Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (LBTS - Liberty University campus)

"It depends on the context." Meaning always depends on context. Look for qualification and clarification. King of kings example.

"The whole purpose of Seminary is ministry."

D~~~1. Exegesis: giving the meaning of the text, discovering what scripture meant in context (ie. Isaiah to the people, what he meant)

Go back 3000 years to find what the words meant. Commentaries, concordances, Hebrew or Greek, etc. Take verses in context, too.

D~~~2. Hermeneutics: exegesis and application

Ask how it affects me.

D~~~Cognitive and experiential knowledge:

Cognitive: how to get there on paper

D~~~Experiential: how to get the in reality, having been there, picturing it from experience

We know how to get there, but KNOW means many different things.

Systematic theology isn't in the Bible.

Application is how it is changing my life.

3. Communication.

A good opening is important. Have a catchy opening.

~~~~~~~Friday 8-29

don't bring Dillard/Longham book to class

D~~~dynamic equivalence: translating the sense of a subject or phrase, however something is always lost

paraphrase, non-concordance work like the living Bible

D~~~"The Gate" was where business was done, new goods and news came in, the center of action. You can look at one and determine how strong the city was.

Dr. Giese uses the New American Standard

NIV writers have said that the readers won't understand the gate of the city meaning. Genesis 22:17.

Teach people what the word says in their culture before you change the word to fit their culture.

LORD in caps is Yahweh, God's personal name.

Inerrancy: verbal (words) and plenary (complete or entire)-all parts are equally inspired

verbal - conceptual inspiration (dynamic inspiration)

plenary - limited

scripture doesn't divide up into more innerant and less inerrant

*******Assignment: 2 page paper, due Wednesday

Write what lovingkindness means. Don't use Hebrew. hesed in Hebrew. Define the word in context. Look up 10-20 verses and pick out 2 or 3. "In 3 different places, it's clear in context.....etc." List scriptures and give meanings for them. Typed and DS. Roughly 2 pages.

~~~~~~~9/3

These are words that describe Dr. Giese's definition of lovingkindness.

Lovingkindness: gentleness, faithfulness, loyalty, commitment, unfailing, steadfastness

Don't use Webster's dictionary to define terms that are in the Bible--for our papers. Take them in context and use surrounding scriptures and other scriptures. Use Hebrew, too.

***For future papers, do not write my name. Write the last 4 numbers of my ID # on the first page, and that's all!

~~~~~~~9/5

For Friday read workbook. Get Intro to OT and don't bring it to class. CBD = Christian Book Distributors or New Life bookstore could carry them.

He'll give the topics to us before the exams. I don't need them immediately, but I need to get them soon. Try and get them by the end of next week or in the next few weeks. Don't stress!

~~~~~~~9/5

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good. For his __________ is everlasting. (Psalm 107)

Sometimes it is difficult to determine what a word means by its surrounding words.

But I will not break off my ________ from him, nor deal falsely in my faithfulness. My covenant I will not violate. (Psalm 89:33, 34)

***Read Intro to the OT, read pages 37-48. It's about authorship.

Moses wrote very word of the Pentateuch. He wrote most of it, probably. There's different views. Some think he didn't even exist. Tell the different views. Who wrote the first 5 books? Mosaic authorship.

Exodus 17:14, 34:27 The Lord told Moses to write.

Moses wrote: Exodus 24:4, Numbers 33:2, Deuteronomy 31:9

Find a verse in the NT that has been mistakenly thought to have meant Moses wrote the Pentateuch.

Luke 20:28 "Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother."

~~~~~~~9/10

Jacob is traveling SW in Gen. 32.

Genesis 32-34, Jacob settles some land in Shechem.

Jerusalem is higher, in the mountains. Not huge mountains, though.

Jacob lies to Esau and goes in the opposite direction.

The Jews are now Jews, from the time of Judah. They were the Israelities.

~~~~~~~9/12

Due Wednesday: 2 journal articles and 3 books. Don't bring journal articles, just bibliographies and a few sentences about the topic. Locate some sources in the Liberty library.

