The Master’s Seminary Journal 35, 2 (2024)

The latest Master’s Seminary Journal has been posted online. According to the Editorial, ‘the focus of the current issue… is the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New’ (152).

A pdf of the journal can be downloaded here.

Iosif J. Zhakevich

Editorial: The Christ of Scripture

Abner Chou

All That Is in a Name: Daniel’s Deliberate Christology and The Concept of the Son of Man

Given the substantial influence of the book of Daniel on New Testament Christology particularly through the phrase the “Son of Man,” scholars have asked numerous questions about the nature and significance of the title, even inquiring why it is used in certain contexts and books and not others. While commentators have attempted numerous responses to these issues, a helpful approach is to go back to the very source of the concept of the Son of Man, Daniel himself. The contention of this article is that Daniel not only spoke of the Messiah but did so with the concept of the “Son of Man” as the unifying center of his Christology. Analyzing Daniel’s Christology in this manner fleshes out the complete nature of the “Son of Man,” which gives answers to questions posed by scholarship. Even more, such analysis explains the very reason why this title is Christ’s favorite, as it expresses the totality of His mission and destiny.

Jamie Bissmeyer

The Heavenly Third Party in Job: A Preview of the Work of Christ

Though the book of Job was written long before the days of Christ, it makes significant contributions to the believer’s understanding of Christology. Job protests his case before God and man, observing the need for a heavenly third party to plead on his behalf. This third party is found in legal metaphor as a adjudicator between God and Job who would bring about Job’s justification. Job realizes the need for this adjudicator because of God’s holiness and righteousness. As this becomes clear to him, Job appeals to the heavenly third party to save him from sin, grant him a resurrection body, and reconcile him to God. This third party previews the work of Christ Jesus, who accomplishes salvation from sin, grants resurrection from the dead, and reconciliation to God for His redeemed.

Jason Beals

The Second Adam and the Necessity for Eschatological Earthly Dominion

The Old Testament’s portrayal of the coming Davidic King demonstrates His successes in the realm in which Adam failed. God tasked Adam with a mandate of dominion, in which he must rule over and subdue the created order such that it flourishes. However, Adam failed to uphold this mandate by disobeying God’s Word, plunging the world into sin. Though mankind’s mandate was not removed, none who followed Adam lived up to the fullness of its requirements before God. Yet the Scriptures make it clear that the Davidic King will not collapse like Adam, nor any other earthly king. He will succeed in the divine mandate. And it is this action that necessitates an earthly kingdom, such that the Second Adam triumphs in dominion as King over all creation.

Jared Moore

Are Your Temptations Like Jesus’ Temptations? Yes and No!

The words of the author of Hebrews, that Jesus “has been tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin,” stir controversy regarding the nature of Jesus’ temptations. Some utilize this statement as a vindication of the moral difference between the desire to sin and the act of sin, arguing that only the latter is condemned in Scripture. They argue that because temptation comes through our desires, and Jesus was tempted as we are, then desires for sin cannot be sinful because Jesus never sinned. However, this article refutes that claim by demonstrating that none of Jesus’ temptations came from within, that is from a sinful nature. Scripture never indicates that Jesus had a desire to commit sin. Rather, Jesus was tempted by that which was external to Him, by Satan, for good gifts fulfilled through sinful means.

Corey Williams and Iosif J. Zhakevich

An Interview with Iosif J. Zhakevich: The John MacArthur Publishing Group

This conversation between Corey Williams and Iosif J. Zhakevich, director of the John MacArthur Publishing Group, introduces the purpose and plan of this publishing endeavor. They discuss the value of producing biblical books and the actual projects they are currently working on. Zhakevich explains that the ultimate goal is to expound Scripture and to help believers be conformed to the image of Christ.

Mark Zhakevich

Jesus’ Love for His Own: The Remnant in John

Remnant theology in John centers on John’s presentation of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and His followers as His sheep. John demonstrates that Jesus declared Himself to be the hope of the remnant – the ultimate Shepherd about whom the Old Testament prophesied. This Good Shepherd offers the promise of eternal life to the remnant, secured by His work of redemption for the remnant. Upon redeeming His own, He regathers them together as one flock under one Shepherd, protecting them, and giving them an eternal purpose – that they would know Him and glorify Him.

