April 17, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
Back in the days of BC, that is, Before Children, my beautiful wife, who was at that time my beautiful fiancée, introduced me to a man named James Burke. Now, if you are not familiar with him, James Burke is an English author and science historian who is probably best known for his ten episode documentary television series called Connections; a series which originally aired on PBS in 1979. In the series he took an interdisciplinary approach to the history of science and invention, demonstrating how various discoveries, scientific achievements and historical world events were built from one another successively in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of our modern technology. The series was noted for Burke’s crisp and enthusiastic presentation, his dry humor, historical reenactments and intricate working models.
The popularity of the Connections series led to the production of a new program entitled The Day the Universe Changed. While the show was similar to his original work, The Day the Universe Changed gave a more linear history of several important scientific events. Both series were incredibly interesting and even spellbinding as James Burke traced the connections that changed our world into what it is today. Yet, Burk is not the only one who likes to trace connections of different events and reveal how these events set other events into motion; for this is something that the Lord our God has done since the beginning of time. He is the one who has orchestrated the events of the world, so that they would finally lead to the day when the Lord entered.
What a day that must have been on that first Palm Sunday; the day when the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of that colt. How amazing it must have been to hear the people shouting with joy, crying out with Hosanna to the Son of David! How incredible it must have been to have been part of that crowd laying down garments and palm branches as Jesus passed by. Though this was undoubtedly one of the greatest days when the Lord entered, it was not the first time, nor would it be the last! Turn with me, if you would to 1 Samuel 6, and we’ll take a look at another day that the Lord entered. Though 1 Samuel 6 is by no means the first record of the first time the Lord entered, it is a joyful celebration as well. In fact, if you are following along with the chronological schedule, you will find that 1 Samuel 6 is part of today’s scheduled reading. Now, as you are tuning, let me fill you in on the back ground. Eli is 98 years old. He has served the Lord in the Tabernacle for many years, and has trained Samuel to do the same. However, Eli’s two sons are wicked and did not fear the Lord or follow in his ways. Now, on one occasion, Israel went out to fight against the Philistines, one of the nations that they failed to destroy in the original invasion of the land. However on this day, Israel was defeated. So, after the defeat, Eli’s two sons bring the Ark of the Covenant into the camp superstitiously believing that the Lord would now have to fight for them because they brought him with them by bringing the Ark. However, rather than placing their faith and trust in the Lord, they placed it in the Ark and in the next battle, the Philistines completely route the Israelites and capture the Ark. Which brings us to 1 Samuel 6:
“1 When the ark of the LORD had been in Philistine territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.” 3 They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.” …7 “Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the LORD has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us and that it happened to us by chance.” 10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the LORD on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh. 13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. 14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD. 16 The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron. (1 Samuel 6:1-3, 7–16, NIV84)
How great the people’s rejoicing must have been on that day when the Ark returned to the people and the Lord entered Beth Shemesh. Though the ark had been captured and the glory had departed from Israel, the people rejoiced as the Lord’s presence, expressed by the Ark of the Covenant entered among them. The Lord had entered among his people and the people rejoiced in his presence. After the people had celebrated the day the Lord entered, the Ark was taken to the house of Abinadab, where it remained for many, many years; at least until the day the Lord Entered Jerusalem. Turn with me to 2 Samuel 6.
Now, as you are turning to 2 Samuel 6, let me set the stage for you. At least 20 year have passed (if not more) since the Ark was returned and the Lord entered Beth Shemesh and the house of Abinidab. In that time, the people had demanded a king and Saul had been anointed. Saul began to disobey the Lord, was rejected as King, and David was anointed to take his place. Saul had died in battle and David began his reign, conquered Jerusalem, waged war against the enemies of Israel and expanding their territory. After all this had taken place, the Lord entered into the city of Jerusalem. Take a look at 2 Samuel 6:
“1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.” (2 Samuel 6:1–5, NIV84)
Now, along the way the cart bumped and one of the men reached out and grabbed hold of the Ark. The Lord’s anger burned against him and the Lord struck him down because of his irreverent act. Thus the Lord revealed his holiness and reestablished proper fear among his people. Even David was unsure about taking the Ark to his palace and it stayed with a man named Obed-Edom until verse 12: “Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. 17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. (2 Samuel 6:12–19, NIV84)
On that day, as the lord entered Jerusalem, the people worshiped and praised the Lord. They offered sacrifices to the Lord and fellowship offerings in worship of their God. They sang songs and hymns and even danced in the presence of the Lord. Incidentally it seems that Psalm 24, our Psalm for today, may have been written by David for this very occasion, to be sung as the Ark was entering Jerusalem.
Yet there is one more day at which we want to take a look. Turn to 1 Kings 8. Now, in 1 Kings 8 we have David’s Son Solomon bringing the Ark of the Lord in to the Lord’s temple, which the Lord had commanded Solomon to build. Now that the Temple was completed, we learn in 1 Kings 8: “1 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 2 All the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. 3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4 and they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, 5 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted. 6 The priests then brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. 10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. (1 Kings 8:1–11, NIV84)
Again the people rejoiced on the day that the Lord Entered and celebrated as they had before. However this day was different; for on this day the Lord revealed his glory to his people in a way he really hadn’t since the days of Moses. He revealed his glory in the cloud that filled the temple, showing the people that he had indeed entered among them.
Now, fast forward to today and feel the joy that filled the people on the day the Lord Jesus was entering Jerusalem. Imagine the joyful shouts of Hosanna to the Son of David as Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 9:1-10. Though sadly many of the people thought that Jesus was entering the city as a conquering hero, a political messiah bent on freeing Israel from the tyranny of the Romans, this time the Lord’s entrance was different. This time the Lord was entering in preparation for his death. In less than a week he would give himself over to death to forgive our sins. He would rise from death to assure us that our sins were completely forgiven, and then he would send us out with the message of salvation so this day could happen again and again. He would send us out with the message of his Word so that through the proclamation of the message of the gospel he would have countless opportunities to enter the heart of those who came to believe in him as their Lord and Savior who has freed them from even the guilt of their sins.
These are but a few of the connections that the Lord has laid out for us in the pages of the Scriptures. Though I may not be able to present them with the same energy and humor as James Burke, they are none the less amazing. For through these connections we see how the Lord our God has entered into the hearts and minds of his people in the past and will continue to do so, entering into our hearts and minds through his Word, just as he did on that first Palm Sunday so many years ago.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN
