Preaching as an Act of Worship
How often in your sermon—actually in the midst of your preaching—does your teaching drive you to simply, and vocally, offer up your own doxology? When we study for our sermons, when we pray for our sermons, when we prepare our sermons, when we deliver our sermons . . . we ought to be driven to praise the Lord.
When considering how to preach, we often think about certain words: faithfully, exegetically, expositionally, passionately, clearly. I’d like to take this post to encourage you to preach doxologically. Preach in a way that drives you and your listeners to unbridled worship.
Consider the example of Scripture.
Paul, after discussing the faithfulness of God in using Israel’s hardening to extend salvation to the Gentiles and in preserving a remnant of Jewish people, breaks forth with words of praise:
Oh the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:33–36)
Paul ends the entire epistle, this epic treatise on the gospel, with another doxology:
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. (Rom 16:25–27)
Paul breaks out into doxological praise in teaching the Corinthians about God’s care for him in hardship (2 Cor 11:31). Many times he opens his epistles (his specific teaching to those local congregations) with doxologies (Rom 1:25; 2 Cor 1:3; Gal 1:4–5; Eph 1:3). He introduces his teaching to Timothy, a teaching directly addressing the form and function of the local church, with an explanation of the Lord’s work in salvation, which leads to lofty doxological praise: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim 1:17).
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A Pastor’s Review of “The Prince of Egypt”
We often think of the Exodus story like we think of a western. Pharaoh is the bad guy in the black hat. Even many of the Egyptians suffer as a result of his badness (which the film does show). The Israelites are the oppressed good guys. Then Moses comes riding into Egypt wearing a white hat. There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s there to clean up this place, winning a shoot out with the bad guy. But that isn’t Exodus. Everyone is bad in Exodus. The only one who is righteous is God. He saves Israel not because Israel is being oppressed or because they are righteous, but because God is faithful to His promises. No matter how bad we are, God is merciful to save His people. Dreamworks scriptwriters, producers, directors, actors, and animators cannot tell a better story than God has told. There’s plenty of drama already in the narrative. Stick with what the Bible says.
In Exodus 9:13-16, the Lord Yahweh said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”
This is the purpose of the exodus, as chronicled in the second book of the Bible, that we might know God’s mercy toward His people and His wrath against His enemies so that His name would be exalted. Unfortunately, the makers of the animated musical epic The Prince of Egypt missed the point. Rather than giving praise to Yahweh, Israel’s redeemer and the central figure in the book of Exodus, they minimized God’s presence and made the story about two brothers with conflicting ambition.
This past Saturday, December 16, was the 25th anniversary of the release of The Prince of Egypt in theaters. I decided to go back and revisit the movie, which I haven’t seen in perhaps a decade, and write a review from a biblical perspective. Although I liked the film—the music and animation are spectacular, the acting stellar, and the writing superb—I must critique this as a pastor faithful to the word of God, which the movie is not.
Some are quick to say that The Prince of Egypt is at least more faithful than other Bible movies. It’s certainly a much better film than the last Bible-based musical that I critiqued, Journey to Bethlehem, so much that it’s an insult to put The Prince of Egypt in the same category.
However, we don’t weigh Bible movies against other Bible movies. We are to test all things according to the word of God. That must be our standard. The Prince of Egypt either seeks to uphold God’s word, or it doesn’t. Unfortunately, you will find the latter to be the case.
In fact, this is less an adaptation from the book of Exodus and more a remake of the Cecil B. DeMil classic, The Ten Commandments, the 1956 film starring Charlton Heston as Moses. Pharaoh, played by Yul Brynner, was given the name Rameses in that movie, and that name is carried over in The Prince of Egypt. According producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, it was Steven Spielberg who recommended to him that he do an animated remake of The Ten Commandments. Perhaps I’ll revisit that film sometime.
As I did with Journey to Bethlehem, I wrote this as I watched the movie. This is expanded from the live-post that I did on social media. The movie is 1 hr and 38 minutes long. Time markers are given.
Prologue – Moses is Rescued
0:45 – Like other Bible adaptations such as The Chosen and Journey to Bethlehem, this film opens with the following disclaimer: “The motion picture you are about to see is an adaptation of the Exodus story. While artistic and historical license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. The biblical story of Moses can be found in the book of Exodus.”