Aaron Valdizan

The Significance of the Divine Name in Peter’s Pentecost Sermon

One of the reasons that the personal name of God is usually left out of translations of the Old Testament is its absence in the New Testament. However, the New Testament authors’ application to Jesus of the traditional Greek substitute for the Tetragrammaton (κύριος) reveals that they had a unique theological reason for doing so that is less clear when the divine name is missing from Old Testament translations. Peter’s use of OT Yahweh texts in Acts 2:14–36 exemplifies this unique application of texts about Yahweh to Jesus. This study of Yahweh texts in Peter’s Pentecost sermon reveals that the NT writers used κύριος to refer to two concepts at once in order to emphasize that Jesus is both Yahweh and the Master (κύριος, אדני) who must be obeyed.

Austin T. Duncan

Conversations with Jesus: Jesus and Saul

Though Jesus has ascended to heaven, Acts makes it clear that He is continuing to build His Church. One narrative that depicts this clearly is Saul’s theophanic vision on the road to Damascus. Saul, a murderer, is stopped in his tracks by the Lord of those Saul was seeking to persecute. Saul’s encounter with the resurrected Christ puts Saul on his face, so that Jesus may then put Saul on His mission. This arresting narrative teaches the reader that Jesus is sovereign over His Church, that His grace transforms the vilest of sinners, and that His saints belong to Him.

Jeffrey P. Tomkins

Colossians 1:16–17 and the Theological Implications of Christ as Creator and Sustainer

One of the key passages in the New Testament that proclaims Christ to be both Creator and Sustainer is Colossians 1:16–17. While most published works have treated Colossians 1:15–20 as a complete whole looking at its structure and content as a possible hymn, this present effort focuses on the Creator-Sustainer formula contained within verses 16 and 17. This text articulates this formula by its usage of prepositions combined with variations of πᾶς, its choice and usage of verbs, and the prevailing historical-cultural context. After demonstrating Christ’s role as Creator and Sustainer from Colossians 1:16–17, this paper will explore the theological implications of Christ as Creator and Sustainer that are applicable to the Christian’s daily life and fellowship with the Triune God.

Reviews

The Master’s Seminary Journal 33, 2 (2022)

The latest Master’s Seminary Journal has been posted online, this one focused on the Messiah in the Old Testament.

A pdf of the journal can be downloaded here.

John MacArthur

Editorial

Abner Chou

“They Were Not Serving Themselves, but You”: Reclaiming the Prophets’ Messianic Intention

This article defends the view that the Old Testament declares Christ from the beginning. However, we must discern Christ in the Old Testament by a careful study of the text and the intent of the text, not by reading new meaning back into the text. The authors of the Old Testament wrote about the Messiah, they knew that other Old Testament authors wrote about the Messiah, and they formed a deep messianic theology. In light of this, it is incumbent upon us to be watchful for how the biblical writers use and reuse words and phrases, how they form connections and patterns, and how they make linguistically distinctive associations in order to develop a messianic theology. In this way, we will be able to identify the messianic character and purpose of the Old Testament authors, and we shall see where they were “predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow” (1 Pet 1:11).

Iosif J. Zhakevich

Reverse of the Curse: An Allusion to Genesis 3:15 in Psalm 110:1

This study proposes that when David penned Psalm 110:1, he was thinking of Genesis 3:15. The linguistic, literary, and theological correlations between Genesis 3:15 and Psalm 110:1 recommend the conclusion that Psalm 110:1 is consciously alluding to Genesis 3:15. That is to say, the statement in Psalm 110:1 “Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet” hearkens back to the statement in Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman,” in order to cast the text of Psalm 110:1 in light of the text of Genesis 3:15. This allusion to Genesis 3:15, in effect, achieves within Psalm 110:1 a cosmic theological message – the reversal of the curse. These conclusions are further substantiated by the broader interconnectedness between Psalm 110 and Genesis 3:15, by the general association of Psalm 110:1 and Genesis 3 in 1 Corinthians 15:21–28, and by the specific combination of Psalm 110:1 and Genesis 3:15 in Romans 16:20.

Paul Twiss

A Tale of Two Brothers: The Messiah in Genesis 49

Biblical theological efforts to trace the hope of a Messiah have often read Genesis 49:8–12 in isolation from 49:22–26, the blessings of chapter 48, and the Jacob tôledôt as a whole. In turn, this has led to an overly simplistic rendering of Israel’s history – one that neglects the importance of Joseph’s line throughout the remainder of the OT. This paper seeks to address this matter and examine the nature of Jacob’s promises to Judah, in light of those given to Joseph. While both of these brothers play a prominent role in the book of Genesis, at the end of the narrative it is the younger son, Joseph, who receives the blessing of the first-born. Although no comment is made regarding the immediate status of Judah, Jacob’s words anticipate an eventual deliverer who will come from the line of his fourth-born son. This study explains the initial prominence of certain Josephites in Israel’s history, and the subsequent transition wherein God rejects the tribe of Ephraim, and raises up the line of Judah, through which comes the Messiah.

Todd Bolen

The Messiah in Isaiah 7:14: The Virgin Birth

Many evangelical scholars deny that Isaiah’s prophecy of a virgin giving birth to Immanuel directly predicts the birth of Jesus, arguing that the words and syntax of Isaiah 7:14 demand fulfillment in the time of King Ahaz. This article provides three arguments to support a messianic-only interpretation. First, the greater context of chapters 1–12 consistently anticipates immediate judgment upon the nation, with Judah’s hope lying beyond exile when God takes up residence with his people. Second, hermeneutical proposals of double fulfillment are shown to be unconvincing because they lack any basis in the text. Third, analysis of Isaiah 7:14–17 reveals that an 8th-century fulfillment is impossible given the nature of the sign, the meaning of almah, the syntax of the announcement, as well as the child’s name, role, diet, and character. A closer look at the timeline in Isaiah 7:16–17 shows that Immanuel could only be born after the land of Judah was laid waste, a reality that did not occur in the 8th century. This study thus concludes that Matthew and the early church exercised sound exegetical and hermeneutical principles in identifying Jesus as the sole fulfillment of the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy.

Bryan Murphy

Priest According to the Order of Melchizedek

The Messianic Hope of Israel includes more than just the right to rule over all the nations from the Davidic throne. It also incorporates a replacement of the Aaronic priesthood with a priesthood patterned after that of Melchizedek. The evidence for this is found in the predictive promise made by Yahweh through David in Psalm 110. In the New Testament, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews explains and applies this same promise as a justification for the superiority of Christ to both the Aaronic priesthood and the entire Old Testament sacrificial system. This article will present the case for the Messiah being not only one with a rightful claim to sovereignty over all nations, but also as one appointed eternally as the mediator between God and men.

David Zadok

The Messiah in the Minor Prophets

The Minor Prophets – or, The Twelve – contain an abundance of messianic prophecies that contribute to the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah in the Scriptures. Following the broader storyline of judgment and hope, one finds this thread weaving the Twelve together through the nature of the prophetic ministry to even the historical context in which the ministry of the Minor Prophets occurs. As one grasps this storyline throughout the Twelve, the role of these messianic texts becomes clear as they function to expound the coming hope for a nation that had seen God’s judgment. This paper will study these parts of the text to demonstrate the Messiah’s presence in the Minor Prophets.

Menachem I. Kalisher

Isaiah 52: The Identity and Ministry of the Servant of the LORD

Of paramount importance within the latter sections of the book of Isaiah is identifying the Servant of the LORD and comprehending the nature of His ministry. This paper seeks to unfold Isaiah 52 as the necessary context that informs the content of Isaiah 53:1–12, which is often seen as the lynchpin for understanding the identity and ministry of the Servant. This article shows that as one considers the identity and ministry of the Servant, the list of possible referents is narrowed to a single person, the God-Man Jesus Christ. This narrowing takes place in a variety of ways: through the marvelous deliverance achieved by the Servant, the Servant’s close relationship with Yahweh, the profound suffering to be endured by the Servant, and the Servant’s ultimate subjugation of His enemies.

Reviews

Southeastern Theological Review 13, 2 (Fall 2022)

The most-recent issue of the Southeastern Theological Review is online, containing the below essays centred around preaching – and particularly preaching Christ from the Old Testament. It is available as a pdf here.

Ronjour Locke

Introduction: Preaching the Word

Eric C. Redmond

The Use of Psalm 68 in Ephesians 4: A Typological Approach Toward a Solution

The grammatical changes Paul makes to the Greek quotation of Ps 68:18 (Ps 67:19 LXX) in Eph 4:8 raises a question about his hermeneutics. Some scholarly proposals for a solution include Paul’s misquotation of Scripture, a nuanced reading, a “reading” as opposed to “exegesis,” or use of an unknown Hebrew manuscript. At question in Paul’s quotation of the OT verse also is the identification of Moses as the ascending one in the Targum tradition. The Targum reading provides an avenue to consider Paul’s use as a typological reading of the exodus narrative in light of viewing Christ as the final ascending Moses in the work of redemption.

Ryan Ross

About Whom Does the Prophet Say This? The Implications of Prosopological Exegesis for Christ-Centered Preaching of the Psalms

Modern advocates of Christcentered preaching have championed typology as one of the best strategies to preach Christ from the Old Testament. In this article, I seek to show that when it comes to the book of Psalms, prosopological exegesis offers a better way to preach Christ from many of the Psalms than typology. To demonstrate this claim, I first define prosopological exegesis, then provide examples of the practice from early church Fathers. After this, Psalm 22 and 69 are used as “case studies” to demonstrate instances where the apostles interpreted the Psalms prosopologically. Finally, I discuss the implications of prosopological interpretation for Christcentered preaching of the Psalms, showing how it supplements typology as another exegetical practice to preach Christ from the Old Testament, and in many cases, provides a richer way to preach Christ from the Psalms than typology.

Jared Bumpers

Christ Crucified: The Necessity of Preaching Christ from All of Scripture

Must every sermon contain the gospel? This question has frustrated homileticians for the last several decades. While some homileticans argue preachers have a responsibility to preach Christ in every sermon, others argue preachers have a responsibility to preach the text (although they would affirm the importance of preaching Christ often). This article argues Christian preachers should preach Christ in every sermon and provides three reasons to substantiate this claim. First, the pattern of preaching in the New Testament was undeniably Christ-centered. Jesus, the apostles, and Paul embraced and practiced gospel-centered preaching. Second, Christ-centered preaching benefits the church. When Christ is preached, unbelievers are certain to hear the gospel and struggling Christians are comforted. Third, failing to preach Christ every week negatively affects the church. Christless preaching robs unbelievers of the opportunity to believe the gospel and withholds the true source of change from believers.

Adam Hughes

Expository Preaching with Biblical Contexts on the Horizon: Hebrews as a Sermonic Model

The rationale for and benefits of expository preaching have been well established in the field of homiletics. If a fair critique exists for this philosophy of preaching, however, it is that it is often seen as less applicable to the lives of the audience and therefore less effective in producing life change. One reason may be the hesitancy of practitioners to employ contextualization in their preaching. Perhaps the hesitancy lies in the concern that to do so could corrupt the meaning and intent of the pericope in the sermon. In this article, the author addresses this perceived and potential deficiency by arguing for the use of multiple levels of contextualization in expository preaching. In order to do so, four aspects of contextualization will be identified. Then, by using these aspects as a guide, the book of Hebrews, which has been recognized by contemporary scholarship as being sermonic, will be analyzed to offer both a biblical precedent for and model of a fourfold aspect of contextualization in expository preaching. Finally, five implications for contemporary preaching will be offered.

James R. Newheiser

Balanced Preaching: A Four-Legged Stool as a Model

While consecutive expository preaching has become the norm in many conservative churches, different preachers have different emphases. Some focus upon detailed expositions of the text so that their sermons sound like running commentaries. Other preachers emphasize certain favorite theological themes. Some rush straight into application, with little explanation of the text. In recent years, preaching in which the focus of every sermon is how the text fits into the history of redemption has become popular in certain circles. I have developed a model for my students in which each of these four emphases is treated like the legs of a stool. While some texts may call for more emphasis on one “leg,” every good sermon should have all four elements. Further more, over time, one’s preaching ministry should be balanced among these four aspects.

Interview with Jim Shaddix 

Book Reviews

Themelios 44, 2 (August 2019)

The latest Themelios is online here (and available here as a single pdf), containing the below articles.

Editorial

Brian J. Tabb

Fulfill Your Ministry

Strange Times

Daniel Strange

Never Say ‘the Phones Are Quiet’

Jason DeRouchie

The Mystery Revealed: A Biblical case for Christ-Centered Old Testament Interpretation

This study provides a biblical-theological foundation for a Christ-centered hermeneutic. It overviews both Old and New Testament texts that identify how the primary audience that would receive blessing and not condemnation from OT instruction would be Christians enjoying the benefits of Christ’s eschatological, redemptive work. Jesus himself provides both the light for enabling us to see and savor what is in the OT and the necessary lens that influences and guides our reading by filling out the meaning – at times by supplying unknown interpretation and other times by clarifying, expanding, and deepening the human authors’ implications. For us to grasp the full meaning of the OT’s history, laws, poems, and prophecies, we must read them through the light and lens of Christ.

Peter R. Schemm Jr. and Andreas J. Köstenberger

The Gospel as Interpretive Key to 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:16: On Christian Worship, Head Coverings, and the Trinity

God’s good design for man and woman is to be practiced in all of life, especially in the worship of the church. Apparently, the behavior of some women in the Corinthian church was dishonoring both to God and their husbands. Whatever the exact nature of the problem, it had now become a gospel matter in public worship. Therefore, Paul seeks to apply the gospel – especially the idea of giving glory and honor to God, as Christ did – directly to the issue at hand. The purpose of the article is to show how the gospel itself is the interpretive key to this particular section of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (10:31–11:16).

Mark L. Strauss

A Review of the Christian Standard Bible

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a 2017 revision and replacement of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), first published in 2004. The Translation Oversight Committee was co-chaired by Thomas Schreiner and David Allen. The CSB follows the same basic translation philosophy as the HCSB, a mediating approach between formal and functional equivalence, similar to versions like the NIV, the NET Bible and the CEB. The CSB removes a number of the HCSB’s idiosyncracies, such as the use of “Yahweh” for the tetragrammaton (YHWH). Most significantly, the CSB departs from its predecessor by positively embracing “gender-accurate” language, for example, by translating the Greek ἀδελφοί as “brothers and sisters” when the referent includes both men and women. In general, the CSB is a significant improvement over the HCSB in terms to both accuracy and style.

Coleman M. Ford

“Striving for Glory with God”: Humility as the Good Life in Basil of Caesarea’s Homily 20

Basil of Caesarea (c. AD 330–379) presents humility as the essence of the good life in his Homily 20. Humility was the chief virtue based on Christ’s own humility. Thus, true happiness was only possible through a life of humility. In this essay, I first assess the biblical and theological rationale for humility according to Basil in contrast with prior Greek and Roman notions of humility. Next, I analyze how Basil depicts humility in terms of “glory” in his Homily 20. The bestowal of glory is a gift of God and can only be achieved through a life of humble imitation of Christ. This notion gives Basil’s hearers the proper perspective to understand how the good life is lived in Christian perspective. I conclude with some practical implications for understanding Basil’s conception of humility as the good life.

C.J. Moore

Can We Hasten the Parousia?An Examination of Matt 24:14 and Its Implications for Missional Practice

Among the many possible motivations for mission participation, the eschatological motivation for missions has recently grown in prevalence. Many missionaries speak of their work as “hastening” or “causing” the Parousia. Because of a desire to see Christ come back “sooner,” the eschatological motivation has often led to missional malpractice, due to a lack of nuance and humility in biblical exegesis. Particularly, the eschatological motivation frequently leads to pragmatic practices that should be avoided, practices that hurt rather than help the Church’s mission. In this article, I examine Matt 24:14, the verse used most often in defense of the eschatological motivation for missions. Along the way, I offer my modified view, one that frees the missionary to simply proclaim the gospel of Christ with a proper recognition of God’s sovereignty over both salvation and the Parousia; and still – in some mysterious way – we can be sure that our gospel proclamation indeed plays some role in the second coming of Christ.

Jackson Wu

The Doctrine of Scripture and Biblical Contextualization: Inspiration, Authority, Inerrancy, and the Canon

This essay explores the relationship between contextualization and an evangelical doctrine of the Bible, with a special emphasis on biblical inspiration, biblical authority, biblical inerrancy, and the biblical canon. Readers will see how the doctrine of Scripture leads to a biblical view of contextualization. How might a robust doctrine of Scripture practically improve our approach to contextualization, both in principle and practice? This article not only affirms the importance of contextualization; it also identifies biblical boundaries for contextualization. In the process, readers consider specific ways to apply one’s doctrine of the Bible.

Zachary Breitenbach

The Insights and Shortcomings of Kantian Ethics: Signposts Signaling the Truthfulness of Christian Ethics 

Immanuel Kant proposed what he considered to be the one true ethical system – a system rooted in pure reason, without recourse to grounding morality in God, that sought to explain universal moral truth. This article argues that Kant’s ethical system, despite grounding morality purely in reason and in light of its own philosophical failures, contains significant insights that serve to illuminate the philosophical attractiveness of key biblical ethical principles. The article highlights three insightful objectives of Kant’s ethical view and compares them to three crucial ethical principles that are taught in the Bible. It then contends that Kant’s view of ethics fails to accomplish his desired objectives and makes the case that a biblical understanding of ethics succeeds. The shortcomings of Kantian ethics serve as a signpost to the truth of Christian ethics.

Drew Hunter

Hebrews and the Typology of Jonathan Edwards 

In appreciation for the recent resurgence of interest in biblical theology and typological interpretation, this article considers Jonathan Edwards’s typological interpretive practices and principles. The article examines what Jonathan Edwards’s interpretive reflections on Hebrews reveal about his typological interpretation of the Old Testament. The article then shows the unique contribution that Edwards’s principled typological method makes to current discussions about typology and the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament.

Book Reviews

Crucible 9, 1 (November 2018)

The latest issue of Crucible, published by the Australian Evangelical Alliance, is now available online here, with the below articles (abstracts included, where available).

According to the editorial, the Cauldron section of this issue ‘contains a number of articles emerging from the “Ancient Wisdom Modern World” conference held at Vose Seminary, Perth, on 28-29 August 2018’.

The Cauldron: peer reviewed articles

James Cregan

Eden and Jesus as the Wisdom of God in the Gospel of John

The theology of Jesus as the Wisdom of God – God’s “extension of self” to human beings – which draws heavily on the imagery of the Garden of Eden, was clearly present in the early Christian Church. Indeed, it is argued that the recognition of Jesus as Wisdom, and hence the unsurpassed manifestation of Edenic blessing, provided the theological bridge between the Old and New Testaments. This association can be found in the synoptic gospels where, for example, Jesus, through Matthew, declares that “...wisdom is vindicated by her deeds” (Mt 11:19). Luke, significantly, changes the word “deeds” to “children” (Lk 7:35) so that Jesus becomes identified with Wisdom not just through his words and actions, but also through the presence of those whose transformed hearts bear witness to Christ. Such imagery, then, informs not only a nascent theology of the Incarnation, but understandings of the kingdom of God as well. Nevertheless, the identification of Jesus as Wisdom is only of partial concern in these texts – it is in John’s gospel where the perfect identification of Jesus with Wisdom is most fully developed. In particular, John’s story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob (Jn 4:4-42) effectively demonstrates how images of Eden in Old Testament representations of Wisdom – used to analogise God’s loving predisposition towards the world, and the blessings of that bounteous love – were appropriated by New Testament authors to reveal Jesus as the source and perfect sign of the new Creation.

David Kummerow

Preaching Christ from the Prologue of Job

Even though the redemptive-historical method of Biblical Theology and Christ-centred preaching has become more common in recent years, the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament is still difficult to preach. With this in mind, this paper takes a narrow focus to address the question of how we may appropriately preach Christ from the prologue of the Book of Job (1:1-2:10). First, the Big Idea (à la Haddon Robinson) of Job will be presented, and the contribution of the prologue towards this; second, two past examples of preaching Christ from the prologue of Job will be raised, which highlight the difficulty of preaching Christ from this text; and third, this is built upon as two further sermons are discussed, which are put forward as to what is needed to preach Christ from the prologue of Job.

David G. Lowe

‘Hardness of Heart’ and Divorce: A Warning from the Wilderness

When Pharisees test Jesus on divorce, he finally charges them with “hardness of heart” (Matt. 19:3-8). In Scripture, this rare characterisation describes something more than a general stubbornness; it is a terminal verdict that attracts certain – deadly – judgement. Jesus then specifies “sexual immorality” as grounds for divorce (Matt. 19:9), but this does not compromise his absolute teaching (Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18), for the gravity of this offence aligns with the “hardness of heart” just mentioned. Applying Deuteronomy 22:22 to Matthew 19:9 leads to a wholly lawful and awful conclusion. This best accounts for the disciples’ response (Matt. 19:10) and the early church’s strict opposition to divorce. It also challenges a common equation of “sexual immorality” with “a matter of indecency” in Deuteronomy 24:1, a view that confuses the Law’s capital and non-capital offences. This is not to champion capital punishment, but to argue that Jesus truly did not relax the Law (Matt. 5:17-19). Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3-4 similarly warn against hard-heartedness, referencing the same wilderness occasion, with the same deadly judgement. Yet Jesus teaches a better way: God desires mercy. Reading Matthew 19:1-12 in the light of Matthew 18:21-35 reveals that an unpayable debt to God, as accrued by committing adultery, can be forgiven. So any debt to a spouse, any “matter of indecency,” should also be forgiven. Soft-hearted people forgive from the heart; in simple obedience they do not separate what God has joined.

John Olley

Wise Worship and Obedient Wisdom: Chronicles and an Integrated Life

“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom” rings out in the wisdom books. The book of Psalms in its structure and content exemplifies the intertwining of wisdom and worship. Yet it is stories that are powerful in changing lives, so alongside Proverbs and Psalms belongs Chronicles. For a community that was probably somewhat dispirited, struggling to carry on “life as usual” in a small province within the all-pervasive Persian empire, Chronicles tells of ways to “prosper, succeed” (the verb so translated occurs 13 times in Chronicles, only 2 in Kings). Temple worship is central and closely associated are arrangements for teaching throughout the land. Wisdom is required in the exercise of worship and worship is central to a life lived with wisdom. Wisdom (seen in practical understanding, discernment and ability) is exercised by many people in diverse contexts (building with its varied crafts, music and singing, administering a nation, defence, and common life). The story can encourage a community, helping to sustain integrated living that brings success.

Erin Martine Sessions

“Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires”: How Does the Song of Songs Speak to Australia’s Problem with Intimate Partner Violence?

The Song of Songs is ripe with fruitful metaphors and lush imagery. It is both an exploration of love and of the bodies making it. The Song is sublimely romantic and suggestively erotic poetry of the highest order. And it is difficult. There is the enigma of meaning: the density of poetic devices, ever so deftly deployed, requires careful consideration. And then there is the complexity of how it makes us, particularly Australians, feel: the Song is not a Christian Kama Sutra and yet it simultaneously elicits avoidance and awkwardness and arouses our interest. The Song of Songs is a sensuous celebration of intoxicating love, and there is much that Australians can learn from this rhapsody. Australia has a problem with love and with sex. Or, more accurately, we have a problem with intimate partner violence (IPV). One in six Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner and, on average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner. This is not sex as it was intended. This is not love as it was intended. The Song of Songs – the God-given example of good love, sex, and relationship – demonstrates how love can and should be. This paper explores how the lover and the beloved model equality, consent, initiating and pursuing a respectful relationship, mutual desire, and love-in-community for all of us, especially Australians, to emulate.

Bruce G Allder

The Telos of Preaching

Dissatisfaction is expressed by some within the church through a growing restlessness for more meaningful engagement on the journey of faith. This article suggests that preaching can assist in addressing this need. Anecdotally the purpose or telos of preaching has been narrowed by a focus on the immediate. However, this smaller vision is insufficient to scratch where people are truly itching. When preaching taps into the telos of humankind and the ultimate purposes of God, there is an expansive vision expressed for preaching. The language of invitation to participate as image bearers of our Creator in his creation, and to speak of the heart affections of the listener, gives the sermon relevance in addressing, shaping and nurturing the hungering and thirsting of the dissatisfied. An appeal is made to resist the drift into lesser purposes for preaching to encourage our people on journey of faith that can be both restless and satisfying.

The Test-tube: ministry resources

Allan Varghese

Lamentations – A Language to Present Our Speechless Suffering

Mark Chapman

A Model to Guide the Process of Selecting Cross-Cultural leaders

Leading across cultures in the current mission environment is complex and challenging for those called to such a task. In today’s multi-cultural scene of mission being from anywhere to everywhere, mission organisations face the continual challenge of placing the right leaders in the right place and the right time. For OMF International, whose primary focus is East Asia, the appointing of effective international directors to lead across multiple cultures is not an easy terrain to navigate. This paper considers the pertinent cultural implications and biblical principles, while drawing from the wisdom of current international directors to help construct a robust model to guide the process of selecting leaders for these roles. The model seeks to be a holistic approach to leadership that aims to highlight the essential character, knowledge and skills needed for the role of an international director serving in the OMF context.

The Bible Project on an Overview of the New Testament

I haven’t posted on The Bible Project for a while, but their collection of videos goes from strength to strength. Their overviews are so clearly based in solid biblical scholarship and also (in my experience at least) communicate brilliantly well to lay audiences.

The latest one is an overview of the New Testament which, in their own words, ‘breaks down the literary design of the entire New Testament and how it continues the story of the Hebrew Scriptures’, and I think it’s a model of skill and succinctness.

It can be viewed here.

Crucible 8, 2 (November 2017)

The latest issue of Crucible, published by the Australian Evangelical Alliance, is now available online here, with the below articles (abstracts included, where available).

The issue is themed on the book of Psalms, flowing out of a ‘Young Scholars Summit’, convened at Tyndale House, Cambridge, in the summer of 2014, where the goal was to pursue the question, ‘How are we as Christians to understand the Psalms messianically?’

The Cauldron: peer reviewed articles

Kathy Maxwell

Experiencing Psalm 22: A Literary Approach

Jesus’ cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” has a rich history that began long before Golgotha. Who first voiced this question and in what context? When was it put to paper? Why does Jesus cry out these particular words? How should we understand this heart-rending question from Jesus’ mouth? Whose words are these: the psalmist’s, Jesus’, or someone else’s? What do the gospel writers mean to communicate when they include so many allusions to Psalm 22 in the passion narratives? Is Jesus’ crucifixion the climactic use of the Cry of Dereliction? Is it, and if so, when is it appropriate for others to echo these same words? These questions and more arise from the synoptic Passion narratives. To answer them, one must return to the “original” source of Psalm 22. When practiced in isolation, however, historical- and literary-critical methods suffer from the frustrating ambiguity found in much of poetic literature, including that of the Bible. This study involves a close reading of Psalm 22, with a particular eye to the gospels’ use of that psalm in the Passion narrative. Historical-critical methods are useful when formulating ideas for the referent of the psalm and the original audience. Literary-critical methods are particularly helpful when studying the structure of the psalm, a fascinating study in and of itself. Drawing on insights from these two fields of research, this study attempts to move beyond their limitations to celebrate the ambiguity revealed by both. Embracing the ambiguity of Psalm 22 encourages solidarity of experience and faith among the people of God across the centuries, including the ancient Israelite, ancient Christian, and modern Christian contexts.

