The Sound of Doctrine

Category: Pastoral ministry

  • The Effect of the Lord’s Supper

    The Effect of the Lord’s Supper

    Scripture Reading

    20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but appeared in these last times for the sake of you

    21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

    22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a love of the brothers without hypocrisy, fervently love one another from the heart,

    23 for you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

    24 For,

    “All flesh is like grass,

    And all its glory like the flower of grass.

    The grass withers,

    And the flower falls off,

    25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

    And this is the word which was proclaimed to you as good news.  (1 Peter 1:20–25, LSB)

    Introduction

    The Lord’s Supper is an act of remembrance of the Lord’s final meal with His beloved disciples.

    In that event, private, quiet, and normal in so many other ways, the Lord Jesus Christ conducted the men into a new and living way,1 a way that is the foundational expression of the New Covenant that God was to make with Israel, but Israel rejected…gladly.

    Because Israel refused to repent, the Lord turned His attention to the people, by passing the leaders of Israel, and to the nations.

    He did this by gathering Jews and Gentiles apart from the national identification with Israel, into a “new man,” a whole new group called “the church.”

    14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups one and broke down the dividing wall of the partition

    15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the Law of commandments2 contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might create the two into one new man, making peace,

    16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity.

    17 And He came and preached the good news of peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;

    18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.  (Ephesians 2:14–18, LSB)

    The distinction between the Jew and the Gentile has always been the Law of Moses, the “Law of commandments,” as Paul calls it.

    The need for Israel to obey the Law, which required complete confession of sin and repentance, which they did not do, in order to see the promise to Abraham come to them, kept them from ever seeing the promise to Abraham.

    However, now, that promise can come since, in Christ, the Law is not fulfilled (i.e. kept obediently by the Jews), but the sinner dies in Christ.

    4 So, my brothers, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

    5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.

    6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were constrained, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.  (Romans 7:4–6, LSB)

    The Law could never be kept by Israel.

    Their dead spiritual condition made it impossible to obey the Law and keep the covenant with YHWH.

    Therefore, the curses of the Law were on them.

    However, as Jesus Christ died at the hands of men, God also places men in that death with Him so that the Law can no longer hold the man, the Jew.

    And, if that is the case for the Jew, the Gentiles are hopeless.

    They have no Law, and no part in the covenant(s).

    Yet, because of the kindness of YHWH, and His marvelous plan, He has extended the righteousness of the forgiveness of sins, i.e. the New Covenant, to the nations.

    This incredible and unique accomplishment by the Lord was done at the hands of His death.

    His death made the Jew die to the Law so that he could be made new again and be reconciled.

    His death made the Gentile, without covenants, the Law, or hope, die to the flesh, the world, the devil, so that he could be made new again and be reconciled.

    This very radical and complex accomplishment by the Lord, and His death on the cross at the hands of men, is the very heart of the New Covenant.

    It is His death that did this.

    And, it is this multifaceted accomplishment that His death succeeded in securing. 

    Therefore....

    The memorial we keep, by the Lord’s command (Luke 22:19; cp 1 Corinthians 11:23-25), is a memorial of His death.

    This death, more than just a sacrifice for us so that we could go to heaven, but was a satisfaction of the Father’s plan, and accomplished the needed death of the elect so that the provisions of the New Covenant could come to both Jews and Gentiles, irregardless of whether the New Covenant was to be made with Israel or not.

    The Need For Love In The Church

    Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.  (1 Corinthians 11:27, LSB)

    It makes sense, then, that eating the bread and drinking the cup in a way that does not resemble the motive and heart of the original bread and cup of Christ’s last meal, one we have examined a lot, makes the Christian guilty of tremendous charge against God.

    This is to such a degree that Paul even says that a man or woman who does this is “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”

    “Guilty”

    ἔνοχος ἔσται = he is guilty of a legal charge against some law.

    9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

    10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.  (James 2:9–10, LSB)

    This is the idea that the example and instruction of Jesus Christ to remember His death is the responsibility of the disciples.3

    Therefore, to do that in a way that does NOT fundamentally resemble His body and blood is to change that act into something else.

    Further, and this is what makes us “guilty,” we are fundamentally not saying the correct explanation of the death of Christ.

    The guilt is not “guilt” as in breaking the Law of Moses since the Law of Moses did not contain any kind of teaching concerning the body and blood of the Messiah.

    Rather, the guilt is the disobedience to the pattern set down by Christ at the Last Supper by:

    1. Washing the feet
      1. Giving His body for death
        1. Giving His blood in death
        2. Loving the disciples even into the point of death

    These are things the Lord set down as a pattern (not the actual acts, since we cannot repeat the sacrificial death) the motive, the heart.

    12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?

    13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.

    14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

    15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.4

    16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

    17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.  (John 13:12–17, LSB)

    13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.  (John 13:1, LSB)

    The example of Jesus Christ towards His disciples, an example He instructed the disciples to follow, was the example of serving the saints to the point of self-disregard.

    This is exactly what Paul is identifying in his rebuke of the Corinthians.

    He is bringing to their attention that they are in sin because of the selfishness and haughtiness that has filled their assembly, and especially the Lord’s Supper/Table.

    What is an “unworthy manner”?

    14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

    15 I speak as to prudent people. You judge what I say.

    16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?

    17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.  (1 Corinthians 10:14–17, LSB)

    21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

    22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? •Are we stronger than He? ]

    23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.

    24 Let no one seek his own good, but that of the other person.  (1 Corinthians 10:21–24, LSB)

    Paul deal with this earlier in the book.

    The problems of the corruption of the assembly of the church was on his mind, and the echo of all the corruption is reverberating throughout the rebuke.

    17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.

    18 For, in the first place, •when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and in part I believe it.

    19 For there must also be factions among you, so that •those who are approved may become evident among you.

    20 Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,

    21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first, and one •is hungry and another is drunk.

    22 For •do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.  (1 Corinthians 11:17–22, LSB)

    Do you remember what Paul reprimanded the Corinthians about earlier in the chapter?

    “I do not praise you…What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you!”

    = inclusio

    Paul cannot praise, congratulate, the Corinthians for their behavior during the worship assembly, particularly the Lord’s Supper meal.

    20 Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,

    21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first, and one •is hungry and another is drunk.

    The Corinthians were mechanically meeting, but were exercising the self-same mechanics without the same motive.

    Paul’s conclusion?

    “Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper…”

    Paul is separating the mechanics from the motive.

    How sad!!

    There are factions, divisions, and these are not the example and pattern of the Lord’s Supper.

    17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.

    18 For, in the first place, •when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and in part I believe it.

    19 For there must also be factions among you, so that •those who are approved may become evident among you.

    20 Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,  (1 Corinthians 11:17–20, LSB)

    ”…you come together not for the better, but for the worse…”

    “…for the better…”

    It would be “for the better” if they met as a church for the right reasons.

    This is a reference to coming together the way meant it to be.

    “…for the worse…”

    It is “for the worse” because they met as a church for the wrong reasons.

    This is a reference to coming together the way it was not meant to be.

    “for in your eating each one takes his own supper first, and one is hungry and another is drunk.  (1 Corinthians 11:21, LSB)

    And, Paul’s commentary on their behavior is:

    “For do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.  (1 Corinthians 11:22, LSB)

    Therefore, the “unworthy manner” of which Paul is writing to the Corinthians must include all the sinful behavior of the Corinthians.

    However, it particularly refers to the audacious, selfish, self-important, and unloving behavior of the influential, and worldly.

    Other Warnings

    29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.

    30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.  (1 Corinthians 11:29–30, LSB)

    32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.  (1 Corinthians 11:32, LSB)

    V.29 = warning to not eat and drink resulting in judgment.

    V.30 = those who have eaten and drunk unworthily have been punished by the Lord.

    V.32 = when Christ punishes us, we are then given opportunity to not be ultimately punished by the Lord the way He punishes the world.

    32 κρινόμενοι δὲc ὑπὸ [τοῦ] κυρίουd παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν.  (1 Corinthians 11:32, UBS5)

    How can the believer be condemned along with the world?

