HRB.Chapter4.docx

Interpret Scripture in Light of the Rule of Faith Defining the Principle This principle emphasizes the unity of Scripture. The whole of Scripture—all 66 books of the Bible—defines the rule of faith, that is, what God’s people believe about God and His salvation. Even though many different people wro...

Interpret Scripture in Light of the Rule of Faith Defining the Principle This principle emphasizes the unity of Scripture. The whole of Scripture—all 66 books of the Bible—defines the rule of faith, that is, what God’s people believe about God and His salvation. Even though many different people wrote the Bible over a period of fifteen hundred years or so, the Bible is ultimately one Word of God. We properly distinguish Law and Gospel in this Word and we appreciate the diversity of material within this Word, but we also confess that the Bible possesses a fundamental “one-ness.” In this chapter we will examine two places where New Testament authors cite the Old Testament, and then examine two New Testament passages where Jesus seems to say opposite and contradictory things. New Testament writers use the Old Testament in a variety of ways. Sometimes a New Testament writer merely alludes to an Old Testament text, referring to a person or an event without actually quoting the text. For example, Jesus refers to the time when David, on the run from King Saul, ate the consecrated bread at the tabernacle (1 Samuel 21:1–6). Jesus does not quote the Old Testament, but refers to the fact that David ate the forbidden bread out of necessity, confirming His point about what was legal or illegal on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23–28). At other times Jesus quotes the Old Testament. For example, when Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus cites Deuteronomy three times, treating Scripture as authoritative and as a powerful tool against the devil (Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13). Even Satan quotes Scripture in an effort to drive a wedge between the Father and the Son. In one case a New Testament author quotes another New Testament passage as authoritative Scripture. In 1 Timothy 5:18 Paul writes, “For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’” The first quote is from Deuteronomy 25:4, but the second citation never appears in the Old Testament. It matches exactly, however, a statement of Jesus in Luke 10:7. Applying the Principle Isaiah 7:14 Sometimes the meaning of an Old Testament passage doesn’t become clear until the New Testament uses it. See, for example, Isaiah 7:14, which Matthew quotes in 1:23. Following good practice, we look first at the original context of the Old Testament citation. Ahaz was king of Judah when the events of Isaiah 7 unfolded. Two kings to the north (Syria and Israel) formed an alliance against the nation of Assyria and wanted Judah to join them. When Ahaz refused, the two northern nations planned to invade Judah and establish their own puppet king. Isaiah reminded Ahaz of God’s promise and warned against Ahaz inviting Assyria to help him out against the two northern kingdoms. Asked to pick a sign as confirmation of God’s dependability, Ahaz refused. As a result the Lord Himself chooses the sign: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Over the years quite a lot of ink has been spilled over what this passage means. What did Isaiah mean by virgin? Who was this virgin? When did she or would she live? Not until the New Testament does the meaning become clear. When Matthew recounts the birth of Jesus, he quotes Isaiah 7:14. He tells us that Mary became pregnant before she had any sexual contact with a man (confirmed in Luke 1:34). Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1: 18, 20; Luke 1:35) while still a virgin. Matthew then adds: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:22–23). We can summarize the sign the Holy Spirit gave to Ahaz through Isaiah almost eight hundred years earlier as follows: if you want a sign that points to God’s salvation, look for the pregnant virgin. The virgin birth of Jesus fulfills the prophecy that God gave to Isaiah and that Isaiah then offered to Ahaz as proof of God’s trustworthiness. God will rescue His people and preserve the Davidic line, from whom Ahaz is descended. Sadly, Ahaz rejected God’s Word through Isaiah and sought an alliance with Assyria (2 Kings 16:5–18; 2 Chronicles 28:16–21). What did Isaiah’s prophecy mean to Ahaz? God promised that by the time the child Immanuel was old enough to reject the wrong and choose the right (Isaiah 7:15–16) or old enough to say “My father” or “My mother” (Isaiah 8:4), Judah’s enemies would be destroyed. The age of a child who is able to do these things is usually two or three years old. As it turned out, within two or three years of the original prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (734/35 B.C.), Syria and Israel were defeated by Assyria. How would God have dealt with these two northern nations had Ahaz believed the prophecy and not asked for help from Assyria? Only God Himself knows. What did Isaiah’s prophecy mean to Matthew? God promised to rescue His people from their sin (Matthew 1:21, a promise expressed in the name “Jesus”). When and where will God accomplish this rescue? When the virgin becomes with child and when she gives birth. Many people have come claiming to be God’s Anointed One (Messiah from the Hebrew; Christ from the Greek), God’s chosen instrument for deliverance and salvation. How are we supposed to know who is truly that Chosen One? Find the One who is born of a virgin and you’ve found Him! By interpreting Scripture in harmony with itself, we see that Isaiah’s prophecy finds its fulfillment in Jesus, conceived and born of a virgin, who has come so that He might save us from a peril far worse than an alliance of kings who want to wage war against us. He has come to save us from our sins. Hosea 6:6 We can see how this principle works when Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, as he does on two occasions: Matthew 9:13 and 12:7. In the original context, Hosea calls God’s people to repentance. He reminds them that even an external observance of God’s Law with its sacrifices and burnt offerings does not really describe the heart of the relationship between God and His people. Hosea writes: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (6:6). Based on this verse, answer the following questions: Does God command His people to make sacrifices and burnt offerings? What does God mean when He says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” if He wants sacrifices? What is a covenant and what does this have to do with Hosea 6:6 (see verse 7)? The Old Testament is full of required sacrifices and burnt offerings (for example, Exodus 20:24; 23:18; Leviticus 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8). God obviously wanted sacrifices