In this lesson we look at God's ongoing story of restoration, tracing important elements of it all the way through the Bible, and seeking to get a grasp of what our role is in it.
Creation
Shalom
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, everything was perfect. It all worked the way God designed it. It was shalom, which was introduced in the first lesson as "wholeness". All aspects of life were working together to accomplish God's purposes. As a backdrop for this lesson, let's have a quick reminder of what this was like, because we have nothing like it today:
- Initially the earth was formless and void. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Just like in the Egyptian creation story, the water represents chaos to the Hebrew mind. God brought order out of the chaos, but he didn't create Ma'at; he created shalom instead.
- God placed man in the choicest spot -- in a garden. A river flowed through it and became the headwaters of 4 major river systems. There are trees in the garden, including the Tree of Life.
- God gave Adam a purpose - to work the Garden
- Eve was created from Adam. They complimented each other; they weren't complete without each other.
- God gave Eve a purpose - to help Adam. It wasn't an inferior role; Adam needed help.
- Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. This is not just about physical nakedness. They were whole individuals, complete, nothing to hide, open, transparent, uncomplicated.
- God walked with them in the cool of the day.
Sin
There are 4 primary relationships that mankind has, that were all functioning perfectly: (1) With God, (2) with self, (3) with others, and (4) with Creation. We can only imagine what this was like, because sin came and ruined it all. It shattered the shalom of the Garden, broke all of the relationships, and lead to death.
- They realized they were exposed before God and hid from him (God)
- They realized they were naked and now experienced shame (self)
- Adam blames the woman, Eve blames the serpent (others)
- Childbirth will be painful; the ground is cursed, and they will return to dust (Creation)
Go back to the story of Creation. God created for 6 days and then rested the 7th day. I can't say for sure what these days were like, nor can I say if the 7th day was like the other 6. We don't hear God say anything about other days afterwards, in the same sense. But think for a moment -- was there an 8th day? And if there was, what did God do on that day? I contend that he started working again. Jesus said his Father is always at work. What is he doing? He is re-creating. He is not starting over from scratch, but is making the things he already created, new again. He is restoring everything that was broken. "I'm going to put the whole world back together again; I'm going to restore everything and bring back the shalom". He wants to dwell with his people, like he used to walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden. He starts with Abraham, and he's going to plant him and his descendants into the Promised Land.
Abraham
God tells Abraham to leave his land and family and walk with him. He promises him a new land and family. This was much more difficult than we think of, when we think of moving to a new place. In that culture, your land and family was everything; it was your identity. This took an incredible amount of faith on Abraham's part.
Covenant
God promises Abraham uncountable descendants and that he will possess the land. Abraham is not totally convinced of this. He asks how he can be sure that he will possess it. God answers him with a bizarre ceremony in Genesis 15. God tells Abraham to get some specific kinds of animals. The next thing we see is that Abraham, without any further prompting from God, is cutting the animals in half and arranging the pieces to make a blood path between them. Why did he do this? How did he even know to do it? It was a common ceremony of the day. When two parties wanted to enter a binding agreement, the greater party would spell out the terms, the lesser party would agree, and then they would use this ceremony to seal the deal. So Abraham recognized that God was initiating a covenant, and he knew what to do.
The Hebrew word for "covenant" is bereth, which comes from the verb bara, which has to do with the shaping or cutting process in order to create something. You could say that God was creating a covenant, or cutting a covenant. The image of cut-up animal pieces ties in with this nicely. And they were arranged to create a blood path between them. What is this all about? We actually get an answer from Scripture. Jeremiah 34:18-20 tells us more about this kind of covenant. The two parties would walk together in the blood path between the pieces, and that sealed the agreement. Later, if either party broke the terms of the covenant, the other party was entitled to kill and cut up the offending party like the animals.