    Why would Paul even say this?

    It is not commendable to be punished by the Lord in this life.

    It is no badge of honor to be handed over to the Lord for punishment.

    In fact, Paul tells the believers how to avoid such chastening, even though this kind of chastening is a proof of sonship.

    5And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

    “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

    Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;

    6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,

    And He flogs every son whom He receives.”

    7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

    8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

    9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

    10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our benefit, so that we may share His holiness.

    11 And all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, but to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  (Hebrews 12:5–11, LSB)

    Paul’s Correction

    28 But a man must test himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  (1 Corinthians 11:28, LSB)

    The call from Paul is for repentance from this sin by means of examining themselves before it is too late.

    Paul warns the Corinthians that the remedy is self-verification.

    “examine” = “certify” “ prove” “verify what you are made of/that you are valuable”

    “δόκιμος as an adj. both of person and object thus denotes a. “tested in battle,” “reliable,” “trustworthy,” b. “a man who is tested, significant, recognised, esteemed, worthy” (e.g., πολίτου δοκίμου ἡ ἀρετὴ εἶναι τὸ δύνασθαι καὶ ἄρχειν καὶ ἄρχεσθαι καλῶς, Aristot. Pol., III, 4, p. 1277a, 26f.; Λυκούργου, τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν δοκίμου ἀνδρός, Hdt. I, 65: καλέσας δώδεκα τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους, Jos. Vit., 55), or “an object which is tested, genuine or valuable” (τούτους δοκίμοις ἵπποις καὶ ὅπλοις παρεσκευασμένους, Xenoph. Oec., 4, 7); it is particularly used of metals, as consistently in the LXX, Gn. 23:16; 1 Ch. 28:18; 29:4; 2 Ch. 9:17;”5

    Paul instructs the believers to examine themselves.

    What does it mean to “examine yourself”?

    It means to think about your motive and conduct and compare that with the objective facts of Scripture’s record of Jesus Christ (ie what He did).

    This assumes objective evidence of these conditions.

    29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.

    30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.  (1 Corinthians 11:29–30, LSB)

    32But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.  (1 Corinthians 11:32, LSB)

    Conclusion

    Example:

    The Seven Churches of Asia Minor

    1. The Church At Ephesus
      4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
      5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first. But if not, I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent.  (Revelation 2:4–5, LSB)
      1. The Church At Smyrna
        9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
        10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.  (Revelation 2:9–10, LSB)
      2. The Church At Pergamum
        14 ‘But I have a few things against you, that you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
        15 ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
        16 ‘Therefore repent. But if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.  (Revelation 2:14–16, LSB)
      3. The Church At Thyatira
        20‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives My slaves so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
        21 ‘And I gave her time to repent, and she does not wish to repent of her sexual immorality.
        22 ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
        23 ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.  (Revelation 2:20–23, LSB)
      4. The Church At Sardis
        3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
        This is what He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
        2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God.
        3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
        4 ‘But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
        5 ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.  (Revelation 3:1–5, LSB)
      5. The Church At Philadelphia
        8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have given before you an open door which no one can shut•, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
        9 ‘Behold, I am giving up those of the synagogue of Satan, those who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them •come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
        10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
        11 ‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  (Revelation 3:8–11, LSB)
      6. The Church At Laodicea
        15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.
        16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
        17 ‘Because you say•, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked.
        18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be manifested; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
        19 ‘Those whom •I love, I reprove and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent.  (Revelation 3:15–19, LSB)
    1. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
      20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
      21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
      22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  (Hebrews 10:19–22, LSB) ↩
    2. The Law of Commandments is not between God and Israel, but between Israel and Gentiles. ↩
    3. 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.
      27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:26–27, LSB)
      When a church misunderstands and misrepresents the sufficiency, extent, and efficacy of the death of Christ, and then resembles those misrepresentations in the Lord’s Supper memorial, then that Table is misrepresenting the death of Christ, and those doing it are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
      It is that serious. ↩
    4. The Lord cannot be saying, “Imitate the foot washing.” But, why not? We imitate the bread and the cup. Why not the foot washing? It seems that the Lord did not want us to imitate the foot washing, 1) because that was not the point of the meal, as the sacrifice of His body and blood was, 2) although the foot washing would be no more mechanical than the bread and cup, that act, although motivated by love, is not efficacious, 3) it is the motive which the Lord seems to be emphasizing. How do I know these things? Because, commemorating the act which was predetermined before the foundation of the World, and which provides atonement, and which is the core of the work of Christ, is the point. Everything revolves around that. Besides, there is no other instruction in the NT that the foot washing, 1) accompanied the Lord’s Supper (Paul did not mention it), 2) that it was part of the church’s assembly (except 1 Timothy 5:10, which refers to the normal act of service and hospitality of women in the home towards their guests). ↩
    5. Walter Grundmann, “Δόκιμος, Ἀδόκιμος, Δοκιμή, Δοκίμιον, Δοκιμάζω, Ἀποδοκιμάζω, Δοκιμασία,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 255. ↩

