R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 542

What can we learn from Charles Spurgeon's life and ministry? [VIDEO]

Dr. Steven J. Lawson, Ligonier Teaching Fellow and author of the newly released The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, will be leading a seminar on Charles Spurgeon at Grace Community Church's 2012 Shepherds' Conference.

In the lead up to this conference, Dr. Lawson was asked what we can learn from Charles Spurgeon's life and ministry.

Watch the video below or click here.

Don't forget you can purchase your copy of Dr. Lawson's, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, or register to hear him speak on Spurgeon during an optional session at our  2012 Ligonier National Conference.

Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, March 2012

The March edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's issue explores the narcissism that radically pervades contemporary culture. Scripture speaks of improper self-love often, constantly combating this destructive tendency, which is stimulated by sin and affects everyone in society, from the least to the greatest. This issue aims to encourage believers to think properly about themselves and the gifts God has bestowed upon them for the good of the church.

Contributors include R.C. Sproul along with Elyse Fitzpatrick, Kelly Kapic, Eric Landry, Jonathan Leeman, John MacArthur, Stephen Meyer, Richard Phillips, Harry Reeder, R.C. Sproul Jr. and Carl Trueman. Tabletalk features articles about topics central to the Christian faith and daily, in-depth Bible studies with featured columns by contributors such as Michael Haykin and David Murray.

We do not post all of the feature articles or the daily devotionals from the issue, so you'll have to subscribe to get those. But for now, here are links to a few select columns and articles from this month:

Theological Narcissism by Burk Parsons
The Coming of the Kingdom by R.C. Sproul
It’s Not About You by Eric Landry
Enlightened Self-Interest by R.C. Sproul Jr.
Christian Parenting by Elyse Fitzpatrick
Your Church and Your Life Planning by Jonathan Leeman
Scripture and Science in Conflict?: An Interview With Stephen C. Meyer
Fallacious History by Carl Trueman

If you have not yet subscribed to Tabletalk, now is the perfect time. It's only $23 for a year, and $20 to renew. You save even more if you get a 2- or 3-year subscription (as little as $1.36 per issue). We offer special discounts for churches or businesses who want multiple copies of each issue.

Get your subscription to Tabletalk today by calling one of Ligonier Ministries' resource consultants at 800-435-4343 (8am-8pm ET, Mon-Fri) or by subscribing online. You can also get free shipping on individual 2012 issues of Tabletalk.

What drew Steven Lawson to study and learn from Charles Spurgeon? [VIDEO]

Dr. Steven J. Lawson, Ligonier Teaching Fellow and author of the newly released The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, will be leading a seminar on Charles Spurgeon at Grace Community Church's 2012 Shepherds' Conference.

In the lead up to this conference, Dr. Lawson was asked about what drew him to study and learn from Charles Spurgeon.

Watch the video below or click here.

Don't forget you can purchase your copy of Dr. Lawson's, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, or register to hear him speak on Spurgeon during an optional session at our  2012 Ligonier National Conference.

Introductions: Deuteronomy

Who wrote it? When was it written and why?

These are some of the important questions to answer as you explore any book of the Bible. To aid you in your study of God's Word we have been adapting and posting some of the detailed book introductions found in The Reformation Study Bible. Today, we conclude a series through the Pentateuch. 

Please allow The Reformation Study Bible to introduce you to...

The Book of Deuteronomy

Author | Date & Occasion | Characteristics & Themes

Author

By its own testimony, Deuteronomy is the work of Moses

By its own testimony (Deut. 1:1, 5; 31:22), Deuteronomy is the work of Moses. Mosaic authorship is affirmed many times elsewhere in the Old Testament (e.g. 2 Kin. 14:6), in ancient Jewish sources (e.g., Josephus), and in the New Testament. This view was almost universally held until the rise of rationalistic criticism in modern times.

Critics correctly point out that the last chapter could not have been written by Moses. It is widely agreed that ch. 34 is an addendum, perhaps appended by Joshua. In the same way, the Book of Joshua ends with the death of Joshua, this record clearly having been supplied by the author of the Book of Judges, who appended verses from Judges to the end of Joshua (Judg. 2:7–9; cf. Josh. 24:29–31). Likewise, the first verses of Ezra are copied and appended to the last chapter of Chronicles (Chronicles ends in the middle of a sentence). This way of linking a subsequent book to the preceding one (or variations of this practice) was common in antiquity and was intended to show the proper sequence of scrolls or clay tablets. It is probable that Joshua added the note on Moses' death and Israel's acceptance of Joshua in order to link his own book to Moses' great production. Such obvious additions do not, however, negate the general authorship of Moses.

