Connections

Not to be missed!

2011-10-07T09:34:00.003-06:00

I wanted to let everyone know about an upcoming event-I am generally not that excited about all things mathemetical, but I wouldn't miss this for anything. Come and meet some of the most amazing folks you'd ever want to know.

A very good friend of mine, Yvonne Bent, is putting together a conference on Oct 14-15, 2011 entitled "About Sacred Geometry". Guest speakers will be discussing the sacred geometry in areas of art, science, mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and anatomy. As far as I know, this is the first of its kind ever..

WORKSHOP/PANEL DISCUSSION:

Friday, Oct 14 at 6:00 - 9:00 PM,

In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn, hands on, with the tools of creation, a compass & right angle. You will need to bring the compass point, right angle, and graph paper. You will also need to pre-register. Cost is $35. There is limited seating. Later that evening there will be a panel discussion to answer the gnawing questions of so many regarding ancient information and symbols.

LECTURES:

Saturday, Oct 15 and begin at 8:00AM - 5:00 PM

The location for this event is the Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah.

If you find this of interest to you and want to share this with your friends, please pass it along.

Tickets and information can be found at www.aboutsacredgeom etry.com/ <http://www.aboutsac redgeometry. com/>

Or call 510-685-2993

Taking a Break

2011-06-29T05:45:00.000-06:00

I will be taking a short break from posting while I work on some other pressing projects. I hope to be back soon.

Idle And Mocking Youths.

2011-06-28T05:48:00.000-06:00

And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 2Kings 2:23-24

Here is some useful information regarding this episode:

Needless difficulty has been felt in explaining this incident in consequence of a somewhat defective translation. The path of the prophet Elisha lay through the district of Bethel, the stronghold of idolatry in Israel (1 Kings xii. 28—33), where, as in Dan, stood one of the golden calves set up by Jeroboam.

In this place insult offered to Jehovah's prophet would be intended as insult to Jehovah, and, so regarded, it was properly met by an immediate and terrible punishment.

It appears that there was a number of idle young men on the outskirts of the town, lawless, rude, and amusing themselves with rough play. They are called " children," but the same Hebrew word is used in 1 Kings xii. 8, 10, 14, where it is applied to young men of the same age as King Rehoboam. In all the languages of the East the words "child" and "children" often denote simply a social relation, and are constantly applied to full-grown persons, as in the New Testament.

"No one who has travelled in the East can have failed to notice the extreme lawlessness of a certain class of boys and young men living on the outskirts of a town, especially toward a Jew, a Christian, or a European, who should happen to be passing by alone or unprotected. Let him go, for instance, to the castle hill of Smyrna, and, if it be a holiday and the 'boys' (oghlans) are out, he will perceive stones whizzing past him, and will hear the shouts of ' Frank,' ' hat-wearer'-- rallying the rowdies of the vicinity, and warning him to beat a hasty retreat."

Smelling the Garments

2011-06-27T05:42:00.000-06:00

And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son [is] as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: Gen. 27:27

From Roberts's Oriental illustrations we find the following interesting notes:

—The natives of the East are universally fond of having their garments strongly perfumed; so much so, that Europeans can scarcely bear the smell. They use camphor, civet, sandal-wood, or sandal oil, and a great variety of strongly- scented waters.

It is not common to salute, as in England ; they simply smell each other; and it is said that some people know their own children by the smell. It is common for a mother or father to say, " Ah, child, thy smell is like the Sen-Paga-Poo." The crown of the head is the principal place for smelling.

Of an amiable man it is said, " How sweet is the smell of that man! The smell of his goodness is universal."

That delightful traveller, Captain Mangles, R.N., informed me that while on a short visit at the house of Mr. Barker, our consul at Aleppo, he heard Mrs. Barker, who was a Greek lady, say something to her child, accompanied by signs of great endearment. Mr. Barker said to Captain Mangles, " You do not understand her ; she says, ' Come hither, my darling, and let me smell thee.' "

Lying Among the Sheepfolds

2011-06-24T05:17:00.002-06:00

Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. Psalm 68:13

Psalm 68:13 contains a tremendous truth not seen in most English translations of the Bible.

Psalm 68:13a is translated in the English Bibles as “though ye have lien among the pots,” which says you have been lying among the pots and pans in an Oriental kitchen. In the East (Orient), the cooks often sleep in the kitchen, and all they know are pots and pans, because they are not exposed to culture outside the kitchen. They do not even take the food to the table in another room. Their life is centered on the room with the pots and pans; the kitchen.

In contrast, the Telugu translation of the Bible, done by Oriental scholars gives a translated version that emanates with deeper spiritual meaning and implications. The first half of the Telugu Bible reads as follows:

Psalm 68:13a Though you have been lying in the midst of the sheepfolds,

The two versions paint entirely different pictures. The Telugu Bible (the Eastern Bible) refers to destitute men who wander without a home, family or friends. These men wander aimlessly with no destination. Wearing tattered clothes, they suffer the winter chill. With no money, they are unable to hire a room for the night. So, seeking help from the physical world, permission is sought from a shepherd to sleep with the sheep where rest and warmth is found.

The origin of the figure of speech “lying among the sheepfolds” represents the destitution inherent in this situation. The sheepfold is a place of dung, mud, and muck; however, it offers rest and warmth to the weary and downtrodden. A person in this situation is in a state of constant conflict, knowing that he should be doing more to better his situation. This shame becomes a constant mental burden while lack of proper nutrition and care wears down the physical body. Sickness, weakness, and weariness are the result, with no way of getting out of this downward spiral.

The spiritual implications of this part of the verse are strikingly clear: we are destitute and homeless without God, the Father of our living lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Now we will focus on the 2nd half of Psalm 68:13b where God tells us with vivid imagery His deliverance through Jesus Christ. Both the King James Bible and the Telugu Bible say: Psalm 68:13b …yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold.

In Oriental thought, the “dove” represents peace, “silver” represents strength meaning “God will bless you, and lift you up”, and “yellow gold” represents prosperity.

The dove was the first bird to be tamed. Faithful and easily procured, the dove takes and returns messages. These birds are loved and accepted by everyone. Often the dove is a pet that the owners decorate with silver coins on the wings and yellow gold (thin gold leaf, used for decoration) on the feathers. As the doves are adorned, so are we adorned and accepted in the beloved.

Psalm 68:13 has the following meaning: Though you have been lying among the sheepfolds; yet will you be peaceful, strong, and prosperous. Look at the Israelites in bondage in Egypt; they were figuratively in the dirt and dung of the sheepfold, looking to the material, physical world, lazily waiting to eat the old grass about to be discarded. However, when they sought deliverance from God, He gave them deliverance from Egypt into the land of milk and honey adding peace, strength, and prosperity to their lives.

In our lives, God through His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, delivers us from spiritual enslavement into the land of milk and honey (Christ within). Then he adds peace, strength and prosperity to us who now have the glorious freedom as a son of God. When we are saved, our broken hearts and feeble bodies are made whole (sōzō). As a child of God no longer under the bondage of this world (lying among the sheepfolds), we are able to claim what is already ours: peace, strength and prosperity.

Orientalisms of the Bible by Bishop K. C. Pillai, D.D., American Christian Press, 1986, 3rd printing 1998 (p.37-43).

Christ In You

2011-06-23T05:00:00.002-06:00

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Colossians 1:27

In the Bible lands and times mirrors were made of polished golden metals. When a person looked in the polished metal he could see himself. But when another person saw the reflection of the person looking in the mirror he would see a glint of gold on their face and their face was brilliant!

When we focus on the Christ in us we see the brilliant glory of the spirit of God in us and we are changed into the same image reflecting brighter and brighter!

Cortright

Constrained by the Love of Christ

2011-06-22T05:18:00.000-06:00

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead...II Corinthians 5:14

In the Bible lands culture, to constrain a person means to ask him over and over at least three times. If you were to ask me to come to dinner at your house it would not be polite for me to immediately accept your invitation.

The first time you asked me, I would politely refuse and give you a good excuse for why I could not come.

Then you would tell me how you really wanted me to come and ask me a second time. Again, I would give you a good excuse for why I could not make it.

If you really wanted me to come you would ask a third time. Upon the third request, I would know that you really wanted me to come and I would accept your invitation. This is called constraining in the Bible lands.

The love of Christ manifest in his death and resurrection constrains us to live for him. We are reminded over and over of his love.

Cortright

A Sabbath Day's Journey

2011-06-21T05:52:00.000-06:00

Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. Acts 1:12

The Old Testament Law set aside the Sabbath as a day of rest. The people in the Bible lands and times did not work or travel on the Sabbath. The legalistic Pharisees even set a specific distance (2,000 cubits) that a person could legally travel on the Sabbath day.

In practice, people did not travel far on the Sabbath. Jesus and his disciples stayed in the town of Bethany and traveled back and forth to Jerusalem on many Sabbath days. The east side of the Mount of Olives near Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem. Certainly, many of the Judeans in Bethany would travel to the Temple in Jerusalem on the Sabbath.

The expression "a Sabbath day's journey" simply meant a short distance, such as one would normally travel on the Sabbath.

Cortright

Treasures in Heaven

2011-06-20T08:43:00.004-06:00

Remembering that scriptures can be understood and appreciated on many different levels, I thought this was an interesting and helpful perspective of Matthew 6:19-21.

Dr. K.C. Pillai, a Hindu convert to Christianity, was a Bishop at large of the Indian Orthodox Church in Madras, India. When he came to the United States many years ago, his mission was to acquaint Christians with the Orientalisms of the Bible, or as he referred to it, "to give light through an eastern window."

Matthew 6: 19-21
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

"The western interpretation of this scripture is that the treasure refers to money which is laid up in the world. Therefore, it is not security at all because moth and rust corrupt it, and thieves may steal it. On the other hand, money and labor given to the church, or some other worthy cause, is treasure stored in heaven. But as in all cases where symbols and figures of speech are used, the proper understanding of the scripture must come from its spiritual meaning. Christ was not referring to money. The "treasure" mentioned here simply means our thoughts. In fact, there are several symbols used in this passage. Let me explain them.

"Heaven" speaks of the realm of the Spirit. "Earth" is the realm of matter, which is material things. The "moth" is fear that eats away our thoughts. "Rust" is worry that corrodes and destroys godly, positive thoughts, and "corrupt" means to breed. In the light of Oriental philosophy then, these scriptures should read as follows: "Let not your thoughts be centered in material things where fears and worries breed defeat and frustration, and where the doubts break through and steal your thoughts. But let your thoughts be centered in the Spirit, where neither fear nor worry breeds defeat and frustration, and where doubts do not break through and steal your thoughts. For where your thoughts are, there will your heart be also".

If our thoughts are centered in material things, our lives will surely be plagued with defeat, frustration, and despair. The reason for this is that the things we see are not really dependable. We watch them come and go. And the things we think are real substance vanish before our eyes. Everything we know through our five senses is in a state of change and decay. But when our thoughts are on God, there are no fears, no worries, defeats, or frustrations. We are not staking our lives on that which changes, but on Him who changes not. Since there is no means of communication between the Spirit and the things of the earth, there can , therefore, be no satisfaction in them. But God, who is Spirit, can speak to the spirit within us. The oneness of Himself with our spirit enables us to be satisfied through fellowship with Him. Man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Man cannot live by bread alone. To flourish, he must rather live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

A Blessing From Heaven

2011-06-17T05:05:00.002-06:00

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matt. 5:45

In our culture where we have sayings like "Don't rain on my parade," generally rain is not looked upon as a blessing. I have heard this scripture used to support that thought. But we have it all wrong.

Here is an insight regarding this topic:

"Wow, has our reaction to rain changed over the centuries! Today, we wake up, look outside and say, "Oh, it's raining" and view the rain as "good" or "bad" depending on whether we plan to be outdoors or not. Rain has become just another facet of life. But it didn't always use to be this way.

Once upon a time, our ancestors viewed rain very differently. They would wake up, look outside and say, "Thank you, God, for your life-giving blessing of rain." They realized that rain was the key to their survival and to the survival of the world. They knew that too little rain or too much rain could destroy the crops that provided their food. Rain, in Jewish tradition, is far more than just a natural resource. It is considered nothing less than a magnificent blessing.

[Jewish rabbis] taught: The sending of rain is an event greater than the giving of the Torah. The Torah was a joy for Israel only, but rain gives joy to the whole world, including birds and animals, as it is said: You take care of the earth and irrigate it. (Psalm 65:10) .

Nor was rain viewed merely as a natural phenomenon determined by wind, air pressure, dew point or other meteorological conditions. Deuteronomy makes it clear that there is a direct relationship between the rains we receive and the life-choices we make. "And if you will carefully obey my commands which I give you today…I will give rains for your land at the right season…Beware lest your heart…turn and serve other gods and worship them, for then the Lord's anger will blaze against you, and He will shut up the skies so that there will be no rain." Deut. 11:13-17 condensed

The Jerusalem Talmud goes on to tell us that four specific actions can result in the lack of rain:

For four sins rain is withheld – idolatry, unchastity, bloodshed and because of those who promise publicly to give charity but do not.

And not only do we speak of rain in our daily prayers, we actually insert into our worship service, at the conclusion of Sukkot, a special prayer for rains to fall on the land of Israel.

Ultimately, Jewish tradition views rain as it views rainbows – a part of nature that directly represents God's "personal" involvement in Creation. Rainbows are a sign of God's pledge never again to destroy the world with water. Rainbows are created directly by God, just as rain is. Talmud Taanit 2 tells us, Three things are kept in God's hands and never delivered to an angel: one of them is the key to rain".

Rain in Jewish Tradition
Culled from
The Jewish Sourcebook on the Environment and Ecology
by Ronald H. Isaacs)

Feasting on the Word

2011-06-16T04:56:00.002-06:00

"In John's gospel, Jesus is presented as the Living Word. John says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us ..." (John. 1:1 & 14).

Jesus was and is the authentic Living Bible. He was and is the Living Psalms, the Living Proverbs, the Living Torah (Law). Had Jesus depreciated the word in the least, he would have depreciated himself. We must understand that there is a great similarity between Jesus as the Living Word and the written word which we hold in our hands. To follow that word is to follow him; to desire it is to desire him.

One professor friend in Israel describes it this way:

Jesus is the Word; the Bible is the word about the Word; preaching is the word about the word about the Word; and theology is the word about the word, about the word, about the Word.

As Jesus taught in the synagogue at Capernaum he made a statement so astounding that his religious listeners spurned him and many of his own disciples turned against him. Jesus said: "...I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:53).

The Master was simply offering himself as food for his people. Those who were hungering and thirsting after him were in a very real sense feasting on the Word of God."

Jim Gerrish http://www.churchisraelforum.com/how_Jesus_viewed_the_bible.htm

God With Us

2011-06-15T05:21:00.000-06:00

For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 NIV

We all know that God dwells in a place of celestial perfection.

"Yet in Isaiah, it actually says that God also lives with the one who grieves and with the one who is crushed by the burdens of life here on earth. He really dwells here too, but the place you find him most is in the squalor – the depressing places that no one wants to go.

This actually changes my perception of God. I used to think of God as happily disconnected from us here. I would ask God why we all couldn’t be happy like he is. But then it hit me that if I genuinely love someone who is hurting, I don’t live a happy life as long as they are in pain. If God is truly empathetic with his people, he really doesn’t just dwell in paradise. If our goal is only to be happy, we’re asking for something that even God doesn’t have, until he brings healing and redemption to the earth.

In Isaiah 63:9, it says, “In all their affliction, he was afflicted.” God suffers as long as his people do. He is both on his heavenly throne, but fully with us here, and the place we can most join him is in healing the hurts of others. "

Lois Tverberg

The Bible is Like Star Trek pt.2

2011-06-14T05:16:00.000-06:00

"Let’s look at how an ancient person would read the book of Ruth. I used to simply see it as a nice story about a widow who found a good husband because she was kind to her mother-in-law.

