Genesis Chronology and Genealogy

Those few of you who follow this blog might remember that I posted a (brief) Biblical timeline from creation in 2009. This is a subject of interest to me, though not one that is without controversy. Even among those who take an historical view of Genesis, all are not agreed on the completeness of the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11. Here are some links to articles that discuss the subject from different angles.

• Are There Gaps in the Genesis Genealogies? -- “Chronologists working from the Bible consistently get 2,000 years between Adam and Abraham. Few would dispute that Abraham lived around 2000 B.C.”
• Are the Genealogies in Genesis 5 Complete? -- “There is a controversy whether the genealogies in Genesis 5 are complete.”
• Are There Gaps in the Biblical Genealogies? -- “On these various grounds we conclude that the Scriptures furnish no data for a chronological computation prior to the life of Abraham...
• Biblical timeline from Creation to Christ -- "Dating is from biblical creation, rather than correlated to historical BCE dating."
• Do the Genesis Genealogies Contain Gaps? -- “...the occurrence of fluidity in some genealogies does not prove fluidity in all genealogies.”
• How Young Is the Earth? Applying Simple Math to Data Provided in Genesis -- “Genesis 5:3 states that Adam was 130 years old when Seth was "begotten." How old was Adam when he begot Seth? Adam was 130. Does it matter whether Seth was Adam's son, grandson, great-grandson, or an even later descendant? No, the answer is the same: 130.”
• Infeasibility of Gaps in the Genesis Genealogies -- “In the Genesis 5 and 11 lists, however, additional biographical information makes them ‘tighter’ than any other genealogy.”
• Mind the Gap -- “The author of Genesis perhaps had many reasons to include ages - to show declining lifespans after the flood, perhaps to indicate the distance between primeval human life and his present.”
• Primeval Chronology -- “Our current chronology is based upon the prima facie impression of these genealogies.”
• The Biblical Genealogies Were Known To Have Gaps -- “Although the genealogies are accurate and representative, I don't believe Moses or his contemporaries viewed them as being complete.”
• The Genesis Genealogies -- “In modern times, genealogies are for the purpose of communicating detailed information about history and family relations.”
• The Meaning of the Chronogenealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 -- “At present [1980] there are two major historical interpretations, i.e., interpretations that do not dismiss the figures in Genesis 5 and 11 as non-historical.”
• The Selective Genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 -- “As is common in ancient genealogies, it is apparent that this genealogy contains gaps.”
• Who Was Born When Enosh Was 90? A Semantic Reevaluation of William Henry Green’s Chronological Gaps -- “Chronological computation has always been so inviting because Gen 5 and 11 specify the age of each patriarch at the birth of his descendant, unlike any other genealogies in Scripture or in extant ancient Near Eastern writings.”

The Lord sought to kill him

Question: “Who was God going to kill in Exodus 4:24-26?”

Exodus 4:24-26: And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

This is a very difficult text. Who God sought to kill and why is not stated explicitly. In his comments on the book of Exodus, Jeffrey H. Tigay introduces Exodus 4:24-26 by remarking, “This episode...is extraordinarily puzzling because the motive for God’s attack is unclear, the pronouns are equivocal, and Zipporah’s remarks are enigmatic.”[i]  How true! God has commanded Moses to go back to Egypt and tell Pharoah, “Let my son [Israel] go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.” What follows next seems rather abrupt and shocking.

The most common interpretation seems to be:

Moses had not yet circumcised one of his sons. At a rest stop on the way to Egypt God struck Moses will sickness for neglecting the sign of the covenant. Zipporah (and perhaps Moses) perceived the illness was a result of this neglect and she circumcised the boy. After that God recovered Moses from his illness that he might go on to Egypt.[ii]

Immediately preceding the incident we find God telling Moses to go to Egypt and tell Pharoah to let Israel go free. It concludes with Zipporah circumcising one of the sons. Immediately following the incident Moses meets Aaron in the wilderness and then they go to meet with the elders of Israel (before going to Pharaoh).

the Lord met him. Either Moses, Gershom, or Eliezer (his two sons, Exodus 18:3-4) are most likely the “him” of the passage – though a few have suggested Pharaoh’s son. Whomever the Lord met he also sought to kill.