  • Music And The Temple

    The Old Testament

      1. Introduction
        1. God has used a variety of ways in which to communicate His truth:
          1. Narrative history: Genesis 1-2
          2. Wisdom: Proverbs
          3. Prophecy: Ezekiel/Daniel
          4. Dictation: contained in prophets and history.
        2. But one way that God has chosen to communicate His truth is that of poem, or song.
    • Hebrews 1:1–2

      1     God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

      2     in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

      1. God’s means of communicating His Word has been very comprehensive.
      2. The use of songs, however, is unique and expressive, which themselves are part of the revelation.
        1. In the songs of Scripture, we have the heart of God in the organization of the song, as well as the mind of God in the content of the song.
        2. The songs themselves are meant to communicate truth, which are meant to convict reprove, and exhort for the purpose of repentance, comfort, and consolation.
        3. This fact also instructs us that God can, and did, use different styles in order to communicate His truth, since that what style is for.
      3. Notice the sound of the shophar “שֹׁפָר”  on the mt.
        1. Exodus 19:16–19
    • 16     So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
      17     And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
      18     Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
      19     When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.
    1. Exodus 20:18–21
    • 18     All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.
      19     Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”
      20     Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.”
      21     So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.
    1.  
      1. This was the ram’s horn sound. It announced the arrival of YHWH on the mountain and it was tremendous. The sound was no doubt that of an intense, siren-like, sound that would deafen the ears. This sound also will accompany the following:
        1. The march around Jericho – Joshua 6
        2. The sacrifice on the day of atonement which accompanies the year of Jubilee – Leviticus 25:9.
        3. The battle of Gideon and the Midianites with 300 horns in order to shock the Midianites – Judges 7
        4. The times when Israel went out into war – 2 Samuel
        5. The announcement of Solomon as king over Israel – 1 Kings 1
        6. The announcement of Jehu as king – 2 Kings 9
      1. Up to this point, the use of the “shofar” is a resemblance leading all the way back to YHWH’s appearance on the mountain. It was a sound not made with people on the mountain, but by God Himself. That sound is replicated by the Ram’s horn. Thus, it would accompany particularly important announcements relating back to the importance of God’s appearance.
      2. Thus, Jericho, Gideon, Jubilee, kingship all replicate the gravity of God’s appearance on the mountain, although the truthfulness of the quality of the kings remains to be seen.
      3. However, as you see things progress, the shophar becomes useful in accompanying other instruments in worship.
      4. David in the entrance of the Ark into Jerusalem – 1 Chronicles 15:25-29.
        1. V. 28 = “horn”
        2. This entourage accompanied celebration of God’s faithfulness and the Word of the Covenant for Israel coming into the city of God’s name.
        3. This arrival was very significant and could be likened to the arrival of YHWH on Mt. Sinai as God “comes” into His city, Zion (Jerusalem).
    • 1. David goes onto to receive plans from God as to the building of the Temple, although he, himself, is not allowed to oversee the project due to his bloody hands (1 Chronicles 22:6-19).
      1. The plans for the construction of the Temple were given to David by God-1 Chronicles 28:1-21
        1. David assembles all the dignitaries of Israel and presents Solomon to them as well as the building of the house. He rehearses the commandment that God gave to him concerning the kingdom of David, the rulership of Solomon, and the throne of the kingdom.
          1. David also gives to Solomon the plans for the design and construction of the Temple Solomon is to build (1 Chronicles 28:11-13).
            1. The plans included the assignment of the singers, who themselves were Levites.
            2. The plans were given from YHWH to David and he wrote them down (v. 28:19).
        2. The plans from God included the division of the sons of Aaron, Levites, who would become the portion of the Levites who would:
          1. Offer praise and thanksgiving:
          2. These are the divisions of the Levites “for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord.”
            1. This phrase describes their work in the house of God-the work of the service.
            2. It is a phrase that refers to the ritual work that the Temple demands.
            3. This included the songs of praise and thanksgiving.
          3. It is evident that these singers, at least the division of singers, also ministered by song in front of the Tabernacle as well until Solomon built the Temple.
      2. Organization of the singers in the temple:
        1. All singers were Levites.
          1. 1 Chronicles 15:16-24
          2. This is significant because these must be spiritually acceptable to serve the Lord, i.e. by His ordination (1 Chronicles 15:2 “Then David said, “No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever.” )
        2. All singers were appointed by lot under the direction of King David.
          1. 1 Chronicles 25:1-7
          2. 1 Chronicles 6:31
    • 31     Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark rested there.

