Psa.78:56-72; Jer.7:12-15, Lk.19:45-46, The Lesson of Shiloh

One day we visited Ancient Shiloh with a Singaporean couple from the Garden Tomb where we served together.  As we arrived we found the parking lot full of busses.  That’s not unusual in a lot of places in Israel, but Shiloh is along Hwy. 60, north of Jerusalem in the West Bank.  Not many tour groups went there, at least at that time.

The busses had brought a huge number of Jewish tourists from the United States.  So as the 4 of us walked around the place we were constantly part of this group.  Shiloh has a great media presentation of what the story of Shiloh is about in the Bible.  At least up to the point where Joshua selected Shiloh as his capital.  It doesn’t get to the point that the Bible says is important about Shiloh.

Then, as we were down around the place where it is believed the Tabernacle sat (see the photo in the previous post) we were permitted to sit and listen as a Rabbi explained the importance of the story of Hannah and Shiloh.  He emphasized her great prayer and her faithfulness to God and told his audience that they would do well to meditate on that story.  He also pointed out that, unlike at the Temple Mount, at Shiloh you could actually stand on the place where God actually had His dwelling with Israel.  It was an interesting thought that I had not previously entertained.  That was the end of his presentation and they went on their way.

Now here’s the deal.  Not a lot of people know about, or give credence to Psalm 78.  That Psalm tells about the great failure of Israel, and particularly Ephraim, at Shiloh.  The story apparently is about the battle when Israel took the Ark of the Covenant into the fray against the Philistines and the Philistines captured the Ark.  The Ark never returned to Shiloh.  The Bible doesn’t say this was by vote of the people or even because of the laziness of the people.  It just never returned.  And after a stint at the home of Obed-Edom David brought the Ark to Jerusalem.  And then Solomon brought the Ark to its resting place in the Holy of Holies of the temple.  God did this.  God chose the place for His name, as He said He would in Deut. 12. 

Many years later, and many idolatries later, the prophet Jeremiah would be instructed by God to go stand in the entrance to the temple (the one built by Solomon, on the Mountain where Abraham offered up Isaac, and in the area where Jesus would be crucified) and reprove the people of Israel.  Even as the people in the days of Eli the priest of Shiloh, when the people trusted in the Ark to bring victory only to be defeated, so now in Jeremiah’s day the people were trusting in the Temple of Jerusalem, certain that God would never destroy the place that was His dwelling.  “The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD” (Jer. 7:4).  Israel was trusting in lying words.  The LORD’s house had become a “den of thieves” (7:11).  The LORD spoke through Jeremiah and told the people to go to Shiloh and see what He did with that place.  They were wrong to think that God would not do it again.  And He did!

Many years later, in the Second Temple, Jesus quoted Jeremiah.  After creating a major ruckus, turning over tables in holy anger, Jesus again described the Lord’s house as being made into a “den of thieves.”  The people then were certain God would never again do what He had done at Shiloh, and then by the Babylonians.  But He did.  Through the Romans this time.

“I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.”  (Isa. 42:8)

Deut. 12:5-14, Unity of Worship in Israel

We have noted that in Israel the doctrine of the “unity of God” meant there would only be one place of worship.  “But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place, and there you shall go” (Deut. 12:5). 

Over the next several posts we will consider this matter.  Israel didn’t do too well on this.  But nevertheless, this was God’s plan.  At some point He would identify a place for a temple, a place where He would put His name.  What is interesting is that in Israel today the location of Israel’s place of worship is involved in several locations, primarily Jerusalem, Shiloh and Argamon/Gilgal.  Let’s look at some pictures with brief comment.

We should be familiar with the Temple Mount.  Today the “Dome of the Rock” is emphatic.  And the site is overseen by the Muslims.  But it was once the site of Solomon’s temple, destroyed by the Babylonians, and then the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans.

At the Model of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time at the Israel Museum we even have an idea of what it might have looked like, thanks to the Bible’s description and that of Josephus, the Jewish historian.

Working backwards in time, before Jerusalem the Ark rested at the home of one Obed Edom (1 Chron. 13:1-14).  That was after the Philistines had captured it from the Israelites (1 Sam. 4).  For many years, from the time of Joshua until the Philistines grabbed it, it was at Shiloh, in the tribal territory of Ephraim.  Shiloh was, in essence, the capital of Israel.

This photo shows where it is believed the Tabernacle sat.  Since it was a tent you might wonder what kind of evidence was found to make this determination.  The answer has to do with the courtyard area.  What was found was evidence of a boundary area, the size of the Tabernacle courtyard as defined in Exodus.

A part of that boundary might have included the bedrock area above.  So the second longest Psalm (Ps. 78) tells about God’s rejection of Ephraim and Shiloh and His choice of Jerusalem and Judah and Mount Moriah.  Remember what Moses said in Deuteronomy 12: GOD WOULD CHOOSE THE PLACE.

Before Shiloh what Israel had was the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, etc.

This is, of course, a life-size MODEL of the Tabernacle, down in southern Israel near Eilat.  The Tabernacle was first built at Mt. Sinai, and then it moved every time Israel moved in their years of wilderness wandering.  Thus there was one place of worship, and the place moved with the people.  But eventually Israel crossed over into Canaan.  What is interesting is that archaeologists may have found the site where the Tabernacle may have sat before it was moved to Shiloh.  Israel’s camps when they first entered the land were called “Gilgal.”  The word means “round” and there are more than one “Gilgals” mentioned in the Bible.  In the Jordan Valley, a few miles north of the Dead Sea and Jericho, is a Moshav (Jewish village) called Argaman.  And west of Argaman, up against the mountains (which if you climbed them would take you to Ai and then Shechem up in the mountains of Ephraim).  Here’s a picture of what they found.

