What Darkened the Sky on the Day of Christ's Crucifixion?

Immediately before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Bible states, "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45 ESV). That same account is also identified in Mark 15:33 and Luke 23:44. Yet the Bible does not state what caused the sky to darken. Could it have been the moon, excessive darkness, or something else?

In an article published by Answers.com, I provide what I believe is the correct understanding of that passage. You may see that at: http://christianity.answers.com/jesus/what-darkened-the-sky-on-the-day-of-christs-crucifixion.

How to Write HTML for Chiasms

This article in intended for those that post articles on the internet about literary structures such as chiasms.

I have struggled for years with how to display chiasms with the proper indentation. Here is how passages with chiastic structure should be presented:

A	Or do you not know that the unrighteous  (9a)
	B	will not inherit the kingdom of God?  (9b)
		X	Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers  (9c,10a)
	B′	will inherit the kingdom of God.  (10b)
A′	And such were some of you.  (v11a)
	(1 Cor 6:9-11a ESV)

Until I discovered this technique, the different levels in my chiasms always flowed improperly. So, for those few of you that are writing this type of HTML, here is my solution.

Grace to you, Tom

Is Bribery Okay for a Christian? Understanding Proverbs 17:8

A friend approached me on Sunday about a verse in Proverbs. He remembered that I had written a book about Proverbs and confessed some confusion about a particular verse. It was Proverbs 17:8 and he was using the NIV.

A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds. (Prov 17:8 NIV 84)

My friend said that it appeared from this verse that bribery is okay for a Christian, yet he knew it was not. He had looked at some commentaries but they had nothing to offer about that verse. I told him I would be glad to do some research and get back to him. Here are the results of my study:

To me, by far the best resource for Proverbs is the dual book set by Bruce Waltke. Volume I gives a detailed and tremendous overview of Proverbs, and then provides a verse-by-verse analysis of chapters 1-14. The second volume in this set and the one I used is shown to the left. I have many other resources on Proverbs and none come close.

I gave my friend four points for his consideration. Most of this analysis comes directly from Waltke's book, pages 48,49.

1. What the Pentateuch states
   Proverbs is consistent with the law that was given in Exodus through Deuteronomy. Here are the two main references from the law:
   

   And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. (Ex 23:8 ESV)
   
   ------
   
   You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. (Deut 16:19 ESV)
   

   Immediately we see that the law requires the avoidance of bribery. Remembering that the Lord is not a respecter of people, this would mean that He does not give preference to those that offer money. We are not expected to be that way either.
   
   
2. Evidence within Proverbs
   The pursuit of internal evidence asks, "Is Proverbs consistent with itself?" or "What else does Proverbs state about bribery?" There are four references besides verse 17:8.
   

   He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts. (Prov 6:35 ESV)
   
   There are three characters in Proverbs 6: the seducing adulterous woman, the one being seduced, and her husband. In this verse, the husband will refuse any gifts that the tempted one might offer.
   
   ------
   
   Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. (Prov 15:27 ESV)
   
   ------
   
   The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. (Prov 17:23 ESV)
   
   ------
   
   A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath. (Prov 21:14 ESV)
   
   This last verse seems to offer some confusion as well. By looking at the surrounding verses, it is seen that the one offering the bribe is oppressing the poor (v13), and that evildoer will be brought to justice (v15).

3. The Proverb itself
   My friend was using the NIV 1984 Bible. I believe that the newer NIV 2011 offers a better understanding of Proverbs 17:8 – it clarifies that it is the briber's thought process that is involved.
   

   A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. (Prov 17:8 NIV 2011)
   
   A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds. (Prov 17:8 NIV 84)
   
   

   Bruce Waltke suggested that the phrase "in the eyes of" (KJV) is the fool's opinion of himself, and therefore renders this verse with the word "think." I think that insight adds considerable value to this verse and the NIV 2011 leaned on that understanding.
   
