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A REACTION PAPER SUBMITTED TO:
Dr. Frank Catanzaro
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for
M 4332A Crisis Intervention
BY
Ted D. Manby
SEBTS Box # 14043
Wake Forest, North Carolina
SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
FEBRUARY 4, 2004
Introduction
Jeff Newman, "Dependence in the Wilderness: Living out of Psalm 63, "The Journal of Biblical Counseling 22:1 (2003): 11-19. This article by Jeff Newman addresses difficult crisis experiences such as: financial ruin, betrayal, desertion by a spouse, the sorrow of seeing an adult child turn his or her back on God, chronic pain, the sudden death of a family member, and the terminal illness of a parent. Each of these crisis situations are listed as possible "wilderness" experiences that David and the Holy Spirit address in Psalm 63, and which the Son of David, Jesus Christ, fleshes out in His wilderness experiences in the four Gospels.
Professor Newman gives a very helpful three step outline of what to do when the crisis hit which he takes straight from his exegesis of Psalm 63. It is:
1) Seek God Earnestly.
2) Reflect on God Continually.
3) Praise God Submissively.
Weaknesses
The author of this article did an excellent job with his flow, style, and transition in his introduction and conclusion. However, in the body of this work, when he is working through his exegesis of the text, his writing gets very choppy.I was forced to read and re-read out loud several paragraphs to grasp his meaning. This was due to the fact that a number of paragraphs lacked adequate transition. That being said, I could not find any other weaknesses in this article.
Strengths
"Dependence in the Wilderness" is based on a single biblical text that is exegeted accurately and applied correctly. It is a very helpful reminder of how to respond biblically in the "wildernesses" of life. Professor Newman's outline and conclusions can be clearly seen in the text and he correctly carries each theme to the New Testament before applying it to his readers. Surprises Because I am also reading Ed Bulkley's book, Only God Can Heal a Wounded Heart, I was surprised that Newman would use wording almost identical to that found in Dan Allender's book, The Cry of the Soul: How our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions about God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress), 1999, in his teaching on thirst and hunger for God and our need for dependence on God. Both Allender and Newman attended the same seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, so that may explain some of the similar conclusions on the Psalms as well as the influence of Tremper Longman III on both men. But I can't help but wonder if Bulkley were reading this article, if he would not accuse Jeff Newman of selling out because he was using terminology first put in print by Bulkley's self-chosen enemy, Dan Allender. Evaluation Newman makes clear that "on every wilderness road, God wants us to grow in dependence on Him." For us to seek God earnestly, we must repent of our independence. We need to ask for God's forgiveness as we confess and forsake this sin. Furthermore, we should ask ourselves some key questions to determine our spiritual temperatures in the wilderness. We should ask: "Are the objects of my desires sinful?" And, "Do the non-sinful objects I crave diminish or replace my hunger for God Himself?" These questions reveal both sins to repent of and idols to destroy. He further teaches that our sinful responses during a crisis reveal that we are seeking after our own self interests more than we are seeking after the God revealed in Scripture. "Our anxiety, fear, anger, and bitterness in the wilderness reveal that hungers of our hearts that compete against our desire for God alone." Newman further explains that David provides a good example for us today in this text by fixing his thoughts on God's character and works continually during his wilderness experience. David belonged to God, and the creator God was his personal God. This focus lead David to worship God according to Who He is during this difficult time in his life. David learned and declared that God was his all in all, his everything, the only One who could satisfy David's soul. God is just, sovereign, and He loves David, so that he can be sure that God will one day make right every wrong. David could entrust his future to God. Likewise, David praised God submissively during the days of dark providences. He praised God in his thoughts, by his words, and through his acts of obedience. "Because David sought his God earnestly, reflected on Him continually, and praised Him submissively, God used the wilderness to continue His work of transformation in David's heart." In application of this text, the author shows us our need to evaluate our thoughts and conversations during the crisis times. We need to consider what we are focusing on -- the problem or the beauties of our God. Are we praising God during the dark days or are we worrying and complaining? We need to choose to repent for our part in making the wilderness appear in our lives when it is a result of our own sinful acts. When we ask God for forgiveness, this puts us in a posture to begin to gratefully focus and to praise Yahveh, our covenant God. We must then place our trust in God and His word for both our eternal destiny and for the difficult journey His hand has mapped out for us to reach that destiny.
