SINGING AND SACRIFICE SAMUEL WHITEFIELD

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1 THE CENTER OF BIBLICAL COMMUNITY I. INTRODUCTION A. When God gathered the Israelites in the desert after the Exodus, He began to form the first expression of biblical community. Because this is the first example we have of an intentional, biblical community it is important to see just how God formed that community and what He considered most important in the daily life of the people. When God formed that community, He placed the Tabernacle in the center and organized the people so that the entire nation revolved around the Tabernacle. He placed worship and sacrifice at the very center of Israel's community. B. As the people went about their daily lives they would see and hear the sounds of sacrifice as slain animals cried out and offerings were made for the sins of the people. They would see the priests leading the people in worship all throughout the day. All the sounds, smells, and sights of the sacrifices were combined with a daily rhythm of worship that was led by the priests. All of this was central to the fledgling nation. Every household in Israel literally camped around it and gazed up it 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. C. This was not simply an ancient ritual; Moses was instructed as he established the community that God was building something on earth that was a shadow, a representation, of a heavenly pattern (Exodus 25:40; 26:30). Moses did not have liberty to organize the community in any way he wished. God had a specific pattern and Moses was to follow it. The author of Hebrews reminds us that Moses was building according to a copy of what is in heaven. 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. (Hebrews 8:5 NKJV) II. DAVID S CONTRIBUTION TO BIBLICAL COMMUNITY A. As the nation formed and grew, the center of worship was established in Jerusalem, the nation s capital. Though the community had grown too large to physically camp around the temple, the nation continued to revolved around it. To enforce the centrality of worship and sacrifice, Levites were spread among the people to teach them the Scriptures and all the people were required to make a pilgrimage up to Jerusalem at specific times of the year to attend feasts. All of this was so that the people would clearly understand that their lives as a corporate people revolved around worship and sacrifice. B. King David recognized the great significance God had placed on the gathering of the nation around worship and he expanded the place of worship in the life of the nation. He devoted significant resources, both in terms of people and provision, in order to establish night and day singing in Jerusalem. In order to recognize how significant David's contribution was to Israel's worship, we must remember that when David moved the ark in a way outside what was prescribed in the law a man died (2 Samuel 6:6-8), but when David created a worship sanctuary that went beyond what we prescribed in the law the Lord honored what David had done and established a unique covenant with Him (2 Samuel 7).

2 The Center of Biblical Community PAGE 2 C. David went far beyond any previous leader in building the nation around night and day worship and God gave David His divine endorsement. David had prophetic vision to see something that was dear to God that had not been seen by any of his predecessors and this provoked him to establish night and day singing as a vocation (1 Chronicles 9:33; 16:37; 23:5; 25:7; 2 Chronicles 8:12 14; 31:4 6, 16; 34:9, 12; Nehemiah 10:37 39; 11:22 23; 12:44 47; 13:5 12). D. Night and day singing became so central to the nation that in each revival after David s reign, the leaders of the nation put the singers back in place. They understood that the singing instituted by David, as well as the sacrifices, were central to the identity of the nation (2 Chronicles 8:14; 2 Chronicles 20:19 28; 2 Chronicles 23:18; 2 Chronicles 29:25 27; 2 Chronicles 35:3 15; Ezra 3:10 11; Nehemiah 12:47; 2 Chronicles 8:14; 31:5 16; Nehemiah 11:23; 12:44 47; 13:5 12). III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TESTAMENT COMMUNITIES A. When we examine the development of the church in the book of Acts, we find that the apostles began to build the Christian community around the place of prayer and worship as a significant part of the daily life of the church. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42 NKJV) B. The element of physical sacrifice is absent, but the community is gathered around a crucified leader, so the primacy of sacrifice is still very much present in the church. C. The leaders of the fledgling church devote themselves to prayer and the Scripture so much so, that they have to delegate the leadership of specific ministries in the church to enable them to lead the community from the place of prayer and devotion. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:3 4 NKJV) D. The primary missionary enterprise highlighted in the New Testament begins with leaders who are gathered together in regular ministry to the Lord. The fact that this occurs in Antioch, a church plant from Jerusalem, shows that the apostles were building local churches according to a pattern of corporate devotion. Jerusalem was no longer the only location hosting corporate devotion it was a model for new church communities outside of Jerusalem. It is incredibly significant, and revealing, that the most prominent missionaries in the New Testament were found in and sent from a corporate worship meeting. 1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. (Acts 13:1 3 NKJV)