4. The Proverb in context
   Waltke also suggests that most of verses 7 through 28 in Proverbs 17 are teachings about foolishness. Here is my look at some of those verses.
   
   • It is foolish to have lying lips (v7)
   • The one who repeats a transgression is foolish (v9)
   • Rebellion is being foolish (v11)
   • An adverse brother is acting like a fool (v17)
   I had not seen this cluster of foolishness in my previous reviews of Proverbs; I found that was enlightening.
   
   

While Waltke offers other good points about this verse, I suggest that the above four points are sufficient in themselves to conclude it is incorrect to either offer or accept bribes. That is based on these selections from Proverbs or the Bible as a whole. As the adulterous woman offers temptation, the one being tempted should not present bribes, and the righteous spouse should not accept them.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #5 from Genesis 12

This is the fifth analysis in the Discovering Chiasms Challenge series, intended to help you develop your pattern recognition skills using the Bible while having fun at the same time. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) The four previous analyses included multiple verses which presented some complexity in itself. This is just a single verse based on a chiasm found in Chiasmus in the New Testament: A Study in the Form and Function of Chiastic Structuresby Nils Lund.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Then click on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to compare your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson may be the most important part of this series.

16b … and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. (Gen 12:16 ESV)

A  Sheep and oxen   B  male donkeys     C  male servants     C′  female servants   B′  female donkeys A′  camels

Analysis: Why is it there?
I hope you easily identified this chiasm. The animals of burden are paired together (A and A′), the donkeys (literally asses) in B and B′, and then the two genders of servants in the center. The more important question with each chiastic structure is, "Why is it there?"

I exhausted several ideas before concluding that, while there is a center point, there is no clear point of emphasis. Here is a record of my thoughts:

1. With the male/male on one side of the chiasm and the female/female on the other, I was immediately curious if there was a gender emphasis to this chiasm. I checked the nouns sheep, oxen and camel in the Hebrew – two are masculine and one is feminine. That's not it. Then it occurred to me that sheep, oxen and camels would be both male and females – that's how reproduction works.
2. My next observation was that this verse does not support the thought that God sees men as dominant or greater than women. Chiastic structures are the shape of a bell curve – both the ascending and descending sides are given equal emphasis. If the males are on the ascending side and the females on the other, there is equal emphasis to both. Therefore God, when inspiring the Bible, did not mention male servants and then female servants to show inequality of the sexes.
3. Confused as to why the male and female servants were the center of this chiasm, I did a Bible search using possibly the best comprehensive reference. Bible Hub for Genesis 12:16 – Commentary section. I read ten well-known Bible resources with the eye, "Why is it there?" Nothing there that I saw.
4. The chiasm points towards the middle where the people are identified as servants. Animals are important but people are more important to the Lord; God gave man dominion over the animals. Yet somehow that does not provide me with a substantive emphasis for the enter.
5. The six items that Pharaoh gave to Abram show the extent of his gratitude for Sarai, as one would pay the owner for a nice Mercedes. Earlier in Genesis 12, the Lord had promised Abram that he and the many that would follow him would be blessed. But in this brief encounter with Pharaoh, Abram relied on deceit rather than the Lord for his provision and blessings. I concluded that the six items reveal the abundance of what Pharaoh provided.

Therefore, I suggest that this chiasm does not seem to use the center point emphasis that is characteristic of many chiastic structures. To me, even though it has the literary structure of a chiasm, it would have nearly the same literary impact if it is viewed as a list, like a grocery list.

I included this simplistic chiasm as an illustration that not all chiasms are valuable when looking for emphasis.



Personal Reflection: In what ways do you help set the people free?

---

---

---

Would you consider rating each of these "Discovering Chiasms Challenge" quizzes? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Hints for Discovering Chiasms: How to Improve Your Ability to Identify Chiastic Structures in the Bible

I am glad to announce that the 'Discovering Chiasms' webpage has been completely revamped with more examples and better explanations. I sensed that some people need more help in properly identifying this unique sandwich-style structure in the Bible – this redesigned set of five webpages is my answer to that concern.

