Rebellion During the Forty Years in the Wilderness

It has been nearly seven years since I published my first book, Joshua's Spiritual Warfare: Understanding the Chiasms of Joshua. It has been my most popular book – a look at the chiastic structure within the book of Joshua and also a look at the spiritual warfare that Joshua had to contend with as he led his people into the Promised Land – but I had not looked at it for a while.

Recently I started a slow walk through the history books of the Old Testament and am currently studying the book of Numbers. As I was reading, I was reminded of the rebellion that was identified in my Joshua book. I was impressed enough with it that I decided to post the following excerpt from pages 76-79. My hope is that someone might benefit from this teaching.

Disobedience During the Forty Years

Let us look back over the previous forty years in the desert. During those forty years, they stumbled and fell many, many times:

•	The whole Israelite community grumbled about the lack of food, so the Lord provided manna (Ex 16:1-4). In time, the manna became very distasteful because of repetition.
•	Some of the Israelites disobeyed Moses by keeping the manna for the following morning, but the manna bred worms and stank (Ex 16:20).
•	The people quarreled with Moses about the lack of water at Massah, so the Lord had Moses strike his staff on the rock (which was Christ) causing water to come out (Ex 17:1-7).
•	Aaron and the Israelites rebelled against Moses and the Lord by casting a golden idol, causing the Lord to bring a plague against the rebels (Ex 32:1-6, 25-35; Deut 9:15-17).
•	Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, upon seeing the glory of the Lord in the form of a fire, boldly offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, so they died before the Lord (Lev 9:23 - 10:2).
•	The son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the Lord's name and cursed, so the Lord had him stoned to death (Lev 24:10-14).
•	Some Israelites complained about their hardships, which aroused the Lord's anger and caused Him to burn and consume some of them (Num 11:1-3).
•	The people coveted meat and complained about the manna, so the Lord provided quail which turned into a plague (Num 11:4-33).
•	Miriam and Aaron, the sister and brother of Moses, questioned the authority of Moses, so the Lord gave Miriam leprosy for seven days (Num 12:1-10).
•	The ten spies lacked the faith that the Lord would be with them in conquering the land. The Lord struck them down and they died of a plague (Num 13:26-33, 14:36,37).
•	When the Israelites disbelieved the two spies and then treated the Lord with contempt by grumbling against Moses and Aaron, the Lord condemned all men twenty years old or older to death (that is 601,730 men) over a forty year period so they would not enter the Promise Land (Num 14:1-29).
•	Against the advice of Moses, some people attempted to conquer a part of the Promised Land using just their own strength (self reliant). The Lord was not with their effort and they were defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites (Num 14:39-45).
•	A man disobeyed one of God's laws by gathering wood on the Sabbath day, so the Lord had him stoned to death (Num 15:32-35).
•	Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebelled and disrespected Moses and the Lord, so the Lord judged the rebellious people by opening the earth and swallowing them (Num 16:1-33).
•	Two-hundred and fifty people followed Korah's example, so they were consumed with fire from the Lord (Num 16:2,35).
•	In the same disobedience, 14,700 people died by a plague from the Lord because they too had picked up this same rebellious attitude (Num 16:41-49).
•	Moses and Aaron, after being instructed by the Lord to speak to the rock, instead struck the rock. Even though water came out, this disobedience failed to honor the Lord as holy, so the Lord prevented them from entering the new land (Num 20:1-12).
•	The Israelites became impatient about having to go around Edom and spoke against the Lord and Moses, so the Lord sent snakes that bit and killed many of the people (Num 21:4-6).
•	Israelite men indulged in sexual immorality with the Moabite women, so the Lord brought a plague which killed twenty-four thousand people (Num 25:1-9).
•	When the Israelites passed through the land of the Amorites, the Lord gave king Sihon a stubborn spirit and an obstinate heart, so the Lord delivered the Amorites into their hands, killing them all (Deut 2:24-34).

