Summer School Grammar Lesson

(Warning: this is going to put you to sleep unless you are into in-depth apologetics. I should have another post by this Sunday or Monday)

            It’s been awhile since I’ve written explicitly about Genesis, so I’m going to write about it right… now. Dr. DeYoung, in his book “Thousands… Not Billions”, wrote a layman’s level interpretation of an eight-year long project called RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth). This research project was conducted by scientists and challenged the assumptions of today’s dating methods. It also explored dating evidence for a young earth.

            But I’m not writing about science today. At the end of the book, Dr. Steven Boyd (Biblical scholar) wrote a gem of a chapter on the Hebrew behind Genesis. As the Bible has been reinterpreted to accommodate naturalist theories (Evolution, uniformitarianism, Big Bang, etc.), Christians who have compromised based on secular pressure have spread the belief that the Creation account is allegorical. If so, then we can interpret it very broadly. Sort of like how one can interpret a poem broadly because the author gives him license to do so.

            However, what is the correct thing to do? At its most general level, there are two methods of interpreting scripture: exegesis and eisegesis. Exegesis is using the Bible to interpret itself. When an interpretation is produced, does it stay faithful to what the text itself says?

            Then there is eisegesis. This method of interpreting scripture involves taking something external to the Bible as true, and interpreting the Bible off it. The Bible is true as long as it accommodates this external truth.

            Theistic evolution (TE) and progressive creation (PC) take external theories (naturalism, Evolution, Big Bang, Uniformitarianism) as truth... and the Bible has to be interpreted to accommodate these truths. This is eisegesis because there is precious little Biblical support for these two positions. How can you tell? If someone wants to learn about TE and PC, the Bible is the last place they go.

            Biblical Creation (BC) takes the beginning of Genesis as literal history. This is exegesis because the authority of scripture is absolute, and used to interpret itself. How can you tell? When someone wants to learn about BC, the Bible is the first place they go.

Steven Boyd

            

            So what Dr. Boyd did was look at the Hebrew itself to see if it supports the notion that Genesis is poetical. Now, all it should take is directing someone to Proverbs and Psalms (biblical poetry), then directing them to Genesis (biblical history). The following comparison should dismiss that idea pretty instantly. Proverbs and Psalms are nothing like Genesis*.

            But because many Christians are heaven-bent on reinterpreting Genesis, it’s not that easy. But let’s get to the actual study. Before I do that, I have to define finite Hebrew verbs (the focus of the study). Finite verbs are those that have different forms based on person (I, you, he, they), gender (masculine, feminine), and number (singular, plural). There are four types of finite verbs:

1. Preterite - history - “She swam”
2. Imperfect - present/future/general - “She is swimming/will swim/swims”
3. Perfect - single historical action - “She swam”
4. Waw-perfect - habitual or repeated historical action - “She would/used to swim

            He then took a statistical analysis of clear historical and clear poetical passages of scripture to see if he could find patterns in the verb forms. These patterns might be able to indicate whether or not the beginning of Genesis was meant to be read literally or poetically.

            Also, there are helpful passages called “paired texts” that made the study a little easier. “Paired texts” means that there is both a literal and poetic passage to a single event. Examples are Exodus 14 (history) and Exodus 15:1-19 (Song of Moses, poetry), and Judges 4 (history) and Judges 5 (songs of Deborah and Barak, poetry).

            What did he find? He found that historical passages used preterite verbs an average of 52% of the time (compared to other finite verbs). Poetical passages used preterite verbs an average of 4% of the time. HUGE difference between history and poetry, obviously.

            Before I get to Genesis, I’ll mention specific examples. Judges 3 (history) used preterite verbs 81% of the time. Deuteronomy 32 (poetry) used preterite verbs 17% of the time. So Judges 3 is clearly history, Deuteronomy 32 is clearly poetry.

            It really is that simple.

            Now let’s look at the first two chapters of Genesis. *Drumroll* The beginning of Genesis uses preterite verbs… around 65% of the time! CLEARLY historical. Now, if you did the whole “read biblical poetry, then read biblical history, then compare” test at the beginning of the section, you would’ve come to the same conclusion.

            So grammatically, the Creation account is clearly historical, and should be read as such. Where does this leave TEs and PCs? They have three options: 1) admit their position is unbiblical and switch, 2) interpret ALL other historical passages poetically (to be consistent), 3) keep on keepin’ on. My guess is they’ll go with #3 because they didn’t use the Bible to come to their interpretation of Genesis anyway.

*A mark of poetry is that you can make music to it or you can sing to it. Sing Genesis 6:14-16 with me! Or, if you aren't the best of singers, grab a guitar and play a tune. The passage goes like this:

            "So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

            This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.

            Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks." (NIV)

            Oh, that does't make for good music or lyrics, does it? I wonder why… hmm… I got it! Maybe that's because it's supposed to be history! So just like you wouldn't go around singing paragraphs from your history textbook, you wouldn't go around singing historical Bible passages! It makes sense… unless you eisegete and are reinterpreting the Bible to fit unbiblical ideas. You would probably sing obituaries at this point ;)

Greatness

            Awhile back I read Dr. Tony Evans’ book "Kingdom Man". It was inspiring, and goes hand in hand with my last post. He writes about men reaching their potential, which is greatness. You see, men in the American church have been feminized*.

            Just look at the volunteer openings in a typical church. Sunday school teachers. Care team. Meal-makers. Etc, etc. All more geared toward those who are gentle, sympathetic, soft, and caring. All more geared towards women**. Men often don’t go to church because they feel they have to check their masculinity at the door.

            Where’s the destruction? Where's the guts? Where’s the glory?

            Where’s the greatness?

            Men desire challenge. That’s why we gravitate toward the movies we do. Impossible odds? Ha! Us against the world? They better have backups. Epic drawn out fight scenes with massive special effects? Another day in the life of a man movie.

            But no, when we enter church we enter a realm that caters to women. We get an atmosphere that’s designed to draw out emotions and create a memorable experience. Great, but where’s the greatness?

Before Your Maker

            God knows something about greatness. He just needs to look in a mirror to see it. And you know what? He desires for us to be great, also. Genesis 12:13:

            The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

            I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

            I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (NIV)

            Did you catch those phrases? “I will make YOU into a great nation”. “I will make YOUR name great”. “ALL peoples on earth will be blessed through YOU”.

            I don’t know about you, but that gets the blood flowing. I look at those phrases and I get excited. Sure, I get nervous, but if God is with me no one can stop me***.

            While those SPECIFIC words were for Abraham, the premise of this post is that men can do great things if we grab onto God’s will for us, not our culture’s.

            We are not women. Most men are rough around the edges. Men tend not to be good listeners and worse sympathizers. We are stubborn and hard-headed.

            But we desire greatness to a level women generally do not. No challenge is too great, no obstacle too hard. We demolish anything that gets in the way.

            God has a few things for people like men to do.

Summary

            So why did I write this post? Actually, my mind was all over the place. I was going to write about how the American church has followed American culture by falling to emotionalism (and therefore leaning towards women). I was going to write about specific problems men need to man-up with (such as fatherhood and treating women correctly). I was going to write about all the great things God wanted men to do in the Bible (and why men today can do great things)...

            So I decided to do a little bit of everything. So here’s my summary: Women and men are different. Men desire greatness. This desire is marginalized in today’s church, to the church’s detriment. Men can desire to be great because there are Biblical precedents (I only gave one). Therefore, desire greatness.

*Scratch that, men in America have been feminized.

**Alright, here’s my mandatory disclaimer I have to give when I say things like this: I’m not saying that if certain men have these traits or do these things, they are feminine. I’m talking about GENERALITIES. Men GENERALLY aren’t the most personable, or sympathetic, or skilled in the kitchen. You get my point.

***Okay, here’s another disclaimer I have to give: By all this talk of greatness, I don’t mean self-glorification. I’m not talking about “look at me” pride, but “look at God” worship. The more great things men do the more praise God gets. If you notice in the verses I quoted, who is allowing Abraham to be great? “I will show you... I will make you... I will make your... I will bless...” etc. Only in God’s power can we be great, and by being great we glorify God.

The Death of the Imagination

            As my sisters and their friends watch “Ender’s Game”, it got me thinking about fantasy worlds and the imagination. You see, when we are young we are told to use our imagination. It’s encouraged. Our parents give us tools to sharpen and expand it.

            We are told that the imagination can take us to lands that don’t exist anywhere other than the mind. We are allowed to believe in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy because it’s good for us to be happy. Kids desire a care-free world where the good guy always win.

            Then, you grow up. What happens to the imagination? We are told to hide it, to let it go. So it diminishes, or at least goes underground.

            But it never dies.

            One thing few realize is that, just like everything else, the imagination is supposed to mature. Grow up. The imagination is supposed to be refined, not canned.

            And as it grows, its name changes. The adult’s imagination is called vision.

            Adults are no different than kids in that we all desire the good guy to win and the world to be right. This desire produces fantasy worlds in the child (imagination), but it is supposed to produce action in the adult (vision).

            However, it often doesn’t because we are told we can no longer dream past a certain age. So we go throughout life with no drive, no hope. No vision. We are told to be realists, pessimists. We look at wickedness and say, “Well, that’s just the way it is.” That’s not dreaming. That’s not a visionary speaking.

            That’s the voice of someone who has been told to destroy his or her imagination. It’s a dark, cold, gray world without hope.

Come back

            Bring back the imagination. Dream again. Before we can change the world, we have to have a goal. Then we can move.

            End human slavery? Go for it.

            Demolish abortion? Sounds great.

            Find a cure for cancer? Why not?

            Live like Jesus day in, day out? Nothing’s stopping you.

            Pick up your sword and let’s go. Build the imagination. Kickstart a vision. Fight for a world that would make our Lord and Savior proud.