An "A" paper isn't determined merely by effort. It isn't just doing what's on a list, either. It's teaching something to the teacher. He likes good papers and wants them a notch above other papers, on average. Think of a way to surprise Dr. Giese.

Answer the question about objectivity and back up your answer. Not full of opinions. Use resources and the Bible. Not purely philosophical. Defend your answer with the Biblical text.

Essay due on the 26^th, Friday, at the beginning of class.

Genesis 13 - Abram and Lot are in conflict because there is not enough land. They are brothers, though. Lot went to the well-watered area of Jordan, near Sodom.

Genesis 13:13 "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly."

This is an emphatic sentence. It is showing great emphasis to show how evil this city was.

Abram and Lot are on the Highway of the Patriarchs in the city of Bethel. They are looking down at the land. This land was better irrigated than it is today. It's likened to the Garden of Eden and the Nile. It was a very tempting area to move to.

Ancient maps had East at the top. Left hand, right hand, in front of you and behind you were used in Hebrew in the past.

In 13:9, Abram isn't being arbitrary. Lot goes straight, when Abram proposed left or right.

~~~~~~~9/17

Scan

You have to introduce somebody with a "social introduction" before the word "We" is used.

1. Out of sequence information. Thoughts within thoughts are out of sequence information. Ask why it is said and then go find out why.

2. If you hear something or read something, know that it was said or written for a reason.

***Write a paper to be handed in about the day before the paper. What I did that day from wake until sleep. Due October 1.

~~~~~~~9/19

Video-There will be a question on the midterm on Mosaic authorship, for and against.

"Apologetics: Defense of the Scriptures"

apologetics-a speech made in defense of something.

The Bible is completely true and infallible!!! God wouldn't reveal Himself in a book that contains errors.

Did Moses write the Pentateuch? The Bible says Moses wrote the Pentateuch. We must defend it. Scriptures and Jesus say He did.

--Satan attacks through details. He hangs a question mark over the Word of God.

Liberal approach says that the Pentateuch was written by many redactors of much time. 1000 BC until 445 BC was when the Pent. came together. Many authors, many documents over a long period of time. This is evolution of the Bible.

There are words and locations that would not have been in people's vocabulary later. It fits in the Egyptian period right around the Exodus from Egypt. It can't fit in the above period of time.

"Don't argue, plunge the sword." The Bible defends itself with valid information.

God = Elohim in Hebrew

Lord = Adonai in Hebrew

LORD or Jehovah = Yahweh

People have argued that the Bible is the composite of 3 documents.

Graf Wellhausen preached evolution of the Pent.

Jehovah, Elohim, Deuteronomic, and Priestly documents. Ryrie said, "How do you unscramble eggs?" These names are dispersed throughout the OT.

Exodus 7:14 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go." This is equivalent to "the LORD spoke to me." It takes the edge off of, "I did this, I did this, I did this." It is customary to use this kind of writing at this time.

Joshua 1:7-8 "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest."

Joshua explains how Moses wrote he law.

1 Kings 2:3 "And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:"

John 5:46, 47 "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"

Jesus made a link between believing Him and believing Moses.

Acts 3:22 "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you."

All of the above writers attribute the Pent. to Moses.

Genesis 13:10 "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar."

This verse sounds like it was written in Egypt. The dates don't fit the liberal evolutionary time line.

The trees and animals that are referred to are not indigenous to Palestine, but they are indigenous to Egypt. Helping prove that Moses wrote the Pent. in Egypt. Does it make sense that you're not supposed to eat animals that you have not even heard of? The Ocifrey?

When we bring words from other languages into English they are called lone words. There are more lone words in Genesis through Deuteronomy than the rest of the Bible. Moses must have written the Pentateuch in Egypt.

Genesis 14:18 "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God."

Salem was later called Jerusalem. Why would later writers call Jerusalem, Salem?

