Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for
our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Cor 10:11-12)

How do we define victory? In Exodus chapter 17, Israel fought its first battle at Rephidim. The people had already learned of God’s miraculous provision of manna and water. In each situation, the provisions were given by direct instruction from the Lord to Moses. In Exodus 17:8, they were faced with an army. How were they to defend themselves? This is when Moses instructed Joshua to select men to fight against their attackers, the Amalekites.

Moses took Aaron and Hur with him to the top of a hill overlooking the battlefield. When he held up his staff, Israel prevailed. When he lowered his staff, the Amalekites prevailed. Aaron and Hur helped him hold up his staff until sunset, and Israel realized their first victory. There were several lessons for Israel to learn in this first victory.

First, there is no reference to God giving instructions. God was present, to be sure, but the impression might be that Moses provided the victory. Aaron and Hur assisted, but it was Moses’s staff. Centuries later, John records that when the Jews asked for a sign from Jesus that He was authentic, they attributed the giving of manna in the wilderness to Moses and not God. (Jn 6:31; cf. Ex 16:34-35) They did not learn from the first lesson of this victory.

Second, God promised to “utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” (Ex 17:14b). Note that Moses was “to write in a book as a memorial (of this victory).” (Ex 17:14a) A quick overview of the internet today reveals countless articles and speculations as to who the Amalekites were and what it all meant. What did God mean when He said He would blot out the memory of them? Victory over the Amalekites was a type, i.e., a historical event or person in the past, which foreshadowed an antitype, i.e., a future event or person. The antitype is always greater than the type. The lesson was that the ultimate victory over Israel’s enemies would be future and still is future.

Third, the staff Moses lifted represented God Who was the ultimate Victor:

And Moses built an altar, and named it The Lord is My Banner; and he said, “The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.” (Ex 17:15-16)

One commentator wrote:

Abram (Gen 12:7), Isaac (Gen 26:24–25), Jacob (Gen 35:3), David (1 Chron 21:26), and Gideon (Judges 6:24) all built altars and worshiped after having a unique encounter with God. An altar usually represented a person’s desire to consecrate himself fully to the Lord. God had worked in a person’s life in such a way that the person desired to create something tangible to memorialize it. (see)

This example of victory was only a skirmish. We live in a moment when these lessons are more important than ever.

“To become successful in any kind of business, all you need is accurate collection of data, easy processing, adequate analytics, which further forms the backbone of decision-making and is required for vital insights. But, the kind of volume and variety of data which is generated cannot be just handled by humans at this large scale. And hence, eventually the significance of artificial intelligence comes into the picture. . .” (see)

This was the opening statement in a recent Forbes Newsletter. Countless articles laud the benefits we will receive from Artificial Intelligence. All we need is more data. Data collocation centers are being constructed around the world and in Eastern Washington. They quickly become obsolete because of the rush of new technology. AI promises to expand the reach of human intelligence. It promises to usher in a world of cooperation for everyone, to some, utopia. However, to those who know and believe the Bible to be God’s revelation, the picture of technological advancement and human intelligence is not so bright.

Long before the New Testament, God warned humanity regarding seeking knowledge apart from Him. To Adam, God said:

“’From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.’” (Gen 2:16-17)

Adam and Eve were created to live in paradise. They were innocent. One thing they lacked was experience. Acquiring the knowledge of good and evil brought pain and suffering upon humanity. First came the pain of childbirth. Then came murder. Then came oppression and perpetual evil. Even judgment upon the whole earth did not eradicate what knowledge introduced into the world. The rest is history. What was lacking?

“Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God. . .“ (1 Cor 1:20-21)

Wisdom is not mentioned in the Bible until the book of Exodus. The journey of Israel to wisdom brought them to Mt. Sinai and the Law of Moses. Until then, humanity was guided by human wisdom. But even the Law of Moses did not bring humanity to genuine wisdom because overcoming an evil heart requires being born of God.

“. . .Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Cor 1:22-25)

Paul wrote, “knowledge makes arrogant. . .” (1 Cor 8:1). The context is that of worshipping idols. AI is in our future. We must not let it become our idol.

What is New Testament worship? There are several Greek terms translated as ‘worship’ in English translations. We will examine two terms to gain a better understanding of biblical worship: proskuneo and latreuo. 

Proskuneo occurs sixty times in fifty-four verses. It is significant to note that it is never used to refer to the Church or New Testament worship. Latreuo occurs twenty-one times in twenty-one verses. The NASB translates the term in some contexts as worship and others as service. 

