Wednesday, August 30, 2006

How many sacrifices...?

Following my sermon this past Sunday (which you can listen to by clicking here), Charlie Dunn emailed me some very interesting comments and questions last night regarding 2 Samuel 6:13 and the number of sacrifices David offered while bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. His insights and calculations are quite thought-provoking and certainly worth serious consideration, so I'm inserting excerpts from our email exchange here with his permission...

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

From: Charlie Dunn
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 8:43 PM
To: Mark Brand
Subject: 2nd Samuel Sermon August 29, 2006

Pastor Brand,

I found your sermon this Sunday to be very insightful and full of many great points. God truly speaks through you. You mentioned in your sermon that all of us are subject to human error, even the prophet Nathan as you discussed. In reading Chapter 6 of 2nd Samuel, I found that my translation (NIV) only mentioned that David "sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf" after the first six steps, and not after every six steps. Certainly David's sacrifice was of great significance as it re-consecrated the role of the Levites as the Lord's ministers and affirmed God's faithfulness to those who followed his Words. Furthermore, those first six steps were surely taken very tentatively in light of the recent death of Uzzah. With the first six steps completed, it was evident to David and to those in the procession, that God would bless this venture. Accordingly, David offered sacrifices of thanks to God. He would later offer "burnt offerings and fellowship offerings" once the Ark had been delivered to the tent, but from what I can understand, not repeatedly along the way.

It is possible that you are aware of some pertinent information that I am not, but according to what I can see, it would be nearly impossible for David to have offered sacrifices every six steps. As 1 Chronicles 13:13 informs us, Obed-Edom was a Gittite. Thus he was either from the Philistine city of Gath, located 30 miles from Jerusalem, or more likely from the Levitical city of Gath-Rimmon, located in the inheritance of Dan, a little more than 10 miles from Jerusalem. The latter option would make a great deal more sense, as it would place his home closer to the city, and would justify David's deposit of the Ark at the home of Obed-Edom, a Levite. Whether Gath-Rimmon or Gath, the distance would be no fewer than 10 miles. Therefore, if a mile is 5,280 feet, than each mile would take approximately 6,000 steps, or 1,000 sacrifices. Assuming only ten miles, the sacrifices would total over 10,000 bulls and 10,000 calves! Suffice it to say that time alone would not permit such an exorbitant method, nor would it be feasible to carry and consume all of the sacrificed meat.

I would like to reemphasize my appreciation of your service to God, and the open and bold way in which you and Hillcrest Church worship God and proclaim His Word. I took a great deal away from the sermon, and I look forward to attending again. I was just curious about this point, on which I may be lacking a critical piece of information. Otherwise, I thought you might benefit from this. God bless you and may he continue to use you for his kingdom.

In Christ,

Charlie Dunn


On 8/29/06, Mark Brand <MBrand@hillcrestchurch.org> wrote:

Hi Charlie!
Thanks so much for your very enlightening email and for the calculations! Wow! That is certainly thought-provoking!

To be honest with you, from my reading of the NIV, it seemed to my eyes to infer an ongoing process, but that certainly would be a lot of animals, and having re-read the verse carefully in light of your comments, you may well be right...!

In any event, your email caused me to do a quick check of the commentaries and dictionaries, etc., I have loaded on my computer to see which side they would come down on. I skimmed them quickly, since I have a lot of other work that I need to do before I go to bed tonight, but a superficial investigation brought a couple of interesting facts to light...

First of all, it appears that some commentators think there was some form sacrifice offered at some regular interval along the way, apparently in part because their take on the Hebrew words, etc., used in the phrase is such that they believe the part that speaks to the issue of "taking steps" implies a sort of military, ceremonial, or royal cadence that involves paces interspersed with stops. In their minds, this implies some sort of ongoing pattern of stops, accompanied by sacrifices. (What comes to my mind is the kind of "stutter-step" that brides sometimes do when coming down the aisle at a church wedding, i.e., taking a step or steps, then halting.) And I don't know that the passage actually states how many hours or even days or weeks or months the journey took.

The second thing I found is references to Solomon's displacement of the Ark from David's tabernacle to the Temple (obviously a much shorter distance...!) where 1 Kings 8:3-5 says,
"When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4 and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, 5 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.[emphasis mine]" Cf. also 2 Chronicles 5:6 where the same reference is made to an innumerable number of sacrifices.