The five related webpages are:

The Discovery process
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms.html

Five hints to help you find chiastic structures in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_firstfive.html

Five more hints to help you find chiastic structures in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_fivemore.html

Hints about variations of literary structure in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_variations.html

Test your ability to find chiastic structures in the Bible
    http://bible-discernments.com/joshua/finding_chiasms_skills.html

Please let me know if you have further questions about discovering when a chiasmus appears in the Bible.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #4 from Genesis 2

This is the fourth analysis in the Discovering Chiasms Challenge series, intended to help you develop your pattern recognition skills using the Bible. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) The three previous challenges combined chiastic structure with other literary devices. This one just involves a chiasm.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Then click on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to check your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson can be the most important part of these quizzes.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up – for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground – 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9a And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (Gen 2:5-9a ESV)

A  No life, either shrubs or plants (v5a)   B  Dry land (v5b)     C  No man to work the ground (v5c)       D  A mist watered the ground (v6)     C′  The Lord breathed life into man (v7)   B′  The Lord planted a garden with man (v8) A′  The Lord caused plant life to spring up (v9a)

Analysis: Why is it there?
Some people suggest that following the creation story in Genesis 1, Genesis 2:5-9 is a second creation. To me that is not correct. I like to think of Genesis 1 as a picture of what was created and Genesis 2 as perspective of who, where and how creation developed. To me, I view these as the same creation.

A change took place in verse six. Before that, there was no life: no plants in a parched land where no man existed. Afterwards there was life in the form of man, a garden and abundant plants. The question then focuses on, "What happened?" The key role is in the center of the chiasm: the water and the mist.

The reference to mist and water in verse 6, and to breathed and breath in verse 7, points to the Holy Spirit. The frequent metaphors of water, breath and wind in both the Old and New Testaments are consistent pictures of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus breathed on the disciples to receive new life in the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), so breath was used to give life to the first man. Jesus was resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), so life was breathed into man through the Holy Spirit. The first man was filled with life by the Holy Spirit.



Personal Reflection: In what ways do you help set the people free?

---

---

---

Would you consider rating each of these Discovering Chiasms Challenges? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #3 from Exodus 2

This is the third challenge in a series intended to help develop and refine your ability to glean greater understanding of God's Words in the Bible. In the previous challenge Discovering Chiasms Challenge #2 from Deuteronomy 30, we looked at a chiasm that included an introductory epitome and a list. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) This quiz is a more straight-forward chiastic structure ‐ the center-point again adds understanding.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Then click on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to check your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson can be the most important part of these quizzes.

11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?" 14 He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known." 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. (Ex 2:11-15 ESV)

A  Moses understands people's burdens (v11a)   B  An Egyptian oppresses a Hebrew (v11b)     C  Moses stops Egyptian oppression (v12)       D  Two Hebrews are being hostile (v13a)       D′  Moses stops their hostility (v13b)     C′  Exposed: Moses stopped Egyptians (v14)   B′  Pharaoh oppresses Moses (v15a) A′  Moses flees from people's burdens (v15b)

Analysis: Why is it there?
Moses deals with two types of hostility in this brief scenario: first there is the oppression of the Egyptians onto the Hebrew people; then there is the hostile fighting between his own people. He killed the Egyptian and subdued the in-fighting.

While an argument could be made that line C resolves line B, and D′ resolves line D, I think that the above chiastic structure is more revealing. Not only does line B match quite well with line B′, but the other pairings of A and A′, C and C′, and D with D′ seem fairly strong.

The overall theme of this passage is hostility and its resolution. By inference, the position that Moses will assume as leader-to-be is alluded to in B′. The death of the Egyptian is a foretelling of the ultimate death of Pharaoh's army in the C level. At the center of this chiasm, we see a picture of the role that Moses will assume in D′ – to liberate his people from their hostilities.

