propitiation

Justified by faith

Paul wanted the Roman citizens who read his gospel message to know exactly where they stood with regard to their soul’s eternal destination. Paul addressed his letter “to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” (Romans 1:7), and said that he longed to go to Rome so that “we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine,” but then, Paul proceeded to talk about God’s wrath on unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-32) and God’s righteous judgment (Romans 2:1-11). Paul’s first mention of justification, which is God’s free gift of absolution from the consequences of sin, was in Romans 2:13 where he said, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” Paul went on to explain that no one is righteous, “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12). Paul then stated, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19). “The ‘law’ (v. 19), referring to the Old Testament, essentially silenced men, leaving them unable to defend themselves against the charge of sin. It was given to convince all men of their guilt before God (v. 20, cf. Galatians 3:22). Paul concluded that since all men are guilty, they cannot be ‘justified’ by their own personal character or conduct (v.20). Justification is a legal term signifying that the demands of justice have been satisfied, and there is no longer a basis for condemnation (Romans 8:1). The justified transgressor no longer stands guilty or deserving of punishment” (note on Romans 3:19, 20).

Paul’s argument that everyone needs salvation was followed by a detailed description of how God’s justification works. Paul said:

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:22-26)

Paul indicated that justification is a gift that must be received by faith. It says in Hebrews 11:1 that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The Greek word pistis (pisˊ-tis), which is translated faith in Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 11:1, refers to “reliance upon Christ for salvation…As a technical term indicative of the means of appropriating what God in Christ has for man, resulting in the transformation of man’s character and way of life. Such can be termed gospel faith or Christian faith (Romans 3:22 ff.)”  (G4102).

Paul indicated that the basis for humans to be justified by faith was God’s divine forbearance. Paul said God putting forward Jesus as a propitiation, or an atoning victim (G2435), was to show his righteousness, “because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins” (Romans 3:25). In the past, God had merely overlooked sin through the sacrifice of animals, but through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, God was able to remit the penalty of sin, cancelling the debt of sin that each person owes him. A necessary component of this transaction is faith. The payment is only applied to those who believe that Jesus was crucified to pay the penalty for their sin and have received his atoning sacrifice on their behalf as a gift (Romans 4:4-5).

Paul concluded “that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28). The works Paul was referring to were “the works of men in reference to right and wrong as judged by the moral law, the precepts of the gospel” (G2041). Paul separated a person’s actions from their beliefs so that his readers could see that justification was not at all related to what they did or didn’t do morally. Justification is about God’s righteousness being upheld and every human’s need for forgiveness. Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant pointed to God’s mercy and the impossibility of paying one’s own moral debt. Jesus said, “the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents” (Matthew 18:23-24). “A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years wages for a laborer” (Matthew 18:24, footnote). Jesus said, “And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt” (Matthew 18:27). The problem was that the servant went out and found one of his fellow servants “who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe’” (Matthew 18:28). Because he refused to forgive his fellow servant’s debt, the master put the servant in jail until he paid all his debt (Matthew 18:34). The lack of transformation in the servant’s character and way of life was an indicator that although he had been justified, the unforgiving servant had not been justified by faith. Therefore, his master reinstated his debt, and he was delivered to the jailors or torturers, also known as, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

Jesus’ final statement in the parable of the unforgiving servant emphasized the importance of the heart in a believer’s acts of faith. Jesus told those who were listening, “And in anger the master delivered him to the jailors, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:34-35). What Jesus meant by from your heart was that you must do it willingly. You must want to forgive your brother. God’s willingness to forgive our sins should motivate us to want to do the same for others, but because of our sin nature, we are only able to forgive as an act of faith, by believing it’s the right thing for us to do because it’s what God did for us.

Confession of sin

Paul explained in his letter to the Romans that righteousness is something that is obtained through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). Paul said, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:22-25).  The Greek word that is translated propitiation, hilasterion (hil-as-tayˊ-ree-on) refers to the mercy seat that covered the Ark of the Covenant where the tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them were kept (Exodus 25:17-21). God told Moses about the mercy seat, “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people” (Exodus 25:22). Hilasterion in Romans 3:25 refers to the “propitiator, one who makes propitiation” (G2435). The propitiator is the one “to atone for (sin)” (G2433); and in so doing, Jesus provided the means for reconciliation between God and all who have sinned.