    It looks like a shoe print.  Historians have actually found several of these in different places in Israel, places that make sense in being associated with Gilgal, a camp for Israel.  In the middle area, a rounded rectangle, with a pile of rocks in it, was believed to be the place where the Tabernacle sat.  The pile of rocks would be the remains of an altar.  The Tabernacle would have been left of those rocks, facing East.  That’s the way it was supposed to be, according to God’s instructions to Moses passed on to Israel.  It makes sense.  But it’s not certain.  Interesting.

    The point is: one place of worship because a “temple” (or “tabernacle”) was the place of God’s dwelling with Israel, His people.  Therefore, if there is only one true God, as Jesus said, and God is One, as Israel repeats in the Shema, then God only needs one place for His dwelling.  

Luke 20:45-21:6, The Unity of God (6)

·       Col. 3:5-7; Eph. 5:5: Paul in both passages makes a clear connection between “idolatry” and “covetousness.”  We have noted that an “idol” is nothing in itself.  But how does idolatry come to have such a grip on the life of the idolator?  The answer is that it comes through his or her covetousness.  The lust for things is what is at stake.  As we sometimes say in our society, “just follow the money.” 

o   This was evident in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve questioned the promise of God that all their needs were met.  They longed for something else, something more, something God was not giving. 

o   This was the reason for Jeroboam’s establishment of the golden calves at Dan and Bethel.  His reason was that the people would go back to Jerusalem to worship and eventually would defect (1 Ki. 12:27).  So he established a system of worship, hiring priests from among the common people.  And he initiated a feast to compete with the popular “Feast of Tabernacles.”  All this was a means of controlling the population by satisfying their lusts.

o   We also could see this in Jesus’ earthly ministry.  The religion that revolved around the temple was all about the money.  The priesthood had become very political and made the leadership very rich.  It was the motivation behind the plot to kill Jesus (Jn. 12:48).  Read Jesus’ description of the temple worship in Luke 20:45-47.  It probably explains the motivation of the widow as well, believing that her relationship with God depended on her giving all she had.

·       1 Tim. 2:5-7: Here is a simple truth, but it is oh so profound.  There is one God.  Therefore, there is one Mediator.  Only one God has been offended by sin and must have His righteous character satisfied.  Every religion must deal with this issue; it is the point of religion.  How can people become right with their Creator?  In polytheism there are multiple gods and each must be satisfied.  Usually the calendar is full of different days set aside to make atonement with one of the many gods.  In Christianity there is one God.  And that God became Man in Christ Jesus, so that He could give “Himself a ransom for all.”  This “compound unity” (i.e. Triune God) is the only way that makes sense.  If God does not become Man then some other man must be found to satisfy the Creator.  That’s why in man’s religion there was always an emphasis on sacrificing the best so as to appease the god.  Perhaps it would be the king's son, or some virgin of great beauty, or whatever.  But as the Bible says, there were and are none righteous, none qualified to die for the sins of others, none but Christ Jesus!

·       James 2:19-20: Finally, here is a profound point.  Knowing the doctrine of the “unity of God” is not the gospel.  It will not save you just because you know this.  Perhaps you have left behind the idolatry of polytheism or the idolatry of your own lusts.  Perhaps you are doing all you can to eradicate covetousness in your own life.  But if you have not come to the only Mediator, the only one in whom salvation is found in His name, then you are still lost and without hope in this life and in the one to come.  Satan knows there is only one God. 

Psalm 79

We find the Psalmist in the most difficult of positions.  What is described is most certainly the time of the Babylonian captivity.  The people of Israel are in shame.  Not only have the Babylonians treated them terribly; other nations, particularly Edom, took advantage of the situation to try to take Israel’s land for themselves.  The once proud nation is now a nation in exile.

But this is not actually what you hear the Psalmist saying.  What he says is …

§     The nations have come into YOUR inheritance … YOUR holy temple.

§     The dead bodies of YOUR servants …the flesh of YOUR saints.

§     For the glory of YOUR name … for YOUR name’s sake.

§     YOUR people, the sheep of YOUR pasture will give YOU thanks and show forth YOUR praise!

Furthermore, we also see that the Psalmist is not blind to the fact that the terrible situation in which they find themselves is of their own making.  He acknowledges former iniquities (v8) and sins (v9), pleading for God to make atonement so that He can forget them and turn from His anger.

The point is that we are seeing what we always see in the prayers of this great Hymnbook: the cry and concern of the saint is focused on His God!  Understand what we are saying: his life is consumed with difficulty and it drives him to His God.  But the one thing he desires is that His God be exalted.  He recognizes that he and his people would be nothing apart from God.  They are, in fact, His sheep living in His pasture.  The real problem is not that Israel is shamed; it is that Israel’s Shepherd is shamed (v10).

Let us, the people of God living in the AD era of history, see that nothing has changed in this regard.  God invites us to come into His very throne room with our sorrows (Heb. 4:16).  He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).  He longs to hear your supplications (Phil. 4:6-7).