Then Zipporah took a sharp stone. Related (apparently, by the connector “then”) to this in some way is Zipporah’s act to circumcise her son.

So he let him go. After the circumcision, someone let someone go – So he (the Lord, apparently) let him (whomever he sought to kill) go.

A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. Zipporah connects the blood and circumcision with seeming disgust – though why she is disgusted is not so apparent.[iii] Some suggest that the Midianites did not practice it, but the fact that (1) the Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his second wife Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2), and that (2) Zipporah knew how to circumcise the boy, militate against that conclusion. The disgust might rather toward Moses for her having to do what he already should have done.

Genesis 17:9-14 describes God establishing the covenant of circumcision with Abraham.

• The covenant was between God, Abraham and Abraham’s descendants (17:9-11).
• Every male child, whether born of them or of their servants, was to be circumcised (17:12-13).
• Every male child was to be circumcised when eight days old (17:12-13).
• The uncircumcised male child was to cut off from his people, having broken the covenant (17:14).

The phrase “cut off from his people” from Genesis 17:14 is severe and used several times in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers (about 17 times). But the punishment seems to always be exclusion from the covenant rather than death – and God exhibited mercy to all the children who had not been circumcised during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Compare Joshua 5:4-9.

There are some recurring themes in the context that are intriguing and suggestive, though not determinative. 

• Seeking someone’s life: v. 19 with v. 24 “Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.” | “And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.”
• The “sons” motif: verses 20, 22, 23, 25- 26 “Moses took his wife and his sons” | “Israel is my son, even my firstborn” | “Let my son go” | “I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn” | “Zipporah...cut off the foreskin of her son” | “So he let him go”

After all this I have not satisfactorily answered the question, and have many unanswered questions myself. How and why did God seek to kill this person? I don’t know; he just did. Why did Zipporah perform the circumcision? I don’t know, but she – rather than Moses – did it? Which son was involved? We know Moses had two sons. I don’t know which; we are not told. What do Zipporah’s words “a bloody husband” mean? I don’t know, other than that it was because of the circumcision.

Difficult texts such as Exodus 4:24-26 teach us humility and patience. We should not skip over or dismiss texts just because they are difficult. But when we engage them, a good dose of humility will serve us in good stead. The short sentence “I don’t know” is often the best and most honest answer. Coupled with humility, patience is another exegetical virtue. Our interpretations of difficult texts (and others as well) can be tentative – accepting what we do know about them and seeking God for greater light on what we don’t know. Sometimes interpretations must be amended, advanced or even abandoned. Persons who never change what they believe are either not learning or they already know everything! Perhaps our greatest insight at times is the discipline of study itself rather than the grand analysis we think we’ve accomplished.

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[i] The Jewish Study Bible: Tanakh Translation of the Jewish Publication Society, Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 113

[ii] There are all sorts of variations on this basic story.

[iii] In “Another Look at Zipporah and Her ‘Bloody Husband’ (Exodus 4:24-26)” Bob Hayton references the unique and intriguing view of Duane A. Garrett in A Commentary on Exodus. Nevertheless it requires reinterpreting Zipporah saying, “You are hatan damim (a member of my community by virtue of the blood of circumcision)” about the child rather than to Moses. I am aware of none who translate the term that way. (Duane A. Garrett, A Commentary on Exodus, Kregel Exegetical Library, Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013, pp. 225-226)

These three men

Ezekiel 14:14 though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.[i] See also Ezekiel 14:12-21.

