BIblical Illustrator Sample: Fall 2016

B I B L I C A L

volume 43 number 1

PAUL’S USE OF METAPHORS Ezekiel and Jeremiah: A Comparison Living Stones

fall 2016

Eric Geiger, Vice President, Church Resources G. B. Howell, Jr., Content Editor

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Dwayne McCrary, Team Leader Ken Braddy, Director, Adult Ongoing Curriculum Michael Kelley, Director, Group Ministry Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, Biblical Illustrator One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234-0175 Or make comments at www.lifeway.com @B_Illustrator visit www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator Biblical Illustrator (ISSN 0195-1351, Item 005075109) is published quarterly by LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. © 2016 LifeWay. For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes, e-mail subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, fax (615) 251-5933, e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com, or write to the above address.

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Biblical Illustrator is designed to support the Bible study sessions in the student and adult Bible Studies for Life curriculum, The Gospel Project curriculum, and the Explore the Bible curriculum series. Bible background articles and accompanying illustrative material are based on the passages studied in these curriculum series.

We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay’s doctrinal guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline.

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Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

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Scripture quotations marked (RSV) are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952, © 1971, 1973.

Printed in the United States of America B I B L I C A L

volume 41 number 3

B I B L I C A L I L L U S T R AT O R PAU L’ S M E TA P H O R S I E Z E K I E L A N D J E R E M I A H I L I V I N G S T O N E S

HE FIRST CAMERA I remember using was a Kodak Brownie. It was essentially a plastic box with a film-turn knob on the side and a white button made into the front corner of the camera. It was designed so you held the camera at your waist and looked down into the viewfinder. It had a single-use flash bulb, which was hot as blazes if you took it out too soon.

Imagine my excitement when my parents got a Kodak Instamatic 104 camera! The smaller size meant it could fit into the car’s glove box. Putting on the flashcube was a snap. The camera went with us on family visits and vacations.

Suddenly we had a marked increase in the number of pictures in the family photo album.

Next we got a Polaroid. The camera would spit out the developing photo. After waiting a minute (literally!), we could peel off the frame and look at the photo. No more going to the drug store to get the film developed. This changed everything!

I went off to college with a pocket instamatic that used size 110 film. It was easy to use and took pretty good pictures.

Since then, I have owned and used 35mm SLRs and now digital cameras. And who would have ever thought a phone (!) could take such excellent pictures? Now everybody gets a picture of everything! Where did we go on vacation? I have a picture. How deep was the snow? I have a picture. The neighbors have a new baby.

My nephew got a new car. The fall colors are gorgeous! Volunteers painted the fellowship hall. Picture. Picture. Picture. Picture.

What caused me to think about cameras? I recently read about John Beasley Greene (1832-1856), who traveled and photographed Egypt. Greene, an impressive scholar, studied with the French Egyptologist Emmanuel de Rouge and French photographer Gustave Le Gray. Combining his interests, Greene was the first archaeologist to use photography as a significant part of his excavation work. In 1855, he excavated the mortuary temple of Ramesses III at Medinet-Habu, Egypt, and kept a photographic record of his work. Tragically, he died of tuberculosis at age 24 in Egypt. His work, though, forever changed archaeology.

As you read this issue, really look at the photographs. Ask yourself, “What am I learning from this image?” and “How does this enhance my Bible study?” I think you are going to be amazed at what you see in—and learn from—these photos.

Say “Cheese!”

PAUL’S USE OF METAPHORS Ezekiel and Jeremiah: A Comparison Living Stones

fall 2016

1105

FA L L 2 0 1 6

About the Cover: Dated to the 7th cent. B.C., this gold Etruscan bowl features bands of decorations; the top two and bottom one are geometric patterns; the third row shows flying birds. The bowl’s two horizontal loop handles are adorned with crouching sphinxes.

THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM/ CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

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On a scale of 1-10, this book receives a rating of 8.5 camels.

The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms, Gregg R. Allison, Baker Books, 2016; 256 pages; softback; ISBN 9780801015762.

Book reviews are limited to those the Illustrator staff feels confident to recommend, based on ease of reading, quality of content, and doctrinal viewpoint. Each book is reviewed within LifeWay’s doctrinal guidelines. The 1 to 10 scale reflects overall quality and usefulness.

YES!