3 The Center of Biblical Community PAGE 3 E. Not only was the early church built around corporate prayer and devotion, it is also important to see that singing was also central to the early church. The prominence of singing in biblical community is not something that is limited to the Tabernacle of David. Paul instructs the congregations in corporate singing because he expects that it is one of the ways that they are to function together. F. Paul reminds the church in Ephesus that they are filled with the Spirit so that they can speak to one another and give thanks in song. Here we see Paul s expectation that the church minister to each other by singing of God s greatness. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 5:18 20 NKJV) G. Again, when writing to the church in Colossae, Paul again exhorts them to minster the Word of God to each other by singing it to each other. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16 NKJV) H. When we survey New Testament communities, we find a natural progression of the pattern that existed for corporate Israel in the Old Testament: 1. The community was gathered around sacrifice in the New Testament it was the central focus of the One who became the sacrifice. 2. The community was gathered around corporate prayer and devotion the transition we see in the New Testament is that the people are no only gathered around one place of corporate devotion (i.e. the temple in Jerusalem), but each congregation is formed around a place of corporate devotion. 3. The community was gathered around corporate singing the emphasis on singing that began with David s tabernacle carries over into the New Testament. We see in the epistles that Paul expected the gift of the Holy Spirit to enable the community to minister to each others by singing the Word of God corporately. IV. THE ULTIMATE PATTERN FOR COMMUNITY A. A brief survey of the Scripture shows that the biblical community has ultimately been formed around singing and sacrifice. Anytime we neglect one of those elements either sacrifice or worship as the central gathering point of the community it inevitably causes the church to slowly get off track. It opens a wide door for humanism and other systems of thought to begin to enter the expression of the local church. The remedy is simple build the community around worship and keep it focused on the sacrificed One.

4 The Center of Biblical Community PAGE 4 B. Near the end of the Scripture, we find a startling answer to a question that began in Exodus. In Exodus, Moses was instructed to carefully form the worship of the fledging nation after a pattern seen in heaven (Exodus 25:40; 26:30), but that statement leaves us longing to see the ultimate thing that the community was intended to give witness to. The structure of biblical community is certainly a statement on the earth of a greater reality, but Moses does not record a glimpse of that reality. C. In the book of Revelation we finally find the pattern for all community the reality which inspirited the copy and shadow that Moses formed in the wilderness, David expanded in Jerusalem, and the apostles sought to follow. John is given a glimpse of the ultimate reality of the redeemed community in Revelation 5 when he sees how all of heaven is organized. John sees that heaven itself is centered around the essential elements of biblical community: 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing! (Revelation 5:6 12 NKJV) 1. In the very center of the throne the center of focus is a Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:6). John must have been shocked to see that all of heaven was focused, not just on the Lamb, but on the Lamb who was visibly slain. He was in the midst of the throne because sacrifice is at the very center of who God is and how creation sees Him. There is a sense in which God s person seems hidden in this sin-saturated world, but when His person can be clearly seen in the place of His dwelling He is seen as a slain Lamb. 2. John sees the central place of the prayer before the throne. The prayers of God s people are immediately before the throne (Revelation 5:8). 3. Finally John sees the throne room erupting in singing. Their ultimate response together to God is to burst into song at the revelation of His person (Revelation 5:9-12). 4. The key that we dare not miss is that John sees all this occurring corporately as the community of heaven focuses on the sacrificed one, treasures prayer, and responds with singing.

5 The Center of Biblical Community PAGE 5 D. John does not simply see the value of individual devotion, he sees how the corporate body of the elders, the angels, the living creatures, and the redeemed experience God together. John finally sees the ultimate reality that caused Moses to structure the nation around the Tabernacle, what caused David to introduce night and day singing, and what caused the apostles to build the church in the way that they did. E. Jesus instructed us that our deepest longest and first prayer was to be that His will would be done on earth as it in in heaven (Luke 11:2). While there are many aspects of that that will not come to pass until Jesus Himself is among us, one of the primary ways we can partner with Jesus is by building biblical communities after the pattern given to us in heaven and this means structuring church so that we form biblical communities around singing and sacrifice.