The Apostle John explained in his first letter that we must first confess our sin in order for God to forgive us. John said, “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). “To ‘confess’ (homologeo [G3670]) means to agree with God that sin has been committed. Even though Christ’s death satisfied God’s wrath toward the believer’s sin (1 John 2:1, 2), the inclination to sin still remains within man (vv. 8, 10). Therefore he must realize the need to continue in a right relationship with God by confession of sin. God grants forgiveness in accordance with his ‘faithful and just’ nature” (note on 1 John 1:9). An example of confession and forgiveness of sin can be found in the life of King David. It says in 2 Samuel 12:1-13:

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

“Nathan used his parable (2 Samuel 12:1-4) to skillfully bring David to condemn himself, and David painfully realized the consequences of his sin. He had violated four of the ten commandments in one rash sin: you shall not commit murder, you shall not steal, you shall not commit adultery, and you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Although it was about a year later, David sincerely repented of his sin (cf. Psalm 32:5; 51:1-19). While his repentance brought about forgiveness from God, it did not prevent him from suffering the consequences of his sin. God revealed that because of David’s sin, the son born from his adulterous relationship would die (vv. 14, 18), the sword would never depart from his house (v. 10), evil would come upon him from his own family (v. 11; see chapters 15-18), and his wives would be publicly shamed (v. 11, cf. 2 Samuel 16:22). While true repentance does bring forgiveness from God, it does not necessarily eliminate the consequences of sin” (note on 2 Samuel 12:1-14).

David talked about confession of sin in Psalm 32. David described in detail for us the emotional experience he went through and the relief he felt after Nathan confronted him with his sinful behavior. David wrote:

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:3-5)

David used the Hebrew word yadah (yaw-dawˊ) to describe his act of confession. The essential meaning of yadah “is an act of acknowledging what is right about God in praise and thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 16:34). It can also mean a right acknowledgment of self before God in confessing sin (Leviticus 26:40) or of others in their God-given positions (Genesis 49:8)…This rightful, heavenward acknowledgment is structured in corporate worship (Psalm 100:4; 107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31), yet is also part of personal lament and deliverance (Psalm 88:11 [10]).

In Ezra 10:1-17, the returned exiles who had married foreigners confess their sin and vowed to separate themselves from their foreign wives. It says in Ezra 10:1-3, “While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: ‘We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the people of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.” Shecaniah said the people had broken faith with God, meaning they had willfully disobeyed him (H4603).

Faithlessness or being unfaithful to God was the primary reason the people of Israel did not experience God’s rest after they entered the Promised Land, and because of it, God allowed them to be taken into captivity. It says in Hebrews 3:19, “So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” Jesus rebuked his disciples on more than one occasion because of their unbelief. When his disciples were unable to cast a demon out of a man’s son, Jesus asked, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” (Matthew 17:17). Afterward, the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” (Matthew 17:19). Jesus’ reply, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20, NKJV), indicated that our reliance upon God is measured and validated by the supernatural manifestation of his power in our lives.

Paul confessed to Timothy that he was acting in unbelief when he persecuted the church before he was converted on the road to Damascus. Paul said, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:12-13). Paul compared his former life as a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent of Christ to his current state of being judged faithful to serve in Jesus’ ministry. Paul attributed his transformed life to “the grace of our Lord” which “overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14). Paul went on to say, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul wanted Timothy, and everyone else to know, that he was a prime example of how confession of sin transforms your life. Paul explained that the reason God forgives sinners is so that he “might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16); and then, Paul concluded his topic of God saving sinners with a tribute to his Savior, “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The Ark of the Covenant

The Israelites’ deliverance from slavery in Egypt was intended to illustrate God’s active role in divine redemption and to reveal the individual’s need for a relationship with Christ in order to be released from the power of sin and death. In the Apostle Paul’s testimony of his conversion, he shared with King Agrippa the conversation that he had with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul said:

“And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Acts 26:14-18)

Paul concluded his testimony with an explanation of his arrest in Jerusalem. Paul said, “For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:21-23).

