JTR
Monday, December 15, 2025
Friday, December 12, 2025
The Vision (12.12.25): The scepter shall not depart from Judah
Image: Snow covered branches, North Garden, Virginia, December 2025.
Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 49.
The
scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from beneath his feet,
until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be (Genesis
49:10).
In
Genesis 49 Jacob offers a prophetic blessing upon his sons who will form the twelve
tribes of Israel. The blessing on Judah (vv. 8-12) is a prophecy of Christ.
Judah’s
name means “praise.” From him would come the kingly line. Jacob says he will be
at the neck of his enemies (v. 8b). His father’s children will bow down before
him, just as they had bowed to Joseph (v. 8b).
His
sign is a lion (v. 9). The ancient Hebrews also knew this animal as king of the
beasts, the most powerful and fearsome.
Then
Jacob prophesies that the scepter of rule shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from his feet (from his line of descent), until Shiloh come. Some
suggest the name “Shiloh” means the peacemaker or Saviour (M. Poole). One
commentator called it a “cryptogram” meaning “Messiah” (MacArthur Study Bible).
From
Judah would come King David, and his descendants would rule in one form or
another all the way up to the time when Herod the Idumean (Edomite) was made
the King of the Jews by the Romans. And who was born then? The Lord Jesus
Christ, Shiloh, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords.
In John’s vision of heaven in Revelation 5:5 one of the elders says to him,
“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” But when John looks he sees “a Lamb
as it had been slain” (v. 6).
Jacob
says, “and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (v. 10b). This means
all his elect people, Jew and Gentile.
In
v. 11 it says he washed his garments in wine. This figure anticipates the
shedding of his blood in his atoning death on the cross. We see this in
Revelation 19 when John sees Christ as a victorious champion riding on a white
horse in his second coming, “clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his
name is called The Word of God” (v. 13).
In
Genesis 49:12 it adds his eyes shall be red with wine. This does not mean
bloodshot but that the pupil of his eye will be full and dark, a sign of extraordinary
health and vigor. And his teeth white as milk, pure and strong.
This
is the apex of Jacob’s prophetic blessing. It points us toward the Lord Jesus
Christ, our Redeemer! He came from the line of Judah through King David, in the
fullness of time, born in Bethlehem.
Grace
and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
Monday, December 08, 2025
Friday, December 05, 2025
The Vision (12.5.25): Behold I die: but God shall be with you
Image: Snowy country lane. North Garden, Virginia. December 2025.
Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 48.
“And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold I die: but God shall be
with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers” (Genesis 48:21).
Genesis 48 describes how Jacob (Israel) on his sick bed blessed
Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. Paul said in Romans 15:4 that all the
Scriptures were given for our learning that we through the patience and comfort
of them might have hope. Here are three lessons from Genesis 48:
First, we learn from the model faith and piety of Jacob.
Though in the land of Egypt, he still trusted in the promises
the LORD had made to him (48:4).
He acknowledged God had done more for him than he ever could
have asked or imagined, He had not only seen Joseph again but also Joseph’s
sons (v. 11).
He acknowledged that God had fed him “all my life long unto
this day” (v. 15).
He desired to direct his son and even his grandsons to share
in the covenant blessing which he and his fathers had known.
Second, we learn about the sovereign election of God.
Through Jacob, the Lord chose to bless Ephraim above Manasseh,
even though Ephraim was the second born (vv. 14-20).
This recalls the teaching about election in Romans. In Romans
9:13, Paul writes, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I
hated.” Likewise, in Romans 9:18 Paul said the Lord has mercy upon whom he wills,
and whom he wills he hardens.
Those are examples of Biblical teaching on election to
salvation, but there is also election to service, which may be more appropriate
to Ephraim and Manasseh. God chooses whom he will among his saints to serve in
various ways and to bless as he sees fit. Ours is not to wonder why, but to
serve gladly wherever he places us with contentedness.
In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul noted that God chose him to plant
churches and Apollos to water or nurture them, but it was God alone who gave
the increase.
Ephraim had one role
and Manasseh another, just as Paul had one role and Apollos another, just as
each of us have our own roles of service as sovereignly chosen by God.
So let us rest in his wisdom and do our duty.
Finally, we learn about the Immanuel promise of God to his people,
that He will be with us and with those who come behind us.
Jacob knew that he would soon die, but God would continue to be
with his children (v. 21). As the prophet Isaiah puts it, “The grass withereth,
the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever” (Isa 40:8).