But if we lived in biblical times, we would be curious about Ruth’s ancestors, and our ears would prick up to the fact that Ruth was a Moabite. Immediately we’d think of the scandalous past of her people, and it would cast her story in a different light. We’d recall that when the weary Israelites were journeying to the Promised Land, the Moabites lured the Israelites into sexual immorality and worshipping idols (Numbers 25:1). From that time on, the Moabites were associated with sexual immorality, even more disgusting because it was how they worshipped their “gods.” Because of that sin, God declared that Moabites were barred from being a part of the assembly of Israel in Deuteronomy 23:3. Was their sin ever forgivable, we’d wonder?

Then we’d think back to the origins of the Moabites in Genesis 19:30-38. After Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, we read the not-so-nice story of when Lot’s daughters got their father drunk so that they could become pregnant by him, since their husbands had refused to leave the city and died. One of Lot’s daughters gave birth to a son named Moab, and he became the father of the Moabite people. So that’s why the Moabites are so immoral! This would make complete sense to us, because we’d expect that people would be defined by their ancestry.

Keeping these ideas in mind, now let’s turn to Ruth. She was a Moabite woman who had returned to Israel with her mother-in-law after her husband died. An ancient listener would immediately wonder, was she as immoral as those who came before her? She said that she would worship the God of Israel, but would God ever accept her? We even find her in the same situation as Lot’s daughters! Like them, she was a widow who desperately needed children. Naomi even told her to approach Boaz when he was sleeping outside by his harvest, after he had eaten (and drunk) his fill.

But unlike her ancestors, Boaz proclaimed that she was a virtuous woman (Ruth 3:10). He then married her, and her son became the grandfather of King David. Not only that, but Ruth even appears in Matthew 1:5 as part of the line of Christ! She turned from her people’s unseemly past to embrace the God of Israel. Not only did he accept her and cleanse her from her history, but he gave her a key role in his supreme act of salvation!

Those of us who struggle with an embarrassing family history or an immoral past should rejoice to see how God redeemed Ruth and used her for his wonderful purposes.

Understanding how texts interrelate has given me a whole new perspective on reading the Bible. When I used to read the stories by themselves, some of them frustrated me because they didn’t show me how to live. But the difficult ones have a far deeper purpose. They illustrate how the terrible sinfulness of man runs throughout history, but then how God graciously intervened to bring Christ into the world.

We need to read with the eyes of an ancient person in order to see how that message is woven into the fabric of the Bible from beginning to end."

The Bible is Like Star Trek pt.1

2011-06-13T05:11:00.000-06:00

Some more insights from Lois Tverberg:

"Back when I was in school, my friends and I were huge fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Every Monday morning, all we talked about was the previous evening’s new episode. At first we just focused on the science fiction, discussing how Jean-Luke Picard dealt with whatever strange planetary life form that he had encountered that week.

But after a while, we became engrossed in the plots that were interwoven into many episodes and would surface again in later programs. Data, the android, would discover one week that his creator had also fashioned an evil twin “brother” named Lore, and weeks later, their relationship would come up in the characters’ conversation. Months later Lore would return, now possessing the “emotion-chip” that Data had dearly desired since he was first built.

Over time we saw that key to enjoying the show was paying attention to the crew’s offhand remarks about the past, and then thinking back to how earlier episodes shed light on the current story. Like any well-written series, each program would tell a good story, but a long-time follower would be able to see how the intrigue grew as the plot thickened over time.

As I learned to read the Bible in its ancient Eastern setting, I discovered that it’s actually a lot like this. Why? Because memory and history were central to the fabric of ancient Eastern culture. The ancients were very aware of ancestral relationships and oral history handed down to them, and used it to understand later events. Especially important to them was the first place they found something, because it usually set up relationships and patterns that would come up again and again.

Being aware of this has greatly enriched my Bible study, because the Scriptures are written with this in mind. As a child, my Bible story book trained me to read the Scripture as a series of short stories, mostly unrelated, each with its own moral lesson. Only after learning about its Eastern setting did I discover that the Old Testament especially is an epic saga with a delightfully interwoven plot.

Sometimes the Bible includes stories that hardly seem to be moral examples, and I used to wonder why they were there. But they need to be there to explain the deeper meaning of later events."

Continued....

Ancient Hebraic Perspective --- Good

2011-06-10T05:00:00.003-06:00

"What does "good" mean? The first use of this word is in Genesis chapter one where calls his handiwork "good". It should always be remembered that the Hebrews often relate descriptions to functionality.

The word tov would best be translated with the word "functional". When looked at his handiwork he did not see that it was "good", he saw that it was functional, kind of like a well oiled and tuned machine.

In contrast to this word is the Hebrew word "ra". These two words, tov and ra are used for the tree of the knowledge of "good" and "evil". While "ra" is often translated as "evil" it is best translated as "dysfunctional".

AHLB# 1186-J

If you have enjoyed this perspective, may I recommend Jeff's website? It is an absolute treasure trove of wonderfulness. http://www.ancient-hebrew.org

Enjoy!

Ancient Hebraic Perspective --- Praise

2011-06-09T05:31:00.002-06:00

"The word praise is an abstract word that has no relationship with the ancient Hebrew's concrete way of thinking. While the word halel is translated as "praise" it is also translated as "shine" as in Job 29:3:

When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

The original meaning of halel is the North Star. This star, unlike all of the other stars, remains motionless and constantly shines in the northern sky and is used as a guide when traveling. In the Ancient Hebrew mind we praise God by looking at him as the guiding star that shines to show us our direction."

AHLB# 1104-B

Ancient Hebraic Perspective --- Holy

2011-06-08T05:34:00.003-06:00

"When we use the word holy, as in a holy person, we usually associate this with a righteous or pious person. If we use this concept when interpreting the word holy in the Hebrew Bible then we are misreading the text as this is not the meaning of the Hebrew word qadosh (pronounced Kah-dosh with a long "o" sound).

Qadosh literally means "to be set apart for a special purpose". A related word, qedesh, is one who is also set apart for a special purpose but not in the same way we think of "holy" but is a male prostitute (Deut 23:17).

Israel was qadosh because they were separated by the other nations as servants of God. The furnishings in the tabernacle were qadosh as they were not to be used for anything except for the work in the tabernacle. While we may not think of ourselves as "holy" we are in fact set apart from the world to be God's servants and representatives."

AHLB# 2700

Ancient Hebraic Perspective --- Break

2011-06-07T05:40:00.000-06:00

"While the word keep, as in "keep the commands of God" does not mean obedience but guarding and protecting, the meaning of "break the commands of God" does not mean disobedience.

The Hebrew word parar, translated as break, is the treading of grain on the threshing floor by oxen to open up the hulls to remove the seeds. To the Ancient Hebrews, breaking the commands of God was equated with throwing it on the ground and trampling on it.

In both cases, keeping and breaking are related to ones attitude toward the commands. A child who disobeys his parents and is genuinely apologetic shows honor and respect to his parents. But a child who willfully disobeys with no sign of remorse has trampled on his parents teachings and deserves punishment."

AHLB# 1388-B

Ancient Hebraic Perspective --- Covenant

2011-06-06T05:29:00.002-06:00

"While the Hebrew word beriyt (pronounced bear-reet) means "covenant," the cultural background of the word is helpful in understanding its full meaning. Beriyt comes from the parent root word bar meaning grain. Grains were fed to livestock to fatten them up to prepare them for the slaughter.

Two other Hebrew words related to beriyt and also derived from the parent root bar can help understand the meaning of beriyt. The word beriy means fat and barut means meat. Notice the common theme with beriy and barut, they have to do with the slaughtering of livestock.

The word beriyt is literally the animal that is slaughtered for the covenant ceremony. The phrase "make a covenant" is found thirteen times in the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew text this phrase is "karat beriyt". The word karat literally means "to cut".

When a covenant is made a fattened animal is cut into pieces and laid out on the ground. Each party of the covenant then passes through the pieces signifying that if one of the parties fails to meet the agreement then the other has the right to do to the other what they did to the animal (see Genesis 15:10 and Jeremiah 34:18-20)."

AHLB# 1043-H

Ancient Hebraic Perspective --- Faith

2011-06-03T05:21:00.002-06:00

"The Hebrew root aman means firm, something that is supported or secure. This word is used in Isaiah 22:23 for a nail that is fastened to a "secure" [or "sure"] place. Derived from this root is the word emun meaning a craftsman. A craftsman is one who is firm and secure in his talent.

Also derived from aman is the word emunah meaning firmness, something or someone that is firm in their actions. When the Hebrew word emunah is translated as faith, misconceptions of its meaning occur. Faith is usually perceived as a knowing while the Hebrew emunah is a firm action.

To have faith in God is not knowing that God exists or knowing that he will act, rather it is that the one with emunah will act with firmness toward God's will."

AHLB# 1290-C

Ancient Hebraic Perspective --- Life

2011-06-02T05:01:00.005-06:00

Another author I've enjoyed is Jeff Benner who wrote Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. His studies on the most ancient pictographic forms of Hebrew words are fascinating.

"On a frequent basis we attach a meaning of a word from the Bible based on our own language and culture to a word that is not the meaning of the Hebrew word behind the translation. This is often a result of using our modern western thinking process for interpreting the Biblical text.

For proper interpretation of the Bible it is essential that we take our definitions for words from an Ancient Hebraic perspective. Our modern western minds often work with words that are purely abstract or mental while the Hebrew's vocabulary was filled with words that painted pictures of concrete concepts. By reading the Biblical text with a proper Hebrew vocabulary the text comes to life revealing the authors intended meaning. "

Here is one example from Brenner's book (AHLB# 1171-A) :

The Hebrew word hhai (or chai) is usually translated as life.

In the Hebrew language all words are related to something concrete or physical, something that can be observed by one of the five senses. Some examples of concrete words would be tree, water, hot, sweet or loud.

The western Greek mind frequently uses abstracts or mental words to convey ideas. An abstract word is something that cannot be sensed by the five senses. Some examples would be bless, believe, and the word life.

Whenever working with an abstract word in the Biblical text it will help to uncover the concrete background to the word for proper interpretation. How did the ancient Hebrew perceive "life"?

A clue can be found in Job 38:39, "Will you hunt prey for the lion and will you fill the stomach of the young lion?". In this verse the word "stomach" is the Hebrew word hhai. What does the stomach have to do with life?

In our culture it is very uncommon for anyone to experience true hunger but this was an all too often experience for the Ancient Hebrews. To the Ancient Hebrews life is seen as a full stomach while an empty stomach is seen as death.

continued...

Reading in Translation

2011-06-01T05:24:00.003-06:00

Here are some quotes that relate to the next several posts I'll be doing.

"Our sacred literature does not use obscure language, but describes most things in words clearly indicating their meaning. Therefore it is necessary at all times to delve into the literal meaning of words to achieve complete understanding of what is actually meant."
--Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888)

"Reading the Bible in translation is like kissing your new bride through a veil."
--Haim Nachman Bialik (Jewish Poet, 1873-1934)

"Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about."
--Benjamin Lee Whorf (Hebrew Linguist, 1897-1941)

"The Bible is a book that has been read more and examined less than any book that ever existed."
--Thomas Paine (Author, 1737-1809)

The Real "First Temple"

2011-05-31T05:10:00.001-06:00

The following is a synopsis of some similarities between the Garden of Eden and the Creation, as well as the Tabernacle Temple in the wilderness.

The Garden of Eden was the time, place and space created by God in which man was to encounter Him, and walk with Him and with each other, in unity, on a daily basis.

The environment He created within the Garden of Eden was specifically designed so as to promote and enhance that encounter. In essence, the Garden of Eden was, in fact, the "First Temple."

Genesis 2:15
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress (Strong's H5647) it and to keep (Strong's H8104) it.

In the Garden, man's responsibilities were to dress the garden - abad, and keep the garden - shemar.

The activities of the Priests and Levites in the Temple are also referred to as abad and shemar (Numbers 8:26, Joshua 22:27, Isaiah 19:21, etc...).

In the Garden, the voice of God was halak (Strong's # 1980) "moving about" (Genesis 3:8).

The same word halak is also used to describe God's presence in the Temple (Leviticus 26:11-12).

On the larger scale, the completion of the Tabernacle prepared by Moses also has a striking resemblance to the description of the completion of the universe:

Genesis 1:31 -- And God saw all that he had made and behold it was very good.
Exodus 39:43 -- Moses saw all the skilled work and behold they had done it; as God had commanded it they had done it.

Genesis 2:1 -- The heavens and earth and all of their array were completed.
Exodus 39:32 -- All the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent meeting was completed.

Genesis 2:2 -- And God completed all the work that He had done.
Exodus 40:33 -- And Moses completed his work.

Genesis 2:3 -- And God blessed
Exodus 39:43 -- And Moses blessed

Genesis 2:3 -- And sanctified it
Exodus 40:9 -- And you shall sanctify it and all its vessels.

Stringing Pearls part 3

2011-05-30T09:11:00.003-06:00

"What was God saying by making use of these quotations? To answer this question, You need to know two things: the context from which each passage is drawn and thew way in which the people of that time understood the passage. Both Psalm 2 and Isaiah 2 were understood as powerful messianic prophecies.

In Psalm 2, God makes a royal proclamation announcing his Son, the king of kings who would rule over the whole earth.

But in Isaiah 42, God speaks about his 'servant' (also understood to be the Messiah). Paradoxically, God's Messiah is both a king and a servant. This passage from Isaiah also proclaims that God's Spirit is upon his servant. How fitting since the Father utters these words as the Spirit descends on Jesus in the Jordan River.

The reference "whom I love" is likely drawn from Genesis 22, one of the most poignant scenes in the Old Testament. Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac out of obedience to God. Genesis heightens the drama by emphasizing how precious Isaac is to Abraham, foreshadowing the Father's own feelings for his only Son.

When Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, the Father is saying, " Here is my precious son, my Isaac," hinting at the sacrifice he will soon ask of Jesus.

In just three brief quotes from the scriptures, God speaks of Jesus as a king, a servant, and his Son, who will become a sacrifice. When God speaks, he packs a lot into his words! And be sure to notice where these three passages come from: the Torah (Genesis 22), the Prophets (Isaiah 42), and the Psalms (Psalm 2)*. ...God links together words from the three parts of Scripture. By quoting all three, he is proclaiming that the entire scriptures point to Jesus as their fulfillment."

[ *Donna Note: The Jews divide the Old Testament into three parts Torah= The first 5 books of Moses known as The Law (these hold the most weight); the Prophets (in Hebrew, the Neviim) and the Writings (In Hebrew, the Ketuva). These form the acronym for the entire Old Testament The TaNaK (pronounced as tuh-knock).

Matt. 22:40 and many other places have an example of this: "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Whenever Jesus says, "Is it not written?" he is always referring to scriptures. Sometimes when he says, "Ye have heard" as in Matthew 5:43, he is referring to teachings of others such as the Essenes.]

Happy Memorial Day!

Stringing Pearls part 2

2011-05-27T05:41:00.002-06:00

"Believe it or not, God himself seems to enjoy "stringing pearls." Do you remember the scene in which Jesus is baptized by his cousin John? Listen how the father spoke from Heaven at Jesus' baptism (Mark1:11) :"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

At face value, this seems like a simple, though wonderful, affirmation. But it's so much more than that. Did you catch all the references? If not, here they are:

"You are my Son" is from Psalm 2:7: "He said to me, You are my Son; today I have become your Father."

"whom I love" is from Genesis 22:2: "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

"with you I am well pleased" is from Isaiah 42:1: "Here is my servant , whom I uphold; my chosen one in whom I delight;I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations."

continued....

Stringing Pearls Part 1

2011-05-26T05:05:00.001-06:00

"It is difficult to overestimate the love that the rabbis had for their Bible. On a good day, they would link text after text after text.... This was called "stringing pearls"--bringing together passages from different places in scripture. in order to explore their great truths. [Donna note: In our day, this process is known as using rhetorical links.]

This is how Jesus taught as well. Listen to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12. These passages are thick with references to Isaiah and the Psalms.

Blessed are the poor in spirit...
Blessed are those who mourn...
Blessed are the meek...

Each of these passages would have reminded the crowd of passages in the Bible in which God had promised to rescue his faithful followers. Jesus was pulling together various scriptures to make one major point: that God is faithful. He cares for us and will bless us if we seek him even when life is painful."

Continued....

