347. Gideon is one of the most famous judges. His victory over the Midianites was a testimony to his faith in God and his obedience to what God had ordered him to do. God told Gideon to send away all of the men who were planning to fight except for three hundred in order to show that God would take care of the people. Gideon obeyed, and God delivered the Midianites into the Israelites' hands. Later young Gideon became a judge. He was faithful to God almost to the very end. He was blessed with seventy sons (Judges 6-8).
348. Hardly the image of a judge, and the illegitimate son of a prostitute, Jephthah a was an outcast from his father's family and became an outlaw, an ancient Hebrew "Robin Hood." He is known as the one who, after asking for God's help, made a terrible vow: He promised to sacrifice whoever greeted him if he was victorious. After he won the battle against the Ammonites, he was greeted by his own daughter, who was then sacrificed (Judges 10-11).
349. The Philistines, the so-called "Sea Peoples" of the Mediterranean, eventually settled on the southern coast of Canaan, in what is now the area around Gaza. From this coastal base, the Philistines pressed inland and collided with the Israelite tribes who were spreading themselves down from the hill country toward the coast. The well-organized military force of the Philistines and their considerable use of iron were a major threat to the Israelites.
350. Samson is perhaps the most famous judge of all time. He was not the most faithful of all judges; he was proud and did not heed God's word. He was lured into trusting Delilah, a woman paid by the Philistines to find out the secret of his immense strength. Samson would routinely kill large numbers of Philistines, thereby protecting the Israelites. Delilah easily charmed the secret out of him, using her wiles, and Samson's hair was cut. He was taken captive, blinded, and forced to stay in chains in a Philistine dungeon (Judges 13-16).
351. Yet God heard Samson's final request: Samson prayed for one last chance to serve God and punish the Philistines. God granted his wish with a miracle of amazing proportions. Samson was led into the Philistine temple to be mocked by many Philistines one night. The Philistines put him between two pillars of the temple. Samson pushed with the strength that God had granted him. The temple toppled over and killed the Philistines as well as himself (Judg. 16:23-30).
352. Also living during the time of the Judges were Ruth and Boaz. Ruth was a Moabite, but she moved to Bethlehem to be with her mother-in-law after they both lost their husbands. Ruth was accepted and married Boaz, a good and faithful man, and they were blessed with children and a happy life. Their story is yet another demonstration of how God works to bring people into his plan and to further their joy. Ruth and Boaz were the great-grandparents of King David.
352. Samuel was the last judge of Israel and also served as a prophet. He was born to childless parents after his mother, Hannah, promised to dedicate a child to God to serve him in the temple. God heard her prayer. Samuel was a mighty figure of Israel and helped put the first kings of the nation on the throne.
354. Saul was the first king of Israel. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel. He was known to be very tall and majestic of frame. God blessed Saul as long as he was obedient to God and listened to Samuel. But Saul fell away from God and suffered an unhappy ending. He became proud and jealous of David, a young man who was loyal to him and served him in battle and also on a personal level. God did not allow Saul's sins to go unpunished. During a battle, Saul and many of his family were lost; Saul killed himself in order to avoid being captured.
355. On witches. God told Moses, "Do not allow sorceress (female witch) to live." King Saul visited a medium at Endor, disregarding the forbidden practice. She summoned up the spirit of the dead Samuel, who had bad news for Saul: He and his sons and the Israelites would fall to the Philistines in battle. The predictions came true as Jonathan and two of Saul's other sons were killed. Saul fell on his sword with the help of his armor-bearer.
356. David, the youngest son of Jesse, was anointed by Samuel to be the second king of Israel when he was a shepherd boy. He was a faithful witness to God's amazing love and found much joy and happiness as both a warrior and a king. Yet he, too, sinned and was punished. But he came back to God and was forgiven. David was also a famous poet-many of the Psalms were written by him.
357. David's defeat of Goliath was his first step toward the throne and away from the fields of sheep he normally watched over. The battle pitted the underdog (a shepherd boy named David) against a mighty warrior (the Philistine Goliath). Though trained soldiers were afraid to fight the giant, David's simple faith made him courageously step forward and kill the giant using a stone thrown from a sling. The stone hit Goliath in the forehead, knocking him down. David then cut the giant's head off with his own sword. The Philistine armies fled, and David's career as a leader of Israel was born (1 Samuel 17).
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
The Israelite Adventure ll
336. The battle of Jericho is one of the most miraculous demonstrations of God's power to the Israelites as they became a new nation. The Israelites were instructed to march around Jericho one time each day for six days. The priests were to carry rams' horns at the front of the army. On the seventh day the priests were instructed to blow the trumpets. Then the people were all to shout. God promised Joshua that the walls would then collapse and the men would be able to go inside the city walls and take the city. And it happened just as the angel promised Joshua it would (Joshua 6).
337. Some of the Israelites continued to disobey God in spite of the intensity of his miracles. Achan was one such case. During the battle of Jericho, he took some of the prized gold and other precious items that belonged to God and kept them for himself. As a result the Israelites lost their next battle (Joshua 7). God punished his people repeatedly for disobeying his commands. He is ever the faithful Father, yet he is a righteous God who demands obedience.
338. Once the Israelites were established in Canaan, they were governed by judges, people who had been warriors first. God gave his people strong leaders to follow, but they didn't always do so. The Book of Judges tells of the difficulties they suffered when they did not obey God.
339. After Joshua died, it wasn't long before Israelites "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." The Israelites were soon mesmerized by the Canaanite gods: Baal, Astarte, and Asherah. It is believed that the Torah laws relating to lewd and perverse sexual practices were in response to Canaanite sexual practices.
340. Othniel was the first judge. When the Israelites began worshipping these Canaanite gods, God allowed Cushan-Rishathaim, a Syrian king, to overcome them. They were ruled over by the Syrians for eight years. As soon as Israel repented of their sins, God led Othniel to raise up an army to defend Israel. They defeated the Syrians handily. Othniel ruled Israel for forty years after that (Judg. 3:9-11).
341. Ehud is perhaps the most famous left-handed warrior in history. The Israelites had been ruled by the Moabites for some time. When Ehud, a Benjamite judge, went to pay taxes to King Eglon, he hid a sword under his cloak. Since Ehud was left-handed, and few if any people (evidently) drew swords with that hand, the king didn't suspect anything when Ehud drew his sword. He swiftly killed the king and then defeated the other Moabites. Then he continued to rule as a judge, and the Israelites lived in peace for many years (Judg. 3:15-30).
342. Shamgar was made judge after Ehud died. By then Israel had turned against God and was under the power of the Canaanites and the Philistines. It was a difficult time in the history of Israel. The people were under Jabin's rule, and he was a harsh Canaanite king. Shamgar fought back and killed six hundred Philistines with a single metal-tipped stick called an oxgoad (Judg. 3:31). He could not stop Jabin, however.
343. The two most famous military heroines mentioned in the Old Testament are Deborah and Jael, and they both had a hand in the same victory. God spoke through Deborah to tell the general, Barak, how to defeat the Canaanites, including their king, Jabin. Barak agreed to attack, but wanted Deborah to go with him into the battle. She did and the enemies were defeated.
344. Sisera was a king of Canaan. He fought hard against Israel, but his nine hundred iron chariots were no match for the rain God sent. As a result the chariots were stuck in the mud and God gave Sisera and his people over to the Israelites.
345. Jael became a hero of the Israelites, though she herself was a Kenite. Hers was a peaceful tribe that lived comfortably near the Israelites, thanks to her ties to Moses' father-in-law, Jethro. Jael would eventually kill Sisera when he sought refuge with her family. She lulled him to sleep in a tent and then hammered a peg through his head (Judges 4).
346. Deborah and Barak ruled over Israel in peace for forty years. Deborah is also famous for her victory song, a portion of which is here:
"When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves-
praise the Lord!...
So may all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But may they who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength."
Judges 5:2, 31
337. Some of the Israelites continued to disobey God in spite of the intensity of his miracles. Achan was one such case. During the battle of Jericho, he took some of the prized gold and other precious items that belonged to God and kept them for himself. As a result the Israelites lost their next battle (Joshua 7). God punished his people repeatedly for disobeying his commands. He is ever the faithful Father, yet he is a righteous God who demands obedience.
338. Once the Israelites were established in Canaan, they were governed by judges, people who had been warriors first. God gave his people strong leaders to follow, but they didn't always do so. The Book of Judges tells of the difficulties they suffered when they did not obey God.
339. After Joshua died, it wasn't long before Israelites "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." The Israelites were soon mesmerized by the Canaanite gods: Baal, Astarte, and Asherah. It is believed that the Torah laws relating to lewd and perverse sexual practices were in response to Canaanite sexual practices.
340. Othniel was the first judge. When the Israelites began worshipping these Canaanite gods, God allowed Cushan-Rishathaim, a Syrian king, to overcome them. They were ruled over by the Syrians for eight years. As soon as Israel repented of their sins, God led Othniel to raise up an army to defend Israel. They defeated the Syrians handily. Othniel ruled Israel for forty years after that (Judg. 3:9-11).
341. Ehud is perhaps the most famous left-handed warrior in history. The Israelites had been ruled by the Moabites for some time. When Ehud, a Benjamite judge, went to pay taxes to King Eglon, he hid a sword under his cloak. Since Ehud was left-handed, and few if any people (evidently) drew swords with that hand, the king didn't suspect anything when Ehud drew his sword. He swiftly killed the king and then defeated the other Moabites. Then he continued to rule as a judge, and the Israelites lived in peace for many years (Judg. 3:15-30).
342. Shamgar was made judge after Ehud died. By then Israel had turned against God and was under the power of the Canaanites and the Philistines. It was a difficult time in the history of Israel. The people were under Jabin's rule, and he was a harsh Canaanite king. Shamgar fought back and killed six hundred Philistines with a single metal-tipped stick called an oxgoad (Judg. 3:31). He could not stop Jabin, however.
343. The two most famous military heroines mentioned in the Old Testament are Deborah and Jael, and they both had a hand in the same victory. God spoke through Deborah to tell the general, Barak, how to defeat the Canaanites, including their king, Jabin. Barak agreed to attack, but wanted Deborah to go with him into the battle. She did and the enemies were defeated.
344. Sisera was a king of Canaan. He fought hard against Israel, but his nine hundred iron chariots were no match for the rain God sent. As a result the chariots were stuck in the mud and God gave Sisera and his people over to the Israelites.
