08 December 2005

"Gospelling one another"

Thanks to a couple inspiring blog posts yesterday (Wednesday) from my dear brother Andy in England, (read Wednesdays, Dec 7th blogs, soooo good and always challenging!) and due to final project/final exam stuff rolling around in my head from both of my classes, I've had some thoughts about being the people that God has called us to be and how we're to live together as His people.

A quick Hermeneutical study plan for Deuteronomy 8:11-20 (done for an essay on my hermeneutics exam)

An important part of the passage is the first part of chapter 8, where a lot of my initial questions are prefaced and where the later verses are set in context. A lot of the history and background are given in the first seven chapters of Deuteronomy, and so I would read through chapter 8, and perhaps further. It would provide a good sense for the giving of the law, the history that Moses recounts, and the patterns of speech that show up as Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land.

There is a lot of historical material that could be studied and correlations discovered for greater understanding of why certain things are focused on and emphasized in this speech. Consulting Biblical resources (Bible dictionary, maps, commentaries, etc.) would be a part of looking at historical materials and gathering background information.

As a literary genre, this passage is a monologue that is part of a larger narrative. It has several lists that could be broken down and examined especially in a block diagram. It has some elements of prophecy as well, "forthtelling" promises of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (destruction for pride/forgetfulness).


The converse ideas of humility and pride, and also remember and forget are repeated with emphasis and consequences throughout the passage. The two sets of ideas correspond to each other as well, for it is in humility that they will remember God and in pride that they will forget. For my study and application, as those ideas are the compelling thrust of the passage, I would draw out the significance found in those ideas for my application.

I would focus more on answering these questions that I had posed at the start:
Why are they being warned not to forget?
Do they have a history of being forgetful?
How did they respond to being humbled and tested?
Why are a proud heart and forgetting God so problematic/despised in God's eyes?

I would work to show the unity of these ideas throughout the Bible, and bring in correlations in the New Testament (Phil 4:11-13, James 1:17) to show that what was said in the Old Testament was also relevant in the New, and then I would show how it's still relevant to today.

My application would draw out the similarities between the Israelites then and our lives now, and applies the same directives to not forget God. Specifically, issues of importance and application are pride and humility in the midst of blessings and satisfaction (or lack of) - what that looks like and how God calls us to dependence and obedience no matter the circumstances or situation.

Behaviorally, the application is a challenge to not only remember God, but to lead others to remember Him as well. Just as Moses orally went through Israel's history to call them to thankfulness and obedience, our communities should regularly recount our histories of God's faithfulness in our lives, and warn each other against pride and self-dependence.

The goal is to create an environment where, whether in obvious need or doing fine, there is an awareness of all things coming from God and Him providing for all our needs, and also a humble obedience to Him as the giver of all and the judge of all. The application could be transformational to attitudes, lifestyles and the life of the small community.

posted by FaithChristine @ 13:23

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