Paul indicated that nothing had changed since Moses and the prophets revealed God’s plan of salvation to the people of Israel. Exodus 19:1-6 tells us:

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’”

The Apostle Peter made a reference to God’s promise to Israel in his first letter and talked about Jesus as the living stone that was rejected by men (1 Peter 2:4). Peter said that believers are “like living stones” that “are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Referring to the unbelieving nation of Israel, Peter said, “They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:8) and then, he went on to say, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

The primary focus of the covenant that God made with the nation of Israel was the Ten Commandments which were personally spoken to them by God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17). When the covenant was ratified, “all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.’ And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD” (Exodus 24:3-4). Later, the LORD told Moses to take a contribution, “From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me…And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:2, 8). “The Lord commanded Moses to build a sanctuary in which he would dwell among his people. It was to be a tabernacle or moveable tent that would be suitable for the Israelites’ nomadic lifestyle. The Levites would have responsibility for it (Numbers 18:1-7). Its general designation was ‘the house of the LORD’ (Exodus 34:26), but it was also known as “the tabernacle of the testimony’ (Exodus 38:21) because is served as a depository for the tables of the law or testimony. Another designation was the ‘Tent of Meeting’ because the Lord met his people there and the sanctuary was filled with his glory and presence (Exodus 40:34-38). From this tent, God would lead the Israelites on their journey” (note on Exodus 25:8, 9).

A key feature of the sanctuary that the Israelites were instructed to build was the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was made of acacia wood, but it was overlaid with pure gold. The ark was symbolic of Christ and depicted him as the God/man through the gold/wood construction which did not mingle with each other. God told Moses:

 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. (Exodus 25:17-22)

The mercy seat functioned as a lid for the ark, but its meaning was much more significant. “On the Day of Atonement, the high priest made atonement for himself, the tabernacle, and the people by a sin offering, which included sprinkling blood on this lid (Leviticus 16:13-15)” (H3727). The Hebrew word that is translated mercy seat, kapporeth (kap-poˊ-reth) is derived from the word kaphar (kaw-farˊ), “A verb meaning to cover, to forgive, to expiate, to reconcile. This word is of supreme theological importance in the Old Testament as it is central to an Old Testament understanding of the remission of sin. At its most basic level, the word conveys the notion of covering but not in the sense of merely concealing. Rather, it suggests the imposing of something to change its appearance or nature. It is therefore employed to signify the cancellation or ‘writing over’ of a contract (Isaiah 28:18); the appeasing of anger (Genesis 32:20[21]; Proverbs 16:14); and the overlaying of wood with pitch so as to make it waterproof (Genesis 6:14). The word also communicates God’s covering of sin. Persons made reconciliation with God for their sins by imposing something that would appease the offended party (in this case the Lord) and cover sinners with righteousness (Exodus 32:30; Ezekiel 45:17; cf. Daniel 9:24). In the Old Testament, the blood of sacrifices was most notably imposed (Exodus 30:10). By this imposition, sin was purged (Psalm 79:9; Isaiah 6:7) and forgiven (Psalm 78:38). The offences were removed, leaving the sinners clothed in righteousness (cf. Zechariah 3:3, 4). Of course, the imposition of the blood of bulls and of goats could never fully cover our sin (see Hebrews 10:4), but with the coming of Christ and the imposition of His shed blood, a perfect atonement was made (Romans 5:9-11)” (H3722).  

The concept and process of propitiation are discussed in the ninth chapter of the book of Hebrews. After describing in detail the tabernacle and the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, the author states:

These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing(which is symbolic for the present age).According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:6-10)

The author of Hebrews indicated that the gifts and sacrifices that were offered under the Old Covenant could not perfect the conscience, but were imposed until the time of reformation. The reformation that he was referring to was the new covenant that was enacted by Jesus on the night of his crucifixion (Matthew 26:26-29). Matthew’s gospel tells us that during the Last Supper, Jesus “took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).

