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Month: June 2013

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These days, babies’ names seem to be chosen for their uniqueness. If it isn’t a unique name, the parents will very likely find a new way to spell it. I suspect that this causes no end of trouble for the children themselves, but it does seem to be a trend. There are still some parents I know who choose names for their meanings, and that was what the ancient Hebrews did. Names represented the character of a person. Very often, although not always, people grew up to match the characteristics of the name they were given at birth. So when Moses asked God what His name was in Exodus 3:13, the answer wasn’t just a collection of sounds to use to get God’s attention. The name God gave Himself represented His character.

Let’s take a moment to look at the context for this conversation. Generations before, Jacob, also known as Israel, had moved his family to Egypt during a famine so that Joseph, who was in charge of the food supply, could take care of them. Both Joseph and the Pharaoh who had been benevolent to them eventually died. The Israelites were still living in Egypt and working as slaves for the Egyptians, but God heard their cries of desperation. (Exodus 2:23-24) God had not forgotten the covenant that He had made with Abraham, and it was time to bring the Israelites back to the land they had been promised.

Meanwhile, Moses was out taking care of a flock of sheep, when he noticed a bush burning. He looked at the bush and noticed that it was not being consumed by the fire. Because he was paying attention, God spoke to Moses, and introduced himself as the one who had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And God told Moses that He wanted Moses to go and deliver the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt. (Exodus 3:1-10)

The first thing Moses thought was: who am I? What authority do I have to go and accomplish such a feat? (Exodus 3:11) Interesting, isn’t it, how he looked at his own capabilities, and wondered how he would manage? Don’t we do the same thing? So Moses questioned God, and God assured Moses that He would surely be with him. (Exodus 3:12) Moses was still uncertain, so he questioned God again. This time he asked God, “When the Israelites ask me who sent me, what should I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13) In other words, what name shall I call you? Understand that this wasn’t the first time that the Israelites had referred to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by a name. It’s just that Moses needed reassurance, and he wanted to speak with authority when he told the Israelites to leave all they had ever known and follow him out of Egypt.

The English translation of God’s answer to Moses is, “I AM that I AM. Tell them that I AM has sent you.” (Exodus 3:14) The verb, I AM, in the original language, is in the imperfect tense. That means that it is not only in the present, but continuing into the future. In English, if you said, “I am singing”, which is in the imperfect tense, it would mean that you are singing right now and you are continuing to sing. So God is stating His existence, and indicating that it will continue. He emphasizes it by saying that this is His name forever and will continue to be His name to the last generation. (Exodus 3:15)

The name God gives Moses indicates that He is self-existent—not dependent on anyone else for His existence and therefore all-powerful—and eternal. Moses didn’t need to worry about having to depend only on his own capabilities, and he didn’t need to doubt that God would be there for Him. It was all in His name. We can have the same confidence. We haven’t reached the last generation yet, and God is still all-powerful, eternal, and there for us.

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Today's post was written by Rusty Wright.
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“What’s the ‘S’ stand for?” Lois Lane asks Superman in the new movie. “It’s not an ‘S’,” responds the Man of Steel. “On my world, it means ‘hope’.”

A symbol of hope for humanity: That’s how Man of Steel portrays the legendary hero.

There’s plenty of action and drama: General Zod, a villain from Krypton, warns Superman, “Surrender within 24 hours, or watch this world suffer the consequences” and appeals to earthlings to turn him in. The explosive action and special effects were so fast-paced in places that I found myself wishing it would slow down so I could take a breath.

There’s also light romance: Journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) kindle some sparks as she seeks to unlock his past.

Higher Purpose

But beyond the escapism, at its core the classic Superman story is about good vs. evil. This movie highlights sense of purpose: Young Clark’s adoptive earth father Jonathan (Kevin Costner) encourages his quest for identity: “You were sent here for a reason.”