In this prophecy of Ezekiel the expression “these three men” is used three times, in verses 14, 16 and 18. The three names of the three men – Noah, Daniel, and Job – are mentioned twice. Noah, Daniel, and Job are examples of righteousness. Noah is described as having “found grace in the eyes of the Lord…a just man and perfect in his generations,” and one who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:8-9). By faith he built an ark (Hebrews 11:7). Daniel is a prophet (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14) who is “a man greatly beloved” (Daniel 9:23; Daniel 10:11), who separated himself to God in the midst of his servitude in Babylon (Daniel 1:3-8). He remained faithful in the face of death (Daniel 6:4-10). Job was a man “perfect and upright…one that feared God, and eschewed evil” and there was “none like him in the earth” (Job 1:1-8; 2:3). His faith sustained him when all he had was lost (Job 1:20-22).

In contrast to the prophecy of Ezekiel in the present situation, these three men had each been the means of delivering others. Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house, and was the means of preservation of human life on the earth (Genesis 6:18; (Hebrews 11:7). Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and was thereby the means of saving his friends, as well as the other wise men of Babylon (Daniel 2:5; 16-18; 47-49). Job prayed for his friends, with whom the Lord was displeased, and God accepted his intercession for them (Job 42:7-10) – a living lesson on the mercy of God (James 5:11).

Despite the recognized righteousness of these men – men whose names were connected with deliverance – Ezekiel warns that even such as these three could not delay the judgment on God on these people. Even were there dwelling in Jerusalem well-known righteous men from either past or present – it would be no benefit to them. There would be no stay of the sentence through their intercession (Cf. Jeremiah 15:1). There would be no repeal of punishment for their presence (Cf. Genesis 18:23; Genesis 18:32). Matthew Henry wrote, “But a people that had filled the measure of their sins, was not to expect to escape for the sake of any righteous men living among them; not even of the most eminent saints...” God is longsuffering, but we must not presume upon it (2 Peter 3:9-10). He knows how to separate the righteous from the wicked (2 Peter 2:9), and ultimately the wicked will perish (Psalm 37:38). There is judgment surely coming that will not be restrained (Psalm 7:9).

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[i] Adonai Jehovah; Notice here, since the word Adonai/Lord is present that YHWH/Jehovah is translated God and placed in small caps.

Beyond the starry skies

Not sure of the exact origins of this hymn, but I think the Common Meter version by James Fanch appeared in the Gospel Magazine of June 1776, then perhaps revised by Daniel Turner to the Short Meter version (which is how I was familiar with it). They were brothers-in-law.

1. Beyond the glittering starry skies,
Far as th’eternal hills,
There, in those boundless worlds of light,
Our great Redeemer dwells.

2. Legions of angels strong and fair,
In countless armies shine,
At His right hand with golden harps,
To offer songs divine.

3. “Hail, Prince!” they cry, “for ever hail!”
Whose unexampled love
Moved Thee to quit those glorious realms,
And royalties above.

4. While He did condescend on earth
To suffer rude disdain,
They cast their honors at His feet,
And waited in His train.

5. Through all His travels here below
They did His steps attend!
Oft gazed and wondered where at last
This scene of love would end.

6. They saw His heart transfixed with wounds,
His crimson sweat and gore,
They saw Him break the bars of death,
Which none e’er brake before.

7. They brought His chariot from above,
To bear Him to His throne,
Clapped their triumphant wings and cried,
“The glorious work is done!”

--

1. Beyond the starry skies,
Far as the eternal hills,
There, in the boundless worlds of light,
Our great Redeemer dwells.

2. Around him angels fair,
In countless armies shine;
And ever in exalted lays
They offer songs divine.

3. Hail, Prince of life! they cry,
Whose unexampled love
Moved thee to quit those glorious realms
And royalties above.

4. And when he stooped to earth,
And suffered rude disdain,
They cast their honors at his feet,
And waited in his train.

5. They saw him on the cross,
While darkness veiled the skies;
And when he burst the gates of death,
They saw the Conqueror rise.

6. They thronged his chariot wheels,
And bore him to his throne;
They swept their golden harps, and sung--
The glorious work is done!

