Banner of Truth: Day One

Today Iain Murray and Craig Troxel preached. Rev. Murray opened with a sermon on John 21.19-21. His points were: 1. Following is the Supreme Duty. 2. Following is our Sole Responsibility. 3. Following is not just duty, but earnest desire.

Rev. Troxel had a wonderful sermon on Fanning the Flame. It was from 2 Timothy 1.6. His points were: 1. The Gift 2. The Fanning 3. The Gift of the Spirit 4. The Gift of Christ's Ministry.

I will add some quotes from them later.
Here is the Puritan Paperback collection. They are all about $5. Good book prices.
This is the book room. All men who come get $30 to spend here.
The beginning of the Conference.
Shawn listening to Iain Murray.
Iain Murray preaching. What a blessing to be here.

At the Conference

The Puritan 5 have arrived at the conference. We registered with little to no trouble. I had the great and honorable privilege of taking Dewalt's bags to his room so that he could go and hang out with Tim Challies and other authors and bloggers of importance.

Iain Murray starts in less than one hour. Updates later.

The Rare Book Room

Here is a video tour of the rare book room at RPTS. We spent a number of hours reading in the room tonight. It was a great blessing for all of us to look into our heritage.

Arrived at RPTS

We have arrived at RPTS. We will be going out into the city tonight. Dr. Scipione is staying here tonight as well.
RHB blogger, Michael Dewalt, is quite happy to be here. He is hoping to convert to Presbyterian soon... maybe after the Banner Conference.
Here is the favorite RP icon- the Blue Banner. This one is in Dr. O'Neil's office.
Derek Naves laughs at Shawn Anderson, who is having battery trouble. Jeff checks the email.
The glorious seminary. We are going to have a good night.

Banner of Truth

Today I am leaving, with 4 other Puritan Seminary students for the Banner of Truth Conference in Grantham, PA. We will be spending the night, tonight, at RPTS in Pittsburgh and then going the remaining 3 hours in the morning.

I hope to blog the trip, but no promises.

Sabbath a'Brakel

Natural vision can be obstructed by various causes: the disappearance of the sun, the thickening of clouds, the interference of opaque objects, disease of the eyes, or staring at the sun. Spiritual darkness likewise has various causes (IV: 260).

How Important is Friendliness in Evangelism?

With some people, you may establish a relationship in five minutes, whereas with others it may take months. But the principle remains the same. The right to talk intimately to a person about the Lord Jesus Christ has to be earned, and you earn it by convincing him that you are his friend and really care about him. And therefore the indiscriminate buttonholing, the intrusive barging into the privacy of other people's souls, the thick-skinned insistence on expounding the things of God to reluctant strangers who are longing to get away--these modes of behavior, in which strong personalities have sometimes indulged in the name of personal evangelism, should be written off as a travesty of personal evangelism. Impersonal evangelism would be a better name for them! In fact, rudeness of this sort dishonors God; moreover, it creates resentment, and prejudices people against the Christ whose professed followers act so objectionably. The truth is that real personal evangelism is very costly, just because it demands of us a really personal relationship with the other man. We have to give ourselves in honest friendship to people, if ever our relationship with them is to reach the point at which we are justified in choosing to talk to them about Christ, and can speak to them about their own spiritual needs without being either discourteous or offensive. If you wish to do personal evangelism, then--and I hope you do; you ought to--pray for the gift of friendship (J.I. Packer)

Hitting the Links

I have added some new links that have been sitting in a file for some time. Please check them out and see what is new. Also, if you know of a blog that you think that the readers would like- leave a comment and I will check it out.

Preachy Preachers and Gossipy Church Ladies

Who is to preach the Gospel? Is it the one who gets paid to preach the Gospel? Is it the one that is ordained and holds an office that some call Minister of the Word and others call Teaching Elder?

Can un-ordained men preach? How about women? How about 5 year olds or teenagers?

The answer, of course, is no and yes.

Does that sound like a postmodern answer to you? Well, it is quite ancient:

Acts 8:4-5 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached to them the Christ.

