Leaving the Land

It's hard to believe that my time here has come to an end. I fly out at midnight tonight, but we are going to take the rental car and see a few more sights today and then head to the airport.

I will keep updating this after I get back and get settled in. I haven't really posted much from the Old City and other places, so I'll do that then. So, if you're interested, keep checking back.

Encountering the Canaanites

Another stop on Saturday's tour was Arad. This is the first Canaanite city conquered by the Israelites within the land of Canaan itself (the Canaanite kings Sihon and Og were defeated by the Israelites and their land conquered, but their territory was outside the boundaries of Canaan).

The site includes a governor's palace and storerooms for supplying the troops stationed there. You can see the defensible position in this picture:



Here is a Canaanite altar, with no horns on it:

More Samson

After Delilah convinced Samson to reveal the secret of his strength, he was captured by the Philistines.

Judges 16:21 says:

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.

At the museum in Tel Aviv, we saw a grinder that may have been similar to the one Samson used in prison. Here is a picture of one of our instructors, Gary, playing the part of Samson. Note Gary's long hair -- he is perfect for playing the part of a life-long Nazirite (See Numbers 6:1-21).



(Click to enlarge)

On the Road

As we drove across the desert, we saw something one doesn't see every day, at least not in Minnesota:

Beersheba

We rented a car for the weekend, so we have been able to go a bit farther afield. Today, we went to Beersheba, Arad, and Masada.

Beersheba is the site of a number of interesting events in the Bible. The name means "Seven Wells," or "Well of the Oath" and was so named because Abraham made a treaty with Abimelek there. He also lived there for a time. Genesis 21:31-34 says:

So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there. After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time. (TNIV)

The site has been well-excavated and there are many interesting things to see there. There is a well (naturally!) as well as a reconstructed altar used for sacrifice (the stones for the altar were found used in another building on the site). There is even a tamarisk tree (though I doubt it is 4000 years old!).

Here are some pictures (click to enlarge):

This a four-horned altar. (Speaking of the altar in the Tabernacle, Exodus 38:2 [TNIV] says, "They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze.")



Here is the well just outside the city gate:



This is a tamarisk tree, like the one planted by Abraham:

Philistine Pottery

At a museum in Tel Aviv, we saw examples of Philistine pottery. It differs from Canaanite and Israelite pottery, most noticeably in the decoration that is present.

Here are a couple of wine or water vessels:

Class dismissed!

We finished up the class today, with a final exam. (Until this summer, it had been years since I have taken a final exam! I give them a lot, but I haven't been on the other side of the desk in a long time!)

I am very pleased with how far I have come in these five weeks. I am reading much more fluently, and am beginning to be able to produce more effectively and efficiently. Perhaps most importantly, I have LOTS of ideas for how to continue to improve my teaching effectiveness. I have also found a great network of people who are willing to help me as I seek to continue to develop.

I now have the weekend before I head back to the US. I will post some more here before I go, and will likely post some follow up posts after I get back. We have rented a car and will roam a bit more widely over the next few days.

Stay tuned!

The Philistines

We took a trip to Ashkelon and Tel Qasila the other day. Ashkelon is one of the 5 major cities of the Philistines, who were "sea people." They came from Crete to Egypt, and then migrated to Canaan later on. They established cities on the Mediterranean coast, and the Israelites fought against them frequently throughout their history. (Goliath, for example, was a Philistine.)

In our reading and examination of the account of Samson in Judges 13-16, we have been reading about the Philistines. Judges 13:1 says:

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. (TNIV)

Samson was called to "deliver" Israel from the Philistines, but despite this calling he becomes increasingly enamored of them. He marries a Philistine woman, but when that goes sour (read all about it in Judges 13), he fights against the Philistines. Finally, in what is probably the most famous part of the account of Samson, he falls in love with Delilah, another Philistine woman. You can see all the tragic details in Judges 16.

Ashkelon enters the picture in Judges 14. To pay off a bet, Samson goes to Ashkelon to steal the items he needed. Ashkelon at the time was a large, fortified city. We saw remnants of an ancient wall (though later than the one that existed in Samson's day). We also saw a city-gate that dates to around Samson's time.