Philippians‬ ‭4:5

Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Let your moderation. Moderation is calmness of mind; composure, even-temper; patience; reasonableness. Moderation is not weakness. Moderation responds to circumstances – even bad ones – in a gentle, patience and calm way. Cf. Titus 3:2 “to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.”

be known. Moderation is known not by our telling others how moderate, calm and patient we are – but by living it, doing it. Cf. 2 Corinthians 3:2 “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:”

unto all men. The principle is applicable with all people, everywhere, at all times. Cf. Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind one toward another.”

The Lord is at hand. The reference here is not the “the coming of the Lord,” as some think, but the Lord himself. The Lord is at hand – he is near, he is available, to provide comfort and support as we act in moderation and patience, with reasonableness. Cf. Acts 17:27 “…though he be not far from every one of us:” and Hebrews 13:5 “… for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The presence of The Shepherd calms our nerves and offers emotional stability!

Virginia Baptist minister William Marshall

William Marshall: "His strong mind, deep research, and prayerful spirit, well qualified him to clear the subjects he discussed, of all ambiguity. He was rather inclined to consider the command to wash the disciples' feet, &c. as obligatory on all Christians." -- Lives of Virginia Baptist Ministers, James Barnett Taylor, 1838, p. 105

4 Reasons, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• 4 Reasons You Should Add a Regular Prayer Service to Your Church Calendar -- "...I have, alongside our elders, led our body to begin a regular Sunday-evening prayer service."
• Alt-Righty Then -- "I have noticed for some decades that evangelical Christians are adept at adopting worldly fashions ten years after the world has done adopted them, and then doing it worse."
• Among Christians in U.S., More Education does not Equal Less Religion: Study -- "...while higher levels of education equal lower levels of religious commitment among Americans in general, that pattern does not ring true among Christians."
• Anatomy of a Church Merger -- "God is sovereign over the affairs of local churches."
• Christian Standard Bible: the Atlantic got it right... -- "Hammering away at the Atlantic's simple observation that his denomination's Bible version has gone gender neutral, Burk is aghast that anyone would question his credentials and the credentials of his denomination as defenders of male headship and the plenary inspiration of Scripture."
• Court rules in favor of religious beliefs law -- "A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a judge’s decision that had blocked the law."
• Doctor Blows Whistle on Chemotherapy -- "Dr. Peter Glidden talks about the incredibly low success rate for chemotherapy as a cancer treatment."
• Illinois Catholic bishop decrees no Holy Communion, funerals for same-sex couples -- "The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Ill., is calling on priests there to deny Holy Communion and even funeral rites to people in same-sex unions unless they show “some signs of repentance” for their relationships before death."
• Polk inmates save deputy who passed out during work detail -- "The officer, who asked not to be identified, collapsed."
• The Secularist Media War Against the Ark Continues -- "I’ve found that not only do these kinds of reporters generally do very poor or lazy research, they will actually make things up for their agenda purposes."
• “What I Am ’Tis Hard To Know”: Primitive Baptists, The Protestant Self, and The American Religious Imagination -- "This dissertation demonstrates that an approach centered on the relationship between Primitive Baptist faith and selfhood offers the most compelling explanation of how the Primitives’ personal spiritual crises animated wide-ranging battles over religious doctrine, cultural authority, and social class in a changing American South."
• You can be fined for not calling people ‘ze’ or ‘hir,’ if that’s the pronoun they demand that you use -- "The NYCHRL [New York City Human Rights Law] requires employers [, landlords, and all businesses and professionals] to use an [employee’s, tenant’s, customer’s, or client’s] preferred name, pronoun and title..."

Spurgeon on Inspiration

C. H. Spurgeon, said:

“Believe in the inspiration of Scripture, and believe it in the most intense sense. You will not believe in a truer and fuller inspiration than really exists. No one is likely to err in that direction, even if error be possible. If you adopt theories which pare off a portion here, and deny authority to a passage there, you will at last have no inspiration left, worthy of the name.

“If this book be not infallible, where shall we find infallibility? We have given up the Pope, for he has blundered often and terribly; but we shall not set up instead of him a horde of little popelings fresh from college. Are these correctors of Scripture infallible? Is it certain that our Bibles are not right, but that the critics must be so? The old silver is to be depreciated; but the German silver, which is put in its place, is to be taken at the value of gold. Striplings fresh from reading the last new novel correct the notions of their fathers, who were men of weight and character.