The "Four Types" Parables

2011-05-25T05:35:00.001-06:00

[I really appreciate it when someone tells me about a great book in an subject area I'm interested in. I've thought about an author that many of you would certainly enjoy and this week, I'm going to share some excerpts from one of her books. The author is Lois Tverberg and she co-authored Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. Enjoy!]

"Consider the following rabbinic parable:

There are four types among those who sit in the presence of the rabbis: the sponge, the funnel, the strainer, and the sieve. "The sponge," which soaks up everything. "The funnel," which takes in at this end and lets out at the other. "The strainer," which lets out the wine and retains the dregs. "The sieve," which removes the chaff and retains the fine flour.

This is what's called a "four types" parable, where four kinds of people are compared in their way of living. It reminds us of Jesus' parable in Luke 8:4-11 about the seed that fell in four places: the rock, the path, the thorns, and the good soil. Each parable focuses on how various people respond to God's word.

In the above parable, the rabbi is saying, contrary to our preconceptions, that the best disciple is not "the sponge" who retains absolutely everything, but "the sieve" who sifts through the teaching to retain what is best. What great advice for Christians!

It reminds us that we are not called to be parrots, unquestioningly repeating whatever we learn from a favorite teacher. Instead we are to exercise wisdom and discernment, continually asking questions, weighing answers, seeking understanding, and grounding our beliefs within the context of God's word...."

Page 31

The Surprising Poor

2011-05-24T05:29:00.003-06:00

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Rev. 3:17-18

The Christians at Laodicea had developed some false hopes and shaky reliances. They felt that they were so rich and secure that they wanted for nothing.

That would be an easy mistake for them. They had a gold refinery there, and were proud of the quality of their gold. They also made woolen cloth that was pretty high quality—it bleached almost white. And they made an ointment for the eyes there, and exported it to other towns. The local economy flourished.

But Jesus warns them that they are poor—a surprising thing to say in a city that refined gold. And they are blind—with all that eye ointment. And they who made cloth were naked.

Instead of trusting in their human resources, those ancient Saints were taught that their spiritual wholeness depended on following the Savior’s counsel to submit to the refiner’s fire that they might have the true riches of eternal life, receive sacred ordinances, and gain their spiritual sight.

"I wish that you were cold or hot"

2011-05-23T05:24:00.002-06:00

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth"
Rev. 3:15-16

It is thought that the Laodiceans were being criticized for their neutrality or lack of zeal (hence "lukewarm"). Based on this understanding, the pejorative term Laodicean is used in the English language to refer to those neutral or indifferent in matters of faith.

However, some scholars have suggested that this metaphor has been drawn from the water supply of the city, which was lukewarm, in contrast to the hot springs at nearby Hierapolis and the pure water of Colossae (Barclay). The archaeology shows Laodicea had an aqueduct that probably carried water from hot mineral springs some five miles south, which would have become tepid before entering the city

The imagery of the Laodicean aqueduct suggests not that "hot" is good and "cold" is bad, but that both hot and cold water are useful, whereas lukewarm water is useless.

Barclay, William, Letters to the Seven Churches, Edinburgh, 1957 (reprinted 2001).

A Judgement Adapted to Their Prejudices

2011-05-20T05:27:00.004-06:00

The Plague Of Lice.— Exodus 8:16.

"The Egyptians were of meticulously clean habits, and this infliction must have been to them an extreme annoyance. They were careful to keep all infested with lice out of their temples. Their priests were clad in linen garments, and every precaution was adopted to keep themselves free from such vermin.

Bryant says, " The Egyptians affected great external purity; and were very nice both in their persons and clothing-bathing and making ablutions continually. Uncommon care was taken not to harbor any vermin. They were particularly solicitous of the head, thinking it would be a great profanation of the temple which they entered, if any animalculse of this sort were concealed in their person or garments."

The priests, says Herodotus, are shaved, both as to their heads and bodies, every third day, to prevent any louse or any other detestable creature being found upon them when they are performing their duty to the gods.

The same is mentioned by another author, who adds, that "all wool was considered as foul, and from a perishable animal; but flax is the product of the immortal earth, affords a delicate and pure covering, and is not liable to harbor insects."

We may hence see what an abhorrence the Egyptians showed towards this sort of vermin, and what care was taken by the priests to guard against them. The judgments, therefore, inflicted by the hands of Moses were adapted to their prejudices. It was, consequently, not only most distressing to the people in general, but was no small odium to the most sacred order in Egypt , that they were overrun with these filthy and detestable vermin."

Forty Stripes Save One

2011-05-19T05:32:00.003-06:00

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 2 Cor. 11: 24.

To explain this singular custom of inflicting " forty stripes save one " a few words from Moses may be quoted.

" And it shall be, if the wicked man (brought to the judges for trial) be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother shall seem vile unto thee. " Deut. 25:2, 3.

On this subject, as on most others, the Jews refined, and affected great concern. And lest they should accidentally inflict more than forty stripes, they resolved to stop short at thirty-nine.

And to insure exactitude both ways they invented a scourge of thirteen thongs, and with this instrument the culprit was struck three times. By this ingenious method the law's demands were met, and the prisoner was secured against excessive punishment. This explains the nature and details of Paul's punishment.

Baldness Between The Eyes.

2011-05-18T05:16:00.003-06:00

Ye [are] the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. Deut.14:1

In our day when men are quick to have their unibrows waxed, this ancient perception of attractiveness might not be easily understood without some background.

Ancient Orientals admired eyebrows that met over the nose, presenting the appearance of a bow; and where nature denied them this ornament, they imitated it by artificial paint. This was removed in case of mourning, and the hair growing there naturally was plucked, in order to disfigure the face.

This is sometimes done now, and it appears that it was also done in ancient times; for Moses forbade the Hebrews to "make any baldness between their eyes for the dead."

Refinement from Tribulation

2011-05-17T05:05:00.003-06:00

And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; Romans 5:3

Our word " tribulation " is derived from the Latin tribulum— a wheat drag/sled, consisting of a heavy piece of wood, armed underneath with pieces of iron or sharp flints, which is drawn over the grain by a yoke of oxen,—either the driver or a heavy weight being placed upon it,—for the purpose of separating the grain from the husk and cutting the straw.

As the tribulum was also used for separating beans from the pods enclosing them, it had to be adapted in its construction and weight to the kind of pods over which it was passed; so that, in any case, it might break the husks without crushing the seeds.

Thus a divinely appointed tribulation, God's tribulum, is intended to separate the evil without injury to the good. Wherefore "we glory in tribulation also." It builds our character.

God Accepteth No Man's Person.

2011-05-16T05:01:00.003-06:00

But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:).... Galations 2:6

The idea here desired to be conveyed is evidently that God takes no account of the mere appearance, or outside, of a man; He looks through these to the heart, and judges what the man really is in principles and disposition.

The force of the contrast, however, is more vividly brought out by observing the origin of the word person. It comes from the Latin word persona, a face or mask; and is evidently made from per-sono, to sound through ; conveying the idea of the sound of the voice coming through the open space left for the mouth in the masks of the actors in the ancient plays ; and suggests at once the word, impersonate, i.e.. to take a character not our own.

Thus we get the idea conveyed in the passage above, that God looks behind the mask which we may assume, and at what is underneath, knowing and judging our real characters while others judge only by our outside appearance.

The Death of Herod Agrippa

2011-05-13T05:22:00.004-06:00

I think it is interesting to read historical accounts that affirm the New Testament. It gives us, in Paul Harvey's words, "The rest of the story." Josephus helps to flesh out the account given in Acts 12: 19-23 which is given after the Josephus account below.

From Josephus:

Now when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judea, he came to the city Caesarea [...] There he exhibited shows in honor of the emperor [...] On the second day of the festival, Herod put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a truly wonderful texture, and came into the theater early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment was illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays upon it. It shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently upon him. At that moment, his flatterers cried out [...] that he was a god; and they added, 'Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.'

Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery. But as he presently afterward looked up, he saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and he fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner.

He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, 'I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept of what Providence allots, as it pleases God; for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid and happy manner.'

After he said this, his pain was become violent. Accordingly he was carried into the palace, and the rumor went abroad that he would certainly die in a little time. But the multitude presently sat in sackcloth, with their wives and children, after the law of their country, and besought God for the king's recovery. All places were also full of mourning and lamentation. Now the king rested in a high chamber, and as he saw them below lying prostrate on the ground, he could not himself forbear weeping. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and in the seventh year of his reign.

[Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 19.343-350]

Here is the same story in the Bible:

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food supply.

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. Acts 12:19-23 NIV

An Early Tradition Connected With James' Death

2011-05-12T05:16:00.004-06:00

And he (Herod) killed James the brother of John with the sword. Acts 12:2

Clement of Alexandria narrates that the man who accused James before the judges became so affected by the martyr's constancy, that he too immediately embraced Christianity; and, along with James, was condemned to be beheaded.

As they went to execution, the new convert asked forgiveness of the Apostle, who deliberated a little with himself as to whether he should treat him as a brother or not; but, after a short pause, he embraced him, and said, "Peace be with you;" after which their heads were struck off.

A Highway For the Lord

2011-05-11T05:12:00.000-06:00

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isaiah 40:3-4

This passage, of which the force may not at once strike the reader, is well illustrated by a description which Diodorus Siculus gives of a march of Semiramis, Queen of Persia.

" marching towards Ecbatana she came to a mountain called Zarkeum. which, extending many furlongs, and being full of craggy precipices and deep hollows, could not be passed without taking a long and circuitous route. Being desirous, therefore, of leaving an immortal monument of herself, as well as to make a shorter way, she ordered the precipices to be cut down, and the hollow places to be filled up with earth; and, at a great expense, she made a plain open road, which to this day is called the road of Semiramis.

Afterwards she made a progress through Persia and all her other dominions in Asia, and wherever she came she ordered the mountains and craggy rocks to be cut down, and at a vast expense made the ways level and plain. On the other hand, in low places she raised mounds."

Something similar to this may possibly have been known to the prophet, and from it his imagery appears to be borrowed.

The Pursuing Father Part 12

2011-05-10T05:24:00.003-06:00

13. The father’s response. For a fourth time, the father goes beyond what a traditional patriarch would do. For the second time in the same day, he is willing to offer a costly demonstration of unexpected love. Only this time it is to a lawkeeper rather than a lawbreaker. Amazing grace holds true for both sons.

Culturally, the father is expected to proceed with the banquet and ignore the public insult. He can deal with the older son later. But no! In painful public humiliation, the father goes down and out to find yet one more lost sheep/coin/son.

14. The older son’s response. The younger son “accepted” to be found. He was overwhelmed by the costly love freely offered to him. The older son, in contrast, seems unimpressed. Instead, he mercilessly attacks both his father and his brother in public. The father is expected finally to explode and order a thrashing for the public insults. For a fifth time, patriarchy is transcended.

This is not a remarkable father. Rather it is a symbol for God. As Henri Nouwen has written regarding this parable, “This is the portrayal of God, whose goodness, love, forgiveness, care, joy and compassion have no limits at all. Jesus presents God’s generosity by using all the imagery that his culture provides, while constantly transforming it” (The Return of the Prodigal). If the older son accepts the love now offered to him, he will be obliged to treat the Prodigal with the same loving acceptance with which the father welcomed the pig herder. The older son will need to be “conformed to the image” of that compassionate father who comes to both kinds of sinners in the form of a suffering servant, offering undeserved, costly love. Is he willing? We are not told. By this point the audience is on the stage and must decide for itself.

[I hope this was as insightful for you as it was for me.]

The Pursuing Father Part 11

2011-05-09T05:21:00.002-06:00

12. The older son’s anger. If the banquet were a straightforward celebration of the Prodigal’s safe return, the older son would enter the hall immediately. It would mean that the Prodigal’s position in the family has not yet been determined. The older son would be very anxious that his point of view be represented when the family discusses the matter. Of course, they are all (publicly) glad the Prodigal is home and in good health. It would be churlish not to rejoice at his safe arrival. But the young boy tells the older brother that it’s all over! Their father has already reconciled the Prodigal son–and has done so without the Prodigal paying for his sins! This is why the older son is angry. He is so angry he takes the radical step of breaking his relationship with his father.

For a son to be present and to refuse participation in such a banquet is an unspeakable public insult to the father. A cultural equivalent might be the case of a son in the West who has a heated public shouting match with his father in the middle of a wedding banquet after a large family wedding. A shouting match is not unthinkable–but not in public at such a banquet. The older son’s rejection of his father’s reconciliation with the Prodigal leads that same older son to break his relationship with the father who achieved it.

Continued...

The Pursuing Father Part 10

2011-05-06T05:17:00.003-06:00

We have yet the older son’s interpretation to consider, which he offers after
the father tries to reconcile this son to himself. He says, “You killed the
fatted calf for him!” This claim is the exact opposite of what the little boy has
just told the older son. It is also the opposite of the father’s own declared
purpose for the banquet. Noting that the older son contradicts the two previous
interpretations of the banquet, the listener must choose between them. Is the
banquet in honor of the Prodigal or in honor of the father? Is it a celebration
of the Prodigal’s successful efforts at reaching home (on his own), or is it
rather a celebration of the success of the father’s costly efforts at creating
shalom? Will the guests congratulate the Prodigal or the father?

It is my 40-year perception that generally modern readers of the parable do
not even discern these contrasts or observe that there is a choice to be made.
The banquet foreshadows [the Sacrament]. Surely we know that Jesus is the hero of
that sacred banquet and that sinners are not the center of attention.

The older brother’s self-righteousness becomes a pair of colored glasses through which he
sees the world. All he can understand is that the Prodigal lost the money and
that he has been reconciled to their father without having first returned the
money. In short, grace has been offered and accepted rather than the requirements
of law demanded and fulfilled by the sinner. The older son’s interpretation
represents the view of many, then and now.

But the father’s view of the banquet (supported by the young boy’s speech) is the mind of Jesus. For many, grace is not only amazing–it is also unbelievable! How could it be true? After all, you
get what you pay for, don’t you?

Continued...

The Pursuing Father Part 9

2011-05-05T05:07:00.003-06:00

11. The meaning of the banquet. The banquet in the parable has three interpretations. The first is offered by the father, the second by a little boy in the courtyard of the home, and the third by the older son. The first two are in harmony with each other. The third is in sharp contrast to the first two. Contemporary readers usually only recall the third. All three interpretations must be examined.

Once reconciliation is assured, the father orders a banquet. He says, “Let us eat and celebrate; for [now comes his reason] this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” The father does not say, “He was lost and has come home.” Instead, we read, “He was lost and is found.” So who found him? The father did! Where did he find him? At the edge of the village! Thus, in the father’s perceptions, the Prodigal was still lost and dead at the edge of the village.

Even as the shepherd was obliged to go forth and pay a high price to find his sheep, and the good woman sought diligently to find her coin, even so the father went down and out in a costly demonstration of unexpected love to find and resurrect his son. The banquet is a celebration of the success of that finding and that resurrection.

Now for the little boy’s interpretation. The older son comes in from the field and on hearing the music calls to a pais. This Greek word can mean three things. The first is “son,” which does not fit this text. The second is “servant,” which also does not fit, because all the servants are busy in the house serving the huge banquet. The third option is “young boy.” Middle Eastern Syriac and Arabic versions have always chosen this third alternative.

As the older son approaches his family home in the center of the village, he naturally meets a crowd of young boys who are not old enough to recline with the elders at the banquet, but are outside the house dancing in tune to the music and enjoying the occasion in their own boisterous manner. The young lad assumes the role of the chorus in a Greek drama. (We now know that there was a large Greek theater in Sepphoris, four miles from Nazareth.)

The little boy tells the listener/reader the truth about what is happening in the story. The older son asks him what the party is all about and the lad says (as I would translate it), “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because (now comes the second interpretation) he (the father) received him (the Prodigal) with peace!” The word I translate here as “peace” is the Greek word hugaino. This means “in good health,” and from it we have the English word hygiene. But in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), this same Greek word appears 14 times, and without exception it translates the Hebrew word shalom or peace.

When a first-century Jew used the word hugaino, he or she mentally translated the Hebrew word shalom, which includes “good health” but means so very much more. I am confident that Jesus used the word shalom in the story.