Back to Abraham.... Genesis tells us that a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. That's a way of saying that he's scared out of his mind. What business does he have entering into a covenant with God? He knows that if anyone is going to break this covenant, it's not going to be God. Next, there are some verses where God tells Abraham what is going to happen to his descendants regarding their slavery and eventual occupation of the land. That's part of the terms of the covenant. Then you'd expect to see God and Abraham walk the blood path together. But that's not what happens. It goes on to see that a smoking pot and a blazing torch appear. (Some translations say a smoking pot with a
blazing torch, but that carries the wrong impression. These are not two things that happen as one; they are two independent items that appear at the same time). They go through the blood path; Abraham does not. God walks through the blood path both for himself and in Abraham's place. He was saying, "Abraham, I'm so committed to giving you this land that I am making this covenant with myself in your place. If you or your descendents violate the terms of the covenant, I will pay for it with my own blood". Surely this brings to mind Jesus' words at the Last Supper... "This is my body which is broken for you.... this is my blood of the new covenant". Even though Jesus was instituting a new covenant, it wasn't totally new. It was the fulfillment of something that God had started long before. It was the culmination and the continuation.
Circumcision
God tells Abraham to circumcise the males in his household, on the 8th day. It's a continual reminder in their flesh, of the covenant. But why the 8th day? We know now that there are medical reasons that this is the best day for it, but more than that, it's another picture of God's commitment to restore and re-create everything. The 8th day pictures a re-creation.
Israel
Priests
God rescues his people from Egypt after 400 years of slavery there. He tells Pharaoh, "Let my people go that they may worship me", or it could just as readily be translated, "Let my people go that they may serve me". The word there is avad, which means both to worship and to serve. It gives us a picture that worship (like other Hebrew verbs) is not a passive/mental activity; we worship by serving God.
God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt, and planted them in the most trafficked part of the ancient world, so they can represent him, and thereby all of the world will learn of him. He gave them the Torah so they would know how to live and represent him. In giving Israel this responsibility, God elevated their status significantly, as explained in the following:
We think of The Ten Commandments, but actually there are 613 commandments (mitzvah, plural is mitzvot) in the Torah. In Numbers 15:37-41 there are some pretty weird instructions about tying tassels (tsitsit) with a blue cord in them to the hem of your clothes at the corners, as a reminder of the commandments. How is that going to be a reminder?
- Recall that the Hebrew language communicates meaning in many ways,
including by numeric values associated with letters, words, and phrases
(gematria). What is the gematric value of the word tsitsit? If you're tracking with this, you might suggest that it would be 613. This would be a wrong answer, but you'd be on the right track. The actual value is 600, but then each tassel has 8 cords and 5 knots. So when the Hebrews would see a tsitsit, they would see "613", and would be reminded of the commandments.
- The tassels were tied to their hems. In the ancient world, the hem
of your garment indicated your status, identity, and authority. You
would press it into clay as your legal signature. Slaves had no
authority. By taking his people out of slavery in Egypt and telling
them to put hems on their clothes, God is continually reminding them of
how he has removed them from slavery and elevated their status; they are now his people. (As a
side note, there are several examples in Scripture where we are told
that someone did something with someone else's hem, and we think of it
as being casual or insignificant, but in reality, it was touching that
person's authority).
- One of the cords of the tassel was to be blue. Blue dye was extremely rare. It was the color of royalty. It was the color of the priesthood. The priests' ephod was to be entirely blue. This was another reminder of how God had elevated their status. The blue in the tassel was also a reminder that each one of God's people had a priestly function -- they were to be a kingdom of priests to represent God to the world. They were to carry God's name. When Moses told Aaron to give what we call the "Aaronic blessing" to the Israelites in Numbers 6:22-27, he said that in this way he would put God's name on the people. This was a designated priest conferring priesthood on all the people. A kingdom of priests, representing God, carrying his name. The commandment about not taking the Lord's name in vain is not just about swearing; a name represents a person's character, and they carried his name, representing him. The commandment is about representing him rightly. We are called to "wear blue well".