OR SOME TIME I HAVE anticipated a work that would make relatively complex Christian theological terms and concepts accessible to undergraduate and graduate theological students, local church ministers, and laypersons interested in expanding their understanding of seminal concepts of Christian theological reflection. Gregg Allison has achieved this goal in his Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms. Designed with the contemporary evangelical reader in mind, this work fulfills the author’s intent to address people who seek a concise understanding of the most significant words at the heart of the Christian faith.

Both a strength and weakness of the work is Allison’s commitment to confine each entry to approximately one hundred words. The strength lies in the concentrated high content of each article; the weakness lies in the implication that all the included terms are of relatively equal significance. In addition, the repetitive use of the phrase “With respect to . . . ” at the beginning of many articles tends to be distracting. One wonders if the

space could have been more effectively used for content. Perhaps a symbol key the interested reader could consult would be more useful and economical in terms of space.

Despite the above mentioned stylistic limitations, it is easy to envision The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms being kept close at hand by anyone interested in a readily accessible reference to assist in clarifying the technical theological language found in other, more complex reading. It is not difficult for this writer to imagine how useful such a work would have been in his own student days. With this in mind, it is easy to enthusiastically recommend Gregg Allison’s work. He is to be commended for providing an excellent resource to help the reader bridge the gap between ordinary language and the relatively specialized language of Christian theological reflection. The multi-lingual guide in the appendix only further enhances the usefulness of the work in cross-cultural contexts. I D. Larry Gregg, Sr. is president of Covecraft Consultants and lives in Rutherfordton, North Carolina.

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Contents

FA L L 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E 4 3 N U M B E R 1

DEPARTMENTS 2

BI Lines

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BI the Book: The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms

By Gregg R. Allison Book review by D. Larry Gregg, Sr.

InSites (between pages 66-67)

Lachish: A Fortified City

Time Line for the Book of Acts 98 Issues Gone BI BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 82 Creation: Beyond Genesis

by Argile A. Smith, Jr.

September 4 // Session 1

18 Sabbath-Day Restrictions

by Lynn O. Traylor

October 16 // Session 1

InSites: Time Line for the Book of Acts October 16 // Session 1

71 The Earliest Converts

by Rudy D. Gonzalez

October 30 // Session 3 31 Alms and Almsgiving

by Jerry Batson

November 6 // Session 4 42 “The Battle Is the Lord’s”

by Trent C. Butler

November 27 // Session 1 EXPLORE THE BIBLE

78 “Justified,” the Meaning

by Steve Booth

September 18, 25 // Session 3

67 Peter’s Epistles: An Overview

by Warren McWilliams

September 4 // Session 1

49 To Be Reconciled

by Mark A. Rathel

September 25 // Session 4

6 “Living Stones”: What Did Peter Mean?

by Jimmy Draper

September 18 // Session 3

10 Paul’s Use of Metaphors

by Gregory T. Pouncey

October 9 // Session 6

14

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60

S E E R E L AT E D B I B L E S T U D Y R E S O U R C E S :

www.GospelProject.com • www.BibleStudiesForLife.com • www.lifeway.com/ExploreTheBible

27 Rewards Among the Romans

by Charles A. Ray, Jr.

September 25 // Session 4

56 Who Were the Arameans?

by Joel F. Drinkard, Jr.

September 18 // Session 3

60 Jewelry: What the Bible Says

by Roberta Jones

October 2 // Session 5

75 The Life and Times of Uzziah

by Jeff S. Anderson

September 25 // Session 4

94 The House of God: A New Testament Understanding

by Paul N. Jackson

October 23 // Session 8

63 It Happened at Lachish

by Scott Hummel

October 9 // Session 6

85 Blindness as Biblical Imagery

by B. Dale Ellenburg

November 6 // Session 10

46 Joel, the Man and His Ministry

by Allan Moseley

October 30 // Session 9

38 Simon Peter’s Farewell Address

by Martha S. Bergen

November 13 // Session 11 52

Heresies and False Teachings in the Early Church

by Timothy N. Boyd November 20 // Session 12

THE GOSPEL PROJECT 22

InSites: Lachish: A Fortified City October 9 // Session 6

Jezreel: Military Headquarters of the Northern Kingdom of Israel

by Deborah O’Daniel Cantrell September 4 // Session 1

82

89 Jeremiah: His Life and Lessons

by Janice Meier

November 6, 13, 20 // Session 10 34 The Fall of Jerusalem

by Byron Longino

November 20 // Session 12 14 Ezekiel and Jeremiah: A Comparison

by Kevin C. Peacock

November 27 // Session 13

18

FALL 2016 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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ETB: 1 Peter 2:1-10

Living

STONES W H AT D I D P E T E R M E A N ?