The point is that the banquet is in celebration of the father’s successful efforts at creating reconciliation–shalom–and the community has come to participate in that celebration. Rather than a qetsatsah ceremony of rejection, they are participating in the joy of a restoration achieved by the father at great cost. Thus the young boy confirms the father’s interpretation. For both, the banquet is a celebration of the success of the father’s efforts at reconciling his son.

The language of the young boy, “He received him. . . .” (and plans to eat with him), reminds the listener of the Pharisees’ complaint, “This fellow [Jesus] welcomes sinners and eats with them.” The young boy’s speech confirms that the father has clearly evolved into a symbol for Jesus. Jesus receives sinners and eats with them. In this parable, the father does the same.

Continued...

The Pursuing Father Part 8

2011-05-04T05:03:00.002-06:00

10. Christology. As the father comes down and out to reconcile his son, he becomes a symbol of God in Christ. “Father,” a symbol for God, ever so quietly evolves into a symbol for Jesus. The same shift occurs in the story of the Good Shepherd. At three points in the Old Testament, God is a good shepherd who goes after his lost sheep (Ps. 23:3; Jer. 23:1-8; Ezek. 34). Jesus retells that classical story and introduces himself into it as its hero.

The Pharisees complain, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Jesus replies with this story, which in effect says, “Indeed, I do eat with sinners. But it is much worse than you imagine! I not only eat with them, I run down the road, shower them with kisses, and drag them in that I might eat with them!” Jesus is clearly talking about himself. By the end of the story, the father does what Jesus does. A famous eleventh-century Syriac scholar in Baghdad, Abdallah Ibn al-Tayyib, identified the father in his self-giving love on the road as a symbol for Jesus.

The great New Testament scholar Joachim Jeremias made the same identification this century. I call this “hermeneutical Christology.” That is, Jesus takes a known symbol for God and quietly transforms it into a symbol for himself.
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The Pursuing Father Part 7

2011-05-03T05:39:00.003-06:00

9. The father acts like a mother. In the parable, a traditional oriental patriarch would be expected to sit in grand isolation in the house to hear what the wayward boy might have to say for himself. The mother could run down the road and shower the boy with kisses. A 1,000-year-old, finely tuned sacred tradition is available to Jesus. The prophets called God “Father” and partially described that father in female terms. This language affirmed the personhood and the unity of God for all believers, male and female.

In the Old Testament, God is already presented as a father who also acts with the tender compassion of a mother (Deut. 32:18; Ps. 131; Isa. 42:14, 66:13). The Dead Sea Scrolls describe God with the same imagery. More than 200 times Jesus calls God “Father,” and in John’s gospel, we find that the believer must be “born from above.” In 1 John, the believer is “born of God.” That is, God “gives birth” in the New Testament even as he does in the Old (Deut. 32:18). In this parable, too, the father appears on the road, demonstrating the tender compassion of a mother.

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The Pursuing Father Part 6

2011-05-02T05:12:00.003-06:00

8. The point of turning. The Prodigal steels his nerves for his humiliating entrance into the village. He remembers the qetsatsah ceremony and braces himself to endure its shame. The painful interview with his father will not be any easier. His one hope is that his “humble speech” will touch his father’s heart and that he will win his father’s backing for the training he needs to become a wage earner. The Prodigal is expected to return with generous gifts for the family. Not only does the Prodigal return home empty-handed, he returns in failure after insulting his family and the village at departure. This painful road back is endured for one reason: he is hungry. The bottom line is, “I am dying of hunger!”

But what of his father? The father knows his son will fail. He waits day after day, staring down the crowded village street to the road in the distance along which his son disappeared with arrogance and high hopes. The father realizes full well how his son will be welcomed in the village when he returns in failure. Thus, the father also prepares a plan: to reach the boy before the boy reaches the village. The father knows that if he is able to achieve reconciliation with his son in public, no one in the village will treat the Prodigal badly. No one will dare suggest that the qetsatsah ceremony must be enacted.

The father sees him “while he was still far off.” The “great distance” is more spiritual than it is physical. If the Prodigal thinks he can earn money and with it solve the problem of their relationship, he is yet very far away! The language is borrowed from Isaiah 57:19, where God affirms peace to those who are “far off” and peace to those who are “near.” This is precisely what the father sets out to do. Through a great, dramatic action, he will offer peace to the one who is far off and then concentrate on creating peace with the one who is near (the older brother).

And so, for the third time, the father breaks the mold of Middle Eastern patriarchy. He takes the bottom edge of his long robes in his hand and runs to welcome his pig-herding son. He falls on his neck and kisses him before hearing his prepared speech! The father does not demonstrate love in response to his son’s confession. Rather, out of his own compassion he empties himself, assumes the form of a servant, and runs to reconcile his estranged son.

Traditional Middle Easterners, wearing long robes, do not run in public. To do so is deeply humiliating. This father runs. The boy is totally surprised. Overwhelmed, he can only offer the first part of his prepared speech, which now takes on a new meaning. He declares that he has sinned and that he is unworthy to be called a son. He admits (by omitting the third phrase) that he has no bright ideas for mending their relationship. He is no longer “working” his father for additional advantages. The father does not “interrupt” his younger son. Instead, the Prodigal changes his mind, and in a moment of genuine repentance, accepts to be found.

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The Pursuing Father Part 5

2011-04-29T05:28:00.003-06:00

7. The self-serving plan. Perhaps the most theologically damaging traditional misunderstanding of this parable is in the popular perception of the phrase, “He came to himself.” This has long been interpreted as meaning “he repented.” This reading of the text dulls its cutting edge and breaks up the theological unity of the chapter.

The good shepherd must traverse the wilderness to find his sheep. He does not return to the village and wait for the sheep to wander home and bleat at the door of the sheepfold. The good woman lights a lamp and searches diligently to find the lost coin. She does not resume her chores expecting the coin to flip itself out of a crack in the floor and land on the kitchen table. The sheep and the coin must be rescued.

But if the Prodigal manages to make his way home by his own efforts, then the third story teaches that people are not impeded by original sin or depraved wills and can by their own effort, without divine grace, take steps toward salvation.

In the first story, the lost sheep is a symbol of repentance, and repentance is shown there as “acceptance of being found.” The second story confirms this definition. But if the Prodigal truly repents in the far country and struggles home on his own, then Jesus contradicts himself. As traditionally understood, the third story seems to affirm the opposite of the first two. But there is another alternative.

By telling the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus invokes Psalm 23, which also has a lost sheep and a good shepherd. The key phrase appears in verse 3, which is traditionally translated, “He restores my soul.” This statement has come to mean: I was downcast, and the Lord restored my spirits. That understanding is, no doubt, a part of the psalmist’s intention. But the Hebrew reads “yashubib nefshi,” which literally means, “He brings me back,” or “He causes me to repent.” Clearly, the psalmist is lost, and God, the good shepherd, brings him back to the paths of righteousness.

When the Prodigal’s speech is read in this light, a new meaning emerges. The psalmist believed God brought him back (to God) and caused him to repent. The Prodigal is going to solve his own problem–he came to himself. The verb for return does not appear! The long, rich history of Arabic versions contains a number of interesting translations of this key phrase. Some read, “He got smart.” Others translate, “He took an interest in himself” or “He thought to himself.” None of these translators saw the Prodigal in the far country as repentant. Ah–but what of his “confession”?

The prepared confession reads, “I have sinned against heaven and before you,” and this is (understandably) usually seen to indicate heartfelt repentance. Jesus’ audience, however, is composed of Pharisees who know the Scriptures well. They recognize that confession as a quotation from the pharaoh when he tries to manipulate Moses into lifting the plagues. After the ninth plague, Pharaoh finally agrees to meet Moses, and when Moses appears, Pharaoh gives this same speech. Everyone knows that Pharaoh is not repenting. He is simply trying to bend Moses to his will.

The Prodigal is best understood as attempting the same. Hoping to soften his father’s heart, the Prodigal plans to offer his solution to the problem of their estrangement: job training. He will work as a paid craftsman and be able to save money. He will not live at home for the present. But after the lost money is recovered, he can discuss reconciliation. Having failed to get a paying job in the far country, he will try to get his father’s backing to become gainfully employed near home. He will yet save himself through the law. No grace is necessary. He can manage–or so he thinks! But is the lost money the real problem?

In his soliloquy in the far country, the Prodigal opens his mind and spirit to the listener/reader. Wanting to eat, he says, “I am dying of hunger!” He thinks that if he can only recover the lost money, everything will eventually be solved. In the interim, he will be able to eat, and once the money is returned, the village will accept him back.

He does not consider the father’s broken heart and the agony of rejected love that his father has endured. While talking to himself in the far country he evidences no shame or remorse. If he is a servant standing before a master, his plan is somehow adequate. If he is a son dealing with a compassionate and loving father, his projected solution is inadequate.

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The Pursuing Father Part 4

2011-04-28T05:24:00.002-06:00

5. Expensive living. Many times the Prodigal is accused of “loose living” or “riotous living.” The Greek adjective in this phrase, however, does not imply immorality. (Syriac and Arabic translations in the Middle East have for 18 centuries preserved this finely tuned detail.) Jesus gives no hint as to how the Prodigal wasted his money. We are only told that he was a spendthrift.

At the end of the story the older son publicly accuses his brother of spending the money on harlots. But he has just arrived from the field and knows nothing. He clearly wants to exaggerate his brother’s failures. This tension in the story disappears when words such as “riotous living” (KJV), “loose living” (RSV), or “dissolute living” (NRSV) appear in the text.

6. The search for employment. When his money is spent, the Prodigal would naturally return home. But he has broken the rules. He knows that the qetsatsah ceremony awaits him if he returns to the village. He is thus desperate to somehow recover the money. For this he needs a paying job. Twice he tries to obtain one.

The first attempt is feeding pigs in the far country. The second is the game plan he vocalizes on the eve of his return home. These two plans must be looked at with some care. The first plan, becoming a pig herder, does not work. The text deliberately affirms, “No one gave him anything.” Like Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, this parable contains no excess verbiage. Each phrase is carefully crafted to carry precise meaning.

As a pig herder, the Prodigal is fed but not paid. The first-century Jewish reader knows the Prodigal must earn back the money he wasted if he is to avoid the qetsatsah ceremony. Having failed at his first try, he plans one last roll of the dice–he will go home, get job training, and earn his way. To be accepted for that job training, he will need his father’s endorsement. But how will he convince his father to trust him one more time?

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The Pursuing Father Part 3

2011-04-27T05:18:00.003-06:00

3. The hurried sale. The Prodigal sells quickly (“A few days later”). He is obliged to do so. Anger in the village rises against him because he has shamed his father and his entire extended family by offering a large portion of the family farm for sale with a healthy father still farming it. He has to conclude the sale and get out of town as quickly as possible. As noted, Jewish law did not permit such a sale. The Prodigal does not care.

4. The qetsatsah ceremony. From the Jerusalem Talmud it is known that the Jews of the time of Jesus had a method of punishing any Jewish boy who lost the family inheritance to Gentiles. It was called the “qetsatsah [ket-saht-sah] ceremony.” Horror at such a loss is also reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Such a violator of community expectations would face the qetsatsah ceremony if he dared to return to his home village.

The ceremony was simple. The villagers would bring a large earthenware jar, fill it with burned nuts and burned corn, and break it in front of the guilty individual. While doing this, the community would shout, “So-and-so is cut off from his people.” From that point on, the village would have nothing to do with the wayward lad.

From the various references to this ceremony, it appears that the ban was more comprehensive than the Amish “shun.” When shunned, an Amish person can at least eat at a separate table. The first-century Jewish shun appears to have been a total ban on any contact with the violator of the village code of honor. As he leaves town, the Prodigal knows he must not lose the money among the Gentiles. He does. In the far country he lives among Gentiles. They own pigs!

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The Pursuing Father Part 2

2011-04-26T05:17:00.001-06:00

1. The request. The younger son requests his inheritance while his father is still alive and in good health. In traditional Middle Eastern culture, this means, “Father, I am eager for you to die!” If the father is a traditional Middle Eastern father, he will strike the boy across the face and drive him out of the house. Surely anywhere in the world this is an outrageous request.

The Prodigal is not simply a young boy who is “off to the big city to make his fame and fortune.” Rather, this young son makes a request that is unthinkable, particularly in Middle Eastern culture. The father is expected to refuse–if he is an oriental patriarch! In fact, he is not, which brings us to the second point.

2. The father’s gift. The father grants the Prodigal the freedom to own and to sell his portion of the estate. Five times in the parable the father does not behave like a traditional oriental patriarch. This is the first instance. The inheritance is substantial. This is a wealthy family that has a herd of fatted calves and a herd of goats. House servants/slaves appear. The house includes a banquet hall large enough to host a crowd that will eat an entire fatted calf in one evening. Professional musicians and dancers are hired for that banquet. The father is respected in the community, and thus the community responds to his invitation.

Transferring the inheritance is a serious matter that should only be dealt with by the father as he approaches death. Furthermore, the Prodigal “gathered all he had,” or as the New English Bible puts it, “turned [it] into cash.” This means that he is selling his part of the family farm.

As that happens, this horrendous family breakdown becomes public knowledge, and the family is shamed before the entire community. Jewish law of the first century provided for the division of an inheritance (when the father was ready to make such a division), but did not grant the children the right to sell until after the father’s death.

In a second departure from the expected norm, the father grants the inheritance and the right to sell, knowing that this right will shame the family before the community. Thus, from the opening lines of the parable, it is clear that Jesus does not use an oriental patriarch as a model for God. In the contemporary West, Jesus is often accused of having done so. Such is not the case. Rather, he has broken all the bounds of Middle Eastern patriarchy in creating this image of father. No human father is an adequate model for God. Knowing this, Jesus elevates the figure of father beyond its human limitations and reshapes it for use as a model for God.

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The Pursuing Father Part 1

2011-04-25T05:19:00.005-06:00

I really enjoy Kenneth Bailey's work and thought it would be interesting to excerpt some of his commentary on the parable of the Prodigal Son from his excellent book: Finding the Lost: Cultural Keys to Luke 15. His work has made a huge difference in my deeper understanding of the Middle East and its customs as they apply to Christ's teachings.

Kenneth E. Bailey:

This story badly needs to be rescued from familiarity and from its traditional cultural captivity. For centuries, we in the West have read the story in the light of our own cultural presuppositions, which have dulled its cutting edge.

I spent most of my childhood in Egypt, and from 1955 to 1995 our family
lived in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Cyprus, where I taught New Testament in
seminaries and institutes. For all of my adult life, it has been my privilege to study the New Testament while living and teaching in the Middle East. Indeed, when I began to take seriously the traditional Middle Eastern culture of which Jesus was a part, the parable of “the father and his two lost sons” began to unfold for me in a new and exciting way.

In the light of that culture, available through early Jewish and Eastern Christian sources, answers can be found to the original challenge with which my pilgrimage began. In short–are the Incarnation and the Atonement a part of this crucial parable? Yes, they are. I will try to explain why.

This parable must be seen as the third part of a trilogy in Luke 15. The
Pharisees challenge Jesus: “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them” (quotations taken from the NRSV unless otherwise noted).

The Babylonian Talmud makes clear that rabbis did not eat with the‘am-ha’arets (the people of the land) who did not keep the law in a precise fashion. Luke records, “So he told them [the Pharisees] this parable [singular].” What follows are the three parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the two lost sons (the Prodigal Son). Thus we see that Luke understood them to be three parts of a single parable.

A shepherd pays a price to find and restore a lost sheep. The woman does the same
for her coin. In these two stories it is clear that Jesus is the good shepherd and he is the good woman.

Which raises a question about the third story: Is he also the good father? And does this third story parallel the first two stories by having the father pay a high price to find and restore his son(s)? To answer these questions, which point to the larger issue of atonement and incarnation, at least 14 aspects of the parable need to be rescued from their traditional interpretation.

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Hidden Messages in Ruth

2011-04-22T05:28:00.003-06:00

The Book of Ruth is filled with irony, double entendres, drama and even humor. In Chapter 1 there is a hidden discussion between Naomi and her daughters-in-law. She wants them to come with her; they are all the family she has left, yet she knows that Bethlehemite society is not accepting of strangers, especially Moabite women (as is obvious from Chapter 4:6). Unable to say this directly, she hints of it in an ironic statement: "Turn back my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. For even if there were hope [for marriage] and [I were to conceive] tonight and bear children, would you wait for them to grow up?" Why would her daughters-in-law expect her to produce husbands for them? Obviously, Naomi knows how difficult it will be for them to remarry in Bethlehem. Orpah gets the massage and returns home, while Ruth clings to Naomi.

