Is God a Megalomaniac? Right Answer. Wrong Reason.

I was browsing the Desiring God blog and that heading caught my eye. This is what John Piper had to say:


Is God a Megalomaniac? Right Answer. Wrong Reason.

I have spent 40 years seeking to understand and explain why God’s relentless self-exaltation in all that he does (for example, Isaiah 48:9–11) is the most loving way for him to be, and is not megalomania.

Some have tried to argue that the problem of God’s self-exaltation is solved by his intra-Trinitarian other-orientedness. That is, God the Father and God the Son do not seek their own individual glory, but the glory of the other, and in that sense God seeks his own glory.

It is true that the Father and the Son do seek the glory of the other (John 14:13; 17:1). But this is not a solution to the problem of divine self-exaltation. The reason it’s not is that in the Bible the Father does exalt his own glory.

For example, Paul prays to the Father in Philippians 1:9–11,

It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more . . . so that you might be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Consider: Paul is praying to the Father. He is asking the Father to do something, namely, to fill the Philippians with the fruit of righteousness “that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

So it is clear that Paul expects God the Father to be motivated to bring about his own praise. The Son makes it possible by working righteousness in the saints. But the one Paul is asking to work for his own glory is the Father.

This is no surprise, if we remember the first petition of the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). Jesus tells us to ask the Father to make much of his own name.

There are other examples that could be given (like Philippians 2:9–11), but let this suffice. It is true that the persons of the Trinity love to make much of each other. But this is not the solution to the problem of God’s self-exaltation.

That solution, as far as I have been able to see through my dark glass, is this: God must uphold his own glory as the supreme value of the universe because 1) he is true, and it would be false to hold up any other glory as supreme; and 2) he is loving, and it would be unloving to offer us as supremely satisfying anything less than what is infinitely and eternally satisfying—namely, himself.

1Chronicles through Job

So far so good. The cat, Missy, decided that it was a good thing too. She rather likes a snuggly cuddle and was cosy company while I was reading 1 Chronicles.

 




There was a lot of recapping fom Kings and a lot of lists of names. If you're expecting a child and want a solid Bible name - Chronicles are the books for you.

I totally recommend reading Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther in succession and in the one day. Doesn't take too long. 2 hours tops. I broke it up with cups of tea and with chocolate, washing up, and cooking and eating dinner. Reading those three books together helps put the "returning from captivity" stuff into perspective and context.

Job was one of the first books I read after I became aware of my salvation. I think I read it in one or two sittings. I remember talking it over with a couple of good friends. Gladly they had given me a Johnny Mac Study Bible so my brains didn't go too mushy from confusion.

Whoever said the Bible was boring was either bereft of intellect or a child of perniciousness. There are so many adventures, and battles, and amazing things in the Bible. Take, for instance, when the sun stood still in Joshua, and what about a Giant with 12 fingers and 12 toes [beats vampires hands down (pun intended)]? What about a global flood?! There are movies about global catastrophes but have they come close? What about a chase with over a million people escaping from their captors? The goodies get across a sea that parts, and the baddies end up like bugs in a sodden bug catcher, in the hands of an 8 year old boy. That totally beats the Hollywood generic car chase! Don't forget the people who tried to build a tower to the heavens - epic fail!

I'm only 18 books in - 48 to go!

Judges Chapter 5 through Revelation in 5 weeks....?! (Day 2)

1Samuel 26 through 2 Kings

I was hoping to get through Job but it didn't happen. Today is a new day so maybe I'll get there.

Most people would know the usual bits like David and Bathsheba, Amnon and Tamar etc.

I would like to draw your attention to 2 Samuel 21

1) Rizpah - what a mother! Do you see the dedication and sacrifice? That is love.

2) Goliath had offspring - worth reading for the descriptions.

It was all a great read but a bit tedious when my audio Bible malfunctioned. I think I wasted about an hour and a half battling through the first part of 1Kings. I kept stopping to confab with my flatmate. I've found I am less tempted to talk when the disk keeps going and I have to keep up.

