The Message of the Old Testament [Book Discussion]

The Message of The Old Testament
Mark Dever
Part Two - The Other Millennium
11 The Message of 1 Kings: Decline – Pages 292-313

Post for May 9th Deadline

HereIStand let me state from the onset of this posting that I am truly enjoying the reading of, and discussion of, this book. I must admit when the book was selected I had concerns that it might end up being a bit dry but I have been pleasantly surprised. Thank you for recommending the book and introducing me to Mark Dever and his teaching.

Pg. 293
The author makes a classic point in the opening of this chapter. The embryo, or beginning, of sin can be found in our “minor concession” in life, whether those concessions make allowance for indulgence or a shortcoming. Can anyone else reading this say, as I can, ‘Been there and done that, much to my chagrin.’ The author goes on to note that the smallest arc of course can put us on an alternate course that is deadly. Can anyone else say with me, ‘Sadly I’ve allowed myself to get there, that off course at point in life.’

Pg. 294
Dever, make the statement “religious decline can start in surprising places.” Then he goes on to talk about Solomon’s closeness to God, his wisdom, his just rule over the kingdom; all of which make me think about how frequently we are at the top of our game, so to speak, just before a fall.

Pg. 296
It is noted here that Solomon “turned away from the LORD” and toward other gods (1 Kings 11:8-10) before his fall.

Pg. 297, 298
Dever makes a number of great points here that connect. When we are pulled toward sin, we are afflicted with loving “created things more than our Creator.” None of us, even the best among us within the Body of Christ, is beyond a struggle with sin and the need for Christ’s forgiveness and the power to forsake sin, which only Christ gives. None of us is beyond “the call to obedience” and thus we need to forsake sin “by God’s power.” The author also notes something that we do not hear enough anymore, “It is also our responsibility to warn people of their sin.”

Pg.298
Dever calls for prayer but we all need to pray that we would continue in spiritual diligence during times of spiritual blessing. That we would never take our blessings for granted becoming indifferent to things we still need to change in our lives, family, churches, etc. I would add we are often at our most vulnerable when we are being blessed the most.

Pg.301-302
Here Dever points out that we can determine whom and what we worship by a bit of self-assessment, reflecting on how we spend our time and money, what we hope in, what we do, and what causes us despair, all of which will point to our true religion, our true focal point of worship. That said, Christ is the only one in whom we can truly trust, the only One who will give us what we need in life.

Pg.303
The author exhorts us that regardless of our motive, regardless of whether we do something well or poorly, if what we do is the wrong thing, wrong is wrong and no amount of talents or virtues can compensate for rebelling against God, which we do each time we sin.

Pg.302
In review of chapters fifteen and sixteen of First Kings, Dever makes the overall evaluation that “religious decline can cause other kinds of decline.” I personally believe that to be true and I believe we are seeing that exact concept play out here in the United States of America. We are eating the rotten fruit of the decline of godly spirituality (godly religion).

Pg.304
Another wonderful exhortation from Dever; though righteous people can go through great suffering, such as Job, the most righteous man on earth at the time, did during his afflictions; we cannot overlook the real possibility that our suffering is due to our own sin and that we are afflicted because of the consequences of our own sin. Moreover, those consequences and the effects can spread to our families, our workplace, our church, etc.

Pg.304-305
A direct quote:
“Richard Sibbes, the justly celebrated seventeenth-century Puritan, was fond of saying, “you can read the sin in the cross.” What he meant was, we can often determine what sins we might have committed based on the affliction, trouble, or trial (what he referred to as a “cross”) we find ourselves bearing.”

Dever goes on to point out that if we will look at the problems in our lives, that some of those problems can be traced back to our lack of attention to God’s provisions in Christ. Yet, we can always repent and turn back to following God in a proper manner.

Pg.305
I will quote Dever here because the point is so powerful. “If we take our focus off following God, we will lose our purpose for existing as a church and as individual Christians.”

Pg.305
The author states that religious decline tends to end in repentance or God’s judgment. I personally believe a revival is coming to America but I have no insight into how widespread that revival will be and if it will encompass enough Believers to turn America once again toward God and overt His judgment upon this country.

