#oracle of Nineveh

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Oracle of Nineveh

1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 A jealous and avenging God is Jehovah: an avenger is Jehovah, and full of fury: Jehovah taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

3 Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and doth not at all clear the guilty: Jehovah, his way is in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

5 The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt, and the earth is upheaved at his presence, and the world, and all that dwell therein.

6 Who shall stand before his indignation? and who shall abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him.

7 Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

8 But with an overrunning flood he will make a full end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

9 What do ye imagine against Jehovah? He will make a full end: trouble shall not rise up the second time.

10 Though they be tangled together as thorns, and be as drenched from their drink, they shall be devoured as dry stubble, completely.

11 Out of thee is gone forth one that imagineth evil against Jehovah, a wicked counsellor.

12 Thus saith Jehovah: Though they be complete in number, and many as they be, even so shall they be cut down, and he shall pass away; and though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

13 And now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds asunder.

14 And Jehovah hath given commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy god will I cut off the graven image, and the molten image: I will prepare thy grave; for thou art vile.

15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings, that publisheth peace! Celebrate thy feasts, Judah, perform thy vows: for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off. — Nahum 1 | Literal Emphasis Translation (LET) The Literal Emphasis Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 8:1; Exodus 19:16; Exodus 19:18; Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:6; Leviticus 23:2; Deuteronomy 7:10; 2 Samuel 23:6; 1 Kings 19:11; 2 Kings 19:36; Job 13:9; Job 18:17; Psalm 2:1; Psalm 107:14; Psalm 109:13; Psalm 118:12; Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 10:7; Isaiah 10:16; Isaiah 10:33; Isaiah 13:1; Isaiah 13:10; Isaiah 28:22; Jeremiah 51:64; Ezekiel 7:5; Ezekiel 11:2; Matthew 8:26; John 10:14; Romans 10:15; 2 Timothy 2:19; Revelation 6:14; Revelation 6:17

Commentary on Nahum 1

[eldritchboop]

37 Lost Books on Ancient Mesopotamia

The Lost Book Project is charging $12 for this collection. If you found this roundup useful, please consider donating to the Internet Archive instead.

The Epic of Gilgamesh by A. George (1999)

Enuma Elish: The Seven Tablets of Creation by L. W. King (1900)

Ancient Iraq by G. Roux (1964)

History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts by S. Kramer (1956)

The Code of Hammurabi by Hammurabi (1905)

The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character by S. Kramer (1963)

Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization by L. Oppenheim (1964)

The Ancient Near East - An Anthology of Texts and Pictures by J. Pritchard (1958) Babylonian Magic and Sorcery by L. W. King (1896)

The Sumerians by C. Leonard Woolley (1920)

The Religions of Ancient Egypt and Babylonia by A.H Sayce (1901)

Babylonian and Assyrian laws, Contracts and Letters by C. H. W. Johns (1904)

The Richest Man in Babylon by G.S Clayson (1926)

A history of the Babylonians and Assyrians (2nd Edition) - G. S. Goodspeed (1902)

Assyria, its Princes, Priests, and People - A. Sayce (1885)

The teachings of Zoroaster, and the philosophy of the Parsi religion by S. A. Kapadia (1913)

An old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic by M. Jastrow (1920)

Assyrian and Babylonian Religious Texts;  Prayers, Oracles, Hymns. Copied from the original tablets by J. A. Craig (1895)

Babylonian and Assyrian literature - comprising the epic of Izdubar, hymns, tablets, and cuneiform inscriptions - E. Wilson (1901)

Babylonian Boundary Stones and Memorial Tablets in the British Museum Vol. 1 by L. W. King (1912) Babylonian Boundary Stones and Memorial Tablets in the British Museum Vol. 2 by L. W. King (1912)

Chaldean Account of Genesis - Containing the Description of the Creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchs, and Nimrod - G. Smith (1876)

Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament by R. W. Rogers (1912)

Discoveries Among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon - A. Layard (1853)

Myths & Legends of Babylonia & Assyria - L. Spence (1916)

Myths of Babylonia and Assyria by D. A. Mackenzie (1915)

The Babylonian Legends Of Creation by E. A. Wallis-Budge (1921)

The Chaldean Account Of The Deluge by G. Smith (1873)

The Code of Hammurabi by P. Handcock (1920) The Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon about 2250 B.C. by R. F. Harper (1904)

The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia Vol. 1/2 (1903)

The Law of Hammurabi and Moses; a sketch by H. Grimme (1907) The Religions of ancient Egypt and Babylonia - A. Sayce (1902)

Reports of Magicians and Astrologers of Nineveh and Babylon in the British Museum - Vol 1 - R. Thompson (1902) Reports of Magicians and Astrologers of Nineveh and Babylon in the British Museum - Vol 2 - R. Thompson (1902)

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

5th June >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Boniface, Bishop, Martyr 

on

Monday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time.

Monday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A(1))

(Readings for the feria (Monday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Monday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Tobit 1:3; 2:1a-8 Tobit walked on the paths of truth and righteousness.

I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life on the paths of truth and righteousness. I performed many charitable works for my kinsmen and my people who had been deported with me to Nineveh, in Assyria.

On our festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks, a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat. The table was set for me, and when many different dishes were placed before me, I said to my son Tobiah: “My son, go out and try to find a poor man from among our kinsmen exiled here in Nineveh. If he is a sincere worshiper of God, bring him back with you, so that he can share this meal with me. Indeed, son, I shall wait for you to come back.”

Tobiah went out to look for some poor kinsman of ours. When he returned he exclaimed, “Father!” I said to him, “What is it, son?” He answered, “Father, one of our people has been murdered! His body lies in the market place where he was just strangled!” I sprang to my feet, leaving the dinner untouched; and I carried the dead man from the street and put him in one of the rooms, so that I might bury him after sunset. Returning to my own quarters, I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow. I was reminded of the oracle pronounced by the prophet Amos against Bethel:

“All your festivals shall be turned into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation.”

And I wept. Then at sunset I went out, dug a grave, and buried him. The neighbors mocked me, saying to one another: “He is still not afraid! Once before he was hunted down for execution because of this very thing; yet now that he has scarcely escaped, here he is again burying the dead!”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 112:1b-2, 3b-4, 5-6

R/Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed.

R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

His generosity shall endure forever. Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just.

R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; He shall never be moved; the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance.

R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Revelation 1:5ab

Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead; you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 12:1-12 They seized the beloved son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture passage:

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

----------------------------------

Saint Boniface, Bishop, Martyr 

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A(1))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Monday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 26:19-23 Christ proclaims light to both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Paul said: “King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. On the contrary, first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout the whole country of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached the need to repent and turn to God, and to do works giving evidence of repentance. That is why the Jews seized me when I was in the temple and tried to kill me. But I have enjoyed God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here testifying to small and great alike, saying nothing different from what the prophets and Moses foretold, that the Messiah must suffer and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 117:1bc, 2

R/ Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or R/ Alleluia.

Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples!

R/ Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or R/ Alleluia.

For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

R/ Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or R/ Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation John 10:14

Alleluia, alleluia. I am the good shepherd, says the Lord, I know my sheep, and mine know me. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 10:11-16 A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[twobrothersatwork]

Ah! The bloody city,

all lies,

Full of plunder,

whose looting never stops!

The crack of the whip,

the rumbling of wheels;

Horses galloping,

chariots bounding,

Cavalry charging,

the flash of the sword,

the gleam of the spear;

A multitude of slain,

a mass of corpses,

Endless bodies

to stumble upon!

For the many debaucheries of the prostitute,

a charming mistress of witchcraft,

Who enslaved nations with her prostitution,

and peoples by her witchcraft:

I now come against you—

oracle of the Lord of hosts—

and I will lift your skirt above your face;

I will show your nakedness to the nations,

to the kingdoms your shame!

Nahum 3:1-5

Artwork: Artist’s impression of Assyrian palaces from The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853.