It may be easy, when reviewing a list as long and challenging as this, to dwell in our minds on the judgments from the Lord. But look again at this list: could some of these examples be from an evil force pulling these people away from the Lord? Today we see or experience rebellion, deception, criticism, individualism, lust, selfishness, etc., and the list goes on and on. It was the same way during the time of Moses – the disobedience was often prompted by demonic forces, pulling a person down and pulling them away from God. That was the devil's purpose then and it is his purpose today.

Two of the above examples questioned the authority of Moses:

•	Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebelled and disrespected Moses and the Lord, so the Lord judged the rebellious people by opening the earth and swallowing them (Num 16:1-33).
•	Miriam and Aaron, the sister and brother of Moses, questioned the authority of Moses, so the Lord gave Miriam leprosy for seven days (Num 12:1-10).

While both questioned the authority of Moses, Korah was put to death but Miriam and Aaron were disciplined. Why? May I suggest that the difference is spiritual motivation? Korah had a spirit of rebellion, while the poor choice of Miriam and Aaron was followed by a heart of confession and repentance.

The story of Korah in chapter 16 of Numbers is particularly instructive of how a spirit of rebellion can attempt to defeat us. Korah, as leader of the rebellion, first got Dathan and Abiram to go against Moses. Pretty soon they were joined by another 250, and ultimately another 14,700 were caught in this spirit of rebellion. This exponential increase shows how quickly the problem can spread, just like a virus can spread in our places of work. If the problem had not been addressed with the 14,700, the entire camp would have been infected.

The Israelites had lived four-hundred years in Egypt. Even though they had lived separately from the Egyptians, they had been in bondage to them. But the most serious problem was the rebellious spirits that they had picked up while in Egypt. These spirits caused them to sin and to move further away from purity. For forty years, the Lord had to deal with the rebellion and disobedience of the people because they were not ready to enter into the Promised Land. Their wickedness, caused by bad personal choices and by demonic spirits, needed to be purged. The battle for their minds was clearly illustrated by their frequently stated desire to return to Egypt.

Years later, Samuel the prophet reminded the people of Israel what the Lord said: "I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you" (1 Sam 10:18). Egypt had a power of oppression. Truly, that forty year period was a time of intense spiritual warfare.

Notice how quickly the Lord dealt with the many issues above. Spirits of rebellion, complaining, deceit, coveting, etc. must have been at work attempting to defeat the Israelites. But the Lord had to quickly take action because He knew how quickly the damaging fire can spread. Let this be our motto, whether the problems are in our homes, our workplaces or our churches: do not let the problems fester!


Conclusion: Issues of spiritual warfare should be dealt with quickly.

Copyright © 2008, 2014 Bible Discernments, Thomas B. Clarke
Joshua's Spiritual Warfare is available at Amazon.com for $14.99.

Bob Schlenker's teaching on 2 Peter 3

I have personally met with Bob Schlenker, a man I had previously not known until he contacted me through the internet earlier this year. I find that his analysis of thematic structure that is found in his article on 2 Peter 3 is most profound. As Bob so aptly points out, this passage is a very strong warning for all believers.
Scripture Torture - 2 Peter 3

Many people will recognize that the apostle Peter concluded, "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:17,18). To those people, they would see the error of the unprincipled men and the encouragement to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

The strength of Bob's analysis, as I see it, is that he ties 2 Peter 3:14,15 to v17,18. In other words, by seeing the literary structure in this light, Peter tells us how to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ: "to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation."

Bob, to his credit, does not tell the reader what to think, but allows the Holy Spirit to fill that void. Here is how his teaching struck me: unlike those who purport both a cheap grace and His love covers everything we do because we are now saved, Peter is telling us that we have a responsibility: to continually pursue a life of peace and patience, overcoming those things that would otherwise be considered blemishes and blame.

Clearly 2 Peter 3 is discussing the end times, what Bible scholars often refer to as eschatology. In this literary structure, Bob points out the contrast of water from previous times to fire of the coming times. That is the center point of the chiasm that Bob understands so very well. See his presentation of verses 5-7 for that understanding - many theologians point to the future fire.

The strength of this literary structure comes from the two "therefore" statements in verses 14-15 and then 17-18. Stuck between those two "therefore" statements is Bob's reference to Paul's teaching in Romans 11, and some emphasis is made to the word rendered "distort" in English. In that way, verses 14-18 becomes an emphatic synopsis of verses 1-13 with its center point of water and fire.