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BY JIMMY DRAPER

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STONE WALL: ISTOCK PHOTO

CHISEL: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE/ ORIENTAL MUSEUM OF CHICAGO (70/8953)

TEMPLE MOUNT: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE (60/0509)

HEN WE THINK OF AN ANCIENT temple, the temple-palace of Karnak, located 300 miles up the Nile from Cairo, or the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens may come to mind.

Perhaps we would envision Solomon’s temple. Essential to each of these massive structures was the cornerstone. Such a stone was structurally significant. In Jesus’ day people selected a cornerstone with care and laid it with great ceremony; the stone itself determined the lines of the architecture of the building. All the building took shape from the cornerstone. Today a cornerstone is merely decorative.

Simon Peter spoke of Jesus as the Cornerstone. This imagery was not unique. Following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, though, Peter explained how believers are joined with the Cornerstone in both identity and task.

The Cornerstone Seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah saw the laying of the stone: “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation” (Isa. 28:16).1 In his day people understood Isaiah was referring “to the massive stonework of the Temple, symbolizing the Lord’s abiding presence among his people, a feature which was firm, unshakeable, [and] reliable.”2 Jesus’ response to the chief priests and elders pointed to the reality of this Cornerstone: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?” (Matt. 21:42). Referring to the Israelites during their exodus, Paul spoke of that Stone: “All drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).

Throughout, Scripture speaks of a mysterious, mighty, majestic, moving Stone. That Stone is Christ, and He is the Cornerstone of Upper right: Dated to about 1321 B.C., a chisel that was used for stone working.

Right: Atop the Temple Mount in

the church. That was Peter’s message; he called that Cornerstone the “living stone” (1 Pet. 2:4). The phrase appears to be an oxymoron, as if one were to say, “cool fire” or “bright darkness.” We normally speak of someone as “stone dead.” Yet the Bible calls the Lord both the Rock and the Life (Ps. 18:2; John 11:25).

This says something about Christ that can be stated no other way. In Him, the living Stone, are vitality, life, energy, growth, and movement. Only the phrase “living stone” can accurately describe our great Cornerstone.

Peter explained, however, that the Cornerstone is a rejected Stone. In the phrase “rejected by men” (1 Pet. 2:4), the Greek term translated “rejected” means to be disallowed after having been inspected.3 Although that Stone was in the eyes of God “choice and precious”—meaning “well-hewn and valuable for building”4—people generally rejected and set aside that Stone.

The psalmist foresaw this: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Ps. 118:22). This was Jesus’ prediction of Himself: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected” (Luke 9:22). This was Peter’s passionate proclamation of Him, “This Jesus is ‘the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone’ ” (Acts 4:11). But God’s perspective is that Jesus is God’s chosen and precious Cornerstone.

From Him the spiritual temple takes its shape.

Living Stones Peter enlarged the scene. He described Christ building a temple using believers as living stones, “you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5). That great

Jerusalem, this structure stands in the general location of the Royal Stoa where Peter defended Christ before the Sanhedrin.

FALL 2016 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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Believers as Temples Every believer, although a part of the whole, is a microcosm of the whole. Paul asked, “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Cor. 6:19a). That the Holy Spirit should condescend to indwell humankind is an utter amazement, but this is reality. Every believer is a temple, but every believer-temple becomes a brick in that temple that God is building. Every follower of Christ is a temple—and at the same time is a living stone in the vast, invisible temple of the ages.

As if looking through a kaleidoscope, Peter again described a changing image. The walls of the living ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ GB HOWELL (35/33/73)

8 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2016

temple dissolve and onlookers see inside its sanctuary.

Those who a moment ago were living stones become sacred, holy priests serving in the temple. “You yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5).

Believers as Priests Old Testament priests served for limited times in only one place. Peter envisioned a church in which all followers of Christ, at all times and in all places, serve as priests. A believer is a priest everywhere and always—at home, at work, at church, in the community, alone, or with others.

According to Peter’s words, every believer holds a sacred office, a believer-priest within the temple of living stones.

What does a believer-priest do? The Latin word for “priest” is pontifex, which comes from two words, one meaning “bridge” and another meaning “to make.”6 The priest is one who makes or builds a bridge between God and man. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one great Right: A mason’s mark on a column from Ashkelon.

Historians believe the marks help identify the work of a particular mason.

Below: View of the Acropolis as seen from Mars Hill in Athens.

