Worship Archives - Page 19 of 24 - Kuyperian Commentary

On January 4, 2016 By Steve Jeffery In Worship Like

Towards the Reformation of worship

Recently at Emmanuel we had a sermon and discussion on the subject of worship – in particular, how we should go about the continual process of trying to reform our worship in accordance with Scripture. For many people, this raises an uncomfortable tension.

On the one hand, obviously there must be something to be said for seeking to shape our worship in accordance with Scripture. It may not always be easy to figure out all the details, but in principle, since everything comes under the Lordship of Christ, it’s hard to regard the practical and liturgical details of our church services as unimportant.

But on the other hand, we want to avoid conveying the idea that the liturgical niceties are the be-all-and-end-all of the reformation of worship. Without retreating into gnostic pietism, there is surely something to be said for the idea that the LORD accepts those whose hearts are right before him, who seek him in faith with a repentant spirit.

2 Chronicles 30 sheds some helpful light on the subject. In this chapter, King Hezekiah is in the process of reorganizing the Passover festival after generations of neglect. Clearly, the King is concerned with making sure that everything is done in a certain way, as some of the details in the text make clear (e.g. vv. 14-16). We don’t know how (un-)comfortable the people found these arrangements, though we can be sure that they were unfamiliar with them, since the Passover hadn’t been celebrated for so long. But regardless of this, the liturgical details matter. (more…)

On December 11, 2015 By Jarrod Richey In Music, Worship 2

Pipes Worth Playing: Four Lost Lessons from the Pipe Organ

I know what you’re thinking. Organ: funeral, ball game, grand dusty cathedral. Why should modern Christians of such a technological age revisit a thousand year-old instrument? Don’t worry, I will not be trying to punch another hole in my Weird Music Preferences and Opinions card here. The truth is, our Christian culture is missing out on one of the great blessings to the Christian church, an instrument with capabilities that lend both strength and maturity to how we worship. Only a caricature of what it once was, the pipe organ has endured a history that has left it unloved or at best uninteresting to most Evangelical Christians in America today. By remembering its origin and the theology connected to its design, we can push air once again through the pipes with joy!

First, the pipe organ was built for the Christian church.

It was installed into the actual walls and framework of protestant and catholic churches and cathedrals throughout western civilization. No other instrument is installed with such permanence. This is not an argument of who had it first, rather this is a call for Christians to revisit the value of this instrument not in the narrow light of its present-day uses, but in the broader light of history. The pipe organ’s design was intentional, purposeful in church worship, and ever pointing to God as no other instrument was made to do.

Second, the pipe organ highlights God’s diligent sovereignty in creation.

All is lifeless without His hand as the organ does not spontaneously create music without a master’s hands. The hundreds of pipes and sound combinations require the fingers of a master musician on the keyboard manual and the subsequent inspiration of air through the bellows and pipes. The hollow tubes of metal and wood stand dormant until this inspiration gives way to sound. The pipes of various lengths and sizes remind us that through the multitude of layers in God’s created order, all come under submission to the composer and chief musician who gives them life and purpose. The pipe organ’s bellows moving air through flue and reed pipes much like the human lungs moving air through larynx and vocal reeds is a creational model of the Holy Spirit breathing life and transforming cacophony into a symphony of sound that proclaims his goodness and glory. (more…)

On December 7, 2015 By Steve Jeffery In Worship Like

Getting the best from the Lectionary

During advent at Emmanuel we’re following the readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. This can provoke a range of reactions from Reformed and evangelical Christians, and I thought it might therefore be worth recording some of my own reflections on the strengths (and weaknesses) of this approach.