However...

Then, I looked at 1 Chronicles 15:25-26. It says of David's procession, "
25 So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. 26 Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed." The question that then comes to my mind is, "Since 2 Samuel 6:13 mentions only one bull and one fattened calf (no rams), were the seven bulls and seven rams mentioned in 1 Chronicles 15:26 sacrificed at some interval along the way or, as the text seems to indicate (apparently referring to the fact the God had helped the Levites complete the work of transporting the Ark), does 1 Chronicles only mention the sacrifices that were made upon arrival in Jerusalem, and not those offered after the first six steps or periodically, depending on what one thinks about 2 Samuel 6:13?"

Quite honestly, I do not have the answer to that, but it does seem to me that 1 Kings 8:3-5; 2 Chronicles 5:6; as well as 1 Chronicles 29:21 (where a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand male lambs were offered simply because Solomon was acknowledged as king); 1 Kings 3:4 (where Solomon then appears to have personally offered a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord, separate from the inaugural event just referenced); and 1 Kings 8:64 (where the ground in middle part of the courtyard had to be consecrated because the bronze altar, though significantly larger than what had been in the Tabernacle of Moses, was still too small to contain all the sacrifices that were brought), all seem to indicate an extraordinary propensity among the Israelites for sacrificing very large numbers of animals on very important occasions.

So, I don't know that I have a definitive answer for you regarding 2 Samuel 6:13, Charlie. Taken at face value, apart from the other passages I mentioned such as 1 Chronicles 29:21 where at total of three thousand animals were sacrificed, a minimum of 20,000 does seem an like an awfully lot, and verse 13 taken all by itself sure does seem to read the way you interpret it, when I read it and think about it more. But, then I ask myself,
"Is not '...so many...that they could not be counted...' a lot more than 20,000?"

At any rate, I want to thank for your very, very thought-provoking email and questions! I always love this kind of dialogue and I certainly do make many mistakes while preaching. May God give us more people like you and the Bereans in Acts who " were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, fore they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:10-12)

Blessings to you, my brother, and please do not hesitate to email again when you have a question about something I've preached. It does not offend me at all!

Mark

P.S. Would it be okay with you if posted your email and mine on the internet on my blog (
hillcrestchurch.blogspot.com) so others in our church could read and benefit from our interaction?



From: Charlie Dunn
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 9:45 PM
To: Mark Brand
Subject: Re: 2nd Samuel Sermon

Pastor Brand, Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my email. You have certainly given me a new perspective to think about as well as a strong argument for the possibility of the ongoing sacrifice. Whether a one time event or a repeated process, David certainly invested his time and resources into his pursuit of the Living God, a point you well illustrated this Sunday.

I particularly appreciated your reference to the tone of the Hebrew as Biblical languages are of great interest to me. I will be a Freshman at Dartmouth this year studying Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and then hopefully relating them to God's Word in Seminary down the road. It is always exciting when God reveals new Truths as we study His Word.

I look forward to listening to your sermons over the Internet and viewing your notes on your Blog while I am away. I would be honored if you posted my email with yours, and may God continue to bless your ministry.

Charlie Dunn

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Pray for the Jews...and for the Arabs...!

An article I came across on Christianity Today's website this morning (to read it, click here - be sure to read the other articles it links to!) drives home the complex realities of war in the Middle East. As a Bible-believing Christian, I of course have a very special love and appreciation in my heart for the Jewish people and their unique role in God's plan for human history. We are, for instance, commanded by Scripture to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." (Psalms 122:6) I preached not long ago in Tel Aviv for Avi Mizrachi. (www.dugit.org) During the recent conflict, I kept thinking of where he lived, some miles north of the city, and wondered if the missiles had reached as far south as his home. He is a precious man of God with a wonderful wife and beautiful daughters. I remembered the bomb shelter built into his house, and was glad he had it.

I also found myself deeply moved whenever I thought of bombs falling even farther north. Having spent a few blessed days ministering to some two hundred Arabic speaking pastors and wives from across the region during the during the same trip that included my stop in Israel, I kept thinking of those I had met from Lebanon. "How were they?" I wondered. "Were their little children safe? Were they traumatized by the shelling? Had their church buildings been destroyed? Were any of their flock killed by Hezbollah when trying to flee the affected area?"

