Jehoshaphat’s Itinerant Teachers – “Wandering Professors”
These past few weeks, I’ve taught my Old Testament Bible seminar at three different churches in three different states, and the churches represent three different denominations:
· Free Christian Church, Andover, MA (Evangelical Free Church of America)
· First Presbyterian Church of WPB, West Palm Beach, FL (Evangelical Covenant Order)
· Middle Street Baptist Church, Portsmouth, NH (American Baptist Churches USA).
I began teaching the Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1999, but I’ve also been teaching Old Testament seminars in churches for over a decade. Casket Empty author Dr. David Palmer, who serves as senior pastor of Kenwood Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been teaching New Testament seminars for about the same time.
So why does Casket Empty offer Bible seminars in local churches?
When I was writing my commentary on 1-2 Chronicles (The Story of God Bible Commentary, Zondervan, 2023), I was reminded of Casket Empty’s itinerant teaching ministry when reading about King Jehoshaphat. In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat appoints officials, priests, and Levites to teach the law of God. What is unique about this story, however, is that they travel throughout the towns of Judah to teach the word of God (2 Chr. 17:7-9).
The priority Jehoshaphat gives to teaching God’s word has a longstanding tradition in the Old Testament. Priests and Levites were assigned the sacred task of teaching God’s word (Deut. 17:9-11; 31:9-13; 33:8-10; Neh. 8:7-8). The importance of the Scriptures is seen in the fact that at the end of every seven years, Israel’s priests were to assemble the entire community for the public reading of the law so that the people might learn to fear the Lord (Deut. 31:10-13). The stories of “the faith” need to be taught in every generation.
The public reading and teaching of God’s word recalls the ministry of Ezra the priest, a man devoted to the study of the Scriptures. It is said of him, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). His ministry is most well-known for the time when God’s people gathered for the public reading of the Scriptures. Ezra and the Levites taught the word of God, as they explained the Scriptures to the people with wisdom and conviction (Neh. 8:1-12). This time of renewal under Ezra and Nehemiah is a powerful reminder of the centrality of preaching and teaching God’s word in every generation, and this is surely a pivotal moment in the history of Israel.
But unlike this public gathering, when God’s word was taught at a centralized location, King Jehoshaphat appoints priests and Levites to travel throughout all the towns of Judah to teach the Scriptures: “They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the Lord with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people” (2 Chr. 17:9). The book of the law the teachers carry with them is most likely the Torah, also known as the Pentateuch (my current writing project with Baker Academic). This verse is the climax of the passage, and the verb “to teach” occurs twice.
One commentator describes these teachers as “wandering professors” who “circulated” throughout all the cities of Judah (S. Japhet, 1-2 Chronicles, 750). This is what happens at Casket Empty Bible seminars, and this is the ministry to which God has called me – I travel to different churches at different locations, teaching the word of God, with my Bible in hand. The story of Jehoshaphat’s itinerant teachers sounds a lot like the ministry of Casket Empty, although I hope we are more than wandering professors!
The focus at our Casket Empty Bible seminars is on the “big picture” of God’s redemptive plan – with Jesus at the center. The memorable Casket Empty acronym, along with the visual timelines and large banners, helps people to see the “big picture” of the Bible and trace God’s plan of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.
As I travel to different churches, it is a blessing to me personally to meet pastors and ministry leaders from around the country, and we hope that our itinerant ministry encourages these faithful servants, who faithfully preach the word of God and shepherd the flock.
If you would like to find out more information about our Bible seminars, you can visit our FAQ page: How to Host a Casket Empty Bible Seminar.
Carol Kaminski