Shown in the foreground is the Propylaea with the Temple of Athena Nike; the small structure to the left is the Erechtion.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ (9/34/16)

Cornerstone is a magnetic stone. Mysteriously, stones are drawn from all around that Cornerstone and into it. Dead, lifeless stones come into contact and are made alive. “Nowhere else in the New Testament are believers called living stones.”5 In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul declared, “you were dead in trespasses and sins….BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah” (Eph. 2:1,4-5a emphasis added).

Peter gave the most magnificent picture in Scripture of the church’s dignity and destiny. He described God building a spiritual temple with believers as the living stones of that edifice.

To the Athenians Paul preached, “God who made the world and everything in it … does not live in shrines made by hands” (Acts 17:24). When Paul said that, he was standing in the shadow of the Acropolis at Athens. Years later Paul explained that believers are God’s “temple.”

Lower right: Dated to about 1321 B.C., a saw used to cut both limestone and wood.

inside that temple as both the living stones and believer-priests. But what are these priests offering? Each believer-priest is offering up “spiritual sacrifices” (v. 5).

Paul explained that Christians are to bring themselves as the spiritual sacrifice: “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Rom. 12:1). To become living stones is not enough. God sets us, His followers, in His temple as “a holy priesthood” offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him (1 Pet. 2:5).

We set ourselves apart for His exclusive use. This is the miracle of living stones!

I

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ MURRAY SEVERANCE (74/1/13)

SAW: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE/ ORIENTAL MUSEUM OF CHICAGO (70/8953)

Below: Stone mason working at Philippi.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ (27/7/11)

Right: One of three massive construction stones that were part of the foundation for the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek, Lebanon.

The block, which weighs over 800 tons, measures about 65 feet long and is over 17 feet wide at the top end. Comparing the stone’s height to the gentleman standing at the raised end highlights the stone’s massive size.

Priest, yet He has left believers as His under-priests, bridge builders for Him on earth.

Christians speak of the “priesthood of the believer.”

The great truth of this doctrine is that Christ’s followers are to serve God as a way of life. Believers are in His living temple and part of His plan for the ages. This concept dignifies every aspect of each believer’s life. No job is so menial or vocation so prestigious that this high calling does not dignify it. Believers are part of what God is doing.

Simon Peter again refined his description as this scene dissolved into another. He had described believers

1. Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB).

2. J. B. Taylor, “Cornerstone” in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ed. J. D. Douglas (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1980), 319.

3. To “‘reject’ (after scrutiny), ‘declare useless’, to regard as unworthy/unfit and therefore to be rejected“; aÓpodocima¿zw (apodokimazo, reject) in Walter Bauer, A GreekEnglish Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, rev. and ed.

Frederick William Danker (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2000), 110.

4. J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter, vol. 49 in Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1988), 99.

5. Thomas R. Schreiner, 1,2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37 in The New American Commentary (Nashville, B&H, 2003), 105.

6. “Pontifex” in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2005), 964.

Jimmy Draper is the President Emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources and lives in Colleyville, Texas.

FALL 2016 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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BSFL: 2 Timothy 2:1-10

By Gregory T. Pouncey

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PEDAGOGUE: THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM/ CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

Left: Terra-cotta figurine of a pedagogue and student, dated 3rd– 2nd centuries B.C.; about 6 in. tall. In Hellenistic culture, a pedagogue was an adult male who was responsible for the moral and

social education of a young boy. This was the term Paul used to describe the Law, “But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (paidagogos; Gal. 3:25; HCSB).

Paul was a master at using metaphors to create powerful images and understanding in the minds of his readers.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ AUDREY SMITH (35/43/68)

HELMET: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ/ ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM, TORONTO (29/14/7)

S

TUDENTS OF ENGLISH grammar, literature, and creative writing quickly learn the difference between similes and metaphors. Both are figures of speech designed to strengthen the writer’s communication. Both compare a lesser known truth with something that is much more familiar. The simile uses the words like or as to remind the reader that though the two realities are similar, they are also different. For example, a person may say that someone else is like a rock. A metaphor can make the same comparison without like or as, and it makes the writer’s comparison even stronger. In this case, the writer would say that the person is a rock.