Pg.307
Dever notes that Elijah was God’s chosen instrument to do His bidding with Israel. Then Dever goes into explaining what Elijah’s name means, the meaning of which is “my God is Yahweh.” I find people’s birth names aka Christian names to be very interesting and the meanings of those names often depict the individual’s temperament, personality, and/or character traits.

Pg.310
At the end of the chapter, the author exhorts us to take responsibility for the various ways we have rejected God, to stop running from Him and His Word and instead repent of our sins and look to Christ.


At the end of the chapters, the author offers some “Questions for Reflection”, I will comment on some of those questions. I have noted the question number on which I am commenting.

Questions for Reflection

8. I firmly believe the “false gods” the church has embraced in today’s society is the idea that we, meaning the Body of Christ, can be of the world and of God at the same time. That we can reconcile what is acceptable in our society with what is acceptable according to the Word of God, and thus to God. We cannot! This is a dangerous deception, which has permeated the church and is leading more and more congregations away from true devotion to Christ into apostasy.

12. Each day I must go to Christ and once again turn to Him in dependence upon Him to live through me, thus applying the work of His Cross and the power of His resurrection to my life daily. This is daily repentance and rededication to Him, trust in Him, and dependence upon Him.

HereIStand.
I would like to make a suggestion. Since you have been unable as of yet to post your discussion notes on 1 Kings, and I have not been feeling too well the last week and have had a large load of responsibilities to carry, could we possible skip the next posting date of Friday the 23rd for 2 Kings and plan to do our posting for 2 Kings by the June 6th posting deadline? Would that be okay with you? 2 Kings due by June 2nd instead of May 23rd. This would help me out a great deal. In an effort to insure we are faithful this should be something we do rarely, as I am sure you would agree.
Thanks for your consideration.
Reborn1977

HereIStand’s...
Three statements in your posting really jumped out at me as beliefs we share and things, which I am passionate about when it comes to the Body of Christ.

1 – “He fully understands God's power, but is unwilling to submit to His rule.”
2 – “…obedience is a choice we must make.”
3 – “…unclear where the dividing line is between Christian belief and its secular alternative, making it harder for non-Christians to embrace Christian faith.”

Thank you for each of those statements. We need to keep continually putting these Truths forth before God’s peoples because they are vital to a healthy spiritual life.

Feedback on each:
1 – Holy Awe – the deepest form of respect for our Holy God must return to people’s hearts in order for them to embrace their need to submit to the All-powerful God.
2 – One of those mixed beliefs that are growing like a cancer in the Body of Christ is that obedience to God is going to fall on us like magic when the Truth is obedience does come by grace but that grace is manifest at the moment of choice, the moment we choose to obey.
3 – The secular alternatives to true Christian beliefs and godly Truth is becoming so engrained in the secular churches that people think those alternatives are real Christian Truths, this makes the situation with the Body of Christ grave. More mature Christians who understand the differences need to be pointing out, talking about, and teaching those differences – much as we are attempting to do through our discussions.

The Message of The Old Testament
Mark Dever
Part Two - The Other Millennium
12 The Message of 2 Kings: Fall – Pages 316-337

Post for June 6th Deadline


Pg.317
The author points out that in this world God’s people will face trials both external and internal brought on by others and our own actions, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, etc. We must keep in mind that God’s people often appeared to be defeated but I say resilience through reliance on God is our calling card.

Pg.318
I thoroughly enjoyed how the author describes 2 Kings’ original purpose. “…a call for the people to reject their rejection and return to faith in God.” Instead, sadly, it explains why those same people were destroyed and carried off to exile. I pray we as individuals, and a collective group, will reject our rejections of God in any area of life where we have gone astray.

Pg.321
God’s people are continually asked to choose Him, to choose His way, to reject the world and their own desire for the purpose and cause of Christ and God’s holiness.
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV)
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Pg.324
Dever reminds us Christians that the greatest blessing God has ever granted us is Jesus, the Christ. Without Him, I ask myself where I would be. Without Him where would you be?

Pg. 325 & 326
Dever makes some critical points on these two pages as he compares spiritual leaders with the kings of Israel. He states that leaders, leaders of all kind, have a responsibility to handle their power carefully with the good of the people in mind because each leader is accountable to God for how they handled the power given to them.

