Mark’s Appendix – Wed PM

By | April 28, 2010
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We thank you for your prayers and kind notes.  When I wrote earlier today, there was much that we didn’t know and all that goes along with that.  Upon his arrival at Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas, we got a better feel for how things look and the approach they’ll take.  Overall, we are greatly encouraged.

Mark did not have surgery today.  Because his body has been not taking food or liquids the last few days, he is dehydrated and his salts are low.  That has to be in better shape before they can do anesthesia and perform surgery.  Early on they suggested surgery could be tonight, but now the estimate is for 12:30 on Thursday.  That could change, however.  The surgeon says that he’ll evaluate it in the morning.  One possibility would be to bombard him with antibiotics and delay surgery until his body is in better shape.  He did not explain the pros/cons to us, but he said that in the morning we’ll have some decisions to make (I’m not sure if the "we" includes the parents or just the doctors).  We’re not sure exactly what route is best, but we pray for good test results and wisdom for the doctors.  When surgery was forecast, the doctor predicted a stay in the hospital of about one week.

With fluids going in him and some pain medicine, Mark is feeling better.  His temperature just a while ago was 102.7, so they are taking measures to get that back down.  His stomach pain seems to be less, but he doesn’t like doctors touching him there.

We have much to be thankful for in this situation.  Besides the good prospects for Mark’s healing, we’re thankful for excellent medical care and facilities.  We’re thankful that Mark gets to see a hospital and doctors in close proximity, as he has expressed interest in the medical field.  We’re thankful for the surgeon (a "seminary dropout," as he called himself) and tonight’s care assistant (she reads her Bible every day).  We’re thankful for the timing of this event–though Mark misses a state-mandated science test tomorrow, it does not conflict with a men’s retreat speaking engagement, or something like that.  Finals week for my school is next week, but this is the first time since I was introduced to the phenomenon that I haven’t been subject to it in one way or another (my studies are now self-directed).  We’re thankful for wonderful friends who have and will help us out.  We’re thankful for Mark’s room, which is on the sixth floor and has a view of half of Texas.  It’s also large, has no roommate, and has a pull-out couch.  There is more that we are thankful for. 

Earlier today in the thick of things, Kelli asked Mark if he wanted to watch TV, have her read a book to him, or have her read some of the Bible to him.  He chose the last and requested Psalm 145.  When Kelli told me that, I was reminded of the visit that Mark accompanied me on to visit an old lady in the hospital a couple of weeks ago.  I read Psalm 145 to her.  I guess Mark was paying attention.

I’ll write again tomorrow after surgery or if surgery is postponed.

Mark’s Appendix

By | April 28, 2010
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We have just learned that Mark’s appendix has burst (1:30 p.m. Dallas time).  He’s being transferred from the local ER to a major Dallas hospital by ambulance for surgery.  He has been sick and in pain for a few days but the symptoms matched something “that’s been going around” and so we didn’t take him to the doctor until this morning.  We would appreciate your prayers.  I ‘ll update things here as things unfold (and as I have internet access).

100319831tb Mark with large fish

Mark last month

April 22

By | April 22, 2010
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I could not care less about the Washington Nationals, but reading Charles Krauthammer is always enjoyable.

Is it better to buy or rent a house?  This slick NY Times calculator will help you to answer that question.

This is crazy.  A Croatian girl goes into a coma and when she wakes up she can’t speak Croatian anymore, but she speaks fluent German.  (This link is not to the National Enquirer).

Investing Better than Warren Buffett

You might want to take a look at this list of recommended resources on suffering from C. J. Mahaney at Together for the Gospel.

Psalms and the OT

By | April 21, 2010
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I’m working on Psalms now, and as usual, I’m not going to be able to comment here on most of it given my weariness and my continued development of thought.  But a brief thought tonight.

The book of Psalms advances the narrative of the Old Testament.  It’s not “off on the side,” sort of a lonely relative at the reunion with the Kings and the Prophets.  Psalms is talking to the Prophets, and the Prophets are talking back.  Psalms is running alongside Samuel and Kings. 

For instance, in Samuel God promises David a lasting dynasty.  That lies pretty much under the surface through the rest of Samuel-Kings.  But it’s bubbling on the top of Psalms, as David recognizes the covenant, rejoices in the covenant, and has certain expectations because of the covenant.  How else could he (or Solomon) say, “He will rule from sea to sea” and “May his name endure forever” and “All nations will be blessed through him” (72:8, 17).

Samuel tells us that David hamstrung horses; Psalms tells us why: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (20:7).  Indeed, “O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength” (21:1).