I remember liking this movie, but that doesn’t sell it for me. Are the creators at Dreamworks God-fearing Bible believers? No. They are going to give us a version of this story they think is “better” than what the Bible says. It may be an entertaining re-imagining of this story, but it is not a biblically faithful one.
According to the film’s trivia on IMDb.com, “The production team and executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg conferred with roughly 600 religious experts to make this movie as accurate and faithful to the original story as possible. After previewing the developing movie, all of the religious scholars, experts, and leaders associated in the making of this movie noted that the studio executives listened and responded to their ideas, and praised the studio for reaching out for comment from outside sources.”
We shouldn’t be impressed that 600 “experts” were consulted on this film when Katzenberg and the film’s creators needed only one authoritative source—the Bible. What does the Bible say?
1:30 – The music is already exceptionally better than Journey to Bethlehem. And of course it is. The score is by Hans Zimmer, one of the greatest film composers of all time (after John Williams).
3:00 – The film opens with the song Deliver Us, set to scenes of Israelites being beaten as slaves, forced to labor in the hot Egyptian sand, building the structures, monuments, and idols of what was then one of the most formidable empires on earth.
In Deliver Us, enslaved Israel calls on Elohim to “deliver us to the Promised Land.” While the people certainly cried out in anguish (Exodus 3:7), they did not call on God to bring them to the Promised Land. God had mercy because He was faithful to His promise He made to Abraham.
4:00 – Jochebed and two of her older children are seen smuggling Moses down to the Nile River as Deliver Us comes to a close. Great song.
5:30 – Jochebed sings The River Lullaby. Gracious, these songs are amazing.
6:30 – It is a common myth to depict Moses in a basket floating up the Nile. It makes for good cinema as the basket is tossed to and fro, in between boats and even dodging hippos. In fact, Exodus 2:3 says that Moses was simply placed in a basket (or ark) and set in the reeds on the river bank, while his sister stood nearby to see what would happen to it.
(By the way, everything floats up the Nile, not down, since the river flows north. I still remember that from grade school geography.)
8:10 – The basket floats into an area where the palace steps descend into the waters of the Nile for bathing. Pharaoh’s wife opens the basket and finds the baby Moses, with her toddler son Rameses nearby. She takes Moses into the palace as a young Miriam, Moses’ sister, sings that he will grow up to “deliver us someday.” The music swells for a final reprise of Deliver Us, and we’re given an areal view of Egypt. Great scene.
Of course, the reason Moses was hidden was not so he would be delivered from slavery or grow up to deliver his people. It’s because Pharaoh was murdering all of the Hebrew baby boys. That will be mentioned later in the story. Also, it was not Pharaoh’s wife who found Moses but his daughter (Exodus 2:5). I’ll expound on this more in a moment.
Though this is never said, the movie appears to take the liberal view that the Exodus occurred in the 13th century B.C., when according to Scripture, the Exodus took place in the 15th century B.C. I recommend looking up the documentary Patterns of Evidence: Exodus, presenting solid historical evidence that confirms what the Bible says.
Act I – Moses in Egypt
8:40 – Moses and Rameses (adopted brothers in this film) are racing chariots. They pass hieroglyphics on the wall. Moses says, “How would you like to see your face on a wall?” Rameses says, “Someday, yes.” Moses says, “How about now?” And runs him into the wall. O, brothers.
11:45 – Antics ensue. While racing, they wreck a few monuments in Egypt (which is surprisingly not busy nor very populated). The Pharaoh Seti is displeased and gives them a stern rebuke in his best Patrick Stewart voice (it is Patrick Stewart).
13:30 – Seti, scolding his son, says, “One weak link can break the chain of a mighty dynasty.” That’s a line that will come back later. Rameses storms off heartbroken. The animation is quite amazing. Characters, when not doing anything, don’t stand motionless. There are such nuanced movements.
18:00 – There’s a celebration in which Rameses is appointed co-regent, in charge of all temples. He appoints Moses as his chief architect. A Midian woman is given to Moses as a gift, Zipporah, who will eventually become Moses’ wife (Exodus 2:21). Zipporah is being mistreated as a slave woman, and Moses joins in the mockery. Then he notices his Egyptian mother is hurt by his behavior, so Moses tries to treat Zipporah more kindly.
