What Was Moses Thinking?

Ex 20:11 "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

Ex 31:17 "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed"

I suspect that Moses' writings are internally consistent, for he was not a foolish man. He had Genesis 1 in mind when he wrote Exodus 20 and Exodus 31.

Of course, Christians are not to keep the Jewish sabbath of the 7th day, which was a sign of God's covenant with Israel by Moses [See Heb. 7:14 and others], but it was a "day" they kept, not an indeterminate age or mental concept. It is a very dangerous thing to use scientific "consensus," which is always changing, to correct the Scriptures, which cannot be broken [John 10:35].

It is not a fatal error to misread a passage of Scripture, for many wise and godly men have been foolish here and there, but error may reveal a faulty hermeneutic or a faulty application of a good hermeneutic. Misunderstanding Scripture is not the same as unbelief, but it is certainly a heavy burden, resting on the shoulders of those who think that "day" mean "age" or "literary device" to prove their point.

A more important point is to ask "What was God thinking?" when He had Moses write those words. God does think, you know. Jesus also warned us of the importance of Moses' writings:

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

Great Start for New Geneva

We have completed the first week of classes for the 17 year of New Geneva Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs. Got a bunch of fine students and the first week was really fun.

We have a new registrar, who is also professor of Old Testament, Dr. Mark House. He teaches OT Survey III and Hebrew Exegesis.

I had way too much fun for a 75 year old this week. Tuesday was Survey of Church History I and Doctrine of Revelation and Inspiration. Wednesday was Person and Work of Christ and History of Philosophy and Logic. Great students make an old man look good.

Then Sunday I get to fellowship with God's people and preach a second sermon on why our lives are too much filled with strife.

How much fun and joy is this? eh?

Whose Thoughts?

The problem God had with the prophets of Israel is that they spoke their own thoughts.

"Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?" --Jeremiah 23:16-18

How could a mere man who will die and have his brain eaten by worms be so puffed up as to think that his mind was sufficient to explain the universe and his place in it? Pride is a sort of insanity and intoxication that even the strongest liquor cannot produce.

"No evil shall come upon us," they strutted. "God is good and will not do evil," is the way they comforted themselves, not seeing the fallacy of their thought, for if God is good it certainly will not be well with the ungodly. How could a good God approve their blasphemies?

What they really needed to be concerned about was the thoughts of God. For Jeremiah continues:

"Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly." Jeremiah 23:19, 20.

People should not be so drunkenly enamored of their own thoughts and intoxicated with the pleasing words of the false prophets. What they need to be concerned about is the thoughts of God. Even more, they need to be concerned about Him DOING the thoughts of His heart, and that is exactly what He promises to do. They won't like it when it happens, for it will come in His fury, like a grievous whirlwind that scatters everything with utter destruction upon the head of the wicked.

Lesson: God knows, and He knows that He knows. He also knows what He will do and what He will not do. He has said that there will at some day be a terrible destruction of the wicked, against which they will not be able to stand. Drunken stupors brought on by pride will be no comfort in that day.

Ephesians 5:11-14 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."