I have a question in relation to 2Kings 1. The god of Ekron is named Baal-Zebub - which looks and sounds an awful lot like Beelzebub. Baal-Zebub means Lord of the Flies right? Is there a connection between the names or is it just one of those 'too close for comfort' scenarios?

Bring on 1Chronicles!

Judges Chapter 5 through Revelation in 5 weeks....?! (Day 1)

Well that's what I am aiming to do.

Why 5 weeks? I'll be at RTC.

Why not from Genesis? Because I've been reading through from cover to cover and got a bit distracted around Joshua.

I decided that blogging about it would make me accountable. Yesterday I read from Judges 5 through 1Samuel 25. I wanted to finish 1 Samuel but I was getting to the point where my eyes were blinking at different times; that only happens when I'm really tired. I must admit I have a little secret: I use the audio Bible and I read along silently. It helps keep me focussed, I don't try to read so fast, thus I take in more.

A Quick Recap

Genesis is a good way to start the whole thing off - The first of lots of things.

Exodus to Deuteronomy - full of deserty adventure, a lot of talking, and giving of instructions. 

Joshua - awesome battles and a super long day.

From Yesterday

Judges: Israel still not getting it! Still turning their backs on God to worship other gods and we'd do exactly the same if it weren't for His grace and mercy.

I do remember the story of the left-handed soldier but I don't remember the details being told in Sunday school. Judges 3:12 - 30 is fantastic and it's loaded with funnies or I just have a warped sense of humour.

Here's my paraphrase:

Israel again did evil in the the sight of the Lord, thus they incurred God's wrath in the form of  Eglon - the nastypasty king of Moab. Eglon took possession of the City of Palms and Israel served him for 18 years. Israel inevitably went all sookylala and cried out to God, who raised up Ehud. I think he was responsible for taking Israel's dough to Eglon. (Now this is where all the lefties get to cheer) Ehud was left handed so he could secret a weapon where no one would look, and not be unco (or accidentally lop his leg off) when trying to brandish the thing. The Bible says Ehud's daggar/sword, self-made of course, was double edged and about 41.72cm in length. The Bible also says that Eglon was a very fat man. Picture this: Ehud goes into the king, says he needs to tell him a secret, and the two are left alone.

Judges 3:20-25 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

²⁰ Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his room upstairs [where it was] cool. Ehud said, "I have a word from God for you," and the king stood up from his throne. ²¹ Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly.²² Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon's insides came out. ²³ Ehud escaped by way of the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upstairs room behind him.

²⁴ Ehud was gone when Eglon's servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself ^[c] in the cool room. ²⁵ The servants waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor!

If I had to do a talk, and I knew a heap of teenage boys were attending, I would seriously consider using this passage. It would be fantastic to re-enact! I could say more on those verses but I'm stopping there. Read it for yourself!

If you haven't heard about Jephthah, Judges 11-12:7 tells of him. (I think I cried a bit the first time I read it.)

Going through the rest lickety-split:

Ruth - a must read even for guys.

1 Samuel -  the Lord squishes a few guys (who did evil in the eyes of the Lord) like bugs! Saul and David play a hybrid of chasies, hide and seek, cat and mouse, and duck or I'll spear you. And David totally cramps Saul's style. The girly-stines (philly-stines - Philistines...never mind) also try their hand at the game and sometimes have successes. They manage to pinch the Ark of the Covenant, but Israel gets it back for a bit.  Jonathan and David become best mates, which really sends Saul into a tizz, and David ends up with way too many wives.

Time for me to read some more.

A Calvinist, an Arminian and a Carminian all attend church...

Giggle-worthy

The Sacred Sandwich

Evangelism

How do you evangelise?
Do you have a favourite technique?
Do you have any favourite resources?
Do you know someone who has a site dedicated to evangelism?

These are my favourite sites on evangelism:
Operation 3:15 (and their blog)
The Way Of The Master
Living Waters
Fish With Trish