Zipporah tries to pull away from him and says, “Let me go!” He says, “As you wish,” and lets go of the rope she’s tied with. Zipporah falls into the water and the crowd laughs. Rameses orders that Zipporah is to be taken to Moses’ chambers.
19:30 – Moses allows Zipporah to escape and follows her, but he’s never able to catch up. In his pursuit, he encounters his siblings, Aaron and Miriam, but he doesn’t know them. Every character is voiced by a major star. Moses: Val Kilmer. Rameses: Ralph Fiennes. Zipporah: Michelle Pfeifer. Miriam: Sandra Bullock. Aaron: Jeff Goldblum.
21:20 – Miriam tells Moses that he’s their deliverer who will save them from slavery. Actually, not even Moses’ family had that expectation of him. They were just trying to save him from being killed. According to Exodus 2:9-10, Moses’ own mother nursed and raised him until he reached a certain age, and then he was sent to live as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, growing up in the palace.
22:20 – Moses is furious with Miriam for saying he’s not a prince of Egypt. Given that he was raised by his own mother, Moses would have known who he was. That aside, ethnically he’s have recognized he was a Hebrew and not an Egyptian. Miriam sings the river lullaby that his mother sang to him at the start of the movie. He remembers the song and runs away.
24:20 – Finishing the short song All I Ever Wanted. I did not remember this song. Though I know the movie isn’t going to do it, I think it would have been great to have a song that somehow incorporated the words of Hebrews 10:24-26.
“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
25:50 – Moses has a dream, brilliantly animated in the style of hieroglyphics. He sees the people of Israel being tormented by the Egyptians. Babies are torn from their mothers and thrown into the Nile. You don’t see them explicitly murdered, but you know that’s what happened. Tastefully done for a cartoon. This won’t be the most harrowing scene in the movie.
27:40 – Moses runs into one of the palaces and sees the hieroglyphics showing babies of slaves thrown into the Nile. Very unlikely that the Egyptians would have told this story in their hieroglyphics, but it is an effective scene.
Seti finds him there and tells him that the Hebrews were becoming too numerous. “Sometimes for the greater good, sacrifices need to be made,” he says. When that doesn’t convince Moses, Seti says, “They were only slaves.” The music drops and Moses is appalled. Wonderfully done.
I cannot help but think about how Seti represents the evils of environmentalism and abortion. Ten years ago, The Guardian ran a headline in which they claimed, “Humans [are] the real threat to life on Earth.” A few years later, they said, “Empty half the Earth of its humans. It’s the only way to save the planet.” Earlier this year, Scientific American said, “Population Decline Will Change the World for the Better.”
This is not too unlike Margaret Sanger, founder of America’s largest abortion provider Planned Parenthood, who said, “The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” Tens of millions of babies have been murdered in America by abortion. The feminists will say, “They were only tissue.” They are as evil as Pharaoh in Egypt.
29:10 – Moses has a moment with his Egyptian mother and asks her, “Why did you choose me?” She says, “We didn’t. The gods did.” This is a thought-provoking exchange. Moses would surely have been raised to worship the Egyptian gods, something Scripture doesn’t delve into.
31:10 – Moses, overseeing construction, sees slaves being beaten. One slave is excessively whipped. Moses goes to stop the task master, but he accidentally knocks him off the scaffolding and he dies. According to Exodus 2:12, Moses deliberately killed him and hid the body.
33:15 – Having just killed a man, Moses flees Egypt. Rameses tries to stop him, even declaring Moses innocent of the matter. However, Exodus 2:15 says that when Pharaoh heard Moses had killed an Egyptian, he sought to have Moses executed. That was why Moses fled to Midian. In this film, it seems like Moses’ motivation for leaving is less about killing a man and more because he cannot stand to see his people tortured.
Moses in Midian
35:00 – We’re given a montage of Moses fleeing across deserted lands.
37:20 – As Moses wanders through the wilderness, he discovers a camel—or rather, he is discovered by a camel—which has a water bag hanging from its gear. In an attempt to get the water, Moses gets tangled in the camel and is dragged to a well. While drinking he sees some children being tormented by brigands and he saves them. Then in his weariness, he falls into a well.