and burnt offerings, so why would He say otherwise? Interpreting a passage like Hosea 6:6 in harmony with the rest of Scripture leads us to understand that Hosea means “I desire mercy far more than sacrifice, the acknowledgment of God far more than burnt offerings.” This is confirmed by David in Psalm 51. There (in verses 16–17), he writes: You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. God seems far more interested in the faith-relationship behind the sacrifice than in the offering itself. When the relationship between God and His people is right, when they trust in Him and put their faith into action, David adds, “Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight You; then bulls will be offered on Your altar” (Psalm 51:19). The covenant God establishes with His people is built upon His grace, received through faith. Faith in God shows itself in faithfulness to the covenant, external obedience flowing from internal faith. Adam lost faith and broke the covenant God had made with him (Hosea 6:7). Israel likewise broke faith, so it made little difference whether they offered sacrifices or not. At the heart of their relationship with God, Israel needed to remember their sin and God’s grace. God demonstrated this in the Exodus, where He revealed Himself as their only Savior (Hosea 13:4). When Jesus cites Hosea 6:6, he makes the same point. In Matthew 9:13 the Pharisees criticized Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus responds by pointing out the need that these sinners have for a Savior. He then directs them to Hosea 6:6a. If the Pharisees understood Scripture, they would realize that they, too, are sinners in need of a Savior. Moreover, God delights in showing mercy and compassion. He will punish sin, but He finds joy in forgiving repentant sinners. Explaining the First Commandment in Exodus 20:6, God said that He would punish people to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Him, but that He would show His love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments (faith in God and faithful living according to His covenant). One might put this in math terms: God prefers mercy to punishment by a ratio of 250 or 333 to 1. Obviously we can’t say it quite like that, but we can understand that the big picture of Scripture is our sin and God’s grace, brought together in the person of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for us. The fifth principle is that the entire Scripture should be read in the light of God’s redeeming activity in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the center and purpose of Scripture. Jesus again quotes Hosea 6:6 in Matthew 12:7. Here the disciples of Jesus are picking heads of grain, rubbing them together, and blowing away the chaff. This took place on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees considered these actions to be harvesting and threshing. Since harvesting and threshing are work, and since work was forbidden on the Sabbath, the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of breaking God’s law. Jesus responds by referring to the time when David and his companions ate the consecrated bread at the tabernacle (Matthew 12:4), and mentions the fact that the priests work on the Sabbath and no one accuses them of wrong-doing (Matthew 12:5). He then adds Hosea 6:6, which speaks to the attitude of the Pharisees and their (lack of) faith-relationship with God. From the context, it appears that Jesus considers His disciples innocent of wrongdoing in this matter. They did not set out to harvest with sickles, nor did they form a threshing crew. They simply took what they needed at the moment, as did David with the consecrated bread, and ate. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, declares them innocent. What attitude would a person have to have to condemn these innocent men for feeding themselves? Based on Hosea 6:6, the Pharisees reveal an attitude of unbelief and covenant unfaithfulness. As we interpreted Scripture in harmony with itself, we followed the following steps: Checked the original context of Hosea 6:6. Confirmed our understanding of Hosea 6:6 with Psalm 51. Applied our interpretation of Hosea 6:6 to the use that Jesus made of it in Matthew 9:13 and 12:7, being careful to look at the contexts of each of these passages. Matthew 10:34 and John 14:27 We will examine one more application of this principle before moving on to the next section. When we read Matthew 10:34 and John 14:27, we see an apparent contradiction. Based on these passages, answer the following: According to Matthew 10:34, what does Jesus bring to the earth? According to John 14:27, what does Jesus give? What does Jesus mean by “peace” in each of these passages? In Matthew 10 Jesus sends out the 12 disciples to preach the Good News of the kingdom to God’s people. He warns them about the hostility they will encounter; this will be no walk in the park. He tells them that their task is very important, and He reminds them of how important they are to God. He then adds in verse 34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” In John 14:27, Jesus and His disciples are in the upper room where they are eating the Last Supper. Jesus speaks extensively (chapters 14–17) after the meal, consoling and encouraging His disciples, because they are very troubled and confused. Perhaps they expected Jesus to usher in a new age of glory at this Passover and that they would finally receive their “paychecks” for following Him. Instead, Jesus has talked about leaving them the next day, Good Friday. In this context Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Does Jesus bring peace or does He bring a sword? He brings both, of course. Jesus was very controversial then and He still divides households and people today. He convicts the world of sin; therefore it must hate Him (John 7:7). He claims to be the only way to the Father, and the world cannot accept that (John 14:6). The one question that divides all people of all times into two groups is the simple question Jesus asks Martha: “He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25b–26). The question “Who is Jesus?” divides the world, but the Gospel answer “Jesus is my Savior” brings peace to the believer. Jesus brings a sword to the world, but to troubled believers He brings peace with God. Furthermore, the peace He gives to believers is impossible for the world to give or even to comprehend, just as darkness cannot comprehend the light (John 1:4). Peace with God is far more than an absence of conflict in the world. Peace with God is Jesus’ gift to us by means of His death on the cross, an act of love for the world (John 3:16). Once again we see how a sensitivity to context and reading the smaller parts in light of the whole of Scripture help us to acknowledge our sin, rejoice in our Savior, and understand the passages of the Bible that we are studying.