More controversially, some critics have alleged that the language of Deut. 1:1, 5 indicates that the writer of the book must have been located on the west side of the Jordan River, i.e., in Canaan (the Hebrew phrase here translated "beyond the Jordan" is often translated "the other side of the Jordan" or "this side of the Jordan"). Such a description, they argue, belies the credibility of Deuteronomy as a work of Moses, since Moses never crossed the Jordan. This argument assumes that the Hebrew phrase in question must always refer to the region east of the Jordan. It is evident, however, that the precise meaning of the phrase must be determined by the context, and that it can refer either to Transjordan (the region to the east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, Deut. 1:1–5; 3:8; 4:41, 47, 49) or to Canaan itself (Deut. 3:20, 25; 11:30; Josh. 9:1, 10). Here it clearly means the region east of the Jordan, as the geographical descriptions indicate (Deut. 1:1, 5).

Date and Occasion

Deuteronomy was written by Moses, Israel's lawgiver, before his death in 1406 B.C.

In the nineteenth century, biblical critics contended that Deuteronomy was written about 620 B.C., as part of the religious reform of King Josiah, in which he insisted that worship be centered in Jerusalem. The law of the central sanctuary (Deut. 12) was said by these critics to have been the invention of a writer in the time of Josiah. Since the early twentieth century, however, this view has received less favor. Some have dated Deuteronomy as early as Samuel, others as late as the Exile. Many critics still date the book in the seventh century B.C., which is the period of Josiah. But these scholars also question the unity of the book. If some parts seem "early" (from Moses' time), they ascribe those parts to an old tradition that has conveniently been preserved. If other parts seem "late" (during or after the time of Josiah), they are called "later editions" or due to "late editing." Such elastic, subjective, and speculative methods cannot be conclusively disproved without a copy from Moses' own time, which no one possesses. No concrete evidence rules out the composition of Deuteronomy at the time of Moses, making reasonable allowances for additions by someone like Joshua, who appended Moses' obituary to the book, and for some later updating of Hebrew grammar and place names.

The background and setting of the book reflect conditions prior to the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. There is no mention of a king in Judah or of the city of Jerusalem, which is mentioned over one hundred times by the prophet Jeremiah (who wrote in Josiah's day). It is unlikely that a sixth-century author would make no allusion whatever to that capital city or its temple. The twelve tribes are represented as one nation (instead of, as in Josiah's period, the kingdoms of Judah and Israel). The Transjordan cities of refuge are named, while those in Canaan (which were named later by Joshua) are not. The Babylonian names of months are not used, and there are no Persian loan words in the vocabulary, even though such words would be expected to appear in a work supposedly written during a period when these empires were dominant. Moses, Aaron, and Joshua are named, but no later persons or later historical incidents are mentioned. It is unlikely that a later author, even one well-versed in the lore of the past, could so completely avoid the use of later terms and the mention of persons and events of his own period.

Perhaps most significant is the general conformity of Deuteronomy's structure to the covenant or treaty form of the mid-second millennium B.C. (the approximate time of Moses). We find the following treaty elements in Deuteronomy: (a) a preamble identifying the covenant mediator (Deut. 1:1–5); (b) a historical prologue reviewing previous covenant history (Deut. 1:6–4:40); (c) stipulations expounding the covenant way of life (Deut. 4:44–11:32; 12–26); (d) a declaration of sanctions stating the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience of the covenant (Deut. 27–30); and (e) a provision for the administration of the covenant after the death of the inaugural mediator (Deut. 31–34). The main divisions from the covenant documents of Moses' lifetime, then, are discernible in the fifth book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy.

We conclude, therefore, that Deuteronomy was written by Moses, Israel's lawgiver, before his death in 1406 B.C.

Characteristics and Themes

Through types and prophecy Deuteronomy also points us to Christ. He is the Passover Lamb and the coming Prophet...

Deuteronomy has been much used both by Christians and ancient Jews. It is quoted in the New Testament over fifty times, a number exceeded only by Psalms and Isaiah. The book contains much exhortation. The detailed legal material (Deut. 14–26), much of which parallels Leviticus, is not as familiar or as much used as the rest, although it has importance for special purposes.

The book is a repetition of the law and history of Israel. It consists mainly of three great speeches and a legal compendium given by Moses at the end of his life, while the people were encamped in the plains of Moab, just before Joshua took command and led the people in the conquest of Canaan. The conquest of Transjordan had been successfully concluded, and Moses challenged the people in these farewell addresses.

