Free Logos Book for September: Preaching and Teaching the Last Things

The free Logos Book for the Month for September is Walt Kaiser's Preaching and Teaching the Last Things: Old Testament Eschatology for the Life of the Church. You can also purchase Kaiser's Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church and Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching for $2.99 and $3.99 respectively. There is also a contest to win the 18 volume Baker Academic Theological Interpretation Collection. For all these offers, go to the Logos' Free Book of Month page here.

Praying the Psalms

Christopher Ash gives seven reasons to do so here.

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 41:1

The latest issue of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament is out. Here is a list of the articles and links to abstracts.

Introduction

Reading the New Testament as Second Temple Jewish Literature: Introduction - Benjamin Wold

Articles  

Parables and Proverbs in the Jesus-Tradition and Rabbinic Literature- Menahem Kister

Reading Gospel Parables as Jewish Literature - R. Steven Notley

Comparing Matthew and Luke in the Light of Second Temple Jewish Literature - George J. Brooke

Rewriting and the Gospels - Garrick V. Allen

Oral Group Memory – Written Fragmented Memory: A Note on Paul and the Jews - Doron Mendels

Paul as an Early Witness to the Jewish Notion of Liberation-through-Torah - Serge Ruzer

Universal and Particular Law in the Letter of James and Early Judaism - Benjamin Wold

The Poetics of Angelic Discourse: Revelation 2–3 and the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice - Noam Mizrahi

Melchizedek in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature - Loren T. Stuckenbruck

Those Who Can Do, Can’t Teach

The title is a bit overstated but the point made in this New York Time's editorial is worth considering.

New Resource on Psalm 23

Bible Places has just announced the release of their latest  volume, a collection of photos illustrating Psalm 23. There are 100 photographs in PowerPoint ready presentations here. There is also a photo book which you can purchase at Amazon here. As I have noted before, Bible Places has the BEST Bible-related photo resources available anywhere. If you are a preacher or teacher, you need to consider adding this volume to your library.

Not only that, but this week they have an introductory special price of only $19 (including immediate download and free shipping in the US). That includes 100 photos in PowerPoint format, all provided with informative descriptions, plus some bonus photo sets. 

You can check it out here or purchase it here.

Exodus 40:16-33: "The LORD Commanded Him”

In a recent chapel message, I noted that in Exodus 40:16-33 the phrase, “the LORD commanded him” is used in v. 16 and “as the LORD had commanded Moses” occurs seven times (vv. 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32; cf. Exod 7:6, 10, 20). Clearly, a key concept in the erection of the tabernacle is one of obedience.

Obedience in the Bible is both a negative and positive idea. Negatively, obedience takes three forms. First, obedience means that we do not do what we are not supposed to do (e.g., the “thou shalt nots”). Second, obedience means that we do not do what we are not to do when we are not to do it (e.g., work on the Sabbath in the OT). Third, obedience entails refraining from doing things in a manner we are not supposed to (e.g., moving the ark [2 Sam 6:1-8]). 

Positively, obedience also commonly takes three forms as can be seen in Exodus 40. First, in obedience one does what God tells you to do. Moses demonstrates this marvelously. See 40:1-2 and 40:33. Secondly, obedience involves doing what God tells you to do when he tells you to do it. The Lord tells Moses, that he is to ierect the tabernacle “on the first day of the first month” and according to 40:17, “in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.” And thirdly, obedience is doing what God tells you to do how He tells you to do it. Notice the sevenfold repetition of “as the LORD had commanded Moses.” Furthermore, Moses completes the tasks in erecting the tabernacle in exactly the same order that the Lord had commanded in 40:1–8. 

Let me conclude with the same challenge that I made in chapel. 

· Do what God tells you to do – No matter the cost

· Do what God tells you to do when he tells you to do it – No matter the time

· Do what God tells you to do how He tells you to do it – No matter the difficulty

Five Seminary Myths

Jeff Robinson articulates five common myths concerning seminary here.