Verse 4 says that those who were scattered were preaching the word. Our English translation for preach is from the Greek word which means 'spreading the good news' or 'gossiping the Gospel'. This is the duty of all whose hearts have been changed by the Lord Jesus Christ. A converted heart overflows with the love of God and there is a desire to 'preach' Christ to all who are around. This means that the un-ordained layman, the old church lady, the little kids, the teens.... all who have been redeemed have this obligation to preach, or gossip the good news of Jesus Christ and his death for sinners.

Verse 5 is a different story. This verse uses a different word for preach. The word is the same word as 'herald'. In verse 5 we see Philip preaching the Gospel in a commissioned, ordained, set apart for public ministry way. This is heralding of the good news that Jesus Christ died for sinners! All who are ordained to the task of Minister of the Gospel, or Teaching Elder, has this responsibility. Preach Christ crucified!

Remember though. None of us are off the hook. We are all verse 4 preachers or verse 5 preachers! Now preach Christ to those who are lost.

Theodore Beza, Meet David Engelsma

The Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary recently received the private library of Dr. Theodore Letis. In the personal library was a very rare copy of Theodore Beza's New Testament in Greek and Latin. Apparently Dr. Letis (I have never heard of him, have you?) was a New Testament scholar who wrote to defend the Textus Receptus (the Greek text behind the Authorized Version and the New King James Version).

This is a very special addition to any library. The Prots should be happy with this rare volume. The article is here and begins on PDF page number 95. It is worth reading because it gives a short personal narrative of David Englesma's time in seminary in the basement of 1st Prot Church. The article also shows that they are not interested in too much reading beyond their tradition (Englesma says that there were a number of books about evangelical feminism and they are going in the dumpster! Those would be useful for reference in a paper, at least... you would think!)

Congratulations to the Protestant Reformed Seminary on their recent addition to their library.

Sabbath a'Brakel: Backsliding

Is Jesus absent, and is your soul troubled because your Beloved has departed? Does your soul melt as you think of former times when you were able to pray, weep, wait, yearn, and long; when you were able to lean upon Him in such a delightful manner, when you lost yourself in mutual love and requested everyone neither to disturb nor awake your love until it would please Him; when He kissed you with the kisses of His mouth, His left hand was under your head, He embraced you with His right hand, you were sick with love, and found delight under the shadow of His favor? Do you miss all this? Have numerous sinful and grievous afflictions come in their place? Is your life consumed by sorrow and your years with sighing? Come, and attentively give ear to the promises. "For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul" (Jer. 31:25); "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me...to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isa. 61:1-3); "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Mat. 5:4) [II: 627].

King Jesus' kingdom?

"I am sorry- (talking about the emergent church's over-realized eschatology), but I am getting real sick of hearing about the kingdom, and never hearing anything about the King."
-Mark Driscoll

The Montstrous Regiment of Women

Yep, I watched it. Yep, I agreed with it principally. I do not think that it would be that convincing to someone that is a feminist; but there are some really good points that would be worth discussing with them.

One point that I did think was compelling was the idea that 1960s Feminism was telling women that they needed to choose whether to stay at home or go out into the work force; but through legislation and taxation, the Feminist agenda was that women were forced to work out of the home, thus needing to place their children in the government schools to be indoctrinated by the Marxists that run them.

Check it out, even if you think that it is too 'patriarchal' for you. It is worth viewing (there are good Psalter selections in the background as well).

Early Presbyterians Amongst the First Abolitionists

Coming from one of the oldest denominations in the United States, the question "what was your church's position on slavery?" has come up on a small number of occasions (let's be honest though... not too often.).

I am currently reading a lengthy article called "Vermont Reformed Presbyterian Abolitionists" which shows that the RPCNA, the ARP Church, and the old Associate Church, were the only Calvinistic denominations that would not allow their members to own slaves and remain in good standing (until 1819, when others came on board).

"The political singularity of both groups also manifested itself in their early and outspoken opposition to slavery. Whereas almost every other denomination in America sidestepped the issue and tolerated slave-holding by members, the Covenanters and Seceders denounced slavery as a breach of Christ's law of love and directed their members to free their slaves immediately (the Covenanters in 1800, the Seceders in 1811)."

The article, which is from a secular publication, argues that without these three churches, and especially the RPCNA in Vermont, the abolitionist movement would not have gained the ground that it needed in those early years.