"Dependence in the Wilderness" is based on a single biblical text that is exegeted accurately and applied correctly. It is a very helpful reminder of how to respond biblically in the "wildernesses" of life. Professor Newman's outline and conclusions can be clearly seen in the text and he correctly carries each theme to the New Testament before applying it to his readers. Surprises Because I am also reading Ed Bulkley's book, Only God Can Heal a Wounded Heart, I was surprised that Newman would use wording almost identical to that found in Dan Allender's book, The Cry of the Soul: How our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions about God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress), 1999, in his teaching on thirst and hunger for God and our need for dependence on God. Both Allender and Newman attended the same seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, so that may explain some of the similar conclusions on the Psalms as well as the influence of Tremper Longman III on both men. But I can't help but wonder if Bulkley were reading this article, if he would not accuse Jeff Newman of selling out because he was using terminology first put in print by Bulkley's self-chosen enemy, Dan Allender. Evaluation Newman makes clear that "on every wilderness road, God wants us to grow in dependence on Him." For us to seek God earnestly, we must repent of our independence. We need to ask for God's forgiveness as we confess and forsake this sin. Furthermore, we should ask ourselves some key questions to determine our spiritual temperatures in the wilderness. We should ask: "Are the objects of my desires sinful?" And, "Do the non-sinful objects I crave diminish or replace my hunger for God Himself?" These questions reveal both sins to repent of and idols to destroy. He further teaches that our sinful responses during a crisis reveal that we are seeking after our own self interests more than we are seeking after the God revealed in Scripture. "Our anxiety, fear, anger, and bitterness in the wilderness reveal that hungers of our hearts that compete against our desire for God alone." Newman further explains that David provides a good example for us today in this text by fixing his thoughts on God's character and works continually during his wilderness experience. David belonged to God, and the creator God was his personal God. This focus lead David to worship God according to Who He is during this difficult time in his life. David learned and declared that God was his all in all, his everything, the only One who could satisfy David's soul. God is just, sovereign, and He loves David, so that he can be sure that God will one day make right every wrong. David could entrust his future to God. Likewise, David praised God submissively during the days of dark providences. He praised God in his thoughts, by his words, and through his acts of obedience. "Because David sought his God earnestly, reflected on Him continually, and praised Him submissively, God used the wilderness to continue His work of transformation in David's heart." In application of this text, the author shows us our need to evaluate our thoughts and conversations during the crisis times. We need to consider what we are focusing on -- the problem or the beauties of our God. Are we praising God during the dark days or are we worrying and complaining? We need to choose to repent for our part in making the wilderness appear in our lives when it is a result of our own sinful acts. When we ask God for forgiveness, this puts us in a posture to begin to gratefully focus and to praise Yahveh, our covenant God. We must then place our trust in God and His word for both our eternal destiny and for the difficult journey His hand has mapped out for us to reach that destiny.
Conclusion
This article was not so much new information as it was a very helpful and timely reminder of where I and other believers need to place our focus during crisis times. The natural response is to focus on the problem and then respond sinfully. The biblical response is the focus on God, to praise Him, to repent, and to trust Him during the wilderness times. Focusing on the problem only makes the problem worse. However, focusing and praising God reveals the need for repentance and deepens trust -- the very things necessary to respond Christ-like during the wilderness times in our lives. We display faith in God when we hunger and thirst for Him above all else. We display our indwelling sin when we seek our comfort and our way above all others. It was very refreshing to read this article that opens up and applies God eternal truth rather than putting forth the best guesses of man.
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