One generation passes away and another arises (Ecc 1:4). But Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever (Heb 13:8). The one who lived
a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again on the third day
told his disciples before he ascended, “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen” (Matt 28:20).
Christ is always with us!
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
Thursday, December 04, 2025
Tuesday, December 02, 2025
Monday, December 01, 2025
Friday, November 28, 2025
Vision (11.28.25): Joseph: A Man of Virtue and Diligence
Image: Joseph sold into slavery by his brethren, floor tile, Gloucester Cathedral, England.
Note: Devotional based on last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 47.
“And Joseph nourished his father,
and his brethren, and all his father’s household…” (Genesis 47:12).
We are right to suggest that there
are whispers (types) of the experience of Christ in the life of Joseph, though
we would also admit that this connection is not explicitly drawn within the NT
itself, unlike the connections that are made with other OT types (cf. Jonah as
a type of Christ in Matt 12:40).
The historical Joseph of Genesis is
not mentioned directly in the NT Gospels, although our Lord’s legal father,
Joseph of Nazareth, the husband of Mary, was named after him, as was Joseph of
Arimathea, the man who took Christ’s lifeless body down from the cross.
The historical Joseph of Genesis is
mentioned in only two places in the NT: First, in Stephen’s speech before his
martyrdom (cf. Acts 7:12-15), and second, in the “faith chapter” of Hebrews 11
(cf. Heb 11:21-22). In both of these, the main emphasis is on Joseph’s
providential role in preserving his family and bringing them into Egypt. But
there is also a focus in the sacred account in Genesis upon the piety and
righteousness of Joseph.
We saw it when Joseph had to bring an “evil report” to Jacob about
the sinful behavior of his brothers (37:2).
We saw it when with innocence and sincerity (with no guile or
grandiosity) he reported his dreams of his family bowing before him (37:5-11).
We saw it when Moses said Joseph was a “prosperous man,” even when
he was a slave in the house of Potiphar (39:2).
We saw it when he fled from the salacious advances of Potiphar’s
wife (39:12) and when he refused to sin against man (Potiphar) in committing adultery,
but most especially to sin against God (39:9b: “how then can I do this great
wickedness and sin against God”).
We saw it in his willingness to extend mercy and forgiveness to
his brethren who had treated him so maliciously (45:5; 8a).
And we see it also in Genesis 47 as Joseph is presented to us as a
man of virtue and diligence. We see this in at least three ways in Genesis 47.
First, he nourishes his father and brethren (47:1-12); second, he faithfully serves
Pharaoh the king, so that the people say, “Thou hast saved our lives” (47:25);
and third, he honors his father, even as Jacob neared death (47:30).
The Bible is not a mere moralistic handbook. Its focus is on the
glory of God, not the virtue of men, though it does provide us with virtuous
models to follow. Joseph is one such model.
The apostle Paul said,
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). And here in
Genesis, Joseph is saying to us: Follow me, as I also followed Christ.
As we have
opportunity: Let us nourish our brethren. Let us faithfully serve those who are
over us in the Lord. And let us honor father and mother, that our days may be
long upon the land which the Lord our God giveth us.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff
Riddle
Monday, November 24, 2025
Five Misrepresentations of the Confessional Text position by Mark Ward in "The Septuagint and Confessional Bibliology" in The Authority of the Septuagint:
Five Misrepresentations of the Confessional Text position by Mark Ward in "The Septuagint and Confessional Bibliology" in The Authority of the Septuagint:
1. MW once again claims that we are "fraternal twins" to IFB KJVO (p. 169). We have repeatedly stated that KJVO is completely incompatible with WCF/2LBCF 1:8 and is a position we repudiate. To say we are *only* "fraternal twins" to KJVO is, in fact, a deceptive and pusillanimous obfuscation.
2. MW reviews only three of our four plenary lecturers in the 2024 RBS conference, completely overlooking Christian McShaffrey's lecture on Apologetics. Co-editor Ross was at the conference and should have noticed this oversight. MW apparently made this omission because McShaffrey does not hold a PhD degree. This, however, is not a standard for participation in the RBS or holding to the CB position. McShaffrey is an established OPC pastor, the stated clerk of his presbytery, a member of the executive committee (& secretary) of the RBS, and a respected writer and spokesman for the Confessional Text position. MW, however, imposes his own arbitrary standard (he only reviews speakers who hold the PhD, p. 170), and so inexplicably omits consideration one of the four plenary speakers for the conference he was reviewing.