Heirs With Christ: The Puritans on Adoption

Q: Should I be Emergent? A: I Don't Think Its For Me.

My good friend, Jason Kuiper, gave me a book on the Lord's Day. It is one that I have been intending to read, but have not found the time due to life's demands and other readings that are required and/or exegetical in nature.

I have been meaning to read it because I like to interact with the Emergent Church movement. I have many friends, even godly friends, who are a part of the 'conversation' and I do what I can to be a part of it as well (even though I am an uncool confessional-dogmatic-Calvinistic-systematic theology loving-modernist). But let's face it- emergent I am not, even though there are some aspects of the movement that are very biblical and useful.

Today at work I took the book along in case I had some down time to read. I did; and I began reading it with much interest. I also read a lot of it this evening (some reading is like watching TV... it is just too fun to stop even though there are other things that could be accomplished.)

The book is Why We're Not Emergent (by two guys who should be). It co-written by the Pastor of Lansing, Michigan's University Reformed Church and some ESPN sports writer. So far it is quite good.

In their discussion of God's knowability, here is their critique of the Emergent Church:

We may all be, by nature, like blind men touching the elephant without knowing what we are feeling is a trunk, tail, or ear. But what if the elephant spoke and said, "Quit calling me a crocodile, or a peacock, or a paradox. I'm an elephant for crying out loud! That long thing is my trunk. That little frayed thing is my tail. That big floppy thing is my ear." And what if the elephant gave us ears to hear his voice and a mind to understand his message (cf. I Cor. 2.14-15)? Would our professed ignorance about the elephant and our unwillingness to make any confident assertions about his nature mean we were especially humble, or just deaf?

Because of the emerging church's implied doctrine of God's unknowability, the word mystery, a perfectly good word in its own right, has become downright annoying. Let me be very clear: I don't understand everything about God or the Bible. I don't fully understand how God can be three in one. I don't completely grasp how divine sovereignty works alongside human responsibility. The Christian faith is mysterious. But when we talk about Christianity, we don't start with mystery. It's some combination of pious confusion and intellectual laziness to claim that living in mystery is at the heart of Christianity.

If you are emergent, pick it up and read it. If you are not emergent: it gives a balanced approach to why you shouldn't be- all with humor, grace, and respect for the brethren in this movement.

Sabbath a'Brakel: What's the Point of the Church?

...The primary purpose of the church's existence is the glorification of God. Since the church is the kingdom of heaven, the people of God have God as their Father and the Lord Jesus as their king, so the glory of God can be observed when these people live in the love and fear of God. This is true when they are obedient to Him as their Lord, trust in Him as the almighty and faithful One, and live pure and holy lives personally among each other and towards others. The Lord's name is desecrated, however, when this people who are called after His Name do not conduct themselves accordingly. It is the Lord's will that His Name be hallowed by the coming of His kingdom (Mat. 6:9-10). He has formed that people to show forth His praise (Isa. 43:21); to show forth the praises of Him who hath called them (1 Pet. 2:9); to be to the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 8:23); and to "be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God" (Isa. 62:3). Therefore "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Mat. 5:16).

The secondary objective is the salvation of the elect. The church functions as a mother (Gal. 4:26), and has within her the Word of God as an incorruptible seed (1 Pet. 1:23). As such she is fruitful unto the conversion of many souls, "And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her" (Psa. 87:5). By means of the preaching of the Word, the Lord will add to "the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47) [II: 53-54].

Reformed Dogmatics

When Dr. Louis Berkhof published his Systematic Theology in 1932 it was for a number of reasons. One of the reasons that Dr. Berkhof gave was that the students at Calvin Seminary could not read Dutch like they used to 'in his day'.

The shame of Berkhof writing a Systematic Theology was two fold (of course, there were some good reasons as well):

1. Students did not feel the need to learn Dutch any more, hence the CRC lost a lot of her Dutch experiential history and writings.
2. The need for Dr. Herman Bavinck's Gereformeerde dogmatiek to be translated into English was lost.

Fourteen years ago, The Dutch Reformed Translation Society began a project. They saw the need for this massive Reformed Dogmatics to be translated into English and to be made available at a reasonable price.