A.J. Culp

Of Wedding Songs and Prophecies: Canonical Reading as the Clue to Understanding Psalm 45 as Prophecy

How do the Psalms prophesy the Messiah? The New Testament writers like to cite the Psalms to show Jesus of Nazareth is Israel’s Messiah, but they do so in ways that surprise us. This has caused a long-standing interpretive problem, for while the reasoning may have been clear to them it is not clear to us. This article therefore speaks to that issue. It makes a case for a canonical approach to the Psalms as a window into the interpretive practices of the New Testament writers. Psalm 45, an Israelite wedding song cited in Hebrews 1 as evidence of Christ’s exalted nature, is used as test case.

Bryan C. Babcock

Who is “My Lord” in Psalm 110?

Psalm 110 begins “A Psalm of David. YHWH says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’" The first verse includes an ambiguous phrase “my lord” which might be interpreted to mean David as sovereign. David, as the speaker, may also be referring to his son Solomon. A final option is that David is prophetically identifying a messianic figure who will sit at the right hand of God. 

This study is the outcome of a summit held at Cambridge University sponsored by The International Reference Library for Biblical Research (IRLBR). The program offered a small community of young evangelical scholars the opportunity to pursue solutions to a current academic debate within evangelical biblical studies to the benefit of the Church. As such, the discussions centered on answering “What qualifies a psalm as messianic?” To answer this question, the team of four young scholars debated various positions while exploring Psalms 2, 22, 45, and 110. To identify the intended meaning of the psalms it was essential to understand the answers to several questions, including:

• What is the historical context for the writing of the psalm?

• How do the details of the psalm fit into its larger Old Testament context?

• How would an Old Testament reader most likely have understood these texts?

• What interpretational trajectories surface in early Jewish interpretation of these psalms?

• What hermeneutical steps have the New Testament authors taken to understand the meaning of the psalm?

This analysis works through the hermeneutical process establishing the historical context of Psalm 110 at the time of its authorship. The study then follows the interpretive trajectory through the Old Testament and into the New Testament finding three ways to support the association of the psalm with the Messiah: eschatological-typology, rhetorical-typological, and realized-typology. Finally, the project offers four applications for the modern Church.

The Test-tube: ministry resources

Jeff Brannon

Psalm 2 in the History of Redemption

Psalm 2 is a kingship psalm that represents not only the ideals, hopes, and aspirations of Israel, but also the Lord’s purposes and plans for the Kingdom of God. While many psalms focus on either the Lord’s heavenly kinship or the earthly kinship of Israel’s king, Psalm 2 emphasizes both realities and demonstrates the close relationship between the two. The themes of God’s sovereign purposes and kingship permeate the psalm. Psalm 2 also figures prominently in the New Testament as New Testament authors frequently quote or allude to the psalm in order to demonstrate its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In light of these themes, Psalm 2 is essential to investigate in any study of messianic psalms. In this investigation, I answer a number of questions related to Psalm 2 and the topic of messianic psalms. How should Psalm 2 be understood in its Old Testament context? How do the New Testament authors apply Psalm 2 to Jesus Christ? Is Psalm 2 predictive of the Messiah, or is it only messianic in hindsight? What is a messianic psalm? How is Psalm 2 messianic? In order to answer these questions, I discuss how the redemptive-historical method benefits Bible interpreters in understanding Psalm 2 both in its Old Testament context and in its New Testament references. Additionally, this essay serves as an example of the redemptive-historical approach to Scripture, and demonstrates how this method benefits Bible interpreters as they investigate Old Testament passages and their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Andrew Brown

Lift Us Up Where We Belong

David J. Cohen

Using the Psalms in Ministry

Stan Nickerson

Preaching from the Psalms: A Suggested Approach

Andrew Sloane

When Theology Sings: Reflections on the Theological Significance of Poetry

Lindsay Wilson

How to Preach Different Psalm Types in the Light of the New Testament