Archeological & Historical Evidence of the Exodus

Sunday we surveyed the story of Exodus in our study of the doctrine of redemption. The prototype of what the Bible means by "redemption" is the Exodus story. Thus redemption includes freedom from bondage and a leading to the promise land. In light of that I was reminded of our study of Exodus a number of months ago and some of the resources I posted in light of it. Below is one of those posts in addition to other resources available on the book of Exodus you might find beneficial.


I must admit that the archeological and historical challenges surrounding the Exodus and Israel in Egypt have been a difficult part for me. I have been told for years that there was no evidence that Israel had ever been in Egypt, that they were redeemed by a former, adopted prince of Egypt, and that they wondered in the desert for 40 years. Though I have since learned that there is some evidence supporting the contrary, I have not heard much scholarship supporting the biblical record. Below is a video suggesting that there is in fact evidence of Israel in Egypt and the Exodus and it comes from a respectable scholar. Though I have not seen all of this lecture yet, but this is a great presentation showing evidence of Israel in Egypt and the Exodus.



Lecture with Dr. James Hoffmeier from Lanier Theological Library on Vimeo


HT: Justin Taylor


I would also point you to this History Channel special that I saw parts of a few years ago that seeks to show that there is some evidence of the Exodus and Israel in Egypt. The host tries to make a natural explanation for the supernatural events, but I post it only because there are some interesting points made. The host has been known to make some wild, inaccurate claims before perhaps most famously is his assertion that the lost tomb of Jesus had been found.





Also consider this exciting movie called the Search For the Real Mount Sinai.





Originally published February 25, 2012


For more:
The Mountain of Fire: A Documentary on Mount Sinai
The Prince of Egypt: Moses and the Burning Bush Scene
The Prince of Egypt: The 10 Plagues
Prince Of Egypt - The Parting & Crossing the Red Sea

Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

I found this to be helpful and wanted to pass it along.

Now in saying this, let me tell you what forgiveness is not, because again, this is very important. Gracie and I put in the book, “Forgiveness is not denying, approving, or diminishing sin that is committed against us.” “Oh, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s no big deal. It’s in the past. I forgot about it.” It’s saying, “You know, I appreciate you recognizing that. It really bothered me and it was a big deal to me.” And sometimes people will feel awkward when they’re repenting. “Ha-ha-ha,” they’ll try to make a joke of it. Say, “You know what? I really appreciate you bringing that up, but how about if we just take the awkward laughter out? This really was a problem.” Make it more awkward, that’s what I’m suggesting. Right?

Forgiveness is not naivety and ignoring sin. It’s not saying, “I’m not going to look. I’m not going to ask. I’m just going to pretend that I don’t even see it.” No, that’s not forgiveness. Forgiveness is eyes open, knowing the truth, and choosing to simply forgive it. That’s forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not naively ignoring the sinful condition of people ‘cause sometimes we’ll say, “Well, yeah, you did a bad thing, but you’re a good person,” or, you know, “You’re amazing and you just had a bad day,” or, you know, “You have a good heart.” No, you know what? Sin is down in the roots. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you need to pretend that everything’s fine and they’re really good and this was an aberration, that sin is a condition down in the roots.

Forgiveness is not enabling sin. It’s not, “Well, I forgive you and I’ll keep helping you,” because that might be enabling. I’ll give you an example that I see some occurrences of. A wife in the name of submission sometimes will just forgive her husband over and over and over and over and over and over and over for some sin, but he’s not really repenting, he’s not putting it to death. And she’s just enabling him, okay. . . .

Forgiveness is not forgetting about the sin that is committed against us. Forgive and forget is foolishness. You can’t forget. You can’t forget. Some of you have had horrendous evil committed against you, it’s not like, “I forgive them and I don’t even remember.” You do. When the Bible says that God remembers our sin no more, which it does in the Old Testament, one of the prophets, it doesn’t mean God’s in heaven going, “I don’t know. I don’t know what they did. I don’t know where my car keys are. I’m very absent-minded,” right? Instead, it means that he chooses not to interact with us based upon our sin, but his grace if we’re believers in Jesus. It furthermore means that he does not establish our identity based on our transgression, but Jesus’ salvation.

But it doesn’t mean you forget. I mean, religious people just make up these stupid little bumper sticker–isms that are very discouraging. Now the Bible does say in 1 Corinthians 13 that love keeps no record of wrong. So you’re not, you know, like an archaeologist trying to always dig up history. But it does mean you’ll remember. That’s what it means. But you choose not to interact on behalf of that person based upon the sin and transgression. It means that you want good for them, that you love them, that you pursue good for them. And even if it hurts emotionally, you’re still willing to continue to seek good for them. But it doesn’t mean you forget. It doesn’t mean you forget.