No reader would think that the person was an inanimate object. Rather, the reader would transfer the properties of the rock that apply, such as its strength. The metaphor makes a stronger comparison than the simile. Certainly one might misunderstand the distinction between the reality and the metaphor, but that is a risk the writer takes in delivering descriptive writing.1 Paul had many sources from which to draw his metaphors. He had both a Jewish and Gentile background. As an educated Jew and a Pharisee (Phil. 3:5), Paul had a wealth of images he could use as metaphors. He called the Christian’s body a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19, esv). Using that metaphor, he contrasted the difference between the old covenant and the

Above: Floor mosaic that was part of the Palace of the Grand Masters

Above: Bronze gladiatorial helmet, Roman 1st–2nd centuries A.D.

new. The Holy Spirit now resided in the believer. Those in Corinth who were abusing their bodies through sexual immorality were abusing the dwelling place of God (vv. 18‑19). This metaphor would have spoken powerfully to Paul’s Jewish audience.

Paul also drew from the Gentile heritage he received from his father (Acts 22:28). He described his conflict with opponents in Ephesus: “I fought wild beasts” (1 Cor. 15:32, niv). This was an image

at Rhodes; image shows a gladiator fighting a big cat, likely a leopard.

from the gladiatorial contests of the Roman Empire.2 In 2 Timothy 2:1‑7, Paul referred to Christians as soldiers, athletes, and farmers.

Soldiers did not get involved in civilian affairs, athletes competed according to the rules, and farmers gained a share of their crops. As a prisoner on several occasions, Paul had spent time with soldiers. This led to even more metaphors, such as the Word of God being “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17). By drawing upon his environment, Paul tailored his metaphors so his readers could understand the deeper truths of the gospel.

Some of Paul’s metaphors came from city life. For instance, having viewed the construction of buildings in the city, Paul stated that Jesus Christ was the “cornerstone” (2:20). By using this metaphor, Paul was showing the principal importance of Christ in His own church.

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Below: Panoramic view of the Roman forum at Philippi.

In the background is a large Christian church dated to

wheel and covered in red slip, shows good craftsmanship; the clay was smoothed before being fired.

about A.D. 550.

Right: Dated to the 8th cent. B.C., this bowl, made on a potter’s

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Roman colony, Philippi had a strong view of citizenship, thus strengthening this metaphor.4 Again, Paul was demonstrating his ability to use metaphors that would best speak to a certain group of readers.

Paul also drew metaphors from the world of commerce. He called the Holy Spirit the “down payment” of salvation (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:14, hcsb). Paul called himself a “debtor” to those who needed the gospel (Rom. 1:14, kjv). He refused to identify himself with the metaphor of “peddler” that many in Corinth had labeled him (2 Cor. 2:17, esv). The Corinthians would have made the connection; the term referred to those who peddled goods such as wine and yet diluted it before they sold it.5 In contrast, Paul spoke with

BOWL: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE/ SOUTHERN ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY/ COLLEGEDALE, TN (72/9564)

were sowing seeds of the Spirit with the hardworking farmer. Whether in the city or country, Paul constantly examined familiar ways to speak of possibly new or unfamiliar spiritual truths.

Another resource for Paul’s metaphors was the Roman government. He called Christian witnesses “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20). Paul believed that like ambassadors, who lived in a foreign land while representing their homeland, Christians represented the kingdom of God in a world that needed to know Him. Additionally, Paul called Jesus the “mediator” (1 Tim. 2:5). A mediator was a person between two parties who tried to resolve differences and bring the two parties together. The metaphor powerfully demonstrated Jesus’ resolve to make people right with God. In Philippians 3:20, Paul described salvation as citizenship in heaven. As a

PHILIPPI: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ GB HOWELL (35/41/41)

Paul also referred to some people as honorable bowls and some as dishonorable bowls (2 Tim. 2:20). A household may have had bowls of silver and gold, but they also had some made of wood and clay. Like fine china in a modern house, these silver and gold bowls were reserved for special usage. With this metaphor Paul encouraged Christians to purify themselves so they would be useful to the Lord (v. 21).

Although many of Paul’s metaphors came from city life, he also drew upon rural life for imagery.3 He encouraged Christians not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever (2 Cor. 6:14, esv). By comparing a Christian’s relationship to a “yoke,” Paul made a powerful statement about entering a working relationship with an unbeliever.

One of the three metaphors Paul used in 2 Timothy 1:1‑7 was of the farmer. The farmer’s patience and diligence ensured that he would eat, and Paul compared Christians who

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRITISH MUSEUM/ LONDON (31/25/20) ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE/ WALTERS ART MUSEUM/ BALTIMORE (75/9947)

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ JAMES McLEMORE/ ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN ISTHMIA (10/38/2)

Left: From the Isthmia region of Greece (east of Corinth), marble

sincerity or purity in his message about Christ.

