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Book Review: The Life of Moses by James Montgomery Boice

August 19, 2018 By Shelly Durkee

As a child, the stories of Moses captivated me much more than “Father Abraham” or even Joseph and his coat of many colors. Sure, they were interesting…..but when my Sunday School teacher (who, by the way, was also my mom) would pull out the manila envelope containing the musty smelling flannelgraph pieces depicting the 10 plagues, and the parting of the Red Sea, and the pillar of fire – ok, well, the fire scared me a bit – I’d usually quit making faces at the red-headed boy in our class, or quit pulling my sister’s hair long enough to listen.

I never grew tired of it.

I also recall being allowed to stay up late to watch Charlton Heston in the movie “The Ten Commandments”, broadcast each year right around Easter. That booming voice, the burning bush, the Nile river turning to blood….that was good stuff.

And so was the Jiffy popcorn we’d make, to eat while watching it.

Moses was this almost “bigger than life” character to me…along the lines of Spiderman or Wolverine or Captain America. I was captivated by the theatrics of it all….but never really learned about the heart of this man, who walked with God so closely, until many years later when my life was in shambles, and I found myself echoing Moses words to God, when having to make some big decisions: “And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15) Essentially, Moses was saying to God that He did not want to take one step forward without God with him.

And neither did I.

And, neither do I.

When P&R Publishing requested that I review James Montgomery Boice’s book “The Life of Moses”, I eagerly took it on. I am so glad that I did.

I came away from this book with a much richer and deeper view of Moses – but, more importantly, when I closed the book after reading the final page, I realized that even more than learning about Moses, Boice’s words drew my soul into learning more about the God of Moses…and, my God. While the subject was Moses, we were pointed to God with every word, sentence, paragraph and chapter. God’s faithfulness is the real story here…as it should be, in the stories of our own lives.

Boice examined the story of Moses from birth to death…from Exodus 1 through Deuteronomy 34. There was so much material here, but it never felt overwhelming. Instead, his logical path of teaching flowed seamlessly, so that it never felt like a chore. One thing I appreciated in particular was Boice’s honesty – when a particular passage was troublesome or hard to grasp, he admitted that. When authors come at their writing with such honesty, it gives readers the courage and hope that what they are learning is accessible – if an educated and expert author struggles with why God allows something, or why God acts in a certain way, then when we struggle, too, it is not as discouraging.

Psalm 90 is an important Psalm to me. Always has been; I even sang a song written about Psalm 90 at our wedding. Even in the face of great uncertainty about the future, God has been, and is, and will always be, my dwelling place. Moses is the author of Psalm 90, and after reading this book and taking a close look at Moses’ steadfastness and hope in God, I find the words of Psalm 90 to be just that much more important to me. From everlasting to everlasting, He is God.

I’ll close this review with a few words from Psalm 90, and a quote from the book, about this Psalm:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place^[a]
    in all generations.
²Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90: 1-2

“Moses tells us, through his own example, that if we are going to reflect on life and death with any wisdom, our view of both must begin with God, the eternal one….Those who trust in God have an eternal, secure dwelling place on earth….if we are anchored in God, our dwelling place with Him is secure.” Boice; The Life of Moses

The Family of God (Book Review: Systematic Theology by John Frame)

September 4, 2016 By Shelly Durkee

There is a very real sense in which one becomes a part of a family, when one becomes a Christ-follower.

There is a beautifulness to this truth. There is an imagery difference between being welcomed in to a family and being welcomed to a new job. Or to a new professional organization. Or to a new Bunco group, PTA, sports team, neighborhood, school…..the list of “groups” we can belong to is long.

But nothing quiet invokes the same images, thoughts and feelings that being a part of a “family” does.