Tabernacle
After giving the Torah, God gave elaborate instructions about building the Tabernacle (mishcon, deriving from the verb shacon meaning "to dwell") for him to dwell among his people. The instructions themselves are formatted as a mirror of the original Creation account: There are 6 times where it says, "The Lord said to Moses <and it goes on to indicate something about the construction of the tabernacle>". Then the seventh and final time, it says, "The Lord said to Moses, 'say to the Israelites, "You must observe my Sabbath"'". It's another picture of the Re-creation. There are 2 chapters in the Bible dedicated to the creation of the entire universe, and 13 chapters dedicated to the construction of the Tabernacle. Don't miss the point that God wants to be with his people as part of the restoration process. It's a partnership, and he is going to live right among his people to do it. In the first creation, God said to be fruitful and multiply, and they filled with world with brokenness. In the Re-creation, God says, "Make space for me, and I will fill it with myself and live among you".
Interesting that we find that the Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of their second year. Why do we need to know that? Think back to when God took the people out of Egypt. He said that month was to be their first month. Fifty days after they left Egypt they arrived at Mount Sinai, and he gave them the Torah. Moses was on the mountain 40 days for that. So that's 90 days of that first year. When he came down from the mountain, they started building the tabernacle. So how long did it take? About nine months. Is that a coincidence? Or is it God foreshadowing the time when Christ would come as a baby? Nothing in the Text is random; it's all there for a purpose. I'm inclined to believe this is another one of those pictures hidden in the Text.
When the tabernacle was completed, God moved in. He came to live there, and his glory filled the whole tabernacle so that Moses could not even go in. The rabbis coined the term shekinah to refer to this glory. As before, the word derives from the verb shacon ("to dwell"), and more specifically from the word sheken, which means "close neighbor". God, in all his glory, lived right there among the people as their close neighbor. In fact he instructed them to set up their camp all around the Tabernacle. We always say that God can't look upon sin, but I'm not so sure; he lived right there among the sinful people.
Temple
When Israel finally entered the Promised Land, some time later Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. And the same thing happened there as with the tabernacle. When the temple was dedicated, God's glory again came down and filled the temple so that the priests could not go in. God was again living among his people.
Exile
Then Israel lost the plot. They created more brokenness and chaos. They did not worship and serve God. They did not represent him. They lost the position of influence that God wanted them to have. Finally God deported them to exile in other lands. Has God's purpose for Israel failed? It looks like it has, but no, it can't. At the right time, Jesus entered the scene, as an Israelite, to accomplish God's purpose. He came to do what Israel as a nation had failed to do. He came to restore the shalom and to show the people how to wear the blue well.
Jesus
Jesus, as an Israelite, relives Israel's history, the way it should have been lived. He, as an individual, is able to do and be what God wanted from the nation.
Birth
We're familiar with the prophecy in Isaiah about the Messiah as being the "Prince of Peace", but the meaning is deeper than that. The word there in the Hebrew is shalom. He is the Prince of Shalom. The Messiah would restore the wholeness that was in the Garden originally. Isaiah also speaks of "a day acceptable to the Lord", or "the day of the Lord's favor". This is the term Ratzon La'Adonai, which means "a day of the Lord's divine good will". In the Hebrew mind, this was a long way off, something that would happen at the end of time. But when Jesus is born, the angels make the announcement "Peace (shalom) on earth" and "good will toward men". The part about "good will toward men" is again a reference to Ratzon La'Adonai. It's a proclamation that the restoration which will be complete at the end of time is actually entering the world now through Jesus.
Baptism
Since Jesus never sinned, nor ever needed to repent, why did he have to be baptized? His baptism is a picture of Creation all over again. You've got the water of the Jordan River, and in the Hebrew mind, bodies of water represent chaos. You've got the Holy Spirit above the waters/chaos, just like in the original Creation story. Jesus' baptism is about him entering the waters to address the chaos and brokenness. "I'm going in". That's our calling too, as his representatives and followers. Step into the chaos, wear blue well, and move the story of God's restoration forward. How much do you want to be like your rabbi?