Careful observation of the etymology and contexts of these two terms suggests a marked difference in meaning and why proskuneo is not used of New Testament worship. Proskuneo consists of two terms, pros, meaning toward, and kuon, which, when used alone, means dog. Etymologists differ widely in their attempt to understand how the two terms were connected to form the term for worship. Both Greek and Jewish societies used the term to refer to the worship of God or gods. It referred to both physical posture, bowing down toward, and the attitude of veneration. Latreuo, on the other hand, refers to the act of serving. It refers to the service of a priest in offering sacrifices. 

One context provides insight into the distinction between these two terms. When Paul was testifying before Felix (Acts 24:1-21), he acknowledged that when he was in Jerusalem, he entered the temple to worship (proskuneo, v. 11). In verse 14, he uses the term latreuo to describe what he was doing. He confesses that he was acting according to the Way. This was the term used to describe the new sect, which is now known as Christianity. 

The implications of his use of these two terms in Acts 24 can be seen when comparing the different passages of the New Testament. In Hebrews 13:10ff., the author refers to the service that the priests offered in the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem. The term is latreuo. In this verse, he refers metaphorically to sacrifices from an altar from which the Old Testament priests had no right to partake. This places those who are born of God in the New Testament inside the veil, serving as priests. This is the whole point of the book of Hebrews. Many Jewish believers had grown weary of the persecution they were receiving and all the theological debates. They were considering returning to the old-time religion of their fathers. Paraphrasing the author’s response, if you understood the change from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, why would you want to go back?  

In the New Testament, we worship through our service as priests. Jesus is the one sacrifice that removed the veil, allowing us to enter the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifices ourselves. We are, as individuals and as a body of believers, the holy of holies. We worship by our service inside the veil, not outside bowing down. 

And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Heb 13:16 NASB)

An epilogue is the last words recorded of a person’s life. There are three that stand out in the Old Testament: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; each is different.

Regarding Abraham, we read:

“And Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.” (Gen 25:8)

While Abraham was not perfect, his life was exemplary. No better epilogue could be written about a person’s life. The blessings to Abraham continued for the next generation. These blessings were explained to Issac:

“. . . and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.” (Gen 35:28-29)

Isaac followed in his father’s footsteps, sometimes the good steps and sometimes the bad. Comparing the details of both his father’s life and Isaacs’s, there is a pattern. Children do not mirror their parents’ mistakes, they magnify them.

“And Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, an old man of ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

Notice that Isaac’s epilogue ends, mentioning two sons. The next chapter highlights interpersonal conflicts that continue to this day among nations.

Jacob provided his own sad epilogue:

“. . . ‘The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.’” (Gen 47:9-10)

These family conflicts were a magnification of his trickery and rebellion. Chapter 49 begins with Jacob predicting the course of history. There is little to commend this genealogy left by Jacob. Some of the predictions might be characterized as curses:

“Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what shall befall you in the days to come. Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel your father. . . “When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.” (Gen 49:1-2, 33)

Three men, three lives lived. Each epilogue ends with, “… he was gathered to his people.” But the lives they lived and the results of their lives were vastly different. While Jacob’s life was the most defective, there is a hint of redemption and fulfillment of all of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes,” (Gen 49:10)

Shiloh is mentioned thirty-three times in Scripture. The root meaning being peace, Shiloh refers to land, a kingdom, and the Prince of Peace. This is a challenge to those who are just starting a family; take care of how you live. To the older generations, there is forgiveness and blessings for us despite our failings. Until Shiloh Comes.

In 1999 Justin Zackham drew up his bucket list of things he wanted to do before he died. Later it was produced as a movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Hence it entered American culture. We often hear individuals jokingly or seriously speak about fulfilling their bucket list. What would you put in your bucket list?

As believers, we set goals. These goals keep us motivated, give us hope under the sun, fill our lives with purpose. Yet we must do this in the light of God’s Word:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. (Jam 4:13-17)

Years before the age of bucket lists, a young couple in college started attending our church. Both came from solid Christian homes and were genuine believers but were holding back and not getting involved in church life. When I ask the young man why he was holding back, he responded that he was afraid if he did get involved, the Lord would call him into fulltime Christian service. I asked him what he wanted to do in life. He said he wanted to be a dentist. I shared Proverbs 37:4-7 with him:

Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; (Ps 37:4-7)

I encouraged him to follow his dream. The couple moved to another university where he entered the school of dentistry. I lost track of them for the next several years. One day we reconnected at a conference. He ran up to me excited that he was graduating but even more, that he and his wife were headed to the mission field. He was going to be a missionary dentist.

Our bucket list will be God’s bucket list when we put Him first. King David was known as “a man after (God’s) own heart.” (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22) Later we read, “. . .after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, (he) fell asleep.” (Acts 13:36)

Paul, a prisoner in Rome, wrote “. . . for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21) The first item we should put in our bucket list is to live for Christ. The second, for God to accomplish His purpose for us in our lifetime.