Great job, Bob

What Darkened the Sky on the Day of Christ's Crucifixion?

Immediately before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Bible states, "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45 ESV). That same account is also identified in Mark 15:33 and Luke 23:44. Yet the Bible does not state what caused the sky to darken. Could it have been the moon, excessive darkness, or something else?

In an article published by Answers.com, I provide what I believe is the correct understanding of that passage. You may see that at: http://christianity.answers.com/jesus/what-darkened-the-sky-on-the-day-of-christs-crucifixion.

How to Write HTML for Chiasms

This article in intended for those that post articles on the internet about literary structures such as chiasms.

I have struggled for years with how to display chiasms with the proper indentation. Here is how passages with chiastic structure should be presented:

A	Or do you not know that the unrighteous  (9a)
	B	will not inherit the kingdom of God?  (9b)
		X	Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers  (9c,10a)
	B′	will inherit the kingdom of God.  (10b)
A′	And such were some of you.  (v11a)
	(1 Cor 6:9-11a ESV)

Until I discovered this technique, the different levels in my chiasms always flowed improperly. So, for those few of you that are writing this type of HTML, here is my solution.

Grace to you, Tom

Is Bribery Okay for a Christian? Understanding Proverbs 17:8

A friend approached me on Sunday about a verse in Proverbs. He remembered that I had written a book about Proverbs and confessed some confusion about a particular verse. It was Proverbs 17:8 and he was using the NIV.

A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds. (Prov 17:8 NIV 84)

My friend said that it appeared from this verse that bribery is okay for a Christian, yet he knew it was not. He had looked at some commentaries but they had nothing to offer about that verse. I told him I would be glad to do some research and get back to him. Here are the results of my study:

To me, by far the best resource for Proverbs is the dual book set by Bruce Waltke. Volume I gives a detailed and tremendous overview of Proverbs, and then provides a verse-by-verse analysis of chapters 1-14. The second volume in this set and the one I used is shown to the left. I have many other resources on Proverbs and none come close.

I gave my friend four points for his consideration. Most of this analysis comes directly from Waltke's book, pages 48,49.

1. What the Pentateuch states
   Proverbs is consistent with the law that was given in Exodus through Deuteronomy. Here are the two main references from the law:
   

   And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. (Ex 23:8 ESV)
   
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   You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. (Deut 16:19 ESV)
   

   Immediately we see that the law requires the avoidance of bribery. Remembering that the Lord is not a respecter of people, this would mean that He does not give preference to those that offer money. We are not expected to be that way either.
   
   
2. Evidence within Proverbs
   The pursuit of internal evidence asks, "Is Proverbs consistent with itself?" or "What else does Proverbs state about bribery?" There are four references besides verse 17:8.
   

   He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts. (Prov 6:35 ESV)
   
   There are three characters in Proverbs 6: the seducing adulterous woman, the one being seduced, and her husband. In this verse, the husband will refuse any gifts that the tempted one might offer.
   
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   Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. (Prov 15:27 ESV)
   
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   The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. (Prov 17:23 ESV)
   
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   A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath. (Prov 21:14 ESV)
   
   This last verse seems to offer some confusion as well. By looking at the surrounding verses, it is seen that the one offering the bribe is oppressing the poor (v13), and that evildoer will be brought to justice (v15).

3. The Proverb itself
   My friend was using the NIV 1984 Bible. I believe that the newer NIV 2011 offers a better understanding of Proverbs 17:8 – it clarifies that it is the briber's thought process that is involved.
   

   A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. (Prov 17:8 NIV 2011)
   
   A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds. (Prov 17:8 NIV 84)
   
   

   Bruce Waltke suggested that the phrase "in the eyes of" (KJV) is the fool's opinion of himself, and therefore renders this verse with the word "think." I think that insight adds considerable value to this verse and the NIV 2011 leaned on that understanding.
   
4. The Proverb in context
   Waltke also suggests that most of verses 7 through 28 in Proverbs 17 are teachings about foolishness. Here is my look at some of those verses.
   