“Doctrines which produced the godliest generation that ever lived on the face of the earth are scouted as sheer folly. Nothing is so obnoxious to these creatures as that which has the smell of Puritanism upon it. Every little man’s nose goes up celestially at the very sound of the word ‘Puritan;’ though if the Puritans were here again, they would not dare to treat them thus cavalierly; for if Puritans did fight, they were soon known as Ironsides, and their leader could hardly be called a fool, even by those who stigmatized him as a ‘tyrant.’ Cromwell, and they that were with him, were not all weak-minded persons—surely?

“Strange that these are lauded to the skies by the very men who deride their true successors, believers in the same faith. But where shall infallibility be found? ‘The depth saith, it is not in me;’ yet those who have no depth at all would have us imagine that it is in them; or else by perpetual change they hope to hit upon it. Are we now to believe that infallibility is with learned men? Now, Farmer Smith, when you have read your Bible, and have enjoyed its precious promises, you will have, to-morrow morning, to go down the street to ask the scholarly man at the parsonage whether this portion of the Scripture belongs to the inspired part of the Word, or whether it is of dubious authority. It will be well for you to know whether it was written by the Isaiah, or whether it was by the second of the ‘two Obadiahs.’ All possibility of certainty is transferred from the spiritual man to a class of persons whose scholarship is pretentious, but who do not even pretend to spirituality.

“We shall gradually be so bedoubted and becriticized, that only a few of the most profound will know what is Bible, and what is not, and they will dictate to all the rest of us. I have no more faith in their mercy than in their accuracy: they will rob us of all that we hold most dear, and glory in the cruel deed. This same reign of terror we shall not endure, for we still believe that God revealeth himself rather to babes than to the wise and prudent, and we are fully assured that our own old English version of the Scriptures is sufficient for plain men for all purposes of life, salvation, and godliness. We do not despise learning, but we will never say of culture or criticism. ‘These be thy gods, O Israel!’”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon in The Greatest Fight in the World, taken from the Spurgeon Archive online at Spurgeon.org.

Doctors got it wrong...

...aren't God; shouldn't try to play God.

Amish girl who fled United States to escape forced chemotherapy is now cancer-free -- "Some might call it a “miracle,” but alternative and holistic medicine healers aren’t really surprised to learn that a 12-year old Amish girl is now cancer-free — after her doctors testified in court just six months ago that she would be dead by now if her family were permitted to refuse her chemotherapy."

Is the book of Job historical?

Question: Is the book of Job a true story or an allegory?

The protagonist of the story is identified by name (Job) and gender (man), and located by place (land of Uz). The story of Job is presented to the reader as history. The story tells about a man, gives his name, mentions where he lived, and provides details about his life, his family, his friends and his calamity. Cf. e.g. Job 1:1-5; Job 2:9-13; Job 42:10-16.

Two biblical writers – one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament – refer to Job as an historical person. Ezekiel lists Job along with two known historical persons, Noah and Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14-20). James cites “the prophets” generally (the prophets were real historical people) as examples of suffering and patience – and then names Job as a credible historical figure of whom they had heard, whose example might comfort the suffering by demonstrating the mercy and compassion of God (James 5:10-11).

The concluding material about Job – especially about his daughters – has the earmarks of an historical record rather than a fictional account. The names of his three daughters, their extraordinary beauty and their receiving equal inheritance with their brothers does not seem particularly pertinent to concluding an allegory on suffering. On the other hand, it adds a fine touch to concluding the historical record of a man who suffered greatly (Job 42:14-15).

This Day in Baptist History Past

June 21 – This Day in Baptist History Past -- "China missionary George Pleasant Bostick"

When did Job live?

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Question: When did Job live? Where does Job fit into the timeline of biblical history?