But David didn’t trust the Lord as he should, and the book of Psalms is largely a longing for the righteous king to appear.  They had the promises of God, and they rehearsed the faithfulness of the Lord, so the question was, “How long, O Lord?”  He will come, but when?

This longing should resonate in our hearts as well. Until then, we tell of his mighty acts, meditate on his wonderful works, celebrate his abundant goodness, and call on him in truth (Ps 145).

Is Jesus Your Butler?

By | April 20, 2010
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From John Piper’s sermon on Sunday:

Millions of nominal Christians have never experienced a fundamental alteration of that foundation of happiness. Instead they have absorbed the notion that becoming Christian means turning to Jesus get what you always wanted before you were born again. So, if you wanted wealth, you stop depending on yourself for it, and by prayer and faith and obedience you depend on Jesus for wealth. If you wanted to be healthy, you turn from mere human cures to Jesus as the source of your health. If wanted to escape the pain of hell, you turn to Jesus for the escape. If you wanted to have a happy marriage, you come to Jesus for help. If you wanted peace of conscience and freedom from guilt feelings, you turn to Jesus for these things.

In other words, to become a Christian, in this way of seeing things, is to have all the same desires you had as an unregenerate person—only you get them from a new source, Jesus. And he feels so loving when you do. But there’s no change at the bottom of your heart and your cravings. No change in what makes you happy. There’s no change in the decisive foundation of your joy. You just shop at a new store. The dinner is still the same; you just have a new butler. The bags in the hotel room are still the same; you just have a new bellhop.

That’s not what the new birth is. It’s not having all the same desires that you had as an unregenerate person, and just getting them from a new source. The new birth changes the bottom, the root, the foundation of what makes us happy. Self at the bottom is replaced by Jesus. God, himself.

The full sermon is here.

Israel Still in Exile

By | April 19, 2010
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I have always thought of Israel’s exile as being a 70-year thing.  I struggled to figure out how to count those 70 years (is it 605 to 536 or 586 to 516?), but the exile ended when the Israelites came back from Babylon and rebuilt their temple.

I’ve changed my mind in the last few years as I understood Isaiah better.  The exile certainly included a physical deportation from the land, but it was much more than that.  The exile continued even until Jesus’s day.  Though Jesus was born in the land of Israel, the people were still in a state of exile by virtue of (1) their lack of national sovereignty; (2) their estrangement from God; (3) the non-fulfillment of prophecies that describe the end of the exile.

To give but one example, Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 7:14-25 by being the child born in a land in impoverished conditions.  Instead of growing up in a Judean palace eating royal fare, he was raised in a rural agricultural village in Galilee.

But the exile did not end with Jesus’s arrival, because the people did not return to the Lord.  This is reflected, among other places, in Jesus’s lament over Jerusalem:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt 23:37-39).

The exile is not over today.  Though millions of Jews have returned to their homeland over the last one hundred years, they continue to be in exile.  This is reflected not only in their continued rejection of their God (and even the religious would acknowledge this, though we would disagree on who all is guilty in that rejection), but also in Israel’s lack of peace.  It’s true that Israel has “sovereignty” over its land, but it’s a limited sovereignty, limited by the nations around them still at war with them, and limited by the Arabs within that still are at war with them.  They don’t have true sovereignty because their decisions aren’t truly free.  As much as they don’t like it, in many ways they are subject to the U.S., the U.N., and the E.U.

Anyway, my recent thoughts about these matters was stirred by a very interesting interview with Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs.  He said this last week:

This is an existential struggle – the War of Independence has not ended. From a historical perspective, all the wars we fought, from 1948 and even before the establishment of the state, up until now, are part of a War of Independence for the existence of a national home for the Jewish people after 2,000 years of exile.

The people of Israel are still waiting for their independence, for their peace, for rest.  Israelis may populate large portions of the Promised Land, but Israel is still in exile. 

If you ‘re interested in an insider’s perspective on the current state of the Arab-Israeli conflict, I recommend reading that interview.

2011 Calendar

By | April 15, 2010
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This afternoon I received in the mail the page proofs for a 2011 calendar featuring my photos.   My pictures have been used in half a dozen calendars over the years, but this calendar is spectacular.   It’s large (as calendars go), has a large photo as well as a smaller inset photo, and covers 16 months (Sept-Dec 2010 all on a single page).   But the reason I like it so much is that they picked my favorite places and many of my favorite photos.   I wouldn’t have picked the cover shot (Mar Saba), but I love the photos of En Gedi, the Sea of Galilee, Beth Shean, and the Dead Sea.   All the shots are good (in my opinion).   The calendar includes the regular holidays as well as Jewish ones (but try this, instead of Passover, it says “Passover begins at sundown,” which frankly is much less confusing for me, but I’ve never seen it done).