     

    1. This meant that David oversaw their work, organization, and the appointment.
      1. Primarily because he is king. But also because he was a singer himself and the Lord gave him to create instruments for worship (1 Chronicles 23:3-6).
      1. All singers were accompanied by instruments.
        1. 1 Chronicles 15:16
          1. You will notice some Psalms with the names of these kinds/styles of songs in their titles:
    • 1 Chronicles 15:20–21
      20     and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah, with harps tuned to alamoth;
      See Psalm 46: title
       
      21     and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel and Azaziah, to lead with lyres tuned to the sheminith.

    See Psalm 6 (8-stringed lyre = Sheminith)

     

    1 Chronicles 15:19

    19     So the singers, Heman, Asaph and Ethan were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze; (see 1 Chronicles 16:5 – Asaph was a chief musician and kept temp with these cymbals).

    1. Heman: Psalm 88
      1. Asaph: Psalms 50, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,
      2. Ethan: Psalm 89
      3. Jeduthun: Psalms 39, 62, 77 (choir director-
    • yĕdûtûn. Jeduthun. The name of one of the three leaders of the musical guilds in the tabernacle (and the temple) under king David (I Chr 9:16; 25:1–7; II Chr 5:12; 29:14; 35:15). These perpetual guilds were appointed to celebrate, confess, and praise Yahweh with song and musical instruments. The primary instrument of Jeduthun’s guild was the harp, though the trumpet, lyre, and cymbals were perhaps used as well (I Chr 16:42; II Chr 5:12). In the superscriptions to Psalms 39, 62, and 77, the reference to “Jeduthun” is most likely a reference to him and his guild as the musical performers who were to render the psalm instrumentally and/or vocally. It is therefore interesting that the name “Jeduthun” is most likely derived from yādâ, one of the major terms for praise (cf. BDB, pp. 392–393).1
       
    1. What does all of this mean?
      1. Music, song, and instrument, accompanied worship.
        1. Song did not generate worship.
        2. This singing required training –
    • 1 Chronicles 15:22

      22     Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the singing; he gave instruction in singing because he was skillful.