I should start by conceding that there are some obvious problems with following the lectionary – at least, there would be if we did it all the time. For example:

The readings are frequently very short – too short to get any sense of the context.
The first problem is exacerbated by the fact that the readings often miss off significant portions at the beginning and end (or even sometimes, in some lectionaries, the middle) of the passages being read, which are necessary to make sense of them.
Many parts of the Bible are not included at all (at least in the readings for Sundays), with the result that they disappear entirely from the corporate church’s worship. This really would be a serious problem if (as many lectionary fans wish) the whole church throughout the world adopted the same lectionary.
The logic and coherence of sequential exposition of sequential passages in a single book is lost. (For what it’s worth, I think that many preachers tend to overestimate the value of sequential exposition in this respect. If you’re a preacher, try asking a member of the congregation next Sunday what you preached on last week, and you’ll soon discover why, yet I think there is still something to be said for the point.)
The familiar passages that (understandably) dominate lectionaries tend to become over-familiar, leading to a stereotyped picture of the Christian faith which loses the surprise-factor of the unfamiliar parts of the Bible. (I mean, how many lectionaries devote substantial attention to large portions of the book of Judges?)
Related to the previous point, I’m afraid I wonder how many of the choices of readings in some lectionaries are dictated by theological prejudice against unpopular or controversial aspects of the Christian faith. Imprecatory Psalms are either ignored entirely or heavily edited; large portions of Leviticus, Joshua, Judges and the prophets fail to make an appearance; you get the picture.
The choice of readings for particular seasons of the church year may at times reflect exegetical misunderstandings about the texts being read. Even if these misunderstandings were not present in the minds of the editors, they could easily be reinforced in the minds of congregations. For example, if the season of Advent is broadly about the anticipation of Jesus’ final return in glory, then the inclusion of Lk 21:25-36 is likely to reinforce the widely-held but (to my mind) mistaken reading of the Olivet Discourse as a prediction of this great event, rather than a prediction of the destruction of the Temple in AD70.

(more…)

On October 20, 2015 By Steve Macias In Theology, Worship Like

How to Become a Church Planting Church

I recently attended a Church conference sponsored by the Acts 29 Network and Origin Church of Roseville called, “Simple Effective Church.”

Origin Church hosted the conference at their Roseville campus and described the event as, “uncomplicated systems for thriving disciple making.” A majority of the church leaders in attendance fell into the reformed or evangelical brand of independent churches, although I met a few from baptist and presbyterian denominations. Our collared priest outed our group as from a more liturgical background.

The event had three sessions led by Pastor Brian Howard. Pastor Brian co-founded Sojourn Network, a national church planting network, currently leads Church Multiplication for Pacific Church Network, and serves as Network Director of Acts 29 US West.

His three sessions were entitled, “How to Become a Church Planting Church,” “No One Even Knows Your Church Exists: What you can do about it,” and “Avoiding Elder Blowup: How to do leadership development from day one.”

Become a Church planting Church

Howard emphasized that we need to view missions as a three-pronged category that includes “local, domestic, and international” missionary efforts. Noting that while many churches focus on setting aside a percentage for international missions, perhaps we ought to consider adding a local church planting line to our budgets and plans for giving. It is also worth considering his suggestion to “adopt and support an existing church planter” and to, “partner with other churches in supporting a church planter.”

No One Even Knows Your Church Exists

If your church closed today, would anyone in your community notice? For those of us in liturgical churches, it is much easier to focus inwardly on the beauty of our own services. So where do we start? Howard suggests that the basic goal of church outreach is to develop a long term presence in your community. “Church is more than a crowd,” he said. “We all know that numerical growth is not the same thing as spiritual success.”

According to Howard, that long term presence begins with identifying your target area and researching the ways you can serve the community around your church. “We mapped out the neighborhood around my church and my home, and then we pulled up the census data for this region.” This “research” plan is to help church leaders navigate their own culture and what they hope to create. Age, ethnicity, language, religious preference, and income were all considered as relevant data points to help church planters understand what kinds of outreach they might explore. For example, a historically Roman Catholic demographic like latinos might be more primed for a liturgically grounded service, while outreach to an economically challenged community might take the form of a church-based medical clinic or food closet.

“Whatever you do, be seen as a community of love,” said Howard. He then challenged the group of pastors and leaders to each brainstorm twenty new ideas for outreach.