Well, last month marked the release of volume 4, thus bringing to a close this massive project.

Personally, reading Bavinck has been an incredible experience in systematics reading. Watching the books come out, over my seminary experience, has been like kids waiting for the newest baseball cards to be released (do kids still do this? Or all they all sitting and playing Wii all day?)! I am sure that any student/pastor/teacher/elder that reads systematic theology will tell you that Bavinck is a great boon to what is available in Reformed readings.

To celebrate this massive feat, Reformation Heritage Books is offering all 4 volumes for $100. This is $80 off the retail price. (This is a great price for a 14 year project, and 1000s of pages of writing!).

Socialism's Biblical Roots

Many would like to say that the early Church was socialistic. They cite Acts 2 as a way to defend their own political ideals. Was the early church a Communistic community? Were they Socialists? Should you join the Presby-socialist party? Some of my emergent church friends are promoters of forced socialism based on this text. They claim that the state should be progressive because the early church was progressive.

If that is the case, give me your 80g I-pod. I don't have one.

Acts 2:44-45 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Because their generosity extended to sharing of their goods, some have regarded this as a biblical endorsement for communism. It is not communism. In fact, the opposite is true. Communism is the sharing of goods, but it is a forced sharing of goods on the basis that no one had the right to own anything. Communism is compulsory; therefore it has nothing whatsoever to do with generosity. Peter himself endorses the right to private property (see Acts 5.3-4).

The sharing of possessions that went on in the early church was not socialism either. Socialism acknowledges the right of private property, but it compels individuals to give a percentage of, or everything above a certain figure, to others. Socialism does not deny a person a right to own things, but it denies him the right to have too many of these things as measured by someone else's standard. Most people would be astounded to hear that American life is socialistic, but it is very socialistic. Whenever there is a system that taxes those who have more at a higher rater than those who have less in order that the state can take these resources and redistribute them to those who have less, that is socialism, because it is being done not willingly, but by force...

The early Christians shared their possessions, not because they were communists or socialists- not because they were forced to share their things- but for a far better reason. They shared their goods because they had learned generosity from God. God has been generous with them. So because God had been generous to them, they were determined to be generous to one another. -Dr. James M. Boice

Sabbath a'Brakel: Communion With Christ

This communion is exercised in the following manner: In beholding the Lord Jesus in his beauty, desirability, and fullness. In doing so one attentively contemplates upon the Counsel of Peace, in which the Son of God out of love for His elect willingly offered Himself as their Surety. From there one descends to meditate upon His assumption of the human nature, His bitter suffering in its entirety, and then His cursed death. From there one proceeds to His resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of God. In all of these one beholds His love, His willingness, the efficacy of the atonement, and all His fullness unto the salvation of the sinner. Here the soul pauses with longing eyes desiring a further, clearer, and closer view of His perfections. He desires to find delight in such contemplation, to be ignited with love, to joyfully acknowledge and approve of Him as such, and to praise and to magnify Him. In this manner a believer beholds Jesus (II: 94-95).

A Letter For The Advancement of the Gospel Amongst the Illegals Within Our Gates

Below is a letter that I received from a friend of mine who is Latino and Reformed. It is a plea to the Reformed Churches to reach the Samaritans of our day:

On this May Day, as we see in the news or in your home town the Latino/Mexica people protesting and marching for immigration rights, I would like to offer these insights and even challenge.

How will the Reformed and Presbyterian Church respond to the growing number of immigrants, particularly the Latino/Mexica immigrants, which are the largest group?

Will individual Reformed and Presbyterians jump on the Republican, Nationalist, anti-immigration band wagon and thus alienate the immigrants from even giving an audience to the Reformed Faith? Speaking out against the "invasion" of the other cultures within our borders and wish to turn these "illegals" over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)?

OR

Will the Reformed and Presbyterian Church/individuals act like Christ and stretch out their hands to the disliked and unloved Samaritans of our time? Dine with the harlots and tax collectors (so to speak or as many see the immigrants)? The duty of Christians is to proclaim the Gospel to all people regardless of their social standing, and not to be an agent to oppress those that are perceived below their status.