Cooper Timberline as Clark Kent, age 9 (Clay Enos, photo)

There’s nobility and inspiration: Jor-El (Russell Crowe), predicts of his biological son Kal-El (Superman), whom he sends to earth from Krypton, “You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They’ll race behind you. They will stumble. They will fall. But in time, they will join you…. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.”

There’s no Jimmy Olsen, no Kryptonite, but there is Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White (Laurence Fishburne). And there’s a motif that might surprise you.

Misinterpreting the Story?

When I first heard talk of biblical parallels in the Superman story, I thought that overzealous Christians were reading their biases into the popular tales. Then I looked deeper; they were right. Superman Returns (2006) clearly displayed biblical themes. Man of Steel is full of them.

CNN asked composer Hans Zimmer if there were any similarities between his two recent projects – Man of Steel and History Channel miniseries The Bible – “since both involve a savior figure (Jesus, Kal-el) sent by his father to Earth.”

“Yes,” Zimmer laughed. “Once you see Superman, you’ll see how close you are…. Both stories are passions…about a struggle to do the right thing.”

Multiple Parallels

Jor-El views Superman as Earth’s savior: “You can save her [Lois]…you can save all of them.”

Public-rejection concerns accompany both figures. Kal-El’s biological mother worries, “He’ll be an outcast. They’ll kill him.“ “How?” replies Jor-El. “He’ll be a god to them.”

The adult Clark recalls, “My [adoptive] father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they’d reject me. He was convinced that the world wasn’t ready.”

Jesus, of course, got a mixed reception. His close friend recalled, “He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:11-13)

Life Insights

As for Superman’s public reception…well, I don’t want to spoil this movie for you. One could make a game of seeing how many biblical parallels you can find. (I’ve only mentioned a few here.) And you might want to consider some life insights from what you’ll find there, too.

Man of Steel is a fun film, simple in plot but deep in theme as it taps profound human desires for self-identity, purpose and hope. “Hope” is especially timely in our world filled with nuclear rogues, homeland terrorists, devastating disease, and financial uncertainty.

But in real life, absent some trustworthy basis for lasting hope, are we all just whistling in the dark?

Paul, a first-Century General Zod (of sorts) who became Jesus’ follower, wrote: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope….” (Romans 15:13)

Got hope?

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Film is “rated PG-13 [USA] for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language.”

Man of Steel opens June 14, 2013 in USA, Canada and UK. Worldwide Release Dates throughout June.
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Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.rustywright.com

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Do you have a dream? Something you really want to do? A plan? A course of action to follow that will lead you to a better life? Perhaps you don’t. Perhaps you are just taking one day at a time, working, trying to make ends meet. I know of people who have been given a terminal diagnosis by their doctors. They aren’t doing much planning for the future; they are just living each day to the fullest and being thankful for every moment. Some people use Proverbs 29:18, which in the King James Version reads, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”, to suggest that if you don’t have a dream, a plan for the future, your life is worthless, or at least not meeting its potential. If you’re not the type to plan ahead, this might be quite discouraging.

Here’s the good news. That is not what this verse means. Other versions, including the New King James, more clearly translate the Hebrew word “hazon” as revelation. The NET Bible and the English Standard Version clarify it by specifying that it is a prophetic vision. In other words, where there is no guidance from God, transmitted through someone on the Earth, the people… well, “perish” isn’t the best translation there either. Most versions now say “cast off restraint”, but what it generally means is to live in chaos. They are living without structure. There are other verses in Proverbs 29 that say very similar things. (e.g. Proverbs 29:2, 6, 8, 11, 16) The overriding theme is that there is much more benefit when we live according to God’s mandates than according to our own selfish desires.

There is some debate among Bible scholars as to whether the “law” in the second half of the verse, refers to the written law only, the Torah, or whether it includes prophetic revelation. As I see it, either way, following God’s principles is required. We have so much more revelation than the people did when this proverb was written. We have Jesus and His teachings to guide us as well. Having the revelation is not enough. Following the revelation is what will bring blessing and help us to avoid chaos.