      1. Singing in the Temple served a function, actually three:

      1. Praise of God/Lament to God:
        1. There are different psalm categories:
          1. Lament: has a special meter that imitates limping (Cracking, p. 199).
          1. Plea for help,
            1. Complaint
              1. Confession of sin
      2. Praise: recounting who God is, what He has done, and invoking listeners to join in praise of both (Cracking, p.218).
    • “There are five principle subcategories of this type of praise:
       
      1. Hymns: (e.g., Ps. 24; 29; 33; 100; 103; 105; 111; 113-114; 117; 135-36; 145-50)….
      2. Enthronement psalms: (e.g., Ps. 47; 93;95-99)…
      3. Songs of Zion, including pilgrim psalms (e.g., Ps. 48; 84; 87; 120-34)…
      4. Royal psalms (e.g., Ps. 2; 20-21; 45; 72; 89; 101; 110; 132; 144)…
      5. Creation psalms (e.g. Ps. 8; 19:1-6; 104)…”
    • (D. Brent Sandy, Ronald L. Giese, Jr. Cracking Old Testament Codes, (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1995), p. 219).
       
      1. Thanksgiving:
    • Second, this verb was predominatly employed to express one’s public proclamation or declaration (confession) of God’s attributes and his works. This concept is at the heart of the meaning of praise. Praise is a confession or declaration of who God is and what he does. This term is most often translated “to thank” in English versions, but such is not really a proper rendering according to Westermann: In the Old Testament … there is as yet no verb that means only “to thank.” ōdāh, which is usually translated as “to thank,” is not used in the Old Testament a single time for an expression of thanks between men. Thus it is clear from the start that this hōdāh cannot be equated with our “to thank,” which can be directed equally to God and to man. In those places in the O.T. where our “thank” as something taking place between men is most clearly found, the verb used is bērēk, which does not have the primary meaning of “praise” but means “bless.”
      In view of these facts, it is clear that the O.T. does not have our independent concept of thanks. The expression of thanks to God is included in praise, it is a way of praising. (Westermann, Claus. The Praise of God in the Psalms. Richmond: John Knox Press, 1965, pp. 26–27.)
      The best rendering of the term is “confession,” for the person confesses or declares God’s attributes and works, as seen abundantly in the psalter (cf. Ps 89:5 [H 6]; Ps 105; Ps 106; Ps 145) and elsewhere (cf. I Chr 29:13).
       
       
      Ralph H. Alexander, “847 יָדָה” In , in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr. and Bruce K. Waltke, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 364-65.
       
      1. 1 Chronicles 16:4–7
    • 4     He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:
      5     Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals,
      6     and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
      7     Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.
      1. 1 Chronicles 16:8–13
    • 8     Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
      Make known His deeds among the peoples.
      9     Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
      Speak of all His wonders.
      10     Glory in His holy name;
      Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.
      11     Seek the Lord and His strength;
      Seek His face continually.
      12     Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
      His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,
      13     O seed of Israel His servant,
      Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
      1. 1 Chronicles 16:31–36
    • 31     Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
      And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
      32     Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
      Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
      33     Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord;
      For He is coming to judge the earth.
      34     O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
      For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
      35     Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation,
      And gather us and deliver us from the nations,
      To give thanks to Your holy name,
      And glory in Your praise.”
      36     Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
      From everlasting even to everlasting.
      Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.

      1. Prophesying:

      1. Prophesying in music:
        1. 1 Chronicles 25:-7
          1. Illustration: 2 Kings 3:13-15
            1. Elisha is asked to prophesy for the three kings Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom.
            2. They were to go up against Moab, but ran out of water in the area they were camping.
            3. They called Elisha and asked him to prophesy = do a miracle, since he was a prophet.
            4. In order to prophesy, he asked for a minstrel (“one who plays on a stringed-instrument-Psalm 68:26).
            5. When he played on the stringed instrument, the Spirit of God came upon Elisha.
          2. Thus prophesying was speaking the Word of God and sometimes was accompanied/or promoted by music.
      2. This is key for our consideration of music in the church.
        1. 1 Chronicles 23:24-32
           
      3. Conclusion: What is the result of all of this organization =
    • 2 Chronicles 5:11-14!!!!
       
    1. Ralph H. Alexander, “847 יָדָה” In , in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr. and Bruce K. Waltke, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 366.) ↩

  • The Sin of Self-Will In Pastoral Ministry

    I have long been concerned for the state of pastoral ministry. I am writing this as a man who has been given the work of a shepherd of God’s people. I can honestly say that I don’t feel quite up to the task of critiquing the position and work of a pastor. However, the reality is that after roughly 20 years of pastoral ministry, premiere training by men of God at a once-premiere institution, the work of God in me, and the confirmation of men and women in the church, I have a responsibility to start speaking to these issues.