Resurrection
As big as Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection are, they get only a small portion of the gospel narratives, because there is more to the story than that. Not to minimize them in any way, because they are essential. Jesus absolutely had to pay for sin, but he also came to bring the Kingdom. He came to bring the Re-creation. He came to bring the shalom. He came not to misinterpret (abolish) the Torah, but to explain what God's heart was in it (fulfill). He came to teach us what it looks like in flesh and blood to be a priest or ambassador of God. He came to teach us how to wear blue, and how to bring restoration to the broken world.
Why did Jesus have to rise from the dead? Even if he had remained dead, couldn't that have paid the penalty for sin? But that's the point; Jesus absolutely had to pay for sin, but it's not just about paying for sin. He needed to defeat sin in order to restore everything that was broken in the fall, and because death is a consequence of sin, he couldn't have defeated sin if he hadn't defeated death.
Jesus' resurrection on the first day of the week is the 8th day since the start of Passover week. It's another picture of Re-creation. And the fact that Mary confused Jesus with the gardener indicates that Jesus was resurrected in a garden. There's another picture of the original shalom of the Garden being restored.
So Jesus has absolute victory over everything that was broken in the fall. The cross has done something for us (salvation), and now it wants to do something in us. Our reconciliation with God addresses only one of the four relationships that were broken by sin; now God wants to get the brokenness out of our system, and that has every bit to do with our sanctification, and our "working out of our salvation", and our ministry of reconciliation. By the time you get to the end of the Book, everything has been put back together again. We are God's agents to move the story forward.
Christ-followers
God's new temple
When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn in two. This was no insignificant feat: It was 4-6 inches thick and 68 feet tall. We often think of this as meaning that through Christ we have access to God directly in the Holy of Holies and no longer need the Levitical priesthood, and that's true. But in another sense, it also means that God moved out of the temple and was no longer there. Where did he go?
After Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples went back to Jerusalem (Jesus told them to wait there for a few days), and the Text says they stayed continually at the temple. When the day of Pentecost came, it says there was the sound of a rushing wind that filled the whole house where they were sitting. But as the story goes on, it sounds like all of this took place in a public place. The "house" where they were sitting was very likely God's House - the temple, where they stayed everyday. They were very likely on the southern steps leading to the temple. There are many mikvah (plural is mikvot) there, which are the baths where the people would perform their ritual cleansing on their way into the temple. Peter preached and 3000 of them were baptized. Where were they going to baptize these people? Probably right there on the southern steps in the many mikvot.
Think back to when God gave the Torah on Mount Sinai. When Moses was up on the mountain, the people became impatient and demanded that Aaron make gods for them, and the whole golden calf incident occurred. When Moses came down, he saw what was going on and he told the people that whoever was for the Lord was to come to him, and the Levites came. Moses told them to go and kill their brothers who were participating in the worship of the calf, and about 3000 of them died. The giving of the Torah and the giving of the Holy Spirit are parallel events; they are gifts from God to help his people know how to represent him. It's like God is using Pentecost to "undo" the brokenness and adultery of the golden calf incident.
Throughout this whole story, God has been moving closer to his people. On the day of Pentecost, he moved into his people via the Holy Spirit. Now he dwells within us, and we (plural) are his temple, actually his Holy of Holies (naos). Peter says we are all priests. We are the vehicle by which people will come to know God. We stand between him and the world. We are to declare his praises. We are his message. Paul tells us that we are God's ambassadors, to whom he has committed the ministry or reconciliation. God is going to restore the world through us. This is what wearing blue is all about. He lives in us to help us do it.
The Sebasteion
The Sebasteion is a huge monument in stone in the city of Aphrodesia in Turkey. It is 300 feet long and 45 feet high, on both sides of the entryway to the temple to Caesar Augustus. It contained 180 5x5 foot reliefs that were carved in stone and told the message of the Greco-Roman world -- its world view, what they wanted you to understand. It told stories of Greek mythology, the history of Rome's successes, stories of gods and emperors, and the current story of the day. It went to great lengths to send a message that everything depicted there was true.