345. Jael became a hero of the Israelites, though she herself was a Kenite. Hers was a peaceful tribe that lived comfortably near the Israelites, thanks to her ties to Moses' father-in-law, Jethro. Jael would eventually kill Sisera when he sought refuge with her family. She lulled him to sleep in a tent and then hammered a peg through his head (Judges 4).
346. Deborah and Barak ruled over Israel in peace for forty years. Deborah is also famous for her victory song, a portion of which is here:
"When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves-
praise the Lord!...
So may all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But may they who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength."
Judges 5:2, 31
Monday, July 27, 2015
The Israelite Adventure l
325. Freed at last, the Israelites set about making a temple in which to worship God. The tabernacle was their first place of worship. Very explicit instructions were given for how it was to be built (Exodus 26). Inside the tabernacle, which was a giant tent, were several rooms, including the Most Holy Place and the curtain separating that section from the Holy Place. The tabernacle was 75 feet by 150 feet in diameter.
326. The tent of the tabernacle was covered with badger skins. These skins are mentioned several times in the Old Testament. They were highly valued and were listed along with gold, jewels, and other precious objects. Most badger pelts were extremely durable and tough, making excellent waterproofing material for the tabernacle.
327. The ark of the covenant was the single most important object in the history of ancient Israel, though it disappeared from the Bible without mention. It was first housed in the tabernacle. After Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. the fate of the ark was never discussed. It was a huge chest that contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Above the chest stretched the wings of two cherubim.
328. Offerings of all sorts were an important part of worshipping as an Israelite. Leviticus details the necessary sacrifices for the burnt offering, sin offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, guilt offering, and others.
329. The Israelites had many hostile enemies on all sides-Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Moabites, and so on. These enemies were given over at times into the Israelites' hands, but at other times God allowed them to overrun the Israelites. Throughout their history they experienced peace and prosperity as well as hardship and exile.
330. Out of the mouth of donkeys. Threatened by the Israelites , the king of Moab asked a magician named Balaam to come to Moab and put a curse on the Israelites. So the Mesopotamian wizard saddled up his donkey and went to help King Balak. As Balaam was riding down the road, the donkey saw an angel of the Lord and refused to move. Unable to see the angel, Balaam struck the donkey. Finally the donkey turned around and asked the magician, "What have I done to you that you have struck me three times?" God then opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel blocking the road. The heavenly messenger then gave Balaam specific instructions. Instead of cursing Israel, the magician gave his blessing (Numbers 22-23).
331. Sihon was a king of the Amorites. He refused the Israelites access to the Promised Land (it would have taken them through his land) and even marched against God's people. God allowed the Israelites to defeat Sihon and then take his territory. Throughout history God delivered many enemies into their hands.
332. Rahab is a famous woman of the Bible. Though a prostitute in the city of Jericho, she understood the power of the Israelites and rightly attributed it to God. When two spies came to study the city, she protected them by hiding them in her home. They escaped through her window, promising not to harm her and her family if she would leave a scarlet cord tied in her window (Joshua 2). Later she would be taken into the Israelites' people and even marry and become part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.
333. At least six cities west of the Jordan were destroyed approximately thirty-two hundred years ago, when the invasion under Joshua was taking place. Even a written record from Egypt exists dating from that time that tells of a pharaoh's dealings with "the people of Israel" in Canaan.
334. After the crossing of the Jordan, twelve river stones were set in a pile at Gilgal. The first Passover in the Promised Land was celebrated there and a mass circumcision was performed with flint knives because all the men born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. That is why Gilgal means "Hill of the Foreskins" (Joshua 5).
335. Joshua became the leader of the Israelites after Moses died. It was under his authority that the people at last crossed over into Canaan. He served God and was revered by the people, but he too failed at times and disobeyed God. He is perhaps most remembered for his part in the battle of Jericho.
326. The tent of the tabernacle was covered with badger skins. These skins are mentioned several times in the Old Testament. They were highly valued and were listed along with gold, jewels, and other precious objects. Most badger pelts were extremely durable and tough, making excellent waterproofing material for the tabernacle.
327. The ark of the covenant was the single most important object in the history of ancient Israel, though it disappeared from the Bible without mention. It was first housed in the tabernacle. After Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. the fate of the ark was never discussed. It was a huge chest that contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Above the chest stretched the wings of two cherubim.
328. Offerings of all sorts were an important part of worshipping as an Israelite. Leviticus details the necessary sacrifices for the burnt offering, sin offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, guilt offering, and others.
329. The Israelites had many hostile enemies on all sides-Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Moabites, and so on. These enemies were given over at times into the Israelites' hands, but at other times God allowed them to overrun the Israelites. Throughout their history they experienced peace and prosperity as well as hardship and exile.
330. Out of the mouth of donkeys. Threatened by the Israelites , the king of Moab asked a magician named Balaam to come to Moab and put a curse on the Israelites. So the Mesopotamian wizard saddled up his donkey and went to help King Balak. As Balaam was riding down the road, the donkey saw an angel of the Lord and refused to move. Unable to see the angel, Balaam struck the donkey. Finally the donkey turned around and asked the magician, "What have I done to you that you have struck me three times?" God then opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel blocking the road. The heavenly messenger then gave Balaam specific instructions. Instead of cursing Israel, the magician gave his blessing (Numbers 22-23).
331. Sihon was a king of the Amorites. He refused the Israelites access to the Promised Land (it would have taken them through his land) and even marched against God's people. God allowed the Israelites to defeat Sihon and then take his territory. Throughout history God delivered many enemies into their hands.
332. Rahab is a famous woman of the Bible. Though a prostitute in the city of Jericho, she understood the power of the Israelites and rightly attributed it to God. When two spies came to study the city, she protected them by hiding them in her home. They escaped through her window, promising not to harm her and her family if she would leave a scarlet cord tied in her window (Joshua 2). Later she would be taken into the Israelites' people and even marry and become part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.
333. At least six cities west of the Jordan were destroyed approximately thirty-two hundred years ago, when the invasion under Joshua was taking place. Even a written record from Egypt exists dating from that time that tells of a pharaoh's dealings with "the people of Israel" in Canaan.
334. After the crossing of the Jordan, twelve river stones were set in a pile at Gilgal. The first Passover in the Promised Land was celebrated there and a mass circumcision was performed with flint knives because all the men born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. That is why Gilgal means "Hill of the Foreskins" (Joshua 5).
335. Joshua became the leader of the Israelites after Moses died. It was under his authority that the people at last crossed over into Canaan. He served God and was revered by the people, but he too failed at times and disobeyed God. He is perhaps most remembered for his part in the battle of Jericho.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Early Israel IV
316. Moses-or Moshe in Hebrew-is the central human figure in the Hebrew Bible, the great lawbringer, and for Christians, the symbolic model for Jesus. Moses was saved after a king ordered the Jewish babies killed; Jesus was saved after a king ordered Jewish babies to be killed. Moses parted the waters; Jesus walked on the waters. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness; Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness. Moses went to a mountain and gave a sermon; Jesus gave a sermon on the mount. Moses delivered the covenant; Jesus delivered the new covenant.
317. Aaron was Moses' older brother. He was a good speaker (Moses was not) and was sent by God to help Moses ask Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. He served as the first high priest of Israel. He and Moses were the leaders of the exile from Egypt.
318. The escape from Egypt. Moses went before Pharaoh and demanded that his people be set free. The story of Moses-who was miraculously saved and raised as royalty, then lost his position due to immature violence, only to be called by God to greatness-is a wonderful riches-to-rags story. The plagues, the escape, and the parting of the Red Sea make it one of the most-told stories of all time.
319. "The Song of Miriam," a victory chant led by the sister of Moses after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, is thought to be one of the oldest poetic verses in Hebrew Scriptures:
"I will sing to the Lord'
for He is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
He has hurled into the sea."
Exodus 15:21
320. The "Aaronic benediction" was given by God to Aaron. This extremely ancient blessing is still widely used in temples and churches today among both Jews and Christians:
"The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face toward you
and give you peace."
Numbers 6:24-26
321. God brought His people out of Egypt and they settled in the desert. The Israelites, as they come to be called, didn't always trust God as they should. They constantly forgot what a miracle their escape from Egypt was. As a result they suffered some difficult times and were eventually forbidden to go into the Promised Land God had for them until the entire first generation of people died off.
322. A flakelike stuff as fine as frost, called manna, appeared each morning on the surface of the ground in the desert. When the ancient Israelites first encountered this miraculous provision of food from God in the desert, they asked, "What is it?!" And the name stuck. So "manna," the word the Israelites used to call the stuff on the ground, meant "whatchamacallit."
323. The Great Commandment. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:4-5). This is the Shema, the most commonly spoken prayer in Judaism, also traditionally called the "Great Commandment." Many Christians know it in the form that Jesus used in Mark 12:29.
324. From out of Canaan. As the Israelites approached the borders of the Promised Land, Moses sent scouts who reported giants in the land. The scouts were frightened and they returned to the camp carrying clusters of grapes and pomegranates as proof they had at least entered the land of Canaan.
317. Aaron was Moses' older brother. He was a good speaker (Moses was not) and was sent by God to help Moses ask Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. He served as the first high priest of Israel. He and Moses were the leaders of the exile from Egypt.
318. The escape from Egypt. Moses went before Pharaoh and demanded that his people be set free. The story of Moses-who was miraculously saved and raised as royalty, then lost his position due to immature violence, only to be called by God to greatness-is a wonderful riches-to-rags story. The plagues, the escape, and the parting of the Red Sea make it one of the most-told stories of all time.
319. "The Song of Miriam," a victory chant led by the sister of Moses after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, is thought to be one of the oldest poetic verses in Hebrew Scriptures:
"I will sing to the Lord'
for He is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
He has hurled into the sea."
Exodus 15:21
320. The "Aaronic benediction" was given by God to Aaron. This extremely ancient blessing is still widely used in temples and churches today among both Jews and Christians:
"The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face toward you
and give you peace."
Numbers 6:24-26
321. God brought His people out of Egypt and they settled in the desert. The Israelites, as they come to be called, didn't always trust God as they should. They constantly forgot what a miracle their escape from Egypt was. As a result they suffered some difficult times and were eventually forbidden to go into the Promised Land God had for them until the entire first generation of people died off.
322. A flakelike stuff as fine as frost, called manna, appeared each morning on the surface of the ground in the desert. When the ancient Israelites first encountered this miraculous provision of food from God in the desert, they asked, "What is it?!" And the name stuck. So "manna," the word the Israelites used to call the stuff on the ground, meant "whatchamacallit."
323. The Great Commandment. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:4-5). This is the Shema, the most commonly spoken prayer in Judaism, also traditionally called the "Great Commandment." Many Christians know it in the form that Jesus used in Mark 12:29.
324. From out of Canaan. As the Israelites approached the borders of the Promised Land, Moses sent scouts who reported giants in the land. The scouts were frightened and they returned to the camp carrying clusters of grapes and pomegranates as proof they had at least entered the land of Canaan.
Early Israel III
306. Jacob married two sisters, Rachel and Leah. Through deceit on the girls' father's part, Jacob ended up being tricked on his wedding night. Jacob served Laban for seven years for Laban's younger daughter, Rachel. The morning after the wedding, Jacob found he had married Leah, Laban's older daughter, instead! Laban agreed to give him Rachel, too, in exchange for another seven years of service.
307. Eventually the two sisters and their two maids produced twelve sons, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. They were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Throughout the story of Jacob's life, God was with him. As long as Jacob remained obedient to God. he was blessed. The history of Israel would go on (and on!) all the way through the New Testament and the birth of a Savior from these early roots.
308. Before leaving the place of her birth, Rachel stole her father's "household gods." These small "household gods" were idols, typical of the cults in Canaan and elsewhere in Mesopotamia. Small statues of fertility symbols, they were placed in the homes. Laban caught up to Jacob's caravan and began to search for the idols. When Laban came to search Rachel's tent, she sat on a saddlebag which held her father's gods, telling them she was menstruating and couldn't get up. This story would have been told by the Israelites with derisive mockery as Rachel sat on the idols in her time of "uncleanness."
309. The story of Joseph's "coat of many colors" remains a favorite of many people. Joseph was the gifted son, the one who had found favor with God. He was also his father's favorite son, much to the chagrin of most of the other brothers. Jacob made Joseph the heir, even though he was the second to the youngest! He was a bold young man and his brothers eventually sold him into slavery in Egypt.
310. God never forgot Joseph, however. Eventually this young man who saw visions and could interpret dreams would make himself useful to Pharaoh himself! He would become a chief minister of Egypt and would be reunited with his family in their time of need during a drought affecting the whole land.
311. Elaborate court records survive of many of the Pharaohs before and after the presumed time of Joseph. But none of them mentions a Semite slave becoming a high official who had helped save Egypt in a time of Extraordinary famine. Periodic drought and famine were not unusual in ancient times, and several were recorded, although none exactly match the Biblical scenario. So we do not know who Joseph's Pharaoh was.
312. Joseph had two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. The brothers were born in Egypt and would eventually be blessed by Jacob. As had happened in Joseph's own experience, God blessed the younger, Ephraim, more than the older brother, Manasseh. God's blessing continued to fall on those who were not expecting the bulk of it.
313. They all remained in Egypt and lived happily there until the whole generation of Joseph and his brothers passed away. Then they were oppressed by the Egyptians and used as slaves. The Egyptians feared the great numbers of Hebrew people being born and even demanded that the midwives kill the newborn males.
314. Moses was another miracle. he should have been killed as many of the other male infants were, but he was saved by God for a special purpose. His mother floated him down the Nile in a basket made of reeds, and he was eventually taken into the palace by the royalty of Egypt. Moses would grow up to be a great man of God and the hero of the early Israelites.
315. Egyptian texts confirm that about the time Moses became angered at seeing an Egyptian overseer beating a Hebrew worker, the Hebrews were engaged in dragging stones for temples built by Pharaoh Ramses II. The Bible says Moses killed the overseer and fled into the desert wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula where he would later see the bush that "burned with fire."
307. Eventually the two sisters and their two maids produced twelve sons, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. They were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Throughout the story of Jacob's life, God was with him. As long as Jacob remained obedient to God. he was blessed. The history of Israel would go on (and on!) all the way through the New Testament and the birth of a Savior from these early roots.
308. Before leaving the place of her birth, Rachel stole her father's "household gods." These small "household gods" were idols, typical of the cults in Canaan and elsewhere in Mesopotamia. Small statues of fertility symbols, they were placed in the homes. Laban caught up to Jacob's caravan and began to search for the idols. When Laban came to search Rachel's tent, she sat on a saddlebag which held her father's gods, telling them she was menstruating and couldn't get up. This story would have been told by the Israelites with derisive mockery as Rachel sat on the idols in her time of "uncleanness."
309. The story of Joseph's "coat of many colors" remains a favorite of many people. Joseph was the gifted son, the one who had found favor with God. He was also his father's favorite son, much to the chagrin of most of the other brothers. Jacob made Joseph the heir, even though he was the second to the youngest! He was a bold young man and his brothers eventually sold him into slavery in Egypt.
310. God never forgot Joseph, however. Eventually this young man who saw visions and could interpret dreams would make himself useful to Pharaoh himself! He would become a chief minister of Egypt and would be reunited with his family in their time of need during a drought affecting the whole land.
311. Elaborate court records survive of many of the Pharaohs before and after the presumed time of Joseph. But none of them mentions a Semite slave becoming a high official who had helped save Egypt in a time of Extraordinary famine. Periodic drought and famine were not unusual in ancient times, and several were recorded, although none exactly match the Biblical scenario. So we do not know who Joseph's Pharaoh was.
312. Joseph had two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. The brothers were born in Egypt and would eventually be blessed by Jacob. As had happened in Joseph's own experience, God blessed the younger, Ephraim, more than the older brother, Manasseh. God's blessing continued to fall on those who were not expecting the bulk of it.
313. They all remained in Egypt and lived happily there until the whole generation of Joseph and his brothers passed away. Then they were oppressed by the Egyptians and used as slaves. The Egyptians feared the great numbers of Hebrew people being born and even demanded that the midwives kill the newborn males.
314. Moses was another miracle. he should have been killed as many of the other male infants were, but he was saved by God for a special purpose. His mother floated him down the Nile in a basket made of reeds, and he was eventually taken into the palace by the royalty of Egypt. Moses would grow up to be a great man of God and the hero of the early Israelites.
315. Egyptian texts confirm that about the time Moses became angered at seeing an Egyptian overseer beating a Hebrew worker, the Hebrews were engaged in dragging stones for temples built by Pharaoh Ramses II. The Bible says Moses killed the overseer and fled into the desert wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula where he would later see the bush that "burned with fire."
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Early Israel ll
296. The sacrifice of Isaac. God called Abraham to follow him to a far land and promised to make his family a great nation. Yet when Abraham finally had a son in his old age, the Lord asked him to sacrifice the boy on Mount Moriah. Instead of a pagan practice, it was a test of faith-God intervened to stop the sacrifice and provided a ram to sacrifice in the boy's place. Then, praising Abraham's faith, God promised to bless all nations through his offspring.
297. The story of Abraham's unshakable faith while offering Isaac is a central moment in the Bible. To many people it seems an unnecessarily cruel test of faith. Abraham doesn't even make the arguments for his own son that he made for the citizens of Sodom. His wife, Sarah, is silent in this episode, and Isaac's thoughts are not available to us either.
298.When God stays Abraham's hand. The passage says that Abraham "fears" God. The "fear of God" is a commonly used expression today. The Hebrew verb for "fear" can be understood two ways. Occasionally it meant being afraid, but very often the Biblical "fear" meant awe or reverence for someone of exalted position. Abraham was not necessarily "afraid" of God as much as he held God in profound respect.
299. The Bible notes that Abraham was "very rich in cattle" (Gen. 13:2 KJV), and he is often described as having flocks and herds. In the early books of the Bible, however, the word cattle is believed to usually refer to sheep and goats rather than to cows.
300. Throughout the history of the Hebrews, even after they became a mighty nation under kings as in the glittering court of Solomon, the simple life of the shepherd was remembered and upheld as the most desirable existence.
301. After Sarah died at age 127, Abraham buried her in a cave in Hebron. He purchased the burial land from the local people, the Hittites, and the verses elaborately explain the great measures Abraham took to stake a legal claim to this land. This passage is one of the oldest recorded real estate deals, a legal confirmation of possession of land that had already been divinely promised.
302. After Sarah died, Abraham decided to marry again and took another wife, Keturah. She birthed six more of Abraham's children. These were the ancestors of other Arabic tribes including the Midianites, who play a role in the story of Moses. When Abraham died at age 175, he was buried alongside Sarah in the cave on the site he had purchased at Hebron.
303. Isaac's name meant "laughter." He was the second patriarch. Isaac married Rebekah and they had two sons, Jacob and Esau, who were twins. They were never close brothers and had few similar interests. Esau was the older of the two and was a hunter. Jacob was closer to his mother and appeared crafty and smarter of the two.
304. The classic story of how Jacob gained the birthright, the right to all the blessings of the firstborn son, is a story of true deceit, yet it was prophetic that Jacob gained the upper hand. God had said the "older will serve the younger." Both were ultimately blessed by God, but Jacob did use trickery to con his aged father into giving him the blessing by pretending to be Esau after getting Esau to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew.
305. Wrestling with God. The life of Jacob contains a number of interesting stories that make him appear more of a scoundrel than a patriarch. He cheated his brother and tricked his father. However, one of the strangest stories occurs in Genesis 32. While preparing to meet Esau, Jacob met God (appearing as a man) and wrestled with him all night. After having his hip torn from his socket, Jacob told the man that he would continue wrestling until he was blessed. With that God changed Jacob's name to Israel, which means "wrestles with God."
297. The story of Abraham's unshakable faith while offering Isaac is a central moment in the Bible. To many people it seems an unnecessarily cruel test of faith. Abraham doesn't even make the arguments for his own son that he made for the citizens of Sodom. His wife, Sarah, is silent in this episode, and Isaac's thoughts are not available to us either.
298.When God stays Abraham's hand. The passage says that Abraham "fears" God. The "fear of God" is a commonly used expression today. The Hebrew verb for "fear" can be understood two ways. Occasionally it meant being afraid, but very often the Biblical "fear" meant awe or reverence for someone of exalted position. Abraham was not necessarily "afraid" of God as much as he held God in profound respect.
299. The Bible notes that Abraham was "very rich in cattle" (Gen. 13:2 KJV), and he is often described as having flocks and herds. In the early books of the Bible, however, the word cattle is believed to usually refer to sheep and goats rather than to cows.
300. Throughout the history of the Hebrews, even after they became a mighty nation under kings as in the glittering court of Solomon, the simple life of the shepherd was remembered and upheld as the most desirable existence.
301. After Sarah died at age 127, Abraham buried her in a cave in Hebron. He purchased the burial land from the local people, the Hittites, and the verses elaborately explain the great measures Abraham took to stake a legal claim to this land. This passage is one of the oldest recorded real estate deals, a legal confirmation of possession of land that had already been divinely promised.
302. After Sarah died, Abraham decided to marry again and took another wife, Keturah. She birthed six more of Abraham's children. These were the ancestors of other Arabic tribes including the Midianites, who play a role in the story of Moses. When Abraham died at age 175, he was buried alongside Sarah in the cave on the site he had purchased at Hebron.
303. Isaac's name meant "laughter." He was the second patriarch. Isaac married Rebekah and they had two sons, Jacob and Esau, who were twins. They were never close brothers and had few similar interests. Esau was the older of the two and was a hunter. Jacob was closer to his mother and appeared crafty and smarter of the two.
304. The classic story of how Jacob gained the birthright, the right to all the blessings of the firstborn son, is a story of true deceit, yet it was prophetic that Jacob gained the upper hand. God had said the "older will serve the younger." Both were ultimately blessed by God, but Jacob did use trickery to con his aged father into giving him the blessing by pretending to be Esau after getting Esau to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew.
305. Wrestling with God. The life of Jacob contains a number of interesting stories that make him appear more of a scoundrel than a patriarch. He cheated his brother and tricked his father. However, one of the strangest stories occurs in Genesis 32. While preparing to meet Esau, Jacob met God (appearing as a man) and wrestled with him all night. After having his hip torn from his socket, Jacob told the man that he would continue wrestling until he was blessed. With that God changed Jacob's name to Israel, which means "wrestles with God."
Monday, July 20, 2015
Early Israel l
286. Abram is the earliest Biblical character who can be connected rather remotely and speculatively, to recorded world history. There is still no specific proof of this individual outside of the Bible, but these are the first clues that the Biblical world he lived in was the world as history knows it.
287. In the Biblical list of Abraham's ancestors (Gen. 11:10-26), many family names are the same as those of several towns around Haran. Abraham's relatives either took their names from the towns where they lived or were important enough to give their names to these towns. Abraham's father, Terah, who is said to have worshiped idols for several years (Josh. 24:2), moved his family from Ur to Haran. Terah lived there until he died at the age of 205.
288. Habiru (or "Hebrew") was a word of disparagement, probably meaning "the dusty ones." It did not refer to the Hebrew people in particular but rather to all the land-hungry Semites who led a nomadic life. In the Book of Genesis (14:13), Abraham is called "the Hebrew," and so this general name was finally limited to his descendants.
289. Abraham's journey southward from Haran led through the entire length of Canaan, through the Negeb Desert to Egypt, and finally northward again to the Promised Land. His caravans were not like the camel caravans seen today in the deserts of the Near East. It is possible that until he reached Egypt he traveled on foot, with no beasts of burden except perhaps a few donkeys.
290. Abram was given his new name, Abraham, when God came to him in his ninety-ninth year. At that time he had one son. The new name meant "father of many nations." Abraham must have been puzzled over how God would bring him into a full understanding of his new name with but one child when he was already quite old.
291. After Lot chose to travel to the lower Jordan Valley, he settled near the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were destroyed by what the Bible calls "brimstone and fire" (Gen. 19:24 KJV). No one knows for sure when the last volcano eruption took place in the Holy Land, but it may have been as recently as the Middle Ages. Geologists can see clear evidence that the Jordan Valley has been a center of volcanism in the past.
292. The remains of the Twin Cities of Sin have never been found, as of 2002. Myth has it that they lie buried beneath the Dead Sea. This theory may provide an explanation of why the Dead Sea area is rich in bitumen, or tar, supposedly left after the destructive "brimstone and fire." Bitumen was used in the Egyptian mummification process. Bitumen was also used for "tarring" houses and was one of the key trade items in this area.
293. The Sodom and Gomorrah story has always been useful as a moral tale of God destroying evil. But a subtext to the story has been even more influential. It is all about the sin to which the name Sodom is attached. This story has always been cited as one of the basic Biblical injunctions against homosexuality.
294. Abraham was given a covenant child as was promised to him by the three angels who visited and prophesized of the event. Sarah delivered a healthy infant son and they called him Isaac. He was a miracle-his mother was in her nineties and his father was one hundred!
295. Hagar was the servant of Sarah, Abraham's wife. She had become pregnant by Abraham and bore Ishmael. Sarah was jealous and treated her poorly and eventually Hagar was sent into the wilderness of Beer-sheba when Isaac was born. But God protected Hagar and her son and raised them up to be their own people. They were under Abraham's covenant, but Ishmael was not the promised son who would continue the lineage of the Hebrews.
287. In the Biblical list of Abraham's ancestors (Gen. 11:10-26), many family names are the same as those of several towns around Haran. Abraham's relatives either took their names from the towns where they lived or were important enough to give their names to these towns. Abraham's father, Terah, who is said to have worshiped idols for several years (Josh. 24:2), moved his family from Ur to Haran. Terah lived there until he died at the age of 205.
288. Habiru (or "Hebrew") was a word of disparagement, probably meaning "the dusty ones." It did not refer to the Hebrew people in particular but rather to all the land-hungry Semites who led a nomadic life. In the Book of Genesis (14:13), Abraham is called "the Hebrew," and so this general name was finally limited to his descendants.
289. Abraham's journey southward from Haran led through the entire length of Canaan, through the Negeb Desert to Egypt, and finally northward again to the Promised Land. His caravans were not like the camel caravans seen today in the deserts of the Near East. It is possible that until he reached Egypt he traveled on foot, with no beasts of burden except perhaps a few donkeys.
290. Abram was given his new name, Abraham, when God came to him in his ninety-ninth year. At that time he had one son. The new name meant "father of many nations." Abraham must have been puzzled over how God would bring him into a full understanding of his new name with but one child when he was already quite old.
291. After Lot chose to travel to the lower Jordan Valley, he settled near the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were destroyed by what the Bible calls "brimstone and fire" (Gen. 19:24 KJV). No one knows for sure when the last volcano eruption took place in the Holy Land, but it may have been as recently as the Middle Ages. Geologists can see clear evidence that the Jordan Valley has been a center of volcanism in the past.
292. The remains of the Twin Cities of Sin have never been found, as of 2002. Myth has it that they lie buried beneath the Dead Sea. This theory may provide an explanation of why the Dead Sea area is rich in bitumen, or tar, supposedly left after the destructive "brimstone and fire." Bitumen was used in the Egyptian mummification process. Bitumen was also used for "tarring" houses and was one of the key trade items in this area.
293. The Sodom and Gomorrah story has always been useful as a moral tale of God destroying evil. But a subtext to the story has been even more influential. It is all about the sin to which the name Sodom is attached. This story has always been cited as one of the basic Biblical injunctions against homosexuality.
294. Abraham was given a covenant child as was promised to him by the three angels who visited and prophesized of the event. Sarah delivered a healthy infant son and they called him Isaac. He was a miracle-his mother was in her nineties and his father was one hundred!
295. Hagar was the servant of Sarah, Abraham's wife. She had become pregnant by Abraham and bore Ishmael. Sarah was jealous and treated her poorly and eventually Hagar was sent into the wilderness of Beer-sheba when Isaac was born. But God protected Hagar and her son and raised them up to be their own people. They were under Abraham's covenant, but Ishmael was not the promised son who would continue the lineage of the Hebrews.
Guinness World Records "The Unbreakables"
Longest pole sit:
St. Simeon the Stylite (C. AD 386-459) spent 39 years on a pillar on the Hill of Wonders, near Aleppo, Syria. (Unbroken for 1,550 years-the longest held record in GWR archives)
Largest pandemic:
From 1347 to 1351, the pneumonic form of plague, aka the Black Death, killed around 75 million people. (Unbroken for 658 years)
Worst dance mania:
In July 1374, an outbreak of tarantism (dancing mania) in Aachen, Germany, saw thousands quite literally dancing uncontrollably in the streets. (Unbroken for 635 years)
Most prolific female murderer:
From c. 1585 to 1610, Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Hungary) allegedly killed 600 virgins. She was later locked in her castle, where she died in 1614. (Unbroken for 399 years)
Youngest doctorate:
On April 13, 1814, Carl Witte of Austria was made a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by the University of Giessen, Germany, aged just 12. (Unbroken for 195 years)
Lightest person:
Lucia Xarate, (or Zarate, aka "The Mexican Lilliputian," Mexico, 1863-89), an emaciated ateleiotic dwarf, weighed just 4.7 lbs (2.13 kg) at the age of 17. (Unbroken for 120 years)
Loudest noise:
Have you heard that the eruption of the island-volcano Krakatoa, in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, on August 27, 1883, was audible 3,100 miles (5,000 km) away? (Unbroken for 126 years)
Largest diamond:
No diamond has ever been found larger than the 3,106-carat Cullinan unearthed on January 26, 1905, at the Premier Diamond Mine in South Africa. (Unbroken for 104 years)
Largest audience to attend a circus:
Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause, please, for the largest circus crowd. A total of 52,385 people attended the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, on September 14,1975. (Unbroken for 34 years)
St. Simeon the Stylite (C. AD 386-459) spent 39 years on a pillar on the Hill of Wonders, near Aleppo, Syria. (Unbroken for 1,550 years-the longest held record in GWR archives)
Largest pandemic:
From 1347 to 1351, the pneumonic form of plague, aka the Black Death, killed around 75 million people. (Unbroken for 658 years)
Worst dance mania:
In July 1374, an outbreak of tarantism (dancing mania) in Aachen, Germany, saw thousands quite literally dancing uncontrollably in the streets. (Unbroken for 635 years)
Most prolific female murderer:
From c. 1585 to 1610, Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Hungary) allegedly killed 600 virgins. She was later locked in her castle, where she died in 1614. (Unbroken for 399 years)
Youngest doctorate:
On April 13, 1814, Carl Witte of Austria was made a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by the University of Giessen, Germany, aged just 12. (Unbroken for 195 years)
Lightest person:
Lucia Xarate, (or Zarate, aka "The Mexican Lilliputian," Mexico, 1863-89), an emaciated ateleiotic dwarf, weighed just 4.7 lbs (2.13 kg) at the age of 17. (Unbroken for 120 years)
Loudest noise:
Have you heard that the eruption of the island-volcano Krakatoa, in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, on August 27, 1883, was audible 3,100 miles (5,000 km) away? (Unbroken for 126 years)
Largest diamond:
No diamond has ever been found larger than the 3,106-carat Cullinan unearthed on January 26, 1905, at the Premier Diamond Mine in South Africa. (Unbroken for 104 years)
Largest audience to attend a circus:
Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause, please, for the largest circus crowd. A total of 52,385 people attended the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, on September 14,1975. (Unbroken for 34 years)
Sunday, July 19, 2015
In The Beginning lll
276. Almost every ancient culture has some sort of flood or deluge myth that shares much in common with the Biblical flood. In most of them the gods send a catastrophic flood to destroy the world, but one good man is told of the coming disaster and his family is saved to continue human existence. The one most like Noah's story comes from the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic. In this story, the hero, Utnapishtim, also survives the flood by building a boat, which comes to rest on Mount Nisir, which is in the same region as Noah's "mountains of Ararat."
277. Noah made his ark of "gopher wood" (Gen. 6:14), which probably meant the cypress tree. This wood is extremely durable. The doors of Saint Peter's in Rome are made from it and after twelve hundred years they still show no signs of decay.
278. The Bible does not list all of the animals that took refuge on the ark. However, those animals that survived the flood must have been the ones that were best known to the Hebrews and also those mentioned most often in the Bible through symbolism or otherwise.
279. The first bird Noah released was a raven, a powerful flier able to slice through the air or soar with the ease of a hawk on wings that span up to four feet. Its habitat wilderness, and so it was just the bird to scout out any crags that might have emerged from the flooded earth. The raven is noted for its remarkable memory, so this scout would not forget the location of the ark.
280. When the raven failed to give Noah any sign of land, Noah sent out a dove ("doves" and "pigeons," by the way, refer to the same birds.) The rock dove was one of the earliest of all animals to be domesticated. There are Egyptian records, dating back five thousand years, of people rearing them in captivity for food and probably also as carrier pigeons.
281. Very fast fliers, the strong wings of doves make them capable of powerful flight in a straight line, despite storms and high winds. Almost at least five thousand years of using doves and pigeons to carry messages, we are still not certain how a pigeon "homes"-finds its way back to its roost-as the Biblical dove found its way back to the ark.
282. The second time Noah sent out the dove, it returned before evening with an olive leaf. This was evidence that the waters had subsided enough to expose the valleys where olive trees grow. The olive was the most important tree cultivated in the Holy Land. It is native only to the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
283. The story of Noah and the ark yields some interesting analysis as a type of Christ. The ark itself is a type of Christ! God gave Noah every detail of how it was to be built, from its dimensions to its purpose in protecting Noah and his family from the judgment that awaited the rest of the world. Likewise, God planned every minute detail of how Jesus would redeem God's people; not a single detail was left to man. As the big boat brought earthly salvation for Noah, so Christ brings eternal salvation for all who believe in Him. As the ark had but one door, so Christ is the door to God-He is the only way we can gain forgiveness for our sins and come to the Father.
284. The families of Noah's sons "had one language and a common speech" (Gen. 11:1). Babel was the original name for Babylon, which in Hebrew means "gate of God." Situated on the southern part of the flood plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Babylon was the site where builders attempted to erect a tower "that reaches to the heavens" (Gen. 11:4). The builders never completed the tower because their language became confused and they could no longer understand one another.
285. With the destruction of the tower of Babel, the Bible's story of the early history of humankind ends. Abraham, the great patriarch of the Hebrews, is a descendant of Noah's son Shem. Abraham was the man to whom God promised, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great" (Gen. 12:2
277. Noah made his ark of "gopher wood" (Gen. 6:14), which probably meant the cypress tree. This wood is extremely durable. The doors of Saint Peter's in Rome are made from it and after twelve hundred years they still show no signs of decay.
278. The Bible does not list all of the animals that took refuge on the ark. However, those animals that survived the flood must have been the ones that were best known to the Hebrews and also those mentioned most often in the Bible through symbolism or otherwise.
279. The first bird Noah released was a raven, a powerful flier able to slice through the air or soar with the ease of a hawk on wings that span up to four feet. Its habitat wilderness, and so it was just the bird to scout out any crags that might have emerged from the flooded earth. The raven is noted for its remarkable memory, so this scout would not forget the location of the ark.
280. When the raven failed to give Noah any sign of land, Noah sent out a dove ("doves" and "pigeons," by the way, refer to the same birds.) The rock dove was one of the earliest of all animals to be domesticated. There are Egyptian records, dating back five thousand years, of people rearing them in captivity for food and probably also as carrier pigeons.
281. Very fast fliers, the strong wings of doves make them capable of powerful flight in a straight line, despite storms and high winds. Almost at least five thousand years of using doves and pigeons to carry messages, we are still not certain how a pigeon "homes"-finds its way back to its roost-as the Biblical dove found its way back to the ark.
282. The second time Noah sent out the dove, it returned before evening with an olive leaf. This was evidence that the waters had subsided enough to expose the valleys where olive trees grow. The olive was the most important tree cultivated in the Holy Land. It is native only to the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
283. The story of Noah and the ark yields some interesting analysis as a type of Christ. The ark itself is a type of Christ! God gave Noah every detail of how it was to be built, from its dimensions to its purpose in protecting Noah and his family from the judgment that awaited the rest of the world. Likewise, God planned every minute detail of how Jesus would redeem God's people; not a single detail was left to man. As the big boat brought earthly salvation for Noah, so Christ brings eternal salvation for all who believe in Him. As the ark had but one door, so Christ is the door to God-He is the only way we can gain forgiveness for our sins and come to the Father.
284. The families of Noah's sons "had one language and a common speech" (Gen. 11:1). Babel was the original name for Babylon, which in Hebrew means "gate of God." Situated on the southern part of the flood plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Babylon was the site where builders attempted to erect a tower "that reaches to the heavens" (Gen. 11:4). The builders never completed the tower because their language became confused and they could no longer understand one another.
285. With the destruction of the tower of Babel, the Bible's story of the early history of humankind ends. Abraham, the great patriarch of the Hebrews, is a descendant of Noah's son Shem. Abraham was the man to whom God promised, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great" (Gen. 12:2
Saturday, July 18, 2015
In The Beginning ll
266. "Apples of gold in settings of silver." Proverbs appears to describe the apricot in this way (25:11). Not only is this a lovely poetic description of an apricot tree, it is also remarkably accurate. Its fruit is golden and the pale undersides of the leaves look silver when they turn in the breeze.
267. Adam and Eve. The story of creation is one of continuing wonder to believers and nonbelievers alike. Humankind had to come from somewhere, and the story in Genesis 1 and 2 reveals how a creative, organized God spoke the world into existence.
268. The fall of man. Though Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world, they chose to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit. Scripture is clear that such a choice led to our current situation-humankind is sinful and separated from God yet still desires peace with him.
269. The fig tree is the second tree named in the Bible. After eating the forbidden apricot, Adam and Eve "sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves" (Gen. 3:7). The large, tough leaves of the fig tree would certainly have made adequate clothing. Fig leaves are still sewn together in the Near East to make baskets, dishes, and even umbrellas.
270. Adam and Eve were banished from Eden into what the Bible describes as a land of thorn and thistles. Thorns and spines grow on many different kinds of plants, but they are especially common on plants of the desert and semiarid regions of the world. Many kinds of thistles grow abundantly in the Bible lands.
271. Adam and Eve's firstborn son, Cain, is remembered as the first murderer for killing his brother, Abel. When God sentenced Cain to wander the earth, Cain begged for mercy and, in fear, thought that someone would kill him. So God marked him. Widely viewed as a sign of guilt, the so-called "mark of Cain" is actually a symbol of divine mercy. Opponents of the death penalty point to this first murder and God's merciful sentence on the murderer as a Biblical rejection of capital punishment. For his crime Cain received a life sentence of hard labor.
272. Who were the Nephilim? Squeezed between the generation after Adam and the time of Noah is a curious story (Gen. 6:1-4) about the mysterious "Nephilim," briefly described as the offspring of the "sons of God." Echoing tales of Greek gods who mated with mortal women, the Biblical passage calls the offspring of the angelic-human marriages "heroes of old, men of renown." They are only mentioned once more in Hebrew Scriptures, where Nephilim literally translates as "fallen ones." Many believe they were giants possessing superhuman powers.
273. Some early theologians thought the Nephilim were fallen angels who were responsible for sin in the world. Whoever these "sons of God" and their children were, God was not happy with the situation . He limited human life spans to 120 years. People became so wicked that God was sorry he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him. "So the Lord said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:5-8).
274. Noah and the ark. Genesis chapters 6-9 tell the story of people becoming thoroughly evil and God's judgment against them by sending forty days and nights of continual rainfall. At the same time, He worked through one faithful man, Noah, to build an ark and preserve remnant so that humankind could continue. The story of judgment and mercy resonates through the ages.
275. Famous Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was surprised to discover fossilized remains of sea creatures while walking in the Alps, and he asked how they got there. The conventional wisdom of his day simply said it was proof that a flood once covered the earth.
267. Adam and Eve. The story of creation is one of continuing wonder to believers and nonbelievers alike. Humankind had to come from somewhere, and the story in Genesis 1 and 2 reveals how a creative, organized God spoke the world into existence.
268. The fall of man. Though Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world, they chose to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit. Scripture is clear that such a choice led to our current situation-humankind is sinful and separated from God yet still desires peace with him.
269. The fig tree is the second tree named in the Bible. After eating the forbidden apricot, Adam and Eve "sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves" (Gen. 3:7). The large, tough leaves of the fig tree would certainly have made adequate clothing. Fig leaves are still sewn together in the Near East to make baskets, dishes, and even umbrellas.
270. Adam and Eve were banished from Eden into what the Bible describes as a land of thorn and thistles. Thorns and spines grow on many different kinds of plants, but they are especially common on plants of the desert and semiarid regions of the world. Many kinds of thistles grow abundantly in the Bible lands.