The apostle turned to the world of education and training of children to deliver one of his most powerful metaphors about the Law. He stated that the Law was a “guardian” that had custody of a person

statue fragment depicting a gladiator holding a vanquished lion.

before he put his faith in Jesus (Gal. 3:25‑26, esv).6 A guardian was a slave who took a young pupil for instruction and protected him until he was old enough to protect himself.7 When the gospel came along, the guardian’s job was done. The Law had pointed people to Christ.

That was not to say that the Law was invalid, but it had fulfilled its greatest purpose.

As seen by Paul’s various sources for his metaphors, the apostle, when conveying spiritual truths, showed himself adept at choosing everyday images that people already knew.

Indeed, Paul was a master at using metaphors to create powerful images in the minds of his readers— metaphors that strengthened others’ understanding about him, his message, their salvation, and the church.

Why were Paul’s metaphors such a powerful component of his writing?

Above: In the 1st cent., Roman soldiers carried both a sword (a gladius) and dagger (pugio), which they strapped on using two crossed belts.

Left: First-century relief designed for a Roman villa; the scene depicts a herdsman and his yoked oxen; Thasian dolomitic marble.

They spoke truth to readers of his day—and that truth has proven timeless.

Believers today still affirm that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are ambassadors for Christ. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our salvation. Christians should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Even centuries later, Paul’s metaphors remain meaningful. They give continuing evidence of the apostle’s outstanding eye for everyday items that would speak eternal and powerful truths.

I 1. David J. Williams, Paul’s Metaphors: Their Context and Character (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999), 1.

2. Ibid., 264.

3. Ibid., 32.

4. HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010), 2040.

5. Williams, Paul’s Metaphors, 171.

6. Other translations of guardian include tutor (NASB, NKJV) and schoolmaster (KJV).

7. HCSB Study Bible, 2018.

Gregory T. Pouncey is pastor of First Baptist Church Tillman’s Corner, Mobile, Alabama.

FALL 2016 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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TGP: Book of Jeremiah; Book of Ezekiel

Ezekiel

Jeremiah

A C O M PA R I S O N

14 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2016

BOWL: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ DAVID ROGERS/ THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE MUSEUM / THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO (446/33) ISTOCK PHOTOS

By Kevin C. Peacock

Left: Incantation bowl found at Nippur, Iraq, inscribed with quotations from Ezekiel 21 and Jeremiah 2, in Hebrew. People wrote spells on the inside and outside of the bowl, believing the bowl could ward off evil spirits, or if turned upside down, could imprison any evil spirits that came near.

J

EREMIAH WAS SOME 20 to 30 years Ezekiel’s senior, but as contemporaries, each with a life-changing call from God to be a prophet to His people and to the foreign nations, their messages had great harmony. They preached on many of the same subjects though often highlighted different emphases. They both spoke on the issue of individual responsibility (Jer. 31:27‑30; Ezek. 18:1‑32; 33:7‑20), prophesied of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (Jer. 7:1‑15; 26:1‑24; Ezek. 1–24), and both spoke of a “new covenant” that God would bring about that would result in individuals having a “new heart” (Jer. 24:7; 31:31‑34; 32:38‑40; Ezek. 11:19‑20; 36:26‑27). These similarities do not mean, however, that God simply called the same type of person to deliver these messages.

Each prophet had a unique background, personality, and giftedness with which to deliver God’s message.

Background Jeremiah’s ministry began “in the thirteenth year” of Josiah’s reign (627 b.c.) and extended into the exile to around 580 b.c., a ministry of around 47 years (Jer. 1:1‑3; chs. 40–44).1 Jeremiah was “a youth” at the time of his call (1:6), probably in his teens or early twenties. He ministered in and around Jerusalem, but apparently he continued to live in Anathoth, his hometown, located about three miles northeast of Jerusalem (11:21; 12:6; 32:7).2 As such, he was an eyewitness to a horrible tragedy, the fall of Jerusalem.

The Babylonians took Ezekiel from Jerusalem into exile in 597 b.c. along with Judah’s King Jehoiachin and 10,000 captives (2 Kings 24:10‑14).

He dated his ministry “in the thirtieth year,” which corresponded with “the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s

exile” (Ezek. 1:1‑2). This likely refers to Ezekiel’s age at the time of his prophetic call, the age when priests normally undertook their ministry (Num. 4:30). As such, he would thus have been born around 622 b.c. and taken into captivity at age 25.3 In his early years Ezekiel may have heard Jeremiah’s preaching, because Jeremiah had caused quite a stir in the city. The two may also have been acquaintances.