Peter says we are the living stones that make up God's temple. We are his handiwork. We've been created for a purpose, given a path for us to walk out with our lives (remember halakh and peripateo both mean to live and to walk). God says, "You are my artwork; my Sebasteion; my message. You are one of my panels". What does your panel say? Does it contribute to the story? Does it tell a different story?
Who is shaping you? The Master Artist? God says, "You are my artwork. I cut you out of the quarry. I want to shape you". Nothing is added to the relief; rather, whatever is not part of the message is cut away or chipped out. Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever loses it for God will find it. It might be painful. It's all a part of being the message. God is sculpting us because we've got work to do. Salvation is just the beginning. The world knows we're Christians but they wonder what that means; what God is like. We need to show them. We need to wear blue well.
One relief by itself, though impressive, is not nearly as arresting as 180 of them in one place on display. This is a call for the community of believers.
The Stadium
The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of running a race to describe our lives. Run well, to get the prize. Don't let yourself be disqualified. Discipline yourself in training. It's not a sprint; it's a marathon. Don't stand before God at the end and say, "I wish I had run harder". Give it all you have. Have nothing left in your tank at the end. The stadium in Aphrodesia provided a good image of this. In Hebrews, we're told to throw off everything that hinders and run the race with perseverance, mindful of the great cloud of witnesses watching us in the stands.
Revelation
When we get to the book of Revelation, everything has been restored. It's reminiscent of the Garden. God is finally dwelling with his people. There is no longer an sea (chaos). He says "I'm making everything new. Write it down; it will happen". Things that were in the original Garden are there -- the River of Life flowing from the Throne, through the middle of the great street of the city. The Tree of Life is on each side with its leaves for the healing of the nations. The curse is gone. His servants worship/serve (avad) him.
This is ultimately where the story is going. We are called to live out our part; to wear blue well, and move the story forward.
Handouts
Creation - Shalom & Sin
shalom
Ma’at
Genesis 1:2
Genesis 2:8-10, 15, 18, 22, 25
Genesis 3:7-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16-19, 22-24, 15
John 5:17
Abraham - Covenant & Circumcision
Genesis 12:1-3
Genesis 15:7-8, 9-11
bereth
bara
Jeremiah 34:18-20
Genesis 15:12, 17-18
Matthew 26:26-28
Genesis 17:12
Israel - Priests, Tabernacle, Temple
Exodus 8:1, 9:1
avad
Numbers 15:37-41
mitzvah, mitzvot
tsitsit
gematria
I Samuel 24:1-6, Luke 8:43-44, Ruth 3:9, I Sam 15:27-28, 2 Kings 2:13-14, Malachi 4:2
Exodus 28:31
Exodus 19:5-6
Numbers 6:22-27
Exodus 20:7
mishcon
shacon
Exodus 25:1-2, 30:11-12, 17-18, 22-23, 34, 31:1-2, 12-13
Exodus 40:17, 34-35
shekinah
sheken
Numbers 2:1-2
2 Chronicles 7:1-2
Jesus - Birth, Baptism, Resurrection
Isaiah 9:6, 58:5
Ratzon La’Adonai
Luke 2:10, 14
Matthew 3:13-17
John 20:1
John 20:15
Philippians 2:12
Christ-Followers
Matthew 27:51
Luke 24:53
Acts 2:1-4, 41
Exodus 32:28
mikvah, mikvot
I Corinthians 3:16
naos
1 Peter 2:9
2 Corinthians 5:17-20
Sebasteion
Aphrodesia
I Peter 2:5
Ephesians 2:10
halakh, peripateo
Luke 9:24
Stadium
Galatians 2:2
I Corinthians 9:24
Acts 20:24
Hebrews 12:1-2
Revelation
Revelation 21:1-3, 5, 22:1-3
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