Chapter 2 includes a humorous description of Ruth's being unaccustomed Judean culture: And she went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. In Hebrew, the word "reapers" is masculine gender. It appears that Ruth, unacquainted with Judean customs of modesty, went gleaning in the field behind the male reapers. It also appears that out of courtesy, no one said anything to her.

Boaz came from the city and noticing this unusual event asked right away: "To whom is this girl?" The reaper, possibly embarrassed to have allowed such a situation, covered up for himself with the excuse, "She is a Moabite girl who came with Naomi from the fields of Moab," meaning — she is a foreigner, so obviously she does not know how to act.

Boaz tries to hint to Ruth to glean with the woman reapers. And Boaz said to Ruth: "You have heard my daughter, do not go to glean in another field, do not change places and thus shall you cling to my [reaper] girls." Boaz diplomatically told her to glean in his field but only among the woman reapers. Ruth did not get the message, assuming he was just being kind in inviting her to stay in the field.

In the meantime, Boaz told his male reapers to keep their distance from her, and not to embarrass her if she continued to glean among them. When Ruth returns home, beaming that Boaz came over to talk to her, she still does not comprehend what she has been told. After telling Naomi about her meeting with Boaz, she says: 'He even told me to cling with his [reaper] boys until the end of the harvest.'

Naomi, familiar with the customs of Judah, understands Ruth's mistake right away, and tells her: "Better my daughter that you go out with his girls so that they should not harm you in another field." That is when Ruth realizes what Naomi means: "And she clung to Boaz' girls to glean until the end of the barley and wheat harvest."

From The Jewish Bible Quarterly, Vol. XXX:2 (118), April-June 2002 by Raphael Shuchat

Why Do We Have Trials?

2011-04-21T05:26:00.003-06:00

There are two major errors we can make regarding trials: The first mistake is the failure to anticipate trials. Jesus suffered trials. Jesus promised us trials (John 16:33). All the apostles suffered trials. Trials are an expected part of the Christian life. And, like all storms, preparation can be critical in successfully enduring them.

A second mistake is to harbor a morbid fear of trials. Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

The Apostle Paul certainly knew sufferings (2 Corinthians 4:7-11, 16-18; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28; Hebrews 11:32-40). And he regarded them as opportunities. There are many reasons why we face trials.

Here are just a few:

To glorify God (Daniel 3:16 -18, 24-25)

Discipline for known sin (Hebrews 12:5-11; James 4:17 ; Romans 14:23 ; 1 John 1:9)

To prevent us from falling into sin (1 Peter 4:1-2)

To keep us from pride. Paul was kept from pride by his "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

To build faith (1 Peter 1:6-7)

To cause growth (Romans 5:3-5)

To teach obedience and discipline (Acts 9:15-16; Philippians 4:11-13)

To equip us to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

To prove the reality of Christ in us (2 Corinthians 4:7-11)

For testimony to the angels (Job 1:8; Ephesians 3:8-11; 1 Peter 1:12 )

Hairstyle Directions

2011-04-20T05:39:00.002-06:00

They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard [head], nor make any cuttings in their flesh. Leviticus 21:5

Verses in scripture have their own historical background. This is highly critical when we study the scriptures. God had definite reasons for giving each of His teachings, some of which arose out of certain situations taking place outside of its pages. We need to become aware of these background circumstances in order to understand these sections completely.

Here is an excellent example. The text says, “and you shall not shave the corners of your head.” To understand this passage properly, we must ask ourselves a question: “Why would God have given that instruction?” Is He telling us how to get haircuts? What was happening historically at that time that would necessitate special instructions from Heavenly Father about our hairdos?

If we examine the culture of the Canaanites, we would find that the Canaanites were literally cutting designs in their hair, much as some do today. Moreover, they were doing so for religious purposes. Thus we discover that, most likely, God’s instructions concerning our hair were intended to prevent us from acting like the Canaanites or practicing their religion.

Hiding the Face

2011-04-19T05:35:00.002-06:00

And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. Ezekiel 39:23

“Hiding of face” is a Semitic idiom which means refusal to see the petitioner or the rejection of an appeal. In the East when a judge or a government official is unwilling to hear a certain complaint he refuses to see the persons who come to see him. He does not allow them to come before his presence.

The Jews had trespassed against their God and had broken his covenant and transgressed his commandments. When they prayed to God he hid his face from them; that is, he refused to hear them. He knew that their repentance was insincere. Therefore they were left without guidance and finally defeated by their enemies.

Cut Off Your Hand

2011-04-18T05:30:00.001-06:00

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 5:30

“Cut off your hand” is an Aramaic saying which is used in conversation but with no reference to actually cutting off one’s hand.

People often say to each other, “Cut off your hand from my vineyard” which means do not gather grapes in my vineyard. “His hand is too long” means, he is a thief. “Shorten your hand” means, do not steal. Again “Cut your hand” means, cut out a bad habit.

The hand is mentioned because it is the agent by which the mind and body do their work

Dip His Foot in Oil

2011-04-15T05:25:00.002-06:00

And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Deut. 33: 24

“Dip his foot in oil” is an Eastern idiom which means “Let him become very prosperous.”

In biblical days oil was used as a medium of exchange. And it was still used as such in the Near East until World War II. Oil may also mean butter. In the East a man with plenty of olive oil or butter is considered wealthy.

Easterners, when describing a rich man, say, “He bathes in oil and milk.” Olive oil and butter are exchanged for dry goods, wheat, silver, and gold. In the parable of the unjust servant, oil was loaned just as one would loan silver and gold [Luke 16:6].

The land of Asher was fertile and good for grazing. Olives also are plentiful in northern Palestine and Lebanon.

The Door of the Tent

2011-04-14T05:21:00.003-06:00

He [Abraham] was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot... Genesis 18:1

The entrance to the tent is covered by a curtain which hung down from the top of the entrance. The Hebrew word "dal" means "hang down" and is the root for the word "dalet" meaning "door.” This word is also the name of another Hebrew letter, a representation of the tent door.

The door of the tent is the most important part of the tent, not because of its appearance, but is function as the entrance into the tent. The door of the tent can be equated with the throne of a king.

In the Hebrew culture, the father of the family is the "king", the one who holds full authority over the family. The father will often sit at his door much like a king will sit on a throne. All family legal matters were performed at the tent. Here he will watch over his household as well as watch for passing travelers. The nomadic rules of hospitality are very strict and complex.

Dwelling in Tents

2011-04-13T05:07:00.001-06:00

By faith he sojourned in the land of the promise, as in a strange country, taking up his abode in tents together with Isaac, and Jacob, the joint-heirs with him of the same promise. Heb. 11:9

It is not the act of dwelling that is emphatic here, but the fact that this dwelling was "in tents". If expressed in the ordinary way it would mean "DWELLING in tents with Isaac and Jacob." But said this way, it means "dwelling IN TENTS with Isaac and Jacob."

The first symbol we find in the patriarch’s life is his moving tent. He left the wealth and earthly prospects of his native home and committed himself to the vicissitudes of a pilgrim life. Although an heir of the world, he was himself to have no certain dwelling place, but was to wander as a stranger on earth looking for a better country and “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” …

We shall never have our hearts or our interests so invested in the things of life as not to be able, like Abraham, to emigrate at God’s call to some altered circumstances, or even to fold our tent altogether and enter upon our eternal existence. …

Wherever the patriarch rested his tent, there he also erected an altar to his God.

NOT a Mamma's Boy

2011-04-12T05:13:00.000-06:00

THE CHARACTER OF JACOB OUR ANCESTOR IN GENESIS 25:27

Esau was the firstborn son of Isaac and Rebecca. As a firstborn son in that culture, it was his job to learn the family business and prepare himself to serve as the family head upon the death of his father.

Esau and Jacob's father Isaac was a nomadic shepherd with very large flocks and many families of live-in workers. If some hunting needed to be done for some reason, there were plenty of servants to send on that errand. Esau's hunting would come under the category of sport, not work.

But Esau was not a young student learning to be a wise chieftain to those who would someday look to him for leadership. It wasn't that he liked to hunt occasionally for relaxation. No, the text says, he was "ish sadeh," 'a man of the open fields'. His life orientation was to shirk his responsibilities to go hunting.

The last phrase of Genesis 25:27 gives a specific behavior of Jacob's that demonstrated the contrast between Esau's character and the character of our ancestor Jacob. That phrase refers to Jacob as "a tent-dweller."

I've heard people who have misunderstood this verse in mistranslations call Jacob "a mamma's boy" and Esau "a he-man." That is probably how Esau understood the situation, too. But the Holy Spirit, through the text of this verse, is introducing us to Jacob as a man who showed his sincere devotion to God by honoring his parents and working at the family business, while his older brother, the heir to the business, spent his time skillfully hunting down animals for fun.

by Glen Penton

A Plain Man

2011-04-11T05:02:00.000-06:00

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. Genesis 25:27

"Dwelling in tents" implies that Jacob stayed home and attended to his cattle. But in what sense was he a "plain" man?

The Hebrew adjective is tam, which means complete, perfect. It is the adjective applied to Job, when the LORD calls him "a perfect and an upright man" (Job 1:8; 2:3). It is the adjective used in Psalms 37:37—"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright." RSV reads "blameless" instead of "perfect" in these verses.

It seems clear that Genesis 25:27 is to be taken as a quite objective statement. The writer is not here concerned with the moral character of either of the twins; he is not apportioning praise or blame. He is simply stating the basic difference between their respective interests and ways of life.

In contrast with Esau's special craving and skill, Jacob was an 'ish tam, a complete man, in the sense that he took seriously life's ordinary duties.

Lions in Snow

2011-04-08T05:19:00.002-06:00

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow: 2 Samuel 23:20

“A lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow” : Probably nowhere else in the world would a lion and snow come together. This lion strayed up out of the Jordan river valley and was trapped by a sudden snowfall. (G.A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land)

(Booker, George., By The Way, ChristadelphianBooksOnline, Section III)

Don't "Join the Scapegoat"

2011-04-07T05:11:00.003-06:00

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

"The red scarf symbolically represented one’s sins. If the goat came back, your sins found you out! So the ceremony had to be changed. We know this from a Jewish writing called “Kippurim,” the plural of “Kuppur,” meaning atonement.

So, they had two goats. The first goat was sacrificed and the blood from that goat was taken to the west end of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled on the symbolic mercy seat, presence of God. The sins of the people were confessed on the head of the second goat, the scapegoat (the Asazel).

The goat was led from Jerusalem over the Mount of Olives. At a certain point the priest would stop and look over the Temple wall, over the Court of Israel wall, through the open Nicanor Gate to the open door of the Temple. His eyes would look back to the symbolic presence of God as he confessed the sins of the people on the head of the goat while ascending the Mount of Olives.

The goat was then led to the top of the Mount of Olives where a man stood with a huge white flag, the size of a bed sheet. Men with flags were stationed on the hills due east of the Mount of Olives along the route the priest took the goat.

When they came to a cliff, the goat was blindfolded with the red scarf so it would not be frightened and was then pushed off the cliff to a sudden death. This was necessary so the goat would not find its way back to Jerusalem.

A piece of trivia, but the way to say, “go to hell” in Hebrew is to say, “join the scapegoat.” When the scapegoat was pushed over the cliff, the men stationed along the route raised the white flags and within a matter of seconds revealed the information that the ceremony had been completed. The people then gave thanks to God for forgiveness that their sins had been “separated as far as the east is from the west.”

Fleming, James W. 2002. Desert Spirituality. Biblical Resources Conference Lecture Series, June., pgs 86-87

Satyrs

2011-04-06T05:00:00.001-06:00

And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils (satyrs), after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. Lev. 17:7

"Satyrs" literally means “goats.” They were deemed to be sylvan gods or demons who inhabited waste places (Isa. 13: 21; Isa. 34:14). The worship of the goat, accompanied by the foulest rites, prevailed in Lower Egypt. This was familiar to the Israelites, and God desired to wean them from it (cf. Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:7).

(Hertz, Dr. J.H., The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, 2nd Ed., Soncino Press, London, 1992, pg 486)

Horses In Your Dreams

2011-04-05T05:16:00.002-06:00

Horses, among other domesticated animals, had meaning in Jewish folk literature also.

Trachtenberg quotes from a thirteenth-century work, Ets Chayim (The Tree of Life). The excerpt is discussing omens, especially those in dreams to determine the interpretation of a dream.

As we know, since the time of Joseph, Jewish dream interpretation has been considered most important: “...A white horse is a good omen; a red horse a bad, he will be hounded and pursued; a donkey, he may be confident of salvation...”

(from Trachtenberg, Joshua. Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion. New York: Atheneum, 1970, p. 239)

Fish Talk

2011-04-04T05:15:00.004-06:00

And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Jonah 2:10

[Donna: Mark McWhorter wrote this for children and I thought it was a fun insight for adults as well.]

"There are some in the religious world today who are saying some wrong things about God. They say that God did not really give us specific things in the Bible to know and obey. They say that we cannot know what God wants us to do.

These individuals think that God is so smart and so intelligent that we cannot possibly understand what He wants us to do. They believe that there is no way that God can get down on our level of thinking to say what He wants us to know. So they say that He just gave us some cloudy principles to learn.

Some who teach this, say that there is God talk and then there is man talk. And that there is no proper translator between the two.

But there is a scripture in Jonah that show all of this thinking to be wrong. In Jonah 2:10, we read, “And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” Does that sound like God had a hard time telling the fish what to do? Does that sound like the fish did not understand what God told it to do? A fish is not near as smart as one of us. God made us a lot smarter than any fish.

In Jonah 3:1-2, God tells Jonah what he wants him to do. Jonah had just been vomited up on dry land by a fish. Did Jonah have any trouble understanding what God wanted him to do? Did God have trouble telling Jonah what He wanted him to do? Do not let anyone tell you that God has trouble telling us what He wants us to do. God created us. If He created us, He surely can talk to us in language we can understand. And He created us with a mind to understand what He wants us to do to obey Him. "

(Mark McWhorter, Copyright 1999, Published by The Old Paths Bible School, http://www.oldpaths.org)

Unfailing Watchcare

2011-04-01T05:38:00.002-06:00

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:4

A fish's eyes never close, so they are taken to represent the watchful care of our Heavenly Father for his children. Ellen Frankel tells us more:

"Because fish dwell in the depths, they have traditionally been associated with awe and mystery.

Fish are also associated with fertility because of the vast quantity of eggs they lay. When Jacob blesses Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manesseh, he says: “Let them multiply in the midst of the earth.” The Hebrew word for “multiply”—ve-yidgu—is derived from fish—dagim. …

The rabbis pointed out that just as the sea protects fish from the Evil Eye by covering them, so too the Evil Eye has no power over the “seed of Joseph,” the Jewish People, because Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons, and all their descendants, by comparing them to fish (Berakhot 20a)."

(Frankel, Ellen, and Betsy Platkin Teutsch. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., pg 55)

A Symbolic Testimony

2011-03-31T05:21:00.004-06:00

The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that [is] in the waters beneath the earth: Deut. 4:18

Is there any Jewish evidence of the fish being used as an identifying symbol among believers? How does one address the verse in Deuteronomy, you shall make no image of a fish?

Yes, the early church writings show that early believers used a symbol of a fish as an identifying mark. The Greek was Ichthus, and it stood for an acronym meaning, in Greek, “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”

The prohibition in Deuteronomy against making images of anything, whether it is a fish or otherwise, was not against making images, per se. Within the Mosaic Law itself, you have God commanding the Jews to make images.

For example, for the Tabernacle, they were commanded by God to make two images of cherubs overshadowing the Mercy Seat. Moses was also told to make a brazen image of a serpent and put it on a pole. What this shows is that God did not negate the making of images, but only forbade the making of images for the purpose of bowing down to them. The early believers did not worship the fish symbol, they just used it as a sign to identify fellow believers so that did not violate any commandment.