The kings of Israel during this time in history clearly failed at their responsibility. Today I believe many spiritual leaders are failing at their responsibility. Just as the kings sinned and led their people into sin, I believe many Christian leaders are sinning and leading their people into sin. Their devotion to Christ and the Principles of Scriptures have wavered.

Too much focus is on doing good works, christian psychology [small “c” intended], tolerance and inclusiveness to the point of avoiding obvious sin many times for the purpose of growing mega churches and glorifying self.

Yet, as Dever reminds us, Christian spiritual leaders, will be held to a much higher standard and be judged more harshly by God - “we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1), thus this should motivate us to avoid the pitfalls of wayward leaders and emulate godly leaders. That is my motive for mentioning this topic. My motive is not to tear down Christian spiritual leaders but instead to remind us that we are not to emulate every religious leader who calls themselves Christian, only those truly showing godly leadership. The standard we use to discern that is God’s Word. If it does not line up with God’s Word, then it is not God.

Pg. 326
The author states, “As the nation spiritually and morally declines, the peace and prosperity that once characterized it seem to leave the people.” Does that sound familiar to any country any of you know? I believe we see this clearly happening here in America today.

Why did this happen to Israel, and why do I believe it is happening to America today, according to Chapter 17 of 2 Kings “All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God,” and America has certainly done the same.

God oversees the rise and fall of nations. - Isa. 33:3

Pg.327
Dever points out that because we sin we like to think that God does not punish sin. We attempt to remake God’s character in a way that frees us from our responsibility for our wrongs.

Pg. 329
An important point the author makes here is that, due to the fallen condition of the world we cannot associate prosperity with God’s approval – of people, organizations, churches, companies, etc.

Pg. 329
Dever notes that we become a willing idolater when we make other things chief in our lives in place of the One True God. When we give our hearts, primary affections, and allegiance to more than just God. When we do this, it is creating an idol. It is a wrong love that produces sin. I know I have been guilty of this many times in my lifetime. It always brings about serious problems when left unchecked.

Pg.331
The author asked that we examine our lives and see if we are doing things that we know to be wrong. If so, we should forsake them, giving them up completely. Sin often promises nice and wonderful things but sin is a liar and never delivers on the good things it promises. Dever urges us to exchange these false promises for the true promises found in Christ because His promises are the way to life for us and for those whom God has placed in our charge.

Pg.331
I am simply going to quote the author exactly in this paragraph due to the power of these statements.
“Jesus taught that he came to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). For whom? For those who would repent. Some have tried to sell a kind of “cheap grace,” a watered-down imitation Christianity in which you can have faith but no repentance. When the topic of repentance is addressed, they respond with, “That’s works; that’s legalism; that’s not grace or Christianity.” Well, the Bible defines faith as something that includes repentance. Saving faith involves turning away from our sins and turning to God. We do this only by God’s power, but do it we must if we want to truly worship God. In some ways, faith without repentance is like the false worship of the kings who claim to worship the one, true God and their other gods. It is worshiping God on our terms.
My friend, apart from repentance there is no salvation. Christ’s was the only perfect life, true. But that is no excuse for our continuing in sin impenitently.”
Then the author quotes the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Sanctification is “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness” (A35).”


At the end of the chapters, the author offers some “Questions for Reflection”, I will comment on some of those questions. I have noted the question number on which I am commenting.

Questions for Reflection

1. Our Savior is the clearest example of someone who looked ready to suffer defeat, on the cross, but instead God brought victory, the resurrection. Paul is definitely a New Testament model for a person who seems defeated on various occasions but instead God brings him victory. Repeatedly it seemed Paul’s ministry would be destroyed but God kept him, and it, going. God brings victory out of apparent defeat in order to show Himself glorious.

2. A person who is characterized by a grateful attitude toward God for the blessings in their life is a person who understands that God is the giver of all things good and that without God they would have nothing anyway.

3. Each day we need to remember afresh that our Savior granted us our salvation, our new life, at the cost of His and His precious blood.

The Message of The Old Testament
Mark Dever
Part Two - The Other Millennium
13 The Message of 1 Chronicles: Heights – Pages 338-359

Post for June 20th Deadline


Pg.340
This chapter will address, to some degree, self-centeredness. On that note, the author points out that the irony of self-centeredness is that being preoccupied with self actually causes self to disappear. I thought that was a very significant statement and it made me scratch my head for a moment. If we are so consumed with looking at ourselves, we are never available to show ourselves to others. If everything is about us, we have no time to be a part of the life happening around us. We wall ourselves in within our own self-absorption.