Avoiding an Elder Blow-Up

His third talk was important in a post-denomination church planting context. Many are familiar with the rise and fall of Mark Driscoll and a number of other “non-denominational” network-style planters. As I listened to the talk, I considered how much of Howard’s advice was embedded in the historical polity of both the presbyterian and episcopal models. I couldn’t imagine attempting to plant a church on my own and perhaps this is why Acts 29 Network has become so popular.

Brian Howard suggests plants create an “outside advisory team,” where pastors can, “communicate their plans from day one.” While encouraging churches to develop leaders as a priority, he also advised against installing men, “who were formerly elders in other churches.” While I disagree with this sentiment, I can understand where Howard is coming from with elders who move from church to church to gain control.

He concluding remarks suggested plants implement a more involved leadership development structure in the elder process. I’ve been working through Dr. Tony Baron’s work called, “The Cross and the Towel: Leading to a Higher Calling” (amazon) and would highly recommended anything by Dr. Baron on the subject.

On October 17, 2015 By Steve Macias In Culture, Music, Worship Like

Project Aims to Make Liturgical Music More Accessible

A new set of worship songs rooted in the ancient praise of God

This week, Santa Cruz, Calif. church planter Rob Patterson launched a Kickstarter to create a new liturgical music project to serve the Church—particularly church plants like his.

In an interview with Andrea Bailey Willits (The Diocese of Churches for Sake of Others) he explained his the motivation behind the project.

“My journey into Anglicanism, with its liturgies, seasons and rhythms, has given birth to some new worship songs,” Patterson says. “These songs are meant to serve the church, particularly liturgical church plants where big rock worship can feel too big, and where some of the tradition’s older music can feel a bit inaccessible.”

Folksy Liturgical Style

In a folksy acoustic style, Patterson has taken some older texts and set them to singable melodies that embrace both the tradition and modern expression. He has also written some new songs specifically to serve the modern liturgical context.

“The songs I’ve written for this project are pieces of my journey into Anglicanism, bits of theology and heart set to music, meant to bless the Church and honor the Lord,” he says.

The Kickstarter Campaign

Over the next month, Patterson hopes to raise the money he needs to make this music a reality. He plans to record in Austin, Texas, the Live Music Capital of the World, with a stellar group of musicians, including producer Ramy Antoun.

“I don’t think you can find a cooler guy around. Ramy grew up in Egypt and has a deep love for the Lord,” Patterson says. “I first met Ramy when he played drums on a project I recorded in L.A. some years ago. He went on to play with folks like Black Eyed Peas and Seal. Ramy’s now producing worship records, and I’m super excited to team up with him to make this new project.”

Please consider helping fund this new liturgical music to serve the Church. Make a donation.

On August 25, 2015 By Kuyperian In Worship Like

Is Children’s Church a Cop Out?

Recently Lutheran Satire posted this. Below is my response.

I really like Lutheran Satire but this is ridiculous. We developed a children’s church program at our (Anglican) church precisely for the purpose of helping our little ones (under 6) understand the message of the sermon text in a way that they could grasp more readily than the sermon, which by the way averages about 20 minutes, not exactly an overly didactic lecture. For us it is an attempt to better serve them. The children go to children’s church during the sermon hymn (just before the sermon is preached), and return during the offertory which immediately precedes communion. During that time rather than having a “half trained laymen give them a paltry amount of instruction,” the children’s church workers utilize a thoughtfully designed lesson prepared by my (seminary trained) wife to teach our little ones the lesson of the sermon text in a way that is suited to their maturity and development. Every week my children are able to tell me what they have learned from the text. And guess what? It typically matches up with what I took from the sermon. Before we had children’s church they could not do this. Do they do crafts and activities? Yes, and these help them learn and retain the lesson, as anyone who knows anything about early childhood education would tell you.

Finally, and not to put too fine a point on the matter, but when they return from being taught the Bible by faithful members that remember that it is such as these that will inherit the Kingdom my toddler and infant children are invited week by week to participate in the Eucharist, to eat “the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee…” and to drink “the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee…” In our church my children don’t have to prove themselves worthy of Christ and His Kingdom to be invited to Jesus’ table. They are members of his body and full participants in his family meal.