271. Adam and Eve's firstborn son, Cain, is remembered as the first murderer for killing his brother, Abel. When God sentenced Cain to wander the earth, Cain begged for mercy and, in fear, thought that someone would kill him. So God marked him. Widely viewed as a sign of guilt, the so-called "mark of Cain" is actually a symbol of divine mercy. Opponents of the death penalty point to this first murder and God's merciful sentence on the murderer as a Biblical rejection of capital punishment. For his crime Cain received a life sentence of hard labor.
272. Who were the Nephilim? Squeezed between the generation after Adam and the time of Noah is a curious story (Gen. 6:1-4) about the mysterious "Nephilim," briefly described as the offspring of the "sons of God." Echoing tales of Greek gods who mated with mortal women, the Biblical passage calls the offspring of the angelic-human marriages "heroes of old, men of renown." They are only mentioned once more in Hebrew Scriptures, where Nephilim literally translates as "fallen ones." Many believe they were giants possessing superhuman powers.
273. Some early theologians thought the Nephilim were fallen angels who were responsible for sin in the world. Whoever these "sons of God" and their children were, God was not happy with the situation . He limited human life spans to 120 years. People became so wicked that God was sorry he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him. "So the Lord said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:5-8).
274. Noah and the ark. Genesis chapters 6-9 tell the story of people becoming thoroughly evil and God's judgment against them by sending forty days and nights of continual rainfall. At the same time, He worked through one faithful man, Noah, to build an ark and preserve remnant so that humankind could continue. The story of judgment and mercy resonates through the ages.
275. Famous Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was surprised to discover fossilized remains of sea creatures while walking in the Alps, and he asked how they got there. The conventional wisdom of his day simply said it was proof that a flood once covered the earth.
Monday, July 13, 2015
In The Beginning I
257. God began it all. "In the beginning God..." is how the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible begins. The beginning of the history of the world is chronicled with those words!
258. Elohim, which originates from the Hebrews word el, is translated as "God." The Hebrew word el actually is used for reference to all general gods. Another title of God, el elyon, is also a derivation of this and means "the most high God" (Gen. 14:18).
259. Yahweh is the only name for God that is personal in nature. A Hebrew word, it is commonly translated into English versions as "Jehovah." or "the Lord" (Exod. 6:3).
260. When creation began. Relying on Biblical sources such as the chronologies and genealogies in Genesis, numerous people have attempted to pinpoint a time and date for the precise moment of creation. Ancient Hebrew scholars placed the moment as 3761 B.C. Perhaps the most famous creation date was the one produced by Irish bishop James Ussher (1581-1656). Using Genesis, Ussher dated the moment of creation to the early morning of the twenty-third of October in 4004 B.C. (Ussher actually used the Julian calendar year of 710). Ussher's calculation was widely accepted by European Christians for centuries and was included in the margins of many editions of the King James Bible, giving it nearly divine "authority."
261. Eden, which means "a place of delight," is believed by some scholars to have been located at the eastern end of the Fertile Crescent, near where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers meet the Persian Gulf.
262. The name "Adam" is a pun on the similar Hebrew words for "soil" and for "man." The word Adam is derived from the Hebrew word for "man" in the collective sense, as in humanity or humankind. It is also related to the Hebrew word adamah, which means "ground" or "earth." The author of Genesis used a word-play. Adam, man, came from adamah, the ground.
263. Not an apple. Though legend has it that the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge that Eve was tempted by the serpent to taste was an apple, nowhere does the Bible identify it as one. In fact most scholars agree that the one fruit it definitely could not have been was the apple. Apples were not likely to have grown in the Bible ands in Old Testament times. However, apples were cultivated by the Egyptians, and the Romans at the time of Christ had more than twenty varieties.
264. The legend that the apple was the fruit on the tree of knowledge arose in the Middle Ages when artists painted pictures of Eve tasting the apple. Another source of confusion was the medieval custom of calling many different kinds of fruit "apples." Lemons were known as "Persian apples," dates as "finger apples," and pomegranates as "apples of Carthage."
265. Apples or apricots? The fruit meant by the Hebrew word commonly translated as "apple" was probably the apricot, which flourishes all over the Bible lands. A clue comes from Solomon, who used the same word to describe a tree: "I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste" (Songs of Sol. 2:3). Solomon seems to be describing the apricot, for even today nomads pitch their tents under its branches for shade, and it is the fruit with the sweetest taste in the Holy Land.
258. Elohim, which originates from the Hebrews word el, is translated as "God." The Hebrew word el actually is used for reference to all general gods. Another title of God, el elyon, is also a derivation of this and means "the most high God" (Gen. 14:18).
259. Yahweh is the only name for God that is personal in nature. A Hebrew word, it is commonly translated into English versions as "Jehovah." or "the Lord" (Exod. 6:3).
260. When creation began. Relying on Biblical sources such as the chronologies and genealogies in Genesis, numerous people have attempted to pinpoint a time and date for the precise moment of creation. Ancient Hebrew scholars placed the moment as 3761 B.C. Perhaps the most famous creation date was the one produced by Irish bishop James Ussher (1581-1656). Using Genesis, Ussher dated the moment of creation to the early morning of the twenty-third of October in 4004 B.C. (Ussher actually used the Julian calendar year of 710). Ussher's calculation was widely accepted by European Christians for centuries and was included in the margins of many editions of the King James Bible, giving it nearly divine "authority."
261. Eden, which means "a place of delight," is believed by some scholars to have been located at the eastern end of the Fertile Crescent, near where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers meet the Persian Gulf.
262. The name "Adam" is a pun on the similar Hebrew words for "soil" and for "man." The word Adam is derived from the Hebrew word for "man" in the collective sense, as in humanity or humankind. It is also related to the Hebrew word adamah, which means "ground" or "earth." The author of Genesis used a word-play. Adam, man, came from adamah, the ground.
263. Not an apple. Though legend has it that the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge that Eve was tempted by the serpent to taste was an apple, nowhere does the Bible identify it as one. In fact most scholars agree that the one fruit it definitely could not have been was the apple. Apples were not likely to have grown in the Bible ands in Old Testament times. However, apples were cultivated by the Egyptians, and the Romans at the time of Christ had more than twenty varieties.
264. The legend that the apple was the fruit on the tree of knowledge arose in the Middle Ages when artists painted pictures of Eve tasting the apple. Another source of confusion was the medieval custom of calling many different kinds of fruit "apples." Lemons were known as "Persian apples," dates as "finger apples," and pomegranates as "apples of Carthage."
265. Apples or apricots? The fruit meant by the Hebrew word commonly translated as "apple" was probably the apricot, which flourishes all over the Bible lands. A clue comes from Solomon, who used the same word to describe a tree: "I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste" (Songs of Sol. 2:3). Solomon seems to be describing the apricot, for even today nomads pitch their tents under its branches for shade, and it is the fruit with the sweetest taste in the Holy Land.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Ben Franklin's Legacy, Books for a Bell
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most astute Americans of his time, and as such, he wasn't about to allow himself to be played like a violin. He was never known to yield to manipulation. At least that became the opinion of folks in Wrentham, Massachusetts, after he turned them down on their appeal for help in obtaining a church bell.
The trouble began at the end of the War for Independence when a dispute arose that divided the citizens of Wrentham. The discord grew so intense that the dissidents departed, started their own town, and named it New Wrentham.
The first building the citizens set out to erect was their own church. This was not surprising since New England tradition put that institution at the cultural, social, religious, and governmental center of every town. The founding fathers of the new community went right to work, but there was a problem. When they finished building the church, someone noted that there was no bell in the steeple. This meant that there was no way to summon the local citizens for services, or for emergencies such as fire. Therefore, the town leaders put their heads together and came up with a plan.
Knowing of Franklin's interest in community buildings, the folks of New Wrentham figured they could count on him for their bell. All they needed was to gain the old patriot's attention. To accomplish this, they put a proverbial carrot at the end of the stick and announced that they had changed the name of their town to Franklin, in hopes that he would help them
Next they wrote him a letter, informing him of their action and asking him to donate a bell for their church. Dr. Franklin, however, was not too impressed. He wrote back, suggesting that "sense is better than sound," and offered a better way for him to assist the fledgling community.
Instead of a bell, Franklin sent the good citizens a crate of books, intimating that they should forget about the house of worship for awhile and start a library. For Franklin, books were much more important than the sound of a church bell.
The people followed Franklin's advice and as a result, today, over 200 years later, they have the oldest public library in the United States-a continuing monument to Benjamin Franklin's refusal to allow any group of people to use him for their own purposes, not even when they were willing to change the name of their town.
The trouble began at the end of the War for Independence when a dispute arose that divided the citizens of Wrentham. The discord grew so intense that the dissidents departed, started their own town, and named it New Wrentham.
The first building the citizens set out to erect was their own church. This was not surprising since New England tradition put that institution at the cultural, social, religious, and governmental center of every town. The founding fathers of the new community went right to work, but there was a problem. When they finished building the church, someone noted that there was no bell in the steeple. This meant that there was no way to summon the local citizens for services, or for emergencies such as fire. Therefore, the town leaders put their heads together and came up with a plan.
Knowing of Franklin's interest in community buildings, the folks of New Wrentham figured they could count on him for their bell. All they needed was to gain the old patriot's attention. To accomplish this, they put a proverbial carrot at the end of the stick and announced that they had changed the name of their town to Franklin, in hopes that he would help them
Next they wrote him a letter, informing him of their action and asking him to donate a bell for their church. Dr. Franklin, however, was not too impressed. He wrote back, suggesting that "sense is better than sound," and offered a better way for him to assist the fledgling community.
Instead of a bell, Franklin sent the good citizens a crate of books, intimating that they should forget about the house of worship for awhile and start a library. For Franklin, books were much more important than the sound of a church bell.
The people followed Franklin's advice and as a result, today, over 200 years later, they have the oldest public library in the United States-a continuing monument to Benjamin Franklin's refusal to allow any group of people to use him for their own purposes, not even when they were willing to change the name of their town.
Friday, July 10, 2015
A Patriotic Defense of British Redcoats: BOSTON MASSACRE
The snowball fight of March 5, 1770, is a well known story. British soldiers guarding the Boston custom house fired into an unruly mob of dock workers, killing five of them. When Samuel Adams published an account of the shootings, the episode became known as the Boston Massacre. Little did the Patriot leader know the strange chain of events that would follow his expose.
After Sam Adam's publication, the colonists were furious and demanded justice. So vociferous were they, that the British authorities decided to make scapegoats of the Redcoats.