As Moses’ farewell messages to his people, the book combines exhortation and commandments, and serves as an example of how the Law should be taught. The opening address (Deut. 1:5–4:40) recounts the experiences of Israel under Moses’ leadership. Deuteronomy does not speak of how Moses confronted Pharaoh and how the miracles of the ten plagues forced Pharaoh to let the people go, but it alludes to the Exodus repeatedly (five times in the first address: Deut. 1:20, 34; 4:20, 34, 37). Moses recounts God’s providential and miraculous care for the people during the journey from Egypt to Sinai. Then he details their defeat both spiritually and militarily at Kadesh-barnea. There are references here to events recorded in Numbers, but like the record in Numbers, almost nothing is said about events of the forty years of wilderness wandering. The journey around Edom toward Transjordan is mentioned, and the defeat of the kings Sihon and Og is recorded in fuller detail than in Numbers. Then comes the allocation of land in Transjordan for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh (as in Num. 32), and the narrative ends with reference to Moses’ plea for himself to enter Canaan, which God disallows (as in Num. 27:12–23). Moses concludes the address with exhortations to be loyal to the Lord.

The second address (Deut. 4:44–11:32) is composed of exhortations. Some consider this address as continuing to Deut. 26:19 with inclusion of the laws and regulations of Deut. 12–26. The speech begins with the Ten Commandments, almost exactly like the wording in Ex. 20, aside from the fourth commandment. The terror of the theophany (a visible self-revelation of God) is recalled with the call to obedience. Only the Ten Commandments are given directly by the voice of God; the rest of the law is mediated through Moses. The famous Shema, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one," is given in Deut. 6:4, with the exhortation to teach, remember, and obey. The following chapters are sprinkled with examples of God's care and judgments since leaving Egypt—all allusions to material in Exodus and Numbers. These examples serve to warn Israel to trust the Lord and not themselves. This leads to a promise of success in the coming wars of Canaan.

The laws (Deut. 12–26) include regulations for worship, clean foods, slaves and debts, annual feasts, judges, cities of refuge, and various matters of conduct. Most of these have some parallel to material found in the previous books of the Pentateuch, which will be noted at the appropriate places.

The third address (Deut. 27–30) is a powerful exhortation to obey the laws of the Lord. It includes the solemn ceremony to be held in the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, near Shechem, after Israel had secured a foothold in Canaan—a ceremony reminiscent of the covenant ceremony of Ex. 20:1–24:8, and duly carried out by Joshua (Josh. 8:30–35). These laws and exhortations were given by Moses with emphasis on Israel's obligation before God to hear and obey the law of the Lord.

The final sections of the book are equally important and powerful (31:1–34:2). They include the installation of Joshua as Moses' successor, the great Song of Moses celebrating the greatness of God and His care for His covenant people (Deut. 32), Moses' song of blessing of the twelve tribes after the fashion of Jacob's blessing of his twelve sons in Gen. 49 (Deut. 33), and finally, the addendum describing the death of Moses (Deut. 34).

Through types and prophecy this book also points us to Christ. He is the Passover Lamb and the coming Prophet. Moses, the founder of Israel's theocracy, mediated the old covenant, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God, mediated the new covenant (Jer. 31:31–34). The substance of the covenants is the same, but their manner of administration differs significantly. Whereas the old covenant was written on tablets of stone, Christ writes the new covenant through the Spirit of the living God on the tablets of human hearts (2 Cor. 3:3). The old covenant was ratified with Israel's promise, "we will hear and do" (Deut. 5:27; cf. Ex. 19:8; 20:19). But the new covenant depends on God's better promise, "I will write it on their hearts" (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:7). The old covenant called for shedding the blood of animals; the everlasting new covenant was instituted once and for all by the blood of Christ (Jer. 32:40; Heb. 9:11–28). The old covenant calls for a heart religion, but it failed through human weakness and became obsolete after its fulfillment at Calvary (Rom. 8:3; Heb. 7:12; 8:13).

The Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of Moses, receives its title from the Septuagint, which called it Deuteronomion, meaning the "Second Law," or the "Repetition of the Law."

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Adapted from The Reformation Study Bible, © 2005 Ligonier Ministries.

True Love

God is love, and love never fails because God never fails. Love cannot be separated from God and cannot exist without Him. God’s love is the foundation and definition of love, just as He is the source, fountain, sustainer, and enabler of love. God gives meaning to love, and without Him, love isn’t only worthless but meaningless. Without God as its source and center, that which humans conceive of as love is impatient and unkind, envious and boastful, arrogant and rude, always insisting on its own way, irritable, resentful, rejoicing in wrongdoing and falsehood. Without God, love is nothing more than a hateful lie of Satan.

For just as God defines God, God defines love. —@BurkParsons

Every day we hear people talk about love as if it were some sort of impersonal force and independent energy that alone has the power to change hearts, restore homes, cure diseases, rebuild communities, and unite nations. The world is infatuated with the idea of love. Even the word itself, love, has degenerated into an all-encompassing, catch-all term that seems to be at the heart of a rising one-religion-politically-correct world language — a language of love that has become a religion unto itself. And although the world, the flesh, and the Devil would love to strip love of all its beauty and character in order to make it adaptable to every conceivable context and theology, such would be a futile attempt. For just as God defines God, God defines love.

Continue reading True Love, Burk Parsons' contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk.

Prospective RBC Student Brunch

Prospective college students,

Each year Ligonier Ministries hosts its pinnacle event in Orlando, Florida, the Ligonier National Conference. This year we are offering a unique opportunity for prospective college students. You're invited to register for a brunch with RBC faculty on the morning of the conference. Those who register and attend the brunch will receive FREE conference tickets for the entire weekend. Register here

This is an excellent opportunity for you to see our beautiful campus, fellowship with faculty, and attend our conference on The Christian Mind. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to observe one of our morning classes before the brunch. We have a select number of seats in that classroom, so please let us know when registering that you are interested and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Church History II class: 8:00am - 9:15am
Brunch with RBC faculty: 9:30am - 11:00am
Reformation Bible College campus map

National Conference first session: 1:00pm
First Baptist of Church of Orlando map

For conference details click HERE.

Learn more about - The Heart of Reformation Bible College

Be sure to register for our brunch by submitting the form below. If you have any further questions please contact us at 888-RBC-1517 or email admissions@ligonier.org.

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Blessings and Curses — The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology

Deuteronomy 27–30 is important for an understanding of biblical eschatology because it contains God's pronouncement of the blessings that will result from obedience to the stipulations of the Mosaic covenant and the curses that will result from disobedience (cf. Lev. 26). In chapter 27, Moses commands the people to set up plastered stones at Mount Ebal upon which they are to write all the words of the law (vv. 1–8). After the people enter the land, six of the tribes are to stand on Mount Gerizim and six are to stand on Mount Ebal (vv. 11–13). The Levites are then to recite a summary of the curses of the covenant (vv. 14–26). Chapter 28 outlines in great detail the blessings for obedience to God's covenant stipulations (vv. 1–14) and the curses for disobedience (vv. 15–68). Among the curses is the ultimate punishment, namely exile from the land (vv. 36, 64–65).

The lengthy recitation of blessings and curses is followed in chapters 29–30 by Moses' third major address to the people. In this final address, he reminds them of all that God has done for them and appeals for covenant faithfulness (ch. 29). He then places before them a choice between life and death and demands a decision (ch. 30). In his final address, Moses foresees that the people will not remain true to God and that the curses of the covenant, including exile, will ultimately fall upon them (cf. 30:1). But he also foresees that Israel will eventually repent and be restored from exile (vv. 2–10).1 This foreseen restoration from exile, however, raises an important question. McConville explains,

Deuteronomy 30:2–3 pictures the people's repentance in exile, which in turn precipitates a restoration of their fortunes, here explicitly involving a return to the land. This structure immediately raises the question how that new restored situation might be any different from the old, the one that had had such wretched and apparently inevitable results.ii

In other words, even if Israel repents and is restored from exile, what is to prevent the entire cycle of disobedience and curses from occurring again?

An answer to the problem is found in Deuteronomy 30:6 where Moses declares, "And Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." What God had commanded in Deuteronomy 10:16, he promises that he himself will do in 30:6. The answer to the problem of Israel's stubborn infidelity ultimately rests in God himself. "He will somehow enable his people ultimately to do what they cannot do in their strength, namely, to obey him out of the conviction and devotion of their own hearts."iii God's promise to circumcise their hearts anticipates the promise of a new heart and new covenant found in the prophets (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:22–28). In effect, God is telling Israel in Deuteronomy that she cannot in her own strength obey the very law that he is giving her. Because of Israel's stubborn self-confidence, however, this is something that she will have to learn the hard way.

i T. D. Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 275.
iiJ. Gordon McConville, Grace in the End: A Study in Deuteronomic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993), 136.
iiiMcConville, Grace in the End, 137.

