Ark of the Covenant – Time in the Chapel

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The Ascension of Christ
by Johan Ignatz Zimbal, ca. 1750
Image in the Public Domain

Psalm 24

The Bible is, seriously, one of the most interesting books ever written. Of course, many, many people would disagree with me on that point. To be honest, 30 years ago I would have disagreed with me. I believe that none of us are born with a natural love for heavenly things. In fact, quite the opposite. The Psalmist David spoke for all of us when he said, “I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5) Listen, he wasn’t insulting the woman that gave birth to him, he was just stating one of the most important facts of human existence and that is that we are all born with something seriously wrong with us: sin. What’s your point? In the unsaved state, the Bible will not thrill you. An unrepentant heart will find nothing of value in Scripture.

(1Jn 5:3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Now, having said all of that, the day you give your life to Christ is not the day you gain perfect knowledge of the things of God. That’s just the point where you’re given a heart open to what He has to say to you through His Word and through His Spirit. The moment you acknowledge Jesus as your Savior is not the day you can climb into any pulpit in America and start preaching the Gospel. It’s simply when the ability to grasp eternal things is unlocked. From that point, you must get to work. In order to truly capture the majesty of Scripture you HAVE to study it.

(Jos 1:8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein…

(Rom 15:4) For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

(Pro 2:3) Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
(Pro 2:4) If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
(Pro 2:5) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

In this episode we discuss one of the most interesting sections in all the Bible: Psalm 24. (Without the Holy Spirit, you may not agree.) Many of the Psalms were written to celebrate or commemorate certain events from the long, diverse history of the nation Israel. Sometimes the event that inspired the Psalm is obvious and sometimes we have to guess. Psalm 24 belongs to the latter category. However, when judging from the content, most scholars will agree that it was likely written to commemorate the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem after being briefly held by the Philistines as a spoil of one of the many wars between the two nations. However, like almost everything else written in the Bible, the true meaning of Psalm 24 lies somewhere beneath the surface and THAT is what makes this Psalm so incredible. Can you guess what it is really talking about? I think you can.

Join us for this podcast as we attempt to unlock the eternal truth of this lovely gem from the Hebrew song book. But before you do, I urge you to prepare your heart and mind by going to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to open up His Word to you. Ask Him to help you to see in Scripture what seems hidden to so many. Pray that God’s Holy Spirit will shine His light on eternal things so that you may apply them to the calling He has placed on your life.

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The Mercy Seat (Illustration from the Holman Bible)
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Atonement Part 3-Covering

We’re still at it. We’re still trying to pry open the meaning of this word atonement. And, by the way, we’re really more interested in WHY the word atonement was created. “Atonement”, you should know by now, is an invented English word. (I realize ALL words are invented but you get my meaning.) However, it isn’t abundantly clear who invented it. Some say William Tyndale made it up; some say there is evidence that it existed before Tyndale began using it. We can, however, be certain that William Tyndale is the first person to use it in a Biblical context and, frankly, that’s really the only context we’re interested in, at the moment. The problem we’re facing is how the word is currently defined versus what we are told the word meant originally. There appears to be some conflict between the modern use of the word and what Tyndale intended the word to mean. The disparity seems irreconcilable and that is what has set us on our journey. You see, we don’t hide from controversy. We don’t shy away from what some might consider Biblical disagreement and we don’t blame God or His Word when we, in fact, suffer, simply, from a lack of understanding. Around here we do what we can to figure it out.

So, today we will look at the Old Testament use of the word. Of course, William Tyndale is not, necessarily, known for his Old Testament work. He was actually executed before he could finish his translation of the Hebrew Scripture but it is clear that his New Testament translation influenced later Old Testament English translations, including the King James. Those later translators must have liked his use of the word atonement because it appears quite extensively; more than 80 times, the majority of which occur in the Book of Leviticus. Now, this shouldn’t surprise us because it is in the Book of Leviticus that God deals, administratively, if you will, with sin. In God’s Plan, where sin exists, atonement must be present and that speaks of Christ. Starting to see why we’re taking the time to study this word?

So, once again, I call you to pause a moment and go to God and ask for His help. Pray that He will send His Spirit so that you and He can work out how His Plan fits into your life. Ask Him to open your eyes that you may behold wondrous things out of His Law. (Psalm 119:18)