To me, this chiasm points to the heart of Moses, even forty years before his encounter with the burning bush. His heart, as revealed here, was to liberate his people – to set the captives free. Moses wanted more than just freedom from slavery; his hope was to eliminate conflicts within his own people.




Personal Reflection: In what ways do you help set the people free?

---

---

---

Would you consider rating each of these Discovering Chiasms Challenges? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #2 from Deuteronomy 30

This is the second challenge in a series intended to help develop and refine your ability to glean greater understanding of God's Words in the Bible. In the previous quiz Discovering Chiasms Challenge #1 from John 16, we looked at some asymmetry within a chiasm and the effect it had on the analysis of the passage. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) This quiz looks at balance of the levels.

See if you can find the structure in the following verses. Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. Click again on "Analysis: Why is it there?" to check your analysis with mine. I suggest that the Personal Reflection at the end of the lesson can be the most important part of these quizzes.

6 "… love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 Also the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. 8 And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deut 30:6-10 NKJV)

A  Love the Lord with all your heart and soul, that you may live and your enemies will be cursed (v6b,7)   B  Obey the voice of the Lord your God and do all His commands (v8)     C  The Lord will make you abound (v9a)       1) in the work of your hand (v9b)       2) in the fruit of your body (v9c)       3) in your livestock(v9d)       4) in your produce (v9e)     C′  For the Lord will again rejoice over you (v9f)   B′  Obey the voice of the Lord your God and keep all His commandments and statutes (v10a,b) A′  Turn to the Lord with all your heart and soul (v10c)

Analysis: Why is it there?
As you will see, this structure reveals the definition of the circumcised heart that is used by the apostle Paul in Romans 2:29. Please allow me to explain.

Did you find the chiasm? Hopefully the repetition of themes was fairly apparent. Repetition is also found in both modern and classical music – themes appear and then re-appear. I believe that the Hebrew people, normally without access to a written document, would memorize the passages based on the rhythms in the repeating patterns.

The structure of this passage is two literary devices: a chiasm and a list. The chiasm is shown with upper case letters ABCC'B'A' and the list is represented by numbers 1234.

The preceding portion of this chiasm reads, "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants". This is called an introductory epitome which, as Jerome Walsh explains, "acts as a sort of introductory outline or table of contents." 1 Therefore this chiasm is a definition of circumcision of the heart.

There are several places where circumcision of the heart is mentioned in the Bible, most notably Deuteronomy 10:16, Romans 2:29, and this verse. A question is often asked, "How does one circumcise their heart?" The answer is shown by analyzing the chiasm: love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and keep all His commandments.

Notice the outward to inward flow of this chiasm: it begins at the A-A' level with the heart, flows to the B-B' level in obedience, and then the Lord's response is on the C-C' level. All of the 1234 items in the list begin with the word "in", similar to how bullets are used in modern English to identify items for a kitchen recipe. The first two items in the list, 1 and 2, may be a grouping of man's toils, while the second two items, 3 and 4 seems to be a grouping of God's toils.

Nonetheless, the emphasis of this literary structure is found in the center point: the blessings due to love and obedience. When that is properly aligned, we then have a circumcised heart.


Personal Reflection: What does circumcision of the heart mean to you?

---

---

---

1 Jerome T. Walsh, " Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative" , (Collegeville, MN, Liturgical Press, 2001), 60.

Would you consider rating each of these Discovering Chiasms Challenges? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Discovering Chiasms Challenge #1 from John 16

This is the first analysis in the "Discovering Chiasms Challenge" series. See if you can find the chiastic structure in John 16:27-30. (See my article What is a Chiasm? if you are already confused.) Click on "Show Structure" once you have your answer. You will be able to compare your answer with mine:

27 "… because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father." 29 His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God." (John 16:27-30 ESV)

A  You have loved me and have believed that I came from God (v27b)   B  I came from the Father (v28a)     C  I have come into the world (v28b)     C′  I am leaving the world (v28c)   B′  I am going to the Father (v28d) A′  Disciples confess their belief that Jesus came from God (v29-30)

Analysis: Why is it there?
To me, the value of the chiastic structure really stands out in this passage. Notice how much longer A′ is than A: linguists might call this slightly asymmetrical (i.e. non-symmetrical) because v29-30 is so much longer than v27b.