But when you enter His presence do you not come to a place of great glory, where He is high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple (Isa. 6:1)?  You are in the place where all cry out glory, where the musical theme is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8).  The One on the throne is alone worthy to receive glory and honor and power for He created all things and by (His) will they exist and were created (Rev. 4:11).

So when we come, as He bids us do, with our pain and shame, let us humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:6).  Let us come in Jesus’ name.  Let us speak of ourselves in truth, as HIS purchased possession (Eph. 1:14), HIS own special people (Titus 2:14).  May our prayer be to the praise of HIS glory (Eph. 1:6,12,14).

Isaiah 44:9-20, The Unity of God (5)

The NT builds greatly on the doctrine of the unity of God.  We are not doing a deep study on the doctrine of the “Trinity.”  Again, we have done this in the past, and cannot take the time now.  But we do want to say this much: the “unity” of God means that our view of the Trinity must not be modalistic.  This is the view that, in one way or another, says there is one God who shows up sometimes as the Father, other times as the Son, and then as the Spirit.  That is heresy.  The term used often in theology is “compound unity.”  God is one, and manifests Himself in three persons.  So, here are some areas where God’s unity effects our lifestyle.

·       John 3:16; 1:18; 5:17-24; 10:30: These passages deal with the uniqueness of Jesus.  He is the “only begotten” or “one and only.” What is crucial is that Jesus proclaimed His oneness with the Father.  The Jews understood enough of this claim to threaten to kill Jesus for making Himself equal with God.  To them, at the least, this would mean there was a plurality of “Gods.” 

·       John 17:3: Knowing the “only true God” was the end result of Jesus’ ministry to the world.  This was what was promised in the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34).  “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me.”

·       Acts 4:12: Peter proclaimed that there was salvation in no other name than that of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  The uniqueness of Christ, who is God in the flesh, is essential.  There can be no other. 

·       1 Cor. 8:4-6; 10:14-22: The issue in 1 Cor. 8 had to do with Christians buying meat that had been part of the worship in the temples of idols.  Fundamental to Paul’s argument is that idols are nothing.  Since there is only one God, anything else you call “god” is not a god at all.  By the way, the OT prophets saw this the same way.  Even though they referred to the “gods” of the nations, these “gods” couldn’t hear or see or do anything because they were not truly “gods” (e.g. Isa. 44:9-20).  Having said that, in 1 Cor. 10 Paul notes that Satan and his demons are involved in idolatry.  Those who worship idols are in league with demons.  The demons try to bring the idol to life.

·       Eph. 4:4-6: In the list of unities, the final, summarizing truth is the unity of God: “one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

·       1 Thess. 1:9: The gospel resulted in many former idolators putting their faith in Christ for salvation.  What they did was, “turn from idols to serve the living and true God.”  We today need to understand that when we come to Christ we also are turning from idols.  We may not be involved in the idol temple as the Thessalonians were.  We may not have a statue of our “god” in our house.  But as we will see tomorrow, the essence of idolatry is “covetousness” and in Christ we turn from trusting anything or anyone else for our lusts to trust in the true and living God for exactly what we need!

Jeremiah 27:1-11, The Unity of God (4)

I want to comment briefly on several passages that speak of the unity of God, most of them in the NT.  But first, R. A. Torrey in his New Topical Text Book had this list that certainly will be great for our meditation.

His greatness and wonderful works. 2Sa 7:22; Ps 86:10.

His works of creation and providence. Isa 44:24; 45:5-8.

His being alone possessed of fore-knowledge. Isa 46:9-11.

His exercise of uncontrolled sovereignty. De 32:39.

His being the sole object of worship in heaven and earth. Ne 9:6; Mt 4:10.

His being alone good. Mt 19:17.

His being the only Saviour. Isa 45:21,22.

His being the only source of pardon. Mic 7:18; Mr 2:7.

His unparalleled election and care of his people. De 4:32-35.

·       Deut. 6:5: We know the limitations of the Law as Paul made clear.  But we should never forget that the Law required obedience from the heart.  It was never sufficient just to do the right things.  It had to be done with a right heart.

·       Deut. 12:1-28: Another implication of this doctrine is that there was to be only one place of worship in the land of Israel.  By definition, a “temple” or the “tabernacle” were the place where God dwelt with His people.  Since there is only one God, there must be only one dwelling place.  The very things this chapter warns against became snares in Israel. 

·       1 Kings 8:59-60: I find this interesting, that Solomon clearly knew “the unity of God.”  And he knew that this was a truth that Israel was to display for all the world to see.  It is interesting because, of course, Solomon gets a lot of credit for introducing idolatry into the Kingdom of Israel when he facilitated the idolatrous worship of his foreign wives.  He facilitated it; then apparently joined them in going through the motions.  Yet, when Solomon built the temple, the essence of his prayer of dedication was, “when we sin and pray in or towards this temple, hear and forgive.”  This one place was to be the focus of Israel’s worship.  In a later post I’ll tell you what Solomon was thinking, how he might have reconciled this idolatry with what he knew to be true of his temple.

·       Jer. 27:3: Solomon knew Israel was to display the one and only God to the nations.  So did Jeremiah and the other prophets.  While their primary ministry was to the people of Israel and Judah, they also gave messages to the surrounding nations, as Jeremiah did in this passage.  He made yokes for himself, so he could illustrate the message to Judah.  But then God instructed him to send the yokes to the surrounding nations because, “the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel” had a message for them as well (v4).