[bernardo1969]

The book of Tobit is a book that has many similarities with the Books of Job, Esther, and Judith; because these books cannot be considered books that narrate strictly historical events, but by containing an edifying or wise narrative through a fantasy story, they are partly sapiential books that leave a very clear ethical or moral message. The Book of Tobit does not discuss complex sapiential or theological themes, but rather this book is about a day-to-day wisdom, a practical wisdom that helped the characters in the book to emerge victorious from the difficulties they faced. But in the book there is something more, the Book in its last part contains a prophecy of Tobit; the Bible indicates that the character of Tobit was a person who feared God and believed in the spiritual visions of all the prophets; that is why before he died he told his son to leave Nineveh and avoid Babylon and go to Media, where he would be safe from the destruction that was coming. But Tobit went further and also gave an oracle to his son about the eschatological hope and the end of times; sin and error would one day give way to the truth and wisdom of God. This oracle of Tobit has in its final part a great resemblance to the prophecies of the book of Revelations. With these words, Tobit spoke to his son about God's victory over evil in the coming future: "All the nations of the world will turn and reverence God in truth; all will cast away their idols, which have deceitfully led them into error. They will bless the God of the ages in righteousness. All the Israelites truly mindful of God, who are to be saved in those days, will be gathered together and will come to Jerusalem; in security will they dwell forever in the land of Abraham, which will be given to them. Those who love God sincerely will rejoice, but those who commit sin and wickedness will disappear completely from the land" Tobit 14:6-7.

[carltonblaylock]

God’s Vengeance in Judgment

Nahum 1:1-2 1 The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. 2God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;   The Bible Knowledge Commentary – Nahum 1:1-2 The Title (1:1) 1:1. The book was an oracle against Nineveh. As an oracle it was a burden (maśśā’;…

[catolinewsdailyreadings]

Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of Monday, June 5, 2023

Reading 1

Tb 1:3; 2:1a-8

I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life on the paths of truth and righteousness. I performed many charitable works for my kinsmen and my people who had been deported with me to Nineveh, in Assyria.

On our festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks,  a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat. The table was set for me, and when many different dishes were placed before me, I said to my son Tobiah: "My son, go out and try to find a poor man from among our kinsmen exiled here in Nineveh. If he is a sincere worshiper of God, bring him back with you, so that he can share this meal with me. Indeed, son, I shall wait for you to come back."

Tobiah went out to look for some poor kinsman of ours. When he returned he exclaimed, "Father!" I said to him, "What is it, son?" He answered, "Father, one of our people has been murdered! His body lies in the market place where he was just strangled!" I sprang to my feet, leaving the dinner untouched; and I carried the dead man from the street and put him in one of the rooms, so that I might bury him after sunset. Returning to my own quarters, I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow. I was reminded of the oracle pronounced by the prophet Amos against Bethel:

"All your festivals shall be turned into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation."

And I wept. Then at sunset I went out, dug a grave, and buried him.

The neighbors mocked me, saying to one another: "He is still not afraid! Once before he was hunted down for execution  because of this very thing; yet now that he has scarcely escaped, here he is again burying the dead!"

Responsorial Psalm

PS 112:1b-2, 3b-4, 5-6

R./ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R./ Alleluia.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed. R./ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R./ Alleluia.

His generosity shall endure forever. Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just.  R./ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R./ Alleluia.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; He shall never be moved; the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance. R./ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R./ Alleluia.

Gospel

MK 12:1-12

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture passage: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?" They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

[paganimagevault]

Scythian gold horseman 4th C. BCE. Possibly of Greek manufacture. Boots tied around his ankles, pierced in places for attachment, 1¾in. (4.5cm.), one hoof missing, one bent.

"From the very beginnings of their emergence on the world scene the Scythians took part in the greatest campaigns of their times, defeating such mighty contemporaries as Assyria, Urartu, Babylon, Media and Persia.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus recorded that Cimmerian tribes had inhabited the Black Sea steppes before the Scythians. Then came the Scythians, and conquered the Cimmerians. Pursued by the Scythians, Cimmerian nomads crossed the Caucasus and spread into the countries of western Asia; and the pursuing Scythians, led over the mountains by their king Madyes, defeated the Medes they found in their path.

Early in the 7th century the Scythians moved against Assyria. The official records of Assyria are highly selective, giving much space to Assyrian victories but remaining silent about Assyrian defeats. Fortunately, a more balanced picture can be built up by comparing various surviving sources - not only the official record, but also the reports of spies, and the questions put by Assyrian kings to oracles when seeking advice.

After a period of warfare between the Scythians and Assyrians the politically skilled Assyrian king Esarhaddon succeeded in winning peace with them, for a time, by the presentation of rich gifts, and by marrying off his daughter to the Scythian king Partatua. The Scythians' attentions were diverted towards Palestine and Egypt. A biblical prophet referred to the Scythians as 'the ancient, mighty people whose language is hard to understand. They are always courageous, and their quivers are like an open grave. They will eat your harvest and bread, they will eat your sons and daughters, they will eat your sheep and oxen, they will eat your grapes and figs.' Only by paying heavy tribute did the Pharaoh Psammetichus I (reigned 663-609) save his country from Scythian invasion.

From Egypt the Scythians returned to Assyria, and in the period c. 650-620 BC Media, one of the richest states of the ancient East, fell steadily under their influence. In 612 BC a Scytho-Median army finally captured Nineveh and overthrew the Assyrian Empire."

-The Scythians 700-300 BC: Dr. E.V. Cernenko, Angus McBride, & Dr. M.V. Gorelik

[hydralisk98]

The Imaginary World of ______ by Keri Smith (Module 0x000; aka the database)

Brainstorm:

The Alchemist

pfsrd

D&D 5e

Loups-Garous de Thiercelieux

UNO & DOS

XXIIVV’s Paradise & “Parade”

Portal 2

Portal Stories: Mel

Half-Life as of Epistle 3

Alien

Pokemon

A bag full of apples

Winnie the Pooh (Soviet Union)

Alternate futures and histories from other planets

Mark Rosenfelder

Sabaton

Rammstein

Eminem

Beatles

Neumond Recordings

Bee Gees

Black Sabbath

EU4 OST

Hans Zimmer

Kenji Kawai

Christian Clermont

Disco

Xerox

Commodore

IBM

DEC

HP

60s-70s Quebec’s cultural revolution

Windows 3.11

1910-1925 era

World War 1 and resulting civil war type of conflicts

Wolfenstein: the New Order

Retrocomputing culture

Soviet cartoons

History

Enlightenment eras (~1755 onward)

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle aka philosophy as a rational discipline

Subliminals community

Plushies’ textures

Moderate socialism

Central europe’s rural areas

Nineveh

Nimrud

S-expressions

Lisp programming languages

Assembly

ALGOL

C

Julia

Python

Rust

British Colombia climate

Montreal and its suburbs

Wien

Paris

Villages/Towns

Turkish Angora Cats

Tigers

Bears

Lizards

Insects

Ancient Mesopotamia’s wardrobes

Old china culture

Japanese Meiji Imperial Era

Symbols

Latin

Ancient Greek

Old Assyrian

Sumerian

Proto-Celtic

Breton

Proto-Uralic

Hungarian

French

German

Portuguese

Spanish?

English?!

Building blocks

Autism

Calm noise soundscape

Keycaps’ typing sounds

Old computers’ sounds

Beavers

Furrets

2000s cartoons

Adult Swim

Underground cultures

Goths

Wicca

Grunge

Vintage

Dumb terminals

Pocket calculators

Home computers

Old mainframes

AI service grid

The two first “Indochina” wars

Memes

Gen Z

Text adventure games

Telex

COMECON trade

Medieval intellectuals

ZX Spectrum

IRC chatrooms

MU* games

Top down grand strategy games and rogue-like RPGs

Nuclear warfare

PDP-8

PDP-11

PDP-15

VAX

Robotron

Zachtronics TIS-100

Sid Meier’s Civilization V

Paradox Interactive’s Europa Universalis III & IV

Hypnospace Outlaw

Pen & paper games

4D toys

Baba Is You

Terraria

Counter-Strike

Call of Duty World at War

Kerbal Space Program

The Stanley Parable

Quake/Half-Life 1

Rene Magritte

Dwarf Fortress

Sandstorm

Powerwolf

Dragonforce

Manowar

Minecraft

Open source community

Linux Mint

Debian

KDE

Solaris

FreeBSD

FreeDOS

Inferno OS

Plan 9

Rudy

Amber

Olive green

Sea blue

Salamanders

Groundhogs

Abstract syntax trees of lexers and compilers

Oracles

Wizards

Shapeshifters

Sea fleets

Land armies

Modern warfare

Guerrilla culture

Kriegsmarine

Wehrmacht

Superheroes

Rationality

New age spiritualities

Polished wood

Chiptune

Fresh winter cold air smell

Garfield

Boxes

Cardboard

Papercrafts

Plastic 3D prints

Words of wisdom

Angels

Zen

Chi-Nu Kai tank

0.0 Wilson, 0.4 Taft, 0.6 Theodore

Colonialism

WW1 Triplanes

Elves

Fantasy Dwarves

Fantasy Tieflings

Fantasy Gnomes

Fantasy Golems

Morphological Freedom

Transhumanism

Extremely far future time-travelling peoples

Aliens

Droids and Synthetics

Sylvans

Linguistics

Geopolitics

LISP 1.5

Shell scripts

Demoscene

Terminator

X-Men

Planet of the Apes

300

Men in Black

The Addams Family

The Matrix

The Hunger Games

Da Vinci Code

16^12+1988 aka the 0x10c Mojang’s cancelled game

[...]