We talk about sending missionaries to foreign lands, what will we do with those from foreign lands that are at our doorstep? Ignore them or reach out to them with the one True Gospel? Many of them are Roman Catholic or Muslim by profession, WE can reach out to them and by the power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit they can become followers of Christ.

The Church has a tremendous opportunity and even obligation to reach out to the newly arrival in this nation. I pray that the Church does not squander this due to political ideology that can cause Christians to act contrary to the Gospel proclamation as was done towards the African-Americans.

The Weeping Prophet

An Analysis of the Book of Jeremiah

Nathan Eshelman

Introduction

Name: The book of Jeremiah is named after the main prophet in the book. The Hebrew name is Why"m.r>yI meaning “The Lord will raise”.

Theme: The Book of Jeremiah does not have one single theme. Since the book was written over a number of years, there are many different themes that are presented. Dillard and Longman give these five major themes:

1. Jeremiah’s God
2. The People and the Covenant
3. God’s Word in Jeremiah
4. Jeremiah and Moses
5. Hope for the future

Purpose: “If the work was completed during the Exile, the latest historical point reached in the book, the purpose would be to chasten the exiles by encouraging them to ponder the meaning of their exile. At the same time it seeks to engender hope, since the prophet who had pronounced judgment, and had been proven right, had also preached a message of Judah’s eventual restoration to the land and the nation’s privileged relationship with God.”[1]

Key Verses:

Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Jeremiah 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ¹⁰ I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Jeremiah 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: ³² Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: ³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Key Truths [2]:

• The people of Judah and Jerusalem deserved their exile to Babylon because of continuing sin.
• The temple in Jerusalem could not protect the Judahites from God’s judgment against them for their hypocrisy.
• False prophets proclaiming peace and safety must be rejected in favor of the message of the true prophets.
• The judgment of exile would be followed by a grand restoration under a new covenant.

Author: Jeremiah was written by Jeremiah with some degree of help from his amanuensis, Baruch (32.13, 36.5, 36.26, 36.32, and 45.1-2)

Date: 627-580 BC. Concerning time frame, the prophecies span from Judah being attacked by Assyria until past the exile (after which Jeremiah was in Egypt).

Historical Analysis [3]

Judah up to the time of Josiah

Josiah was the grandson of Manasseh. Under Manasseh, many of the reforms of Hezekiah were overthrown. There was a lot of pagan worship and idolatry that had come back into vogue in the land. The old Canaanite religions were reborn, Molech worship, and even human sacrifice came back into practice under Manasseh.

Josiah’s father only reigned two years and was assassinated. Josiah ascended the throne when he was 8 years-old. This time of political, social, and religious turmoil was the time frame into which Jeremiah was called to the Office of Prophet.

Nations in the days of the power of Assyria

At the time of the birth of Jeremiah, the power of Assyria had swollen to the point of an inevitable collapse. They had geographical sway from Egypt to the south to the Mediterranean on the east, all the way to the Tigris River.

The Medes and the Scythians were also becoming powerful nations in the time of Jeremiah. Some claim that the Scythians were the ‘foes from the north’ that Jeremiah speaks of in the book.

Babylonia and Egypt were also powers that were important during the time of Jeremiah. Egypt had seen a new Dynasty under an Ethiopian who helped to united those powers. Babylonia had much of its holdings taken over by Assyria at that time.

Josiah’s reign and the fall of Assyria

Josiah was king during part of Jeremiah’s ministry. Knowing that the Book of Jeremiah ends in exile, it is difficult to imagine that these reforms (I Kings 22,23) would not be lasting. Josiah turned his heart to the Lord and began a reformation in the land. He reclaimed some of the land lost to Assyria, cleansed much of the religious observances of the time, ran off much of the pagan worship and idolatry, and reinstituted much of the law upon the discovery of the Book of the Law (Deuteronomy?) in II Kings 22.3.

“We know virtually nothing concerning Judah during these dramatic years. What steps Josiah took to maintain the momentum of the reform we do not know. Presumably he preserved all his gains while he lived. But it was, of course, an imposed, and we may well wonder whether the great bulk of the people underwent any change in heart at all. To judge from Jeremiah’s later preaching many of them did not, and once Josiah passed from the scene they reverted to their old ways under Jehoiakim.”[4]

The Death of Josiah to the fall of Jerusalem

Upon the death of Josiah, Egypt had much rule in the land. Jehoahaz only reigned for 3 months before being taken away. Jehoiakim assumed the throne, but was a mere puppet of Egypt paying taxes and tributes to Egypt. Jehoiakim allowed for Josiah’s reforms to slip. Much of the same practices came back into vogue. He built a great palace for himself and lived with much excess.