Here are a couple of pictures:

This is the city gate that dates to about 1850 BC. (Click to enlarge)


These are parts of the city wall of Ashkelon. Although these particular ruins are much later than Samson's time, the later wall was built on the foundation of the city wall that would have existed then.

Odd Weather in Jerusalem

The weather here is very constant in the summer. We have hot days (mid to upper 80s) with clear blue skies. In the afternoon, winds from the Mediterranean pick up and keep things very pleasant.

This is the normal view from my balcony (posted earlier):


Occasionally, the mornings have been foggy, which burns off quickly as the sun rises. Here is the same view on a foggy morning:










This morning, we had overcast skies, and even some rain! That is very unusual for Jerusalem. It didn't keep us from doing anything and it stopped quickly, but it was strange!

Inspiring Students: Drs. Bosanquet

There are two classes going on here at the kibbutz. One is the intermediate course in which I am participating, and the other is a beginning course. (I observe the teaching of that course to learn the pedagogy better.) Most of the students in the beginning course started 3 weeks ago knowing little or no Hebrew. They are now reading through the book of Jonah in Hebrew.

Many of the students involved in the courses are or will be seminary or Bible college students. Most are preparing for vocational Christian ministry of some sort.

The exceptions are remarkable, and very inspiring to me. Among them are David and Amanda Bosanquet, from Wales. Both are medical doctors. David is a surgeon (and so, in the UK medical system is now properly referred to as "Mr." rather than "Dr."), and Amanda is a family practice doctor.

Both are here because they want to understand the Bible as best they can. They have no plans to abandon the practice of medicine for a career teaching Bible or theology. Rather, they want to be more effective in living out their faith by being able to better understand the Bible.

This, to me, is remarkable. I often tell my students that if they want to be the best interpreter of Scripture they can be, they will need to have facility in the original languages. (That doesn't mean that one can't be a good interpreter without knowledge of the languages or that knowledge of Scripture is accessible exclusively through knowledge of the languages, but rather understanding is enhanced when one can access the text in the original languages.) This is true for all readers, not just those who will be leaders in the Church. Amanda and David are a tremendous and inspiring example.

May the Lord raise up more such people in his Church!

Pedagogy in Action

One of the reasons I am here is to learn this pedagogy in order to increase my own effectiveness in teaching biblical Hebrew. I have certainly gained tremendous insights as to how I can do this back at Bethel Seminary.

A very simple, though effective, practice is to act out the texts we are reading. It helps the students to be able to visualize what is going on and make the account more than just squiggles on the page, but an actual account that was intended to communicate to the original audience.

Here is a picture of my group reading and acting out the account in Judges 13. It certainly adds to the interest to be reading the account of Samson's birth while sitting on the ruins of the town and having passed the fields in which the action takes place!

Studying Samson

We've moved into a new course, this one on Samson (Judges 13-16). We continue to read and discuss the text in biblical Hebrew, which is stretching but helping me immensely.

Today we took a field trip to Zorah, where Samson lived. It was a fairly strenuous hike up the mountain to the top, where the ruins of the city are. The heat was intense, and we got a sense of how difficult travel would have been in this region of the country.

The text records that

the Spirit of the LORD began to stir [Samson] while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. (Judges 13:25-14:1, TNIV)

Chapter 14 continues with a description of Samson frequently going back and forth (more accurately "up and down") to Timnah. The two places are only a little over 4 miles apart, but there is a difference of over 600 feel in elevation, most of that coming in just 2 miles or so. So, that means Samson was regularly traveling this distance over rough terrain to consort with the women of the Philistines, who had been ruling over the Israelites for the previous 40 years (Judges 13:1). Moreover, God had revealed to Samson's parents that he was going to use Samson to free the Israelites from Philistine rule.

All this is part of the way in which the author of Judges shows how far the Israelites were from being people devoted to Yahweh and being an example to the nations as to how to live out relationship with God. Though God used the judges to free his people, they were hardly paragons of virtue, and far from exemplary in their devotion to God.

Here are some pictures of the area (click to enlarge):


This is a picture of the ruins of Zorah, Samson's birthplace.



Here is the view from moutain ridge looking toward Timnah, which is out beyond the tree line that is visible in this picture.