Each had a priestly background but from different families. Jeremiah was “the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests living in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin” (Jer. 1:1). Jeremiah’s father should not be confused with Hilkiah the high priest in Jerusalem who discovered the law scroll in the temple during King Josiah’s reign (2 Kings 22:8).

Instead, Jeremiah’s priestly lineage probably came from Abiathar, David’s priest whom Solomon banished to Anathoth (1 Kings 1:7; 2:26‑27), thus descended through Eli back to Aaron’s son Ithamar.4 Ezekiel was “the priest, the son of Buzi” (Ezek. 1:3). His familiarity with the Jerusalem temple’s layout, correct and aberrant worship forms, Israel’s spiritual heritage, and Levitical and

priestly issues indicates that even as a young man before the exile, Ezekiel was at least a priest in training, preparing to serve in the Jerusalem temple. Ezekiel’s interest in the Zadokite priests (44:15‑31) may indicate that his descent was from Zadok back to Aaron’s son Eleazar (1 Chron. 6:3‑15; 24:3).5 Instead of being installed as a priest in his thirtieth year, Ezekiel received his call as a prophet.

The family life of each prophet became a vital part of their messages.

The Lord never allowed Jeremiah to marry (Jer. 16:1‑4), demonstrating the loneliness and the loss of joy His people would soon experience. Ezekiel, however, was happily married— but the death of his beloved wife coincided with the fall of Jerusalem (Ezek. 24:15‑27). God did not allow Ezekiel to express his grief publicly, emulating the inconsolable sorrow the people would soon experience as their beloved city fell and their loved ones died.

Personality and Style We learn much of Jeremiah’s inner personality from his writings. His messages of God’s judgment filled him with agony and grief (Jer. 8:18‑22).

A series of prayers known as his

Each prophet had a unique background, personality, and giftedness with which to deliver God’s message.

FALL 2016 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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Reconstruction of the Coptic Hall at the Monastery of Jeremiah at Saqqara, Egypt.

Discovered during excavations in the region in 19061910, the monastery dates to the 6th cent.

Below: The seal of Baruch, whose name means “Blessed.” Baruch was a scribe for the prophet Jeremiah.

“Confessions” displays his personal struggles with God about his lot in life and the messages he was to preach.6 In these “he cries for vindication, and even hurls defiance at God.”7 These glimpses into Jeremiah’s prayer closet show a devout faith tinged with doubt, rebellion, self-pity, and despair—yet a dogged tenacity never to let go of God. Ironically, even though almost all of Ezekiel’s prophetic oracles are written in first person, seldom do they display his personal thoughts and reactions.8 For the most part he accepted his divine assignments without any protest even though they took their physical and emotional toll.9 Unlike Jeremiah, Ezekiel’s response was not to complain but instead to see these difficult assignments as God’s call to make himself totally available to Him, “to place himself and all that he [had and was] at the service of God’s cause.”10 Visions from God were not uncommon for prophets, and Jeremiah had a 16 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2016

few (Jer. 1:11‑14); but Ezekiel’s visions were numerous, long, and expanded.11 Ezekiel did not just see the vision, but he became part of the vision.

He personally ate the scroll offered to him (Ezek. 3:2‑3); God personally transported Ezekiel from one place to another (3:12‑15; 8:3‑4; 37:1; 40:1‑3); he walked through the old (ch. 8) and new temples (chs. 40–42) and the valley of dry bones (37:2) and there he delivered God’s word (11:4; 37:4,9).

His powerful prophecy brought death (11:13) and caused life (37:7‑10).

Both prophets employed symbolic actions with their messages, but in Ezekiel’s ministry dramatic actions and visual aids were far more frequent. He directed his prophecies by facing the recipients of that message, even the distant lands.12 He would clap his hands and stomp his feet to heighten the impact (Ezek. 6:11; 21:14).

He was thus an active and physical participant in the message of his oracles. Other prophets used images and figures of speech; Ezekiel had

actual experiences.

Jeremiah described God’s words as, “Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart” (Jer. 15:16), but for Ezekiel, God’s words became a literal meal (Ezek. 3:2‑3). Isaiah pictured God’s judgment like a razor that would shave the head, body, and beard of his people (Isa. 7:20), but Ezekiel got a literal haircut (Ezek. 5:1‑2).

Ministry and Message Jeremiah faced open hostility throughout much of his ministry.