In our next post we will move into the NT and see that this doctrine has strong application for the Body of Christ.

Num. 15:37-41; Deut. 11:13-21, The Unity of God (3)

The “Shema” is a Jewish confession of faith.  The complete Shema is found in three OT passages: Num. 15:37-41 (about the tassels, or “tzitzit” on Jewish garments that were to remind them to keep the Law), Deut. 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 (the blessings and consequences of obedience and disobedience to God’s law).  The “Mezuzah” (small box on the doorpost containing a small scroll) had the last 2 of the above passages.  The “phylacteries” (Tephilim) contained 4 strips of parchment with the same 2 passages as in the Mezuzah plus Ex. 13:1-10 (consecration of the firstborn and Feast of Unleavened bread) and 13:11-16 (the law of the firstborn).  These were specific items to be passed on to one’s children.

Deut. 6:4-5 is, of course, a strong confession of Monotheism.  But many have noted an important distinction between the Monotheism of Judaism and that of Islam.  Schaff in his History of the Christian Church has this on the subject.

Monotheism is the comer-stone of the system. It is expressed in the ever-repeated sentence: "There is no god but God (Allâh, i.e., the true, the only God), and Mohammed is his prophet (or apostle)." (Lâ ilâha ill’ Allâh, wa Muhammeda rrasúlà ’llâh. Allâh is composed of the article al, "the," and ilâh, "a god," and is equivalent to the Hebrew Eli and Elohim. He was known to the Arabs before Mohammed, and regarded as the chief god in their pantheon.) ^ Gibbon calls this a "compound of an eternal truth and a necessary fiction." The first clause certainly is a great and mighty truth borrowed from the Old Testament (Deut. 6:4); and is the religious strength of the system. But the Mohammedan (like the later Jewish, the Socinian, and the Unitarian) monotheism is abstract, monotonous, divested of inner life and fulness, anti-trinitarian, and so far anti-Christian. One of the last things which a Mohammedan will admit, is the divinity of Christ. Many of the divine attributes are vividly apprehended, emphasized and repeated in prayer. But Allah is a God of infinite power and wisdom, not a God of redeeming love to all mankind; a despotic sovereign of trembling subjects and slaves, not a loving Father of trustful children. He is an object of reverence and fear rather than of love and gratitude. He is the God of fate who has unalterably foreordained all things evil as well as good; hence unconditional resignation to him (this is the meaning of Islâm) is true wisdom and piety. He is not a hidden, unknowable being, but a God who has revealed himself through chosen messengers, angelic and human. Adam, Noah, Abraham Moses and Jesus are his chief prophets.  But Mohammed is the last and the greatest.

Schaff says “Allah” is the equivalent of “El and Elohim.”  The equivalent of “El” (God, singular) makes sense; but “Elohim” (a plural form) is distinct from the Muslim view, even to some Jewish Rabbi’s.  While they are not “trinitarian” they still recognize this important distinction in the OT view of “one God.”  Warren Wiersbe (The Bible Exposition Commentary) had an interesting observation from a well known Rabbi in the 2^nd century AD:

On the word Elohim, Simeon Ben Joachi says; “Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim: there are three degrees, and each degree is by itself alone, and yet they are all one, and joined together in one, and are not divided from each other” (Zohar. Lev. Sect. 16. Col 116).

It is true that the Trinitarian doctrine is based in the NT.  However, it is also true that there is no conflict between the NT and OT.  While “Elohim” likely cannot be proof of the Trinity it easily paves the way for the doctrine when the Son of God becomes flesh.

Even in such a mysterious subject as the essential nature of God, we find the Bible to be precise.  What a wonderful God who has revealed Himself in such beauty and holiness.

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Deut. 6:1-9, The Unity of God (2)

When you read your Bible, you will regularly see applications of Deut. 6:4-5.  It is fundamental truth.  Related to the “unity of God” are the many passages dealing with idolatry.  Thus, a study of this topic involves the entirety of Scripture.  That’s a bit much for this blog.  But I would like to comment on a few passages that have recently caught my attention.

·       First, Deut. 6:4-5 in Judaism is called “the Shema,” which is the first word in the passage, “hear.”  It is regularly repeated by serious Jews.

·       Deut. 6:4-5 was not the first place this theme was expressed, of course. 

o   It is all over Gen. 1-2, the story of Creation, where there is only one Creator. 

o   It is the reason for the first 2 of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3-4, repeated in Deut. 5:6-21).  The first says Israel is to have no other gods “before” me, meaning besides me, over me, against me, etc.  The second calls for no graven images, the reason being God is a jealous God.  The image cannot be one of the one and only God because He is invisible, spirit, unseen.  “Images” would look like something, and all things are created by the one God.  So to use an image in worship, whatever the image looks like and whatever the role it has in the religious worship, it is idolatry.

o   The unity of God is mentioned earlier in Deuteronomy (4:35) and again in “the Song of Moses” (32:39). 

o   Deut. 6:8-9 calls the people to bind this truth on your hands and before your eyes, and to put it on your doorposts.  It is quite likely that Moses meant this in a symbolic way.  But Jews took it literally.  Thus came the tefillin (or phylacteries; leather boxes with straps containing scrolls with verses from the Torah, bound to the arm and head) and the mezuzah (box affixed to the doorpost, inside which is the Shema; Jews touch it as they come and go).  Here is a rather lengthy quote on these practices, indicating the potential of the practice itself to involve idolatrous ritual. 

