Last week, I shared a favorite book of mine that had connections back to my college and seminary days. This week isn't just one I read back in college, it was written by one of my professors.
Plowshares and Pruning Hooks helped me understand biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature in a much deeper way. Like Walter Bruggemann before him, Sandy carefully asks some relevant questions about the way we read prophecy in Scripture:
What was the purpose of prophecy?
How literally should we take these passages?
Are we using a consistent hermeneutic?
What does past fulfillment teach us about promises we're still waiting to be fulfilled?
I've gotten the sense that this book received criticism from some theological circles, but I know it has been widely affirmed in many others. Personally, I always found Dr. Sandy to be a humble, engaging, and encouraging teacher. He was more apt to ask us questions than feed us answers. Even if you differed with him, he was willing to listen and engage you. That is no doubt why I appreciate this book like I do, I know the heart behind it. In the end, I highly recommend this somewhat obscure book for anyone interested in being better equipped to handle prophecy and apocalyptic parts of the Bible.
Yesterday's sermon was on the book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah checks all the boxes of what OT prophets did, in three succinct chapters.
He criticizes God's people and pagans for their wickedness. Along with that criticism comes vivid descriptions of promised judgment.
He energizes the faithful to persevere through adversity by describing the future hope and restoration God will bring.
He calls the people to repent and seek the Lord's presence before it's too late.
Read works by Dr. Walter Bruggemann and/or my former professor, Dr. Brent Sandy and you'll discover Zephaniah fits the prophetic mold to a 'T'. Given that summary of the minor prophet, crafting a worship service around the book didn't seem particularly natural. Our worship planners didn't even know the specifics but knew the broad strokes. Honestly though this seemed like one of those weeks we didn't tie the worship to the sermon in real specific ways. Yet the way the Lord brought things together did just that. Zephaniah's a book describing how God is the one whose powerful wrath we need saved from, but he's also the only one who can protect and deliver us. The song we used to close the service captured that idea well in my view. It's a newer 'classic' by Michael W. Smith. Simple yet deep in it's biblical descriptions of who our Lord is.
No one likes a hypocrite. Unfortunately, hypocrisy is one of the common reasons Christians turn off those who are outside of the faith. Hypocrisy and failing to live according to God's will were major issues the prophet Micah highlighted as he served as God's mouthpiece. It's a shame that the people of God haven't eliminated their tendency to be hypocrites. Thankfully that's where God's grace comes in. Since humanity is sinful, there will always be some measure of failure when it comes to practicing what we preach.
This week's selection for Music Monday centers on a theme which Micah specifically condemned his contemporaries for. Especially in chapter 3, Micah calls out the leaders for exploiting their positions for their own benefit. All-Star United, a late-nineties Christian rock band, cornered the market on sarcastic-but-true themes and with 'Smash Hit' call out all those who use Jesus to further their own personal gain - much like Micah.
The impetus for us is to be faithful and consistent, resisting the temptation to use our advantages for selfish reasons.