(http://www.ariel.org/qafish.html

David's Doglike Foes

2011-03-30T05:06:00.003-06:00

They come at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. Psalms 59:6 NLT

Most people who live in the West today have little appreciation for the role of the numerous wild dogs of an ancient Eastern city. For us, dogs are usually pets–or at least guard dogs that patrol are but are not allowed to roam wild. It was not like that in the East.

Occasionally people may have had small dogs as pets. Jesus’ words to the Canaanite woman seem to imply this: "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs" (Matt. 15:26).

But generally the dogs of an Eastern city were wild scavengers that roamed in packs, particularly at night when they searched the streets and alleys for garbage or other food that may have been discarded by the citizens. [A] nineteenth-century writer, [Charles Spurgeon] describes what it was like during a visit he made to Constantinople:

“The whole city rang with one vast riot....The yelping, howling, barking, growling, and snarling were all merged into one uniform and continuous even sound, as the noise of frogs becomes when heard at a distance. For hours there was no lull. I went to sleep and woke again, and still, with my windows open, I heard the same tumult going on; nor was it until daybreak that anything like tranquility was restored.”

I imagine as I read this that, having lived in a major Western city for twenty-seven years, I would probably not have found the noise of the dogs as overwhelming as that. This Englishman was probably raised in an English village or on the downs.

Still, it gives us an idea of what such packs of dogs were like and how aptly David applies the image to the soldiers who were prowling about his village seeking to kill him. Should he be afraid of these “dogs”? Hardly, since the Lord his God was laughing at them. These vile creatures are no threat to God; and if they are no threat to God, they are no threat to the one protected by him.

The idea of God laughing at his foes takes us back to Psalm 2:4 (“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them”) and Psalm 37:13 (“The Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming”).

(Boice, James Montgomery. 1995. Hearing God When You Hurt. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books., pgs 113-114 [Psalm 59:6])

Lazarus and the Compassionate Dogs

2011-03-29T05:18:00.002-06:00

Now, to soften the poor image of dogs given yesterday, here is a positive insight for "man's best friend."

As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Luke 16:21 NLT

Dogs in the Biblical and rabbinic traditions are almost as unclean as pigs. Both the Hebrew and Greek scriptures are clear witnesses to this. Dogs are kept as guard dogs (Isaiah 56:10), never as pets. Only those who feed them dare approach them. A rich man needs such dogs because they are his “home security system.”

The story assumes that the guard dogs are fed the scraps Lazarus longs to eat (cf. Matthew 15:27). Lazarus goes hungry. The dogs are fed.

Yet, those wild guard dogs, whom no one but their handlers dare approach, realize that the weak, sick man by the gate is their friend. They lick his wounds. The saliva of a dog’s mouth is sterile.

The ancients discovered that when a dog licks a person’s sores or wounds, healing occurs more rapidly. Archeologists in Aschelon, Israel have recently uncovered a center where 1300 dogs are buried in individual plots. The site has been identified as a Phoenecian semi-religious center where the sick could go, pay a fee and have trained dogs lick their wounds as medical treatment.

In this parable the master refuses to help the poor sick man outside his gate – but his wild guard dogs will do what they can. They will lick his wounds. Their master will not help Lazarus. They will. Lazarus’ quiet gentle spirit breaks through their violent hostility to humans and they care for him knowing that he cares for them.

(http://www.shenango.org/bailey_article.htm)

Dogs in Scripture

2011-03-28T05:50:00.004-06:00

The Bible invokes the image of the dog often, but rarely in a positive light. The Israelites were familiar with dogs, not as cherished pets, but as members of packs that fed at the town dump and roamed the streets at night howling (Ps 59:6). Because of their scavenging function, dogs became synonymous with garbage. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs” (Mt 7:6) means do not throw it out. Cattle killed by wild animals shall be “thrown out for the dogs” (Ex 22:3).

The practice of dishonoring foes by denying burial made dogs, among other animals (1 Sam 17:44; Jer 8:2; 16:4), the de facto undertakers who “licked the blood” of many (Naboth, 1 Kings 21:19; Ahab, 1 Kings 21:24; 22:38; Jeroboam, 1 Kings 14:11; Baasha, 1 Kings 16:4). To fulfill the prophecy, Jezebel’s body does become dung on the face of the field, but only after the dogs have digested it (2 Kings 9:10, 36). The dogs may lick Lazarus’ wounds as a foreshadowing of his death and interment in them (Lk 16:21).

The dog’s regurgitation reflex, useful for transporting food to their pups in their former wild state, served to cement their label as unclean (Prov 26:11). The logical connection between a dog’s diet of refuse and its unclean habits further supported the belief that what enters in through the mouth does defile one.

The struggle for survival at the town dump and a semi-wild existence did not produce friendly dogs. Dogs seemed to know nothing of obedience and were dangerous to pet (Prov 26:17). The fear of being eaten by such dogs is real (Ps 22:16-17).

In return for a begrudging toleration they provided watchmen services, and they were even believed to sense spiritual dangers. The absence of a dog bark during Israel’s exodus indicates that God miraculously silenced either the departure of the Israelites or the dogs so that they did not alert the Egyptians (Ex 11:7).

The prophet likens his defenseless nation to a pack of lazy watchdogs that could not bark anyway (Is 56:10).

ed. Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinios, 1998, pg 29

The Raven

2011-03-25T05:26:00.003-06:00

And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. . . .And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 1 Kings 17:4,6

He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. Psalms 147:9

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? Luke 12:24

The raven is the first bird specifically mentioned in the Old Testament (Gen. 8:7), where it is referred to in connection with Noah and the ark. It is included among the unclean birds in Lev. 11:15 and Deut. 14:14, where the term embraces the whole family of Corvidœ—crows, rooks, jackdaws, etc. It has eight species in Palestine.

The raven lives generally in deep, rocky glens and desolate places (comp. Isa. 34:11). Its habit of commencing its attack by picking out the eyes of its victim is alluded to in Prov. 30:17. The figure of the raven is used illustratively where references are made to the care with which God watches over His creatures (comp. Ps. 147:9). Ravens are said to have provided Elijah with food (I Kings 17: 3-6). Source: Jewish Encyclopedia

Someone asked me whether I thought a raven was a positive or negative symbol in scripture. They thought it was negative because it was listed as an unclean bird under the law of Moses. Here are my thoughts:

When you consider that the birds in the Garden of Eden were all pure and harmless, I have no problem with its later designation as unclean for eating. Eagles come under the same ban, yet they are an extremely positive symbol in scripture. Lions, horses, elephants, bears and other animals are also "unclean", whose natures in a telestial sphere are associated with warlike nations, yet in the restored millenial Eden to come, we are told that they will return to their previously harmless state.

Symbolically, ravens could also represent unclean (Gentile) peoples--yet the Lord loves them and uses them to bless Israel. Think of Rahab. They are adopted into Abraham's line and receive all the blessings pertaining to it commensurate with their faithfulness.

The Biggest Quail Hunt in History

2011-03-24T05:20:00.002-06:00

And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. Numbers 11:32

The people killed quails for 2 full days and 1 night—until the least that gathered had 10 homers (v. 32). Each homer contained 10 baths or 10 ephahs (Ex. 45:11) which would be 10 times 1 bushel and 3 pints (the measure of 1 ephah) or nearly 10 1/2 bushels. One person killing 10 such homers then, would heap himself about 105 bushels of the birds.

(Dake, Finis Jennings., Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Dake Publishing, Inc. Lawrenceville, Georgia, 1999, pg 327)

A Figure of Divine Compassion

2011-03-23T05:08:00.004-06:00

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" Matt. 23: 37

The hen with her chickens is a figure of Divine compassion, which moves every one by its beauty and tenderness.Yet this word of Jesus has a far deeper meaning than he who merely admires it imagines. Truly it speaks of protection and compassion, for this is the purpose here of the gathering together. But there is more in it than this.

It also implies that the chickens belong with the mother-hen; and that nothing else than return to her can render them safe against the dangers of cold, and prowling vermin. It also contains the striking figure that by nature the chickens are appointed a hiding place close by the mother-hen, and that they find shelter and protection of life only in the immediate nearness of the mother-life, under the outspread wings that will embrace and compass them.

Thus, this striking saying of Jesus is taken bodily from Old Testament imagery and in turn is explained by it. When in Psalm 91 it is said. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall lodge under the shadow of the Almighty, " we deal with the selfsame figurative representation. It is the epitome of what the Psalmist elsewhere expresses (61: 4).. "I will make my refuge in the covert of thy wings." It is the same thought that was expressed by the wings of the cherubim over the mercy-seat of the ark of the Covenant.

It is ever the one idea: God created a fowl that gathers her brood under her wings and with these wings covers and cuddles them; and now this richly suggestive picture is held before us in order that our soul might seek refuge under the shadow of the Almighty and hide in the covert of His wings. Not from what moves in the waters nor from what creeps or prowls on the ground and hardly ever from four-footed beasts is this imagery borrowed; but, in the main, only from winged creatures that can lift themselves above the earth and, as it were, live between us and heaven.

Angels before God's Throne are pictured with wings as Seraphs. With the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Son of man, there is mention of the form of a dove. That it might have wings to fly upward is the secret prayer of the soul that is bound to the dust.

And so it conforms to the order of creation, it corresponds to the Divinely ordained state of things, and it therefore appeals to us as something that is entirely natural that in order to express the tenderest and most mystical kind of religion, the winged creature is held up to us as a symbol. and that boldest imagery serves to picture to us what it is "to be near unto God," to make it, as it were, visible to our eyes and perceptible to our feelings.

http://www.kuyper.org/kuyper/tbnug/tbng_015.html

Hissing For the Bee

2011-03-22T05:00:00.002-06:00

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. Isaiah 7:18

"It is not rare to find 20,000 working bees in a hive...The opening of a...hive gives passage to 100 bees a minute, which makes...morning till...evening, 80,000 re-entrances, at 4 excursions per bee..." (Fighier, Louis. The Insect World. New York: Appleton and Company, 1872, p. 319-320)

Pinney indicates that as late as the middle part of this century at least, there were still swarms of wild bees in the region:

“..The wild bees of this region are especially noted for their ferocity in attack. The virulence of their venom increases in warm weather. They build their hives and nests on precipitous rocks or in hollow trees hard for man or animals to reach...”

Even today much of the honey in this region is collected from these wild bees...Some years ago the people of the region let a man down the face of the rocks by ropes. He wore protective clothing that completely shielded him from the attacks of the bees and gathered a large amount of honey. However, he was so intimidated by the great swarms of angry bees he could not be persuaded to repeat the adventure.

(from Pinney, Roy. The Animals in the Bible. Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1964, p. 182-183)

Bear Power

2011-03-21T05:47:00.002-06:00

Two versions of Hosea 13:8:

I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them. KJV

I will rip you to pieces like a bear whose cubs have been taken away. I will tear you apart and devour you like a hungry lion. NLT

From biblical times until World War II, the golden Syrian bear roamed wiled in the forests of the Middle East, menacing farmers and travelers. A symbol of power in biblical lore, it was especially noted for its ferocity.

The young David boasted that he would slay Goliath as he had single-handedly slain the bear and the lion that had once threatened his flock. David himself was later compared to an enraged she-bear, “as desperate as a bear in the wild robbed of her whelps.” The prophet Hosea used the same image to describe God’s wrath against the wayward Israelites: “like a bear robbed of her young.”

In later writing, the bear became a symbol of Persia, the most powerful kingdom in the period of Daniel. In a vision, Daniel sees a “beast, which was like a bear but raised on one side, and with three fangs in its mouth among its teeth.”

The rabbis extended this image to describe the Persians themselves who “eat and drink like the bear, are fat like the bear, are hairy like the bear, and are restless like the bear.” Hence, the bear is associated with Purim, the holiday celebrating the Jewish triumph over Persian persecution.

(Frankel, Ellen, and Betsy Platkin Teutsch. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., pgs 17-18)

The Industrious Donkey

2011-03-18T05:38:00.002-06:00

Even the animals—the donkey and the ox—know their owner and appreciate his care, but not my people Israel. No matter what I do for them, they still do not understand." Isa.1:3 NLT

Along with the horse, its stalwart relative, the donkey (ass, or in a variant breed, burro) has been a long-time friend, companion, hard worker, and passenger conveyer to humanity. Perhaps it is time to recognize it as also a noble creature.

Unlike their sometimes negative reputations, donkeys are friendly, loyal, eager to please, and affectionate. They have been known to warn their human comrades of danger and to rescue their human comrades from dangerous situations. On occasion, a male donkey may mate with a mare and produce a mule, an oddly hybrid creature that seems to exhibit the best characteristics of both animals, excepting perhaps the swiftness of a horse. (Donkeys and mules also seem less inclined than horses to charge into the fray of battle; some might see the horse as more valorous; others might be inclined to accord a degree of higher intelligence to the smaller equine).

However, donkeys and mules are sure-footed animals and can often traverse with confidence terrain that horses would rather shy away from. ... It is not true, as a general rule at least, that donkeys and mules are stubborn. In actuality, in most cases, they are industrious. Once they understand what is being asked of them, they will set about the task with diligence. ... In the biblical text, all of these characteristics are exhibited.

(Schwartz, Donald Ray. 2000. Noah's Ark: An Annotated Encyclopedia of Every Animal Species in the Hebrew Bible. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., pgs 90-91)

Ants Are Like People

2011-03-17T05:03:00.004-06:00

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; Prov. 30:25

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Proverbs 6:6

People are distinguished from all other creatures and are so called because of their superior creation, intelligence, wisdom, manner of living and method of labor. They are well organized and are able to understand each other. Their manner of communication, ability in providing for themselves and possessing foresight, excels that of all other creatures.

For these reasons the ants are called “a people,” because they possess like qualities. In all the natural qualities which human people possess, the ants come nearer in possessing them than any other creatures in all the world. The life of the ant is superior in intelligence to that of any insect or animal.

Men are called “people,” the ants are called “people.”

Men live in colonies and cities; the ants do the same.

Men have foresight, make plans and lay up for the future, but in this we have nothing over the ants.

Men carry on agriculture, plant seeds, cultivate crops, harvest and store up food and grain. All of these things are done by the ants.

Men build cities and in some they construct sky scrapers, making several stories underground and many above the ground, but even in this, they do nothing new for the ants do the same.

Men possess servants, house and feed them; the ants also do the same.

Men have cows, milk them, herd their cattle, feed them well and raise more, but strange to say, in this they do no better than the ants.

Men wash, brush and comb; the ants do also and that many times every day, for they are very particular in being clean.

When one man is not able to do some work he solicits the help of others to get it done and sometimes he cannot get the help he needs. If one ant cannot accomplish what she sees is possible she can immediately obtain all the help she solicits.

When men meet one another they generally speak and greet each other; again we learn the ants do the same.

Men practice courtesy and good manners, but the ants are far more courteous than men.

Men have cemeteries outside their cities where they bury their dead and the ants do too.

People build roads and tunnels and travel in these roads; the ants also make roads tunnels and bridges.

Men make war and subdue other tribes to be in subjection to them and the ants do the same.

Men manifest an interest and exercise a care over animals and plants. The dealings of ants with other insects and with plants, is above that of all lower creatures and in this they are “a people,” and like man.

Six thousand species of ants have been discovered and these have been classified by scientists into eight classes for the sake of convenience. Each of the different six thousand species possess their own regulations, habits, manner of living and working, and have individual characteristics; this is so with the human race.

There are hundreds of different tribes of people in the world. Some are red, others black, brown, yellow or white. Some are tall, others short and some are dwarfs. This distinction is manifest in the ant world. Men, too, as among the ants, possess different tribal habits, characteristic features, mode of living and doing things.

One of the remarkable and interesting characteristics of the ants, which is rarely found among other creatures, is the great love and care they manifest to their mothers. When we consider their relation, not merely that of parents and offspring, but that of attitude, conduct and deeds, we cannot help but acknowledge the wise design of an Almighty Creator. The worker ants take the best and kindest care of their queens or mother. They will escort her about from place to place, guide her and carefully guard her all the time. She is fed by them and that very bountifully. Never does she lack for any good thing. The workers daily wash her, brush her many times and bestow many caresses on her.