At this time, many false prophets arose and began to preach peace in the land. We see this theme reoccurring in the Book of Jeremiah. Much of Jeremiah’s ministry was against these false prophets.

Post 587 BC

“In July 587 BC the walls of the city were breached just as the supply of food ran out. Zedekiah and his family with some Judean troops managed to flee by night toward the Jericho plains, but they were captured near Jericho and taken to Nebuchadrezzar’s headquarters at Riblah in central Syria. Zedekiah’s sons were slain before his eyes, and he was blinded and taken in chains to Babylon where he died. A month later Nebuchadrezzar’s orders, burned the city and broke down its walls. At the same time he rounded up many priests, military personnel, and state officials as well as some of the citizens. Some were taken to Nebuchadrezzar at Riblah and executed, and others were deported to Babylon.

Jerusalem and the walled cities of Judah were left in ruins. Modern archeological work demonstrates how complete the devastation was. Most of the towns were not rebuilt for a long time, and some never. Only in Negab and in the area north of Jerusalem were the towns spared.”[5]

Literary Analysis

Comparative Outlines:

J. A. Thompson[6]	Keil and Delitzsch[7]	Sproul and Matheson[8]
Chapter 1 Call of Jeremiah and the two visions Chapter 2-25 Divine judgment on Judah and Jerusalem Chapter 26-29 Jeremiah’s Controversy with false prophets Chapter 30-33 The book of consolation Chapter 34-39 Incidents from the days of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah Chapter 40-45 Jeremiah’s experience after the fall of Jerusalem Chapter 46-51 Oracles against the nations Chapter 52 Appendix: The fall of Jerusalem	Chapter 1 Call and consecration of Jeremiah to be a prophet Chapter 2-22 General admonitions and reproofs belonging to the time of Josiah. Chapter 21-33 Special predictions of the judgments to be accomplished by the Chaldeans and of the Messianic salvation. Chapter 34-45 The labor and suffering of the prophet before and after the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem. Chapter 46-51 Prophecies directed against foreign nations Chapter 52 Appendix: Historical account of the capture and destruction of Jerusalem, the fate of Zedekiah and the people, and the liberation of Jehoiachin from imprisonment.	Chapter 1 The call of the prophet. Chapter 2-20 Oracles chiefly of judgment on Judah. Chapter 21-24 The end of the Davidic dynasty: salvation through the exile. Chapter 25-29 The necessity of Babylonian dominance over the nations. Chapter 30-33 Promise of restoration. Chapter 34-39 Jerusalem’s last days. Chapter 40-45 Aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem. Chapter 46-51 Oracles of judgment against the nations. Chapter 52 Appendix: the fall of Jerusalem.

Original Audience and Message:

The original audience is two-fold: the sermons and the prophecies were originally given to the pre-exilic Judean people. In this context it served as a warning and a call to repentance. When the nation was taken into captivity, the message remained the same, but it was intended to both serve as a reminded of the justice of their exile as well as comfort that the exile would not last forever[9].

Genre: The Book of Jeremiah has a number of different genres, mostly prophecies and sermons. There are also a number of ‘object lessons’ in the prophecy as well. These are both historical and prophetic in written form, but were much like acting as a prophetic medium as they were ‘played out’.

Thematic Analysis[10]

1. Jeremiah’s God

Jeremiah understood that God was an absolute sovereign and that nothing would happen apart from His desires and wishes. He knew that the captivity was in the hands of a loving God who would not allow His people and His promises to be destroyed.

It is reminiscent of the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism’s answer: That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.

2. The People and the Covenant

Jeremiah reminded the people of their covenantal relationship with God which brought covenantal responsibilities, namely, their response to Him and the ways in which they interacted with each other. This had both a looking back and a looking ahead aspect to it. Jeremiah pointed the people back to the covenant made under Moses as well as the new covenant that God would make with them, through Jesus Christ.