Deut. 7:5

Deuteronomy 34 - Joshua probably wrote Moses' obituary. If at the end of the account of a man's life, does it mean he didn't write the book? Does it negate his authorship of the whole book? NO!

****Only the gospels and only in the account of Jesus Christ does his events and teaching continue past the grave. The only biography of its kind. Jesus Christ's autobiography includes His life and His death and His life after death. No other biography or autobiography is like the gospels.

1 Chronicles 11:11 "And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time."

2 Samuel 23:8 "These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time."

This is an apparent contradiction. The answer will be given next time.

~~~~~~~9/24

The movie, "The 10 Commandments."

Exodus 6:3 is a place where critics say there are more than 1 God.

In Hebrew if you "knew" a place, you were there. It's used in knowing God, Adam knowing Eve--and a son comes out.

The Lord is the redemptive name of God.

If the water that was turned to blood was merely dirtied, it could have been used.

In chapter 11 of Exodus, Moses sees Pharoah again, but he was told that he wouldn't see him again.

Exodus 11, sequence of events must be weighed with the word had.

There is no pluperfect in Hebrew. Just because we read, "The Lord said," that could have happened any time in the past.

We are very bound to chronology. Hebrews didn't tell history just as we do.

Velhausen said the prophets centralized the religion in Jerusalem in one temple.

Pg. 67 of bound notes, Kaufman says "if this is true, we should have greater reference and praies to Isaiah. Micah and Amos don't reproach the people for not sacrificing in the temple. Centralization of worship is not mentioned in prophetic writings by Isaiah. Isaiah and the prophets cry out against idolatry--anywhere."

J E D P theory has been retracted, lately.

The Pentateuch has been recently given to one Author, but liberal scholars believe that the dates are wrong and the miracles are wrong.

Several professors ironically believe that NT miracles happened, but the OT miracles didn't happen.

~~~~~~~9/26

***There is a test next Friday. 1 essay on Mosaic authorship. A good essay is detailed, not general statements. "I believe that Moses wrote the Pentateuch" is too general, unless it is followed up immediately by more. Not too much emotion or downgrading liberal scholarship. Bring lined paper with me on Friday. Don't worry about an essay, paragraph style. Use outline format and more white space. Itemize reasons. I can use an unmarked Bible on the test on my computer, but nothing else. Read chapter 1 in Codes and the one on history and narrative in Codes. A book of the prophets will be opened. A character will be revealed. Defend your answer about the character from the text. Look for emphasis or out of sequence information. Use the lines to read between the lines. It doesn't mean you're being subjective. Use the text to find out what the author is after. Look for repetition, figures of speech, imagery, etc. Pick one and talk about it. Read between the lines. Opening, "I'm going to look for out of sequence information."

The IVP Bible Background Commentary.

***Extra Credit - Napoleon walked along a ridge (probably in French) near the Red Sea. His armies were in Egypt and had the same thing come up. 2-3 page paper. Include text and can include my interpretation. Include year, book, author, some scholars' opinions, etc.

Exodus 15

1. There are 3 routes of the Exodus. Northern, Middle, Southern. Menzaleh is an extension of the Med. Sea. Southern route is the gulf of Suez (more liked theory). Middle Route (more liked theory). The Red Sea, in Hebrew, is "sea of reeds." Yam suph. The Hebrew word for the color red is not mentioned in Exodus. Seaweed is more applicable. It means some kind of seaweed, not just a reed.

2. What is the evidence that "Sea of Reeds" is not a papyrus marsh?

1 Kings 9:26 Yam suph or the Red Sea has 2 arms or fingers: the Suez and the Gulf of Agaba. Whatever the Yam suph is it has to be the same body of water that Solomon built his ships on. It can't be a marsh. Ezyem Geber is at the northern tip of the east gulf of Agaba.

Numbers 33:8-10 The Red Sea is mentioned on their journey. It was a long journey and they were moving along the Red Sea, not a little marsh. They are really paralleling the coast of the Gulf of Agaba.