It is probable that Moses used the phraseology in De 6:7 merely in a figurative way, to signify assiduous, earnest, and frequent instruction; and perhaps he meant the metaphorical language in De 6:8 to be taken in the same sense also.

But as the Israelites interpreted it literally, many writers suppose that a reference was made to a superstitious custom borrowed from the Egyptians, who wore jewels and ornamental trinkets on the forehead and arm, inscribed with certain words and sentences, as amulets to protect them from danger. These, it has been conjectured, Moses intended to supersede by substituting sentences of the law; and so the Hebrews understood him, for they have always considered the wearing of the Tephilim, or frontlets, a permanent obligation. The form was as follows: Four pieces of parchment, inscribed, the first with Ex 13:2–10; the second with Ex 13:11–16; the third with De 6:1–8; and the fourth with De 11:18–21, were enclosed in a square case or box of tough skin, on the side of which was placed the Hebrew letter (shin), and bound round the forehead with a thong or ribbon. When designed for the arms, those four texts were written on one slip of parchment, which, as well as the ink, was carefully prepared for the purpose.

With regard to the other usage supposed to be alluded to, the ancient Egyptians had the lintels and imposts of their doors and gates inscribed with sentences indicative of a favorable omen [Wilkinson]; and this is still the case, for in Egypt and other Mohammedan countries, the front doors of houses (in Cairo, for instance) are painted red, white, and green, bearing conspicuously inscribed upon them such sentences from the Koran, as “God is the Creator,” “God is one, and Mohammed is his prophet.”

Moses designed to turn this ancient and favorite custom to a better account and ordered that, instead of the former superstitious inscriptions, there should be written the words of God, persuading and enjoining the people to hold the laws in perpetual remembrance. (From Jemieson, Fausset and Brown on Dt. 6:1-9.)

Deut. 6:1-9, The Unity of God (1)

We are doing what I like to call “odds-and-ends” posts.  I have promised you at some point soon to go verse-by-verse through Hebrews.  I have been doing some additional posts that go with Hebrews.  But now I am going to move to another subject related to another “project” I am working on. 

The theme is “the unity of God,” taken, of course, from Deut. 6:4: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.”  This is followed by what Jesus said was the greatest commandment: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (4:5). 

There are two truths that are at the core of the statement, “the LORD is one.”  It means there is only one God, and the LORD is that God!  Therefore, all the gods of the nations are actually not gods at all. 

The second truth is that God cannot be divided up into any kind of parts.  “Modalism” teaches that there is only one God, and that sometimes He manifests Himself as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Spirit.  It’s the old “light- bulb” or “egg” view of the Godhead that you might have heard about in Sunday School as a kid.  The light-bulb has the filament (like the Father, the source of all things), the bulb (like the Son, the body), and the light (like the Holy Spirit). 

This is heresy.  It is not the Biblical teaching of the Trinity.  “Trinitarianism” teaches that there is one God, and that He has always existed as three persons.  The distinctions between Father, Son and Holy Spirit are very real.  They must be maintained because the Bible maintains them.  And, clearly, the Bible maintains the unity of God.  One God.  Always existing as three persons.

Now, there is a lot that can be said about this.  I just wanted to make this brief explanation before taking some time to emphasize the “unity of God.”  I find in my ministry that I am frequently speaking of the persons of the Trinity and their works, and how we as Christians are to know the Father’s will and do the work of Christ who is building His church and live in the power of God’s Spirit.  But at times we need to stop and think on the oneness of God.  It is a major truth and has some major implications in our daily living.

The beginning implication is that, since there is only one God, and He is my Creator, then I must love Him with all I am and have.  There can be nothing left over in my life for another.  Even when I love my neighbor (Jesus said that was the second greatest commandment), that neighbor-love must have its source and direction in my God-love.  Ditto my spouse-love, enemy-love, brother-love and so forth. 

“O LORD, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup” (Ps. 16:5).  “Whom have I in heaven but You?  And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You” (Ps. 73:25).  “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart” (Ps. 119:2).  “And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God’” (John 20:28)!

Heb. 6:13-20, The Unconditional Abrahamic Covenant

Heb. 6:13 speaks of the promise God made to Abraham.  The writer then quotes that promise in v14, using the “version” in Gen. 22:15-18.  We say “version” only because there are several times that God re-stated the covenant.  He did not use the same exact words because the LORD emphasized different aspects at different times.  Let’s look briefly at those 5 times God spoke of the covenant with Abraham.

·       Gen. 12:1-3: This was the first statement, apparently given to Abraham while he was still in Ur of the Chaldees.  It promised a great nation, a great name, and a blessing on the nations.  There are no conditions stated.  Abram had to decide if he trusted God’s promise or not, a decision that would be seen in his departure for Canaan.  That emphasizes the fact that the “condition” was faith, and faith is the absence of works. 

o   Here’s one thought about conditions.  Since this includes a promise of the salvation provided through the Messiah, if Abraham had to earn this promise then our salvation would not only be conditional on the work of Christ; it would be conditional on the work of Abraham.

·       Gen. 13:14-17: This version was given after Abraham and Lot split over the issue of the land.  Abraham was at Bethel, in Israel’s center, from where you can see a long way in all directions.  The emphasis is on the land and descendants.  The building of altars was part of worship; Abram is giving thanks to God, not earning a right to the promise.