Pg.342
Dever notes that part of the reason 1 Chronicles was written was to remind God’s people that their obedience to God’s ways was required if they wanted God’s blessings. I don’t know about you but I can never be reminded of this too often.

Pg.343
The author’s main two points from 1 Chronicles will be: 1 - that God is sovereign and 2 - that God is central.

Pg.343
The author notes that history is not fortuitous or without purpose, that God’s sovereign actions were prompted by Israel’s disobedience.

Pg.343
A reminder from the author that God’s plans and purposes will come to fruition.

Pg.344
1 Chronicles 9:1 “The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness”
Lord Jesus, let it not be so with any of us.

Pg.348
Dever makes the point that the temple and the ark are central to 1 Chronicles because God is central and God is central because God is the center of everything.

Pg.348
The author refers to the womb of the virgin Mary as another temple of God. That is a first for me. I have never heard anyone make such a statement. It is an interesting perspective.

Pg. 352
The author notes that at the time of the writing or sermon that people had a tendency to read the Bible selectively, gleaning from it only the content and passages that held the promises that they desired to benefit from. Today some dozen years later I find this to be an even greater problem, a problem even among those who call themselves evangelical Christians. It seems in some settings people have even thrown out entire portions of the Bible because it says and commands Truths they no longer wish to accept. To me this seems spiritual odd because how can you benefit from Truths found in a book that you do not believe half of which even to be valid. It is either, all true and its Truths stand or none of it is true, people cannot have it both way and retain true faith.

Pg.352
Dever states that victory over sin, liberty from personal oppressions, and freedom from bondages can be found by coming to a place where you view God as central to everything in your life. If He is central to everything in your life, desiring Him, understanding His value to you, and Him being at the center of your affections will make Him more desirable than your most seductive sin. Making Him central means we center our affections on Him.

Pg.353
The following Scripture is quoted.
1 Chronicles 28:9
…for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.

Pg.354
Dever ask us to reflect on what the center of our lives is currently. Is it our family, job, church, children, etc. or it God. God and only God should be the center of our lives, our heart, and our affections. We are called to build our lives around Him, around God, around our Savior.

Pg.357
1 Chronicles 16:23-29
Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Pg.358
A quote:
“What have you considered Christ more valuable than?
Are you trusting in God’s sovereignty?
Are you centering your life on Christ?
You should. That’s why you were made. And by God’s grace, you can.”


At the end of the chapters, the author offers some “Questions for Reflection”, I will comment on some of those questions. I have noted the question number on which I am commenting.

Questions for Reflection

9. A sinful heart wants life to revolve around them, not God. Therefore, the idea of God being central to the universe, to their lives, to their affections and to everything is very offensive – to the individual with a sinful heart.

HereIStand,

I wanted to check and see if it is still your intent to continue with this book discussion. I notice your post have gotten slower, meaning further way from our agreed upon post date, and I know you have your new Bible Study now and some personal things your dealing with. Where do we stand?

HereIStand said:

Reborn1977,

Yes, it is still my intent to continue the discussion. My apologies for my tardiness in posting. Other things are going on but this discussion is something that I'd like to continue.

Click to expand...

HereIStand I am very happy to read that because I am enjoying both reading this book and reading your thoughts on the book.

The Message of The Old Testament
Mark Dever
Part Two - The Other Millennium
14 The Message of 2 Chronicles: Depths – Pages 364-385

Post for July 4th Deadline

Pg. 364,365
An outline of 2 Chronicles:
Chapters 1–9 Solomon’s reign and dedication of the temple.
Chapters 10–36 Judah’s kings (350 years worth) prior to Babylon conquering them.
Reasons for the book:
Supply understanding about why the exile happened.
Provide a guide for the people to rebuild and restart their lives.
Books primary focus is the temple and the sin of idolatry.
Dever will cover:
God’s glory.
The people’s sin.
God’s judgment.
The resolution.


Communicable Attributes of God
Pg. 366-368
Dever talks/writes about the greatness of God, as He is, and that within 2 Chronicles we can see that greatness exemplified in there different ways.