[kabane52]

The Unity of the Canon in the Law on the Central Sanctuary and Altars

A standard liberal critical argument is as follows: "The Priestly Source is emphatic: sacrifices can only take place in the one place that God chooses (i.e. the temple in Jerusalem). Yet, throughout the Hebrew Bible, we see examples of seemingly lawful sacrifices taking place outside of the tabernacle or temple after the giving of the Law. Samuel sacrifices at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7), Elijah sacrifices on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18)." How would you respond?

Thanks for your question- this is indeed one of the foundational assumptions of the conventional liberal-critical understanding of the history of the people of Israel and of the Sacred Writings. As such, it is an excellent case study of the ways in which liberal biblical criticism obscures the authentic sense of the inspired text on account of its use of interpretive shortcuts when facing a text which suggests the unexpected or inexplicable. If the Christian doctrine of Scripture is correct, such unexpected or confusing texts are actually opportunities, whose integration into one’s biblical theology will correct unseen misunderstandings and provide new insight into the faith.

For those unfamiliar, in Deuteronomy 12 we are told that God will set His Name at a special place of His choice. It is at this place that the people of Israel are to gather to offer sacrifice and to celebrate the Passover, Weeks (Pentecost), and Tabernacles (Booths).Throughout the history of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the people worship at “high places” or independent cult sites found on hills throughout the land. This persists until the reforms of Kings Hezekiah and later Josiah, both of whom seek to remove the high places and establish the centrality of Israel’s liturgical cult at Jerusalem. It is important to distinguish worship at the high places from rank idolatry. Usually, the people worshiped the one God of Israel at these cult sites rather than pagan gods. In other words, it is a violation of the Second Word (which not only requires worship of the true God but worship of Him in the manner He has commanded) instead of the First Word.

However, the orthodox view in biblical criticism is that the requirement for a central sanctuary is a late innovation which was developed in order to increase the wealth of the priestly class in Jerusalem. One does not need to be a genius to see the influence of the Puritan and then liberal Protestant prejudice against “priestcraft” or an ecclesiastical hierarchy. It is merely the old cliche that priests are simply out for your money. This does not prove it historically wrong but it does set it in its context.

Concerning your original question- Deuteronomy is generally considered to represent a largely self-contained source called “D” whereas “P” represents much of Genesis-Numbers, especially the first half of Leviticus (the latter half tends to be attributed to the so-called “H”  author). Deuteronomy is supposed to be a forgery of the priests of King Josiah, though in some cases scholars place the forgery in the reign of King Hezekiah. Unfortunately for such critics, the literary form of the Deuteronomic covenant clearly reflects the more ancient form prevalent among the early Hittites and Egyptians (I believe this form belongs to a tradition coming from God’s revelation to Adam through Noah) instead of the later Assyrian form from which it is allegedly derived. This is a very serious problem which has not been adequately dealt with or even addressed. This case is made by Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen in his enormous survey of the literary tradition of Near Eastern and Egyptian treaties.

Before addressing the substantial point of your question, I wish to point out the classic paradox of biblical criticism as it is manifest in this case. On the one hand, the texts are supposed to be in such obvious contradiction that the only explanation is that they are an ad hoc collection of texts which themselves are a pastiche of various different hypothetical sources in contradiction. But on the other hand, we are invited to believe that the hand of the redactor knit these texts together into a single scroll- which were then transmitted as a corpus by the tradition of the Jewish people. The redactor is alleged to have harmonized the disparate sources and to have edited his texts in order to create a single literary unit. Moreover, when features of one alleged source emerge in a text alleged to be in a different source, the conventional biblical critic again summons the redactor as an explanation. And so we are to believe that the texts are plainly distinct, except when they are not. We must believe that the redactor created a literary unity, except when he chose to permit obvious contradictions.

In this case, the contradiction is so obvious that one wonders how it could have possibly been missed. This is especially so in the sacrifice on Mt. Carmel. Kings is supposed to be a part of the “Deuteronomistic history” whose central purpose is to exalt the reforms of Josiah and explain the exile by the failure to centralize Israel’s sacrificial liturgy. So what in the world is a major sacrifice on Mt. Carmel doing at the heart of the book’s narrative? A major theme of the Book of Kings is the failure of the kings to obey the words of God as communicated through the prophets. The prophetic ministry in the life of Israel manifests the preeminence of divine action in the nation. The prophets are called to a charismatic ministry whose authorization comes from the divine call. Not being from a specific family or deriving their legitimacy from their line of descent, the work of the prophets cannot be controlled or stamped out by the kings of Israel and Judah. No matter how hard they try, those rulers who seek to dethrone the Lord of Hosts from the kingship of Israel and Judah are unable to do so on account of the intrinsically unpredictable institution of prophecy. The literary core of Kings is in the extended narratives describing the ministries of the Prophets Elijah and Elisha.

Christ our Lord, describing the person born of the Holy Spirit, likens them to the wind which "blows where it wishes." As Solomon declares in Ecclesiastes, it is the sovereign Creator alone who can shepherd the wind and govern all things with righteousness. Mankind cannot force the future into his preferred mode. Thus, men must respond in faith to the will of God and recognize that He will bring out of their work everything He intends do unto a good and wise purpose. The prophet is made such by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In the order of the cherubic faces, the prophetic face is the Eagle (priestly being the Bull and kingly being the Lion) and in the anointing of an Israelite in the priesthood, the ear, hand, and foot is anointed. The foot is associated with the prophetic. All of this establishes prophets as they who are in motion, who cannot be seized or controlled, who, with the eagle riding upon the wind, fly from place to place by the will of God. Consider how Elijah escapes again and again from the persecutions of Ahab and Jezebel. Consider how he is taken up into the heavens by the Spirit. And Elisha likewise is constantly on the move. He goes even to the nations of the world and anoints Hazael as king of Syria. The travel and motion of the prophet stands as a corrective to the attempts of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel to control their history by their own power and to fix a given political order in place without possibility of change. From the times of Elijah and Elisha, the prophets begin to blow among the nations. Jonah travels to Nineveh soon afterwards. Many of the writing prophets (writing prophets arise at this time in covenant history) communicate oracles to the nations and their kings which they must have sent to the nations, being specifically addressed to the nations and warning of punishment if they did not obey.

The primacy of the prophetic is key in the consideration of this issue, and we will return to it later. For now, I simply want to point out the absurdity of positing that the very "Deuteronomist" who was absolutely committed to the total centralization of sacrificial worship in Jerusalem also placed the construction of a non-Jerusalemite altar in the literary center of his text. Other texts describing Elisha describe him as a kind of living temple of the Spirit. For elaboration on this point, see Peter Leithart's remarkable commentary on Kings. Because of the above, the alleged contradiction is prima facie extremely unlikely.

The manifest nature of the alleged contradiction suggests that what we have encountered is not an obvious contradiction but a failure to properly interpret the teaching of Deuteronomy. So let us consider its actual content.

First, does Deuteronomy 12 refer to the city of Jerusalem in referring to the place where God will make His Name dwell? This is assumed to be the case, and the lack of a named reference to the city is explained by the desire of the forger to avoid anachronism by identifying a city which would only come to prominence several centuries after the time of Moses. But if the forger was so concerned to avoid references to later institutions, why does he refer to the institution of the monarchy in Deuteronomy 17? Such makes no sense. The fact that biblical critics believe Deuteronomy 12 to be a prophetic reference to the building of the temple of Jerusalem reflects their deep lack of care in interpreting the text.