   • It is foolish to have lying lips (v7)
   • The one who repeats a transgression is foolish (v9)
   • Rebellion is being foolish (v11)
   • An adverse brother is acting like a fool (v17)
   I had not seen this cluster of foolishness in my previous reviews of Proverbs; I found that was enlightening.
   
   

While Waltke offers other good points about this verse, I suggest that the above four points are sufficient in themselves to conclude it is incorrect to either offer or accept bribes. That is based on these selections from Proverbs or the Bible as a whole. As the adulterous woman offers temptation, the one being tempted should not present bribes, and the righteous spouse should not accept them.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #5 from Genesis 12

This is the fifth analysis in the Discovering Chiasms Challenge series, intended to help you develop your pattern recognition skills using the Bible while having fun at the same time. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) The four previous analyses included multiple verses which presented some complexity in itself. This is just a single verse based on a chiasm found in Chiasmus in the New Testament: A Study in the Form and Function of Chiastic Structuresby Nils Lund.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Then click on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to compare your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson may be the most important part of this series.

16b … and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. (Gen 12:16 ESV)

A  Sheep and oxen   B  male donkeys     C  male servants     C′  female servants   B′  female donkeys A′  camels

Analysis: Why is it there?
I hope you easily identified this chiasm. The animals of burden are paired together (A and A′), the donkeys (literally asses) in B and B′, and then the two genders of servants in the center. The more important question with each chiastic structure is, "Why is it there?"

I exhausted several ideas before concluding that, while there is a center point, there is no clear point of emphasis. Here is a record of my thoughts:

1. With the male/male on one side of the chiasm and the female/female on the other, I was immediately curious if there was a gender emphasis to this chiasm. I checked the nouns sheep, oxen and camel in the Hebrew – two are masculine and one is feminine. That's not it. Then it occurred to me that sheep, oxen and camels would be both male and females – that's how reproduction works.
2. My next observation was that this verse does not support the thought that God sees men as dominant or greater than women. Chiastic structures are the shape of a bell curve – both the ascending and descending sides are given equal emphasis. If the males are on the ascending side and the females on the other, there is equal emphasis to both. Therefore God, when inspiring the Bible, did not mention male servants and then female servants to show inequality of the sexes.
3. Confused as to why the male and female servants were the center of this chiasm, I did a Bible search using possibly the best comprehensive reference. Bible Hub for Genesis 12:16 – Commentary section. I read ten well-known Bible resources with the eye, "Why is it there?" Nothing there that I saw.
4. The chiasm points towards the middle where the people are identified as servants. Animals are important but people are more important to the Lord; God gave man dominion over the animals. Yet somehow that does not provide me with a substantive emphasis for the enter.
5. The six items that Pharaoh gave to Abram show the extent of his gratitude for Sarai, as one would pay the owner for a nice Mercedes. Earlier in Genesis 12, the Lord had promised Abram that he and the many that would follow him would be blessed. But in this brief encounter with Pharaoh, Abram relied on deceit rather than the Lord for his provision and blessings. I concluded that the six items reveal the abundance of what Pharaoh provided.

Therefore, I suggest that this chiasm does not seem to use the center point emphasis that is characteristic of many chiastic structures. To me, even though it has the literary structure of a chiasm, it would have nearly the same literary impact if it is viewed as a list, like a grocery list.

I included this simplistic chiasm as an illustration that not all chiasms are valuable when looking for emphasis.



Personal Reflection: In what ways do you help set the people free?

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Would you consider rating each of these "Discovering Chiasms Challenge" quizzes? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Hints for Discovering Chiasms: How to Improve Your Ability to Identify Chiastic Structures in the Bible

I am glad to announce that the 'Discovering Chiasms' webpage has been completely revamped with more examples and better explanations. I sensed that some people need more help in properly identifying this unique sandwich-style structure in the Bible – this redesigned set of five webpages is my answer to that concern.