Exodus 10:19 The locusts are up and down the Nile River in Egypt. If there was a west wind, it would blow the locusts into the Gulf of Suez. The Yam suph should be the Gulf of Suez.

Southern route is better.

~~~~~~~10/1

The purpose of a statement is to tell you what happened. More information can be out of sequence information. Out of sequence information can tell you more about the author or speaker. It can explain what is important to the author. It can become doubly important to us because it was out of someone's mind and not necessarily pertinent to the statement.

People write in the shortest way possible. When there is a lot written, ask why.

ASK:

1. Why did he write it? Why here? Why this way?

2. Think in the concept of time and culture. Become familiar with locations. (Example in John 9 where the Pool of Methesda was much closer to the temple, Jesus sent him to the Pool of Siloam. This was down the hill) Important.

-- If something could have been written without a piece of information, ask why it is there.

~~~~~~~10/8

***For a paper due, I could teach something about OT. Taking a chapter and teaching about geography and showing how it needs to be known to help the text. I can substitute that for 1 of the 3 papers due. It will still need to have a Biblical lesson and be from a book of the Bible. Write up a proposal - typed - to be approved for class.

--OT Law essay is due in 2 weeks 10/24. I must have at least 3 essays or 2 essays and 1 project by the end of the year. 1 more essay is optional--will drop lowest in this case.

Hezekiah strips God's temple for gold. In the ancient world, God and politics were inseparable.

pgs. 140-141 in the notes. Hyperbole or exaggeration is used in the Bible. "Job was blameless."

Lawrence of Arabia quote is good. Absolutism is related to hyperbole. It's better than relating it to exaggeration because that has been linked to deception.

AV = authorized version, aka KJV

When Jesus is saying to hate your father and mother and love Him, He's not meaning to actually hate them. He's meaning to love them less than Him. It was used in Hebrew in this way.

Luke 14:26 the word hate, in Greek, means: 3404. miseo, mis-eh'-o; from a prim. misos (hatred); to detest (espec. to persecute); by extens. to love less:--hate (-ful).

~~~~~~~10/10

Genesis chapter 5, out of sequence information.

Verse 4, 7, 10, 16 - he begat sons and daughters

Verse 24 - God took Enoch.

Quotes within quotes is a good place to look for out of sequence information.

If we number the genealogy, Adam is 1 and Enoch is 7. If we use Enosh as 1, then Lamech is number 7. Lamech is the father of Noah and has out of sequence information.

7 is a number of wholeness and completeness. Lamech lived 777 years. Genesis 5:31. The new Adam.

~~~~~~~10/15

SCAN

Titles can show relationships: dad, son, daughter, father, Dr., girlfriend, boyfriend. Titles can define relationships.

Matthew 26:14-26 look for titles:

vs. 14 "One of the 12" was Judas' title.

Vs. 18 "the Teacher" was Jesus' title.

Vs. 24 "the Son of Man" was Jesus' title.

Vs. 22 "Lord" was Jesus' title by the disciples.

Vs. 25 "Rabbi" was what Judas called Jesus.

Relationships are constantly in flux. Look for words and quotations.

A change in language means a change in reality. Changes in titles indicate changes in relationships or feelings.

Usually - The first person mentioned has the closest relationship with the author, then sequentially so. The last person or event mentioned may mean the least to me.

SCAN

Exodus 18:1-13

Jethro, first mentioned as the priest of Midian, is mentioned as Moses' father in law, several times. Twice in vs. 12

10/22

No Class Next Wednesday (10/29) - go to a Seminar if possible

To be used in the place of an essay paper, write a 1 page proposal on the subject of what a person said in a seminar. Write a proposal to do a study on the book of Ecclesiastes.

---Possible question on final, Who wrote Genesis?

Genesis 7:21-23 (FLOOD) Much emphasis was put on the fact that everything died. This was not a localized flood. It was a huge flood.

Vs. 19 "the waters prevailed exceedingly" shows that it was a major flood.