    I have tried to figure out why, when men have such high degrees, such capabilities to speak, and teach, and men who otherwise “get it right,” they so often get it wrong at key points. There are men I love and have respected for decades who have simply lost that respect in my eyes because there seemed to be a shift in their abilities. There seemed to be a shift in the fundamentals of hermeneutics, and a shift in the very definition of their exegesis. Instead there is a consistent devotion to “sharing,” vague references to common ailments of the Christian, and an even greater vaguery of the meaning of the details of Scripture.

    I will go further. If the Scripture has been written by simple men, or in some cases, by learned men for simple men, then why can’t some men stay consistent in their interpretation? What I mean is that I know of young people, housewives, tradesmen, non-educated work-a-day men and women who consistently, regularly, refreshingly, understand the text right in front of them.

    Why is that the case?

    Agenda

    Titus 1:7 (LSB)
     7 For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain,

    “Self-will” as translated in the LSB, ASV, KJV (1900), is translated in the ESV as “arrogance” and “headstrong” in the NASB (1977).

    This sin came to my attention as I was thinking about this problem. As I was reviewing the qualifications of identifying a man for ministry, and coming to the book of Titus, I ran straight into the term “self-will.”

    I would dare say that knowing human nature as I do, it is inevitable that men in high platforms, and with large followings, and who are revered by thousands, at least social media standards, fall to the sin of self-will.

    But the term is a compound Greek word made up of two separate words:

    αὐτός = “he” and is used as a reflexive pronoun translated “self/self-same”

    And

    ἥδομαι = “I (take) pleasure/delight in”

    It is simply the idea of “self-pleasure,” or a man who is pleased with himself, or simply lives to please himself. This is a broad term that essentially describes the conduct of all men of all ages, if it is not for the sanctifying and consecration work of the Holy Spirit in the man.

    When it comes to leadership among the church of God, it describes a man whose agenda for the ministry is to please himself. It might come in small or large packages, but the driving force for the sermon preparation, meetings, administration, and counseling, is to promote his own pleasure in some way.

    On larger platforms, writing the right books, essays, blog posts, or while preaching using the right vocabulary and speech inflection in order to garner response of praise, is the idea. It is a simple idea of just being infatuated, ever so subtly, with yourself. Given a large enough group of men doing this, and it becomes the measurement of the entire vocation.

    It Is A Sin

    Simply put, self-will is a sin that disqualifies a man from ministry. How can a man shepherd the flock, which requires self-denial and self-sacrifice, while being pleased with himself? He can’t.

    Jesus said it like this:

    John 10:12–13 (LSB)

    12 “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches and scatters them—
    13 because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

    A hired hand is day-laborer who “is not concerned about the sheep.” He is a man who has been hired to perform a job, but the actual condition of the sheep is not his interest beyond the job. He is hired to be there, and garners benefits. But, when it comes to self-sacrifice, he says, “no thank you.” He cannot see his duties as a means of self-sacrifice since that completely contradicts the whole reason he is doing the job in the first place.

    Jesus Christ is not like that. His care for His church, out of His love for His Father, compelled Him to sacrifice Himself on the cross. THAT is a true Shepherd. It is not about being self-important, self-appreciated, or self-respected. In fact, it is about self-crucifixion. This language is not allowed in the pulpit, it seems. The church, wishing to feel good about their own Hedonism, hires another hedonist to lead them. This perpetuates self-will in the church and in the pulpits.

    What Is The Cure?

    Practically speaking, the only cure for this is that the church remove a self-willed pastor and wait for a self-sacrificing one. The church is the cure. She must demand that their leaders die on their own cross daily. When she begins to do that, she will begin to see when she is being bamboozled and used by self-willed pastors.