The five related webpages are:

The Discovery process
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms.html

Five hints to help you find chiastic structures in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_firstfive.html

Five more hints to help you find chiastic structures in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_fivemore.html

Hints about variations of literary structure in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_variations.html

Test your ability to find chiastic structures in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_skills.html

Please let me know if you have further questions about discovering when a chiasmus appears in the Bible.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #4 from Genesis 2

This is the fourth analysis in the Discovering Chiasms Challenge series, intended to help you develop your pattern recognition skills using the Bible. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) The three previous challenges combined chiastic structure with other literary devices. This one just involves a chiasm.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Then click on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to check your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson can be the most important part of these quizzes.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up – for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground – 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9a And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (Gen 2:5-9a ESV)

A  No life, either shrubs or plants (v5a)   B  Dry land (v5b)     C  No man to work the ground (v5c)       D  A mist watered the ground (v6)     C′  The Lord breathed life into man (v7)   B′  The Lord planted a garden with man (v8) A′  The Lord caused plant life to spring up (v9a)

Analysis: Why is it there?
Some people suggest that following the creation story in Genesis 1, Genesis 2:5-9 is a second creation. To me that is not correct. I like to think of Genesis 1 as a picture of what was created and Genesis 2 as perspective of who, where and how creation developed. To me, I view these as the same creation.

A change took place in verse six. Before that, there was no life: no plants in a parched land where no man existed. Afterwards there was life in the form of man, a garden and abundant plants. The question then focuses on, "What happened?" The key role is in the center of the chiasm: the water and the mist.

The reference to mist and water in verse 6, and to breathed and breath in verse 7, points to the Holy Spirit. The frequent metaphors of water, breath and wind in both the Old and New Testaments are consistent pictures of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus breathed on the disciples to receive new life in the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), so breath was used to give life to the first man. Jesus was resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), so life was breathed into man through the Holy Spirit. The first man was filled with life by the Holy Spirit.



Personal Reflection: In what ways do you help set the people free?

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Would you consider rating each of these Discovering Chiasms Challenges? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #3 from Exodus 2

This is the third challenge in a series intended to help develop and refine your ability to glean greater understanding of God's Words in the Bible. In the previous challenge Discovering Chiasms Challenge #2 from Deuteronomy 30, we looked at a chiasm that included an introductory epitome and a list. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) This quiz is a more straight-forward chiastic structure ‐ the center-point again adds understanding.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Then click on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to check your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson can be the most important part of these quizzes.

11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?" 14 He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known." 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. (Ex 2:11-15 ESV)

A  Moses understands people's burdens (v11a)   B  An Egyptian oppresses a Hebrew (v11b)     C  Moses stops Egyptian oppression (v12)       D  Two Hebrews are being hostile (v13a)       D′  Moses stops their hostility (v13b)     C′  Exposed: Moses stopped Egyptians (v14)   B′  Pharaoh oppresses Moses (v15a) A′  Moses flees from people's burdens (v15b)

Analysis: Why is it there?
Moses deals with two types of hostility in this brief scenario: first there is the oppression of the Egyptians onto the Hebrew people; then there is the hostile fighting between his own people. He killed the Egyptian and subdued the in-fighting.

While an argument could be made that line C resolves line B, and D′ resolves line D, I think that the above chiastic structure is more revealing. Not only does line B match quite well with line B′, but the other pairings of A and A′, C and C′, and D with D′ seem fairly strong.

The overall theme of this passage is hostility and its resolution. By inference, the position that Moses will assume as leader-to-be is alluded to in B′. The death of the Egyptian is a foretelling of the ultimate death of Pharaoh's army in the C level. At the center of this chiasm, we see a picture of the role that Moses will assume in D′ – to liberate his people from their hostilities.

To me, this chiasm points to the heart of Moses, even forty years before his encounter with the burning bush. His heart, as revealed here, was to liberate his people – to set the captives free. Moses wanted more than just freedom from slavery; his hope was to eliminate conflicts within his own people.




Personal Reflection: In what ways do you help set the people free?

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Would you consider rating each of these Discovering Chiasms Challenges? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #2 from Deuteronomy 30

This is the second challenge in a series intended to help develop and refine your ability to glean greater understanding of God's Words in the Bible. In the previous quiz Discovering Chiasms Challenge #1 from John 16, we looked at some asymmetry within a chiasm and the effect it had on the analysis of the passage. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) This quiz looks at balance of the levels.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Click again on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to check your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson can be the most important part of these quizzes.