The Book of Joshua is suffused with the language and theological emphases of Deuteronomy. Yet Joshua 8 describes the construction of a cult site on Mt. Ebal as the ark of the covenant is processed before them. Later, in Joshua 24, there is a covenant renewal in the presence of the sanctuary at Shechem. If the heart of Deuteronomy were the centralization of worship in the city of Jerusalem, why does the first book in the “deuteronomistic history” refer directly to liturgical worship at sites other than Jerusalem? The answer to this question lies in the point that Deuteronomy 12 is not about Jerusalem. It is simply about the principle of a central sanctuary for Israel. The actual site of the sanctuary moved around. Throughout much of the period of the judges the cult site is focused on Shiloh. A passage from Jeremiah actually makes note of this directly:

(Jeremiah 7:10-12) and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’–only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord. Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel.

The desolation of Shiloh in 1 Samuel 4 is here cited by the Lord as a paradigm for the desolation of the Temple of Jerusalem. In Kings, the prophet-historian Jeremiah describes the fall of the Temple and sack of Jerusalem in language drawn from the catastrophe of the battle of Aphek. The sons of Zedekiah are killed like the sons of Eli. And as Eli became blind at the end of his life, so also is King Zedekiah blinded as punishment. The point is that Deuteronomy 12 has nothing to do with a retroactive attempt to justify the centrality of Jerusalem. It is about the principle of one central sanctuary. That sanctuary can move from place to place throughout history.

Second, we need to consider whether Deuteronomy actually prohibited any and all sacrifice except that performed at the central sanctuary. That is, does "central sanctuary" mean "only sanctuary"? Surprisingly, there is evidence even from the Second Temple period that many Jews did not believe so. After the return from Babylon, we know from the historical record that there were at least four functioning Jewish temples: Jerusalem, Elephantine, Leontopolis, and Tel-Arad. The temples of Leontopolis and Elephantine are particuarly interesting. Concerning the former, it was presided over by the exiled high priestly line descended from Zadok, in fidelity to the biblical requirements concerning the bloodline of the high priests. Moreover, there are later Jewish texts- written after AD 70, which considered the Leontopolis Temple to be legitimate. That they are written after AD 70 is especially significant, for we know that Judaism did not set up alternative temples or cult sites when the Temple was destroyed. We would expect, then, for a complete rejection of the legitimacy of any temple not at Jerusalem. That we actually find a diversity of opinions is strong evidence that many within Judaism during the time of the Second Temple believed that Deuteronomy 12 was not a complete prohibition on all altars except that of the central sanctuary. The temple at Elephantine, Egypt is even more interesting. Scholars have recovered an actual document at Elephantine authorizing the construction of the Elephantine Temple. The author of this text was the High Priest of the Temple of Jerusalem. This is extremely telling, for if any group within Judaism can be expected to reject altogether any cult sites except in Jerusalem, it would be, the priesthood of that one Temple. And yet we find that the High Priest of Jerusalem not only tolerated, but authorized the construction of this cult site.

These witnesses are sufficiently late that it cannot be seriously argued that the canonical authority of Deuteronomy was in doubt among any sect of Judaism at this point in time, even if one holds that the concept of canon was a late development, which I do not The historical evidence tells us that the living memory of the divine commandments concerning the worship of Israel did not include an absolute prohibition on altars or even temples outside of the central sanctuary. Nor is it likely that this constitutes a reversion to the old sin of worshiping at the high places. Just as rank idolatry became increasingly rare after the coming of the Kingdom transformed the tribal confederation of the period of the judges, so also the sin of worshiping according to one's preference and not God's became rare to nonexistent after the return from Babylon. Indeed, the prophets of this period never mention worship at high places.

Third, let us consider the actual theology of the central sanctuary. All of the above constitutes powerful circumstantial evidence for an alternative approach to Deuteronomy 12, but it remains for us to acually construct such an interpretive framework. What is the canonical and theological context for the legislation concerning a central sanctuary? Biblical critics, in assuming that the text is merely an arbitrary way to justify a reform invented for political ends, have missed the profound theology of Deuteronomy and the place of the central sanctuary in the history of God's work in the world. After the creation of the world, God instructs the human family to "subdue" or "conquer" the world, exercising dominion on God's behalf. Such language, as I have discussed elsewhere, is about the development of the created order, its glorification, and its ordering in service to the Creator. The creation is both good and undeveloped. It belongs to Adam to participate with God in the completion of the creative project. What God does in the six days is the paradigm for human activity, as it is man who is the image of God. Adam is the high priest of creation. Importantly for our discussion, the creation before the flood had a central sanctuary. The garden of Eden was a sanctuary on a mountain. After man's exile from Eden, angels guarded its gate together with the flaming sword (fire and blade are the two instruments of sacrifice) but at the bottom of the mountain the human family conducted its liturgical worship at this site. We understand this from the reference to Sin (a way of referring to the Serpent) "crouching at the door", the context naturally referring to the gate of Eden. Abel is identified as the "guardian of sheep" and Cain a "cultivator of the ground." Adam's dual roles as guardian and cultivator thus pass to two distinct sons. The former language is associated with priesthood, the latter with kingship. Thus, Abel constituted the priestly line. This is why Seth is described as having been appointed in the place of Abel. His birth coincides with people beginning to "call upon the Name of the Lord", a phrase which nearly always occurs in a ritual context, particularly a sacrificial one.

Seth is the appointed heir to Abel's priestly ministry who administers the central sanctuary at the gate of Eden, the place where mankind is called to engage with God in worship. His heir, Noah, conducts liturgical offices as the builder of the ark, described clearly as a three-leveled s temple and as sacred space. After the flood he leads the ascension offering after which God manifests the glory-cloud in the form of a rainbow: compare the language of Ezekiel concerning the rainbow and the cloud. Noah's prophetic word to his sons transmits the priestly ministry through Shem: "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be his slave." The name "Yahweh" is the Name liturgically invoked (Ex. 3:15) in the priestly work of the old covenant, as it is the Name "called upon" by Seth and his heirs. The use of this name in the blessing on Shem identifies his line as the line of priesthood. However, the central sanctuary of Eden's Gate was destroyed in the universal flood, challenging mankind's access to God. Shem's descendants are identified in Genesis 10 and 11. The division after the Tower of Babel occurs in the generation of Eber's two sons, Joktan  and Peleg. Genesis 10 describes the migration of the Joktanite clans eastward. These were the clans which were "moving east" in Genesis 11:2. The Babel project was led therefore by a partnership of Hamites and Shemites under the bloody rule of Nimrod, identified in sacrificial language as a "mighty slaughterer before the Lord" pointing to the bloody way in which the uniformity of culture around a false liturgy was maintained. The Babel project involved both a city and a tower, both language and lip. Language refers to culture, lip refers to the God whom you worship as David professes: "I will not take the names [of false gods] on my lip." The lip is designed to "call upon the Name of the Lord." City corresponds to language and tower to lip. The tower is meant as a ladder to heaven.

God had not reestablished the sanctuary where He linked Heaven with Earth, and so it was natural that the human family would attempt to reestablish that link on its own terms and so attempt to seize a position in the Heavenly Court. Adam had desired to be "as a god", referring to a member of the heavenly council. The Sethite families had given their daughters to the "Sons of God", another reference to members of that heavenly court (compare the language of Dt. 32:8-9, Job 1-2) as an attempt to marry into the heavenly throne-room and seize the inheritance in that fashion. Here, we see the participation of the Joktanite priestly family in the construction of the false ladder to heaven. Joktan must have been the firstborn because of Peleg's being named after the event of the judgment on Babel. Thus, he was born after his brother's clans had officiated as the priestly family at Babel. Peleg's bloodline is traced in Genesis 11 down to Abram. Abram is led out of Mesopotamia and into the land of Canaan where he builds an altar and "calls on the Name of the Lord" the same phrase being used to describe the ministry of Seth in Genesis 4. We are therefore invited to see a continuity in the roles of Seth and Abram. Additionally, God promises to Abram to make a "great name", the same purpose for which the architects of Babel had acted.

