Austin Bible Church
Genesis
Divine Institutions: Gen. 2, Gen. 3, Gen. 4, and Gen. 9 through Gen. 11. Volition, marriage, family, nationalism.
Exodus
The Law structure given to facilitate the execution of the four divine institutions. Exod. 1 through Exod. 24. The Tabernacle given to enable the proper worship functions of Israel as a nation.
Leviticus
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Volition in personal observance of sacrifices. Marriage demonstrated by strict laws governing the marriage institution. Family evidenced by a strict, well-structured system for family living and functioning. Nationalism seen in the military system, justice system, and power structure.
Numbers
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Volition - Negative volition and its consequence - refusal to enter the Land. Marriage - challenged by the doctrine of Balaam. Num 25.
Deuteronomy
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Challenge to volition of new generation in Deut. 1-6. Challenges to marriage, family and nationalism. Deut. 11:18-19.
“"You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. "You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19, NASB)
Joshua
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Volition - Joshua example of positive volition; Achan example of negative volition. Nationalism - exemplified by all tribes working together in the conquest on west of Jordan before any could settle on the east. Joshua 1:14-17. National discipline seen in the command to totally destroy the nations in Canaan.
“"Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise." They answered Joshua, saying, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. "Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses.” (Joshua 1:14-17, NASB)
Judges
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Classic example of negative volition on national level Judges 1 and 2. Violation of marriage instituted by intermarriage concept. Violation of family in failure to teach doctrine to the children. First, second and third cycles of discipline expressed upon Israel.
Ruth
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Classic example of positive volition. Classic example of Divine Institution of Marriage.
1 Samuel
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Classic example of negative volition with Israel’s rejection of the immediate rule of God in their midst. 1 Samuel 8:19. Classic example of failure in nationalism. 1 Samuel 17. Principle of National Discipline - continued harassment of Israel by Philistines. King Saul commits suicide.
“Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us,” (1 Samuel 8:19, NASB)
2 Samuel
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Development of the principle of nationalism. Israel becomes large, great and powerful under David.
1 Kings
The four Divine Institutions seen in: Nationalism - thrives under Solomon but broken after his death. The kingdom is divided. All Divine Institutions under fire and in weakened state.
2 Kings
Five cycles of discipline administered to the Northern Kingdom by 726 BC. The first four cycles of discipline administered to the Southern Kingdom by 726 BC. The fifth cycle of discipline administered to the Southern Kingdom by 586 BC. Divine Institution of Nationalism very weak with corruption, graft, and timidity.
1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles
Divine Institutions - emphasis on same period as the Kings but on the fruits and blessing of 4 Divine Institutions, especially under David’s dominion.
Five cycles of Discipline - Chronicles ends with both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom in captivity, North to Assyria, South to Babylon.
Ezra
Five cycles of discipline - emphasis on Southern Kingdom returning from the 5th cycle and rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, rebuilding the Temple and establishing the principle of nationalism.
Nehemiah
Divine Institutions: Classic example of nationalistic spirit in Nehemiah. Classic example of positive volition by returning Jews in building wall under great adversity and hardships. Judah returning from 5th cycle after 70 years of captivity.
Esther
Divine Institutions: Volition – Esther 1, King’s volition-human viewpoint toward Vashti; Esther 2, King’s volition--toward Esther; Esther 3 and Esther 6, volition by Haman toward Mordecai. Nationalism - Esther 4, Jewish nationalistic, principle; Esther 8 and Esther 9, nationalism (Jewish) honored; Esther 10, nationalism principle victorious.
Job
Divine Institutions: Volition – positive volition, Job accepting initial suffering without mental attitude sins. Marriage - Job’s wife provides negative volition to challenge to him. Family - taken from Job in underserved suffering for him and deserved for them.
Psalms
Ecclesiastes
The Divine Institutions would come into focus immediately. Volition is seen in the choice of the details of life over the truth of doctrine communicated by David and Bathsheba. Marriage is one of the big problems in the life of Solomon. God had told Solomon not to multiply wives and he did it anyway. Family doesn’t come into view directly in the book, but any distortion of volition or marriage within a man’s life would greatly affect the family. Nationalism under Solomon’s reign prospered, but at his death the obvious result of the dividing of the nation into Israel in the north and Judah in the south evidenced the internal instability even though the prosperity seemed at an all-time high.
Song of Solomon
The Divine Institutions: The proper exercise of volition is evident by the Shulammite woman in rejecting Solomon’s advances. The Divine Institution of Marriage is one of the foremost in the book. The problems of misunderstanding within a family and inter-family relationships come out with the book. With respect to Nationalism, there is no real issue here as it is person-centered rather than nation-centered.