The key aspect of propitiation that the author of the book of Hebrews wanted his readers to focus their attention on was the perfecting of the conscience. The Greek word that is translated conscience in Hebrews 9:9, suneidesis (soon-iˊ-day-sis) means “co-perception, i.e. moral consciousness…that faculty of the soul which distinguishes between right and wrong and prompts one to choose the former and avoid the latter” (G4893). Suneidesis is a prolonged form of the word suneido (soon-iˊ-do), which means, “to see completely…to know within oneself, be conscious of.” Suneido is used figuratively, “to see in one’s own mind, to perceive within oneself, to be aware of (Acts 12:12; 14:6)” (G4894). According to Hebrews 9:14 and 10:1, Jesus purified our conscience when he offered himself as a sacrifice to God and is able to perfect those who draw near to him, but that was not the case before his death and resurrection. Hebrews 10:1-4 states:

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

This passage makes it clear that the sacrifices that were made by the high priest every year on the Day of Atonement were not meant to take away the sins of the people of Israel, but merely to remind them on a regular basis that they were sinners in need of a savior.

The Ark of the Covenant’s symbolic meaning seemed to be lost by the time the period of the judges came to a conclusion. 1 Samuel 3:1-2 states, “Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of the LORD had not gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was.” Samuel’s presence was strictly forbidden in the area of the temple where the ark of God was (Leviticus 16:2) and yet, it appears that Eli had intentionally stationed him there so that he could attend to a lamp that was supposed to be kept lit continually. 1 Samuel 3:7 tells us, “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.” Samuel’s unregenerate state made him oblivious to the voice of the LORD. When God called to Samuel from between the two cherubim that were on the mercy seat of the ark, he thought it was Eli. It says in 1 Samuel 3:8-14:

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

The severity of the message that Samuel received from the LORD made him afraid to share it with Eli the next day when he was asked, “What was it that he told you?” (1 Samuel 3:16), but Samuel told Eli everything and didn’t hide anything from him (1 Samuel 3:18). As a result, 1 Samuel 3:19-21 tells us, “Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”

Samuel’s designation as a prophet meant that God spoke to him in the same way that he had Moses. “This word describes one who was raised up by God and, as such, could only proclaim that which the Lord gave him to say. A prophet could not contradict the Law of the Lord or speak from his own mind or heart. To do so was to be a false prophet (Jeremiah 14:14; 23:16, 26, 30). What a prophet declared had to come true, or he was false (Deuteronomy 18:22; Jeremiah 23:9)” (H5030). The first proof of Samuel’s authenticity as a prophet was the message he received from the LORD about Eli’s family. After the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines, the elders of Israel decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh where the tabernacle was located into their camp. “So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God” (1 Samuel 4:4). 1 Samuel 4:10-11 states, “So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” “The Israelites treated the ark as a kind of magic charm instead of the testimony of God’s presence and power. The mere presence of the ark would not bring victory in the battle” (note on 1 Samuel 4:3). When a messenger came to tell Eli what had happened, “As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died” (1 Samuel 4:18).

1 Samuel 5:1-5 tells us, “When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose early on the next morning, behold Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.” The Philistines may have thought that capturing the ark of God meant that they had triumphed over the God of Israel, but the LORD used the situation to teach the Philistines a lesson about his sovereignty. Psalm 97 conveys the reality of God’s dominion over all people and nations. Verses 6-9 state:

The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the peoples see his glory.
All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    who make their boast in worthless idols;
    worship him, all you gods!

Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O Lord.
For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

The Hebrew word that is translated most high in Psalm 97:9, ʿelyown (el-yoneˊ) as a title means “the Supreme” and “stands in parallel to the epithet God and Shaddai” (H5945). After God afflicted the Philistines in Ashdod and Gath with tumors, it says in 1 Samuel 5:10-11, “they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, ‘They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.’ They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, ‘Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.’ For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city.” The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months before it was returned to Israel. When the ark was sent back, it was transported on a new cart with two milk cows that had never been yoked pulling it. The two cows were yoked to the cart and their calves taken away from them. “It is normally difficult for even cows who have been trained to be driven straight down a road when their calves have been taken away from them. In this case, the cows did follow a straight line, carrying the ark back to the Israelites, which revealed that their behavior was controlled by God. God is all-powerful and uses even animals to accomplish his will (cf. Numbers 22:21-32)” (note on 1 Samuel 6:7-12).

