Well, I had hoped to give each student a free 30% on their final grade by asking for a simple 2 comments per week to the class discussion. What I thought was a bonus has now become a burden.
I really do NOT want to give out failing grades, but I have to grade according to the syllabus.
Here is your last, final chance to comment. Because I would love to give each of you a passing grade, I am giving you this week also to make ANY comments you would like related to the course in order to bring your class participation grade up.
The final will consist of matching and essay questions.
On the essay questions you will be asked (as outlined in the Course Goals and Objectives on the syllabus) to discuss the authorship, date, theme, historical, and cultural background and overall content of each of the prophetical books of the Old Testament. You will be asked to give the basic theme and literary structure of each book. You will be asked to give passages from each book and relate their New Testament references and application. The rubric will be based upon these points. If you have been following along with the work, this should not be too hard. If you have not been keeping up, this will be hard. This final will be another 30% of your grade.
I am strongly encouraging you to take advantage of this last chance to bring your class participation grade up so that it can help rather than hinder your overall grade for the class.
Your final papers will be the last 40% of your grade. Again, I am looking for quality and thoroughness in covering your topic not length.
--- marty ---
Just wanted to share what I thought was interesting about Zechariah that I had forgotten about until I listened to the last audio recording. I have always thought that Zechariah 3 was referring to God Judging between Jesus and Satan, since Jesus' Hebrew name is Yeshua, or Joshua in English. I think it is prophetic of Jesus Christ Himself in chapter 3 somehow? Just my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI have also never heard of the idea that there may have been two different authors of the book of Zechariah. I believe it was the same author both times, but it's still interesting to know that of the possibility of a second author I guess.
ReplyDeleteI too want to share my thoughts only here on the book of Haggai. It is very interesting that Yahweh spoke through the prophet Haggai as if he were speaking today asking,"Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin? Now this is what the Lord Almighty says, Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." (NIV) I find this very interesting having been a pastor for 5 years. Here is somewhat a list that may come a little close; volunteering for visitation, serving meals, praying with folks who have immediate needs, cleaning and landscaping around our churches, tithing, small group studies, teaching the word, praying out loud maybe in public, greeting folks at the front door, staying past noon on a Sunday because there is a need to be tended to. I am not pointing fingers because I struggle with issues too. When we have low expectations then we must expect low or no results at all. What we have done in our Christian walk maybe is to compartmentalize it or franchise it to the best bidder. What is it that gets out attention? It seems we give more attention to what we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch; our five senses. This is an issue Haggai wrestled with; what is convenient. Convenience is not what our faith is all about. It is actually inconvenient and that is why the people expect the pastor or the professional christian (who we pay) to do everything! So we have paneled houses, little harvest, hunger is not satisfied, clothes that are obsolete and wages that go through the cracks. The Christian faith is to be a communal effort, a team working together, a community that has decided to be different. It is time we really model what is stated in the Word. If we want to get something done then we are the first to be there or to call people or to feed people or to pray for needs. This may sound contradictory to what I stated before. What I left out is that we take people with us when we do these things. We show the simplicity and help other move through their fears and feelings of inadequacy. God wants his temple rebuilt. He wants the church to thrive today by way of his Spirit working in our lives. He wants us to be communities of the Holy Spirit. These verses in Haggai really got me thinking about what God wants vs what I may want or what others want. What does God want?
ReplyDeleteAnother book that really spoke to my heart is Malachi. Dr. Staats mentioned that this book addressed the sons of the post exillic community after 516 BC where issues were addressed by way of questions. In chapter 3 Yahweh by way of the prophet address lifestyle after talking to them about tithing beginning in verse 13. "You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord. "Yet you ask, "What have we said against you?" (NIV). Other bibles say of the English word harsh in the NIV, "stout" in the King James and "harsh" in the NKJV. The people's approach towards God was harsh, stout and harsh again. This was their approach towards him. Then they essentially said it is useless or vain or futile to serve God. Their approach to the walk was as they were dressed in black or walking in a funeral procession. I have seen this and have been directly confronted to give up and resign on God. This is the enemy at his height. We can not give in to the accuser, to accept his thoughts and his ways. No our God is a good God who only wants the best for all of his creation. People live this way because their leadership have modeled this and essentially say we give up. Let this never be said of us! Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world is still true today. It is Christ in you the hope of glory. You have this treasure in jars of clay that the greatness of his power may be of God and not of us.
ReplyDeleteMalachi is as living today as it was then along with the other prophets. The enemy is the same today with no new tricks, just covers them over with new facades.
This class has helped me immensely with practical application that I am modeling and teaching. Thank you Marty for all your work, prayers and words of exhortation. We all need it.
Marty I have really enjoyed reading the comments others have posted and the opportunity to put my own thoughts together here. I do have one complaint; I have lost at least two or three comments because the session timed out. This just happened again and it was a really good comment. This is why my post above starts with, another book...I have had computer issues at home with a very deep virus that we are trying to rid. My final paper is saved in the computer and we will try to get everything done and in time.
ReplyDeleteI will summarize what I wrote earlier; Haggai made his complaint to the people's paneled homes as the temple laid in ruin. This is similar language I have seen when there are needs in the church that should be done. If we want something done then we should model and teach as we do it. Take someone along on visits, in prayer, in meetings. We are to teach and model what we say needs to get done.
In thinking through my last comments I think it could have been avoided if I had saved the comment on a word document and then paste it in. I had to use another computer because of the virus my laptop has. I left the session open for a time as I was going to post both comments.
ReplyDeleteDuring our staff time of prayer I was able to share from Haggai about how the house of God lays in waste and the people were only concerned about their comfort and leisure. god reminded them that consequences were in store if they did not heed his exhortation to get busy and rebuild. I think about how much is to be done in the church and at times so few to do it. Yet God looks on the heart and works with those who partner with him. It is great to be a fellow laborer with him and all of you.