Normally the length of each of the levels should be approximately the same. In this case, the repetition of the words 'have believed that I came from God' in v27b with 'we believe that you came from God' in v30 qualifies this as a chiasm. What is peculiar is that the disciples do not mention love.

The slight asymmetry is used to draw our attention to that section of the structure. On the A′ level, the disciples state they believe he came from God but they fail to say that they love Jesus.

I suggest that it is one thing to believe someone and an entirely different thing to love them. Here the chiasm reveals their heart: the disciples do not yet love the Lord. The C-C′ centerpoint reveals the importance of Jesus leaving the world – so that they could love him.


Personal Reflection: How would you respond to Jesus?

---

---

---

Would you consider rating each of these Discovering Chiasms Challenges? Based on the feedback that you provide and that of others, I would like to indicate to others if a quiz is one star (* which means very easy) or up to five stars (***** which means very difficult. Your input in the comment section will be much appreciated.

Armed Takeover of the USA: What Would You Do?

Recently I came across a December 9, 2013 article entitled Nuremberg Revisited in a blog named Israpundit. A statement in the article has been haunting me:

After the shooting and mass murder of school children and teachers in Sandy Hook, CT, in December of 2012, Obama and his minions began demonizing guns and ammunition, and championed eliminating all guns. Yet the US Federal government and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition for domestic use. The DHS has national, not foreign, authority, yet purchased 450 million rounds of hollow point bullets that are even banned for military use by the Geneva Convention, enough for a seven-year war with Americans, DHS also purchased $400,000 worth of radiation-protection pills, and thousands of bulletproof roadside checkpoint booths.(Emphasis added).

In another Israpundit article on December 6, 2013 I saw where the army could come from that might use these weapons. It states,

"Back in 2010, Obama issued an executive order to expedite immigrant visa requests from Islamic countries. A person from a Muslim country could become a U.S. citizen in as little as ten weeks, with no I.D. and no declaration of allegiance to the U.S. Constitution. … Obama's Immigration Bill and his ensuing amnesty are not mainly about the 13 million or so illegal Latinos in this country but it is the back door entrance for over one hundred million Muslims to be brought to the US by 2018 – and, by some indications, such numbers could be as high as 150 million. Naturally, their presence would imply an intrinsic establishment of sharia law as the law of the American nation. The mainstream media is quietly avoiding to mention that Obama's amnesty plan specifically speeds up the visa process for immigrants from Muslim countries (Sections 2317 & 2318 of the amnesty bill).

What would I do? What if these weapons are used to impose some form of martial law in the USA? Jesus in the Bible tells us, "Love your enemies!" (Luke 6:35). What if Washington DC is locked down because President Obama refuses to step down with the backing of a civilian army? Jesus continued, "Do good to them" (Luke 6:35). How could I love and do good to a massively oppressive force as is being witnessed by 450,000 Christians in Central African Republic? "Lend to them without expecting to be repaid" (Luke 6:35).

What would you do?

Example of Parallel Symmetry From Exodus 19

Parallel Symmetry is a type of literary structure found in the Bible where a set events happen, such as A-B-C-D, and then these same themes are repeated, A'-B'-C'-D'. Recognizing this pattern can help identify a progression, clarify the text, or even reveal subtle issues.

At the time when the Ten Commandments were told to Moses, he heard the voice of the Lord but only partially obeyed it. If you have a Bible available, I am looking at Exodus 19 and 20.

The Lord called to Moses out of the mountain stating, "If you [plural] will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured people …" (Exodus 19:5 ESV). When Moses stated this to the people, they all agreed. Everything is good so far; the Lord's voice will provide direction and they will obey it.