Cubit = about 18 inches

Goliath was over 9 feet tall. 6 cubits and a span.

Chapter 7 - the animals that were clean were to be used for sacrificing and eating, that's why they were taken by 7s. The unclean animals were taken by 2s.

Genesis 7:11, the flood starts on 600/2/17 and in chapter 8, it landed on 7/17 - that's 5 months

Chronology in Genesis 7 would go to show that these are original documents weren't edited, but left exactly how they were written. They repeat information and they explain in more detail after telling more of the story. It defies our normal view of chronological, historical events, but it is not wrong. It doesn't prove that there was more than one writer.

---Deluge = Great Flood

10/24

Leviticus 11 - Dietary Laws

11:2

Deut. 14 has a similar law

1. Arbitrary Law - God did it to test, only.

2. Cultic Laws - Cultic people did evil things with unclean animals

3. Hygenic View - Unclean animals are somehow carriers of disease or have bacteria that is harmful.

Unclean animals burrow or play in mud

Unclean birds eat carrion or dead animals

Mark 7:19 "Thus he declared all foods unclean."

Acts 10:15 "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy"

Lev 19:19 - ""'Keep my decrees. "'Do not mate different kinds of animals. "'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. "'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material."

Symbolic view, some of this was symbolic. Wearing one kind of material or planting your field with one kind of seed showed that they had purity and loved only God and no idols.

Science will show information on both sides of each argument. The sand will shift under your feet.

Wedham, Leviticus for the Dietary Laws. OTNI Commentary. Does a good job of symbolism and linking things with OT and NT. Jew and Gentile separation in OT and none in NT, in God's eyes.

Sheep was a normal animal for Israelites, Camels were not normal. Fish were normal.

---Food preparation and cleanliness weren't around back in those days. Refrigeration. People could have died or gotten sick. Some people believe those laws are still applicable, some don't.

Some people claim that it is still healthy not to eat ham or pork, even with present day technology and refrigeration.

Moral, Civil, Ceremonial laws. Should there be sub-genres for laws. Discussion next week.

November 5 ~

Book ending = inclusio

Judges Chapter 1

2:11 "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:"

This cycle was repeated in the book of the Judges. Israel goes through these cycles and it keeps getting worse.

2:19 "And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way."

20:28 Phinehas could have been Aaron's grandson.

There is no Hebrew word for grandfather. All grandfather's are referred to as "Ab" in Hebrew. Mephibosheth was one of Saul's grandson's.

--The problem wasn't the external stuff like the Canaanites, but the problem was internal. The Israelites wanted to sin and do what was good in their own eyes.

Write a proposal for the next paper for Dr. Giese's class. An OT story, but a historical book or Pentateuchal book.

Shechem - Summit

Bethel - B

Jerusalem - J

Mamre - Middle

Beersheba - Below

SheBeJerMaBee

These are five cities lined from north to south with Shechem at the top and Beersheba at the bottom. (She Brings John More Beer (rootbeer)) (She and Beth Jumps on Mamma Bear)

"Everyone did what was right in their own eyes"

Find out where it occurs, where it doesn't occur and to who it is being said to (which king or area)

Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:6 "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

Proverb 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."

Proverb 21:2 "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts."

This phrase is in about 7 different OT books and no NT books.

Next assignment: "His mercy endureth for ever"

List occurrences:

In Psalms it is mentioned 33 times.

1 Chronicles it's mentioned 2 times.

2 Chronicles it's mentioned 4 times.

Ezra it's mentioned 1 time.

Jeremiah it's mentioned 1 time.

Find these in context. Who said them? Who were they said to?

Judges 21:6

Judges 17:6

Proverbs

Deuteronomy 12:8

I Chronicles 13:4

November 19 ~

The word Rock is used in the OT. What does it mean? It depends on the context. The Rock would be bigger than I for complete protection.