6 "… love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 Also the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. 8 And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deut 30:6-10 NKJV)

A  Love the Lord with all your heart and soul, that you may live and your enemies will be cursed (v6b,7)   B  Obey the voice of the Lord your God and do all His commands (v8)     C  The Lord will make you abound (v9a)       1) in the work of your hand (v9b)       2) in the fruit of your body (v9c)       3) in your livestock(v9d)       4) in your produce (v9e)     C′  For the Lord will again rejoice over you (v9f)   B′  Obey the voice of the Lord your God and keep all His commandments and statutes (v10a,b) A′  Turn to the Lord with all your heart and soul (v10c)

Analysis: Why is it there?
As you will see, this structure reveals the definition of the circumcised heart that is used by the apostle Paul in Romans 2:29. Please allow me to explain.

Did you find the chiasm? Hopefully the repetition of themes was fairly apparent. Repetition is also found in both modern and classical music – themes appear and then re-appear. I believe that the Hebrew people, normally without access to a written document, would memorize the passages based on the rhythms in the repeating patterns.

The structure of this passage is two literary devices: a chiasm and a list. The chiasm is shown with upper case letters ABCC'B'A' and the list is represented by numbers 1234.

The preceding portion of this chiasm reads, "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants". This is called an introductory epitome which, as Jerome Walsh explains, "acts as a sort of introductory outline or table of contents." 1 Therefore this chiasm is a definition of circumcision of the heart.

There are several places where circumcision of the heart is mentioned in the Bible, most notably Deuteronomy 10:16, Romans 2:29, and this verse. A question is often asked, "How does one circumcise their heart?" The answer is shown by analyzing the chiasm: love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and keep all His commandments.

Notice the outward to inward flow of this chiasm: it begins at the A-A' level with the heart, flows to the B-B' level in obedience, and then the Lord's response is on the C-C' level. All of the 1234 items in the list begin with the word "in", similar to how bullets are used in modern English to identify items for a kitchen recipe. The first two items in the list, 1 and 2, may be a grouping of man's toils, while the second two items, 3 and 4 seems to be a grouping of God's toils.

Nonetheless, the emphasis of this literary structure is found in the center point: the blessings due to love and obedience. When that is properly aligned, we then have a circumcised heart.


Personal Reflection: What does circumcision of the heart mean to you?

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1 Jerome T. Walsh, " Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative" , (Collegeville, MN, Liturgical Press, 2001), 60.

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Discovering Chiasms Challenge #1 from John 16

This is the first analysis in the "Discovering Chiasms Challenge" series. See if you can find the chiastic structure in John 16:27-30. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. You will be able to compare your answer with mine:

27 "… because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father." 29 His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God." (John 16:27-30 ESV)

A  You have loved me and have believed that I came from God (v27b)   B  I came from the Father (v28a)     C  I have come into the world (v28b)     C′  I am leaving the world (v28c)   B′  I am going to the Father (v28d) A′  Disciples confess their belief that Jesus came from God (v29-30)

Analysis: Why is it there?
To me, the value of the chiastic structure really stands out in this passage. Notice how much longer A′ is than A: linguists might call this slightly asymmetrical (i.e. non-symmetrical) because v29-30 is so much longer than v27b.

Normally the length of each of the levels should be approximately the same. In this case, the repetition of the words 'have believed that I came from God' in v27b with 'we believe that you came from God' in v30 qualifies this as a chiasm. What is peculiar is that the disciples do not mention love.

The slight asymmetry is used to draw our attention to that section of the structure. On the A′ level, the disciples state they believe he came from God but they fail to say that they love Jesus.

I suggest that it is one thing to believe someone and an entirely different thing to love them. Here the chiasm reveals their heart: the disciples do not yet love the Lord. The C-C′ centerpoint reveals the importance of Jesus leaving the world – so that they could love him.


Personal Reflection: How would you respond to Jesus?

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Would you consider rating each of these Discovering Chiasms Challenges? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.