[Note: The website below has the longer talk and would make an excellent topic for homeschool]

(http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyctr/books/0701-0800/HDM0704.PDF)

Gehenna, or Hell-fire

2011-03-16T05:41:00.000-06:00

I think it is useful to know the historical background of commonly held perceptions.

Charles Welch wrote:

Gehenna is translated “hell” and “hell-fire” in Matthew as follows:

“shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:22)

“Thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matt. 5:29,30).

“Able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).

“Having two eyes to be cast into hell fire” (Matt. 18:9).

“Twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matt. 23:15).

“How can ye escape the damnation of hell?”(Matt. 23:33).

It is evident that gehenna is not an English word, and before we can rightly understand any of these references to it we must have some knowledge of the place intended.

Gehenna is the name of the “valley of the son of Hinnom” that lay W. and S.W. of Jerusalem. We learn from 2 Kings 23:10 that Josiah: “defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech”.

Speaking of this awful practice the Lord said: “And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My heart” (Jer. 7:31).

In passing, we might note the strong figure used by the Lord, “neither came it into My heart”, and also realize that the teaching concerning the eternal conscious suffering of human beings necessarily places in the heart of God something infinitely more terrible. Tophet, however, means destruction, as a reference to Isaiah 30:33 will show, and the statement that “the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it”, links it with 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9, which results in “everlasting destruction” and not “everlasting torment”.

In order to stop the abominable rites of Molech, Josiah “defiled Tophet” by “filling it with the bones of men” (2 Kings 23:14). From that time forward it became the common cesspool and rubbish heap of the city. Into this valley were cast the carcasses of animals, and of criminals who had been denied burial. Fires were kept burning to prevent pestilence from spreading, and what escaped the destruction of fire and brimstone was eaten of worms. To this the prophet Isaiah refers in 66:24 : “And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh”.

Charles H. Welch Hell or Pure From The Blood Of All Men THE BEREAN PUBLISHING TRUST 1928 London

Keepers At Home

2011-03-15T05:20:00.000-06:00

[To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:5

Charis Hart writes:

"In Titus 2, Paul instructs the elder women to teach the young women to be “keepers at home”. What does this mean? The Greek word translated “keepers at home” (KJV) or “homemakers” (NKJV) is oikouros. This compound word is from oikos- house, household, family; and ouros a guard, guardian, a watcher, a warden.

Let this thought sink in for a moment: the word oikouros translated “keepers at home” carries the meaning of “watching the house, of a watchdog”

The commission to “keep” was first given by God to Adam in Genesis 2:15: “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” In this case, we are looking at the Old Testament and a Hebrew word.

The Hebrew word in Gen 2:15 (Adam’s assignment) is shamar, translated as keep , observe, heed, preserve, beware, watchman, wait, watch, regard, save. The next occurrence of the word shamar is in Genesis 3:24 where “Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

Can you see similarity in meaning of the Hebrew word shamar translated “keep” and the Greek word “ouros” translated “keeper”? The “keep” commission of Gen 2:15 and Titus 2:5 are about protecting, watching, guarding.

From what danger do you suppose Adam was supposed to “keep” the garden? (Remember, he was given this assignment before the fall: before thorns, weeds, thistles and decay.) Is this “keep” directed to Adam a mere calling to domestic servitude as a gardener? The Titus 2 admonition to be “keepers at home” is no more a reference to domestic servitude than was God’s "KEEP" commission to Adam.

Fulfilling God’s commission to “keep” is a way in which male and female reflect the image of God who is referred to in scripture by a Greek word which means “keep above all”.

1 Peter 1:5 in several versions:

“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” KJV

“who, in the power of God are being guarded, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time” YLT

“who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” NIV

“who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” NAS

The Greek word for each of the highlighted translations above is a conjugation of phroureo: oureo=watcher/keeper ; phr= before; above"

*(http://old.perseus.tufts.edu/cgibin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0058%3Aentry%3D%2323920)

Speaking of Context....

2011-03-14T05:32:00.003-06:00

[Miles Coverdale was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English.]

The words of Miles Coverdale are much to the point here:

‘It shall greatly help ye to understand Scripture, if thou mark

not only what is spoken, or written,

but of whom,

and to whom,

with what words,

at what time,

where,

to what intent,

with what circumstance,

considering what goeth before,

and what followeth’.

Scriptural Number Symbolism

2011-03-11T05:18:00.001-07:00

One of the Jewish rules for interpreting scripture is that if you want to know the highest definition of a word, you should pay attention to its first usage in the Torah. That is the rule that Bullinger is using here to understand the symbolic meaning of numbers.

One is associated with Deity (Gen 1:3,4). "God is light" (1 John 1:5).

Two is associated with Separation and Division (Gen 1:6-8), though afterwards it is associated with union in testimony (Deut 17:6; Rev 11:3).

Three is associated with resurrection in Genesis 1:9, when the earth rises up out of and above the waters; and fruit arises out of the earth.

Four is associated with the earth when (Gen 1:14-19) the Sun and Moon were established as light-holders, to "give light upon the Earth."

Five is associated with grace, in the gift of life, in the creation of living creatures; and in the production of life out of the waters of the great deep.

Six is associated with the creation of Man (Gen 1:26-31). Man was created on the sixth day; and hence six is man's "Hall-mark"; and, with its multiples, is stamped upon all that characterizes man as falling short of God; or in opposition to or defiance of God. Goliath was six cubits high; his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron; and he had six pieces of armour enumerated. Nebuchadnezzar was similarly marked. His image was 60 cubits high, and six cubits wide, while six instruments of music called for its universal worship. The Beast is marked by the threefold combination of 666 (Rev 13).

Seven is associated with Divine Blessing and Rest (Gen 2:1-3), and is thus the mark of the Spirit of God as "the author and giver of life," and blessing, and rest. Hence it is that this number is so frequent in Scripture, as being the "Hall-mark" of the Spirit's authorship of "the Word of life."

Eight is a new first and, like the Number Three, is associated with newness, especially in resurrection, which took place on "the first day of the week." It first occurs in Genesis 5:4 in the number of the years of Adam, the end of the first man. "The second man" began his resurrection life on the eighth day. Hence the association of the number with resurrection.

Nine occurs first in Leviticus 25:22, and is used of the end of full time. Inasmuch as the fulness of time issues in judgment for good or evil, so nine becomes the symbol or hall-mark of all that stands connected with judgment.

Ten is the great cardinal number, completing one order and commencing a new one. Hence it is used of ordinal perfection, and is so used in its first occurrence in Genesis 24:55.

Twelve is associated with service, rule, and Government. "Twelve years they served" (Gen 14:4). Henceforth we find 12 and its multiples connected with Government both in heaven and on earth. It is the factor in the heavenly Signs, Constellations, and Measurements. It is the factor in all earthly enumerations that have to do with government.

Thirteen first occurs in Genesis 14:4 also, "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer and the thirteenth year they rebelled." So that ever after, in Scripture, the Number 13, and every multiple of it, is associated with rebellion, apostacy, and disintegration. It is universally a number of evil omen: but those who go back for the origin of anything never go back far enough. They go back, in their own imagination, to the Twelve Apostles and our Lord as making 13; but the first occurrence of the number takes us back to the Divine usage of the Word, Genesis 14:4.

Biblical Words That Have Gone Out of Use

2011-03-10T05:47:00.003-07:00

In the English language certain words and expressions which were common in the seventeenth century have gone out of use altogether, and require explanation before they can be correctly interpreted. The following are examples of words and expressions which have become obsolete:—

All to brake (Judges 9:53) is the Anglo-Saxon tobrecan, which meant to smash. "All to brake," therefore, was used in the sense of to completely smash or break.

Away with (Isa 1:13), meant to tolerate.

Come at, meant to come near (Num 6:6).

Do to wit (2 Cor 8:1), meant make to know, to certify.

For to do, meant in order to do (Deut 4:1).

Full well (Mark 7:9), meant with full knowledge.

Go to (James 4:13), meant come now.

Trow (Luke 17:9), meant to suppose or imagine.

Wist (Luke 2:49; Mark 14:40), is the past tense of the Anglo-Saxon wit, to know.

Unwittingly (Josh 20:3), meant unknowingly.

Very (Gen 27:21; Prov 17:9; John 7:26, 8:4), meant true, real.

Who Is This Man?

2011-03-09T05:19:00.002-07:00

"King of the Jews" (wise men from the east. Matt. 2:2).

"Mightier than I" (John Baptist. Matt. 3:11).

"Son of God" (demons. Matt. 8:29).

"A blasphemer" (certain Scribes. Matt. 9:3).

"Son of David" (two blind men. Matt. 9:27) (a woman of Canaan. Matt. 15:22).

"The carpenter's son" (His fellow countrymen. Matt. 13:55).

"John the Baptist" (Herod and others. Matt. 14:2; 16:14).

"The Son of God" (they that were in the ship. Matt. 14:33).

"Elijah" (some. Matt. 16:14).

"Jeremiah" (others. Matt. 16:14).

"One of the prophets" (some men. Matt. 16:14).

"The Christ, the Son of the living God" (Peter. Matt. 16:16).

"The Christ, the Son of God" (Martha. John 11:27).

"My beloved Son" (God the Father. Matt. 17:5).

"Good Master" (a certain ruler. Matt. 19:16).

"The prophet of Nazareth" (the multitude. Matt. 21:11).

"The carpenter, son of Mary" (many hearing Him. Mark 6:3).

"Thy salvation ... a light ... the glory" (Simeon. Luke 2:30, 32).

"Joseph's son" (all in the synagogue. Luke 4:22).

"A great prophet" (all witnessing the raising of the widow's son. Luke 7:16).

"A righteous man" (the Roman centurion. Luke 23:47).

"A prophet mighty in deed and word" (the two going to Emmaus. Luke 24:19).

"The Lamb of God" (John the Baptist. John 1:29).

"The Messias" (Andrew. John 1:41).

"The Son of God ... the King of Israel" (Nathanael. John 1:49).

"A teacher come from God" (Nicodemus. John 3:2).

"A prophet" (a woman of Samaria. John 4:19).

"Jesus the son of Joseph" (the Jews. John 6:42).

"A Samaritan" and having a demon (the Jews. John 8:48).

"A prophet" (the blind man. John 9:17).

"The King of Israel" (much people. John 12:13).

The Six Marys

2011-03-08T05:38:00.002-07:00

It can be tricky to sort out all the Marys in the New Testament. Here Bullinger gives us some help.

"The name "Mary", when used of the Lord's mother, is always in Greek Mariam = the Hebrew Miriyam, as is Ex. 15:20. The other five are usually "Maria".

1. Mary the mother of our Lord (Matt. 1:16, &c). The context never leaves room for any doubt as to her identity.

2. Mary the mother of James the less and Joses (Matt. 27:56. Mark 15:40; 16:1. Luke 24:10). She is called "the other Mary" (Matt. 27:61; 28:1), and the wife of Cleopas (John 19:25).

3. Mary the sister of Martha, who anointed the Lord's feet (John 12:3),. She is mentioned by name only in Luke 10:39, 42 and John 11:1, 2, 19, 20, 28, 31, 32, 45; and 12:3.

4. Mary Magdalene, of Magdala (Matt. 15:39). She is always to be identified by this designation (Matt. 27:56. Mark 16:1, 9. Luke 8:2. John 20:18, &c); there is no authority whatever for identifying her with the unnamed woman of Luke 7:37-50.

5. Mary the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12).

6. Mary, one of Paul's helpers. (Rom. 16:6)."

Bold Trust and Steadfast Belief

2011-03-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

This week I am posting from E.W. Bullinger's material, so there will be some good stuff. The reason I liked this word study so much is because it adds additional value to the idea of both trusting and believing God and his promises. The bracketed words are added information I took from Strong's Concordance and Gesenius's Lexicon.

"In the Old Testament there are seven Hebrew words translated "trust", which itself occurs 155 times. "Trust" is the New Testament word "believe".

batah = to confide in, so as to be secure and without fear. [boldness in one's confidence]

This is the word rendered "trust" in 107 passages, viz. every passage except those given below.

hasah = to flee for refuge to, take shelter in. [to trust and have hope in God]

This is the word rendered "trust" in thirty-seven passages, viz. Deut. 32:37. Judg. 9:15. Ruth 2:12. 2Sam. 22:3, 31. Pss. 2:12; 5:11; 7:1; 11:1; 16:1; 17:7; 18:2, 30; 25:20; 31:1, 19; 34:8, 22; 36:7; 37:40; 57:1; 61:4; 64:10; 71:1; 73:28; 91:4; 118:8, 9; 141:8; 144:2. Prov. 30:5. Isa. 14:32; 30:2, 3; 57:13. Nah. 1:7. Zeph. 3:12.

'aman = to put faith in; hence, to stay or rest on. [ verified steadfast continuance]

Rendered "trust" in six passages, viz. Judg. 11:20. Job 4:18; 12:20; 15:15, 31. Mic. 7:5.

hul = to tarry, or wait for. [to be brought forth, to wait longingly]

once : Job 35:14.

galal = to roll on, or devolve. [to commit your concerns to God]

once : Ps. 22:8.

yahal = to wait on, or for, with confidence. [to hope for a person or thing expectantly]

twice : Job 13:15. Isa. 51:5.

rehaz = to rely on [to set one's trust on]

once: Dan. 3:28. "

The Priests of Baal

2011-03-04T05:34:00.003-07:00

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. I Kings 18:28

Such ancient writers as Seneca, Lucian, Statius, and Apuleius, thus describes the processions of the strolling bands wandering about with the Syrian goddess:— "A discordant howling opens the scene. Then they fly wildly through one another, with the head sunk down to the ground, but turning round in circles so that the loose flowing hair drags through the mire; thereupon they first bite themselves on the arms, and at last cut themselves with two-edged swords which they are wont to carry.

Then begins a new scene. One of them, who surpasses all the rest in frenzy, begins to prophesy with sighs and groans, openly accuses himself of his past sins, which he now wishes to punish by the mortifying of the flesh, takes the knotted whips, and lashes his back, and cuts himself with swords, until the blood trickles from his mangled body."

Van Lennep gives illustrations of these practices which help in visualizing the Carmel scene. " Our modern dervishes indulge in these cuttings only on special occasions, as, for instance, when a procession is organised, and proceeds to the suburbs of a town to pray for rain, or for deliverance from some public calamity: they then exhibit some of their fanatical performances, calling upon God, and cutting themselves with knives and swords, so that the blood runs, or piercing their almost naked bodies with wooden or iron spikes, from which they hang small mirrors. They sometimes become so exhausted with pain and loss of blood as to faint away, so that they have to be borne off."

Sometimes those who are not dervishes are carried away by a similar impulse, and hope to render themselves acceptable to God by undergoing these voluntary tortures.

Noah "Perfect"

2011-03-03T05:32:00.003-07:00

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Gen. 6:9

The Heb. word tamim means without blemish, and is the technical word for bodily and physical perfection, and not moral. Hence it is used of animals of sacrificial purity.

It is rendered without blemish in Ex. 12:5; 29:1. Lev. 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6; 4:3, 23, 28, 32; 5:15, 18; 6:6; 9:2, 3; 14:10; 22:19; 23:12, 18. Num. 6:14; 28:19, 31; 29:2, 8, 13, 20, 23, 29, 32, 36. Ezek. 43:22, 23, 25; 45:18, 23; 46:4, 6, 13.

Without Spot. Num. 19:2; 28:3, 9, 11; 29:17, 26.

Undefiled. Ps. 119:1.

This shows that Gen. 6:9 does not speak of Noah's moral perfection, but tells us that he and his family alone had preserved their pedigree and kept it pure, in spite of the prevailing corruption brought about by the fallen angels.

This quote is number #26 in the Appendix from The Companion Bible. The side notes and the appendixes were written by E.W. Bullinger.

Lifting Up The Hands In Prayer

2011-03-02T05:07:00.004-07:00

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. I Timothy 2:8

This familiar Jewish attitude for praise and prayer (see Ps. 63:4; 134:2 ; Lam.3:41; Neh. 8:6, etc.) naturally passed over to the Christian Church.

