteronomy / Lamentations / ActsoftheApostles
History / Joshua / PaulineEpistles / Romans
Judges / Ezekiel / 1-2Corinthians
Ruth / Galatians
1Samuel / Daniel / Ephesians
2Samuel / Philippians
1Kings / MinorProphets / Hosea / Colossians
2Kings / Joel / 1-2Thessalonians
1Chronicles / Amos / 1-2Timothy
2Chronicles / Obadiah / Titus
Ezra / Jonah / Philemon
Nehemiah / Micah / GeneralEpistles / Hebrews
Esther / Nahum / James
Wisdom/Poetry / Job / Habakkuk / 1-2Peter
Psalms / Zephaniah / 1-3John
Proverbs / Haggai / Jude
Ecclesiastes / Zechariah / RevelationofJesusChrist
SongofSolomon / Malachi
OldTestament:Law
TheBibleisfilledwithavarietyofliterature.Startingout,thereistheLaw(Genesis–Deuteronomy).TheJewscalltheLawtheTorah(literally,‘instruction’).However,it’sgotmorethanjustinstruction.It’sgotnarrative(stories),poetry(Adam’sfirstwordsinGenesis2),genealogies(largepartsofGenesis)andmuchmore.TheLawcoverstheperiodoftimefromCreationtothetimeofJoshua(about2,500years).
OldTestament:History
ThenextsectionintheOldTestamentisthehistory.FromJoshuatoEstherweseethereignofthejudges,thekingsandaveryhistoricalaccountofeventscoveringsmallbitsandpiecesof~1,000years.
OldTestament:Wisdom/Poetry
ThenextsectionistheWisdomorPoeticalbooks.Thesefivebooks(startingwithJob,whichsomepeoplethinkmaybetheoldestliteratureknowntomanandperhapsthefirstbookoftheBibleactuallywritten)arewrittenwithanextremelypoeticalstructure.JobisbasicallyaconversationbetweenJobandthreeofhisfriends.PsalmsisacollectionofpoemswrittenbyavarietyofauthorsshowingthevirtualequivalentoftheOldTestamentsongbook.ProverbsandEcclesiastesarebrilliantexposesonlifeandhowtoliveit,andTheSongofSongsfinishesupthesectionbygivingusdeepdrinkofromance.
OldTestament:Prophets
ThelastsectionoftheOldTestamentisbrokendownintotwosubsectionsinmodernscholarship—MajorProphetsandMinorProphets.Whythedivision?TheMajorProphetsaresimplylongerbooksthantheMinorProphets.Now,mostofyouprobablydon’tdoalotofdevotionaltimeintheMajorandMinorProphetsduetotheeffortnecessaryforunderstanding.It’snotlow-hangingfruitlikePsalmsandProverbs.TheProphetsrequireworksincesuchalargepartofsomanyofthemarewritteninfigurative(i.e.,notliteral)language.However,justbecausetheycanbeabitmorechallengingdoesn’tmeanweshouldignorethem.AllScriptureisprofitableandthereforeallScriptureshouldbestudied.
NewTestament:Gospels
IntheNewTestament,wearegreetedwithfouraccountsofJesusChrist.WemeetJesus,weseeHisbirth,Hislife,Hisministry,Hisfamily,Hisdisciples,Hisstruggles,Hisopposition,Hislove,Hispatience,Histeaching,Hisdeathandfinally,Hisresurrection.TheGospelscommunicatetheGoodNewsthatJesusChrististheMessiahandthatHehasenabledustohavesalvationthroughHisblood.
NewTestament:ActsoftheApostles
ThenextsectionoftheNewTestamentisthetransitionalbookoftheActsoftheApostles—andthat’sexactlywhatitis—it’sthehistoryofwhattheapostlesdidafterJesusleft.ItliterallystartsouttellingthestoryofthefirstfewdaysofChristianityandwhathappenedforthenextfewyears.Actscommunicatesthefirststepsofthechurchandwhatworkedandwhatdidn’t.It’sbestreadwithamapatyourfingertipsasyouwillbetakenallovertheMediterraneanonthemissionaryjourneysofPeterandPaul.
NewTestament:PaulineEpistles
ThenextsectionoftheNewTestamentarethePaulineEpistles—letterswrittenbyPaultothevariouschurchesthatneededinformation,encouragement,rebuke,directiononhowtopulloffChristianity.Paulwasprolificinhislettersandwasextremelypracticalinhisadviceanddirectiontotheearlychurch.
NewTestament:GeneralEpistles
ThenexttolastsectionoftheNewTestamentisthemiscellaneoussection—thesectionwherethelettersnotwrittenbyPaulwereput.Theytoo,providedinformation,encouragement,rebukeanddirectiontothechurchesthatwereborninthisera.
NewTestament:RevelationofJesusChrist
ThelastbookintheBibleisperhapsthemostamazinginitsimagery,language,scope,size,scaleandsubstance.It’sthestoryofJesusChristcomingbacktofinishthejobandsetupeternity—agreatending.
So,asyoucansee,there’sanincrediblevarietyinthetypesofliteratureusedintheBible—there’sinstruction,history,narrative,poetry,prophecy,storiesandmuch,muchmore.Allofthesevaryingtypesofliteraturebegthequestion—howarewetounderstanditall?Arewetoreadeverythingthesame—takeitatfacevalue(literalinterpretation)oraretheresomeareasoftheBiblethatrequireadifferentperspective(amorefigurativeinterpretation)tounderstandwhat’sgoingon?
Literalvs.Figurative
Fortunately,therehavebeenmanymenandwomenwhoarefarmorelearnedabouttheScripturesthanwearetogiveussomeguidanceintheseareas.OurchurchtakesaveryliteralapproachtoBibleinterpretation—perhapsyou’veheardGaryspeakabouthowweatSHBC,“InterprettheBibleliterally.”ThisphilosophyenablestheaverageguytoreadtheBibleandinsurethatit’srelevantandunderstandable.If,assometheologiesteach,everythingistobeinterpretedfiguratively,thenitveryquicklybecomesdifficulttoknowwhat’swhat.Take,forexample,Genesis49.
FiguringouttheFigurative
Hereareafewtipsforfiguringoutthefigurativefromabookthatourpastortookusthroughawhileago:LivingbytheBookbyHowardHendricks,pages260-264.
1.Usetheliteralsenseunlessthereissomegoodreasonnotto(SongofSolomon)
2.Usethefigurativesensewhenthepassagetellsyoutodoso(Genesis37Joseph’sdreams)
3.Usethefigurativesenseifaliteralmeaningisimpossibleorabsurd(Revelation1:16)
4.Usethefigurativeifaliteralmeaningwouldinvolvesomethingimmoral(John6:53-55)
5.Usethefigurativesenseiftheexpressionisanobviousfigureofspeech(Proverbs11:22)
6.Usethefigurativesenseifaliteralinterpretationgoescontrarytothescopeofthepassage(Revelation5:1-5)
7.Usethefigurativeifaliteralinterpretationgoescontrarytothegeneralcharacterandstyleofthebook(Psalm63:7)
8.Usethefigurativesenseifaliteralinterpretationgoescontrarytotheplanandpurposeoftheauthor(Psalm1:1,1:3)
9.UsethefigurativesenseifaliteralinterpretationinvolvesacontradictionofotherScripture(Mark10:25)
10.Usethefigurativesenseifaliteralinterpretationwouldinvolveacontradictionofdoctrine(1Corinthians3:16-17)
So,nowthatwehaveafewguidelinesandhavelookedatScripturefroma10,000footview,let’sdigintooneofthetypesofliteraturethatisusedinScripture—anthropomorphism.
AnthropomorphismDefined
Anthropomorphismisattributinghumancharacteristicstothenon-human.ThewordcomesfromtwoGreekwords,anthropos(man)andmorphe(shapeorform).Anthropomorphismisliteraturethatdescribessomethingnon-humanusingtheshapeorformstypicallyfoundonlyinmankind.
AnthropomorphismoutsideofScripture
1.PerhapstheeasiestplacetofindanthropomorphismsisinGreekmythology.HowmanyofyouhadtostudyorreadsometypeofGreekmythologywhileinschool?TheGreekshadmanygodsandtheirgodswereconstantlyexhibitinghumanbehavior.Doesanyonehaveanyexamplesofthat?
Wikipedia:Eachgoddescendsfromhisorherowngenealogy,pursuesdifferinginterests,hasacertainareaofexpertise,andisgovernedbyauniquepersonality....Mostgodswereassociatedwithspecificaspectsoflife.Forexample,Aphroditewasthegoddessofloveandbeauty,Areswasthegodofwar,Hadesthegodofthedead,andAthenathegoddessofwisdomandcourage.Somedeities,suchasApolloandDionysus,revealedcomplexpersonalitiesandmixturesoffunctions,whileothers,suchasHestia(literally"hearth")andHelios(literally"sun"),werelittlemorethanpersonifications.
Wikipedia:Manymythologiesarealmostentirelyconcernedwithanthropomorphicdeitieswhoexpresshumancharacteristicssuchasjealousy,hatred,orlove.TheGreekgods,suchasZeusandApollo,wereoftendepictedinhumanformwithbothcommendableanddespicablehumantraits.
2.Anthropomorphismfrequentlyoccursinchildren’sliterature.ThinkaboutAesop’sFables:TheFoxandtheGrapes,TheTortoiseandtheHare,TheCrowandthePitcherandTheWolfinSheep’sClothing.Alloftheseareanthropomorphicworks.ThinkaboutAlice’sAdventuresinWonderland.There’stheCheshireCatwhotalks,theWhiteRabbitwhoworrieshe’llbelateandAlice—whocommunicateswithalloftheseanthropomorphiccharacters.ButwhatdoesthathavetodowithScripture?
AnthropomorphisminScripture
DivineWoofromSexGod,byRobBell(pages95-100)
Godrelatestousthroughanthropomorphism.Wecan’trelatetotheinfinite,soGodcomesdownanddescribesHimselfandHisinteractionswithusintermsthatwecanunderstand.TheScripturesdescribeGodchangingHismind(whilenotchangingHisnature)—that’sweektwo.TheScripturesdescribeGod’seyeswatchingus(eventhoughHe’saspirit)—that’sweekthree.TheScripturesdescribeHisoutstretchedhandthatcansave—that’sweekfour.TheScripturesdescribeourprayersgoinguptoGodandthattheyarea,“sweet-smellingsavor”—that’sweekfive.TheScripturesdescribethingsthatwecandothatpleaseGod—thatputasmileonHisnon-corporealface—that’sweeksix.
TheScripturestaketheout-of-this-worldGodanduselanguagethatallowsustoknowHim,tounderstandHim,toloveHimandtoseekoutwaystopleaseHim.There’salottolearninthisstudyandIhopeyoucomeeachweeksothatwecangothroughtheprocessofGettingtoKnowGodBetter.
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Jim FlemingOurSundaySchool.com
SHBC Sunday schoolGetting to Know God Better, Week 2August 31, 2008
GettingtoKnowGodBetter,Week2
Sentiment:ExploringtheEmotions
Review
Lastweek,welookedatthevarioustypesofliteratureintheBible—fromtheTorahtotheRevelation.Wesawthatthereisnarrative,poetry,history,prophecyandmore.Allofthesevaryingtypesofliteraturebegthequestion—howarewetounderstanditall?Arewetoreadeverythingthesame—takeitatfacevalue(literalinterpretation)oraretheresomeareasoftheBiblethatrequireadifferentperspective(amorefigurativeinterpretation)tounderstandwhat’sgoingon?
Next,welookedathowourchurchinterpretstheBible—literally.InterpretingtheBibleliterallyjustmeansthat(andI’mquotingfromtheClarifyingStatementonDispensationalism,publishedbytheNewEnglandBibleConference:TheBiblemustbeinterpretedliterallywhichisthewaylanguageisnormallyandnaturallyunderstood.WerecognizethattheBiblewritersfrequentlyusedfigurativelanguagewhichisanormalandpicturesquewayofportrayingliteraltruth.
Wetookafewminutesandlookedatsomeguidelinesofwhentointerpretliterallyvs.figuratively(fromHowardHendricks’book,LivingbytheBook).
Then,weturnedtoonetypeoffigurativelanguageintheBible—anthropomorphism.Anthropomorphismisattributinghumancharacteristicstothenon-human.ThewordcomesfromtwoGreekwords,anthropos(man)andmorphe(shapeorform).Anthropomorphismisliteraturethatdescribessomethingnon-humanusingtheshapeorformstypicallyfoundonlyinmankind.
WebrieflylookatanthropomorphismoutsideofScripture(foundbothinGreekmythologyandchildren’s’literature).
Lastly,weturnedtoScriptureandtalkedaboutthefactthatGodrelatestousthroughanthropomorphism.Wecan’trelatetotheinfinite,soGodcomesdownanddescribesHimselfandHisinteractionswithusintermsthatwecanunderstand.Inthisseries,we’lllookatGod’semotions,Hiseyes,Hisarms,HisnoseandfinallyHissmile.TheScripturestaketheout-of-this-worldGodanduselanguagethatallowsustoknowHim,tounderstandHim,toloveHimandtoseekoutwaystopleaseHim.There’salottolearninthisstudyandIhopeyoucomeeachweeksothatwecangothroughtheprocessofGettingtoKnowGodBetter.Today,we’llfocusonthreeofGod’semotions—and theymaysurpriseyou.
1.Jealousy
Exodus20:4-5:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. Worshippingand/orservinganythingotherthanGodcausesHimtobejealous
Exodus34:14:(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God). ‘Name’canalsobetranslated,‘memorial’or‘reputation’
Deuteronomy4:24:For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. ‘Consuming’canalsobetranslated,‘devouring’
Ezekiel39:25:“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.’” GodisjealousforHisname
Joel2:18:Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.GodisjealousforHisland
1Corinthians10:15-22:15I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.16The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17Forwe,thoughmany, are one breadandone body; for we all partake of that one bread.
18Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?19What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?20Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.22Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?Don’t gobackandforth—you’ll risk God’sjealousy
2.Anger
Numbers11:1,10,33: 1Nowwhenthe people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heardit,and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumedsomein the outskirts of the camp.10Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 33But while the meatwasstillbetween their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
Numbers12:9: So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. This, I think, is one of the scariest verses in Scripture. Can this happen today? Yes (fellowship) and no (the Holy Spirit).
Numbers32:10-13: 10So the LORD’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying,11‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the landof which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,12except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed theLORD.’13So the LORD’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.
Deuteronomy9:13-20: 13“Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people.14Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’
15“So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire; and the two tablets of the covenantwerein my two hands.16And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God—had made for yourselves a molded calf! You had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you.17Then I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.18And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.19For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the LORD was angry with you, to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me at that time also.20And the LORD was very angry with Aaronandwould have destroyed him; so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
Joshua 7:1-26: 1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
10 So the LORD said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man. 15 Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day. God gets angry when we disobey His word (and His anger can be appeased)
Judges3:8: Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years.
2Samuel6:1-7:1 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. 3 So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. 4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.
6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. God gets angry when we do not follow the details He has set forth
Romans1:18:For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. God’s anger is present in the New Testament against all unrighteousness
3.Love
Deuteronomy7:7,8,13: 7 The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 13 And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you.
2Samuel12:24:Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the LORD loved him. God’s love is shown to children
Psalm42:8:The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me—A prayer to the God of my life. Chesed, the loving-kindness of God