Way 1 – He alone is unique. God is the only God.
Way 2 – He alone is sovereign.
Way 3 – He alone deserves worship.

Pg. 368
The author states, that God allows His people, as well as all of creation, to see His power in order to show He is the proper focus for the adoration and allegiance of ALL of mankind.

Pg. 368-370
Dever begins to discuss the goodness of God and how we see that displayed to mankind.
Way 1 – His faithfulness.
The hymn “Like a River Glorious” says, “They who trust him wholly find him wholly true.”
Way 2 – God is just.
God wants justice – therefore, we too should seek to pray for and promote justice.
Way 3 – God is kind.

Pg. 371
The author addresses how people tend to view sin. More times than not people label their sins as mistakes not sins and quickly shift the responsibility onto their upbringing or some lack in their understanding on the matter.

Pg. 371
Dever also points out that the forerunners of rebellion in 2 Chronicles are the rulers. The people in charge. I personally believe that through the personal rebellion of spiritual leaders we have seen rebellion spread throughout the Body of Christ. Though I love the Body of Christ and the churches that provide guidance for the members of the Body, I cannot help but acknowledge that we have a problem with watered-down Christianity today.

Pg. 374
The author points out a profound Truth but a truth we are not always willing to acknowledge as Truth when it touches us personally. That Truth is that our sins can be traced back to our head and heart, thus, when our heads and hearts are not set on God our bodies sin.

Pg. 374
Dever reminds us that God judges our rebellion, that He does not simply accept us any way we are. Sin has consequences because God is not indifferent to sin. Sin is punished by God in many different ways, as the author points out, even by means of disease and death. However, one of the ways sin is punished is to allow the sinner to continue in their sin – to be given over to worshipping something less than themselves is appropriate and sufficient punishment at times.

Pg. 376
Dever states there is hope through repentance. We can change because God speaks and gives life. When we obey what He directs us in, we will see change. In order to obey we need a repentant heart. If we repent, our situations can change because God will direct us and through obedience to that direction, we can change.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble them-selves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Pg. 379
“There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad” (2 Chronicles 18:7)

Pg. 379
Dever states, “The Word of God instructs us.” We need to heed those instructions, for reformation and life comes from the Word of God.

Pg. 381
An excellent point is made here by the author, that marriage to someone who is not dedicated to God will always cause grief and could create even great evil.


At the end of the chapters, the author offers some “Questions for Reflection”, I will comment on some of those questions. I have noted the question number on which I am commenting.

Questions for Reflection

11. If a congregation begins to emphasize some other teaching that is not based soundly in the Word of God, that congregation will fall into error and begin to stray from God. If this is allowed to continue, the collective group could fall into apostasy.

12. Confessing sin and repenting is not the same thing. Repentance of sin goes much deeper than a simple acknowledgement that God is right and we are wrong. Repentance changes. Repentance turns from the sin and behaviors that displease God.

The Message of The Old Testament
Mark Dever
Part Two - The Other Millennium
15 The Message of Ezra: Renewal – Pages 386-413

Post for July 18th Deadline

Pg. 387-388
Direct quote:
““There was a time when American evangelicals prized and cultivated biblically chaste Christian thought and an incisive analysis of the culture from a perspective apart from it. But the past few decades have seen an erosion of the old distinctions, a gradual descent into the ‘self’ movement, a psychologizing of the faith, and an adaptation of Christian belief to a therapeutic culture. Distracted by the blandishments of modern culture, we have lost our focus on transcendent biblical truth. We have been beguiled by the efficiency of our culture’s technique, the sheer effectiveness of its strategies, and we have begun to play by these rules. We now blithely speak of marketing the gospel like any other commodity, oblivious to the fact that such rhetoric betrays a vast intrusion of worldliness into the church.”2 So says David Wells, one of my professors from Gordon-Conwell Seminary, writing in his 1994 book God in the Wasteland. In this book, Wells suggests that we Christians have surrendered our green cards and taken up full citizenship in the world. We are done with this “just passing through” stuff! Instead, we have settled down, bought homes, opened IRAs, and dug in for the long run. We have, in short, become like the world around us. As our parents or grandparents might say, we have become worldly. That is what has happened to evangelical Christians in America today.”