A Hebrew Scribe

We also saw a scribe at Neot Kedumim. Though he has a day job, he also is a trained scribe, having learned from his father the skills for being a scribe. When we saw him, he was working on a scroll of the Book of Esther. He told us about all that has to be done to ensure that the scroll is kosher. It must be from the skin of a clean animal, and written with ink made from kosher ingredients. There are regulations concerning how many letters can be on a line, and how many lines can be on a column.



Here are the ingedients he uses to make the ink:




He then read to us from a Torah scroll, demonstrating two different types of chanting.

Here is what his work looked like (click to enlarge):



He told us that completed scrolls would be sold for use in synagogues somewhere in the world, and they may sell for $25000-$30000 each! He noted, however, that given the incredible amount of time it takes to complete one (about a year), it doesn't really end up being a very lucrative endeavor. So, he's keeping his day job!

Catching up

I can't believe how quickly the time goes! I feel bad for neglecting my blog. Thanks to all of you have faithfully been checking it. I'll try to do better from here on out!

Last week was focused mostly on the class. We finished reading the book of Ruth, and enjoyed acting it out and discussing the text, all in biblical Hebrew. The instructors, Aaron and Brian, are excellent teachers who helped us make so much progress in our facility with the language. They are inspirational!

We took a field trip this week to Neot Kedumim, a biblical landscape preserve. They have attempted to recreate certain aspects of the landscape that would have existed in biblical times. So, they have cleared woods that were planted in more recent times and planted plants, trees, and shrubs that would have existed earlier. I'd been here before, and it is a fascinating and wonderful place to visit.

We continued our study reading Ruth there. Ruth 3:2 says,

Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.

There is a reconstruction of a threshing floor at Neot Kedumim, so we read the chapter while sitting in that place. Here is a picture of what a threshing floor may have been like (click to enlarge):



There was still grain left from the recent harvest, so our instructor, Brian, demonstrated how barley would have been winnowed. There was even wind so we could see how the wind blew the heavier chaff away and left the grain.




It was really fascinating!

A note on the weekend

It just occurred to me that I should explain about the weekend here. The Muslim holy day is Friday, the Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, and the Christian holy day is Sunday (for many Christians here). In general, however, the work week is Sunday-Thursday or Friday. Everything shuts down for the Jewish Shabbat. So, the Biblical Language Center decided to follow a Monday-Friday work week, to allow us to have time to be able to actually see something on our days off.

Another Weekend in Israel

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post! The days seem to go buy so fast!

On Friday, we ended the week with communion, and recited Hebrew blessings as we did so. My roommate and I took it easy Friday night, on the grounds that we had worked hard all week. So, no studying on Friday night!

Yesterday, we went to the Narkis Street Congregation in Jerusalem. It was fun to participate in a Bible study there. I've never been to a Bible study where people were quoting or referring to Hebrew, Greek, modern commentators, and ancient rabbinical commentators like Rashi. I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore! You can check out the website for the church here.

From there, we went into the Old City. (As an aside, I've been pretty good about exercising regularly since I've been here. Yesterday was a day off, so I "only" walked about 5 miles throughout the day!) We went to the Western Wall, a portion of the wall of the Temple dating back to the time of Christ. Since it was Shabbat, we couldn't take pictures there, but we were able to go pray at the wall and watch the Talmud scholars and others come and go.

After that we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a church built over the traditional sites of Jesus' crucifixion and burial (and, therefore, the resurrection). As a Westerner, it was hard for me to fully appreciate the site (I thought this the last time I was there as well), since it is covered over with a church. Though the site was once outside the city walls, it is now in the midst of the city and the hill is contained within the church building. On top of that, the church itself is very elaborate in its decoration, which is fitting to commemorate the significant events that took place there, but it is hard to me to fully appreciate.

Today was spent studying. We are working on Ruth 2 and Numbers 25 tomorrow, so I read through those and made sure I understood what was going on with the Hebrew in them. We are also memorizing the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) in Hebrew, so I worked on that as well. Here is a recording of it being recited (not by me!). I'm looking forward to diving in to another week, and continuing to make progress!

Near the Plains of Moab

Our studies continue to be exciting and interesting. Today, we journeyed to the Dead Sea. Though we enjoyed a bit of swimming (floating, actually), the main point was to continue our reading of Ruth and other texts.

From our location near the Dead Sea, we were right across from Mount Nebo, the location referred to in Deuteronomy 34, which says:

“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”
And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.” (Deut 34:1-6 TNIV)

It was also on the Plains of Moab that the book of Deuteronomy was first presented to the people, prior to Moses' death on the opposite side of the Jordan. In the picture below, you can see a green(ish) peak, which is Mount Nebo. (It was pretty hazy, so it is hard to see clearly.) The Plains of Moab are in front of this peak, extending to the north (left). The crossing of the Jordan took place just north of where this picture was taken, near Jericho.



It was also on the שׂדי מוֹאב (Plains of Moab) that Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon, and Kilion lived after leaving Bethlehem during a famine (Ruth 1). Ruth, a Moabite woman, married into this family and returned to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law after the men died. The rest, as they say, is history!

We also read the Mesha Stele, an inscription by a Moabite king describing his defeat of the Israelites in the time of the Israelite king Omri (9th century BC).

It is an amazing thing to read of these things while seeing where they took place. Experiencing the land gives an opportunity to better understand the text, and appreciate the realities of life for the people described in Scripture.

Dinner out

A few of us enjoyed a 2-mile hike to the local mall, where we were able to enjoy dinner out.

Getting into the mall was interesting in itself. There is a security checkpoint similar to those at an airport. There is a metal detector, and all bags are searched. (I would have posted a picture of it, but the security guard told me it was forbidden.) It is a little unsettling at first, but then nice to know that things are safe.

After getting inside, it was like being at any American mall. Many of the same brands were on offer, though there were some Israeli chains and brands.

I ate dinner at a familiar-yet-different place:




It was the first kosher ביג מק (Big Mac) I've ever eaten -- no cheese!

Food, glorious food

The food here at Kibbutz Tzuba is really quite good. The dining room is kosher, so there is never meat and dairy products together, but there is a great variety of choices and it is well prepared.

Breakfast usually consists of cheese, yogurt, bread, olives (of course!), and sometimes eggs. There is also good, strong Turkish coffee to get the day started right. There is fish available as well, though I haven't had it every morning.

At lunch, we can choose from one of about 5 choices of meat dishes, plus rice, pita bread and hummous, olives (of course!), and salads. Everything has been excellent.

The program I am on includes two meals, so dinner is usually pretty light: cereal, cheese, meat, and crackers.

I'm not starving!

By the way...

Feel free to comment on the blog. I would love to hear from you, and answer any questions you may have.

This can be a conversation, not just a monologue!

Diving in

Class started yesterday morning, after an orientation the night before. It was an amazing experience. Over 95% of the class was conducted in biblical Hebrew. This includes taking attendance, discussion, and assigning homework. The instructors recounted the story of Ruth 1, introducing vocabulary and forms along the way.

Most interesting to me was the fact that they never reverted to English in explanations. If there was a word that any of us didn't understand, they would explain it in Hebrew. This, of course, is how we learn our native language, but it was fascinating to see how they do it in biblical Hebrew. The instructors, Brian and Aaron, are really good at teaching this way.

We also had opportunity to see how they taught the beginners. Some of the students have never had any Hebrew, and they are diving in to this immersion program. Their classroom was also over 90% Hebrew, and by the time we got there to observe (after a couple of hours of class) they already knew several words and were responding to commands. I am very interested to see how they progress.

I have already begun to identify things I need to incorporate in my own teaching (look out, incoming Hebrew students!). But having seen this pedagogical approach in action by people who are really good at it convinces me all the more that this is the direction we need to be going in teaching Hebrew.

Into Jerusalem

We made our way into Jerusalem today. We took a bus from Tzuba into the city, and from there we were to have taken another city bus to the Old City. Unfortunately, however, the bus drivers apparently thought we looked shady and didn't stop for us. Actually, they didn't stop for anyone, for some unknown reason. Someone (a resident of Jerusalem) said, "Things are different here."