·       Gen. 15:5-21: This records the actual making of the covenant between God and Abram.  On the matter of “conditions,” it could not be clearer.  Abram does nothing but provide the animals the LORD asks for.  Abram is asleep when the LORD makes the covenant.  It comes after Abram’s expression of faith (v5-6), which we reiterate, is not a work on Abram’s part but a receiving of God’s word.  The faith was in response to the promise of a son from Abram’s body, thus relating to descendants as well as to the Savior.  There is also an emphasis on the land, which Abram’s descendants would vacate for 400 years.  The LORD even defines the borders of the land.

·       Gen. 17:7-8: This version comes after the attempt to satisfy God’s promise through Hagar.  In 17:1 God tells Abram to “walk before Me and be blameless.”  But in no way does He link this to the covenant.  What is linked to the covenant is the name change to Abraham, “father of a multitude.”  The name change is God’s doing, and is a reiteration of the promise already given.  Thus, there are no conditions.

·       Gen. 22:15-18: This is what was quoted in Hebrews 6, and to some it sounds like there is a condition.  It comes after Abraham’s obedience with Isaac on Mt. Moriah.  But therein is the key to understanding that this is not Abraham’s meeting of a condition.  It is Abraham’s faith.  The question is how Abraham entered into the covenant with God.  It was by faith.  In the New Testament we see this in the Rom. 4 and James 2 passages on “justification.”  James uses this story to illustrate the fact that faith will always produce works.  The LORD had waited for a long time to see this in Abraham.  And Abraham had gone through several situations where he did not trust God (Hagar, lying about Sarah in Egypt and Gerar).  But here, God specifically “tested” Abraham (22:1) as to his faith!  As the NT says, the issue was still the “son;” and Abraham believed that if he took the life of Isaac in obedience to God that God would raise him from the dead (Heb. 11:17-19; cf. also Rom. 4:20-21).

Psalm 78

I hope you have not decided to skip this Psalm because it is so long.  Unlike the longest Psalm (119) which is already divided into stanzas, this second longest of the Psalms cannot be divided.  It is a complete story, one that needs to be heard by the saints.  Please take the time to find a quiet place and read it thoughtfully. 

Let’s begin with some background.  When the Children of Israel were ready to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land God had told them He would choose a place of worship, a place where He would put His name, a place where He would dwell with them (Deut. 12:5).  Did you ever wonder how Jerusalem became that place?  When Israel first entered Canaan the capitol city, and site of the tabernacle was Shiloh, a city of Ephraim (Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:3).  Now that you know or are reminded of that, do you wonder why the tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant did not remain in Shiloh?  That is the subject of Psa. 78.  We need to hear the reasons God rejected Shiloh and chose Jerusalem.

1 Samuel 4-6 tell the story of Israel’s attempt to gain a victory over the Philistines by taking the Ark into the battle, thinking it’s presence would give them a decisive edge.  Instead the Ark was captured by the Philistines.  But they could not keep it; having it resulted in being under constant plagues.  So they returned the Ark to Israel who did not return it to Shiloh but to the house of Abinadab in Kirjath Jearim (1 Sam. 7:1).  The answer to the question as to why it was not returned to Shiloh but eventually ended up in Jerusalem in the time of King David is in Psalm 78.  The reason involves a history lesson and it’s in Psalm 78.

We are called to listen to a parable (v1-4).  God established His law in Israel (v5-8).  But Ephraim did not keep the covenant (v9-11).  God had done great and marvelous things in Egypt (v12-16) but the people sinned even more, grumbling again and again against God (v17-29) so that His wrath was stirred up against them (v30-31).  Yet they continued to sin (v32) so that they were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years (v33).  When they entered the land this continued, rebellion against God followed by God’s punishment followed by a show of repentance followed by God’s mercy (v34-39).  They tempted God and limited God (v41), doubting Him just as the Egyptians had done previously (v40-53).  God eventually brought Israel into the land (v54-55) where they continued to test and provoke the Most High God (v56-58).  Finally God’s anger was stirred up so that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh (v59-64) when He allowed the Philistines to make Israel miserable in defeat and to capture the Ark, the symbol of their special relationship with God.  But then God’s grace and mercy came to the front.  He beat back Israel’s enemies (v65-66) and chose the city he loved, Mount Zion in the tribe of Judah.  And He chose David His servant to become Israel’s shepherd-King (v67-72).

The turning point for Shiloh was when the priesthood had become corrupt, in the time of Eli.  Israel came to put their trust in the Ark rather than in the God of the Ark.  They believed that having the Ark in battle would guarantee a victory.  Instead the result was that the Ark was removed from Shiloh and never returned.

God had predicted this clear back in Genesis 49:8-12 in the prophecy of Jacob concerning Judah.  While Joseph received the double portion of the inheritance given to the oldest son (Gen. 48) the leadership role of the first-born was given to Judah.  The scepter would not depart from Judah, a promise fulfilled in the Davidic Covenant wherein God promised a Son on David’s throne forever.

The story teaches an important lesson of consequences.  Israel’s unbelief when the tabernacle was in Shiloh resulted in its removal from Shiloh.  God kept His promise to make His dwelling with Israel but it would be in Jerusalem, the place established by David, the man after God’s heart.  It would be in the city of Melchizedek, the first godly King and Priest in (Jeru)Salem (Gen. 14:18-24).