Either I don’t have enough information, or I don’t understand how to put all the information together, in order to know when Job lived. It is very interesting, nevertheless. There is no reason to doubt the historicity of Job and his calamity. Both Ezekiel and James take his existence for granted (Cf. Ezekiel 14:14 and James 5:11).[i] On the other hand, it is not necessary to know exactly where Job fits in the biblical timeline in order understand the truths of the book. What follows are some things I have found in reading about Job, coupled with some things others say (that are pretty much conjecture).

Biblical points to consider

• In his third speech or response to Job, Eliphaz the Temanite refers to the flood in the past (Job 22:15-16).
• The Hebrew word for the piece of money in Job 42:11 is kesitah. This word is only used 3 times in the Old Testament, here and in Genesis 33:19 and Joshua 24:32. In those places it refers to the money Jacob used to purchase a parcel of land from the sons of Hamor. The use of the same word in Job might suggest patriarchal times somewhat contemporary with Jacob.
• Based on some of his statements, Job was not young when his calamity struck (Cf. Job 12:12-13; Job 30:1). Job lived another 140 years after his affliction, birth of his second ten children and division of inheritance (Job 42:16) – making it likely that he lived well over 200 years. This is longer than Abraham lived and compares to some patriarchs prior to Abraham.[ii] Yet, Job 42:17 might suggest his length of days was longer than his contemporaries.
• Job’s daughters received an equal inheritance with his sons. This does not follow the law of Moses (Cf. Numbers 27:8 and Job 42:15).
• Job lived in the land of Uz (Job 1:1), which has never been connected to the land of Canaan (as far as I know).
• Job was called a man of the east in Job 1:3 (which often means somewhere east of Canaan).
• Job seems to be a man of high position (Cf. Job 29:7-25), which seems inconsistent with nomads in the land of Canaan (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob).
• God’s testimony is that Job was an unique God-fearing man for his time (Cf. Job 1:8; Job 2:3; Ezekiel 14:14, 20), which suggests he wasn’t contemporary with Abraham or Isaac (earlier) or Moses (later).
• The raiding party that took away the oxen and asses were Sabeans (Job 1:15). The Sabeans were from the wilderness, and considered far off from Judah (Ezekiel 23:42; Joel 3:8). (Some identify the Sabeans with Sheba in southern Arabia.)
• The raiding party that took away the camels were Chaldeans (Job 1:17). The Chaldeans were from southern Mesopotamia.
• Job sacrifices to God as patriarch of his family (Job 1:5), which practice preceded the law of Moses.

Possible connections to Esau and Edom

• Lamentations 4:21 identifies Edom in the land of Uz. A man named Uz is a grandson of Seir the Horite. See Genesis 36:20-28. Verse 8 of this chapter says Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. (The land of Uz is also mentioned in Jeremiah 25:20).
• Esau had a son named Eliphaz, and Eliphaz had a son named Teman (Genesis 36:10-11; 1 Chronicles 1:35-36; Cf. Job 2:11).
• Some people identify Job with Jobab great-grandson of Esau, the second king of Edom (Cf. Genesis 36:32-34 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-45).[iii]

Other miscellaneous conjecture

• Some people believe Bildad the Shuhite was a descendant of Shuah, Abraham’s son by Keturah (Genesis 25:1-3; 1 Chronicles 1:31-33).
• Some people believe that the Buzites (Job 32:2) were descendants of Buz, son of Nahor Abraham’s brother (Genesis 22:20-22).
• Some people point out that Job’s wealth was determined by flocks rather than money (Job 1:3; Job 42:12). That method of calculating wealth is consistent with patriarchal times. 
• Some people believe Job must be placed between Joseph and Moses, that he lived when no other notably righteous patriarchs were alive (Job 1:8).
• Some people connect Job to the Job who was the son of Issachar (Genesis 46:13).

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[i] In 1 Corinthians 3:19, Paul refers to Job 5:13.

[ii] For example Serug, Abraham’s great-grandfather, lived 230 years (Genesis 11:22-23).