Mark Driscoll - Luke 17:1-10:  How to Fight to the Glory of God 

Originally published January 16, 2012.

For more:
Sermon - June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness 
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
GBC - Some Light Reading:  On Prayer and Forgiveness  
GBC - Wax on Forgiveness  
GBC - Colson on Forgiveness
GBC - Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
Reviews - "The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness"  
GBC - "Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness  

Repost | Advent: God With Us

Wow!  Simply Wow.  Here is the gospel with emphasis on the prophecy, birth, death, resurrection, and return of Christ.  Thanks to the Village Church and Isaac Wimberley for writing this and producing this video.

If the video doesn't work, you can view it here.



Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.


HT: Justin Taylor


Here are the lyrics to this song/poem.

The people had read of this rescue that was coming through the bloodline of Abraham
They had seen where Micah proclaimed about a ruler to be born in Bethlehem
Daniel prophesy about the restoration of Jerusalem
Isaiah’s cry about the Son of God coming to them
So for them—it was anticipation
This groaning was growing, generation after generation
Knowing He was holy, no matter what the situation
But they longed for Him
They yearned for Him
They waited for Him on the edge of their seat
On the edge of where excitement and containment meet
They waited
Like a child watches out the window for their father to return from work—they waited
Like a groom stares at the double doors at the back of the church—they waited
And in their waiting, they had hope
Hope that was fully pledged to a God they had not seen
To a God who had promised a King
A King who would reign over the enemy
Over Satan’s tyranny
They waited
So it was
Centuries of expectations, with various combinations of differing schools of thought
Some people expecting a political king who would rise to the throne through the wars that he fought
While others expecting a priest who would restore peace through the penetration of the Pharisee’s façade
Yet a baby—100% human, 100% God
So the Word became flesh and was here to dwell among us
In His fullness, grace upon grace, Jesus
Through Him and for Him, all things were created
And in Him all things are sustained
God had made Himself known for the glory of His name
And this child would one day rise as King
But it would not be by the sword or an insurgent regime
It would be by His life
A life that would revolutionize everything the world knew
He would endure temptation and persecution, all while staying true
Humbly healing the broken, the sick and hurting too
Ministering reconciliation, turning the old to new
A life that would be the very definition of what life really costs
Saying—if you desire life, then your current one must be lost
And He would portray that with His own life as His Father would pour out and exhaust
And Jesus would be obedient to the point of death, even death upon the cross
So just 33 years after the day that He laid swaddled in the hay
He hung on a tree suffocating, dying in our place
Absorbing wrath that is rightly ours, but we could never bear the weight
So He took that punishment and he put it in the grave
And He died
And when I say that He died, what I mean is that He died
No breath, noheartbeat, no sign of life
God is a God of justice, and the penalty for our sin equals death
That’s what Christ did on that cross
Then… On the third day, in accordance with scriptures, He was raised from the grave
And when I say that He was raised, what I mean is that He was raised
Lungs breathing, heart pumping, blood pulsing through His veins
The things that He promised were true
He is the risen Son of God, offering life to me and you
Turning our mourning into dancing
Our weeping into laughing
Our sadness into joy
By His mercy, we are called His own
By His grace, we will never be left alone
By His love, He is preparing our home
By His blood, we can sing before His throne
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
So now we, as His bride, are the ones waiting
Like the saints that came before, we’re anticipating
He has shown us that this world is fading
And He has caused our desire to be for Him
So church, stay ready
Keep your heart focused and your eyes steady
Worship Him freely, never forgetting
His great love for you
Immanuel, God with us

HT:  Folk Angel

Repost | The Gospel and the Story of Everything

I love videos like this and there are tons of them on YouTube.   I may not like every little thing in this video, but its overall message needs to be embraced and articulated by Christians everywhere.  I have found that telling the whole story of Scripture is a powerful tool.  Whether one is talking about salvation, the church, God's providence, or whatever, telling the whole story is helpful.

Also, avoiding the many problems of short changing the gospel can be prevented if we approach evangelism and Christian mission in this way.  The gospel is individual, communal, and cosmic and this approach reveals all three.  It also places us in the story of God. Thus we matter on account of our creation by the Creator, and by participating in the grand story that God is writing.  The church matters.  Sanctification matters.  Prayer matters.  Spiritual growth matters.

Finally, this approach presents a more balanced approach to the various aspects of the gospel such as redemption, deliverance, justification, ransom, etc.  Redemption, for example, is tied clearly to God's work in delivering the Jews from slavery in Egypt.  God as redeemer/deliverer is a powerful message that the New Testament writers pick up on.  We, like they, are in bondage to sin.  Only God can deliver us.

Anyways, here is the video.