Adapted from From Age to Age by Keith Mathison. ISBN 978-0-87552-745-1
Used with permission of P&R Publishing Co. P O Box 817, Phillipsburg N.J. 08865 www.prpbooks.com

From Age to Age is available in the Ligonier store.

Twitter Highlights (2/26/12)

Here are highlights from the various Ligonier Twitter accounts over the past week.

Death is earned, eternal life is purely gratuitous (John Murray).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) February 20, 2012

We can never reflect too much on God’s grace. —Sinclair Ferguson bit.ly/dVmQbH

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) February 22, 2012

Nothing could be more irrational than the idea that something comes from nothing. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 22, 2012

It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish (J.R.R. Tolkien).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) February 22, 2012

We are truly free when we live the life appropriate to those who are created in the image of God (Alec Motyer).

— Ligonier Academy (@LigonierAcademy) February 23, 2012

...it is not simply salvation that we need, but the Savior. —Jay Adams bit.ly/eaos1h

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) February 23, 2012

...when there’s something in the Word of God that I don’t like, the problem is not with the Word of God, it’s with me. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 25, 2012

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:

Ligonier Ministries | Ligonier Academy | Ligonier Connect
Reformation Bible College | Reformation Trust | Tabletalk Magazine

Little Deaths and Big Deaths

Whether its source is old-fashioned American individualism, new-fangled notions of libertarian social theory, or the pietistic error of sealing the gospel off from positive social change and sealing our sins off from negative social change, we have, as a culture and a church come to the dubious conclusion that what goes on behind closed doors is nobody's business, and affects only those behind the doors. We, as a culture and a church think when we take our pants off with someone not our spouse, as long as everyone is there voluntarily, the worst thing that can happen is that God might get miffed at us. And He, of course, is rather famous for having a rather forgiving nature.

Six innocent men went to their death at Ai because a different man, Achan, took for himself booty from Jericho. Who would know, I suspect, Achan wondered. Why would we think sexual immorality is any different? "Husbands and wives stray. What's the big deal? Happens all the time. " It does indeed happen all the time. And when it does bombs explode in the homes of little children. Hearts are scarred. Fear replaces the departing spouse. These children grow up thinking the deepest betrayal possible to be normal, acceptable, just a part of life. That there is nothing they can depend on. They grow up believing that mommy, or daddy loved their sexual appetites more than they loved them. And they believe rightly.

It could, of course be worse. One need not be married to witness the extent of the destruction that follows in the path of sexual immorality. Simply visit the inner city. There boys without fathers grow up to too often become criminals. They likewise become baby-daddys, creating still more fatherless children. There girls, never having the loving nurture of a father, too often, seek comfort and connection in fornication. And we, if we are concerned at all, are concerned about the economic disadvantages of all things. We think condoms are the solution.

It could be, indeed it is, worse still. Men and women, not married to one another, rollick. Believing their behavior affects only them, they are in turn flabbergasted when another person enters the equation. Here though the child does not end up growing up in a single parent home. No, here the result is murder.

Go and stand outside your local abortion mill. You are unlikely to meet there the poor, bewildered girl whose parents threatened to kick her out of the home and who was lied to, told that all she had inside her was undifferentiated cells. No, what you will meet there is someone angry that anyone would dare discourage her from murdering her shame. Babies both come from sleeping around, and get in the way of sleeping around. So they must be dispatched. Nothing must be allowed to stand in the way of our desires.

You cannot separate the great evil of abortion from the raging fornication that defines us as a people. Thus more birth control is not the answer. You cannot bring the fire of lust to your bosom without knowing that not only will you be burned, but that the same fire will consume your own home. You cannot witness the flames of Moloch that burn the unborn and forget it all starts with a spark, of illicit desire.

Sexual folly gives birth not just to our own deaths (Proverbs 7: 21-27), but to the deaths of the innocent. Our groping hands are not mere private moral stains. They are instead covered with the blood of our own children. Our cultural obsession with sex isn't a social problem. It is the war machine that creates the wretched daily stench of thousands of dead bodies, buried in dumpsters. God give us the grace to repent.

$5 Friday: Justification, Calvinism, & Spiritual Growth

$5 Friday is back with some terrific resources on justification, Calvinism, Jonah, spiritual growth, Jesus, grief and forgiveness.

Sale runs from 8 a.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Saturday EST.

View today's $5 Friday sale items.