God kept His promises to choose a place to dwell; but at the same time, sin brought consequences.  This is the story of Shiloh and Jerusalem.  God’s work is the same today.  Our wickedness will bring harmful consequences and lost opportunities. 

Heb. 5:5-11, The Prayers of Jesus (2)

Let me mention a couple of thanksgiving prayers.

·       Matt. 11:25-26: What Jesus is thankful here is, in essence, the “mystery of God.”  God had a plan from before the world was created and He has been and still is working it out.  It is a plan that values the humility of man and the love of God.  At this point in Jesus’ ministry He was seeing the leaders of Israel turn against Him.  He had just rebuked three cities where He did many miracles (11:20-24, Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, all on the northern end of the sea of Galilee).  But at the same time, many people were turning to Him.  They were not the wise of this world but were more like “babes.”  On that basis He again offered rest to those who would come to Him (11:28-30).  Like Jesus, when we happen to see a display of God’s plan, such as an answered prayer, we ought to give thanks to God for working in such a way as to bring honor to Himself.

·       John 11:41-42: In this spoken prayer Jesus thanks God for hearing Him, as He always does because Jesus always prays God’s will because He is in sync with God’s will.  But He says it out loud so the people will believe that the Father sent Him.  Otherwise, Jesus is concerned that people will consider Him a hero when Lazarus comes out of the tomb rather than remember that the scene is evidence that He is God’s Anointed One.  Remember that.  Public prayer is not about the one who prays.  Prayer is always about the One to whom we pray.

Here are prayers of Jesus in the closing hours of His earthly life.

·       Matt. 26:38: In Gethsemane Jesus’ praying was a great struggle, pleading with the Father, and coming to the place where He could resolutely face the difficult moments that His Father’s will was bringing upon Him.  He did a good thing, in seeking others to pray with Him.  We should do that too.  Even though, as in Jesus’ case, they may let us down. 

·       Luke 23:34: On the cross there were prayers.  First, as the nails were being driven, He asked the Father to forgive the ignorant solders.  The Romans were carrying out the purpose of God.  Christ must be lifted up, and that meant a Roman crucifixion, not Jewish stoning.  There are traditions claiming that Pilate eventually went crazy, perhaps because of his part in Jesus’ death.  That may or may not be true.  The only Roman official involved in the crucifixion we are told about is the centurion who concluded, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54).

o   Matt. 27:46: After three hours of darkness, He prayed Psalm 22:1: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.”  For the record, this is the only recorded prayer where Jesus does not address God as “Father.”  But He does address Him as “My God.”  He is quoting Scripture.  Yet, He is unloading the heaviness of His heart while under the burden of the sin of the world, being “numbered with the transgressors.” 

o   Luke 23:46: Jesus’ words as He died were spoken to the Father.  It was the ultimate statement of faith, spoken with a loud voice: “Father, Into Your hands I commit My spirit.”  God the Son, being the Word that became flesh, was about to die.  The death would be very real.  It had to be.  Thus, when He knew it was now upon Him, He boldly put Himself into the care of His Father. 

You will notice we did not include the “Lord’s Prayer.”  But, of course, that is not truly the Lord’s prayer but the disciple’s or believer’s prayer. 

Now remember the point in Hebrews 5.  Jesus has a feeling for our infirmities (Heb. 4:14-16) because He personally experienced those infirmities in His earthly life.  And we can find strength and direction in our weaknesses as Jesus did in His: by offering up “prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear.”

Heb. 5:5-11, The Prayers of Jesus (1)

Heb. 5:7 tells us that Jesus offered up prayers and supplications in the days of His flesh.  This is an aspect of His true humanity.  He was in the weakened state of man, made lower than the angels.  He did not have the sinful nature because that is not essential to humanity.  But he did have the physical weaknesses.  As we have noted, Jesus lived His life in obedience to His Father out of the same provisions available to us: He knew the word, He was filled with the Spirit, and He prayed!  He prayed often.  Let’s review some of those prayers.

·       Matthew 4:1: He set aside 40 days for prayer and fasting in the desert at the beginning of His ministry.  This is a pattern followed by others, such as the Apostle Paul, a pattern of special time with God at the outset of ministry.  Others, like Isaiah (seeing the LORD high and lifted up, Isa. 6), Jeremiah (being commissioned by the LORD, Jer. 1) and Ezekiel (seeing the vision of the wheels, Ezek. 1-2), had special visitation from God to set them on their prophetic path of ministry.

·       Mark 1:35: After one busy day, that went into the evening with many healings, Jesus rose “a long while before daylight” to pray.  And He went out to a solitary or “deserted” place for this.  Again, this is a pattern for us.  There must be times set aside for deep fellowship with our God.  Jesus could also go “spontaneously” to His Father in prayer (John 11:41-42).  We may wonder how the Son knew the will of the Father from day to day.  Note, in the following verses (Mk. 1:36-39). that when the disciples showed up with an idea as to what Jesus should do next, He had another plan.  Time with God can sharpen our focus in serving Him.

·       Luke 6:12: Here is a similar situation, in that Jesus spent all night praying before selecting the Twelve.  If you are wondering what Jesus would do since He didn’t get any sleep that night, note that in Lk. 6:17-49, after choosing His special disciples, He then preached Luke’s “sermon on a level place” (v17).

