하나님께 가까이 함이 내게 복이라(시편73:28)

BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THE DMIN DISSERTATION:

teaching Separation-Placement-Rest (SPR) as a new method of biblical interpretation that encourage peace in Colombia using the book of Micah

Héctor Hernán Molano Cortés

Presented to

LeAnn Flesher, PhD.

Berkeley, California

September, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 3

Peace and education: Main Issues in the Bible 3

Peace in the Bible 3

Peace a concept from the Beginning to the End 7

Teaching in the Bible 9

Exegetical Approach to Micah 4:1-5 13

Micah, a Prophet of the Golden Age of the Prophetic Times 13

Who was Micah? 15

Bible Text to Study 15

Interpretive Approach Using SPR and Semantics of Words 16

Mic 4:1 Separation Plus Placement 16

Mic 4:2 Separation Plus Placement 17

Mic 4:3 Separation 18

Mic 4:4 Rest 19

Mic 4:5 No Separation Plus Separation 20

Conclusions 21

Bibliography 22

Introduction

The Bible is considered the first place to do theology, all ideas and thoughts for proper Christian argument must be derived from there. It is precisely this idea which takes precedence in this writing, because I want to show the basis for the development of the dissertation which I intend to present as a requirement to obtain the title of Doctor of Ministry. The title that is intends to put in that paper will be: “Teaching Separation-Placement-Rest (SPR) as a New Method of Biblical Interpretation that Encourages Peace in Colombia Using the Book of Micah”. In this way, in this paper and I will firstly present the major ideas concerning two themes in particular: the peace and the teaching. I will also include my reasons on why these ideas are central in the biblical text. Secondly, I will present an exegetical approach to a passage from the book of Micah, a passage that is very relevant to the presentation of my proposal. Lastly, I will present brief conclusions that summarize my argued points.

Peace and Education: Main Issues in the Bible

In my D.Min dissertation, I will be addressing two important themes. The first is peace, a concept which can be reinforced by the way of approaching biblical texts. The other theme is teaching, which is the fundamental point in the development of this dissertation, because the aim is to teach a new methodology to pastors and church leaders with the goal that they implement in their ministries. Therefore, this section seeks to show why these topics are relevant and of outstanding importance in the study of the biblical text.

Peace in the Bible

In the first part of this study, I will concentrate on the study of the Hebrew and Greek words that are typically translated as peace. In the Old Testament, the word commonly used to carry this idea of peace is shalom, which according to Jenny and Westermann, not only has the sense of peace and kindness, but that includes welfare, prosperity and fortune.

The first time that the word shalom appears in the text of the Old Testament, is Genesis in chapter fifteenth and verse fifteen: “You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.” These words were spoken by God to Abram, and from verses thirteen to sixteen have been seen by some as an insert to show despite the iniquity of the Amorites salvation. In any case, the idea that transmits the text is that living in peace is a state of rest.

With 267 cases in the biblical text, the following graph shows the distribution of shalom by percentage (verses in the book with hit / verses in the book) in the books of the Old Testament:

Graphic 1: Distribution of the word shalom in the Old Testament

The leading book is Obadiah; the reason is because it has only 21 verses. The first verse that include this search is 1:7 “All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.” (KJV) showing us that at its time the people of Edom enjoyed peace with other peoples.

The last verse with the term shalom in the Old Testament is Malachi 2:6 “True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin”, is a quotation concerning the Levitical priesthood who were to convey love, peace and life.

The Septuagint translates the word shalom in 23 different words, predominantly with 178 hits is eirene, the term which is taken up by the authors of the New Testament.

According to the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, the word eirene is not simply something that happens in relationships between people, but a state; it could also involve the idea the resting state, which means in essence, tranquility, serenity. With this idea, peace is much more than simply believing that it is a solution of conflicts between opposing forces or between people, it must also include that is necessary in order that rest is achieved.

The first time that the text of the New Testament presents eirene is in Matthew, Chapter 10 verse 13: “If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you”. This text appears among the instructions Jesus gives to his group of twelve to carry his message, and peace seems to refer to the Gospel itself. This is corroborated by the next verse: “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave home or town”. It is possible to see a synonymic parallelism between “your words” and “your peace”.

