The Jesus being portrayed in our megachurch culture was beginning to feel more and more cartoonish and one dimensional — as if Jesus were a sort of pop-culture guru building an empire by selling spiritual commoditites to accessorize the American dream. This wasn’t the Jesus I’d read about in the Bible.

Matt Johnson, Getting Jesus Wrong, xii.

What is voting? Should Christians vote? How should Christians vote? Who should Christians vote for?

Lots of folks are asking these questions. Lots of disagreement, e.g.,

Consider applying this scriptural formula for holy living to voting in the upcoming election (from Joel R. Beeke, Living for God’s Glory, Loc. 2771).

“[W]e should develop a scriptural formula for holy living before God and man.

“When hesitating over a course of action, ask yourself the following questions, based on 1 Corinthians:

“1. Does this glorify God? (1 Cor. 10:3 1)

“2. Is this consistent with the lordship of Christ? (1 Cor. 7:23)

“3. Is this consistent with biblical examples? (1 Cor. 11:1)

“4. Is this lawful and beneficial for me-spiritually, mentally, and physically? (1 Cor. 6:9-12)

“5. Does this help others positively and not hurt others unnecessarily? (1 Cor. 10:33; 8:13)

“6. Does this bring me under any enslaving power? (1 Cor. 6:12)”

Similar to the preexilic prophets, Daniel merges the story of Israel with the cosmic story of the nations begun in Genesis 1-11. The restoration of Israel is cast into the light of — indeed, apparently subordinated to — God’s ultimate plan for all of human history. The restoration of Israel is swallowed up by the larger theme of the kingdom of God.

J. Daniel Hays, The Message of the Prophets, 73.

In the history of Christian and Jewish worship, there have emerged two extremes toward which the worshiper may be tempted to move. On the one hand, there have been times when the holiness of God has been stressed so powerfully, that the ordinary mortal has felt it impossible to approach God in worship or prayer. On the other hand, the open access to God in prayer has sometimes been so stressed that admission to God’s presence becomes a thoughtless and casual matter. Between these two poles, there is a proper median: there is indeed access to the Holy God in worship and prayer, but it must be employed carefully, not casually, with appropriate preparation and reverence. Psalm 15 provides a guide to such access; it reflects the wisdom, prior to entering the divine presence in worship, of reflecting upon the requirements presupposed of the worshiper.

PETER C. CRAIGIE AND MARVIN TATE, PSALMS 1-50, VOLUME 19: SECOND EDITION (WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY), 152.

Any good accomplished by biblical characters was the work of the Spirit of Christ and reflected the formation of Jesus’ image in them. As such, these characters often point to Jesus by analogy – they are like Him – or they are witnesses to His character. Example: Joseph’s forgiveness and acceptance of the brothers who sinned against him reflect the spirit of Jesus who was in him. As such, Joseph is one of the most perfect analogies of Jesus’ forgiving spirit and one of the most powerful witnesses to Jesus’ forgiving heart.

David Murray, Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, 60.

When Joseph forgave his brothers, he was picturing the future work of Jesus, which even then was working in Joseph, by the Spirit of Jesus. Used in this way, the Old Testament characters should motivate worship and imitation of Jesus.

David Murray, Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, 70.

The final family story is primarily about Joseph, whom God uses to rescue Israel (and the nations, thus blessing them, Gen. 12:2-3) from famine so that the promised seed can be preserved. You will find reading this story to be a different experience from what has gone before, since it is a single cohesive narrative (the longest of its kind in the Bible) . . . Note how it begins and ends on the same note – his brothers bowing to him (37:5-7; 50:18; cf. 42:6). Look for the various themes that hold the story together: God overturns the brothers’ evil against Joseph; he allows Joseph to languish in prison (which came about because of Joseph’s refusal to sin) but finally rescues him and elevates him through his divinely given ability to interpret dreams (note the repeated “the Lord was with Joseph,” Gen. 39:2, 3, 21, 23).

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book, 32.

