Expectation of the Messiah...Week 4 with Dr. Rydelnik

This week in our meeting Dr. Rydelink, one of MBI's Jewish studies professors, shared with us about "The King of Israel." Much was to be learned from him about the concept of kingship throughout the history of Israel (as well as many of us probably realizing we should brush up on our Old Testament history). 

He gave us a really helpful outline (and all the "Type A's" cheered inside) defining the three leadership offices in Israel: prophet, priest and king (more to come on the other two later in the semester).  The prophets received messages from the Lord, and the priests instruct the people about God and mediate the people to God. It was possible for someone to be both priest and prophet but history will tell us through King Saul, it is not possible for a man to be both priest and king (see the disastrous results of this in 1 Samuel 13).  

This lesson was rich in so many other respects as he discussed the beauty of the covenant God made with David and the "perfect king" notion that came to be the standard by which all future kings were compared. 

However, as Dr. Rydelnik was going along, he wove a theme throughout--the rightful kingship and priesthood of Jesus. 

--Zechariah 6:14 says: "Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices."--

Although the Old Testament closes with the people in exile, there is still hope that the promised Son of David will come, one that will be a priest while sitting on His throne. And come He does with the proclamation "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star" (Revelation 22:16). 

Prayer is the Greatest Work...Week 3 with Paul and Becky Santhouse

This past Thursday at SWF we were honored to hear from our very own beloved mentor Becky Santhouse and her Moody publisher-extraordinaire husband, Paul.  They spoke to us about their journey as a couple with prayer and all they’ve learned along the way.  Both shared vulnerable moments detailing how God has brought them from places of autonomy from God up to moments of deep connectedness and dependence on God and one another.

Perhaps as you sat in the room you thought to yourself all the ways in which your prayer life is boring, forced, or even nonexistent (maybe this is on your mind right now).  Becky shared how in the early years of their marriage she didn’t pray with or for her husband nearly as much as she does now, because she didn’t know how much they really needed God and how much God works through prayer. 

They then gave us a quote by Hudson Taylor that profoundly shaped the way they view prayer.  Taylor writes, “Move men, by God, through prayer.” 

Becky encouraged us to pray for our spouses because God works in our spouse’s life in ways that we as their mate, in our finiteness, simply cannot.  By praying we are inviting God, our Creator who knows every intimate detail of our life, into our marriage.  We also pray for our spouses because we want the very best for them.  To love is to have the highest good of the other in our heart.  Only God can supply them with that.  And so as they beautifully taught us tonight, “Prayer is the work, marriage is the fruit.” 

In closing, they left us with some practical ways that we can effectively pray for and with our spouses.  They mentioned things such as being intentional with time set apart for prayer, praying as you are in conversation about things that are burdening you, and don’t feel the need to present verbose, flowery prayers to the Lord. He is closer then our next breath, knowing our prayers before we even utter them.  Use determination in your prayer life, seasons of life are trying and prayer will be a constant friend. 

And finally, rely on the beauty of what’s in Scripture to make your requests known before God.  Substitute your spouses name in places of Scripture (David is patient, David is kind…) and press into the fullness of God on their behalf.  By praying together with and for your spouse God will “move men.” 

You are an indispensable companion... Week 1 with Dr. Schmutzer

Genesis.

A word that brings to mind any number of potential thoughts or questions.  There’s many ways our speaker this week, Dr. Andrew Schmutzer, could have approached this topic.  Yet, one thing is clear after reading this narrative and listening to his talk on it: God created us for relationship.

Dr. Schmutzer talked to us this week about “being made in dialogue for dialogue.”  The first layer of this is the awe-inspiring method God used for the creation of the world. 

            “And God said, ‘Let there be light..’ and there was light.”

Amazingly, God not only created the world exnihilo or out of nothing, but also through an even more extraordinary way, through simply speaking every created thing into existence.  In Genesis 1:26 God speaks humanity into existence, His crowning jewel. His magnum opus. His image-bearer.  The magnitude of God’s power and flare for the beautiful cannot be overstated. However, it did not end with the creation of an individual, but expanded into God’s plan for community. 

Next, Dr. Schmutzer said this about community: “A person is someone who is in community; and an individual is someone in isolation.”  And although this creation of Adam is good and complete in every possible way, God wants Adam to live in relationship, to be connected intimately with one like him.  So as the second layer of the dialogue concept unfolds God then creates Adam’s helper, Eve. God could see Adam would need another to usher in the communal vision God had for humanity. 

Perhaps, though, when you hear the word “helper” you cringe because you think it may mean that Eve was created to be subservient.  Many people have a narrow view of this word. Yet, through a word study of helper we see it’s actually used other places that give it quite a profound meaning such as in Deuteronomy 33:7 and Psalm33:20 when God is called Israel’s helper.  In every way God sustained Israel.  In order to help us understand this concept even more Dr. Schmutzer described wives as being an “indispensable companion.” 

Not until Adam’s indispensable companion is created does Adam talk.  Eve was the final paint stroke on a grand canvas God was designing.  At the completion of this picture we see a God who desires complete relationship with us and desires for us to be fully known by another, as well. 

Join us next week as we will continue learning from Dr. Sigler at 5:30 PM in the Kimball Room. We would love to see you there. 

Love,

Amy