PT Guide to New Testament now available

Hard Cover - $33  Paperback - US$25

This is Project Timothy's Guide to the New Testament. Each book of the NT is introduced according to the chronology of its publication. So we start with the Epistle of James. It covers the different genres of writing and features biblical exegesis and hermeneutics in engagement with archaeology, the sciences, philosophy and historiography. This is an ideal book for Christians and unbelievers who seek a no nonsense examination of the New Testament for the 21st century. Written by an evangelical independent scholar, the contents are not beholden to any hidden agenda or denominational requirements. The only affirmation of the author is that the Bible is an inspired writing to guide the confessional follower of Jesus, the Christ. Visit us at www.actministry.org

The Old Testament in 300 words

This is the story of this world’s beginning, the emergence of earliest humanity, down to one man, Abra(ha)m, founding patriarch, from whose descendants came a family, followed by a group of clans under the name, Israel. Abram had moved from Mesopotamia (now Iraq) via north Syria into Canaan (Palestine ). Later, his grandson and family came down to Egypt, staying there for generations, until they escaped to Sinai, had a covenant and laws with their deity as their ruler, and moved on to what is now Jordan back into Canaan. A checkered phase of settlement culminated in a local monarchy. David and Solomon are said to have subdued their neighbors, holding a brief ‘empire’ in the 10th century BC, until this was lost and the realm split into two rival petty kingdoms called Israel (to the north) and Judah (to the south). These lasted until Assyria destroyed Israel by 722BC and Neo-Babylon destroyed Judah by 586 BC, with much of their population exiled into Mesopotamia (the land of Abraham’s birth). Then Persia took over Babylon. Some captive Judeans (henceforth called Jews), were allowed back to Canaan to renew their small community during the 5th century BC, while others stayed on both in Babylon and in Egypt. The library of writings that contains this narrative includes versions of laws and covenant reputedly enacted at Mount Sinai, and renewed in Moab and Canaan. Writings in the names of various spokesmen or prophets were added. They sought to call the people back to their own god YHWH. The Psalms or Hebrew hymns and prayers, and various forms of wisdom literature, whether discussive or instructional, were also added. From Abraham to Ezra and Nehemiah, the entire history spanned around 1600 years, c.2000 to c.400 BC.

How did Saul, David and Solomon fail to meet God's standards?

How did Saul, David and Solomon fail to meet God's standards? What are the standards of Christian leadership and how do we translate the notion of Israel's fidelity to God's covenant in the 21st century Gentile context?

In your exegesis, establish the authorial intent. Why does the writer describe the kings this way? Later, compare this Samuel-Kings account (Court Historian) of the same events with that of Chronicles (Chronicle's Historian).

In your hermeneutics, establish a reader response. Look for the contemporary analogues to kings and prophets. Then examine what lessons we may draw from these four remarkable books about leadership.

Answer: 467 words

Exegesis:-

God intended to form a nation under divine rule, but the Israelites preferred to be like the other nations. God himself chose the three kings as an accommodation to the desire of the Israelites. But even God's choice does not guarantee obedience. This supports the real freedom of will that we enjoy. The kings become a law unto themselves - autonomous. This resulted in the eventual collapse of the monarchy and divided the nation into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. The transition from nation (rule by God) to kingdom (rule by king) changed the character of leadership. Each of the three kings abused the privilege of power and took themselves too seriously. This led Saul to reason away and justify his departure from God's command. David came to trust his own abilities and fooled himself into believing that he can justify his actions against Uriah. Solomon asked for wisdom but ended up unwisely showing off his grandeur and justified his adoption of pagan gods. Both David and Solomon aspired to be kings of a nation - like the other nations.The common thread in their reign was the justification of autonomy. They convinced themselves that they were above the law of God because they were in positions of power. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Hermeneutics:-

We are motivated by incentives. Whatever incentivizes you also motivates you. The emergence of the political system we inherit come bundled with the tragedies and consequences of flawed humans. Human leaders do not really have the interests of the people at heart. Thus, we ought to better manage our expectations and our disappointments. Look to God alone for true security and significance. This is no naive pacifism or blind ignorance to the harsh realities of life. Rather, if forms a reasoned trust in our creator to comfort us in our hour of despair and anticipates God's promise to wipe away every tear. When we replace God in favor of intoxicating charismatic leadership, we doom ourselves to disappointment and despair. Christian leadership is therefore an exercise in ego-control. We permit and indeed, exploit our incentivized motivation to achieve and accomplish our goals. But unbridled, that passion for achievement is disastrous. We need to manage our expectation of rewards so that we do not overstep the boundaries of what is acceptable. Fidelity to God demands that we avoid justifying autonomy. What then is the nomos (law) that we heed? It is the law of God. Since the church is Israel, the biblical covenant is pertinent to Gentiles in the 21st century because in Christ, there is no distinction between Gentile and Jew (Gal 3:28)

Conclusion:-

Leaders will always be tempted with autonomy, to be like God. Christian leadership must always beware this weakness of human aspiration.