[iii] There is commentary at the end of Job in the Septuagint that also connects Job to Esau. I don’t accept that as inspired Scripture (even the Septuagint seems to approach it as a footnote: “This man is described in the Syriac book...”) It is interesting, though, that someone in that time period connected Job to Esau.

Zealous declaimers against popery, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

"Some of our most zealous declaimers against popery do not see how inconsistently they act in condemning Rome when dressed out in her rags." -- J. C. Philpot

"People who cannot suffer can never grow up." -- James Baldwin

"God save me from politicians, Christians, or pagans who think they are my mother!" -- Steve Brown

"One cannot make up with confidence what he thoroughly lacks in competence." -- copied

"Presuming that human beings get to edit ‘the sin list’ is pretty much the top item on the sin list." -- Bart Barber

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." -- Abraham Lincoln

"The opportunity to do good imposes the obligation to do it." -- Cotton Mather

"Surrendering to God includes accepting the gender he assigned you." -- Linda Seiler (on Focus on the Family, 6/12/17)

"I spent a long time trying to come to grips with my doubts, when suddenly I realized I had better come to grips with what I believe. I have since moved from the agony of questions that I cannot answer, to the reality of answers that I cannot escape." -- Tom Skinner (As quoted by Dennis Rainey)

"The Bible is the church's prize possession. In it we find the good news of salvation. In it we learn about God and his dealings with people down through the centuries. In it we find instruction and encouragement for our lives." -- James W. Scott

"Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter." -- Francis Chan

"Obsession with the geographical nation into which you were born = Dissatisfaction with the eternal nation in which we can find our home." -- Bart Barber

"Godliness is profitable unto all things." -- Paul (1 Timothy 4:8)

God’s Man

I strive to be God's Man... -- A Poem by John R. Himes as found at Pulpit Poetry blogspot.

God’s Man

By John R. Himes

(Grandson of John R. Rice)

God’s man is who I long to be,

A preacher of the Gospel free!

God’s place is all I long to have,

And there a road to heaven pave!

God’s work is quite the best there is,

Transcending all that is not His!

God’s Word I’ll hide within my heart,

Consumed by fire to do my part!

Tamar and Onan, reprise

Genesis 38:6-10 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

The act of one Onan, son of Judah, son of Jacob, has given us the English word “Onanism” – Onan + “ism,” a suffix used in the formation of nouns denoting action or practice, therefore related to act of Onan.[i] It is most often used to refer to masturbation (and Genesis 38:6-10 is therefore used as a proof text against such an act), but sometimes used to refer to coitus interruptus. What actually occurred in this recorded case?

The key is found in the euphemism “he went in unto.” This phrase is used in Genesis and elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to sexual intercourse. Note these examples:

• Genesis 16:4 - And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
• Genesis 29:23 - And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
• Genesis 30:4 - And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
• Genesis 38:2 - And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
• Judges 16:1 - Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
• Ruth 4:13 - So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.
• II Samuel 12:24 - And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
• II Samuel 16:22 - So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
• Ezekiel 23:44 - Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.

We see in these examples that “went in unto” clearly refers to the sex act. Onan’s sin was not masturbation in front of his brother’s wife. Onan rejected the established levirate marriage custom,[ii] while abusing the system and using it as an occasion to enjoy sexual pleasure with his deceased brother’s wife – while he disdained his obligation to raise up an heir in his brother’s name.

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[i] Onan is also mentioned by name in Genesis 46:12, Numbers 26:19 and I Chronicles 2:3.

[ii] Levirate marriage is marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother’s widow, when the deceased brother has no children. Cf. Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The post from which this is reprised is found HERE.