Heaven on earth

Exodus 24:9-10 tells us that “Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel went up and they saw the God of Israel.” The place that these men went up to isn’t identified, but it can be assumed that they went up to Heaven because the Bible identifies Heaven as the place where God lives. Moses said, “There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness” (Exodus 24:10). In other words, the Lord was standing on something that appeared to be a solid surface, but its transparency made it seem as if he was suspended in mid-air. The Hebrew word shamayim (shaw-mah’-yim), which is translated heaven, describes everything God made besides the earth…The heavens that humans observe with their senses are indicated by this word…The invisible heavens are the abode of God…He dwells in heaven (1 Kings 8:30, 32); yet He is not contained in even the heaven of heavens, the most exclusive part of the heavens (1 Kings 8:27)” (H8064). Luke indicated that after Jesus commissioned his disciples to take his gospel to the whole world (Matthew 28:16-20), “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-51).

After the Israelites confirmed their covenant with him, God instructed Moses, “And let them make for me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture so you shall make it” (Exodus 25:8-9). A sanctuary is a physical place of worship (H4720). In that sense, the sanctuary that Moses was expected to make was supposed to be a place where the people could enter into God’s presence and commune with him. This was a distinct privilege that only the Israelites among all the peoples of the world were given because of their relationship and covenant with God. Jesus told his followers, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). The word that Jesus used that is translated midst, mesos (mes’-os) means in the middle (G3319). This is very similar to what was depicted by the sanctuary that traveled with the Israelites wherever they went. Moses was told to construct the sanctuary according to a pattern that was shown to him while he was on top of Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18). “The Lord commanded Moses to build a sanctuary in which he would dwell among his people. It was to be a tabernacle or movable tent that would be suitable for the Israelites’ nomadic lifestyle. The Levites would have responsibility for it (Numbers 18:1-7). Its general designation was ‘the house of the LORD’ (Exodus 34:26), but it was also known as ‘the tabernacle of the testimony’ (Exodus 38:21) because it served as a depository for the tables of the law or testimony. Another designation was the ‘Tent of Meeting’ because the Lord met his people there and the sanctuary was filled with his glory and presence (Exodus 40:34-38). From this tent, God would lead the Israelites on their journey” (Note on Exodus 25:8, 9).

The most prominent feature of the tabernacle was an area identified as the Most Holy Place where the ark that contained the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments engraved on them was kept (Exodus 26:34). The ark was a wooden box that was overlaid with pure gold inside and outside. The ark was approximately 45 inches in length, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high (Exodus 25:10) and was covered with a solid gold lid that had two cherubim on top of it, one on each end facing toward each other, that were also made of gold (Exodus 25:18-20). The estimated cost of the ark in todays dollars is $28 million and it may have weighed as much as 1300 lbs. It was carried using two poles that were also overlaid with gold and were placed in 4 gold rings, one at each corner of the ark. The gold lid for the ark with the two cherubim on it was called a mercy seat. The LORD told Moses:

Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. (Exodus 25:19-22)

The mercy seat was symbolic of the covering over of sins that was made possible by the shedding of blood through sacrifice (H3727). The term propitiation was used by both Paul and John to describe what happened when Jesus died on the cross (Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:2). John said, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). It seems likely that the exorbitant cost of making the ark and its mercy seat were meant to represent the priceless cost of our salvation. Paul said that the person that is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17). “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The image that is created by the cherubim that were on top of the mercy seat was one of intimacy as well as spiritual union. The cherubim were “of one piece” (Exodus 25:19), meaning they were connected to each other and their faces were “one to another” (Exodus 25:20). The Hebrew word that is translated faces, paniym (paw-neem’) is sometimes translated as countenance and refers to the look on one’s face (H6440). Paniym is derived from the word panah (paw-naw’) which means to turn. “Used of intellectual and spiritual turning, this verb signifies attaching oneself to something” and in an even stronger sense “represents dependence on someone” (H6437). It was from between the two cherubim that God spoke to the Israelites. God told Moses, “I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel” (Exodus 25:22). In other words, God intended to give Moses step by step directions, somewhat like how a GPS system guides us to our desired destination. For this reason, there needed to ongoing communication between God and Moses and a continual awareness of the Israelites’ location.

