Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20110703.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part VI: Attending To Bible Exposition To Offset The Growing Darkness
(Numbers 8:1-4)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    The growth of the world's spiritual darkness is so great it can leave us asking what we can do to guard ourselves from its expansion:

    (1) Jacob Gershman's article, "Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Is Set," in the June 25-26, 2011 issue of The Wall Street Journal, p. A19 reported that a nationwide Gallup Poll last month found that now "53% of Americans think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid."

    President Obama claims that his view on the issue is evolving though he "still stands by a federal law that defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman." (Ibid.)

    However, New York's Roman Catholic archbishop, Timothy Dolan, critiqued his state's legislature for trying to "tamper with a definition as old as human reason.'" (Ibid.)

    His point was well taken. Though several states have redefined marriage to include homosexual couples, until our generation, no other civilization has done so!

    Thus, the darkness in our land must be growing immensely if most Americans now support this redefinition of marriage!

    (2) Last Sunday's sermon closed with an illustration of how one of my past seminary Hebrew professors now supports The Framework Hypothesis of Genesis 1 that lets one adopt the evolutionary view of origins. That hypothesis holds Genesis 1 is "semi-poetic," something that violates basic Hebrew grammar because Genesis 1:3-26 uses the "waw consecutive" to show that section is narrative, not poetic.

    (3) After last Sunday's worship service, a member asked me how such a man who knows Hebrew so well could ignore a basic grammatical fact taught by even the scholarly but Liberal Theologian, George Buchanan Gray in his book, The Forms of Hebrew Poetry (1972 [first published in 1915]), p. 52. That question is a great one, for it leads us to ask, "How can I myself stay aligned to the truth if a seminary Hebrew professor who taught Pastor Shell can thus err?"



    Thus, we ask, "In view of the great growth of spiritual darkness in the world, how can we guard what truth we have?!"

    Need: "As the spiritual darkness grows, how do we guard ourselves?"