Can a Person Choose, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• Can a Person Choose Their Own Race? The Inevitable Hypocrisy of Relativism -- "The very culture that taught her that truth is relative has now turned on her. What it gave to her with one hand, it has taken away with the other."
• Can the New Testament Canon be Defended? Derek Thomas Interviews Michael Kruger -- "The assumption of modern critical scholarship is that the canon is merely a human creation--it is something that early Christians put together to serve their own needs and purposes."
• CBF leaders side with pastor/judge in dispute over religion, bias -- "Those who serve in government are not disqualified from having religious beliefs and exercising their religious beliefs in ways that are protected by law."
• Did Paul Himself Create the Very First New Testament Canon? -- "It was not at all unusual in the Greco-Roman world to keep copies of (and even publish) one’s own letters."
• Evangelism without an Altar Call -- "They saw the altar call as synonymous with evangelism."
• Feasts in the Old Testament, Their Importance -- "All feasts include a Sabbath, a day of rest, reminding Christians of their rest in Christ" (I don't agree with some of this, but a helpful chart on the feasts, nonetheless)
• Is the CSB Really Gender-Neutral? -- "The goal of the Translation Oversight Committee of the CSB was to be gender accurate."
• LORD, Lord and lord in the King James Version -- "The King James Version generally uses the words LORD, Lord, and lord to distinguish among several Hebrew words."
• Resolution Condemning White Supremacy Causes Chaos at the Southern Baptist Convention -- "...McKissic went to the mic and moved for additional time to be allotted for the resolution to be heard."
• Southern Baptists Embrace Gender-Inclusive Language in the Bible -- "...Trevin Wax, Bible and Reference Publisher for Holman Bibles, defended the translation. He rejected the notion that the translation is “gender-neutral,” calling it “gender-accurate” instead."
• The Dangerous Texting Slang All Parents Should Know -- "...certain phrases and emojis carry hidden meanings that parents may not know."
• The Self-authenticating Model of NT Canon -- "...many people raise questions about whether or not we can know for sure what books belong."
• The Stripes of D-Day -- "The planners feared friendly fire - anti-aircraft fire from Allied naval vessels and Allied troops - against their own air flotilla, and pilots mistakenly engaging in dogfights against their own comrades in arms."
• The Translation of Gender Terminology in the NIV 2011 -- "The Vast Majority of Problematic Gender Renderings from the TNIV Are Retained in the NIV 2011."
• Why A "Paper" Bible is Better Than A Bible App At Church Meetings -- "...cross-referencing is quicker and usually more effective in a paper Bible."

Biblical worship

Question: How does the Bible define worship?

Our English word “worship” comes from the Old English worthscipe, “worth” + suffix “–ship” – acknowledging one in the condition worthy of reverence and honor. The Bible does not give an explicit or formal definition of worship. The biblical view of worship must be discerned from the teachings on the subject throughout the Bible.

Some positive aspects (True Worship)

• True worship must be directed to the right person (Exodus 34:14; Luke 4:8).
• True worship is always “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).
• True worship gives unto the Lord the glory due unto his name (Psalm 29:2).
• True worship dwells in the beauty of holiness, with reverential fear (Psalm 96:9).

Some negative aspects (False Worship)

• Idol worship; Isaiah 2:8 - their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made: (Cf. Psalm 96:5-6)
• Ignorant worship; John 4:22 - Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (Cf. Romans 10:3)
• Vain worship; Matthew 15:9 - But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Cf. Isaiah 29:13)
• Will worship; Colossians 2:23 - which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.[i] (Cf. John 1:13)
• Disorderly worship; 1 Corinthians 14:40 - Let all things be done decently and in order. (Cf. v. 33, et al.)
• Disobedient worship; Leviticus 10:1-2 - And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. (Cf. Ephesians 5:6)

We cannot worship God any way that we please.  False worship displeases God. True worship is what pleases God. What pleases God is that which is revealed in Scripture and comes from the heart/spirit.

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[i] “Will-worship” is from the Greek word ethelothreskia (ἐθελοθρησκίᾳ). It is a compound word of two roots – ethelo (to will; used numerous times in the NT) and threskia (religious worship, especially external; used in Col. 2:18; James 1:26-27; Acts 26:5). Will worship is “worship which one prescribes and devises for himself” – originating in or chosen according to men’s own depraved wills, as opposed to the will of God – self-contrived, not bidden by God. All false worship is in a sense “will worship,” but this one perhaps exalts the will itself into the place of an idol.