One of the ways that the phrase “in the midst” (Exodus 25:8) can be translated is “at the heart” (H8432) which suggests the possibility that the tabernacle or perhaps the ark of the testimony was symbolic of the human heart. It seems that the primary purpose of the tabernacle was a depository for the tablets on which God wrote the Ten Commandments (Exodus 25:15). The prophet Jeremiah was given a message about the New Covenant that God intended to establish with his chosen people after they returned from exile. He stated:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The Hebrew word leb (labe) which means heart, can be used figuratively to represent the centre of anything. “However, it usually refers to some aspect of the immaterial inner self or being since the heart is considered to be the seat of one’s inner nature as well as one of its components” (H3820). God’s ability to write his law on people’s hearts has to do with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In a similar way that the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34), the Holy Spirit fills believers and makes it possible for them to preach the gospel (Acts 4:31).

Jesus used parables to describe the kingdom of heaven in a way that would only be clear to those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. He compared the kingdom of heaven to a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field (Matthew 13:31-33), a treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44), and “a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46). The common theme in each of these illustrations is the invisible or you might say immaterial nature of the kingdom of heaven. The point that Jesus was trying to make was that the kingdom of heaven can be discovered and has great value to those who possess it. The link between the Ten Commandments and the kingdom of heaven could be their ability to transform the human heart. One way of looking at the kingdom of heaven might be that it is a state of being that one enters into when the word of God is operative in his or her heart. Heaven is therefore not just a place that we go to when we die, but a state that we can live in that is eternal and connected to God.

Peter, who was recognized as “the predominant disciple during the ministry of Jesus and had a tremendous impact on the early church” (Introduction to the first letter of Peter) understood that heaven on earth was not an idyllic state, but one that ran counter to the culture and mindsets of the Roman Empire and therefore, often resulted in suffering and sometimes persecution. Peter encouraged his followers to share in Christ’s sufferings so that they might be glad when his glory was revealed and said, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, your are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:13-14). Peter asked the question, “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:18) and then stated, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19). Peter asserted that it is sometimes God’s will for his children to suffer because that is the example that Jesus gave us. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings means that we enter into a partnership with our Lord and Savior that is based on equal responsibility, goals, and rewards. After he denied three times that he even knew Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75), Jesus asked Peter if he loved him and then gave him this instruction:

“Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21:17-19)

Peter said that we should clothe ourselves with humility toward one another and indicated that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). The Greek word that is translated humble, tapeinos (tap-i-nos’) means depressed and is used figuratively to signify being “humiliated (in circumstances or disposition)” (G5011). God’s grace is the divine influence upon the heart that enables us to act the way Jesus did when we are faced with difficult circumstances (G5485). Peter said that God gives us grace when we intentionally humble ourselves and admit that we can’t handle things on our own. He said, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Jesus indicated that people’s hearts can grow dull and be unreceptive to God’s word (Matthew 13:15). In his explanation of the Parable of the Sower, Jesus stated, “When anyone hears the word of of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19). The evil one, who is known as Satan or the devil (G4190), is described by Peter as our adversary. Peter said that we should “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The image of a roaring lion that is seeking someone to devour makes it seem as if the devil feeds on believers, but it could be that Satan’s appetite for evil is quenched through our sins against God. Peter was well aware of the tactics Satan uses to deter believer’s from sharing their faith. Peter’s denial of the Lord involved an innocent question that sparked his fear and made him unwilling to risk the slightest implication that he was associated with Jesus. Matthew’s gospel states, “Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied it before them all, saying, ‘I do not know what you mean.'” (Matthew 26:69-70).

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians indicated that the physical and spiritual realms are intertwined and that believers are involved in spiritual battles on an ongoing basis whether or not we are aware of it. Paul said that believers should “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12). The idea that we can have hand to hand combat with spiritual forces in the heavenly places makes it seem as if believers are caught in the middle of the two realms that continually compete for their attention. Paul said that we must stand against the schemes of the devil if we want to enjoy the spiritual blessings that God has given us. Even though we have received salvation, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are safe from the adversary that wants to make our lives a living hell. Peter said that you must resist the devil, “firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:9-11).