I’ve been blogging through John Frame’s Systematic Theology, published by P&R Publishing. I am so grateful for the copy they gifted me with; this has and continues to be an enjoyable, thought-provoking experience. You can find my first post in this series at this location: Theology Is…. I’ll list my other posts below, and I encourage you to check out P&R Publishing, where you can read more about this book and purchase it (currently on sale!). You can find their page here: P&R Publishing

This week, I’ve been reading and thinking my way through Chapter Six: The Family of God

This is an idea that, actually, I think of often. There are many–myself included–who struggle with the concept of family, for whatever reason. Sometimes, the hard things of this world penetrate our idea of what family looks like. I know this struggle quite intimately.

And, for some, that struggle bleeds into a warped view of who God is, and what it means to be His son or daughter. Maybe their earthly image of the person in the role of “father” makes the idea of God as Father something to back away from, instead of running headlong towards. Or, maybe fear of abandonment and rejection that one may have experienced in their early families causes that same person to avoid the risk of being part of this God-ordained family.

But sometimes, precisely because of these same struggles, a person may find the truth that being a Christ-follower also means becoming the son or daughter of God to be settling.

Comforting, even.

And they may run straight to that analogy and brace this “family” with a white-knuckled grip, because of the grace and mercy they have found therein.

It is the embodiment of Psalm 68:6(I typically reference ESV in my writings, but I find the NIV language here to be significant and, according to Frame, accurate”:

God sets the lonely in families…
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

He sets the lonely in families.

But, you see, it isn’t just any family. It’s a family where the patriarchal role is filled by one who is sovereign and holy. Whose grace, mercy and compassion reaches down and adopts us to be His own. Who will never abandon or forsake. Who will never leave us. Whose discipline is always, always, always for our good, even when it stings. And, who loves us deeply enough to give His son as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we may become His children, alongside this Son whom He resurrected to life–and through that act, bestows upon us the gift of eternal life, in His presence.

Truly, there is no greater love.

And so sometimes, we run to that because the longing is so deep for that gift of grace and mercy. We run to it, and we fall in it, and we marvel at what God has done.

And we are grateful. I am grateful.

Behind and beyond that, is the gift we are given of actual family here on this earth, in the form of fellow Christ-followers. Brothers and sisters, who come alongside us and share both our deepest griefs and our deepest joys.

However, we are still sinful beings. And, in our human sinfulness, we at times hurt each other. And those moments are so very painful–just ask any church member who has found themselves the object of church gossip. Or any pastor who has been hurt by a loud, boisterous critic. Or any Christ-follower who is broken-hearted over a lost friendship with other Christ-followers, beyond reconciliation. These moments are often intensely painful–maybe more so than when they occur outside the Christ-family–because our sense of family within the church among Christ-followers is so deep.

Worst still are the times when church becomes a not-safe place. When church becomes a store-front proclaiming the gospel, yet a backshop filled with dark things. I have known that situation as well.

But when we are obedient both in worship and action, and when we place our worship on the one true God, then the safest place of refuge we should be able to find, is the church. And when we come together in communion at His table, the unity found there should also be the place to celebrate our deepest joys.

Do you know why? Because church is practice for when we are called home, to our true place of citizenship…among our brothers and sisters, before the throne of our God.

Frame illuminates this relationship a bit when he writes:

“Brother is the most common way of referring to a believer after Jesus’ resurrection. The term distinguishes the believer from the world (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)…The name brother (which, of course, includes sisters) is a precious title, indicating fellowship in the holy family.”

Precious, indeed.

So we must be cognizant of this. We must be aware that the imperfect people who sit beside our imperfect selves in the pews of our churches, who have claimed the role of Christ-follower as we have ourselves, are our brothers and sisters. That is a precious title. And a gift that we give–and receive, both from God and from those alongside us.

Family.

Grateful.

I’d be remiss if I failed to mention that Frame also takes a significant look at the “God as a feminine entity” viewpoint in theology, as well as the critique that some have against the normative use of masculine language when referencing God. He argues soundly against both stances, and backs up his argument with logic and research that makes sense to my brain. I’ll not belabor that here, mainly because this is not something that I have ever struggled with. I can’t fathom thinking of God in feminine language usage; that’s not to say I’ve not thought about it, or contemplated the idea. It is just that I have, and I have landed soundly and firmly on the same side of the debate as Frame, after looking at scripture. However, if this is something you would like to do more thinking on, and are curious as to Frame’s thoughts on the subject, then this article by Tony Reinke, which references Frame’s thoughts, may be a good place to start: Desiring God.