The central sanctuary, according to Deuteronomy 12, is the place where God makes His "Name dwell." The identity of God as Lord, Creator, and Sovereign is rooted and grounded in the concrete link He has with the creation through its ladder to heaven. In Genesis 14, when Abram arrives at the city of Jerusalem, he is given Bread and Wine by the high priest of that city, identified by his throne-name Melchizedek, meaning "king of righteousness." Jewish traditions identify Melchizedek with Shem the son of Noah and heir to the high priesthood transmitted by Adam through the line of Seth. The bringing out of Bread and Wine to Abram is highly significant, for in Genesis 9 Noah's investiture of authority was signified by his consumption of wine in sabbatical rest. Melchizedek pronounces a blessing upon Abram which resembles the blessing pronounced by Noah on Shem. The transmission of priestly office thus passes to the children of Abraham. The essential characteristic of this unique calling is its link with the world's single ladder to heaven. In Genesis 28, Jacob sees a vision of the ladder to heaven in a text which echoes Genesis 11 in reversal. Jacob's ladder to heaven is "truly the gate of heaven" as the name Babel means "gate of God." The reference to its gates provides an additional link with the gates of Eden. After this vision, Jacob prophetically names the city "Bethel" meaning "house of God." And indeed, Bethel is one of the locations at which the Tabernacle dwells.

We see thus that throughout Genesis a major theme is the existence- or lack thereof- of the central sanctuary and ladder to heaven. This sanctuary was of significance for all mankind and was served by a specially consecrated priestly line. Exodus records the actual reestablishment by God of the ladder to heaven, beginning with a description of Israel's being forced to build dwellings and cities for Pharaoh and idolatrous gods- Rameses and Pi-Atum- but concludes with the construction of the Tabernacle, the single house of the true God. In Exodus 19, Israel as a whole is consecrated as the priestly nation. It is Israel's election to be the light of the world, and Israel's mission on behalf of all mankind is to officiate liturgically and politically at the one central sanctuary. The description of the Tabernacle, especially its consecration in Leviticus 8-10, links it in many ways with the garden of Eden. The High Priest is symbolically identified as a microcosm not only of Israel, bearing all twelve tribes upon his shoulders, but the entire human race, being a figure of Adam and being vested with vestments signifying the whole creation. The threefold division of priestly prerogatives opens, in a highly regulated and guarded way, the door of access into the divine presence. The High Priest, bearing all mankind with him, is able to enter once a year into the Most Holy Place where the God of Israel personally dwells. The sacrificial services there also constitute a service on behalf of all nations. On the Feast of Tabernacles, Israel sacrifices seventy bulls in a work of intercession for the seventy nations of the world.

The nature of the central sanctuary is not actually about the elimination of any kind of sacrifice outside of the Temple of Jerusalem or Shiloh Tabernacle. In reality, its purpose is the uniqueness of the singular Name of the God of Israel, lifted as a banner to all nations. Its purpose is as a focal point for all mankind, being the one ladder to heaven where God interacts directly with the human family.

One can see, moreover, that the regulations of Deuteronomy 12 about high places concern the perpetuation of the idolatrous worship of Canaan in the utilization of their cultic sites and sacred trees.

(Deuteronomy 12:2-3)  You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.

The purpose is to "destroy the name" of the false gods out of their "place" in contrast to the exalted "Name" of Israel's God which will be placed in the central sanctuary. Israel is elected as a "kingdom of priests and a consecrated nation" at Mt. Sinai. The principal goal of the Sinai revelation is the revelation of the pattern of the central sanctuary, which Moses beholds in Exodus 25-31. The language used in Exodus 40 concerning Moses' building of that sanctuary echoes the language used of Noah's building of the ark, and Israel's fundamental constitution is centered on their relationship to the Tabernacle. In 1 Kings 8, Solomon describes the Temple as the focal point of God's fidelity to Israel. When the people and their king honor the divine presence in the Temple, when they turn towards the Temple and pray for God's activity, God answers. This occurs in the reign of King Hezekiah- the first time that a king of Judah actually uses the Temple to beg God's protection. Previous kings used the temple for protection, but only in looting its wealth and using it to placate foreign invaders.

When King David establishes the unique Zion tabernacle (the Temple is built on Mt. Moriah), he organizes a Levitical orchestra with a range of instruments to play in conjunction with the daily liturgy. Gentiles play an unparalleled role in serving the Zion tabernacle, and the ark stands almost without boundaries in relation to the people. The prophets consistently associate Zion with the ingathering of the nations and the redemption of Israel, for it is Zion and its liturgy that manifests and foreshadows Israel's fulfillment of her destiny as the light of the world in a unique way. The genealogies of Chronicles are arranged in order to place the Levitical orchestra in a central position. The history of Adam's bloodline, Ezra is telling us, comes to a certain climax with the birth of a family of musicians for Levitical service. In the Psalter, the Gentiles call upon the people to "sing the songs of Zion", and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost corresponds to the Levitical orchestra, for in the former many languages are spoken in a perfect harmony just as in the latter the plenitude of instruments are harmonized towards a single work of service. The Apostle Paul likewise links the Spirit with music: "be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit, singing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs."

Thus we must always recall that the central sanctuary has a definite and positive role within the history of salvation. It is not principally a prohibition of sacrificial worship elsewhere, but a commandment to establish a focal point for the gathering of Israel, the divine presence, and proclamation of the Name of God to all nations. Moreover, we see that the prohibition on "high places" is given in the context of eliminating the traditional Canaanite places of worship. These sites had a history reaching back into the evil gods worshiped by the descendants of Canaan, and through intermixture and failure to conquer the land, these traditional cultic sites were syncretized with Israel's religion and wounding the divinely willed unity of the tribes as one nation. The thrice-annual gathering of all Israel to the central sanctuary create social bonds among all the children of Israel and facilitates the development of a national consciousness. The failure to subdue all the land to Israelite dominion and observe the festivals according to God's will allowed for the stunting of this national consciousness, eventually leading to the division of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah and thus the stunting of the Israelite witness to the Divine Name.

Moreover, the emphasis in Deuteronomy 12 is not so much the specific place chosen by the Lord but the act of election itself. Undoubtedly the theology of the central sanctuary forms an important thread in Moses' overarching intent. Still, it should be recognized that the preeminence and priority of divine election lies near the core of the book, with divine will being the active agent in the election of Israel, the calling of prophets, the arrangement of the Levitical order, and the choice of king. The point is that Israel's constitution is fundamentally divine, and Israel's life and blessing turns on the consistent obedience of faith which the nation owes to God in virtue of His redemptive work in the exodus. For example, Deuteronomy 11 emphasizes the essential nature of rain in the land of Israel in contrast to the Nile in Egypt. Dependence on rain for productive harvests makes concrete the necessity of constant trust in the providence of God: rivers can be expected to remain consistent from year to year, but the coming of rain is unpredictable and demands that Israel trust in the Creator's daily provision.

Moses' sermon to Israel as a whole is arranged according to the Ten Commandments. In each section, Moses explicates God's will in a way which unpacks the logic of each commandment. Deuteronomy 12 corresponds to the Second Commandment which prohibits the worship of God through graven images. According to Deuteronomy, this is because Israel "saw no form" at Sinai. The builders of Babel attempted to build a ladder to heaven from the bottom up- but it was God who built a ladder downwards to Jacob who is then invited to climb it (in Genesis 33, his podvig is completed as he reaches "Sukkoth" or "Clouds") according to God's revelation. In other words, God reveals Himself and we worship Him according to the mode of that revelation. Since Israel beheld no form, their worship of God must be formless. Since God revealed Himself in the commandment to not worship at the traditional high places, Israel could not do so. She must worship God after the pattern set forth by God.

This feature of the text helps elucidate the purpose of other cultic sites besides the central sanctuary in Israel's history. One finds the frequent association of prophecy with the worship at these sites. For example, the altar at Mt. Ebal commanded in Deuteronomy 27 (within Deuteronomy itself!) is given by God through the authorized prophet, Moses. Notably, it follows the instructions given in Exodus 20 concerning the building of altars:

(Deuteronomy 27:4-8)  And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly."

(Exodus 20:24-26)  An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.'