In the early church, the words of the psalm describing mankind’s role of dominion in the world (8:6–7) are given christological significance with respect to the dominion of Jesus Christ in his resurrection and exaltation (1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22; Heb 2:6–8). In one sense, this is quite a new meaning, not evidently implicit in the psalm in its original meaning and context. And yet in another sense, it is a natural development of the thought of the psalm, for the dominion of which the psalmist spoke may have had theological reality, yet it did not always appear to have historical reality in the developing history of the human race. The historical reality, according to Paul and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, is—and will be—fulfilled in the risen Christ.

PETER C. CRAIGIE AND MARVIN TATE, PSALMS 1-50, VOLUME 19: SECOND EDITION (WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY), 110.

Psalm 8 is referred to a number of times in the NT. It is used by Jesus in a fashion which brings out more profoundly its initial meaning, but its use in the early church reflects a new kind of interpretation in the context of the earliest church’s christology. Jesus, after cleansing the temple, was criticized by the chief priests and scribes for his apparent acceptance of the behavior of children, who were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The authorities were indignant and expected Jesus to calm this juvenile chorus. But he responded by quoting Ps 8:3: “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, you have brought forth perfect praise” (Matt 21:16). In his rebuke to the authorities, he brought out the inherent contrast in the original psalm; the children take the name upon their lips (interpreting Son of David, from the perspective of the early church, as a messianic title), but the authorities are indignant and complain—in effect, they are the foes and the avengers of the psalm. But, as in the psalm, it is the children who have the truer perception, not the arrogant enemies.

PETER C. CRAIGIE AND MARVIN TATE, PSALMS 1-50, VOLUME 19: SECOND EDITION (WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY), 109.

If our attitude about the church is not in line with Christ’s attitude about His church, everything will go wrong. If our attitude matches Christ’s, it will go right. It may not go the way we think it will, but that’s okay because God’s will for His church matters more than our will for our church. Having the right attitude sets the stage for everything that follows.

Karl Vaters

It is a curious feature of the experience of human living, that the public accusation of the sins or crimes which we have committed is easier to bear, emotionally and spiritually, than the false accusations concerning crimes of which we are innocent. When an evil act or sin is committed, there is at least justice in the accusation; there is a path of restoration and repentance possible. But the false accusation is harder to bear, partly because it brings with it the experience of injustice, and partly because there may seem to be no escape from its consequences. We cannot repent of something we have not done, nor can we make restoration, and it is in the nature of false accusers that they do not easily depart and leave us in peace. The genuine anxiety evoked by false accusations, whether of a subtle and personal nature or an open and legal nature, is partly legitimate and partly illegitimate. It is legitimate in the sense that false accusations can do real damage, whether to reputation, family, or means of livelihood. But it may be an illegitimate anxiety if it is tied too intimately to pride, for such anxiety assumes that the opinion of other persons is of more significance than the opinion of God. Yet it is in the nature of false accusation, that whereas it may deceive and convince our fellow human beings, it cannot deceive God. False accusation never undermines a person’s standing in the sight of God, though it may provide a testing ground for the accused’s strength of character.

The psalmist begins his prayer in just such a state of anxiety, precipitated by the false charges laid against him; the anxiety is real, and for the most part legitimate, for the accusations create genuine danger. As the psalmist begins his prayer, things have understandably grown out of proportion; the false accusers appear to have gained the upper hand and turning to God is a last and desperate resort. It is only at the end of the prayer that balance is restored, and the balance involves a proper appreciation of God’s righteousness and the nature of evil. It is the judgment of God that matters more than the machinations of wicked persons; and it is better to stand in integrity before God who is a righteous Judge, than to share the slippery foothold with sinners on the edge of the pit they have dug for themselves. . . . It is better to maintain integrity and continue to suffer injustice, than to sell out to evil and form ranks with the unrighteous.

PETER C. CRAIGIE AND MARVIN TATE, PSALMS 1-50, VOLUME 19: SECOND EDITION (WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY), 103.