From the Lutheran Satire post, given as an example of what not to do (i.e. children’s church, yet they do not allow their young ones to partake of the Lord’s Supper)”…why don’t we suffer not the little children and forbid them from coming to church until they prove themselves worthy of Christ and his Kingdom…”

On July 14, 2015 By Jarrod Richey In Culture, Music, Worship Like

It’s A Musical Life

All of history and the Christian life can be described as a divine musical. Think of our generation as a modern, global cast of characters in the most recent grand production. We are playing our part in the story, the themes having already been introduced by the master playwright years ago. Alas, we are not following the script as closely as previous casts were careful to do, and the current cast has a slight issue, our modern actors have all but lost the musical ability to perform the roles. You can imagine the difficulties there. To compensate, the modern cast and crew have seen fit to edit and rework the musical by removing the most challenging and recognizable music numbers and replacing them with dialogues and diatribes requiring less time and coordination to perform. They are spreading the word that singing and dancing are optional skills for performing in this musical. And, if that were not enough, the cast has collectively decided to meet and rehearse their lines when they wish or at home rather than be bothered by the imposition of rehearsing when the playwright and director call rehearsals.

What the current cast does not grasp is that they have lost both the inspiration and the ability to perform the musical with a devotion to the author’s story. This particular rendition is rather fragmented and clunky, lacking in flow and rhythm. Things are falling apart. Rather than refine and restage the story as previous iterations of the cast, they have extracted difficult sections. The flow and beauty of the playwright’s original script is disconnected, detached. We, as the real live cast of this story must decide what to do, how to respond to our own mess.

How Will We Respond?

First, as Christians in a musical story since creation, we must repent of our arrogance, refusing to acknowledge and give thanks for the previous generations of actors that have been faithful in retelling the story. We must see ourselves as conduits and participants in a message that is outside ourselves and bigger than ourselves. We must see the value of our small part in the story that is being told, see it in context. If we do not perform well, how will the next cast stand on our shoulders? But in order for all this to happen, we must know how to meet the bar already set for us and raise it.

Second, we must realize that this is, afterall, a musical and it calls for a lot of singing. God rejoices over his creation and the story that he’s telling with song. Zephaniah 3:17 says that he “joyfully sings over us,” his actors, in the midst of this musical drama. Not only that, but he has made us as his image bearers and given us the tools to sing in similar joyful ways. This is no small task and requires much work. This means that all of us should be trained in music to some degree so that we can more fully participate in the musical roles that God has for us. At the very least, we are called to be part of the chorus ensemble numbers on Sundays, and see to the training of the next generation of actors as well. We should be able to sing and dance in such a way that points to the Master playwright, the Triune God, and He is no amateur.

Third, our unity as a cast, as a body, depends upon our rehearsal together. The culmination of knowing, rehearsing, and fellowshipping in the author’s words makes that possible. If you’re like me, it always seemed a bit funny when the dialogue in a musical would suddenly break into spontaneous song and dance, until I realized that the song and dance was only spontaneous to me as a member of the audience looking on. The world now is our audience. The only way to be a unit, the only way to not step on your neighbors toes, the only way to jump from dialogue to song is to practice together. The music must be so familiar that the singing happens naturally, simply an overflow of our hearts.

The comparison of our life to a musical should cause us to review the musical language that is present in the scriptures from cover to cover with a mind to take back up our callings as singers. Consider the songs of Miriam, Deborah, David, the Psalms, Zechariah, Mary, the Angels at Jesus’ birth, the songs of Paul and Silas, and even the songs of those surrounding the throne in the book of Revelation. Think about how the joy we have been given through salvation in Jesus Christ demands far more than systematic responses of faith and affirmation written down on paper only. Our joy and thankfulness should spring into song and dance.

________________

Jarrod Richey currently lives in Monroe, Louisiana with his lovely wife Sarah and their five children. He is both the Director of Choral Activities and Pre-K4 through 12th grade music teacher at Geneva Academy. In addition to this, he has been on staff at Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church since 2005 handling both church media and choral music responsibilities. Jarrod has recently founded Jubilate Deo Summer Music Camp in Monroe, LA that seeks to train joyful worshippers and young singers. For more information on the camp visit, www.jubilatedeo.org. He is also featured in an upcoming Music Education Discussion titled, “Recovering Music Education in Christian Education” from Roman Roads Media.

