Failed Bible Heroes

Series: Gospel in Genesis

Biblical Theology

Failed Bible Heroes

40 min

Series: Gospel in Genesis

Biblical Theology

Failed Bible Heroes

40 min

In Genesis 3:15, God promises that one day a seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. What would happen if we began to read the rest of Scripture in the light of this promise? What would result if we stopped to consider whether subsequent Bible characters and heroes qualified to be the one promised who would ultimately defeat God’s enemy and restore order to his creation? Reading the story this way helps us to see with greater clarity the ways in which other Bible characters are presented as failed heroes, as well as why Christ alone is able to triumph. On this episode Shane Rosenthal discusses this approach to reading the Bible with Justin Holcomb.

Show Quote:

King David committed a capital offense when he killed Uriah and slept with his wife Bathsheba. According to the law of Moses, there was actually no atonement that he could perform in order to cleanse him of such a high handed sin as this. When a person committed murder, his own death was required—and this would end up purifying the nation (Num. 35:30-34). This is why God had to give David a special exemption through the prophet Nathan (2 Sam. 12:13). Ultimately, the one who bore David’s punishment and who purified us all, was David’s greater son, Jesus.

Shane Rosenthal

Recommended:

On the Grace of God 

Author: Justin Holcomb

Why is grace such a big deal? What does God tell us about it in Scripture? Can radical grace really be true? If so, what are the implications for our lives? This book will answer these questions and more as we explore the all-important theme of God’s gratuitous grace throughout the Bible. Packed with big truth, this little book on grace can be read in roughly one hour—ensuring you’ll actually read it.

Him We Proclaim

Author: Dennis Johnson

Challenging modern preachers to expound the Bible like Peter and Paul, Him We Proclaim makes the hermeneutical and historical case for a return to apostolic preaching—preaching that is Christ-centered, redemptive-historical, missiologically communicated, and grounded in grace. But moving beyond theory, Him We Proclaim provides examples of how this method applies to all Old and New Testament genres, from history and law to psalm and prophecy to doctrine and exhortation.

Christ-Centered Biblical Theology

Author: Graeme Goldsworthy

Through the lens of biblical theology the Bible ceases to be a mass of unconnected texts, but takes shape as a unified metanarrative connecting the story of Israel with that of Jesus. It presents the whole scene of God’s revelation as one mighty plan of salvation. For fifty years Graeme Goldsworthy has been refining his understanding of biblical theology through his experiences as a student, pastor and teacher. In this valuable complement to his Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, Goldsworthy defends and refines the rationale for his approach, drawing especially on the work of Australian biblical scholar Donald Robinson.

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Justin S. Holcomb, PhD, is an Episcopal minister and professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than twenty books on numerous topics, including abuse, biblical studies, and theology. Justin and his wife, Lindsey, coauthored the award-winning children’s book God Made All of Me, God Made Me in His Image, and God Made Babies. You can read more from Justin at justinholcomb.com and connect with him on Twitter @JustinHolcomb.

Shane Rosenthal is executive producer of The White Horse Inn national radio broadcast which can be heard online at whitehorseinn.org.

Series • 15 Episodes

Gospel in Genesis

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The Gospel in Genesis

The Gospel in Genesis

In the beginning God created man in his image and likeness. What are the implications of this important truth, and how was that image twisted and distorted after the fall? What was so significant about Adam and Eve’s transgression in the first place, and how do the effects of that original sin continue to echo […]

Abraham, Sarah & Hagar

Abraham, Sarah & Hagar

The story of Abraham is a record of both faith and doubt. While we’re told in Genesis 15 that “Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness,” in the very next chapter we find him agreeing with his wife Sarah to attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promises by […]

Grace & Works Contrasted

Grace & Works Contrasted

In his Genesis commentary, Walter Brueggemann notes that in chapters 16 to 18, Abraham and Sarah “are not offered as models of faith but as models of disbelief.” In this part of the narrative, he says, “the call is not embraced, but is rejected as non-sensical.” This helps to explain why the couple sought to […]

The Sacrifice of Isaac

The Sacrifice of Isaac

Why did God call Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac? Why would he ask a loving parent to even consider such a thing? Is this story a kind of object lesson meant to show us how much we should be willing to give up for God, or is something else being revealed in this unsettling […]

Grace & Election in the Story of Jacob

Grace & Election in the Story of Jacob

The story of Jacob and Esau raises a number of important questions. Why did God choose Jacob in favor of Esau? Was it due to some kind of foreseen virtue on Jacob’s part? In reality, that approach fails on a number of levels, since Jacob is presented throughout Genesis as a schemer, deceiver, and master-manipulator. […]

Blessed in the Garments of the Firstborn

Blessed in the Garments of the Firstborn

As we saw last week, difficulties arise when we attempt to read the story of Jacob and Esau as a traditional morality tale. In reality, the book of Genesis does not present Jacob as a hero to be emulated, but as a great sinner in whom God’s mysterious grace is richly on display. And as […]

Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven

Many people today think of religion as a metaphorical stairway that leads to heaven. Basically, it’s an upward path that all of us are meant to ascend by our own good works. In Genesis 28, however, Jacob encounters a great stairway between heaven and earth, but he’s not invited to climb it. Instead, God graciously […]

God’s Grace vs. Human Striving

God’s Grace vs. Human Striving

In Genesis 29, Jacob the deceiver is himself deceived. Though he had intended to marry Rachel, he was first tricked into marrying her older sister. Later, as she struggles with infertility, Rachel gives Jacob her maidservant to be a kind of surrogate mother. When two sons are born to her in this way, Rachel believes […]

Wrestling with God

Wrestling with God

As Jacob returns to the promised land in Genesis 32, he’s attacked in the middle of the night. As the two men struggle until the breaking of day, it slowly begins to dawn on Jacob that there’s something special about his wrestling partner. In fact, by the end of the encounter it’s revealed to Jacob […]

The Gospel of God’s Weakness

The Gospel of God’s Weakness

As mentioned on last week’s program, most commentators tend to argue that Genesis 32 is about Jacob’s refusing to let go of God until he received his desired blessing, which of course is something that all believers should strive to do as well. Or is it? On this episode the hosts continue to explore the […]

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