3. God’s Word in Jeremiah

Jeremiah was a man of The Book. He was not a prophet that spoke according to his own ideas or his own understanding of what God would have him to write or to preach. The Word of God was central as Jeremiah understood that he was teaching and preaching from seat of Moses. He knew the call to ‘eat this book’! [Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.]

4. Hope for the future

Jeremiah preached repentance or else the wrath of God would fall upon the people. This was not merely a ‘doomsday’ message. Jeremiah gave the people hope that God had good plans for them, that the Messiah would come to restore them, and that Jehovah would make a New Covenant with them.

New Testament Analysis

• The New Testament has 40 references to the Book of Jeremiah.
• “Jeremiah was a man who knew great sorrow of heart as he saw the divine judgment about to overtake Jerusalem; in tradition he has become known as ‘the weeping prophet’. One cannot but wonder if Luke does not have the image of Jeremiah in mind when he writes that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, lamenting that the city would not experience peace, but rather a siege and destruction.”[11]
• The certainty of restoration that Jeremiah predicts is made clear in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• The New Covenant that Jeremiah speaks of is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• In Acts 6 Stephen would preach of the hardness of the leaders’ hearts.
• The restoration of the Jews that the Apostle Paul preached, in partiality comes from this prophet.

Original Message

The Ancient Church needs to repent and return unto Jehovah to avoid exile. This is to be done primarily by refusing to listen to the false teachers that are preaching the messages of peace. There is comfort that Jehovah would make a New Covenant with his people, thus restoring the people to a position of love and care by God.

Message for Today

The Church needs to return unto Jesus Christ as the mediator of the New Covenant. The Church is not immune to God sending the church into captivity[12] as punishment for turning from Him. The Church needs to pray that Her heart of stone be replaced, afresh, with the heart of flesh promised in this book.

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[1] R.C. Sproul and Keith Matheson, general editors, Reformation Study Bible, (Orlando: Ligonier, 2005), 1049.

[2] Richard Pratt, general editor, Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 1192.

[3] These sub-categories are adapted from the NICOT section, “Jeremiah in His Historical Setting”.

[4] J.A. Thompson, NICOT: The Book of Jeremiah, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 21.

[5] J.A. Thompson, NICOT: The Book of Jeremiah, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 26.

[6] J.A. Thompson, NICOT: The Book of Jeremiah, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 125-130.

[7] C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament: Jeremiah and Lamentations, (Peabody: Hendriksen, 2006), v- vii.

[8] R.C. Sproul and Keith Matheson, general editors, Reformation Study Bible, (Orlando: Ligonier, 2005), 1049-51.

[9] Jeremiah 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

[10] Thematic Analysis adapted from Dillard and Longman.

[11] Raymond B. Dillard and Tremper Longman III, An Introduction to the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994). 300-301.

[12] Hence the famous Martin Luther treatise entitled, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church.

Sabbath a'Brakel: The Fear of God

What will you answer upon the question, "Do you fear God?" Is your focus in your walk of life upon the Lord? Does reverence for His majesty arise within when you think about Him, speak of Him, or hear mention made of Him? Do you reverently bow before Him, and do you tremble if you are about to address Him in prayer? If a sinful thought or motion arises within you, does the fear of God motivate you to suppress it? Does the fear of God prevent you from all sinful association with men, fornication, unrighteousness, lies, backbiting, cursing, wrath, and other sins? Does reverence for God motivate and urge you to the practice of religion and to do whatever the Lord has enjoined you to do as being pleasing unto Him? Or do you love the things of this world? Are all your concerns related to the acquisition and preservation of these things? Do you look to people as if they were able to give or withhold them from you? Do you seek to please them even if it displeases God, and are they the measure of your fear? (III: 295-296).

Symington Says

There is a vast difference between godly rulers and worldly rulers; much like between godly people and worldly people. Rulers are to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for the way in which they are to rule. The Second Psalm tells all rulers and kings that they are to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ lest they perish! Jesus is a just and merciful King!