On June 2, 2015 By Dustin Messer In Theology, Wisdom, Worship Like

Choosing a Denomination for the Wrong Reasons

I recently had coffee with a friend who is seriously considering leaving one denomination for another. His reasons for seeking my advice had less to do with my wisdom and more to do with my experience. After growing up in a godly, Baptist home—after years of ministry in a healthy Southern Baptist Church—indeed, after graduating from an excellent Baptist college, I became a Presbyterian. To be sure, I left the SBC in a good mood. I wouldn’t trade my Baptist upbringing for the world, and I still reference my notes from Chad Brand’s Baptist History class on a regular basis—his brilliance is still awe-inspiring. My transition from the SBC to the PCA felt more like a skip than a leap. Said differently, my conversion wasn’t motivated by any perceived weakness in the Baptist tradition. I left because of what I saw as the strengths of the Reformed tradition. This, I now believe, was a mistake.

Now, before you go questioning my Reformed bona fides, allow me to explain. I’m a committed Presbyterian. My denominational fate was sealed the moment I saw the most beautiful girl in the world wearing a shirt that read “Presbyterian!” God uses “means” to lead us, and sometimes those means wear perfume and have the whole of the Westminster Shorter Catechism memorized. In those cases, you marry the means! It was destiny—maybe even pre-destiny. But back to the point at hand, I’m a happy Presbyterian. I still hold to all of the theological positions and interpretations which motivated my realignment in the first place (and I’m still married to the beautiful Presbyterian!). What I believe was a mistake, looking back, was my optimism. I viewed the baptismal font as half-full, in other words. If I had it to do over again, I would have joined the PCA for her weaknesses, not her strengths.

If you only choose a denomination because of her “best practices,” you’ll always be disappointed. Calvin won’t be your Presbyter, Cranmer won’t be your Bishop, your church will likely not be on Wesley’s circuit. Joining a denomination because of her strengths has a way of making the convert somewhat grumpy. We view ourselves as second generation Israelites in exile, longing for a home we’ve never known. Depending on what you consider the “promised land,” the denomination is too rigid or too lax, too ingrown or too compromising, too modern or too post-modern, too traditional or too progressive. With this mindset, the pastor-brother who does things differently is viewed as a competitor at best, and mere rust on a ship at worst. Churches, further, are simply battle grounds to be won or obstacles to be overcome.

This “competitor” and “battle” mentality is the natural result of choosing a denomination based on “best practices.” After all, think of the theological cage fights which brought you to the denomination in the first place. The choice between Catholic and Protestant consisted of a 4^th century theologian against a 16^th century theologian. If the Protestant won, you then pitted representatives from various traditions against one another: Calvin v. Arminius, or Whitfield v. Wesley. All of this tussling and you still hadn’t landed on a denomination! Now you had to have Schaeffer v. Van Til, or Keller v. Hart, maybe. Each battle got more and more precise, moving from boxing matches, to basketball games, to chess tournaments.

Of course, the problem isn’t with the competitions themselves. If there is such a thing as “truth” it’s worth finding, and we shouldn’t expect to come to it without a busted lip or two. The problem is with the stakes of the fights: namely, denominational loyalty. If Keller beats Hart, you join the PCA instead of the OPC. However, there are people who sound more like Hart than Keller at General Assembly. Surely, this won’t do—after all, Keller won! Your job, then, is to reenact the “Keller v. Hart” match on the floor of GA and in the halls of your church. Again, in the mind of the arguer, the stakes are the same: denominational loyalty. The winner is “in” and the loser is “out.”

The alternative to choosing a denomination because of her “best practices” is choosing a denomination because of her “worst practices.” Then, your choice isn’t between “X 4^th century theologian and Y 16^th century theologian.” You can keep them both! Rather, you’ll decide between “X sin (praying to an icon, say) and Y sin (anemic view of the sacraments, say).” Choose the denomination because, at its worst, it still doesn’t command you to do something God forbids or forbid you from doing something God commands. Meticulously account for the “worst” in each denomination, all along the way asking: “can I live with this?”