2 Samuel 22:2, 31, 32

November 26 ~

There are 5 main books in the Psalms. The phrase "his mercy endureth forever," appears in the Psalms and mainly in the 4^th and 5^th books.

December 3 ~

Essay due Friday on Chronicles. Get some journal articles and some books for the bibliography. Go to the library!!!

Pg. 172 Dillard/Longman

Also see if it applies to Kings. Does some apply to Kings??

Use a concordance and have fun with it. Write down some numbers and stuff.

-- 2 Chronicles 26:22 "... the rest of the acts of Uzziah ... did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write."

Prophets: "preachers" (not convey info, but bring about change)

Priests: "gate keepers" (=access), "teachers" (i.e. the law)

-- Chronicles has the people coming together and God's covenant being implemented.

1 Chronicles - 21 hits "all Israel..."

2 Chronicles - 23 hits

The Prophets are concerned with God's relationship with a person and the king.

The Priests monitored God's relationship with a people.

(See Dillard/Longham p. 173)

Saducees were the priestly group in Biblical times. They cared about the temple and the genealogies. Pharisees cared about the people and believed that the average person (Jew) should have God's Word and should be able to read it and interpret it for themselves. The Saducees said, "no," they should read God's Word to the people.

Many words such as names are transliterations. Words like outlandish had very different meanings in the 1600s. What is outlandish now was unheard of then. What was outlandish then is probably very conservative, now.

A hem in the OT was a big deal. When David cut the hem of Saul in the cave, that was a big deal. The hem of a garment showed the status of the person. Based on a person's robe, you could determine their status. It was a status symbol such as a nice car or a nice shirt, today.

-- The ancient church fathers did not know the Hebrew scriptures except for

December 5 ~

pg. 24 The Hebrew Bible Canon vs. The English OT Canon

Possibilities for the reason that the Hebrew Bible calls Joshua, Judges, and Samuel prophets.

-- Written by the prophets

-- Written about the prophets

-- These books contain the prophetic viewpoint, same as the Deuteronomic viewpoint. God's own view expressed in the book of Deuteronomy. "If you obey God's commands you'll be blessed, but if you disobey them you will be in trouble." Cursing vs. Blessing ideology.

Nehemiah 10:39 "They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;"

-- This is a literary form that is used, intermittently throughout scripture. "The earth was void and without form." 2 things are mentioned in the same breath, but they don't always mean what you think they may mean.

-- Jeremiah says, "Surrender to Babylon," and people have hated him for pointing out their wickedness. They hate him all the more, now.

-- Imagery is a bright way of communication. Poetry tends to use word pictures that aren't necessarily historical. "The Lord is my shepherd." Metaphorical. 2 things that sound a bit odd come together and illustrate some point. This must have sounded very odd to the first Israelites who heard it.

Authors of narratives use a form of imagery. Like Goliath being so many cubits and a span. It's like the author slows things down so that we can get a picture in our minds about what he is talking about.

In books such as Jeremiah, language is used like: To describe righteousness, "Fred gave God first place in his life." In Kings, "Fred worshiped God."

In Jeremiah there was a word called dungeon. It was not a dungeon in our sense of the word. It was much more like a cistern. The Hebrew words is "bowr." In Israel, they used cisterns to get water. Rain falls on roof, goes to gutter, then to a receptacle. If they had an opening, they'd close it when it wasn't raining with a cover. These are man-made and dug out by man. The cisterns that weren't used for holding water most likely had things like waste and chicken bones and stuff.

-- Jeremiah was thrown in one and sunk in the mud. Euphemisms are used for words like excrement, sex, etc. He is most likely sinking in human excrement.

Final Review:

Walton/Matthews - Questions for the final. All multiple choice.

1. What are the different kinds of monotheism?

--philosophical: 1 God

--henotheism: acknowledges other gods, own God is supreme

--moloatry: the worship of only 1 God

--practical: may acknowledge other gods, but mostly worships 1 God

2. Was Akhenaten of Egypt monotheistic?

--Also known as King Amenhotep IV. Yes this was one of the first monotheistic rules. Aton, the sun god, was the only god to be worshiped.