So, we ended up walking about 5k to the Jaffa gate, where we met up with some friends Cami and I met the last time we were here in 1996. We had lunch together and then we explored the Old City a bit. Mostly this was just a reconnaissance mission for the next time we venture into the city.

Here are pictures of the Jaffa gate and a view of the wall of the Old City (click to enlarge).

Exploring Tzuba

We spent some time last evening exploring the kibbutz. Though we didn't get there yet, there is an archaeological site known as the "John the Baptist Cave," that purportedly is the oldest extrabiblical reference to John the Baptist.

We did, however, get to an old spring that was used for irrigation, and saw lots of orchards and other agriculture. One of the most interesting was seeing the way in which they farm on the terraces on the steep hillsides. I'll post pictures of that later, but for now here are some shots from our wandering.

Another view

As I mentioned below, a colleague from the COHELET project is with me on this adventure. He is blogging his experiences as well, so if you want to get his take on things (with maybe the occasional snide comment about me) you can read his blog here.

The Land in the Book and the Land out my window

I got up early this morning, and spent some time reading Scripture. I was reading in Deuteronomy where it says,

But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

I was struck by the blessing of being able to read those words while sitting in the very land I was reading about. I looked up from my Bible and saw some of the very mountains this verse was talking about (in that they are in the land referred to). There is no rain, and there won't be while I am here, but it is an incredible experience to be here.

Here is a picture of the view from my balcony:

Greetings from the Holy Land

After a long day of travel with some delay in Minneapolis, I made it to Israel. There were thunderstorms in New York that prevented me from arriving until after my connection to Tel Aviv was to have departed. Fortunately, the flight was delayed.

We took off about 5 hours late, which meant we arrived in Tel Aviv very close to the start of the Sabbath, when everything shuts down. We were able to get a taxi (and practice a bit of Hebrew with the driver) to Kibbutz Tzuba, and get into our room.

So, the adventure has begun! The language course will start tomorrow evening. In the meantime, my roommate (a colleague from the COHELET project) and I will explore the kibbutz and acclimate to the time difference. I'll post some pictures later as well.

Kibbutz Tzuba

I leave on Thursday, and am frantically working to finalize things before I go. I thought you might be interested in seeing some pictures of where I will be staying. As you can see from the slide show, I won't be suffering, exactly (the real suffering will be missing my family!).

Check it out here.

Interesting find in Jerusalem

Archaeologists digging on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem have found a 3000 year old handle bearing the name Menachem in ancient Hebrew script.

Check out the entire article, with a picture of the ancient writing, here.

Modern Hebrew

As part of my effort to become more proficient in production of biblical Hebrew, I have embarked on the study of modern Hebrew. I am using Rosetta Stone in this effort. This helps me to hear, see, and produce Hebrew, even if it is not biblical Hebrew.

I am very impressed with Rosetta Stone. Through the COHELET project, I have come to have some understanding of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory and methodology, and it is interesting to see how Rosetta Stone incorporates those theories into its approach.

Hopefully, this will help prepare me for my time in Israel!

A Worthy Cause

A former student of mine, Bryan McInnis, is planning his own trip to Israel next winter. Bryan has ambitious plans for using his experiences there to support and strengthen the local church.

Please check out his video description of his plans at jerusalemexperiement.com. And please consider supporting him in this venture!

Getting Ready...

My trip to Israel will begin in a little over a month (June 18). Some of you have asked what, exactly, I'll be doing. So, at the risk of boring some who know this well, here's the deal.

For the last couple of years, I have been involved in something known as the COHELET project. The COHELET project, as you can see from the link above, seeks to apply the insights from the study of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and apply them to the study of biblical Hebrew. In short, it seeks to teach biblical Hebrew in the same way that a modern language (such as Spanish or German) would be taught. Rather then emphasizing memorization of paradigms and "decoding" of a text, the communicative approach of the COHELET project seeks to emphasize the communicative nature of the language. So, students produce in the language (biblical Hebrew), rather than simply study it as an artifact. The goal is to help students become the best readers and interpreters of the Old Testament that they can be. They can best achieve that through learning the comunicative function of the language, primarily through production.