At the feet of Jesus, there are no Jews, Arabs, Syrians, Iranians, or Americans, but only sons and daughters of God. (Galatians 3:28) My heart aches for all of them...as I am sure His does!

Pastor Mark

Monday, August 28, 2006

More Bible reading websites

I just found another web page with an entire list of Bible reading plan websites. I have not taken the time to check all of these out, so I do not know what all of these sites contain, but simply provide the list for your convenience:

The Bible Condensed - Excerpts from Genesis to Revelation in 365 daily readings with commentary.
Bible Reading Plan - Beginners - Readings selected for novice Bible readers. Printable charts to track progress.
Bible Reading Plans - Multiple plans, translations, and languages available online or by e-mail subscription.
Bible Reading Schedule - Color-coded, chronological reading plan through the entire Bible in one year.
The Bible Through the Seasons - A three-year cycle for reading the Bible, one passage a day. Each day of the week is dedicated to a part of the Bible. The passage is introduced by a one-minute "Firestarter" that sets the mood.
Bible-Studies.Net Reading Plan - Plan for reading the New Testament in a year.
Daily Bible - The King James Version, American Standard Version, and World English Version. Read by book or follow the daily plan to read through the Bible in a year. Offers to e-mail scripture daily.
Daily Bible Reading - Daily readings in English and Spanish: Long readings (read the Bible in a year), short readings, and daily verse.
Daily Bible Readings in English - Two Old Testament and one New Testament passage for each day in order to read the entire Bible in 6 months.
Daily Bible Verse - One day, one verse.
Free Bible Email - Sends 4 or 5 chapters from the Bible via e-mail each day. Enables the reader to read the whole Bible in a year.
Fruits of the Vine - Six plans by email: Read the Bible in one, two, or three years; Old Testament; New Testament; or Psalms and Proverbs.
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary: One Year Plan - Presents readings in chronological order. [PDF]
Into Thy Word Bible Reading Plans - Several plans online and downloadable (DOC).
Michael Coley's Pages: 52 Week Bible Reading Plan - A plan to read through the Bible in a year. This plan assigns a portion from a different part of the Bible each day of the week rotating through the epistles, Torah, history, Psalms, poetry, prophecy, and gospels.
One Year Bible Blog - Reading a portion of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day. Related blog discussion groups.
Read the Bible in a Year by Email - Daily readings by email with selected Bible versions and choice of plans: alternating verse, start-to-finish, or chronological.
Reading Through the Bible in a Year - Calendar with links to daily Bible readings from books in the Old and New Testaments.
ReadingPlanner - Free software to create custom Bible reading plans for Windows or Palm OS.
The Vine - The Word for Today daily devotional reading online or by e-mail. One year Bible reading plan.
Yearly Bible Read Through - Design custom online reading plans with choice of books, number of months, and preferred translation or follow their plan to read the Bible in a year. Offers audio and RSS options.
Zondervan: Bible Reading Plans - An introduction to the Bible, every book in the Bible, and several reading schedules.

Listen to the Bible online

Here are a couple of ways to listen to the Bible online.

http://www.mp3bibleplayer.org/ - As I understand it, this website and its content was developed by Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California where Chuck Smith is the Senior Pastor. One nice plus is that they have a small, free program that you can download to your computer that allows you to bring up a small window that allows you to select what passage you want to listen to. The only drawback is that they only provide the New Living Translation, the King James Version, and a popular Spanish translation, but not the New International Version.

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio - This takes you directly to Biblegateway's audio Bible page. Select your language, the passage you want to listen to, and ... voilà! ... you're in business!

If you would like to have the actual mp3 audio files, you can download them online (even specifying which particular book, etc., if you do not want to pay for the whole Bible) so that you can use them on your ipod, for instance. Here is one way to do it: http://www.listenersbible.com/productlisting.html?m=M Alternatively, I know that at one time Greg Laurie's ministry was offering a free version of Calvary Chapel's Bible audio cds for only the price of shipping and handling: www.greglaurie.org I did not find it currently listed on their website, but it is worth a email to them to see if they have any more available. There are also many commerical version widely available in Christian bookstores.

Enjoy!

Let's Go Through Luke...!

On Sunday, September 10th, I will begin preaching a series of messages that will take us through the life of Jesus, based on the Gospel of Luke. I encourage you to read this Gospel in advance. That way, you will obtain maximum benefit from our studies together and you can share the thoughts God gives you with others via this blog.

