The term “Misreading Scripture” is a short version of the title, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes. Our authors dive right into mores — all the customary words and behaviors of our local culture that are assigned moral impact. Indeed, they are typically learned in childhood so that they are never questioned. It typically elicits uncomfortable…
Month: March 2024
Let’s Call Them R/OB
Yes, I’m going to jump right into another book: Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien (IVP Books 2012; ISBN 978-0-8308-3782-3 print edition). In the Introduction I have already learned something new. In John’s Revelation, the letter to Laodecia mentions hot and cold water, and how the church was…
Bitter or Sweet End
Pageau returns to the story of Noah after the Flood. He notes that Noah’s three sons are parallels of Adam’s, one even named the same. Shem takes the same place as his predecessor, as a fit mediator after one of his siblings fails to keep the balance. Of course, Noah was not doing such a…
The Gospel War
It’s time to reaffirm some clarifications. The essence of the gospel message is information warfare. The Great Commission is a call to inform. The big secret or mystery of Christ is that God was going to send His own Son — His Living Word — to become the Hebrew Messiah. And when He had fulfilled…
Keeping the Balance
Pageau covers the Nephilim, but I was disappointed by what he left out. Maybe he wasn’t familiar with Heiser’s work, but this would have been a very good opportunity to discuss how the Nephilim came to be on the cosmic level, and why. The takeaway is that they represent a very forceful destructive presence of…
Restoring Cosmic Balance
Pageau returns to Nebuchadnezzar to discuss his second dream and his time of madness. There are two main points here. First is that Nebs was in trouble for his arrogance. Remember: he was a Gentile. He was not accountable to the Law of Moses, but to that of Noah. Further, by his own religion, Nebs…
Moral Feedback Loop
Is it clear enough yet? Our fallen existence is a curse; it is meant to be punitive. The only hope for mitigation is the Covenant. Obedience of the Word of God is a privilege. If we were left to ourselves to live against the natural world, we would not live that long. God has unilaterally…
Family Affairs
We’ve talked quite a bit about the Two Witnesses: king and priest. Pageau points out that Cain and Abel were portrayed as a mirror of that distinction. Cain worked the ground and supported his brother, while Abel provided wool for Cain’s covering. The symbolism should be obvious. It was initially a peaceful coexistence, rather like…
Fire and Water
Surely by now the Flood in Genesis has obvious symbolism of the ravages of time and chaos. The dry land was covered and all life was drowned and washed away. God would start fresh with what Noah had in his boat. Noah found God’s grace. While Pageau notes that Noah thus represented the proper balance…
Extra: Our Burden
It may seem pedantic and exhaustive to cover Pageau in such depth here. There are reasons. First, it is absolutely essential that we embrace the ancient Hebrew outlook. That is the one God Himself designed for people who seek peace with Him. It was the essence of everything Christ taught. You aren’t a Christian —…