The Lord then positioned Moses as spokesman, "… that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever" (v19:9). God was granting authority to Moses, but I suggest He was not stating Moses must be the only conduit. He was not precluding the people from listening directly to His voice.

See if you can see where Moses did not follow the voice of the Lord:

	Lord's instructions		Moses' actions
A.	Consecrate the people and tell them to wash their garments (v10)		Consecrated the people and they washed their garments (v14)
B.	Tell the people to be ready for the third day, for the Lord will come down on the mountain and be seen (v11)		Told the people to be ready for the third day (v15a)
C.	Set limits for the people: if you touch the mountain, you will die and not live (v12,13a)		Told the people not to touch a woman (v15b)
D.	The trumpet will sound a long blast (v13b)		On the third day, there was thunder, lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast (v16)
E.	The people shall come up to the mountain (v13c)		Moses took the people out of their camp and brought them to the foot of the mountain (v17)

Did you see it? Moses did not tell the people about touching the mountain!

Please allow me to paraphrase the relevant portions of this story's remainder (Exodus 19:18-20:21):
the Lord told Moses to go up the mountain and then privately stated to him, "Warn them about the mountain!" Moses told the Lord of his hesitation; apparently he did not like the limits that the Lord had set. The Lord said okay, go down, get Aaron, and bring him up. The Ten Commandments were then spoken.

One of the saddest verses of the Bible is then stated by the people to Moses. In their fear they said, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die" (v20:19). I suggest that because Moses had failed to warn them correctly, they misinterpreted the source of the thunder, lightning, and trumpet. Instead of learning how to properly hear the source, they intensely feared the source. Moses said, "Do not fear" but the people stood at a distance. They missed it.

Eventually these people all died in the wilderness, for only those under 20 years of age at the time of the exodus were allowed to enter the Promised Land. Immediately prior to this new generation's entry, Moses gave a new appeal: "Obey his [the Lord's] voice" (Deuteronomy 30:2). Once again, the Lord was stating the importance of listening and obeying His voice.

God does speak and it is always for the good. I, like others, need to be more consistent about listening and then obeying our Lord.

********************
If you enjoyed this analysis of Exodus 19 and 20, you should also appreciate the many Biblical insights in my book Joshua's Spiritual Warfare: Understanding the Chiasms of Joshua. You can also see this book on Amazon.

New Christian Authors ask, "How Much Do You Earn on Your Books?"

I have heard it stated that one out of every three Christian adults would someday like to get a book into print. If that is anywhere near true, then there is a tremendous market for those publishing services that can help new authors move from concept to final copy. That is why there is a plethora of companies, both small and large, that are scrambling to be of assistance.

As an independent Christian self-publisher, I do not depend on one of these services. I locate someone that can provide what I need at the time so that I can manage the entire process. Most importantly, I stay totally away from vanity publishers that appear to me as a total rip-off.

Vanity publishers include companies such as Xulon, AuthorHouse, Lulu, and PublishAmerica. There are many besides these; each of their contracts and services are somewhat different and some are more reputable than others. As I see it, their major purpose is to take an author's completed manuscript and convert it to a specific form of PDF so that a printed book may be reviewed and approved by the author. Page layout and formatting are a normal part of their service because most authors are untrained on what constitutes a quality manuscript. Some charge a large up-front fee, some require purchasing a large number, and many provide a very small return to the author for each printed book.

To the vanity publisher, their customer is the author and not the one that will purchase the title. To help their customers, they will generally offer services such as editing, marketing assistance, development of a business plan, webpage development, etc., all of which can be added to the total cost because few are knowledgeable of these things.

I think "vanity" is an appropriate name for these publishers. They seem to appeal to vane authors who somehow have allusions of how great their manuscript is or will be. What they are doing is helping contribute to the American economy as they scrape together their money to help keep these vanity presses in business.

As a true independent self-publisher, I run the risk of overlooking something significant. Quality is a big issue and readers have an expectation that the book will be similar to that from a traditional publisher. I hire people to perform the different types of editing; for those areas where I lack the skill, I read material that assists me in the learning process and I buy the software that I need. In short, I become the manager of my manuscript because I care more than anyone else about it.