The experience at Bethel over the last two years has been phenomenal. Students have made more progress in reading Hebrew more quickly (and with more enjoyment) than I would have thought possible. They are measurably more capable than their counterparts who were taught in the traditional approach to the language. Anecdotally, they seem to retain more and actually use Hebrew after they have completed their grammar courses.

My experience in the COHELET project has completely changed my approach to teaching Hebrew. I am convinced that it is the most effective way of helping people learn to really read Hebrew and be independent interpreters of the text.

Unfortunately, I was not taught this way myself. The learning curve for me has been incredibly steep as I have had to learn to produce in biblical Hebrew in order to teach this way. While the work I have done has been tremendously rewarding (I find myself improving as a reader of the text as a result of shifting from a "decoding" to a "reading" approach), I need to be better at this if I am going to be able to be effective in teaching this way.

So, I will spending 4 weeks at the Biblical Language Center just outside of Jerusalem. A COHELET project design team member, Randall Buth, conducts biblical Hebrew immersion courses at Kibbutz Tzuba. There, I will be a student in a course and have opportunities to observe how beginners are taught via this method. My prayer is that I will be more effective in reading, interpreting, and teaching the text of the Old Testament as a result.

I hope to be posting frequently from Israel and keep any interested readers up to date on how things progress there.

An Observation from Numbers 11

I was reading Numbers yesterday, and was struck by a particular passage. In chapter 11, the Israelites complained about not having any meat to eat, but only manna. (They even reminisce fondly about the good food they had in Egypt, noting that not only was it good, it was also free! Strange to contemplate the "benefits" of slavery in that way!) After they complained, Moses goes to God, who says he will provide them meat (they won't be happy about it, but that's another story for another time). Moses then wonders how this will be possible.

In response, God says ‏ היד יהוה תקצר ("Is the hand of Yahweh short?"). What struck me was the total assurance that comes from this question. God's hand is never too short to accomplish what he intends to do. He is, rather, all-powerful and sovereign, and able to do exactly what he intends to.

So, when I am uncertain about the future or anxious about something, I will remind myself of God's question to Moses ( ‏ היד יהוה תקצר). Lord willing, I'll be able to trust in the "long hand" of God!

"Gospel" and Culture

One of the things that has engaged me a great deal over the last couple of years, both personally and professionally, is the staggering degree of conformity to culture that I see in the evangelical church today.

I came across this article today at Evangelical Outpost, and found it to be provocative and thought-provoking. An excerpt:

One famous Evangelical pastor has recently made popular the phrase, “deeds, not creeds.” Evangelicals have their doctrine right, this pastor tells us, they just aren’t living it. Against such sentiments, Dr. Horton argues that many Evangelicals actually do not have their doctrine right, or at least they aren’t preaching it correctly. Evangelicals have confused the important categories of Law and Gospel, turning the Gospel message (which is supposed to be the good news of something that Christ has already done for us), into the Gospel program. If you’ll only live out the Gospel (by reading your Bible every day, joining a certain group at church, and learning how to be a Christ-like example to others), you’ll be healthy, wealthy and wise. The question to be answered is, “What would Jesus do?” rather than, “What has Jesus done?” But Horton says that this is a confusion of categories. The Gospel, by its very nature, is not something that you can do; rather it is something that has already been done. This confusion leads to bad preaching.

Read the whole thing!

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging!

I am an avid reader of a lot of blogs of various sorts, but have never ventured into this arena myself. This is largely because I wasn't sure I had something to say that would be of any interest to anyone else.

So what has changed? I decided to take this step because I am on sabbatical from my teaching responsibilities and my focus will shift somewhat in the coming months. I am hoping to work on a book about Deuteronomy, an academic (and personal) passion of mine since working on that book for my doctoral dissertation. In addition, I will be spending 4 weeks or so in Israel this summer, working on increasing my fluency in biblical Hebrew.

Accordingly, I will be spending the next few months thinking about words (particularly Hebrew words), Deuteronomy (known in Hebrew as Devarim), and writing. So, I thought "Devarim" (Hebrew for "words") was an apt title for this blog.

So, if any of these topics is of interest to you, feel free to check things out! I have no idea how often I'll post here, but I look forward to any feedback you may have along the way.

Thanks for visiting!