Now that’s a long explanation for a short question.   These calendars will be sold in bookstores around the country, but I don’t know which ones (the publisher is a secular company with years of calendar experience).   I have the option of ordering a large quantity at a discount, which I could sell for $10 (plus $2 shipping if you don’t come to visit; retail price is $14).   This is a great way for me to lose money, if I buy more than I can sell.   What do you think?   Sight unseen, would you likely purchase the “Lands of the Bible” calendar for $12?

I have to place the order within a week.   I’m guessing the calendars would be available in late summer.

Isaiah 53 on Every Page

By | April 15, 2010
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I did not write this sentence:

Much of the prophecy that comes after the book of Isaiah hinges on the ideas in Isaiah 52 and 53. I now see this passage “written” on almost every page of books like Daniel, Ezekiel and throughout the New Testament stories of Jesus. I truly believe that seeing Isaiah 52 and 53 through the lens of the ancient world and Hebrew poetry will change the way you read Isaiah and the Bible in general.

But you can be sure that it resonated deeply, excited me completely, and locked in my purchase of this forthcoming book (for Logos) on the Suffering Servant.  This guy is speaking my language!

In Israel a few months ago, I picked up David Baron’s treatment of Isaiah 53.  I haven’t read it yet, but I have every expectation that it will be profitable and enjoyable.  A friend alerted me yesterday to a new website in Israel where books like Baron’s, now out of print in the US, are for sale. You might take a look at www.israelunique.com for books and gifts.

April 14

By | April 14, 2010
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If you ‘re planning to do much work in the Gospels, you might want to take a look at this commentary compiled from the Church Fathers by Thomas Aquinas.  Until Friday, this 8-volume work is available for Logos for only $16.

On Sunday they blew up the old Dallas Cowboys stadium and my friend Eric was there to record it.

The online video Bible that I mentioned before now gives you the option of choosing your passage if is not taken.  (I haven’t yet had time to make one.)

PC Magazine has a list of the best free software of 2010.

If you try to bring your iPad along on your trip to Israel, it will be confiscated.

The Amazing 8th Century

By | April 12, 2010
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It struck me recently that I’ve spent a lot of my life in the 8th century BC.  It was quite the 100 years.

Near the beginning of the century, Jeroboam II became ruler of the Northern Kingdom and he reigned for 41 years (793-753).  My earliest intensive acquaintance with the 8th century was courtesy of Jeroboam, as I wrote a thesis on this period in the early 90s.  That wasn’t the last I’d see of that guy, as I “had the opportunity” to update and expand the thesis in the early 00s.  (I heard a few months ago that it’s the longest thesis written at that school.)

The great kingdom that Jeroboam II and his southern counterpart Uzziah presided over came to a crashing halt with the resurgence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.  If you have hung out with me much, then you ‘re probably familiar with the names Tiglath-pileser III, Shalmaneser V, Sargon II, and Sennacherib.  I wrote a major paper on these guys about ten years ago.

Jonah, of course, is to blame for Assyria’s rise and Israel’s fall, humanly speaking.  If he had just taken a different ship, everything might have turned out differently.  I’ve spent time thinking about him over the years, in conjunction with the above-mentioned thesis and otherwise.

Amos and Hosea were working the other end of the Fertile Crescent, warning the northern kingdom that they were wicked and were about to be destroyed.  But both also offered words of future hope.

Isaiah and Micah followed in their footsteps, but their focus was directed to the Southern Kingdom.  They predicted a fate similar to that of the Northern Kingdom, but they expanded on the words of hope in significant and profound ways.

Because I’m now doing my arguments in chronological order (more or less), I had the privilege of studying four of these five prophets in quick succession last month.  The fifth, Isaiah, is the subject of a weekly study that I teach.

This coming weekend I’m the teacher at our church’s men’s retreat.  (Pray for me; I feel very inadequate.)  I’m giving four messages on the life of Hezekiah (ruled 727-686) from 2 Chronicles.

I suppose the perfect dissertation topic for me would be on the reign of Uzziah (792-740).  But I’ve already been approved for a study related to the reign of Jehu (841-814), which is going to require me to spend a lot of time in the late 9th century.  I guess this is what scholars would call “broadening my horizons.”