Kingdom Ready Blog

Presented by Lindsey Killian and Dr. Laura Palik-Killian at the One God Conference, Seattle WA May 31st 2008, commentary by John Obelenus.

Lindsey starts off the talk by loosely referencing why he came to write this paper (which he’s been editing and change since 2004), and walking through the table of contents. He mentions that most of the contents of the paper are very settled arguments in the scholarly community. One of the main headings is about “plurality issues in the Tanakh”, which he jokes – there really are none. The scholars agree that plural words like “elohim” can easily be used of single individuals without any indication of duality or plurality. Lindsey remarks that the translators of the Septuagint all understood this – elohim, when referencing God or a single individual is always translated into Greek into the singular.
Laura addresses specifically the plural forms and plural adjectives that are attributed to “elohim” when talking about YHWH. She quickly reminds us that this occurs in many languages, even English, and all are understood by language experts that we are indeed still talking about a singular individual despite plural forms in grammar. Technically this is called “grammatical attraction”. Laura repeats that other plural words are used to denote singular meanings, chayim (life), pannim (face) – and when they do so, it is to be understood with great force, often denoted as the plurality of majesty. She cautions us to learn the whole picture and scene before letting the minutia guide us to a muddy understanding.

Lindsey re-takes the podium to talk about, that Deut 18.15-18 is a striking declaration of the relationship between God and Messiah. Acts 3.26 shows us that this is understood as a reference to Jesus as Messiah and coming prophet. Deuteronomy is telling us that God raises prophets because Israel was too fearful to listen to God directly, at the demand of the Israelite people no less!. Therefore, if Jesus is a prophet, he is distinctly not God, because God is still directly talking to the people! Let alone the distinction that “elohim”, God, is going to send the Messiah (i.e. someone not God himself).

He also remarks on the NT’s use of the Tanakh, specifically instances where YHWH in the OT is applied to Jesus in the NT. To back up his claims he starts with passages where Paul re-appropriates passages to mean something they did not originally mean, like Romans where he uses a psalm reference to the wicked being judged as applying to the whole world! With that idea as a backdrop Lindsey talks about Rom 10.9-12 where Lord/Jesus is supposedly equated with YHWH from Joel 2.32/3.5. He says it is not a stretch that Jesus is only seen as the master, since that is the true meaning of Kyrios, and that is what Paul had previously written “that God raised him up” v9