Clemens of Alexandria, A.d. 192, is an early witness to the continued observance of the rite.
After defining prayer to be " converse with God," he proceeds to say that therefore, as if reaching up to Him, we " raise the head and lift the hands towards heaven."

Tertullian, his contemporary, " Worshipping with modesty and humility we the more commend our prayers to God, not even lifting up our hands too high, but with self-restraint and becomingly." Again, " We, Christians, looking upwards, with hands outspread, because free from guilt; with head bare, because we -are not ashamed; lastly, without a remembrancer [of the names of the gods], because we pray from the heart."

Origen, A.D. 230, says that among the many gestures of the body, we ought without doubt in prayer to prefer " the stretching forth of the hands, and the lifting up of the eyes;" and that when the devout man prays, he "stretches forth his soul towards God, beyond his hands, as it were, and his mind farther than his eyes."

According to Eusebius, Constantine had himself represented on coins and in pictures " looking up to heaven, and stretching forth his hands like one praying."

Eyes to the Wind

2011-03-01T05:27:00.002-07:00

And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. Acts 27:15

"This expression literally translated would be, " Could not keep her eyes to the wind " and the allusion is to the figure of an eye which is either painted or carved on each side of the bows of many Oriental ships. So the ship resembled a great fish; " imagination gave life and sense to the craft, and it was supposed to peer into the storm, and press forward to its goal."

In ancient times mariners were almost entirely dependent on their eyes—their look-out—their observation of the coast-line, and the heavens, as they had no compass, and very imperfect nautical instruments."

Now That's Lazy!

2011-02-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. Proverbs 19:24 KJV

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
Prov.19:24 NIV

"This passage, as it stands in the English Version, lacks point. It would be better rendered thus :
" A slothful man hideth (rather dippeth) his hand in the dish, and will not," etc. The explanation is simple : Arabs and other Orientals partake of milk and pottage in a very primitive style.

A large wooden bowl is placed before them filled with milk or pottage, as the case may be; and five or six men surround it, each dipping in his hand instead of a spoon, and drinking the liquid out of his palm. They use their hands for spoons in taking milk and pottage, but not, it is said, in drinking water.

With this explanation the passage gains force ; it is impossible, surely, for laziness to go beyond this—the idle fellow dips his hand into the milk or pottage, but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth to feed himself."

The Publicans

2011-02-25T05:13:00.001-07:00

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. Matt. 18:13

Among the Jews, the publican class—including both those who taxed the farms, and those who actually collected from the people—was regarded with unmingled detestation. They had a proverb, "Take not a wife out of a family where there is a publican, for they are all publicans."

And it appears that the Gentiles did not think much better of this class. Xenophon said they were all robbers.

Theocritus, being asked which was the worst kind of wild beast, replied, "On the mountains, bears and lions; in cities, publicans and pettifoggers."

And another classical writer designates the life of a publican as "robbery beyond count, shameful greediness, a calling destitute of honor, a disgraceful traffic."

Jesus surely turned society's ideas on their head when he chose one of his disciples from this class.

The Mouths of Babes

2011-02-24T05:24:00.003-07:00

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?” Matt. 21:16 NIV

The interest which our Lord took in little children, and His view of them, were in accord with the best thought of the Jewish people. The following sentences from the Talmud will indicate the tone of Jewish teaching respecting the children.

" When God intended to give the law to the people, He asked them whom they would offer as their guarantees that they would keep it holy; and they said 'Abraham.'

God said, 'Abraham has sinned—Isaac, Jacob, Moses himself, they all have sinned; I cannot accept them.'

Then they said, 'May our children be our witness, and our guarantees.' And God accepted them; even as it is written, ' From the mouths of the wee babes has He founded His empire.' (paraphrase of Psalms 8:2)"

Anointed With Oil

2011-02-23T05:01:00.003-07:00

The celebrated St. Cyril, writing in the fourth century, in his Catechetical Lectures, iii., Section 21, speaking concerning Jesus, says:

“When He truly was baptized in the river of Jordan, He ascended out of the waters, and the Holy Spirit substantially descended upon Him, like resting upon like. And to you also in like manner, after ye have ascended from the waters of baptism, the [anointing] is given, which bears the image or similitude of Him by Whom Christ was anointed; that as Christ after baptism and the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Him went forth to battle and overcome the adversary; so ye also after holy baptism and the mystical [anointing], being vested with the armor of the Holy Spirit, are enabled to stand against the opposite powers.”

In the same lecture, Section ii., Cyril describes how the church of his day anointed the baptized with oil before praying for them to receive the Holy Ghost, and he also explains the meaning of the ceremony.

“They were first anointed in the forehead,” says he, “to wipe away that shame which the first man, by his transgression had contracted; and that they might now, with open face behold the glory of the Lord.

Then they were anointed on the ears, that they might have ears to hear the divine mysteries.

After that, on the nose and the heart; that they might be a sweet savor unto the Lord; and being armed with the breastplate of righteousness, might be able to stand all the insults of the devil.

In Bible times the anointing with oil seems usually to have been the pouring or placing of a little oil on the head, or forehead: but in Old Testament times the blood of the consecration offering was applied to the right ear, thumb, and great toe of the high priest to symbolize his entire consecration (Lev. 8:24).

The church of Cyril’s day seems to have had a much more elaborate ceremony with the anointing oil to symbolize what the Holy Spirit would do for those in whom he came to dwell.

Harvard Divinity School Bulletin 1860. Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Deeds of the Nicolaitans

2011-02-22T05:24:00.003-07:00

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Rev. 2:6

There is much difficulty in tracing this sect. The prevailing opinion among the Early Church Fathers was, that they were a sect founded by Nicolas, the proselyte of Antioch , one of the seven deacons. (see Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, 3:548).

One Bible scholar wrote the following about the beliefs of the Nicolaitans: “They seem to have held that it was lawful to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication, in opposition to the decree of the Church rendered in Acts 15:20, 29. . . .

In a time of persecution, when the eating or not eating of things sacrificed to idols was more than ever a crucial test of faithfulness, they persuaded men more than ever that it was a thing indifferent. Rev. 2:13, 14. This was bad enough, but there was a yet worse evil.

Mingling themselves in the orgies of idolatrous feasts, they brought the impurities of those feasts into the meetings of the Christian Church. And all this was done, it must be remembered, not simply as an indulgence of appetite, but as a part of a system, supported by a ‘doctrine,’ accompanied by the boast of a prophetic illumination.” (Smith, Dictionary of the Bible, p. 447.)

Thayer's Lexicon tells us that the meaning of the word Nicolaitans is the "destruction of people."

Passing Under the Rod

2011-02-21T05:35:00.004-07:00

And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: Ezekiel 20:37

A Christian missionary gives the following interesting explanation of this figurative expression:

" In Syria, just below my house, which stood facing the Mediterranean Sea, there was a sheepfold; a large area surrounded by high walls. It had but one entrance, a little gateway near the corner. It was low and narrow, and a man must stoop to get into it. Every night the shepherd brings home his flock from outside the city, or from the distant field, or the mountain side, to be gathered into this fold.

And as they pass into this narrow gateway, they must go one by one. No huddling, and crowding, and jostling, as boys do sometimes at play; and as they pass in, the shepherd stands by the gate and holds his crook over them, to count them one by one as they go in. Every night the shepherd does this, and so he knows if any are left out in the field or on the mountains.

And to this counting of the sheep as they pass under the rod, I wish to call attention. We have always supposed, and most people now think, that to pass under the rod means to pass under some affliction, to experience some great trial. Some one has written a touching piece of poetry, called, ' Passing under the Rod,' showing how one and another was afflicted, and made to pass under the rod of God's chastisement. It does not mean any such thing, as you will see by two passages of Scripture.

Leviticus 27: 32—' And concerning the tithe of the herd and of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.'

Jeremiah 33:13—'In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judca shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth (counteth) them.'

This is a work of restoration, and the fields there shall have flocks in great number, and they shall pass under the hand of the shepherd, who tells them one by one as he gathers them into the fold."

The Creator's Love

2011-02-18T05:26:00.004-07:00

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. " Psalms 36:7

Often in the Scriptures we hear God being given physical attributes. We hear about the "arm of the Lord" and we pray that "his face will shine upon us."

One picture that we often read about God is the idea of finding "refuge in the shadow of God's wings." This comes from the picture of eagles and other birds who spread their wings over their nests to protect their chicks from the hot sun, rain and predators. Birds are known to be extremely protective of their young, even sacrificing their own lives.

We can see this as a picture of God's powerful love, as relayed in the following story...

A great spiritual leader of the last century, Sundar Singh came upon forest fire. Most everyone was frantically trying to fight the fire, but he noticed a group of men standing and looking up into a tree that was about to go up in flames. He asked them what they were looking at; they pointed up at a nest full of young birds. Above it, the mother bird was circling wildly in the air and calling out warnings to her young ones. There was nothing she or the men could do, and soon the flames started climbing up the branches.

As the nest caught fire, they were all amazed to see how the mother bird reacted. Instead of flying away from the flames, she flew down and settled on the nest, covering her little ones with her wings. The next moment, she and her nestlings were burned to ashes. No one could believe their eyes. They stood in stunned silence.

Finally Sundar turned to those standing by and said: "We have witnessed a truly marvelous thing. God created that bird with such love and devotion, that she gave her life trying to protect her young. If her small heart was so full of love, how unfathomable must be the love of her Creator. That is the love that brought him down from heaven to become man. That is the love that made him suffer a painful death for our sake."

As quoted by Penny Newall in Pacifica, California in the Plough Reader from Sadhu Singh

Suffering and Hidden Blessings

2011-02-17T05:42:00.004-07:00

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. John 12:24

It is difficult to understand the mystery of pain and suffering in the world. Ultimately, the root of suffering is found in sin, in separation from God. Still, God uses suffering to call us into the peace of his presence. If God could not use pain and suffering for our good, then he would not allow such things to remain in the world.

The grain of wheat must lie in the dark womb of the earth before it can be called forth into the open air by the light and the warmth of the sun. Then it grows into a healthy plant and bears fruit.

Rain and windstorms wreak destruction, but they also cleanse the land of pests and disease.

In the same way, the wind of the Spirit shakes us with its power, but its force brings spiritual health and blessings.

Just as an earthquake can cause sweet springs to erupt in the desert making the land lush and fruitful, suffering can disrupt our lives and expose in our hearts springs of life-giving water. Then refreshing streams of thankfulness and joy flow where before there was complaining and grumbling.

When a sweet branch is grafted onto a bitter tree, both feel the knife and both suffer. But only in this way can the bitter tree bear sweet fruit. God himself suffered pain in order to introduce good into our evil nature. In this we see God’s great love and in turn faithfully suffer the agonies of this world. We can then bear good fruit forever.

The Condescension of God

2011-02-16T05:28:00.004-07:00

And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God? I Nephi 11:16

A clean person cannot stand being in a filthy place even for a short time. Those who live in communion with God find it very unpleasant to live among ungodly people. Indeed, some abandon the world to live as hermits in the desert or in caves. If we, as sinful people, cannot stand the company of evil doers, what agony must the Master have known.

When we speak of his suffering, we often mean the six hours of the crucifixion. But his whole life as the embodiment of holiness among the defiled must have been a trial. He took this on himself to rescue us from death. It is beyond our comprehension. Even the angels cannot comprehend it. It is an amazing thing that God, out of love, should become one of us that we might gain eternal life.

The Great Gift of Service

2011-02-15T05:33:00.003-07:00

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Matt.10:39

The great gift of service is that it also helps the one who serves. Once when traveling in Tibet, I was crossing a high mountain pass with my Tibetan guide. The weather had suddenly turned bitterly cold, and my companion and I feared that we might not make it to the next village – still several miles away – before succumbing to the frost.

Suddenly, we stumbled upon a man who had slipped from the path and was lying in the snow. Looking more closely, I discovered that the man was still alive, though barely. “Come,” I said to my companion, “help me try to bring this unfortunate man to safety.” But my companion was upset and frightened for his life. He answered: “If we try to carry that man, none of us will ever reach the village. We will all freeze. Our only hope is to go on as quickly as possible, and that is what I intend to do. You will come with me if you value your life.”

Without another word and without looking back, he set off down the path. I could not bring myself to abandon the helpless traveler while life remained in him, so I lifted him on my back and threw my blanket around us both as best I could.

Slowly and painstakingly, I picked my way along the steep, slippery path with my heavy load. Soon it began to snow, and I could make out the way forward only with great difficulty. How we made it, I do not know. But just as daylight was beginning to fade, the snow cleared and I could see houses a few hundred yards ahead.

Near me, on the ground, I saw the frozen body of my guide. Nearly within shouting distance of the village, he had succumbed to the cold and died, while the unfortunate traveller and I made it to safety. The exertion of carrying him and the contact of our bodies had created enough heat to save us both.

This is the way of service. No one can live without the help of others, and in helping others, we receive help ourselves.

Sitting At the Master's Feet

2011-02-14T05:21:00.003-07:00

This week I am using some excerpts from Sadhu Sundar Singh, a Hindu from India and a convert to Christianity. If you enter his name in the search bar of this blog, you can read two other posts that quote him.

Yea, he loved the people; all his saints [are] in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; [every one] shall receive of thy words. Deut. 33:3

"The essence of prayer does not consist in asking for things, but in opening one’s heart to God. Prayer is continual abandonment to God. It is the desire for God himself, the giver of life. Prayer is communion with God, receiving him who is the giver of all good gifts, living a life of fellowship with him. It is breathing and living in God.

A little child will run to his mother exclaiming: “Mother! Mother!” The child does not necessarily want anything in particular. He only wants to be near his mother, to sit on her lap, or to follow her about the house. The child longs for the sheer pleasure of being near her, talking to her, hearing her voice. This is what makes him happy.

It is just the same with those who are truly God’s children. They do not trouble themselves with asking for spiritual blessings. They only want to sit at the Master’s feet, to be in living touch with him; then they are supremely content."

Pottery in the Bible pt.3

2011-02-11T05:42:00.002-07:00

In the dark they dig through houses,.... Job 24:16

Besides the uses referred to, clay was the writing material of Assyria and Babylon. Job refers to the impression produced upon it by the seal or mold, and compares the relief design of the clay tablet to embroidered cloth (Job 38:14).

Clay bricks that were dried by the sun or in a fire were used extensively in building. Baked clay bricks are mentioned as early as the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:3. Clay bricks were used for houses, temples, cisterns, walls and fortresses, etc. At the present day in Syria, wherever building stone is scarce, houses are built of sun-dried brick except on the side or gables facing the western rainy quarter. The use of mud bricks in building explains the reference to thieves as people who “…dig through [the walls of] houses…” (Job 24:16).

(D) The Scripture illustrations drawn from pottery emphasize three important resemblances between it and the spiritual life.

(1) The subjection of the clay to the potter (Isa. 29:16, 45:9, 64:8; Jer. 18:4-11; Rom. 9:21). This teaches the possibilities of faith and the iniquity of rebellion against the will of God. An Arabic proverb says, “The potter can put the ear where he likes.”

(2) Its cheapness and insignificance. Common clay pitchers and water jars cost very little. This fact provides a graphic background for the humiliation of Zion described in Lamentations 4:2: “The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!”

Fervent words from a wicked heart are compared to silver dross over an earthen vessel (Prov. 26:23). The earthen vessel can hold what is valuable without having any value of its own. Such is the condition of the Christian, who holds within himself the knowledge of the eternal Word of God (2 Cor. 4:7).

(3) Fragility. The pottery vessels are very easily broken and cannot be mended. Sometimes a small hole in a jar can be stopped up with mud, a rag, or dough, but usually the knock or fall that breaks one part breaks it altogether and instantaneously (Ps. 2:9, 31:12; Isa. 30:14; Jer. 19:11; Rev. 2:27). This frailty is alluded to in a familiar Arabic proverb, which teaches patience amid provocations: “If there were no breakages, there would be no potteries.”

David speaks of his strength as “…dried up like a potsherd…” (Ps. 22:15). Clay fragments lie about everywhere, exposed to all kinds of weather, and are practically indestructible. Archaeologists tell us that they often render a very important service. Similarly, the sorrows of God’s people have been as helpful as their songs.