There are many websites that allow you to read and/or listen to the Bible online in a wide variety of languages and translations. Many of them include free access to commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and other helpful resources. My two favorite sites of this type are: www.biblegateway.com and www.blueletterbible.org

Other websites provide various reading plans that will take you through the Bible in a year, etc., either by emailing you the text you need to read every day or by providing you with a link to click on that opens up a window via the internet with that day's reading. By clicking here you will be taken directly to one site that allows you to set up either an online reading plan or an email plan that will take you through all four Gospels in a month.

Many of these kinds of sites allow you to specify which language and version you want to use, and some even allow you to listen to it via audio instead of having to read it. If you are interested in exploring these kinds of Bible reading plan links, I suggest that you begin here: http://www.bibleplan.org/others.htm This site has many different plans of their own and also provides clickable links to other sites that offer the same service. You can also search on Google or Yahoo, etc., for "Bible reading plan" and you will come up with many more options.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Ezekiel's Glimpse of God's Glory

This morning, I preached about David's desire and determination to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. Here are a few more thoughts on the subject of God's glory that I jotted down last week, taken from one of the Old Testament prophets...

Ezekiel's writings contain some of the most unusual passages in the Bible, and certainly some of the most difficult to understand. They speak of things both strange and wonderful, but, also mysterious. Reading some of his descriptions, one quickly comes to the opinion that the guy had a supernatural encounter with God of the highest order, seeing and hearing things so incredible, so otherworldly, so awesome, that he felt at a loss to know how to convey them in ordinary human language. No wonder he frequently used such Hebrew words translated into English as "like" and "appearance" to describe things that were completely beyond any earthly experience.

Try to visualize in your own mind, for instance, what he sees as he describes the four living creatures:

    "5 ... in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf ... 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, ... 10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle." (Ezekiel 1:5-10, NIV)

Can you visualize that? ... Not me!

Or, how about this:

    "15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around." (Ezekiel 1:15-18, NIV)

What is a wheel that intersects a wheel that can move in any of four directions without turning? And, why does this kind of wheel have eyes on it...?!

And, that's just the first chapter...!

The apostle Paul declared that the natural mind cannot understand the things of the spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) That certainly applies to Ezekiel's words. My human thought processes begin to break down when I try to picture such scenes.

When I awoke early last Monday morning, though, and moved into the still tranquility of our living room for one of those special moments alone with the Lord, I felt prompted to read Ezekiel again. I thought about what he wrote for a while in an attitude of prayer, but I have to admit that I still did not have a completely clear idea of what his unusual descriptions actually mean. I looked the chapters up in a couple of commentaries to see if that would help me grasp things better. Predictably, each of their authors had an opinion, and maybe one of them is right, but quite honestly, what they wrote reads to me more like speculation than deep conviction. About the only thing we know for absolutely sure concerning these passages is that the four creatures are cherubim, a high order of angels, closely associated in Scripture with the throne of God (10:20).

In spite of the uncertainty surrounding some of what Ezekiel wrote, even a casual reading of his prophecies makes one thing very clear - this man's encounters with God's manifest presence impacted him in a very profound way. The first time he glimpsed a physical manifestation of God's glory, he was so overcome with awe that he fell face down to the ground.

    "4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north-an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal...22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome...."26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking." (Ezekiel 1:14, 22, 26-28, NIV)

Ezekiel's passion for God's glory must have caused him tremendous sorrow when he wrote chapter ten. In that passage, he describes how God's glory leaves the temple. That terrible thing was certainly not what God wanted to happen, and it did not take place all at once, but came about in stages. First, the Lord's manifest presence that resided over the mercy seat above the cherubim moved away from the altar to the threshold or door of the temple. Then, it arose and moved to the east exterior gate. In chapter eleven, it finally moved out of the temple door to the Mount of Olives, east of the city.

As I read those verses, I found myself wondering, "Did anyone notice that something was different when this occurred?" By the eye of the Spirit, Ezekiel saw what was transpiring on a spiritual level, but I wonder if anyone could tell what was happening on a natural level. Crowds of people may have continued to throng the temple area. After all, it was the only place pious individuals could offer the sacrifices required by the Law of Moses. Since the temple was also the center of Jewish social life, personal interaction, deep friendships, and other long-lived relationships may have continued to draw other people to its courts. In any event, even after the glory was gone, the temple building itself retained all its architectural splendor and an entire class of religious professionals continued to carry out their ritual functions and duties.