What is the main differences between our King, and the rulers of this world? William Symington sums it up well in his magnum opus, Messiah the Prince:

Rectitude of intention characterizes all his (King Jesus') plans. Everything is designed for the good of his people and the glory of the Godhead. Other kings may have sinister ends to serve: even when doing what is right in itself, they may have an ultimate respect to their own personal aggrandizement, to the advancement of some favorite courtier; or, supposing they move solely by a regard to the good of their subjects, they may be seeking this at the expense of some neighboring state.

Scientology 'A Hoax'?

It is nice to see actors who have dumped millions into this cult come out and admit that Scientology is nothing but a hoax. See Jason Beghe (okay, so it isn't Tom Cruise or that Stayin' Alive guy) speak of his experiences and why he got out of this cult-money pit.

T4G

Some of my friends made it out the "Together For the Gospel Conference". I was unable to go, although I would to have liked to. (I do not think that conference hopping is very wise for a man with a family... one a year is good for me!) I am looking forward to hearing the lectures though.

According to my friend, and Heritage Books blogger, Michael Dewalt, RC Sproul had the most impressive lecture.

Pray that the thousands of ministers present will be refreshed to bring the Gospel back to their homes and their congregations. If you attended, let us know what lectures you liked best and how they ministered to you.

You can download all of them here.

Sabbath a'Brakel: The Objective of the Lord's Supper

To confess the Lord Jesus Christ, His doctrine, and His church belongs to the most significant objectives of the Lord's Supper. Observe this in the following passages: "This do ye...in remembrance of Me....ye do show the Lord's death till he come" (1 Cor. 11:25-26); "For we being many are one bread, and one body" (1 Cor. 10:17). It is an absolutely necessary, appropriate, and Christ-glorifying duty to confess Christ, for this duty builds up the congregation and refreshes the soul (II: 65).

So The Bible is Out of Date, They Say?

Don't we hear that all the time? The Bible is no longer relevant to the lives that we live. The Bible could not have expected the civilized and complicated lives that we live. This, of course, is all untrue. The Bible speaks volumes to today's culture.

Think of the Book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes is the most contemporary book in the Bible. The so-called negative sections of the book amount to an exposé of the very things which dominate modern culture: sex, work, education, fame, drink. The writer creates a rogue's gallery of satirical portraits of the hedonist (2:1–11), the workaholic (2:18–23), the plutocrat (5:8–17), the fool (7:1–8), and the unfaithful woman (7:26–29). Ecclesiastes stands as the ultimate critique of secular humanism.
-J E Smith, The Wisdom Literature and Psalms

Shameless PRESBYTERIAN THOUGHTS Plug

Teaching our children the Scriptures is one of the most important things to us. Recently we have been introduced to the Music of Jamie Soles, a musician from Canada. His songs are so catchy and we have found our children singing lines of them through-out the house. The thing about Jamie's music is that it is very biblical and has great Christology.

Many Christian children's songs are quite annoying and useless for Christians once they are past 8 years old (think Deep and Wide). Jamie's songs teach the Judges and what they did, Kings of Israel, Circumcision as the sign of the Old Covenant which is replaced when Christ comes, Places in the Old Testament that speak of Christ, and many other great things. Read the lyrics to my favorite CD here. These are worth purchasing!

Can you tell me all the kings of Israel
Can you tell me one by one their names
Saul was first, David second, Solomon was third
Then the kingdom split in two 'cause Rehoboam was a nerd
Ten tribes left, two tribes stayed
The north went bad, the south delayed

Let's go South! (to the southern kingdom of Judah)

Rehoboam and Abijah, Asa and Jehoshaphat
King Jehoram, Ahaziah, Queen Athaliah was a cat
King Joash, king Amaziah, king Uzziah, king Jotham
Kings Ahaz and Hezekiah, king Mannaseh was a dirty rascal
Thank God he changed!
King Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz
Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah, then they're out of here

Can you tell me all the kings of Israel....

Let's go North! (to the northern kingdom of Israel)

Jeroboam was a scoundrel, all the rest were just like him
Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, this is grim
Ahaziah, king Jehoram, Jehu and Jehoahaz
King Jehoash, Jeroboam the Second
Who would want a name like that!
Zechariah, Shallum, Pekah, Menahem and Pekahiah
King Hoshea, get these bad guys out of here! Quick!

Can you tell me all the kings of Israel....