I use Lightning Source to print my titles. They are the largest print-on-demand provider and I find them to be a quality organization. Some potential authors buy a copy of my Joshua book simply to check its quality; I would hope they read it as well.

My first title, Joshua's Spiritual Warfare: Understanding the Chiasms of Joshua, sells for $14.99 on Amazon and many other on-line retailers. Lightning Source's charge for printing this 232-page book is currently $3.92 and their distribution fee is $3.00. That leaves $8.07 for me to recover my expenses. Published in 2008, I am now able to state that I have covered my initial expenses and am beginning to recover my many, many hours of writing and marketing.

By comparison, I recently talked with a Christian author that wrote a novel in 2007 using one of these vanity publishers: he earns $0.60 for each book that is sold for nearly $20. Another Christian author recently signed a contract that required 3,000 books to be printed; most of them sit in a warehouse somewhere waiting for the next sale through Amazon or some other retail source. Another author had a large amount of additional services that proved to be very costly.

Like most published authors, I find the whole marketing effort is my biggest challenge. For every hour that I spent preparing that manuscript (14 months at 20 hours per week), I have probably spent five times that in marketing. With the saturation of both printed and on-line books in the marketplace, it is extremely difficult to get the general public to find and then ultimately purchase any book.

As publishing has become substantially easier, many new titles have been recently released; yet the number of people reading seems to be going down. I am told that the average Christian book sells 200 books in its lifetime and that includes well- established authors.

The question that each potential Christian author should seriously address is their motive: "Is God really in this?" I cannot predict the total cost of using a vanity publisher. I do know that the effort to be an independent self-publisher is very significant, but it is also the least costly for me. Another question might be, "Do I have the skills to be an independent self-publisher?"

Chiasm, Chiasmus, or Chiastic Structure?

I was recently asked this question, "Is a chiasm the same as a chiasmus?" Also, "Is the word 'chiastic' related and if so, how?" This article attempts to diffuse this obfuscated mess.

What I am discussing is the use of a writing style that is found throughout the Bible. Yes, there is a popular singer named Chiasm; not the same. And there are the medical terms named chiasm, chiasma, and chiasmata that involve how the human eye is able to see; not the same. I am referring to the repeating A-B-C ... C′-B′-A′ pattern that is found in many New or Old Testament passages. See my article What is a Chiasm (or Chiasmus)? for more information.

Some Christian authors use the word 'chiasm' and others use the word 'chiasmus' but both mean the same thing when referring to the Bible. Other prominent Christian writers stay away from the words 'chiasm' and 'chiasmus', but instead refer to 'chiastic structure', 'chiastic parallelism', or 'chiastic repetition.' You may also find words such as 'concentric parallelism' and 'inverted parallelism' that again promote the same concept.

The words 'chiasm', 'chiasmus', and 'chiastic' do not appear in the Bible, just as the word 'paragraph' does not appear in the Bible. The identification of chiasms can help us understand God's emphasis in the passage.

In 1942, Nils Lund popularized the word 'chiasmus' in the United States by writing Chiasmus in the New Testament: A Study in the Form and Function of Chiastic Structures. Lund used the words 'chiasmus' and 'chiastic' in the title, but others over the years have abbreviated and/or modified his original concept. The result has been that these well-intended linguists have obfuscated the foray by using other names for the same concept.

To me, I prefer to call this reverse literary structure a chiasm, yet a chiasm is a chiasmus and a chiasmus is a chiasm; both are examples of the chiastic structure when referring to the Bible.

********************
In my book Joshua's Spiritual Warfare: Understanding the Chiasms of Joshua, I use a rigorous analysis of the book of Joshua to show how to find chiasms and then how to extract meaning from them. My article, Background of Chiasms, is adapted from that book.

New Christian Authors Ask, "How Many Books Should I Print?"