His Unconditional/Conditional Covenant (Book Review: Systematic Theology by John M. Frame)

July 28, 2016 By Shelly Durkee

Covenant: (Biblical Definition, via Logos Bible Software): An agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people.

I grew up in church, so I grew up hearing about how Israel was a “covenant people”, and how we, as those who believe in and follow Christ today, are also “covenant” people.

But I always found it strange. Odd, even. If God is God….big, holy, large, king over everything, “in charge”–then why would he “covenant” (verb) with us, who are nobodies? Why would he make an agreement with anyone, about anything? And, if we can’t do anything to “earn” God’s love (though, as I’ve written about many times before, I’ve often wished there was a way to do just that–Checkbox Christianity seems so much easier, than grace-bathed Christianity), then why the stipulations that come with a covenant–the blessings when we obey the laws of the covenant.

And the curses, when we do not.

I’m blogging through Dr. John Frame’s humongous book, Systematic Theology, published by P&R Publishing. This is my third installment, which will cover Chapter Four, “The Lord’s Covenants”. (I’ll add links to my first two installments, below) I’m so grateful to P&R Publishing for the opportunity to write my way through reviewing this book (you can find their website and information on how to purchase the book at this link: P&R Publishing). And, this week, I am also grateful for Dr. Frame, who graciously exchanged encouraging emails with me this week. I travel for work, and we shared a chuckle over how I’ve been lugging this book through airports lately. Thank you, Dr. Frame, for your kindness!

Back to the question at hand, this week: Covenants.

Why would our holy, righteous, and sovereign God choose to have a covenant relationship with us, his creation?

This chapter is dense with rich information on covenants, explained in ways that I hadn’t quite thought about before. And, of course this space is far too small, to do this chapter justice. In the same vein, certainly there are books aplenty that examine covenant in much more depth;….the scope of a Systematic Theology (no matter how many pages it may contain) can not cover every subject to that extent, obviously. But Dr. Frame has taken the concept of covenant and placed it in a categorical framework, if you will, that not only points to, but spirals…or funnels…or ushers us to the new covenant that we have in Jesus, our Lord (see chapter 2):

All previous revelation, all previous covenants, are fulfilled in Him. He is the prophet greater than Moses……the Priest who replaces the priests of the temple….the King greater than David. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross fulfills and replaces the animal sacrifices of the temple, for only his sacrifice took away the sins of his people. It is in Jesus’ death that his people have died to sin, and in his resurrection we, too, have been raised to newness in life. (pg 79, please see book for scripture referenced in this paragraph)

All of those pre-Christ covenants–the covenant in the Garden of Eden, the covenant with Noah, the covenant with Abraham, the covenant with Israel under Moses, the covenant with David–each of these were a type of foreshadowing (my stab at an explanation, not Frame’s) of the covenant that was to come, and that has come, and that is….the “relationship of commitment between God and his people.”

And we, as those who are believers and followers of Christ, live in that covenant of grace.

But if our salvation is based in grace and faith, then what role does obedience play? If we can’t “earn” that grace, and if our salvation is only obtained in the sacrificial act of the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, then what is the motivation to uphold our part of the “commitment” of a covenant with God–that of obedience to what is laid before us, in scripture?

And, what purpose would it be, to God–what benefit to Him–to be in such a relationship with us?

I think Dr. Frame sums it up best, in his description of the unconventional/conventional nature of the new covenant we have, in Chris:

The new covenant is unconditional in that its very content is God’s unconditional gift of a new heart, fulfilling all covenant conditions. But it is conditional in that those conditions are real and necessary. We are justified by faith alone, not by any effort to earn our salvation. (Rom. 3:23-24; Eph. 2:8-9). But the faith by which we are justified is a living and obedient faith (Gal. 5:6, Eph. 2:10; James 2:14-26). (pg 80-81)

Our salvation, which is the core of the covenant we are in with our God, is an unconditional gift from our God.

This gift fulfills all the stipulations of the covenant. All of them.

And the covenant is conditional, because those stipulations are very real. And necessary.

Without this gift of justification through faith-the very grace of that gift from God, we can not meet those stipulations.

We are justified by faith. That’s it. Nothing else. We can not earn our salvation, no matter how hard we try.

But our faith is not a dead, passive faith. It is an active, alive faith lived out in obedience……because we are in this covenant.

And, we love the one who has given us this covenant.

And, we are loved by the one who has entered into this covenant with us.

He loves us.

And that is why is gives us the gift of the fulfilled covenant of mercy, grace, justification and sanctification.

He is a good, good, King.

I want to leave you tonight with this verse, that has meant a tremendous amount to me over the last 7 years. There are times–as I am sure there are for you, as well–where I struggle to sense this good king’s presence. There are multiple times when I wonder, “Does He see me? Does He know how very hard this life can be sometimes? Does He remember me, the one He has adopted? The one He has saved? The one whom He has gifted with this fulfilled unconditional/conditional covenant of grace?”

I think we can find hope in these words from Exodus, that so very well sum up His covenant with the Israelites and Moses, because they ring true for us even today…even when we may not sense His presence and when the things of this world threaten to overcome us:

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

Exodus 2:24-25

God does hear our cries.

God does remember his covenant with his people.

God does see.

And, God knows.

And, in His sovereignty, He will act.

amen

Theology is….

July 1, 2016 By Shelly Durkee

I’ll admit it.

I’m a nerd. A geek.

If I didn’t wear contacts, I’d sport a pair of coke-bottle, plastic rimmed glasses. Literally, because my eyesight is so terrible. But theoretically, too. I like to study. I like to read, academically.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the great privilege and gift of being able to attend The Gospel Coalitions Conference for Women, in Indianapolis. I had bought the ticket, back in October, fully thinking that there was no way that I’d be able to actually go, and that I’d probably have to sell or give the ticket away, as the time approached.

But things miraculously worked out. And I mean to use the word “miraculously”, in the fullest sense of the word. For instance, I’ve traveled more this year than any year with my company, and so I had enough miles to buy a ticket. And a dear friend from Midwestern Seminary, too many years ago to number, happened to also be attending, and invited me to sleep on her hotel floor. And, to top it off, I had Uber credits to score a free ride from the airport, to the convention center.

If you’ve ever been to a TGC conference, or a T4G conference, then you know that one of the highlights is the bookstore.

I tried to stay out of it. Really, I did. I knew that, if I walked into that cavernous hall with all those tables of books, I’d be in trouble.

But, alas, I have no willpower.

In I went.

And out I came, with–yep–books.

But there is one book that I ended up bringing home, in particular, that I want to share with you.

It is John Frame’s “Systematic Theology”. 1219 pages of theological nerdiness. (That includes the index, of course. Don’t you read the index? I rarely read the foreword, but I always look through the index.)

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while. But, it is pricy. Not in my budget. I figured that I’d have to wait until I found it in a used bookstore somewhere, before I could acquire it.

But not any longer. Because it is sitting on my desk, as I type this.

I had stopped by P&R Publishing’s booth, to peruse their selection. As I chatted with the person who was manning the booth, (and as I signed up for their book giveaway, of course), our talk turned to blogs, and I asked if they have a “Blog Book Review” program, similar to what I participate in, for Crossway Publishers. In exchange for free copies of books, I write a fair and unbiased review on this website, along with other popular sites such as Amazon and Goodreads.

She told me that they did, and had me fill out a form. We moved on to other topics, and I saw Frame’s Theology out of the corner of my eye. I picked it up and said something to the effect of, “Someday I hope to read this!”.

And then she asked me if I’d be willing to write a review on it.

Um, YES.

So, at the conference end, she handed me this 5-pound book (at least).

And I am so excited, to share it with you, my friends.

But not just because I’m a nerd. And not just because I am grateful to own a copy of this book that I’ve wanted to read.