Ron's comments in PT - Asian chapter

Ron has placed some comments on Facebook's PT - Asian chapter group.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5924460677

You may need to apply to join group if you have not done so yet.

Happy reading Leviticus and Numbers.

Ron's guide to Genesis Chapter 11 Q & A

Q&A for GENESIS: Read Chapter 11 – Tower of Babel

Q: Why did God scatter the people?

What does the writer wish to say when he writes in verse 6 that may apply to us?
Start by reading the entire book of Genesis in a single pass. Then read a second time more
slowly, pausing to consult the commentary when necessary. Make notes of what you learn.
In your exegesis (what it means then), turn to passages before and after chapter 11 if it is helpful.
Paraphrase the pertinent parts of the text. Consult all three of your Bible versions to secure a
range of possible meanings. Do word studies of say, ‘language,’ or ‘name,’ or ‘scatter.’ Then
build up a contextual history of the passage, its geographical and historical loci, if available.
Consider the creation stories in the surrounding regions within the Middle East. Ask yourself
why God was so concerned that the people wanted to make a name for themselves. Was the
whole earth, as we know it involved? Did all the people on earth speak a single grammatical
language at that time? What did God achieve by confusing the languages of the people? Now
consider the genre of this passage. It is a prehistorical text, so we are not bound to take the story
to be a chronological report of what happened in spacetime. If the story is metaphorical or
analogical, what could the writer be trying to say to the original readers, then?
Now in your hermeneutics (what it means to us now), translate the lesson to circumstances in our
contemporary life and look for convergences. How do we seek a name for ourselves today? How
may this universal quest for security and significance frustrate God’s intention for us? What is
the significance of the word language in chapter 11? How does God scatter us today and does
this compromise our freedom of will?
Lay out your arguments tightly within a single page and avoid repeating yourself or writing
words to buy you time. Get straight to the point and honor the time of your reader (tutors).
Make sure your answer actually responds to the question. Here are some examples of how you
might begin your conclusion. Then remember to offer a hermeneutic.
1. “In the Genesis account, God scattered the people because …” “Today, we may draw the
lesson/inference that …”
2. “The meaning of scatter in this text might refer to …, so the story of the divine scattering
refers to …” “Today, we may draw the lesson/inference that …”
3. “The term 'people' in the texts refers to ….” “Today, we may draw the lesson/inference that
…”
4. In site of the Notes, I interpret this reading to be a literal account. I am therefore obliged to
also assume the implications that follow from this. They are …”

Audio Bible

You can get audio Bibles from Christian book shops like Evangel Book Centre, Salvation or others.

If you want MP3s or listen to the Bible online, you an try the following URLs:

http://www.audiotreasure.com/ (KJV only)

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/ (various versions, recommended)

http://www.sermonaudio.com/biblesearch.asp

Comments on Joshua's Q&A

These comments (from Dennis) are based on Q&A prepared.

Joshua

Does God reveal Himself in history? Yes and since this is so with regards to Joshua, what then are we to make of the moral difficulties involved? Is there a justification for war? Joshua 11:16-20

From your write up, I sensed that you wanted to seek justification for war but end up stating that there is no justification for war. How about going to war in "defence", would this be more acceptable? Verse 20 gives us some similiarity in that it was the Lord who hardened hearts just as He had hardened the heart of the Pharoah in contention with Moses. You have provided a broad backround to the passage compare to the exegetical content i.e. what was the author trying to get across to the readers of that time. Perhaps this further exegetical exercise would help us find justification in war. Additionally, perhaps if we could study into more details on the culture of that period, we may be able understand better. Is war a common thing then? Are they skirmishes or an all out war like between countries. The broader question I would asked is, "Can God use war to fulfill His purpose?" Could it be that we struggle to find justification for war because of its atrocities and also that we are also troubled on the personal level if we try to justify it.