HT:  Evangel  

Repost | "It Pleased God": MacArthur on the Darkness and Drama at the Cross

Sunday evening I was on my way to a near-by hospital to make an important visit of one of our members who is suffering severely and who's condition continues to deteriorate. While on the road, I listened to two sermons by John MacArthur I had just received in the mail from his Grace To You ministry titled Darkness and Drama at the Cross, Parts 1 and 2.  The sermons was originally titled Divine Mercy for the Blasphemers and God Visits Calvary and were exposition of Mark 15:22-41.

The first sermon was particularly powerful and I want to pass it along to you.  After surveying the mockings, beatings, and abuse of Jesus on the cross, MacArthur raises the question why doesn’t God come down and kill these sinners?  His answer is important:  because God was pleased to kill His Son for those sinners. That’s Isaiah 53, “It pleased God to crush Him.” It pleased God.

I couldn't help but clap and worship God while on my way to pray with a dear loved one and church member who is suffering as I thought about the cross, my Savior, and my God.  I hope the following sermons are as touching to you as they were to me.


Darkness and Drama at the Cross, Part 1 or Divine Mercy for the Blasphemers:





Darkness and Drama At the Cross, Part 2 or God Visits Calvary:





For more:
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur: A Tale of Two Sons
Blogizomai - Reformed in Grace But Arminian Everywhere Else: MacArthur on the Future of the YRR Movement
Blogizomai - He Turned the Water Into Wine: MacArthur, Alcohol, & Christian Liberty
Blogizomai - Alcohol Today, Marijuana Tomorrow: When Money Changes Our Values   
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | Theology and Ministry: An Interview With John MacArthur  

Blogizomai - MacArthur:  How to Confront the Culture
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur and the Gospel
Blogizomai - Weekly Recommendation - "Slave" by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - Weekly Recommendation - John MacArthur Study Bible
Reviews - A Tale of Two Sons
Reviews - The Prodigal God

Repost | The Gospel and Pulpit Freedom Sunday: How Christians Have Missed the Point

Yesterday was Pulpit Freedom Sunday.  Last year I wrote on the subject and am reposting it here.

This past Sunday was an important date.  Not because Christians worldwide gathered together to celebrate the resurrection of their Lord, but because a group of 100 pastors endorsed political candidates in their church's pulpits baiting the Internal Revenue Service to remove the church's tax exempt status.  This is not the first time such an event took place, but everytime such a stunt is performed by well-meaning church leaders, the coverage increases.

USA Today reports:

On Sunday, a group of 100 preachers nationwide will step into the pulpit and say the only words they're forbidden by law from speaking in a church. 

They plan to use the pulpit as a platform for political endorsements, flouting a federal law that threatens churches with the loss of their nonprofit status if they stray too far into partisan politics.

While other church and nonprofit leaders cringe at the deliberate mix of the secular and the religious, participants in the annual Pulpit Freedom Sunday protest hope this act of deliberate lawbreaking will lead to a change in the law.

The support from the Christian community is robust in this situation.  Perhaps the most prominent voice supporting the even has come from Christian author, thinker, and influential voice Charles Colson.  In an article titled Legislated Laryngitis Colson lays out the origin of church's being silenced by the IRS.  He shows that then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson silenced the church in an re-election effort.  He writes:

In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson was in the middle of a particularly bruising re-election battle. Two nonprofit groups had been especially troublesome to the senator, vocally opposing his candidacy.

So, on a hot summer day in Washington, D.C., Johnson slipped an amendment into the IRS 501(c)(3) code that governs nonprofit organizations in order to restrict their speech -- including the speech of churches. Johnson’s amendment stated that nonprofits could not “participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing and distributing of statements) any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.” 

The penalty for such “participation?” Revocation of their tax-exempt status. 

Without debate, the Senate held a quick voice vote on the amendment. As the chamber filled with a chorus of “Ayes,” the church became infected with an instant case of laryngitis, thanks to the Senator from Texas.

Colson goes on to note that prior to Johnson's amendment, the church was always at the center of public and political debate.  And, thanks to an encroaching government, the church has been silenced and thus unwelcomed in the public debate. This begs the question, posed by Colson, then:

It’s now time to ask the question: Who decides what the church can and cannot say? 

Should it be the government? Or should it be the church? 

Colson makes an important point from a citizenship perspective.  Traditionally Christians and those of other religious beliefs have had a robust influence in the political and public arena.  Now, however, the government is abusing the tax code to silence unwanted political free speech.  The last question quoted above by Colson is an important question for Christians to ask.  Who decides what the church can and cannot say?  It does seem that in this one instance (not to mention the countless hate speech codes being passed throughout the nation and throughout the West) the government is determining not what the Church can say (that's the business of hate speech laws) but what they can't say.  Should not the Church, rooted in the gospel and Scripture, determine what the Church says?

I offer a loud Yes!  Yes, the Church should be free.  Yes the Church should speak for itself and have the liberty to say, proclaim, and believe whatever she wishes.  But I am afraid that even this misses the point.

Other Christians have offered their criticism of Pulpit Freedom Sunday.  The head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Richard Land, raised his concern by saying "It puts congregations in an awkward position. It's not a wise thing for churches to endorse candidates. We think candidates should endorse us."  As the head of the ERLC, Land finds himself very much involved in the political arena and as a Southern Baptist I wholeheartedly respect and support Dr. Land.  However, I believe that even he has missed the point.

Colson is concerned with the issue of freedom and the 1st Amendment and rightly so.  Dr. Land is concerned with the State aligning with the Church and not the other way around and rightly so.  But neither response is the correct one.

When we as pastors stand up in the pulpit and proclaim politics we have missed the point.  Certainly there are political implications of the gospel, but to campaign for the ways of man at the cost of the ways of God is not the duty of preachers.  As a pastor and as a voting citizen I know what I believe and already know how and who I am going to vote for.  However, when we meet on Sunday's to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord we meet to celebrate the resurrection and worship the God of our salvation.  Our priority at worship is worship, not politics.

I do believe that the government is walking on dangerous Constitutional lines disallowing religious institutions to endorse political candidates.  I also am against the government passing hate speech laws that silence religious believers and leaders from espousing their convictions and faiths.  I am first and foremost loyal to the gospel, not the tax code. However, when the Church gets more press regarding who they are going to vote for than the message they are called to proclaim everyday, we have missed the point.

The Bible is clear on this issue.  The gospel is more important and ought to be our utmost priority than anything else including public policy.  Yes Jesus did comment on political issues (like paying taxes), but he needed protested political policy.  Yes Paul certainly used his Roman citizenship to his own benefit but still expected believers to submit to government (even government ruled by the wicked Nero) as we submit to our Lord.  Yes Peter refused to obey the political and religious leaders of his day when they asked him to stop proclaiming Christ, but otherwise called on Christians to live peaceably among men and to obey the governmental authorities.

Furthermore, it is the priority of preachers and pastors to proclaim the gospel.  When God called Ezekiel, he described him as a watchman on the wall.  If he fails to proclaim the message of God, the blood of men's souls falls on his hands.  But if he does proclaim God's message and they refuse to obey, their blood is on their own hands.  In other words, "Preach the Word!" (2 Timothy 4:1ff).

Everything is about the gospel. Everything.  And the minute we take up precious time of worship and gospel proclamation we have cheapened the gospel.  If we really want to influence politics, we must proclaim the gospel.  Are we trying to moralize the unconverted or convert the immoral?  If we want real solutions, then we must preach Christ.  The gospel is central to all that we are and believe.  Unless our vote is centered on a gospel worldview, then it is empty.  Unless our sermons on centered on the gospel then they are nothing more than self-help, empty psychological babble.

Clearly I did not participate in Pulpit Freedom Sunday at the church where I pastor not because politics is insignificant but because the gospel is too important.  Let us preach Christ and trust in the power of the gospel.  You know its a sad day in the health of the Church when trust in the policies of Washington more than the transcendent message of our immutable God.

Preach Christ!

Speak Up Movement Promo from Josh Garlow on Vimeo.

Alliance Defense Fund - Pulpit Freedom Sunday:  Participating Pastors Will Exercise First Amendment Right to Speak on Positions of Elecotoral Candidates Sept. 28  

Townhall (Charles Colson) - Legislated Laryngitis  

USA Today - Pastors plan to 'bait' IRS with pulpit politics    
CBN - Pastors to Challenge IRS on 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday'


For more:
Blogizomai -  Endowed by Who?:  President Obama and the Source of Liberty - A Gaff or a Statement?
Blogizomai - The Ongoing Conversation on Religious Liberty  
Blogizomai - The Politics of Cowardice:  Health Care Passes
Blogizomai - To Build or Not to Build, That is Not the Question:  Where is the Gospel in the Ground Zero Debate? 
Blogizomai - To Build or Not to Build, That is Not the Question:  Where is the Gospel in the Koran Burning Debate?
Blogizomai - Have We Forgotten the Gospel?  Glenn Beck, Social Justice, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ   
Blogizomai - Why I (Hesitantly) Signed the Manhattan Declaration 
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide: The Separation of State and Church  (Part 1)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide:  Under God or Under Government? (Part 2)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide:  The Necessity of Government in a Fallen World (Part 3)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide:  The Birth of the American Concept of Separation of State and Church 
Blogizomai - Where Does the Madness End?:  Where the Homosexual Agenda Ends - Part 2
Blogizomai - What is to Be Our Response?:  Living As a Christian in an Obama Administration