3. MW claims that our 2024 conference on the LXX represented a distinct shift or turn in emphasis for CB by focusing on the OT, though we have from the beginning had a whole Bible (OT and NT) emphasis and concern. The assertion that this is a new emphasis of CB is simply wrong.
5. MW makes no serious reference to or any interaction with perhaps the key emphasis of the CB movement. We are contending for retrieval of the classic Protestant position regarding the text of Scripture, held by men like Owen and Turretin, including the rejection of the LXX's use to "correct" the Hebrew text (what Berntson calls in his article in this book the "older view" of the Protestant orthodox).
JTR
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Friday, November 21, 2025
The Vision (11.21.25): And God spake unto Israel
Image: Autumn evening skies, North Garden, Virginia, November 2025.
Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 46.
“And God
spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he
said, Here am I” (Genesis 46:2).
Genesis 45 presented a great climax in the life of Joseph, as
he finally made himself known to his brothers and was reconciled with them.
The story does not, however, end there. Genesis 46 follows with
the account of how Joseph’s father Jacob [Israel] made his journey to Egypt.
God had been at work providentially to preserve the line of
Abraham, and in bringing Jacob [Israel] and his household to Egypt, God is further
working out his providential plan. That plan will include hardship for this
elect nation, as they will be placed in bondage in Egypt. Yet it will also include
God’s mighty work of deliverance in the Exodus under Moses.
Jacob did not know all that was ahead. He simply listened and
obeyed the command of God.
As we look back at the opening verses to this chapter (46:1-7),
we can see how Jacob and his household might stand as figures for every
believer and for all the people of God, his church, collectively.
Jacob was called to leave his homeland and go to Egypt. We
too have been summoned to answer the call of God upon our lives. We have been
called to leave all behind and follow Christ wherever he leads (Luke 9:23).
Jacob worshipped God (see v. 1 “and [Jacob] and offered
sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.”). We are called to give worship,
to offer spiritual sacrifices, the fruit of our lips, to the one true God of
the Bible.
God has spoken to us in this age, not in visions, but by his
Word written (v. 2: “And God spake unto Israel…”). We are to receive his Word
and take it into our lives.
He gives us his perfect love which casts out fear (v. 3: “fear
not…”).
He gives us his promises that we will be a great nation, the
spiritual seed of Abraham (v. 3: “for I will make of thee a great nation”).
He promises to go with us into every circumstance and to
bring us out again, to be all our comfort and hope in life and death (v. 4: “I
will do down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again…).
Moses records Jacob’s response to this call: “And Jacob rose
up…” (v. 5). He took with him “all he had” (v. 1) and followed. This included “all
his seed” (vv. 6, 7). He entrusted not only himself but all his family to the Lord.
May we learn from men like Jacob in Holy Scripture how we are
to obey when the Lord calls upon us.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
WM 350: Reflections on a 1-STAR REVIEW of The Authority of the Septuagint
Notes from this episode:
Dr. Greg
Lanier made an x post back on Nov. 2, 2025, just a few days after his co-edited book
(with William Ross) titled The Authority of the Septuagint was
officially released at the end of October. In this post, Lanier was bemoaning
the fact that the first amazon review posted for the book was a 1-star
evaluation by a reviewer complaining about the book’s misrepresentation of the
Confessional Bibliology (CB) position. Lanier despaired, “At this rate we'll be at negative infinity
stars before long.”
The 1-star reviewer had focused on a footnote in the opening pages of
the book’s introduction as an illustration of how the CB position was
misrepresented in the Lanier/Ross book. The reviewer pointed out that in this
opening footnote the editors lump in the CB position with writers and works
with whom actual CB advocates have no association. Furthermore, the editors
also failed in this footnote to offer any citations of actual works from CB
advocates. Rather than offering a fair and objective presentation of the CB
position, the footnote seems to offer a dismissive “guilt by association” smear.
Indeed,
there is only one chapter in the Lanier/Ross book that is not either a positive
presentation of scholarly research or a positive advocacy presentation
concerning usage of the LXX (for the latter see Roman Catholic scholar James B.
Prothro’s article “A Roman Catholic Approach”).
That one out-of-place chapter is the excursus by Mark Ward on “The
Septuagint and Confessional Bibliology.” Far from being a sympathetic advocate
of the CB position (as Prothro is for the RCC position) Ward has been a
persistent and termagant critic of CB who has often misrepresented our position
(including by repeatedly suggesting we hold to KJVO or are “cousins” to KJVO—though
this is a position we have repudiated). On a recent podcast Lanier defended the
decision to invite Ward rather than an actual advocate of the CB position to contribute
to the book, because, he suggested, no one holding to the CB position was
capable of writing an academic essay presenting the CB viewpoint with
sufficient scholarly rigor.