“What can be done? In our own day, there is no doubt that the mission of the church needs to be renewed!”

End quote
Dever, Mark (2006-04-10). The Message of The Old Testament (p. 387). Good News Publishers. Kindle Edition.

This is truer today than it was when this sermon was given all those years ago. The church is in trouble, trouble it has brought upon itself by merging itself with the world. WE MOST DEFINITELY NEED RENEWAL! THE CHURCH NEEDS REVIVAL! THE CHURCH NEEDS TO RETURN TO TRUE DEVOTION TO CHRIST!

Pg. 391
Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices (Ezra 3:1-3)

After their exile, the people returned to their homeland and there despite their fears – this time they chose to honor God. Must we go into exile, be captives of the enemy, before we will honor God despite our fears.

Pg. 392
Dever points out that we cannot determine what is true based on what is popular. He goes on to say we live in a world of God haters citing the example of what they did to Truth Incarnated – they crucified Jesus. The author is right. The world hates Truth; the world hates the truth in us, and the world in us hates truth.

Pg. 393
“everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12)

Jesus himself had said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20)

Pg. 393
The author points out that God’s people are going to face opposition. Opposition that comes from true devotion to Christ exhibited by faithfully following Him. Yet, I see so many Christians today who seek to shield themselves from any and all opposition, even if it means compromising God’s Word.

Pg. 395
Dever rightfully notes that it is God who changes hearts and attitudes.

Pg. 397
In addressing the restoration of God’s people in the book of Ezra, Dever makes the point that it was God who restored the people, not the people restoring themselves. It is through prayer and obedience that we see the hand of God move on our behalf to bring about restoration, with obedience being, to believe God and acting accordingly.

Pg. 401
Dever correctly points out that a Christian should resolve to study the Word of God, obey the Word of God, and teach the Word of God at any opportunity. We must not allow our own imperfections to keep us from sharing the Truths found in the Word of God. God’s Standard is God’s Standard whether we live up to that Standard or not – therefore, we just share what God’s Word says and how God’s Word says thing should be.

Pg. 404
The author notes that God’s Word reveals or exposes our sin. God uses His Word to move us toward holiness; through His Word, we grow closer to God so that we might love Him with our lives – lives that are distinct from the world around us.

Pg. 405
Dever shares that when the people of God’s sin was exposed they responded by expressing sorrow and confessing our sin. Oh, how I pray each of us can do likewise each time sin in our life comes to light.

Pg. 406
The author poses the question of whether or not an individual or a group can take corporate responsibility for sin. Then he notes that Ezra prays about “our sin” and this is not a reference to generic sin but Ezra is referring to the sin of intermarriage, of which he did not participate. Therefore, Ezra is praying about sin he did not commit. I personally believe this is not a foreign concept to ministers like myself who view The Body of Christ, as US, a collective group who as a whole have a responsibility before God. I have cried out before for God to forgive US for things that are sinful that go on within the Body of Christ, even though I did not personally partake in those particular sins. Haven’t you cried out like this at times in similar circumstance?

Pg. 406
The author defines sin as rejecting God’s Will. As following our desires instead of God’s Will. Loving things or people more than God. I agree that all three of those things are sin.

Pg. 408
Dever exhorts us to ‘cultivate a godly sorrow for our sins’ and well we should. Paul told us that very thing in 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 7:9–11 (NKJV)
9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Pg. 408
The author notes that sorrow and confession of sin must lead somewhere, to repentance and change. He then quotes Ezra 10:11, “Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will; …” I focus so often on not just acknowledging sin but doing God’s Will that people think I border on legalism but I do not. I know true repentance involves replacing your sinful behavior with godly behavior and that is what I mean by doing God’s Will and that is the ‘turning away from’ that is found in repentance.

Pg. 410
Dever says, “In a fallen world, so many things that come easy are not right; and so many things that are right, don’t come easy. ….
in today’s world, we will not be saved without being distinct and countercultural.”

I recall once going to a church that required their deacons to ‘have a good reputation with the world’ and that statement just made me cringe because I thought it sent a wrong message to people. Perhaps, the heart or intent of the statement was godly but the wording could so easily be misunderstood by some individuals, especially people young in their faith.