3. What does the Hebrew word "herem" mean?

--the word "herem" means "devoted to the Lord" or "under the ban." This could happen in respect to the complete destruction of all persons, animals and property or even cities as a dedicatory sacrifice to Yahweh. This was implemented by God so Israel would not compromise their worship. False gods had no place with the Israelites. However, the Israelites did not always obey this command. Achan was a prime example of someone who sinned by taking some of the loot from Jericho.

4. What was "Asherah"?

Asherah was the fertility goddess of the Phoenicians, Amorites and Canaanites. According to legend, she was the mother of Baal. --The King James Version translated Asherah "grove" and the proper noun "Ashtaroth."

--Usually a wooden idol symbolized Asherah. This god was found in the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel.

5. What was the significance of stoning as a capital punishment?

Deuteronomy 17:5 "then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones."

--Not only were rocks plentiful in Israel, the entire city was supposed to stone an individual if that was their punishment. Stoning was communal. No one person was responsible for the death of the condemned criminal. (Pg. 235 of IVP Commentary Genesis-Deuteronomy, read notes on Deuteronomy 13:10) A visible way to punish; not a secret punishment. Somewhat like crucifixion, many people saw this sin and did not want to deserve this punishment.

6. Why does Deuteronomy forbid a king to multiply horses? (Possible short answer)

Deuteronomy 17:16 "But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, You shall not return that way again." The accumulation of horses and wealth would take his mind off things that were necessary. Plus, it gave pride to the owner or king who would do this.

7. Using context, why were multiple wives discouraged in Deut? (Possible short answer)

Deuteronomy 17:17 "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself." God didn't want man to be preoccupied with extra wives and their demands and gods. Multiple wives was never confronted in the Bible, but was plainly a sin and never encouraged.

8. Why were all Canaanites to be killed (Deut 20)? (Possible short answer)

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 "But of the cities of these peoples which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you, lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God."

God was clearing the way for the Israelites. God didn't want the Israelites, His chosen people, marrying Canaanites or worshiping their gods. The Canaanites had been sinning for hundreds of years and didn't repent. God has the right to punish sin. This was a spiritual and religious reason for judgment, not a political one. This was considered "herem". God is righteous and Holy and has the right to punish sin.

9. (Deut 32) What does "rock" as a metaphor mean?

--Rock means refuge, strength or strong. Rock, in this context, is the Hebrew word "Tsur". It has a literal and figurative meaning. Literally a cliff, rock or boulder.

Dillard/Longman

1. According to D/L what is the main reason for the inclusion of the story of the Levite and his concubine (Judges 19)? (Multiple choice or short answer)

I.e. the city or the Levite stands for: A, B, C.

--This story was included in the Bible to illustrate some things: 1) Benjamin was behaving like a wicked tribe (killing the concubine in a manner that reminded the reader of Sodom and Gomorrah). Gibeah is the city where Benjamin and Saul were located. Saul would soon come from this tribe to be Israel's first king. This showed the condition of Benjamin and the state of all of Israel. 2) Bethlehem produced David and treats the Levite like royalty. Ironically, Bethlehem produces royalty soon after in David. (Pg. 121 in D/L)

1. Where outside of Judges does the expression "to do what is right in _____ eyes" occur? What can you draw from this theologically?

This phrase was recorded in:

Deuteronomy 12:8 - they were not right in God's eyes

1 Kings 11:33 - they were not right in God's eyes

Deuteronomy 13:18 - Israel did right in God's eyes

1 Kings 14:8 - (David did what was right in God's eyes)

1 Chronicles 13:4 - they were doing what was right in the people's eyes, and it was fine with God.

--We should be concerned with God's eyes. His opinion lasts forever and we'll only have to face Him on judgment day; not our peers.

--The Israelites didn't learn from the prophets, judges, kings or God. They kept doing what was right in their own eyes. End of semester notes.