The word eirene appears 92 times in New Testament. The following graphic can observe the distribution in this part of the biblical text by percentage (verses in the book with to hit / verses in the book):

Graphic 2: Distribution of the word eirene in the New Testament

It is important mentioning that the word eirene appears united to Jesus, because He can be considered as the expected “Prince of peace” prophesied by Isaiah (cf. Is 9:6). For example, the text of John 14:27 says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jesus indicates that his peace is with us and that it is very different to the conception of peace we can extract of the world. Does this mean that His peace is different in a way that is more about a state of being in peace rather than absence of conflict? This seems to be so when passages such as John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1.2. Peace a Concept from the Beginning to the End

It has been suggested that, in both the Old and in the New Testament, the concept of peace goes far beyond the relationship between human beings; in fact, seeing peace as opposed to wars is a secondary aspect, because peace is a state of being. Since this definition of peace is the ideal state in our creation and disorder, war and the problems are a categorical part which we experience.

When God created the world, He said that it was “very” good. Gen 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day”. This event could be well considered the summon bonum, a demonstration of the maximum goodness of God, and thus crowned with a day of rest. The Hebrew expression for “very good” is “tob meod”. Meod is the superlative in the Hebrew language, and the word tob belongs to the lexical field of shalom. Interestingly, the beginning of the creation is marked by a state of peace, perfect shalom enjoyed by God on a day of rest, without activities and living in peace.

On the other hand, the peace eirene in the New Testament also has an eschatological sense of salvation. Revelation 19:1 says: “After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God”. According to Kittel, this salvation soteria is the same eirene in the book of Revelation. The state of peace – salvation - is portrayed as the creation filled with figurative descriptions of joy, satisfaction and relaxation. Thus, Revelation 21:4 testifies, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The state of peace, as it has been argued, that it initiates the creation and it will be given in the eschatological future. Peace is, therefore, one of the most important issues in the entire frame of the biblical text.

Teaching in the Bible

According to Baker Gilderstone there are twelve Hebrew words that carry the idea of education, and although this author does not mention the word tsoh (command, give orders), it is worth mentioning, because it appears very early in the scriptures; such as, Genesis 2:16, where God gave an order: “And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.” This verb has the semantic field of an instruction or teaching; thus, it is linked from the creation of humankind.

There are different Hebrew words that is translate as “teaching” in English, but lamad is the term used most frequently; this word is the base for the word Talmud. The verb lamad is very interesting, because it can be translated as “teach” or “learn” depending on the Hebrew state of the verb. This may at the least show that these actions are linked. The TWOT in Hebrew used the same verb because both are based on the fear of God.

The first hit of this verb in the Old Testament occurs in Deuteronomy 4:1: “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you”. Moses urges the people of Israel to learn what God had told them to do. The typical teaching in the book of Deuteronomy is essential for living. The following graph shows the distribution of this word by number of times used per book in the Old Testament:

Graphic 3. Distribution of lamad in the Old Testament

Among the 87 appearances of this word, it is important to highlight that the first two books on the list, Psalms and Deuteronomy, are key texts to understand the word best. In Deuteronomy, the word is used in a way to express the prominence of learning the regulations ordered by God. Meanwhile, in the Psalms, along with another text in the Wisdom Literature, it is used to express the necessity to achieve right insight. Learning, therefore, is achieved from the outside as well as from the inside through guidance and reflection.

The Septuagint translates this verb with four different words: didasko (54 times), manthano (23 times), deiknumi (3 times), and miaino (2 times). New Testament authors take the verb didasko to teach, as the more relevant, and to learn manthano.

Didasko is used 97 times in the New Testament; the following graph shows how it is distributed in the New Testament:

Graphic 4. Distribution of didasko in the New Testament

One can observe that this verb is used 55 times in the Gospels, beginning with Matthew's Gospel. Matt 4:23 - "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” This verse is extremely important, because it shows Jesus as the master par excellence, the didaskalos. In fact, it is one of the favorite public functions of Jesus; people called him didaskale (rabbi) or teacher. According to Kittel, his teaching appeals to the will and calls to make practical decisions that conform to the will of God.

Within the believer´s labor, teaching must be considered and is a clear commandment in Matt 28:20. As one example of this missionary labor, Paul traveled to many places teaching the Gospel, and in his letters, he informs us that sharing the Gospel is an instruction of the Church. Paul was considered a didaskalos to the gentiles, someone who teaches to those people outside from the Jewish people.

The verb manthano is translated as "learning" among the 25 times it is used in the New Testament. The graph below shows its usage distribution in the New Testament:

Graphic 5. Distribution of manthano in the New Testament