  1. God gave instruction in Numbers 8:1-4 on a focus of the ministry of the tabernacle lampstand that was important for all Israel's life:
    1. The Numbers 8:1-4 focus on the lampstand is sandwiched between the Numbers 7:1-89 section on the ministry of Israel's leaders and the Numbers 8:5-26 section on dedicating the Levites to minister to Israel.
    2. Thus, that Numbers 8:1-4 focus on the lampstand ministry addresses typologically a matter of great importance to all the nation's life!
  2. Specifically, Numbers 8:1-4 typologically shows the GREAT need for BIBLE EXPOSITORS to STAY FOCUSED on SCRIPTURE:
    1. We recall the typology of the lampstand in Exodus 25:31-40 with the table of shewbread taught the FACT of Bible exposition (as follows):
      1. We saw from Exodus 25:31-40 that the lampstand typified written Scripture that used the 22 Hebrew written consonants in Moses' era (when the vowels were not written) via its 22 almond buds on the 7 lamps' branches, Exodus 25:31-36 NIV, ESV; NET Bible: Ex. 25:31-37, ftn. 3, citing Umberto Cassuto, Exodus, p. 342-344.
      2. Its light was to reach across the room to the table of shewbread that pictured Bible exposition, Exodus 25:37 NIV; Exodus 40:22-24.
      3. The shewbread was made of solet flour ground from the inner kernels of wheat to make nearly a gallon of flour per loaf for the 12 loaves, T. W. O. T., v. II, p. 628; Ibid., Kittel, p. 181; B. D. B., H. E. L. O. T., p. 701; Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Lev. 24:5.
      4. The hard work to make these big loaf delicacies reveals God wants teachers to work hard to expose Scripture's grammatical, literal, historical truths and their application (Bible exposition) as seen in Christ's call to (a) "feed my little lambs" (boske ta arnia mou), to give data so the immature can grow, to (b) "shepherd my sheep" (poimaine ta probata mou), to give data to guide those who grow and to (c) "feed my sheep" (boske ta probata mou), to give new data to the mature, Jn. 21:15-17; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 412.
    2. Yet, Numbers 8:1-4 shifts this emphasis from the FACT of Bible exposition to the need for expositors to be PREOCCUPIED with it:
      1. The Exodus 25:37 KJV instruction on the lampstand called for it only to "give light," (he'ir in the Hiphil perfect tense), Kittel, Bib. Hebr., p. 117; B. D. B., A Hebr. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 21.
      2. That light was to reach unto (al, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 752ff) the region across from (eber , Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 719) the lampstand, or, to reach unto the table of shewbread across the room that typified Bible exposition.
      3. However, Numbers 8:1-4 in its context emphasizes the NEED for expositors to STAY PREOCCUPIED with SCRIPTURE to sustain all Israel's spiritual life from apostasy (as follows):
        1. The Numbers 8:2 verb "give light" is in the Hiphil imperfect tense (ya'irah, Ibid., Kittel, p. 206; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 21), an habitual imperfect that in this context denotes constant activity.
        2. The light in Numbers 8:2 is not said to reach to (al) something as in Exodus 25:37, but towards (el) the forefront ( mul) of the face [or front (peney)] of the candlestick, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 39, 557, 815ff. The thrust is to KEEP the BEAM of LIGHT COMING ON OUT FROM the lampstand's FRONT!
        3. In the whole Numbers 7-8 context, this implies Bible expositors should always pay attention to Scripture to counter apostasy in themselves and their hearers in an ever darkening world!
      4. This was a big concern of the Apostle Paul in 1 and 2 Timothy:
        1. Paul repeatedly told Timothy always to be ministering the Word to guard himself and his hearers, 1 Tim. 4:14-16; 2 Tim. 4:1-5.
        2. In 1 Timothy Paul, repeatedly urged Timothy to give attention to Bible exposition versus competing entities: (1) he was not to pay heed to ( prosecho) endless myths and genealogies, 1:4, not indulge (prosecho) in wine, 3:8, not heed (prosecho) deceiving spirits and demonic doctrines, 4:1, (2) but attend to ( prosecho) Bible teaching, 4:13, taking pains (epecho, like prosecho) with his life and doctrine, 4:16; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 720-726.
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ, the Light of the world, to be saved, John 8:12. (2) As believers, may we always expose ourselves to Bible exposition where we can obtain it. (3) As expositors, may we always focus on Scripture truth to keep ourselves and God's people influenced with His truth in a spiritually ever darkening world!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 (1) In the introduction, we noted how a past Hebrew professor of mine, a Harvard-and-Dallas-Seminary-trained man, has now adopted The Framework Hypothesis that sees Genesis 1 as "semi-poetic", thus opening the door to interpret the passage in support of evolution.

The theory's "leading promoter," Meredith Kline, wrote in his article, "Space and Time in the Genesis Cosmogony" in Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 48 (March 1996): 2 that his goal in that article was "(t)o rebut the literalist interpretation of the Genesis creation week propounded by the young-earth theorists . . ." (cited in Tim Chaffey and Bob McCabe, "What's Wrong with the Framework Hypothesis?" (answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/06/21) Thus, Kline's aim in his article was to counter our view of pure creationism.

How did my former prof end up in such error? I hold it came from a drift in his attention: in one of his classes, I recall he promoted Meredith Kline's book, Treaty of the Great King (1963) that told how the Decalogue in Deuteronomy is based on the Ancient Near Eastern suzerain treaty format. Now, this insight is Biblically true and valuable, but my Hebrew prof kept paying attention to Kline's works instead of the Genesis 1 grammar! Thus, he came to miss valuing a first year Hebrew grammar rule that the use of the waw consecutive in Genesis 1:3-26 counters The Framework Hypothesis by showing the passage is narrative, not poetic as The Framework Hypothesis requires!

(2) Countering such an attention drift, Dr. John G. Mitchell who taught Bible for 40 years at the Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon, in the November, 1977 Moody Monthly, p. 41-43, in the article, "The vanishing art of expository preaching" testified: "Often, when I am studying, I'll spend an hour in the Word of God and for some reason I'm not getting anything. What do I do? I get down and talk to the Lord about it.

I come back to the Word and all of a sudden the whole thing opens up like a rose. But my mind's got to be full of the text. That's why I emphasize continual reading of the Word . . ." (emphases ours)

May we heed those who expound the Bible if we cannot adequately do so ourselves. If we can do so, may we always point the Bible's lampstand lamps toward our ATTENTION that we KEEP FEEDING ourselves and others GOD'S TRUTHS in an EVER DARKENING WORLD!