At the end of the chapters, the author offers some “Questions for Reflection”, I will comment on some of those questions. I have noted the question number on which I am commenting.

Questions for Reflection

1. A worldly Christian tears his or her faith apart and tears the faith apart of those who observe them.

5. As a minister who has study psychology and psychiatry extensively I am at times tempted to jump on the cultural bandwagon of labeling almost ever sinful behavior as some form of illness, sickness, disorder, or disease. My heart has such compassion for people who are suffering but my conscious and theology cannot allow people to absolve themselves from personal responsibility because a sinful society refuses to acknowledge sin and that sin exist and/or require individuals to take personal responsibility. It is easier to for our society to sedate people and convince them to “accept” themselves and their disorders, illnesses, etc.

The Message of The Old Testament
Mark Dever
Part Two - The Other Millennium
16 The Message of Nehemiah: Rebuilding – Pages 414-438

Post for August 1st Deadline


Pg. 416
The author notes that the Book of Nehemiah deals with God’s people resettling the homeland, erecting the walls of Jerusalem, and readying themselves for a fight.

Pg. 414
Dever notes that the Book of Nehemiah reflects eight traits of a godly leader and/or what a godly leader does. Those eight are as follows: A godly leader, 1. prays - 2. acts - 3. faces opposition - 4. cares - 5. points people to God’s Word - 6. confesses sins - 7. leads people in specific commitments - 8. keeps leading.

Pg. 417
Dever quotes a Proverb, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control” (Prov. 25:28). Then Dever notes that the destruction of a person by temptation and outside influence comes to those who lack self-control. I never cared for the term self-control, I prefer God-control, when our will is so given over to God’s Will that nothing but He rules us.

Re: prayer

Pg. 418
The author notes that Nehemiah was accustom to offering very short and often silent prayers to God. It was not his custom to ramble on with lengthy, elegant, meant to impress prayers. To me this denotes that Nehemiah communicated with God, which is what prayer is meant to be.

Prayer is not meant to be a show of any kind. After being in the ministry for about a year, I decided that this would be how I prayed. I never wanted to get caught up in praying to impress; so short, sweet, and to the point would be my way. That was about nineteen years ago and I must admit at times it has been hard because you can tell by the looks on people’s faces they expected more, yet, more will not get us more from God.

Prayer is really about coming into agreement with God’s Will by speaking forth what you realize He wants – at least that is prayer for me. I ask Him and He tells me. I am no more in charge of my prayers than I am any other aspect of my life – God is in charge, all I do is continually ask, day after day, hour after hour in simple prayers that seek to know what He wants.

Re: acts

Pg. 419
The author notes that Nehemiah despite his fears took action in approaching the king and returning to his homeland to rebuild the wall and deal with the issues of repopulation of the city.

Re: faces opposition

Pg. 421
Dever remarks that the rebuilding of the walls took place in the mist of mockery and opposition. As the opposition against the people continues and increased, Nehemiah both seeks God’s aid and acts by posting a guard. Facing opposition well is complicated but it is something a quality leader must do. Opposition should drive us to God. A godly leader should expect opposition to come close to them and be personal – the leaders are always the target of the adversary.

Pg. 422
The author correctly notes that if we have a proper fear of God then we need not fear what man thinks of us. If we live for what man thinks of us it will be hard to do what God prompts us to do. You cannot overly care about what people think and honor God all the time, we ultimately have to choose.

Re: cares

Pg. 425
Dever exhorts us to develop sincere concern for people, a sincerity that prompts us to do something on their behalf.

Re: turns people to God’s Word

Pg. 427
Dever rightfully notes that the most important thing we can do is teach God’s Word. This is true because as Paul stated in Romans ‘faith comes by hearing the Word of God’ Rom.10:17 thus when people hear the Word of God and believe it, their lives are changed. The Word of God generates life.

Re: confesses sin

Pg. 429
The author points out that God’s people gained a greater awareness of both God’s holy character and their sin along with the need to confess that sin through reading God’s Word. They also gained a greater understanding of God’s loving patience, which enabled them to confess their sins.

Pg. 431
Dever states that his “rule of thumb” is that a child of God can stop confessing their sins as soon as they stop sinning, otherwise, godly leaders should confess their sins and lead their people to do likewise.