Possibly the biggest killer of very good and potentially life-changing authors is a poor decision to the question, "How many books should I print?"

Imagine a great author with his or her first title now published. Sitting in a warehouse somewhere are four thousand copies of that title. A robot is waiting for someone using Amazon or a buyer from a bookstore or the author himself to order one or more copies. Reality of today's market suddenly hits them because the books do not move like once hoped. Frustration and discouragement sets in and this great author never publishes anything else.

I recently developed friendship with a Christian author that has fallen in that trap in the last six months. Today he is having a book signing at a local bookstore. If he is fortunate, he will sell ten or twelve books today. There remain over 3,800 copies of his title in a warehouse in Georgia. He has given many copies away hoping that someone will recognize the great work that it is. I truly wish him well.

Unfortunately, new authors simply do not understand how very competitive the market for books has become. These same new authors know in their heart that they have a very viable product and that many would benefit from reading it. In some cases it is excessive ego that over inflates the manuscript's potential, but in other cases it is the competition that does the person in. But in either cases, discouragement sets in and this new author does not attempt another. So sad!

DO NOT PRINT BEYOND THE BOOK'S POTENTIAL!!!
If you don't know the potential, be conservative. Besides an underestimation of today's market, the biggest culprits are the various subsidy publishers. Sometimes referred to as vanity publishers, these businesses feed on the ego of new authors to let them see a false potential of their manuscript. Naive pride kicks in; soon these great authors have a contract to put 3000 or 5000 copies of their great work into print. The work is probably great, the subsidy publisher does a great job getting the manuscript ready, the front cover is enticing, the marketing effort is exhausting, and the book dies on the shelf.

Christian publishers can be just as manipulative as non-Christian publishers when it comes to creating false expectations. Buyer beware!

In 2007, I was about to sign a contract with Xulon Publishing when somehow I came across an article about true self-publishing. I would have spent over $3,000 for their basic package; today my books would still be sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Excess books are eventually dumped onto the resale book market and sold for a mere shadow of their initial value.

A reviewer for Xulon stated that she thought the manuscript was well prepared and some other blah-blah-blah words that hit my pride button. Most new authors have this pride issue going on, and I certainly was one. I probably would have selected one of the middle-tier packages which would have resulted in even more books sitting on some shelf. As a result of the market forces and my resulting discouragement, I never would have authored another title.

Instead I went the self-publishing route where I am the independent publisher. No subsidy publishers or vanity publishers are involved. Instead, I coordinate all of the efforts and order only as many books as I need. I found a Christian service that would convert the title into print-ready format that Lightning Source could use. After some editing, I eventually had 250 books printed. Today I have just five left from that initial printing: 59% were sold and the remainder were given away.

I use the same print-on-demand technology that Xulon and other vanity publishers use: when someone orders that book on Amazon, it is printed and shipped within a few days after the Buy Now button is clicked on Amazon. What I don't have is boxes of printed books sitting in either my home or in a warehouse somewhere.

I now have an easier decision: am I now ready to prepare a second edition which incorporates some editing changes, or should I print a dozen more for my own immediate sales? With Lightning Source, I can order just one copy if that is what I need.

"How many books should you print?" My market is Christian non-fiction; you may wish to adjust what I suggest if you are working with another genre. I suggest that fifty may be a good number but that should be adjusted based on the number of book signings that you have already scheduled. If your church is promoting a book signing, they would know you the best so you might add an additional 20% of the average Sunday attendance (assuming a moderately sized church). If you have scheduled a signing at a bookstore, you might add another ten books. You probably don't yet know what works and what doesn't work in your market – I suggest you purchase enough for the next 45 days. At the end of a month, re-evaluate and buy more when your inventory gets low. That is the beauty of print-on-demand.

If you have aspirations of authoring a second title, please do not engage yourself with one of these vanity presses if they want you to print many copies. The result will most certainly be that you will have too many printed, you will think you are not a good author (which is probably not true), and your reading public will suffer.