Lectures

Every generation must do its own work of restoration, coming back to God’s word with fresh eyes. We cannot depend on the restorations that our parents carried out, and our children will not be able to depend on those that we carry out.

Psalm 1 sets the tone for the Book of Psalms by introducing the most basic choice we ever have to make in life. Which path will we follow: reverence to God or rebellion against him? The study of the Psalms, then, is no trivial pursuit.

At the bottom of it all, the worship which Malachi condemned was wrong for one basic reason: it trifled with the greatness of God. It was a routine in which the worshipers sought maximum carnal gains from minimum spiritual investments.

When we find ourselves in some predicament like Job’s, even if only to a smaller extent, the thing that will get us through is the same kind of determination that he had — the same through-it-all faith that God will settle every account in the end.

Having heard the “gospel” of the Exodus — both the Old one and the New — let us not be surprised at any bondage that God can break. If we are surprised, our brother Peter would probably say to us also, “Men of Israel, why do you marvel?”

Considering the uniquely powerful societal pressures that are involved in this particular issue, I predict that we will see people discount what the Bible says about gender roles who have never done such a thing on other kinds of issues.