JACKSON, Tenn. — March 6, 2018 — George Guthrie, the Benjamin W. Perry Professor of Bible at 51社区, said the holy structures of the Old Testament give a glimpse into God鈥檚 plan for human flourishing.
Guthrie was the keynote speaker at Union鈥檚 2018 Spring Bible Conference, sponsored by the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, March 2-3.
鈥淭he tabernacle, the temple of Solomon and the temple of Herod are like characters in the story of the Bible,鈥� Guthrie said. 鈥淭hey have a role that they play.鈥�
In the Saturday morning session, Guthrie said God was the initiator in the building of the tabernacle, and the structure and process of its construction lay out a plan for the people of Israel as a kingdom of priests, moving throughout the world and manifesting God鈥檚 presence to all people. He said this plan is completed in the church.
鈥淭he trajectory here lands on the church, where you no longer have a stable structure,鈥� Guthrie said. 鈥淵ou have a mobile tabernacle that now is not confined to one place in the world. It鈥檚 in all the dark corners of the world. It鈥檚 mobile. It鈥檚 moving, and it manifests the presence of God by the glory shining on our faces.鈥�
Guthrie said key differences between the tabernacle and Solomon鈥檚 temple are integral to the narrative of the Bible. Unlike the tabernacle, the plan for the temple was initiated by David and Solomon, not God. Solomon also used conscripted labor rather than allowing the people to participate freely, and many of the craftsmen were Canaanites, not Israelites.
Guthrie said Solomon鈥檚 temple was a mixed bag, but God used it for his purposes. He said God鈥檚 presence in the temple was conditional on obedience, and that is the story that plays out in the rest of the Old Testament.
鈥淪olomon鈥檚 story is the story of a man who was wonderfully wise but inattentive to the word of God and the revelation of God,鈥� Guthrie said. 鈥淚nattention to the word of God makes the wisest person foolish.鈥�
This Spring Bible Conference served as a send-off for Guthrie, who will be leaving after the spring semester to teach at Regent College in Vancouver after more than 25 years at Union. Ray Van Neste, professor of biblical studies and director of the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, said it was Guthrie鈥檚 vision that launched the Ryan Center initially, and the conference gave people a chance to hear from him before he moves on to continue his work in Vancouver.
鈥淒r. Guthrie has been passionate from the early days about biblical literacy,鈥� Van Neste said. 鈥淗is work grew out of a concern that people in our churches don鈥檛 know the Bible well and a desire to try to help them to do that.鈥�
The conference also included breakout sessions on interpreting and applying the Bible led by other Union faculty members.