The first to be on trial was Captain Preston. He was found innocent. That left the eight soldiers, who now realized more than ever that they needed a good lawyer. Had their captain been found guilty, that would have rendered them guiltless; they had just been following orders. But with Preston having found innocent, the soldiers were now on their own-hung out to dry. At that point, the best lawyer in Boston stepped in to take their case and save their lives.
When the trial opened, the defense attorney, who was himself a colonial, was held in almost as much ridicule as the soldiers. Cold stares surveyed him in court, and he met with outright hostility on the street. Nevertheless, he persevered.
The defense counsel maintained that the mob into which the defendants had shot, was in reality an unlawful assembly. So brilliantly did he argue the case that, after two and a half, the jury came back with a not guilty verdict for six of the soldiers and manslaughter verdicts for the other two.
None of the defendants in the Boston Massacre went to jail. even the two guilty ones, claiming a common law custom, escaped prison by being branded.
Thus it was that eight British redcoats owed their lives and their freedom to a colonial lawyer who laid aside his own political feelings to do his duty. For you see, that Boston attorney who successfully defended the soldiers of the Boston Massacre was none other than John Adams, our second president, one of the most ardent anti-British patriots Massachusetts ever produced.
After Sam Adam's publication, the colonists were furious and demanded justice. So vociferous were they, that the British authorities decided to make scapegoats of the Redcoats.
The first to be on trial was Captain Preston. He was found innocent. That left the eight soldiers, who now realized more than ever that they needed a good lawyer. Had their captain been found guilty, that would have rendered them guiltless; they had just been following orders. But with Preston having found innocent, the soldiers were now on their own-hung out to dry. At that point, the best lawyer in Boston stepped in to take their case and save their lives.
When the trial opened, the defense attorney, who was himself a colonial, was held in almost as much ridicule as the soldiers. Cold stares surveyed him in court, and he met with outright hostility on the street. Nevertheless, he persevered.
The defense counsel maintained that the mob into which the defendants had shot, was in reality an unlawful assembly. So brilliantly did he argue the case that, after two and a half, the jury came back with a not guilty verdict for six of the soldiers and manslaughter verdicts for the other two.
None of the defendants in the Boston Massacre went to jail. even the two guilty ones, claiming a common law custom, escaped prison by being branded.
Thus it was that eight British redcoats owed their lives and their freedom to a colonial lawyer who laid aside his own political feelings to do his duty. For you see, that Boston attorney who successfully defended the soldiers of the Boston Massacre was none other than John Adams, our second president, one of the most ardent anti-British patriots Massachusetts ever produced.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
The Old Testament Books lV
247. Amos prophesied at about the same time as Hosea and Joel. Amos was a sheepherder from a Judean village who left his flocks to denounce the sins of his people during the time of the northern King Jeroboam II (786-744 B.C.), a prosperous time in Israel. Though a herdsman, Amos used some of the purest and most classical Hebrew in the entire Old Testament. In a style of informal satire, Amos attacked the oppression of the poor by the rich, as well the latter's empty piety and immoral religious practices. If the people did not mend their corrupt ways, Amos warned, they would be destroyed.
248. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament-only one chapter. Like Joel, he emphasized the coming day of the Lord. He said that since all nations have a day of reckoning, it does not pay to gloat when another nation encounters misfortune. He also emphasized the often-used words of wisdom. "As you have done it, so it will be done to you."
249. Jonah. This book marks a distinct change of pace. Jonah's story is told in narrative form about how he refused to deliver a message of warning to the great city of Nineveh, capital of Assyria. Israel's prophets often had words to deliver to surrounding nations, but Jonah had no desire to deliver a message of repentance to the enemies of his people. Jonah attempted to run away, booking passage on a ship going to Tarshish in southern Spain, the farthest known earthly point to which a man could then travel. In the end Jonah learned a great lesson in the depth of God's mercy.
250. Micah returns to the normal poetic style of the prophets. His writings are structured in three stages: reproof, threat, and promise. Micah reminded the people of all that God had done for them in the past. He called them to obedience in the present and hopefulness for the future. He spoke to both the people of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom.
251. Nahum. Like Jonah, Nahum was concerned with the city of Nineveh. Here there is no narrative story, but where Jonah gave us just the overview, Nahum spells out the full indictment of the city's wrongdoings. Descriptive words are piled on one another, creating rapidly moving pictures. Nahum lived long after Jonah. Nineveh's embrace of morality had ended, and Nahum warned them of their final fall.
252. Habakkuk foresaw the assault on Israel by Babylon. He admitted Israel's sin but asked why an unrighteous nation like Babylon was so worthy to conquer. There is no lengthy answer in this short book. God's response is only that the righteous will live by faith. That is, he or she will trust that all accounts are eventually settled. Once again the people were instructed to live righteously.
253. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah. Zephaniah's prophecy came in the years immediately preceding the fall of Jerusalem. He talked of the coming day of the Lord, which for Jerusalem was right around the corner. Yet he, too, spoke of the glorious long-term future God had in mind for his people-that a remnant of God's people would survive the day of judgment.
254. Haggai and the next two prophets did their work after the remnant of Israelites returned from exile in Babylon. Haggai is specifically mentioned in the Book of Ezra as being among the returning exiles. Haggai's style is compact, forceful, and at times stern. Yet he encouraged the leaders and the people not to grieve over the brokenness of the nation they were rebuilding.
255. Zechariah was a coworker with Haggai. He, too, is mentioned in the Book of Ezra. His writing is considerably longer and more complex than Haggai's. This book can be divided into four sections (the first three are dated, but the last is not). He described visions, some of which are as complex as those found in Ezekiel and Daniel.
256. Malachi. The twelfth and last of the minor prophets is more proselike than poetic, with a definite plan of argument. Malachi was concerned with the morality of the priesthood in his time. You would think that all the warning the prophets had given before the fall of Jerusalem and all the chastening Israel had experienced that the priests would be diligent about keeping up their duties. But they weren't. Malachi warned the priests who thought they would get a "free ride" that they were in for a rude awakening.
248. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament-only one chapter. Like Joel, he emphasized the coming day of the Lord. He said that since all nations have a day of reckoning, it does not pay to gloat when another nation encounters misfortune. He also emphasized the often-used words of wisdom. "As you have done it, so it will be done to you."
249. Jonah. This book marks a distinct change of pace. Jonah's story is told in narrative form about how he refused to deliver a message of warning to the great city of Nineveh, capital of Assyria. Israel's prophets often had words to deliver to surrounding nations, but Jonah had no desire to deliver a message of repentance to the enemies of his people. Jonah attempted to run away, booking passage on a ship going to Tarshish in southern Spain, the farthest known earthly point to which a man could then travel. In the end Jonah learned a great lesson in the depth of God's mercy.
250. Micah returns to the normal poetic style of the prophets. His writings are structured in three stages: reproof, threat, and promise. Micah reminded the people of all that God had done for them in the past. He called them to obedience in the present and hopefulness for the future. He spoke to both the people of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom.
251. Nahum. Like Jonah, Nahum was concerned with the city of Nineveh. Here there is no narrative story, but where Jonah gave us just the overview, Nahum spells out the full indictment of the city's wrongdoings. Descriptive words are piled on one another, creating rapidly moving pictures. Nahum lived long after Jonah. Nineveh's embrace of morality had ended, and Nahum warned them of their final fall.
252. Habakkuk foresaw the assault on Israel by Babylon. He admitted Israel's sin but asked why an unrighteous nation like Babylon was so worthy to conquer. There is no lengthy answer in this short book. God's response is only that the righteous will live by faith. That is, he or she will trust that all accounts are eventually settled. Once again the people were instructed to live righteously.
253. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah. Zephaniah's prophecy came in the years immediately preceding the fall of Jerusalem. He talked of the coming day of the Lord, which for Jerusalem was right around the corner. Yet he, too, spoke of the glorious long-term future God had in mind for his people-that a remnant of God's people would survive the day of judgment.
254. Haggai and the next two prophets did their work after the remnant of Israelites returned from exile in Babylon. Haggai is specifically mentioned in the Book of Ezra as being among the returning exiles. Haggai's style is compact, forceful, and at times stern. Yet he encouraged the leaders and the people not to grieve over the brokenness of the nation they were rebuilding.
255. Zechariah was a coworker with Haggai. He, too, is mentioned in the Book of Ezra. His writing is considerably longer and more complex than Haggai's. This book can be divided into four sections (the first three are dated, but the last is not). He described visions, some of which are as complex as those found in Ezekiel and Daniel.
256. Malachi. The twelfth and last of the minor prophets is more proselike than poetic, with a definite plan of argument. Malachi was concerned with the morality of the priesthood in his time. You would think that all the warning the prophets had given before the fall of Jerusalem and all the chastening Israel had experienced that the priests would be diligent about keeping up their duties. But they weren't. Malachi warned the priests who thought they would get a "free ride" that they were in for a rude awakening.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
The Old Testament Books lll
238. Ecclesiastes. If Job reads like a play, and Psalms like poetry, and Proverbs like a book of maxims, Ecclesiastes reads like an essay, or the thoughts of an old man thinking out loud. Its subject is the vanity of life. The book approaches Job's question, but from the opposite side: If this universe is governed by a moral God, why doesn't everything make sense? The conclusion of the book's search is that regardless of any apparent vanity, fearing God and keeping His commandments is the wisest course of action.
239. Song of Solomon. Plain and simple, this book is an erotic love poem. The writing resembles Egyptian love poetry and Arabic wedding songs that praise charm and beauty of the bride. The traditional interpretation, both in Judaism and Christianity, is that these love poems represent Yahweh's love for Israel while also establishing God's high regard for male-female love and sexuality.
240. Isaiah opens by dating himself according to the reign of a particular king in Israel's history and then describing his visions in the form of poetry. Throughout his book, Isaiah made key references to historical markers, which keep his writings in context with the historical books. The other prophets often followed this form. Isaiah's ministry spread over the reigns of four of Judah's kings. Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more often than any other book of prophecy.
241. Jeremiah was another firebrand of the declining years of Judah. Jeremiah, whose name meant "God hurled," was born in a tiny village northeast of Jerusalem, and before long, perhaps while he was still in his teens, he was thrown into the midst of his nation's most terrifying crisis. He was a faithful prophet to God but unpopular among the people. The young Jeremiah declared that the Babylonians would destroy the nation because the children of Israel had forgotten God.