·       John 17:  We won’t go into detail here as it is a lengthy study and we have done this previously.  But let us remember that this is a truly magnificent prayer.  It is tied to Jesus’ purpose in the incarnation and the New Covenant that would be established after His death and resurrection.  In this prayer He prayed for the Father to return Him to His glory, He prayed for the Twelve, and He prayed for us, for all who would believe in Him through the Apostles.  Therefore, we would say that this prayer, for us, is not a “pattern” for us to follow.  Instead, we hear His prayer and trust God for everything His Son asked for.  There is no greater guarantee of an answered prayer than to know that the Son asked the Father!

We will continue this in our next post.

Heb. 4:11-16, Tested in All Points

In my ordination council I was asked by someone about Christ: could He sin?  I gave a common answer: if He was tempted it could only be a temptation if He had the ability to sin.  I was advised by the council, after much discussion, that I ought to study this more as I would find my answer was not particularly orthodox.

The issue is theologically stated something like this: was Christ …

passe peccary (able to sin, it was possible)

non passe peccary (not able to sin, it was impossible)

passe non peccary (able not to sin, humanly able to resist sin)

non passe non peccary (not able not to sin, unable to fully resist sin)

The first and last describe man in his fallen state.  The third speaks of the born-again believer.  The issue with Christ is between the first two.  I have come to have a good resolution on this matter, good in that it satisfies my mind. 

Christ laid aside His majesty, meaning the independent use of His attributes.  He only used His deity at the direction of the Father.  He never used His deity to achieve His sinless life.  He lived by the word and Spirit as we are called to do.  At the same time, He did not lay aside His deity.  He was fully God (holy, unable to sin) and fully Man (weak, able to experience the enticing power of temptation.  The key is: He experienced temptation more than we ever will because He never gave in to the temptation.  He experienced it to the end, until the devil finally “departed from Him until an opportune time” (Lk. 4:12). 

We have considered this often over the years, but feel compelled to mention it again.  1 John 2:16 tells us the sum total of all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh (hedonism), the lust of the eyes (materialism), and the pride of life (self-actualization).  All three of these were attacked by Satan’s incitements in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3).  It looked good (materialism). It was good for food (hedonism), and it would make them like God (self-actualization).  Adam did not stand up to the temptation.  He was “able to sin,” and some would say he was “not able not to sin.” 

In Matt. 4:1-11 and Luke 4::1-11 we have the story of Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the desert.  All three passions were present again.  Satan said to turn the stones into bread (hedonism).  Then he promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him (materialism).  Then he told Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the temple; all the people would see when God protected Him and would worship Him (self-actualization).  He experienced all the attacks of Satan that we experience. 

Therefore, we have a great High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, having been tested in all points like we are.

Numbers 14:1-25, Reviewing Kadesh Barnea (2)

·       14:1-10: After the 10-2 vote of the leading men who had spied out the land the people spent the night in anguish and anger (14:1).  And it was the fault of Moses and Aaron (14:2, that’s the political answer) and it was the LORD’s fault (v3, that’s the theological answer).  In good democratic fashion, they decided to choose another leader (14:4).  But Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb knew this would be a very bad choice, that will only end up hurting the Nation.  The action of Moses and Aaron was one of humble pleading with the people.  The words of Joshua and Caleb are what Hebrews calls “the preaching of the gospel” (Heb. 4:2).  The people would have none of it.  And neither would the LORD have any of the attitude and decision of the people.  “Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.” 

·       14:11-19: This shows the weakness of a form of government that depends on the will of the people.  The “people” can be, and eventually will be, quite fickle.  God had given them every reason to trust in Him, providing for them in Egypt and out of Egypt. for the 2 years it took to make it to Sinai and then Kadesh.  Now God works to actually elevate Moses as the leader, even though it may seem he has lost the support of the people.  He is God’s man.  So, God threatens to kill them all and start again with a people through Moses.  Moses again shows how he had grown as Israel’s shepherd: he intercedes with a great prayer.  He bases his prayer on the glory of God (v13-16) and on the “God-proclaimed” character of God (v17-19; cf. Ex. 34:6-7). 

o   It is important to note, for the sake of Heb. 3, that God makes this a “faith” issue (14:11).  “How long will they not believe me.”  This word is first used in Gen. 15:6: “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.”

·       14:20-25: God’s answer perfectly fulfills both these arguments in Moses’ prayer.  He does show mercy and pardons the sin of Israel (v20).  But at the same time, He maintains His glory.  Those people are pardoned, but they will still suffer the consequence of not entering the land.  They will all die in the wilderness, all but the two who voted to enter the land, Caleb and Joshua.

·       14:26-38: Having spoken with Moses, the LORD now speaks with Aaron also and tells them to inform the people: “your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness” (v29,32).  It is a judgment that fits the sowing and reaping: according to the 40 days they spied out the land, so they will end up 40 years in the desert (14:34).  Then God gives another sign to Israel when the 10 spies die by a plague from the LORD while sparing Joshua and Caleb.

·       14:39-45: This conclusion is also important for Hebrews.  There is no room for repentance, for Israel to change their mind.  The decision had been made and God would not change His mind about their death in the desert.  “Because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you” (14:43).

Remember: God forgives sin, based on the blood of Christ.  But we still suffer the consequences.  We reap a harvest of what we sow.