Such a connection gives the lie to the assumption of biblical critics that Exodus 20:24-26 represents a different and originally independent literary source which was at odds with the central sanctuary evident in the hypothetical "P" and "D." The phrase "cause my Name to be remembered" is also crucial. It suggests the principle of divine initiative in worship- God actively "causes" His Name to be "remembered." This comes from Exodus 3:15 where the Sacred Name is revealed to Moses in his prophetic call:

(Exodus 3:15)  God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

The revelation of the Name means the revelation of God's essential character by which we can know Him as faithful and trustworthy. The Name is revealed in the context of announcing the imminent fulfillment of those promises made to the patriarchs. It is set in a ritual context: the glory of God is manifest in the bush, God invites Israel to the holy mountain for sacrifice:

(Exodus 3:18)  And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.'

The word "sacrifice" specifically denotes the "peace offering" within which the sacrificial food is shared between God and Israel. This commandment is given in the same speech where God promises to verify before the "Elders of Israel" His faithfulness by miraculous signs. This sacrificial meal shared between God and Israel occurs in Exodus 24 where the Seventy Elders seal the covenant with Yahweh by eating and drinking as they gaze upon the God of Israel. So we see that the particular Name which is caused to be remembered is the Name which signifies absolute divine faithfulness and theophanic revelation to create a covenantal, marital (thus the joint-meal- a covenant is always a marital bond) link between God and His people. Altars throughout Scripture are miniature holy mountains at the top of which the sacrificial fire and smoke corresponds to the fiery glory of God which dwelt on Sinai, causing it to smoke.

(Exodus 19:18)  Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.

This language is strongly allusive to the sacrificial altar: the Lord descends in His glory-fire (as He did on the burning bush) and causes smoke to ascend to heaven. This descent by God to creation is matched by a corresponding ascent: the fire comes down, the smoke rises. The revelation of the Divine Name is a matter of divine initiative and is spatially focused. The altar is a miniature mountain, a ladder to heaven which commemorates and perpetuates the union actualized by God. Again, the centrality of divine initiative explains the problem with Israel's high places. In most cases, the high places were cultic sites which had bene built in the service of the devils worshiped by the Canaanites. They were intrinsicaly connected with the "name" of the gods whose "memory" was commemorated at the high place. The revelation of the one God as absolutely supreme and victorious over the devils occurs in the destruction of the high places.

Let's consider one other text in Deuteronomy mitigating against the assumption that it mandates only one altar for sacrificial worship:

(Deuteronomy 16:21-22)  "You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside an altar of the Lord your God that you shall make. And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.

The ESV renders "an altar of the Lord your God" with the definite article: "the altar of the Lord your God", creating the impression that it refers to the one altar in the Courtyard of the Tabernacle. Given the design and specific structure of the Tabernacle and Temple, this is unlikely. Moreover the only other place in Deuteronomy where building an altar is mentioned is found in Deuteronomy 27:5-6 at Ebal.

Considering all of the above, let's look at specific instances where a sacrificial altar is legitimately built and utilized by an Israelite after the Torah covenant is made. Given what is said in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 12, we should expect that altars are associated with prophecy and are constructed in a place where God has made His Name and presence distinctly manifest. Three examples from Judges come to mind. First, Gideon builds an altar at Ophrah in the preparation for the expulsion of the Midianites. Second, Manoah and his wife build an altar at Zorah in the context of the annunciation of Samson. Third, Israel collectively builds an altar at Bethel in the preparation for making war upon the apostate Benjaminites.

Each of these cases matches the criteria I unpacked above concerning the legitimacy of particular altars. It must be a place where God has manifested in a unique and revelatory way His "Name", making that place a bridge between heaven and earth signified in the altar as a miniature holy mountain from which the smoke lifts up the sacrifice (and the one offering the sacrifice) in an ascent to heaven.

The cases of Gideon and Manoah are remarkably straightforward:

(Judges 6:20-24)  And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them." And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face." But the Lord said to him, "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

Here two things are of note. First, given the aforementioned emphasis on the revelation of the Divine Name, we find here that God theophanically manifests to Gideon a specific aspect of His Name. Gideon beholds the glorious presence of God directly but through the sacrificial meal consumed by God, he is bound to him in such a way that he lives. This signifies the peace that is reestablished with Israel through the elimination of the Baalite altars and name in Gideon's work. The altar is constructed precisely in order to manifest the divine Name under its property of peace: "Yahweh is Peace." Second, the altar and its theophany is linked with a rock. Gideon pours broth on the rock and God's fire is manifest thereafter. The symbolism of the rock is frequently associated with the Temple, which in its glorious form is built from stone and where the setting of the foundation stone (Zechariah 4) is of preeminent importance. This is because Yahweh is the "Rock of Ages" throughout the Pentateuch. The word in Hebrew for "glory" also signifies the notion of heaviness and weight. Pharaoh is said to become in his heart "glorious" in his own eyes. Thus, Pharaoh and his armies "sink like a stone." We find also that the Rock is associated with the divine birthgiving of Israel, especially through the gift of the water of life which pours forth to enliven the nation in Exodus. This corresponds neatly to the presence of the spring of the water of life at the top of the holy mountain and the river of life that is said to proceed from the messianic temple in Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 47. In Genesis 28, a similar scene takes place where God reveals Himself in a ladder built down from Heaven and where Jacob takes the stone on which his head rested and pours oil over it. The pouring of oil signifies the anointing of Jacob's head with the Spirit. He does the same thing at the same place at the completion of his ascesis in Genesis 33. Having been persecuted unjustly between Genesis 28 and Genesis 33, the patriarch Jacob has climbed the ladder to heaven. Beginning at a well, he ends in the clouds, at Succoth.

The journey of heavenly ascent is key in the theology of Judges 6, where, like Jacob in his vision of the Angel of the Lord, sees God "face to face" and yet lives. In that case, the Lord renews His covenantal promise, thus manifesting His fidelity contained in His Name. Jacob himself is renamed "Israel" and renames Luz prophetically as "Bethel" the house of God. The building of the altar occurs as the concrete realization of the action of God to "cause" the "Name to be remembered."

Judges 13 is very similar to Gideon's altar and revelation:

(Judges 13:17-23)  And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?" And the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground. The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." But his wife said to him, "If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these."

Here, the Name of God is again the focus of the text. Like in Genesis 28, God's Name is requested, and here it is manifest according to His working of wonders. In Judges 6, the Name of God is "The Lord is Peace" and in Judges 13 it is "the Lord is Wonderful." Remarkably, the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 9, describing the heir to the throne of David whose kingdom endures forever, incorporates both of these revelations into the "Name" by which He shall be caused: He is "Wonderful" and also the "Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:1-6 is actually constituted by a series of allusions to Israel's victory in Judges. The Angel of Yahweh is thus identified with the coming messianic seed. Finally, the "rock" is again the locus of the offering taken up by the heavenly flame.

The third example is found in Judges 21, where Israel gathers to Bethel to inquire of God and consider their course of action with respect to the apostate Tribe of Benjamin. According to Judges 20, the people had gathered to Bethel in order to inquire of God, after which they received a revelation. Thus we know it as a place of revelation. However, the text of Judges itself does not clearly fit the criteria specified above concerning the importance of a theophany and the revelation of the Name. However, this is because Bethel had already been the place of exactly such a revelation. Both Judges 6 and 13 allude to Genesis 28 and 33, as noted above. The locale in which these events take place is Bethel- prophetically named by Jacob as the house of God because of the ladder to heaven which is built by God down to earth, identified by the patriarch as the "Gate of Heaven." So this is likewise a place at which God's iniative was preeminent in revealing His character in a manifestation of His presence. The altar constructed at Bethel confirmed Israel in her bond to Yahweh, a bond sealed by the trust formed in Yahweh by His faithfulness to exactly what He signified by His Name.