But because of this: Theology matters.

Theology is, by definition, the study of God. (according to Webster)

But, it is more than that, as well.

And Frame explains this, so clearly, in his very first chapter, titled “What is Theology?”

We can study God all day long. I know, because I have. I have so studied Him and studied Him and studied Him, with no change in either my soul or mind. I have been known to analyze and categorize and place God in the correct “columns” in my mind, and yet find myself so very far removed from who He is, and what He has done, and what He is doing, and what He is going to do.

And, so far from who He is.

And I suppose, in a sense, that is theology. But it is not how God, Himself–the creator of all disciplines and sciences–intends the study of theology to be.

And, Frame gets that.

In this first chapter, Frame urges us to not just recognize that scripture, above all, is the authoritative source for any study of God. Frame’s work? The one he spent hours and months and possibly years writing and thinking about and losing sleep over? It is fallible. It is not authoritative. It probably is not all correct, in interpretation. But Frame recognizes that, and he wants his readers to also recognize it. Nothing–no words of any man–has authority over the authority of scripture and its ability to explain itself.

Once that is established, Frame wrote on to give us these key points, in chapter one:

“Theology…responds to the needs of people. It helps those who have questions about, doubts about, or problems with the Bible.”

Yes. A thousand times yes. Theology, when written well, and when based on the authority of scripture first, is an excellent source for those of us who find ourselves swamped with questions–and doubts. It’s a way of putting the puzzle pieces together in a rational way, so that we can embrace–and be embraced–by the seemingly irrational love of a Savior, who would give His life for the redemption of ours. Sometimes, I need such rational study, to stave off doubts and questions, and connect my mind and my soul. Maybe you do, too.

“Nor would it be wrong to say that theology occurs in the lives of people, in their behavior, as well as their speech….Their application of the Word in their behavior may be called theology. So theology is not merely a means of teaching people how to live; it is life itself.”

Again, yes. Theology, without application in our lives, can be reduced to the dry recitation of ancient words with little meaning. That, my friends, is not what scripture is; nor is it what scripture was intended to be. The Word (in this sense, God–see John 1:1) is alive. He was before the world, and will be for eternity. He is infinite. And those, the revelation of who He is–the words of scripture–is a living thing as well. We do not worship scripture, though. We worship the one that is revealed through scripture. And one of the ways we worship Him, is through obedience to what we read in the Bible. Application must always be the goal, of solid, biblical theology.

“If we are to apply the Bible, we must be in constant conversation with the Bible.”

We can’t apply something that we don’t know. Good, strong theology will always, always, always point us back to the Bible. And the Bible will always point us to our Lord and our God.

Yes.

I’m excited to start this walk-through of this book. Ok, ok, the nerd in me is excited, yes. But I’m also looking forward to systematically thinking about the whole of scripture. I’ve read Grudem’s excellent Systematic Theology; but when I did, I was in a very different place in my relationship with God. Much has happened since then. I’m eager to see what questions may be answered, what thoughts may be generated, what new things may be learned, what doubts or fears may be quelled, and what peace may be attained, even, in the realization and remembering that, even in the things of God for which we do not have answers for, He remains God.

I often need reminded of that.

Thank you P&R Publishing, for the gift of this opportunity.

And thank you, dear readers, for joining me for this adventure. I hope to do a chapter a week, here in this space (of course, I’ll also write other items as well–there seems to always be something I want–or feel the pull–to write about). Next week, I’ll be out due to a planned surgery, but I’ll return the following week, to review the second chapter: “The Lord”. Can’t wait.

Let me leave you with this, from Frame, tonight:

“Systematic theology seeks to apply Scripture by asking what the whole Bible teaches about any subject…..At best, the system is a summary of Scripture, but Scripture itself (in all its narratives, wisdom, deliverances, songs, parables, letters, visions) is our true authority, the true Word of God.”

Amen, and Amen.

(If you’d like to examine the book closer, you can click on the links in this article. They will take you to P&R’s website, where they are running a special on this book!”

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