Zipporah comes along and tries to pull him out, but when she recognizes him, she drops him back in the water—a little payback after Moses had done the same to her earlier in the movie. Her sister says, “Papa says that’s why she’ll never get married.”
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B.B. Warfield: Defender of the Faith
Twenty-five years ago I gave an address at a college in western Pennsylvania. After the service was completed, an elderly gentleman and his wife approached me and introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Johannes Vos. I was surprised to learn that Dr. Vos was the son of the celebrated biblical theologian Geerhardus Vos who had written a classical work on redemptive history titled Biblical Theology, which is still widely read in seminaries. During the course of my conversation with them, Dr. Vos related to me an experience he had as a young boy living in Princeton, New Jersey, where his father was teaching on the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary. This was in the decade of the 1920s, a time in which Princeton Theological Seminary was still in its heyday; it was the time we now refer to as “old Princeton.” Dr. Vos told me of an experience he had in the cold winter of 1921. He saw a man walking down the sidewalk, bundled in a heavy overcoat, wearing a fedora on his head, and around his neck was a heavy scarf. Suddenly, to this young boy’s horror and amazement, as the man walked past his home, he stopped, grasped his chest, slumped, and fell to the sidewalk. Young Johannes Vos stared at this man for a moment, then ran to call to his mother. He watched as the ambulance came and carried the man away. The man who had fallen had suffered a major heart attack, which indeed proved to be fatal. His name was Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield.
I was thunderstruck by this narrative that was told to me by the now elderly Johannes Vos. I felt like I was somehow linked to history by being able to hear a firsthand account through somebody telling me of the last moments of the legendary B.B. Warfield’s life. At the time of his death, Warfield had been on the faculty of Princeton and had distinguished himself as its most brilliant theologian during his tenure.
My first exposure to the writings of B.B. Warfield was somewhat serendipitous. As a young college student, I had the daily dilemma of trying to parlay my meager funds into enough money to sustain myself. I was trying to live on a five-dollar-a-week allowance, out of which had to come the payment of my meals and the nightly ritual of a long distance telephone call to my fiancée. Obviously, even in the 1950s, five dollars did not stretch far enough to provide all of these needs. Therefore, I had to find ways to become semi-entrepreneurial and scrounge up a few extra dollars, so that I could eat and enjoy the conversation with my bride to be. I took up barbering without a license, giving my fellow students haircuts for a dollar to help defray my expenses. But my great break came when one of my professors told me of a new publishing company that was doing business out of a man’s garage in Nutley, New Jersey. It was called the Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company. The publishing house was looking for student representatives on various campuses to help distribute its products, and my professor asked if I would be interested in such an enterprise. I leapt at the chance, not motivated by any desire to propagate Reformed theology, but merely out of a pure economic motive. Within a few days there arrived at my dormitory a large cardboard box that was so heavy I could hardly lift it. It included all of the then published works of the Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company. There was a note inside indicating to me that these books were samples that I would have at my disposal, that I might familiarize myself with the works that were published by the company. Included were several of the works of Cornelius Van Til, a couple of volumes that had been published into English by G.C. Berkouwer, along with the complete works of B.B. Warfield.
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Dr. George W. Knight, III, Called Home to Glory
From 1970 to 1989, Dr. Knight served as Professor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, then the denominational seminary of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES). The 38th General Assembly of the OPC elected Dr. Knight to serve as Moderator in 1971. In 1976, Dr. Knight transferred his ministerial credentials into the RPCES, and he later came into the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) as part of the “Joining and Receiving” action taken in 1982. From 1989 to 1994, Dr. Knight served as Dean of the Faculty at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Dr. George William Knight, III, passed into glory on Monday, October 11, 2021 at his home in Lake Wylie, South Carolina. He was 89 years old, having been born on December 16, 1931 in Sanford, Florida. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Mrs. Virginia Knight (Sergeant), their children George W. Knight, IV (Mags), Margaret A. Clifford (Ron), Jennie K. Rotherham (Simon), and Hugh Knight (Trish), and numerous grand and great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his son Vann Marshall Knight (1955-2013).
A graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary and the Free University of Amsterdam, Dr. Knight was ordained as a Teacher of the Word by the Presbytery of Philadelphia of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) in 1961. Later that year, he accepted a call as Pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church (OPC) in West Collingswood, New Jersey, a position which he held until 1965. From 1965 to 1970, Dr. Knight served as stated supply of Covenant Presbyterian Church (RPCES) in Naples, Florida. From 1970 to 1989, Dr. Knight served as Professor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, then the denominational seminary of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES). The 38th General Assembly of the OPC elected Dr. Knight to serve as Moderator in 1971. In 1976, Dr. Knight transferred his ministerial credentials into the RPCES, and he later came into the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) as part of the “Joining and Receiving” action taken in 1982. From 1989 to 1994, Dr. Knight served as Dean of the Faculty at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In 1994, the Knights moved to Matthews, North Carolina, and Dr. Knight accepted an invitation to teach as Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (GPTS) in Greenville, South Carolina. At the same time, Dr. Knight transferred his ministerial credentials back to the OPC, and he took up a stated supply position at Matthews Presbyterian Church (OPC). He later accepted a call from the congregation as Teacher of the Word when the congregation called Pastor Nathan Trice in 1996. From 1993 to 1995, Dr. Knight served as President of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), and he was a frequent contributor to the organization’s publications over the years. In 1995, Dr. Knight served as President of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). In 2004, he moved from Matthews Presbyterian Church (now Resurrection Presbyterian Church) to serve as Teacher of the Word at a daughter congregation, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. From 2005 to 2012, Dr. Knight served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at GPTS.
Dr. Knight authored many books and articles (for a variety of academic and church publications). Some of his most notable books include The New Testament Teaching on the Role Relationship of Men and Women, Baker Book House 1977 (revised and republished as The Role Relationship of Men and Women: New Testament Teaching, Moody Press 1985); The Faithful Sayings in the Pastoral Epistles, Baker Book House 1979; Prophecy in the New Testament, Presbyterian Heritage Publications 1988; and Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (NIGTC), Eerdmans 1992. Among his many essays and articles for both academic and church publications is an important work on church government, “Two Offices and Two Orders of Elders,” published in Pressing Toward the Mark: Essays Commemorating Fifty Years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, OPC 1986. He has also authored a number of pamphlets treating topics of New Testament theology, church government, and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
Dr. Knight is much beloved by the Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary community. We grieve, but not as those without hope. Rather, we grieve and rejoice in the gospel for which Dr. Knight earnestly and faithfully contended over many years. While statements of appreciation and admiration could be multiplied to fill many volumes in honor of Dr. Knight, the following three remembrances from his closest colleagues among the Faculty and Board of Trustees are included here.
I have great respect for Dr. Knight. After I had served as Chairman of the Board at Greenville Seminary for a number of years, Dr. Knight joined us. His great experience as Professor of New Testament at Covenant Seminary and Dean of the Faculty at Knox Seminary made it clear that he was the man to be our Chairman, so he and I switched places. He stayed in our home on numerous occasions, and since he was a graduate of Davidson College, he and my wife also had similar memories of that institution. He was a most gracious, godly man whom I was honored to be able to call my friend.Mr. John Van Voorhis, Esq.Trustee Emeritus
It was a privilege beyond measure to have known and worked with Dr. Knight on the Board of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Having known him as a world class scholar was intimidating. However as I came to know him better, I came to know a man possessed of gifts and graces belonging to another world. Dr. Knight was full of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and his character magnified the work of Christ in him. Holding his convictions strongly, he lived out those convictions with a gracious lovingkindness that endeared him to all who had the pleasure of working with him. Pastor Jeff KingswoodTrustee
Dr. Knight was the finest example of a godly, Christian gentleman I have ever known. He combined a firm commitment to the truth of the Reformed faith with a wonderful gentleness and patience. He was a brilliant scholar with a pastor’s heart. His contribution to the nature and development of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary was inestimable. As Chairman of the Board, he exercised a profound influence corporately and more importantly as a wise counselor and friend.Joseph A. Pipa, Jr., PhD, DDPresident EmeritusProfessor of Systematic & Applied Theology
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