242. Lamentations is a brief book of sorrowful poems, some in the form of alphabetic acrostics, which recall the grim fate of Jerusalem following its destruction by the Babylonians in 587/6 B.C. The title is derived from the Hebrew word qinoth ("dirges" or "laments"). In Christian Old Testaments, the book is placed after Jeremiah, but it is found in the third part of the Hebrew Canon Writings. The poems are bitterly sad elegies for the "dead" city, but they express hope that God will restore a humbled and repentant Israel.
243. Ezekiel is one of the hardest books to read in the Bible. It is long, with a somber tone like Jeremiah. Its images are complex and hard to understand. Babylon besieged Israel before the capital, Jerusalem, finally fell. During those years of siege, captives were taken from the land and shipped to Babylon. Ezekiel was one of the captives. Ezekiel dealt first with the problems that caused Israel to lose her land. Second, he wanted his people to maintain hope for the future.
244. Daniel. Like Ezekiel, the Book of Daniel has some complicated images. These images add to the glorious picture of the future of Israel. The central figure in that future was the Messiah, the Jews' image of hope. The first half of the book is straightforward narrative and is the source of some of the Bible's most loved stories: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace; Daniel in the lion's den; and the story that gave rise to the saying, "You could see the handwriting on the wall."
245. Hosea is a prophet of love. Hosea's own experiences with his wayward wife, Gomer, are used as a symbol to illustrate God's pain in dealing with Israel. Like Gomer's sin, Israel's sin would be punished before there could be restoration. In the Book of Hosea, the sins of Israel are spelled out, and she is described as a "harlot." God is portrayed as a faithful and loving husband and Israel as an adulterous wife.
246. Joel's theme is "This is the day of the Lord." The day of the Lord shows up in other prophetic books as well and means a day of reckoning-a day of judgment. It refers to a time when God brings down the wicked and haughty and lifts up the humble. The day of the Lord meant destruction for some and deliverance for others. Joel spoke of a day approaching for Israel by describing a ravaging plague of locusts.
239. Song of Solomon. Plain and simple, this book is an erotic love poem. The writing resembles Egyptian love poetry and Arabic wedding songs that praise charm and beauty of the bride. The traditional interpretation, both in Judaism and Christianity, is that these love poems represent Yahweh's love for Israel while also establishing God's high regard for male-female love and sexuality.
240. Isaiah opens by dating himself according to the reign of a particular king in Israel's history and then describing his visions in the form of poetry. Throughout his book, Isaiah made key references to historical markers, which keep his writings in context with the historical books. The other prophets often followed this form. Isaiah's ministry spread over the reigns of four of Judah's kings. Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more often than any other book of prophecy.
241. Jeremiah was another firebrand of the declining years of Judah. Jeremiah, whose name meant "God hurled," was born in a tiny village northeast of Jerusalem, and before long, perhaps while he was still in his teens, he was thrown into the midst of his nation's most terrifying crisis. He was a faithful prophet to God but unpopular among the people. The young Jeremiah declared that the Babylonians would destroy the nation because the children of Israel had forgotten God.
242. Lamentations is a brief book of sorrowful poems, some in the form of alphabetic acrostics, which recall the grim fate of Jerusalem following its destruction by the Babylonians in 587/6 B.C. The title is derived from the Hebrew word qinoth ("dirges" or "laments"). In Christian Old Testaments, the book is placed after Jeremiah, but it is found in the third part of the Hebrew Canon Writings. The poems are bitterly sad elegies for the "dead" city, but they express hope that God will restore a humbled and repentant Israel.
243. Ezekiel is one of the hardest books to read in the Bible. It is long, with a somber tone like Jeremiah. Its images are complex and hard to understand. Babylon besieged Israel before the capital, Jerusalem, finally fell. During those years of siege, captives were taken from the land and shipped to Babylon. Ezekiel was one of the captives. Ezekiel dealt first with the problems that caused Israel to lose her land. Second, he wanted his people to maintain hope for the future.
244. Daniel. Like Ezekiel, the Book of Daniel has some complicated images. These images add to the glorious picture of the future of Israel. The central figure in that future was the Messiah, the Jews' image of hope. The first half of the book is straightforward narrative and is the source of some of the Bible's most loved stories: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace; Daniel in the lion's den; and the story that gave rise to the saying, "You could see the handwriting on the wall."
245. Hosea is a prophet of love. Hosea's own experiences with his wayward wife, Gomer, are used as a symbol to illustrate God's pain in dealing with Israel. Like Gomer's sin, Israel's sin would be punished before there could be restoration. In the Book of Hosea, the sins of Israel are spelled out, and she is described as a "harlot." God is portrayed as a faithful and loving husband and Israel as an adulterous wife.
246. Joel's theme is "This is the day of the Lord." The day of the Lord shows up in other prophetic books as well and means a day of reckoning-a day of judgment. It refers to a time when God brings down the wicked and haughty and lifts up the humble. The day of the Lord meant destruction for some and deliverance for others. Joel spoke of a day approaching for Israel by describing a ravaging plague of locusts.
Monday, July 6, 2015
The Old Testament Books ll
228. 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings. Originally the two books of Samuel and the two books of Kings were each a single book in the Hebrew Canon of the Bible, telling the history of the kingdom of Israel. Once they were translated into Greek in the Septuagint, they no longer fit on single scrolls and were expanded into four books. Samuel contains the history of the prophet Samuel-the last judge of Israel-and the stormy tale of Israel's first two kings, Saul and David.
229. The division of Kings occurred when the Book of Samuel was divided into 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, the Book of Kings was divided into 1 Kings and 2 Kings, and the Book of Chronicles was divided into 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. The motivation was not spiritual but practical-the books were simply too long to keep on one scroll.
230. 1 and 2 Chronicles is the ancient Reader's Digest version of everything that had already taken place in the Bible from Genesis forward. It is abridged and simplified, with many of the nasty parts taken out. The first nine chapters contain long tables of "begats," showing the descendants of the Hebrew tribes, from Adam through the time of King David. The rest of 1 Chronicles and most of 2 Chronicles deal with the reigns of David and Solomon and the subsequent history of the kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian exile. Since these books are placed last in the Hebrew Canon, the Hebrew Scriptures end on a liberating note, with echoes of the Exodus.
231. Ezra opens with a decree of Cyrus, the king of Persia, following his capture of Babylon in 539 B.C., that those who want to may leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Founder of an extensive empire that lasted more than two hundred years, Cyrus was an extraordinary leader. Under Cyrus and his successors, much of the ancient Near East, from India to Egypt and the border of Greece, was brought under one ruler. Unlike other ancient conquerors who enforced their own religions on conquered peoples, Cyrus permitted the captive nations to preserve and restore their own institutions.
232. Nehemiah. Jerusalem was constantly raided by various marauders. Nehemiah's particular concern was the security of Jerusalem, so he returned from exile specifically to help. He organized the people and rebuilt the city walls in fifty-five days. While Ezra's role was that of a priest, Nehemiah's was that of governor. When the rebuilding was completed, Ezra was invited to rededicate the city by reading from the book of Moses. Ezra-Nehemiah make a distinctive pair of books, together recording the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile.
233. Esther (Hadassah in Hebrew). While Ezra-Nehemiah deal with events in Jerusalem, Esther tells of events far away. As Ruth was a vignette sketched in the period of the judges, Esther is a vignette sketched in the time of the exile. As one of the exiles, Esther finds herself in the service of the king of Persia. The king sets out to select a new queen, and the beautiful Jewish woman, Esther, is chosen. Haman, the king's right-hand man, plans to rid his county of the Jews. Through a fascinating sequence of events involving Esther, Haman's rampage against the Jews backfires. Esther retains the favor of the king and the Jewish people are saved.
234. The books of poetry. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Solomon make up the Bible's books of poetry. Hebrew poetry is picturesque and vivid. There is a rhythm or cadence to Hebrew poetry that is lost to some degree in the translation. It is filled with concrete images and deep emotion. it touches the soul. The books of poetry aren't just a change in style from previous books; the subject matter shifts as well. Wisdom takes center stage in these five books; therefore, they are called the "wisdom literature" of the Bible.
235. Job. Whenever the troubling question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" comes up, Job is first to come to mind. But few people ever tackle this book that reads like the script for a play. The central characters are Job, three of his friends, a bystander, and God. The supporting cast includes Job's wife and children, the angels, and Satan as chief of the angels. The first two chapters and the last two chapters are prose, and the thirty-nine chapters in between consist of poetic dialogue between the central characters.
236. Psalms. While Jews and Christians share the entire Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament, Psalms is the most emotionally and intensely shared book of Hebrew Scripture. Jews know many of the psalms and individual verses by heart. Jesus often quoted or referred to the Psalms. Martin Luther called the Book of Psalms "a Bible in Miniature." The 150 "rosaries" later instituted by the Roman Catholic Church are in honor of the 150 psalms.
237. Proverbs. Some proverbs are strung together in a meaningful sequence, while others are independent of each other and need to be "unpacked" by the reader. The opening chapters of Proverbs carry extended proverbs that progress with each verse. And mostly one-liner bits of wisdom form chapters ten and following. Proverbs leaves no ambiguity over the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.
229. The division of Kings occurred when the Book of Samuel was divided into 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, the Book of Kings was divided into 1 Kings and 2 Kings, and the Book of Chronicles was divided into 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. The motivation was not spiritual but practical-the books were simply too long to keep on one scroll.
230. 1 and 2 Chronicles is the ancient Reader's Digest version of everything that had already taken place in the Bible from Genesis forward. It is abridged and simplified, with many of the nasty parts taken out. The first nine chapters contain long tables of "begats," showing the descendants of the Hebrew tribes, from Adam through the time of King David. The rest of 1 Chronicles and most of 2 Chronicles deal with the reigns of David and Solomon and the subsequent history of the kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian exile. Since these books are placed last in the Hebrew Canon, the Hebrew Scriptures end on a liberating note, with echoes of the Exodus.
231. Ezra opens with a decree of Cyrus, the king of Persia, following his capture of Babylon in 539 B.C., that those who want to may leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Founder of an extensive empire that lasted more than two hundred years, Cyrus was an extraordinary leader. Under Cyrus and his successors, much of the ancient Near East, from India to Egypt and the border of Greece, was brought under one ruler. Unlike other ancient conquerors who enforced their own religions on conquered peoples, Cyrus permitted the captive nations to preserve and restore their own institutions.
232. Nehemiah. Jerusalem was constantly raided by various marauders. