Cut for Kingship

What does God commit Himself to when He makes a covenant with Abraham? Genesis 17 gives a number of specifics: Abraham will be a multitude of nations, his name will become Abraham, Yahweh will be God to Abraham and to his seed and will give them the land. Twice in Genesis 17, the covenant includes . . . . Continue Reading »

Natural society

Christian political thought has historically gotten off on the wrong foot through misinterpretation of Genesis 1-2. Adam and Eve are taken as “family,” and hence the family becomes a “natural” institution. Families band together and soon there are cities and kingdoms, also . . . . Continue Reading »

Another fall of man

Israel camps at Kadesh, sends in spies, but ultimately refuses to enter the land (Numbers 13-14). “Kadesh” transliterates qedesh , from qadash , which means “make holy.” Kadesh is not only an oasis in the desert, but a sanctuary. Like Adam, Israel sins in a garden-temple. . . . . Continue Reading »

Starry Seed

Yahweh shows Abram the starry heavens and says “so shall your seed be.” Abram believes, and Yahweh counts it as righteousness (Genesis 15). When Paul quotes this in Galatians, he emphasizes the singleness of that Seed: The Seed is Christ.Paul claims that the seed promised to Abram is . . . . Continue Reading »

Firstfruits

A student, Andrew Bittner, takes re’shiyt (beginning) in Genesis 1:1 as “firstfruits,” suggesting a translation along the lines of “As the firstfruits God created the heavens and earth.” The translation is philologically plausible, since the Hebrew word refers to . . . . Continue Reading »

Time Lords

Sun, moon and stars are created to rule. Abram is told that his children will be like stars. That means, they will be raised up to rule. Abram’s children are kings. We can be more specific. Sun, moon, and stars are created to rule day and night, to be the governors of time. Abram’s . . . . Continue Reading »

Justification and the Spirit

Chee-Chiew Lee gives us a closely argued, balanced and careful treatment of the relation between justification and the Spirit in his The Blessing of Abraham, the Spirit, and Justification in Galatians: Their Relationship and Significance for Understanding Paul’s Theology . There’s a . . . . Continue Reading »