In contrast, Ezekiel’s audience was stubborn (3:4‑11), but he did not face hatred and open resistance. The elders of the community consulted with him (8:1; 14:1; 20:1), and the people flocked to hear him after his prophecies about the fall of Jerusalem came true (33:30‑33).

Generally speaking, the two major influences on Jeremiah’s preaching

PUBLIC DOMAIN

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ/ COPTIC MUSEUM, CAIRO (15/17/10)

POTTER’S WHEEL: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ KRISTEN HILLER/ ERETZ MUSEUM/ TEL AVIV (46/2225) BLOCK: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ DAVID ROGERS/ THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE MUSEUM/ THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO (425/20)

Right: Overlooking the north end of the Dead Sea from Qumran.

Ezekiel spoke of a stream that would flow one day from Jerusalem’s temple and would become a rushing river, headed toward the Dead Sea (Ezek. 47).

A group (the Essenes?) wanting to separate themselves from culture and to live holy lives, took Ezekiel’s words to be instructions and directions. They looked for a site in the wilderness

that could also serve as the terminus for a future river that would flow into the Dead Sea. So they established a religious community at Qumran, which they considered to be the biblically correct site. While waiting, they copied texts we know as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Below: Reconstructed potter’s wheel dated to the 2nd millennium B.C. with a wooden turntable.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ (9/5/11)

and worship restored in purity and holiness (Ezek. 40–48).

I were the life and ministry of Hosea13 and the newly discovered Law scroll of Deuteronomy.14 In the same way, Ezekiel’s messages were infused with two major influences: the messages of Jeremiah and the Book of Leviticus. For 30 years Jeremiah had been preaching in Jerusalem, causing quite a stir, including the first 25 years of Ezekiel’s life.

Many of Jeremiah’s prophecies had circulated in writing before and during the exile (Jer. 29:1‑20), and communication seemed to have flowed freely, which kept the exiles informed of happenings back in Judah. But Ezekiel was also greatly influenced by his priestly heritage and by the Book of Leviticus. He was intensely interested in Levitical and priestly concerns such as sacrifices, the Israelite worship system, regulations concerning ceremonial purity, and the temple. The corrupt worship practices and defiled temple

Below: This sandstone block contains the name of King Haa-ib-Re, known from Greek sources as Apries, and from the Old Testament as Hophra (Jeremiah 44:30). Apries was king of Egypt when Jerusalem fell in 586. Apries ruled Egypt until his death in 570 B.C.

caused Jeremiah to denounce such and announce God’s plan to destroy the temple (7:1‑15; 26:1‑24). Ezekiel saw God’s intention to destroy the corrupted and polluted temple; but beyond the destruction, Ezekiel envisioned the Jerusalem temple rebuilt

1. Leon J. Wood, The Prophets of Israel (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 329‑30. All Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB).

2. A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Doctrine of the Prophets, 3rd ed. (London: MacMillan, 1923), 301.

3. Ibid., 328.

4. 1 Samuel 14:3; 22:20; 1 Kings 2:27; 1 Chronicles 24:6.

See John Bright, Jeremiah, vol. 21 in The Anchor Bible, 2nd ed. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1965), lxxxvii‑lxxxviii, for a fuller explanation.

5. Daniel I. Block, The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1–24 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 88. See R. Laird Harris, “Zadok, Zadokites” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, gen. ed. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, and Archie England (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1698‑99 for Zadok’s lineage.

6. Jeremiah 11:18–12:6; 15:10‑21; 17:14‑18; 18:18‑23; 20:7‑13,14‑18.

7. Bernhard W. Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament, 3rd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1975), 380‑81.

8. Ezekiel 4:14; 9:8; 11:13; 20:49; 24:20; 37:3. See Block, The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1–24, 27‑30 for a fuller discussion.

9. Ezekiel 1:28; 3:14‑15; 12:17‑20; 21:6; 24:16,27.

Ezekiel was struck speechless several times (3:15; 24:25‑27; 33:21‑22).

10. Walther Eichrodt, Ezekiel: A Commentary (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), 25‑26.

11. Chs. 1–3; 8–11; 37; 40–48.

12. Towards the false prophets (Ezek. 13:17), Jerusalem (21:2), Ammon (25:2), Sidon (28:21), Pharaoh in Egypt (29:2), the mountains of Seir (35:2), and Gog (38:2).

13. J. A. Thompson, The Book of Jeremiah (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 81‑85.

14. R. K. Harrison, Jeremiah & Lamentations (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1973), 38.

Kevin C. Peacock is professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada.

FALL 2016 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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