What Lanier
might not have picked up on relating to the 1-star review was the irony which
was likely intended by the reviewer. Here is some of the background to this
story that Lainer might have missed:
Back in 2022
the 1-star reviewer and I co-edited a book titled Why I Preach from the
Received Text. This book consists of 25 short articles written by various confessionally
Reformed church officers (Presbyterian, Baptist, and Independent) who have
advocated for retrieval of the traditional Protestant text of Holy Scripture in
the life of confessional churches.
In the
Introduction to Why I Preach from the Received Text, we (the editors)
made plain that though all the contributors had great respect for the King
James Version and the overwhelming majority of us (though not all) made nearly
exclusive use of it in our public ministries, we were not advocating a KJVO
position. In fact, we wrote the following in that introduction:
The reader should not, however, be confused about this book’s
primary focus. Critics of the traditional text, in fact, often confuse our
position, whether intentionally or unintentionally, with “King James
Version-Onlyism,” a position which is inconsistent with WCF and 2LBCF 1:8. We
did not ask our authors to address, “Why I Preach from the King James Version,”
but “Why I Preach from the Received Text.” The primary purpose of this book is
a defense of the traditional original Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible (p.
17).
Our book was officially released on Friday, July 22, 2022. Just 48 hours later and although he had no
advance copy of the book, on July 24, 2022, Mark Ward posted a caustic review
of this 276-page book to his personal blog and “plastered” it to several other online
sites including amazon and goodreads, where he also gave it a very low review
rating.
Ward’s review consisted
of over 3,700 words, meaning it was much longer than any of the 25 individual
chapters in our book, which were limited to c. 2,500 words each. In Ward’s review
the term “KJV” appears 93 times. Based on Ward’s review one might think that
the primary purpose of Why I Preach from the Received Text was to promote
the readability of the KJV, rather than retrieval of the traditional Protestant
text of Holy Scripture. The bulk of the “review” came under a section titled “KJV
Readability” and included 8 subpoints each of which has the words “KJV” or “KJV
Readability” in its title. There was even more. Ward intentionally misrepresented
and demonized one of our authors such that it created problems for him in his
church and presbytery.
Ward ended his “review”
with these words, “…I cannot
recommend this book, and I am dismayed that the tiny Confessional Bibliology
movement has gathered enough strength to publish it. I pray that its days will
be few.”
Perhaps
Lanier and Ross were unaware of the animus that Ward had expressed against the
CB position. Maybe this will help them understand why we were dismayed and
disappointed when they accepted Ward’s gracious “offer” to contribute this excursus
on CB to their book. It came from a man who has literally prayed an imprecatory
prayer that the days of the CB movement would be few. Thankfully, the Lord has
not been pleased to answer the petitioner’s prayer in the way that he hoped.
Sadly,
Ward’s article in the book continues the misrepresentation of our position. He once
again makes the claim that the CB position is the “fraternal twin” of KJVO. Here
are just a few of the other problems with Ward’s review of 2024 Reformation
Bible Society Conference in his excursus: He chooses only to review three of
our four plenary lecturers in our conference and then critiques our conference
for not covering the topic (apologetics) addressed in the plenary lecture which
he omitted to review. He claims that our 2024 conference on the LXX represented
a distinct shift or turn in emphasis for CB by focusing on the OT, though we
have from the beginning had a whole Bible (OT and NT) emphasis and concern (see
the quote shared above from our 2022 book). He states that CB holds that there
are singular extant “perfect manuscript
copies” of the Bible. We do not.
The sad
thing is that when Myrto Theocharous offers her synthesis of our position in
the book she does not actually interact with our position but with Mark Ward’s
distortion of it. In reality we are simply contending for the retrieval of what
Levi Berntson calls in his article “the old view” of the Protestant orthodox
fathers. Sadly one will not encounter this in Ward’s review but only a straw
man of our position.
Finally,
let me encourage Dr. Lanier. The first review was 1-star but I’m sure this will
eventually level out. After Ward posted his low review of our book, the next dozen
or so were 5-star reviews and readers have continued to find it useful. Perhaps
the same will happen with their book.
JTR
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Monday, November 10, 2025
Monday, November 03, 2025
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