Category Archives: Bible

Genesis 1:26 – Why a plural name for God?

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Gen 1:26 – ‘Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness”.’

Much has been made of the plural name for God here (‘Elohom‘) and of the expression ‘Let us make…’.  A number of interpretations have been proposed:-

Polytheism.  But modern commentators agree that Genesis 1 ‘is distinctly antimythological in its thrust, explicitly rejecting ancient Near Eastern views of creation. Thus modern commentators are quite agreed that Gen 1:26 could never have been taken by the author of this chapter in a polytheistic sense.’…

Matthew 12:40 – Three days and three nights

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Mt 12:40 “For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”

See also Mt 16:21 (‘on the third day’); Mt 27:63 (‘after three days’); Acts 10:40; 1 Cor 15:4 (‘raised on the third day’).

There are two issues here.

The first is the question of whether Jesus’ words here are decisive in determining whether the Jonah incident should be considered fact or fiction. …

Mt 24:34/Mk 13:30/Lk 21:32 – ‘This generation will not pass away’

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Mt 24:34/Mk 13:30/Lk 21:32 – “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

Jesus has been speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem and the ‘coming’ of the Son of Man.

Taking our Lord’s words at face value, it is possible to suppose that he is teaching that the parousia would take place within the lifetime of his hearers (‘this generation’).  If that is what he meant, then he would appear to have been mistaken.…

Christ in all the Scriptures, but…

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We preachers are rightly urged to preach Christ from every Old Testament passage.  This is sound advice, and finds support from our Lord himself, in Luke 24.

There are, however, some dangers and pitfalls in doing so, as helpfully pointed out by Colin Adams.  Here’s what he has to say (in his own words, but slightly abbreviated):

i) Christ is everywhere in the Old Testament but he’s also the promised one.

Christ was certainly present in the entire history of redemption (John 8:56-57, Hebrews 11:26, Jude 5).…

Ten suggestions for reading Old Testament Narrative

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Here’s some sound advice from Colin Adams, with examples from 2 Samuel.

1) Try and grasp the overall point of the book. 

The overall point of 2nd Samuel is that God is establishing an eternal kingdom through David. Even David’s grotesque sin will not stop the promise and grace of God.

2) Read in big chunks – narrative often tells you ‘a little, in a lot.’

Chapters 2 to 5 of 2nd Samuel are basically about God raising David to power.…

Exodus 12:37 – How many Israelites left Egypt?

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12:37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 men on foot, plus their dependants. 12:38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks and herds—a very large number of cattle.

To the reader who is inclined to take Old Testament history seriously, the presence of large numbers – particularly in military accounts – presents a significant problem.

What are we to make of

  • the standing army of Israel of over half a million (Numbers 1:46; 2:32; 26:51)?
…

Why we preach Christ from the Old Testament

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“You must preach the text as it lays,” someone said to Jared Wilson.

“Indeed,” replied Jared, “and every OT text lays, as Spurgeon put it, ‘along the road to Christ.’”

In support of his assertion, Jared points to the following New Testament texts:

John 5:39 — “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me”

John 8:56 — “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.…

Tabernacle: symbolism and meaning

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Writing in the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, John Oswalt says that, while it is possible to read too much into the detailed instructions for the construction of the tabernacle (in Exodus 25ff), the main points are clear enough.

I summarise:

Several colours are significant.  White suggests the purity of God and the needed purity of his people.  Blue indicates God’s transcendence; purple, his royalty, and red, the blood that must be shed if sinful humans are to approach a holy God.…

Gay marriage and the ‘trajectory’ of Scripture

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The ‘trajectory’ argument, briefly, is that there are certain practices (such as slavery) that are permitted in Scripture, but Scripture itself sows the seeds of their eventual abolition.  Conversely, there are certain practices (such as same-sex relations) that are forbidden in Scripture, but Scripture itself sows the seeds of their acceptance.

The Bishop of Bangor in the Church in Wales, Andy John, has invoked such a trajectory argument in his support of marriage for homosexual couples.…

1 Corinthians 14:34 – ‘Women should be silent in the churches’

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1 Corinthians 14:33-35 – ‘As in all the churches of the saints, 14:34 the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. Rather, let them be in submission, as in fact the law says. 14:35 If they want to find out about something, they should ask their husbands at home, because it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.’

Various approaches to interpreting this (notorious?!) passage have been proposed:-

1.…