If you can’t live with X in a denomination, then spare everyone the heartache and don’t join the denomination which consists of many who hold to X. However, if you’re able to live with the state of the denomination, even after evaluating what you perceive to be her “worst practices,” then by all means, join! This doesn’t mean you can’t debate serious theological issues with your brothers and sisters. It simply means that your brothers and sisters are just that, and neither the “winning” nor “losing” party will be excluded from the next family picture.

My friend asked me to get coffee because he wanted advice. After much listening, I simply told him the following: view the baptismal font as half-empty. Sure, love the “best” that your tradition has to offer, but make sure your love is for the denomination you’re joining, not the one in your mind. After all, the utopian-denomination of your mind likely never existed in the first place! Don’t be so homesick for Eden that you fail to march on to the New Jerusalem. Make your peace with the church’s purity, and then do your best to preserve her purity and peace.

On May 22, 2015 By Uri Brito In Worship Like

Pentecost 101: A Brief Lesson

Here is the bad news: Pentecost will likely not have the prestige of Christmas and Easter. In some ways we are still trying to persuade evangelicals of the need for the Church Calendar. But we move on with our agenda. It is crucial to know that we are talking only about Classic Reformational and Lutheran celebrations which include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.^a In other words, these are conspicuously Christ-Centered feasts. These feasts exalt the work and name of Jesus.

Some may say, “But we celebrate Easter all year long. Why do we have to set time aside to celebrate it in particular?” While this comment is noble, it is important to note that you can’t say everything all the time lest you say nothing at all. In other words, there is simply no way to celebrate all these events all the time. Hence, the Church has developed a way of celebrating, remembering, and internalizing the life of Jesus throughout the year.

So, what is Pentecost and what are some ways we can celebrate this Feast?

Pentecost means the fiftieth day because it is the 50^th day after Passover. This was also the Feast of the Harvest. In fact, we can say that Pentecost in Acts 2 is the great fulfillment of all previous Pentecosts. The Old Testament Feasts led us to this fiery moment of redemptive history in the first century. The Great Harvest Feast is now being fulfilled and God is harvesting the nations, and since Christ is sitting at the Father’s right hand, the nations are being given to Jesus Christ as an inheritance (Ps. 110).

How can I celebrate this Feast?

Pentecost goes from the 24th of May to October 31st. One way to be liturgically self-conscious is by putting a few things into practice.

First, you may consider wearing something red this Sunday. Remember the promise of Acts 2 that the Spirit would be poured out like fire. Pentecost is the re-birth of the Church. Red symbolizes the fire that came from heaven and indwelt the Church as they moved from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Secondly, use this time to talk to your children about the Holy Spirit. The Third Person of the Godhead is often set aside as the forgotten Person of the Trinity, but he should not be. We must remember that Jesus refers to the Spirit as our Comforter (Jn. 14:16). Reading Acts 2 and other passages about the work of the Spirit is a healthy way of bringing recognition to the One who is truly God.

Thirdly, allow this feast, which celebrates the reversal of Babel, to be a reminder that God has made a new humanity through his Spirit. We are no longer a divided ethnos, we are one new creation of Jews and Gentiles, blacks and white. Live out gospel reconciliation in every possible situation.

Fourthly, educate yourself about other Church traditions. As a Reformed pastor, I can honestly say that I have learned much from my Anglican, Lutheran, and Baptist brothers and sisters. Pentecost is a reminder that our differences should never cause us to divide from other Trinitarian believers.

Finally, do not be hopeless in this season. God has not left us orphans. The absence of Jesus’ physical body on earth means his presence at the right hand of the Father in heaven ruling and reigning by his Spirit forming a resurrected creation under his reign.

Happy Pentecost! Rejoice greatly! The Spirit is among us!