Re: lead people in specific commitments

Pg. 432
The author points out how in Nehemiah 10:28-31 the people of God made specific resolutions to both God and one another, and then he exhorts us to do likewise.

Re: keep leading

Pg. 435
Dever reminds us that it is a great privilege to serve the Body of Christ; therefore, we should never forget that it is just that – a great privilege.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2).

Pg. 437
Dever concludes the chapter by pointing out some key aspect of what leadership is about.
1 – Fearing God more than others tend to fear God.
2 – Revering God’s name.
3 – Taking pleasure in what God is like and who God is.
4 – Making the purpose of your life helping, instructing, and challenging others to delight in and revere God’s name.

The Message of The Old Testament
Mark Dever
Part Two - The Other Millennium
17 The Message of Esther: Surprise – Pages 440-467

Post for August 15th Deadline


Pg. 443
In Dever’s retelling of the Book of Esther, he reminds us through the Scriptures that Esther kept her nationality as a Jew secret because Mordecai told her to do so and she obeyed him as she had as a child. This brings my mind to the fact that the Jewish people have had to deny their nationality since the time of Esther and before out of self-preservation. How horrible it must be to be so hated and sought after for thousands of years by various groups of people.

Re: Haman

Pg. 451
As Dever points out Haman was an enemy to the Jews. Thus, he allowed his hatred, his pride, and his vanity to affect his public judgments. He stands as quite a warning against such.

Re: Xerxes

Pg. 452
The author recounts that Xerxes was both part of the source of the Jewish people’s trial and a key player God would use to deliver His people. It makes me consider how many times we play a part in creating a problem for someone that we must later be a part of helping to correct.

Re: Mordecai

Pg. 452
Dever points out that God used Mordecai in the deliverance of His people.

Re: Esther

Pg. 453
Dever also points out that God used Esther in the deliverance of His people. The author goes on to state that Esther was the primary one God used to deliver His people, Dever deems her “the deliverer of her people.” Of course, we know this only to be possible as God allowed and willed it to happen.

Re: God

Pg. 454
Dever rightly points out that in the end God is the true deliverer of the Jewish people in the Book of Esther.

Pg. 454
The author mentions an interesting bit of trivia on this page. He notes that only the books of Esther and the Song of Songs do not mention God overtly.

Pg. 454
Dever also associates the Book of Esther with the Scripture Romans 8:28 in that the book is a great illustration of the truth found in Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes.”

Pg. 454
The author notes that God is at work providentially in the Book of Esther. He delivers His people through the normal actions and normal order of life of these individuals. God works through the “happenings” and “circumstances” of these people’s lives, just as He does at times through our life circumstances.

Pg. 455
Dever reminds us that Haman built the gallows for Mordecai but in the end, they were built and ready when the king decided to hang Haman. How many times have we seen people lay a trap for another only to be caught in their own trap; destroyed by their own plot against another person.

Pg. 456
Dever states, “God’s will is always accomplished, yet men are perfectly free agents.” Our freewill does not usurp God’s Will when it is His intent that something be done.

Pg. 456
The author refers to a conversation he had with his daughter in which she states, “The Lord doesn’t have to be mentioned for us to recognize his work.” That statement is filled with Divine Truth. Whether it is through miracles or sovereignly assisted circumstances, God gets God’s Will done.

Look around this week and see how many times you spot God at work, yet, God’s name is never mentioned or credited with the event that takes place. God is always at work among His people all we need do is look with eyes that are willing to see Him.

Pg. 456
Dever points out several character lessons from the Book of Esther. They include being faithful in whatever God gives us to do, guarding ourselves against pride, practicing prudence, gaining wisdom, practicing godly self-defense, risking yourself for a godly greater good, praying for leaders, and seeking the godly prosperity of the city you live in.

Pg. 457
Dever points out that as Christians, we will have enemies but he also points out that our enemies are enemies of God.

Pg. 458
God delivers His people as Dever reminds us and God does it for His glory.

Pg. 459
I truly enjoyed the authors wording here so I am going to quote this next statement about original sin and Jesus’ atonement for sin.

“And where Adam willfully went to a tree demanding life but found death, Jesus submissively went to a second tree accepting death so that he could give life.”

Pg. 460
Dever notes that we can be courageous in our obedience to God’s Will since we know God will deliver His people.