Seen from the human perspective alone, things probably seemed to be the same as they had always been, but the spiritual reality was that the manifest presence of God had gradually slipped away from the midst of it all. Because Israel's spiritual leaders committed persistent, serious sins, God eventually withdrew His blessed anointing from what was taking place. In the book of Judges, chapter sixteen, we read that Samson arose and shook himself as he had done at other times, thinking that he would experience supernatural help from the Lord as he always had before, without realizing that the Lord had left him. Confronted with a problem too big for him to solve without divine intervention, he came to the very rude awakening that the anointing had lifted from off of his life without him even knowing it. What a sobering thought...!

I suspect something similar happened in the temple when the glory of God left. Because of His great love for Israel, the Lord did not remove His manifest presence in a single moment, but lessened it in stages, giving their spiritual leaders the opportunity to respond in repentance by turning away from their self-sufficiency and back toward Him so He could return in all His fullness. The first sign that something was seriously wrong was when God's presence was not quite a strong as it had been before and His glory was no longer at the center of all that was taking place.

This same thing can happen in the life of a local church. Imagine for a moment a congregation where there is still enough of the Holy Spirit's work for a few people to get saved every now and then; other individuals are having their needs met through its various programs and ministries. Enough good things are happening that, at first glance, it appears that everything is as it should be. When you look a little more closely, though, you discover that some other religious or social activity has become more important in the life of that body than the pursuit of God's manifest presence. In such a context, it is very easy for that body's leaders and members to be lulled into thinking that everything is okay, when in reality, it is only a matter of time until their church has evolved into a mere social entity, devoid of any true spiritual life.

This has happened many times throughout church history in many different sectors of the Christian church. One way to guard against this tendency is to ask ourselves these important questions from time to time: "If the Holy Spirit were suddenly removed from the world tonight, tomorrow morning, would it just be 'business as usual' around here or would we keenly sense our loss? How much of the life and ministry of this church really does depend on the Holy Spirit's help? How much of it can we do without any supernatural intervention? How clearly do we see ongoing evidences that He is still working among and through us, or do we just take that for granted by faith?"

I am very glad that Ezekiel did not end his prophecy in chapter ten! He went on to write chapter forty-three, describing how God's glorious presence returned to the temple, accompanied by the promise that it would never leave again. This followed a deep, cleansing work of the Spirit in the Israelites as the result of their repentance. This is certainly the heart and desire of God for every local body of believers.

I am so thankful that we are experiencing a fresh move of His Spirit among us at Hillcrest! As I preached this morning, let's be like David and do everything it takes to keep His manifest presence in our homes and in this "house!"

Pastor Mark

Glory on Your House

One of the books I was assigned to read for a class I am taking at the King's Seminary has touched me very deeply. A single sentence from its pages planted the seed in my spirit that resulted in my sermon last Sunday and what I ministered this morning. The book was written by Jack Hayford from the Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California and is entitled, "Glory on Your House." Click here

If you enjoy it, I would also encourage you to get a copy of Terry Teykl's book, "The Presence Based Church." Amazon.com lists it at: Glory on Your House and: Gloria en Su Casa

I am not trying to promote Amazon.com, by the way, but just want to make it a bit easier for you to track down the resources that I mention in this blog.

A Tale of Three Kings

Here is the title of the book I mentioned this morning while preaching. Although the style the author has chosen is not what I would prefer, the content is so rich that I would have to rate it among the top five books that I have impacted my life the most. I read it many years ago and it deposited rich seeds into my heart that have born fruit along life's way at many different times in many different ways.

"A Tale of Three Kings" by Gene Edwards (ISBN#: 0842369082)

I looked it up on Amazon.com a few moments ago to see if it is still in print and came up with this link for the English version: A Tale of Three Kings and this link for the Spanish language version: Perfil de Tres Monarcas.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Men: Is Your Relationship with God Parked on Cemetery Lane?

Men, to find out the answer to that provocative question, check out the new Hillcrest Church Men of Legacy blog at menoflegacy.blogspot.com...!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Getting started

Welcome to my new Hillcrest Church blog...!

Every week, I will use this space to share my thoughts on life and ministry among our family of faith at Hillcrest Church.

Let's journey together into His presence, into His Word, and into His harvest...!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark