Posts Tagged ‘Foundations of Biblical Thinking (2005)’
FBT – God Desires Our Whole Heart
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 describes a stubborn and rebellious son who, despite chastisements, will not obey his father and mother. The Law allows the parents of such a child to present him to the elders at their town’s gate and "say to the elders, ‘this son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us.…
Read MoreFBT – The Law of the Lord
Deuteronomy chapters 12-26 contain the exposition of God’s law. At the onset, He demands that His people purge their land of all false religion (Deut. 12). The Lord of all will not tolerate being worshiped at shrines to pagan idols. Further, He abhors any relativistic attitudes where men do whatever seems right in their eyes…
Read MoreFBT – Do Not Forget God’s Commandments
Because Jesus’ teachings build upon the Law which God revealed through Moses, Christians must take care not to overlook the Old Testament. The fourth chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy contains God’s demand that we heed all of His statutes and ordinances and that we "do them that [we] may live" (v 1). One brings…
Read MoreFBT – Second Giving of the Law
Deuteronomy is a keystone in the arch of Biblical theology. Literally meaning a "second recitation of the law," to understand this book is to understand the standards Christ sought to raise. Jesus said "think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets, I have come to fulfill them; not one jot…
Read MoreFBT – Holy Priesthood and Rebellions
God gives a central decree when He says "Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation" (Ex 19:5-6). The Apostle Peter expounds on…
Read MoreFBT – Faithlessness vs. Steadfast Love
Numbers clearly shows how terror strikes when the people of God will not maintain sustained worship of the God who is in their midst; in the absence of disciplined devotion, they simply lost hold of Him and turned to murmuring and to other gods. Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers all center on the holiness of God…
Read MoreFBT – Preparation, Provision and Severe Mercy
The initial three chapters of the Book of Numbers showcase that the whole people belongs to God, the Tabernacle has a central place amidst the people, and that the Levites have a unique and extremely important duties. Throughout this time of encampment, the Levites punctiliously guard and maintain the Tabernacle, guard people against the wrath…
Read MoreFBT – The Priests and the People of God
The modern Christian may be somewhat unfamiliar with the specifics of Israel’s 40-year desert experience. Their sojourn begins in Exodus and the early sections of the Book of Numbers, ever guided by the teachings of Leviticus. Although the Israelites gained physical freedom after crossing the Red Sea, they ceaselessly complained and rebelled throughout their journey…
Read MoreFBT – Deliverance and the Law
Returning to our study in Exodus 3:4-22, the call of Moses on at Sinai showcases a veritable theology of God. The God of the Hebrews is not a mere tribal God, for He is "I Am Who Am." Egypt is the classical Biblical metaphor for oppression and worldliness. In our modern context, we, too, need…
Read MoreFBT – The Foundations of the Great Exodus
Despite the popularity of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 movie The Ten Commandments, modern Christians tend not to study the Book of Exodus. Its name taken from the Hebrew for "the way out," this second book of the Bible speaks of the quintessential human desire to depart from misery and begin rejoicing. The well-known tale of…
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