After the period of the Judges during which there is an established central sanctuary preeminently located at Shiloh (though it does move to different places) we come to the Book of Samuel. Samuel begins with a description of the detestable acts committed by the Israelite priesthood, leading to the desolation of the sanctuary and its exile among the Philistines. Throughout Samuel, the ark of the covenant (the focal point of divine presence) moves from place to place, and after it is recovered from the Philistines it brings curses on Israel so that its administration is managed by Gentiles until it is brought to Zion by King David in 2 Samuel 6. The other part of the tabernacle, however, continued to operate, the two parts only being reunited in the construction of the Holy Temple by King Solomon. A key aspect of the prophetic office is the revelation of the place of worship. The Name is revealed to Moses who also reveals the pattern of the Tabernacle. The prophets are personal focal points of the same Spirit dwelling in the sanctuary. So in Samuel, during the ark's exile, the prophet builds an altar in Ramah where he sits in judgment and to which all Israel is gathered.

We find worship at a "high place" in 1 Samuel 9-10, a place which is called the "hill of God." However, we note that this is near Bethel, a traditional cultic site for the people of Israel rooted in the revelation of the Divine Name to Jacob in the building of the ladder from heaven to earth. Moreover, this is especially associated with the prophetic institution, with Saul's ascent to the hill marking the moment where he receives from other prophets the gift of the Holy Spirit. Finally, David builds an altar in 2 Samuel 24, and this altar is built on the site where the Temple will be constructed.

Turning finally to Mt. Carmel- first of all, given the priority of divine initiative, that the altar of Carmel is authorized by the prophet sets it apart from violations of Deuteronomy 12 at Canaanite cultic sites. But there's more to say than this. Jeroboam in the north  created at Bethel graven images dedicated to the worship of Yahweh, fearing the necessity of the people's thrice-annual gathering at Jerusalem. Wishing to maintain social independence from Jerusalem, Jeroboam created graven images and set up an alternative cult and priesthood, actively suppressing any attempts to honor the Jerusalem temple. The work of Elijah and Elisha takes place in the northern kingdom, a kingdom seriously wounded by their lack of unity with the divinely authorized place of gathering and worship for all Israel. These two prophets build up a remmant of Israel in preparation for the coming exile, and they do so by the foundation of uniquely prophetic institutions and ministries which manifest the divine presence to Israel independent of the Temple of Jerusalem. So Elisha is described in terms reminiscent of the temple itself: a walking, talking temple of the Spirit, carrying with him the presence of God resident therein.

The altar at Mt. Carmel has a similar purpose. The supremacy of the one Name of God is manifested in the revelation on this mountain in fire. Moses revealed the Tabernacle to Israel from God: Elijah is described as a Mosaic prophet, actually traveling to Sinai in 1 Kings 19. The ascent of Ahab to "eat and drink" on the mountain at which God had manifested Himself resembles closely the meal of the seventy elders in Exodus 24, precisely in the context of the giving of the Tabernacle plans. Thus we must recognize that the presence of the altar at Mt. Carmel and successive events was never intended to be a manifestation of the normative Sinaitic order. It is precisely a special prophetic mode of the old covenant in response to the apostasy of the priesthood and the idolatrous alternative sanctuary built by apostate kings. The creation of schools of the prophets passes the normative task of teaching the Scriptures from the Levitical priesthood to a tradition of thought transmitted by the prophets themselves to a chain of disciples.

I think this is sufficient to put this biblical-critical objection to rest and manifest its failure to pay attention to the details of the canonical text and its interrelationships. Thanks for the good question!

[gibbsea]

What's the reference of Nahum? The Book of Nahum is the 7th of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets  (grouped together as The Twelve in the Jewish "Canon").

The title identifies the book as an “oracle concerning Nineveh” and attributes it to the “vision o Nahum of Elkosh.”

What does the word "Canon" mean?

A Biblical Canon is a set of texts (also called "books") which a particular Jewish or  Christian religious community regards as part of the Bible. The English word "canon" comes from the Greek  (κανών kanōn), meaning "rule" or "measuring stick".

The use of the word "canon" to refer to a set of religious scriptures was first used by David Ruhnken, in the 18th century. [Wikipedia]

[dailyaudiobible]

12/17/2021 DAB Transcript

Nahum 1:1-3:19, Rev 8:1-13, Ps 136:1-26, Pr 30:7-9

Today is the 17th day of December, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian, it is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather around the Global Campfire and do what we’ve come to do, take the next step forward in the Scriptures which will bring us to some new territory, brand-new book, the seventh book of the Minor Prophets.

Introduction to the Book of Nahum:

The book of Nahum which we will read in its entirety today and there are plenty of unknowns about who Nahum is, there are plenty of knowns. The name Nahum, means comfort and we’re told in the book that he was from Elkosh, although where Elkosh is…is an unknown. Nobody knows if this was larger kind of town somewhere, or if it was a little tiny village that's just disappeared. Where Elkosh is…is unknown but dating when Nahum may have been written is a little bit easier because there are historical events that are contained within the prophecy. So, Nahum mentions the conquest of Thebes, which is in Egypt yet the Assyrian conquest of Thebes, that's a historical event, it happened in 663 BC. So, if Nahum is mentioning this event than we can sort of say that the prophecy happened after that date, but a lot of the prophecy in Nahum is about the destruction of Nineveh and that also is a historical event that happened in 612 BC and so, somewhere between those two years is likely when this prophetic utterance happened. And like I said, this is about the destruction of Nineveh. And it's just like a few days ago reading the book of Jonah with another prophet who ran away from God because he didn't want to go to Nineveh because he feared that God might have mercy on Nineveh, which he did. But we’re like 150 years into the future now from Jonah and the Assyrians, they had conquered the northern kingdom and destroyed it and carried all of those 10 tribes away into exile where they are gone, they were never tribes ever again. That has happened and their brutality for conquering peoples was legendary so they repented for a time after Jonah came to Nineveh. And you can only imagine that the word of Jonah being swallowed by a fish and spit out on dry ground, that would spread pretty fast and so that would give him some credibility. But this is 150 years later and they’re not thinking about Jonah's prophecy anymore. They’re thinking about conquest and God is displeased and this is an Oracle about the destruction of Nineveh. There...there are plenty of scholars that think that Nahum may have written this prophecy down from like a city like Jerusalem in the southern kingdom knowing what had happened to the northern kingdom and issuing this Oracle of destruction on Nineveh on the Assyrians, which would've been received as words of comfort to those who had lost everything including their families. And this would be the second time we’re encountering prophecies about Nineveh in two different books so we can see from Jonah that God is merciful and patient, but we see from Nahum, He's not...He's not a pushover. He’s not gonna be pushed around, He’s not gonna allow injustice, no mercy and no humility, which is what we we’re reading about yesterday in Micah. He won't let that go on forever. So, with that we will read the three chapters in their entirety, the book of Nahum.

Prayer:

Father, we are ever thankful for the gift of Your word, which is the centerpiece of why we gather around this Global Campfire every day. It is to allow the Scriptures to speak into our lives and they speak into our lives in so many ways, we find ourselves in the stories of people who have gone before us, we find their…their attitudes and convictions are similar to our own. It shows us that thousands of years can pass, many cultures can change, the…the clothes that we wear and the technology that we use and the transportation that we have may change, but the heart of humanity, we are still trying to sort through the same things thousands of years in the future and we will never sort any of this out without walking with You in a straight line consistently and we see this over and over and over. This is what You keep calling Your people back to, through the prophets, come back, come back. We have a covenant, return and so there's no way that we can't get this message on a daily basis, as we move through this particular territory in the Bible and so we’re getting the message loud and clear. And so, each and every day a little bit more, we invite Your Holy Spirit to continue to chip away as we open ourselves to You completely, chip away and remove and demolish the things that separate us from You. We…we may hear of the destruction of a city and walls falling down and armies entering but that isn't unlike what we need in our own hearts that the walls come down in Your Spirit just floods in eradicating all of the things that separate us from You and Your will for our lives. And so, come Holy Spirit into this as we continue to seek Your counsel and comfort as we continue to humble ourselves before You and Your sovereignty. Change us God, we pray, help us to collaborate with You in that change, we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base. It is the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here, has been Christmas time all around here and all around everywhere. I guess we’re kind of getting down to last call. It’s a week from today, it's Christmas Eve, and so, we have had well the Daily Audio Bible Christmas box that is available. Promised Land, Photographs from the Land of the Bible is available, as well as all of the Christmas music that we've been talking about that is available for Christmas time, but anything that you're wanting shipped to you is kinda, last call for that. We will continue to ship but it's been hectic shipping and receiving time in the world all over the place so don't...don't delay, but you can check out all of these items, any of the items in the Daily Audio Bible Shop, whether that be at dailyaudiobible.com or whether that be in the app, you can access the Shop from either place. And so, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here as we approach these final days of this year, hard to believe but final days of this year and it's been a challenging year for sure. But if what we’re doing here together, around the Global Campfire is a place of life for you then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper left-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And of course if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app from anywhere in the world or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hey Daily Audio Bible friends, my name is Mandy and I’m calling to ask for prayer for me and my family. My Papa, who is my maternal grandfather passed away on the 1st and he was like a second father to me and this Christmas is going to be really hard for us. So, if you could pray for us and especially me that would be very appreciated. Thank you. Bye.