There are some special celebrations within these main ones like Trinity Sunday (back)

On March 20, 2015 By Uri Brito In Politics, Worship Like

Lent and the Serpent’s Curse

As we approach Holy Week and prepare ourselves to re-enter that brutal narrative of Jesus’ final days before death, I want to discuss one profound accomplishment of the cross of Jesus. Generally, discussions about the cross focus on the covering of sin Jesus provides in his sacrifice, but another element that should receive attention concerns the paralyzing blow that Jesus’ death has on the serpent, the Devil. The serpent is the root and symbol of deception. And so, the story of the Bible means the undoing of Satan’s deception to the world. This blow is given to us in Genesis 3.

Yahweh God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

The serpent was cunning above all, so he is cursed above all. To be cursed is to be banished or isolated.[1] This is why when God send his people into exile it is a form of curse. The meaning of Genesis 3 is that the serpent is now cut off from being a part of the cattle and the beasts of the field. He is separated from the animals.[2] In Leviticus 11, there is a description of clean and unclean animals, and among them are listed the creatures that break the boundary of a human life and invade a human house.[3] Anyone who touches these animals is considered unclean. Out of the eight mentioned, six are animals that move on their belly. The serpent became an unclean animal, precisely because it invaded the human house—the Garden—and made it unclean. This curse in the Torah is a reference to the deception of the serpent and consequently the curse that followed that deception.

Another element of the curse is that the serpent would “eat dust all the days of its life.” The author is not referring to dry dirt. The idea of “dust” expresses “the deepest form of degradation.”[4] This is the picture of humiliation. This is a curse, but for us this is a promise that the enemies of God will lick the dust, as Psalm 72 states.[5] It is also a promise of final victory over the devil. Our Messiah defeated the evil serpent at his death, but he will defeat the devil and his demons once and for all at the end of history.[6] The reason Lent is so important for us is because through death he destroyed the one who has the power of death (Heb. 2:14). The promise of the curse is the promise that at the death of our Lord—fulfilled many centuries later– we will witness by the success of the gospel the utter humiliation of the devil. In fact, we live in the age of the serpent’s humiliation. Death, resurrection, and ascension sealed the fate of the evil serpent. In this curse the progress of the gospel implies the enemies of Yahweh licking the dust just like their father, the devil.

Verse 15 forms the famous proto-euangelion passage; the first gospel. This is an expansion on the curse of verse 14 detailing the way in which the serpent will be destroyed.[7]

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

Think for a moment that throughout this curse, the tempter is absolutely silent. There are no smart retorts; no subtle attempt to trick Yahweh; simply silence. And the separation God puts into place is this antagonism between Lucifer and humanity, to prevent humanity from blindly following Satan to destruction.[8]

The implication here is that the serpent has offspring who will war with the offspring of the woman.

Then we come to the final element of this curse, which seals the future of the serpent. As the serpent quietly sits listening to the curse he hears that his head will be crushed. The Book of Judges brings this theme to the forefront when it lists several examples of enemies of the gospel whose heads were crushed. You may remember most notably Jael crushing Sisera’s head with a tent peg (Judges 5:24-27). This is all, of course, a little reminder that the promise of Genesis 3:15 is alive and well. Again, not the precious moment imagery if we were expecting a sanitary Bible. The Bible is extremely violent. Yahweh does not allow his justice to go unanswered. He destroys and brings justice far as the curse is found. The devil has received this temporary blow at the death of Jesus. Lent culminates in the seed of the woman crushing the head of the serpent at the cross (Rom. 16:20). This curse on the serpent signifies blessings for God’s people.

[1] Trees and Thorns. JBJ. See also Cassuto’s comments on this text. The nature of exile can also be added to this concept. Exile is a form of death. The Israelites died in the wilderness both physically and spiritually, since they lived exilically.

[2] E.J. Young. 97

[3] The implications of this text are many. The unclean/clean motif is remarkably potent in the Bible.

[4] E.J. Young.

[5] Verses 8-9 -May he have dominion from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth!

May desert tribes bow down before him,

and his enemies lick the dust!

(Psalm 72:8-9 ESV)

[6] See Revelation’s description.

[7] I have preached an entire sermon on this verse.

[8] Trees and Thorns.