Fall 2008 Classes

This semester I am taking four classes:

1. Hebrew

This is both fascinating and tedious. I love learning a language that is completely foreign and ancient. It is giving me a greater appreciation of the complexities, similarities, and miraculousness of language in general. The very fact that we can communicate with such expressive language reveals there is something special about humans.

But, as I said, it is tedious. Much memorization and rules can distract from the wonders of verbal and written communication. As my professor says, when God confused the languages in Genesis 11, He did a very good job.



2. Introduction to Preaching

We are learning the basics of sermon construction and delivery. This by far is the most confusing class to me. Coming from engineering, I enjoy the structures that follow from the natural laws of the world. With preaching there are structures, but many are style preferences. Wading through what is preference and what is rule is difficult for me. I am thankful for the class as it pushes me to think in new ways.



3. Old Testament Studies I

This is the first of three survey classes that gives a broad overview of each book of the Bible. I love this class. My homework is to read each book of the Bible three times. This semester we are covering half of the Old Testament - from Genesis to Chronicles. This class is showing me riches in the Bible I have never seen before.



4. Hermeneutics

How can people read the same book and come to such different conclusions? This class discusses the historical-grammatical method of interpreting the Bible. Basically that means that when the Bible was written, the writers who were inspired by God literally meant what they/He wrote. When Genesis says that after the flood God promises to never destroy the whole earth with a flood again - it means exactly that: there was a worldwide flood in the time of Noah, and God will never destroy the whole earth with a flood again. While this may stretch our faith, I have appreciated this class as it pushes me to take God at His Word. I sort of think of it with what Horton says when Dr. Seuss wrote, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's word is one hundred percent." I think Horton would have a historical-grammatical hermeneutic.

Forgiveness Before Law: A Thought About the Kindness of God

The book of Leviticus is commonly known for its detailed laws regarding foods the Israelites could and could not eat; laws about skin diseases; laws about sexual purity; laws about loving neighbors; and many other laws covering a wide range of topics. Typically, this book of laws is not acclaimed as inspiring reading. But consider this: before all of these laws are listed and punishments identified, there are seven chapters about sacrifices. Before any law is described, God lays out His provision for forgiveness of transgressing a law. Forgiveness first, then law. This is not the way we do things, but this is the way God does it. We may tend to shy away from sacrifices - they are bloody, messy, and seemingly primitive. However, something as provocative as the death and fiery consumption of an animal needs to be displayed in order to show the magnitude of the event occuring, which is the forgiveness of sin against the One who is infinitely perfect. When sin happens, death always follows - it will either be yours, or someone else's in your place. And God does not accept sinners on behalf of sinners. In the Old Testament, it was animal sacrifices looking forward to the One who would be the sacrifice to end all sacrifices - Jesus Christ.

The Book of Numbers and Counting

I woke up this morning thinking about my Old Testament Studies class from yesterday. We have been studying the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible), for as long as I have been in school, and reached the book of Numbers yesterday. As we looked at this book that describes the rebellion of Israel against their faithful God, I was struck by something I was not expecting.

According to the book of Numbers, there were approximately 2.5 million Jews (the Bible records the census was of men 20 years and older who could go to war (Numbers 1:1 - 46) - considering most men were married with kids, a conservative estimate is 2.5 million total population) who were brought out of Egypt around 1445 B.C., traveling to the land that God promised to them. Consider that number! Two and a half million people - that's approximately the population of the city of Houston, Texas. Imagine the entire city of Houston wandering around Texas for forty years, like the people of Israel did (though not in Texas). What would it take to support that many people? In addition to their own need, Israel had cattle and flocks that needed food and water. And remember, they were not wandering Texas with flat plains and water - they were wandering the wilderness (= uninhabitable).

The question came up in class: How could 2.5 million people survive in the wilderness for 40 years? It makes no logistical sense. Because of this, many Bible scholars have dismissed the numbers and proposed other interpretations of the text, saying it was corrupted, or inflated to display military might, or the numbers are merely symbolic. And this is what became striking to me - on what grounds are people able to propose alternative meanings to the population of Israel recorded in the book of Numbers? Is it legitimate to reason that the wilderness is not capable of supporting that many people and therefore the numbers in the Bible must not be literally correct?

This question will come up over and over again in different settings in the Bible. Did Jesus really feed the five thousand from a few loaves? Did Jesus really walk on water? Did Jesus really heal the sick? Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

So, maybe the population of Israel in 1445 B.C. does not seem like a big deal to most - but Jesus rising from the dead is a huge deal ("And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain...[and] your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." -1 Corinthians 15:14,17). There is no natural explanation for a man dead three days to be alive and well after his death...but there is a supernatural one.

How we view God and His words will alter how we view details like the population of Israel, and more importantly, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we affirm God created the Universe out of absolutely nothing, then sustaining a few million people in a wilderness with bread from heaven will seem but a small display of the magnificence of His power, might, and care.

Rejected Blog Titles

While not necessarily fitting with the intentions for this blog, I think it is still appropriate to present some of the finer blog title suggestions I received from Dad and Priscilla:

Mister Minister
They Call Me Rev !
From Aerospace to Bibleplace
BiblioThinka
Searching For Signs
Not Searching for Signs
Thy Way or the Highway
No, I'm not Becoming a Priest

Feel free to submit your suggestions for blog titles.

Blogging Beginnings

I think everybody and their brother has a blog these days...except my brother, which is one of the reasons I feel compelled to begin this. The other, slightly more compelling reason, is that I want to share, record, and process this journey I am beginning at The Master's Seminary. Six weeks into a three year program and my mind is already stuffed with new thoughts waiting to be sorted. My hope is that anyone who is interested will be able to follow along as I attempt to turn the truths I learn in class into personal understanding.
Perhaps, there is no more compelling reason for me to do this than to in some way express the wonder I feel at studying the Word of God, the Bible, each day. As I begin to see the uniqueness of the God of the Bible among all the Universe, my mind is starting to spin without a spot to stash this collection of thoughts. It would be my great delight if God and His ways as recorded in the Bible would be made plainer to me and to others who might read a post here and there.