Hello friends, this is Brother Doug from Florida. I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible for two or three years now and I'm a first time caller and I'm calling because of Robert P. From Tennessee he shared a story on today's Daily Audio Bible and regarding his wife Bonnie of 31 years, and Robert, you said something that really touched my heart and that was you don't know what to do. I can so relate to that. 12 years ago my wife was in her final stages of…of cancer and when the whole thing started two years prior, I didn't know what to do. And I was impressed to love, love her, love her, love her and do everything I could. So, I'm going to encourage you Robert to love her and I know that you love her, but I want to encourage you also with some Scripture: 1st John 4:18, part of that the last part of it says perfect love casts out all fear. That's for you as well because when you think that you're not doing the right thing that's fear coming into your mind. Place perfect love on you my friend. First Peter 4:8: above all love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. That's another way, just love her as much as you possibly can, show her, speak blessings to her. Ephesians 5:25 husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church. It's all about love at this point, Robert. I know you love Bonnie. I know how you care for her or else you wouldn't be so concerned and so worried about what's going to happen. O my friend we love you as well. I've never met you but I feel like I know you. May the Lord Jesus Christ richly bless you and give you all love and encouragement that you need in this season.

Father God, Lord, I’d like to pray today for those who are going through the sadness of losing a loved one. Lord, I’d like to pray for those who are suffering with the agony of seeing life being leached away from people that they adore. It’s wrong Lord. Death is wrong. Suffering and pain are wrong. Illness is wrong. You never made the world this way. Not initially, it’s our fault through Adam that this is among us. That this is our situation and this is our lot. And Lord, we thank You so much that through Your Holy Spirit we can know about the sacrifices that Jesus made so that this suffering, this pain actually has a purpose. That there is light at the end of the tunnel and that that light is You. Father God Lord, we ask You to comfort those that are suffering such things at this time especially with it being Christmas. When each one of us consider those that we’ve lost and wish that they were near and wish that they were here. And wish that we could just buy them a Christmas present. Tell them that we love them. Father God Lord, we raise them up, in the name of Jesus. Amen. This is Tony the Narrator, I love all of you, have a Merry Christmas.

Hi, DAB family this is Lindsey calling in from Minnesota. I’m out on a walk this morning and it’s pretty cold so hopefully everybody can hear me okay. But I just wanted to call in and really echo and reinforce the prayer that I heard from Child Advocate out in LA. The prayer for those who are incarcerated just really touched my heart, impacted my heart. I know a couple of people here in Minnesota who work with juvenile detentions centers and with youth who are incarcerated and I just echo your prayer Child Advocate that the Lord would be with these people. That they would come to know You and that they would truly feel your presence dispite being in this isolated circumstance. And also, that if they’re able to, you know, be free from incarceration, that they can continue on a path in life where they can help others and let others know about You. I just pray this in Jesus name.

Hey DAB, this is Refined by the Fire in Ohio. I have two things on my heart this morning. I just wanted to call in and first is just to pray for people that the holidays and Christmas are not a joyous time, whether that’s we’ve lost somebody or we have painful memories from our past, it’s just not something that we necessarily look forward to. Lord, I pray that You would surround each individual with Your presence and Your peace that they would experience You in new way this season Lord. That would build a new category for what this season means to them and that it would begin to override and erase the pain and the hurt that they have carried with them Lord. And that the season would bring on a new meaning full of joy and hope that they have not experienced before. And, also just want to pray for the marriages. Lord, marriage is such a difficult institution in this world Lord. It is beautiful and difficult and Satan wants nothing more than to destroy it. So, I pray Lord, that we would now and always that we would view our spouse as You would view them. That You would help us to have a heart for them to be able to see the pain and the struggle that their having. And that we would use the love that You have given us and to overflow that to them as well Lord. And to try to protect it at all cost. Thanks guys, I love you all have a great day.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

25th June >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Tuesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II))

First Reading 2 Kings 19:9-11,14-21,31-36 The Lord protects Jerusalem from Sennacherib and the Assyrians.

Sennacherib, King of the Assyrians, sent messengers to Hezekiah saying, ‘Tell this to Hezekiah king of Judah, “Do not let your God on whom you are relying deceive you, when he says: Jerusalem shall not fall into the power of the king of Assyria. You have learnt by now what the kings of Assyria have done to every country, putting them all under the ban. Are you likely to be spared?”’ Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messenger and read it; he then went up to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah said this prayer in the presence of the Lord, ‘O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth.

‘Give ear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib who has sent to insult the living God.

‘It is true, O Lord, that the kings of Assyria have exterminated all the nations, they have thrown their gods on the fire, for these were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, and hence they have destroyed them. But now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that you alone are God, Lord.’ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah. ‘The Lord, the God of Israel,’ he said, ‘says this, “I have heard the prayer you have addressed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.” Here is the oracle that the Lord has pronounced against him:

‘“She despises you, she scorns you, the virgin, daughter of Zion; she tosses her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem. A remnant shall go out from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The jealous love of the Lord of Hosts shall accomplish this.”

‘This, then, is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

‘“He will not enter this city, he will let fly no arrow against it, confront it with no shield, throw up no earthwork against it. By the road that he came on he will return; he shall not enter this city. It is the Lord who speaks. I will protect this city and save it for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”’

That same night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib struck camp and left; he returned home and stayed in Nineveh.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 47(48):2-4,10-11

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the earth.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! God, in the midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

O God, we ponder your love within your temple. Your praise, O God, like your name reaches the ends of the earth.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia!

Or: John 8:12

Alleluia, alleluia! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 7:6,12-14 Treat others as you would like them to treat you.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces. ‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets. ‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

23rd June >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Tuesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

2 Kings 19:9-11,14-21,31-36

The Lord protects Jerusalem from Sennacherib and the Assyrians

Sennacherib, King of the Assyrians, sent messengers to Hezekiah saying, ‘Tell this to Hezekiah king of Judah, “Do not let your God on whom you are relying deceive you, when he says: Jerusalem shall not fall into the power of the king of Assyria. You have learnt by now what the kings of Assyria have done to every country, putting them all under the ban. Are you likely to be spared?”’

Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messenger and read it; he then went up to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah said this prayer in the presence of the Lord, ‘O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth.

‘Give ear, Lord, and listen.

Open your eyes, Lord, and see.

Hear the words of Sennacherib

who has sent to insult the living God.

‘It is true, O Lord, that the kings of Assyria have exterminated all the nations, they have thrown their gods on the fire, for these were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, and hence they have destroyed them. But now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that you alone are God, the Lord.’

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah. ‘The Lord, the God of Israel,’ he said, ‘says this, “I have heard the prayer you have addressed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.” Here is the oracle that the Lord has pronounced against him:

‘“She despises you, she scorns you,

the virgin, daughter of Zion;

she tosses her head behind you,

the daughter of Jerusalem.”

‘This, then, is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

‘“He will not enter this city,

he will let fly no arrow against it,

confront it with no shield,

throw up no earthwork against it.

By the road that he came on he will return;

he shall not enter this city. It is the Lord who speaks.

I will protect this city and save it

for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”’

That same night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib struck camp and left; he returned home and stayed in Nineveh.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 47(48):2-4,10-11

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

The Lord is great and worthy to be praised

in the city of our God.

His holy mountain rises in beauty,

the joy of all the earth.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,

the Great King’s city!

God, in the midst of its citadels,

has shown himself its stronghold.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

O God, we ponder your love

within your temple.

Your praise, O God, like your name

reaches the ends of the earth.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Or:

John 8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 7:6,12-14

Treat others as you would like them to treat you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.

‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.

‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.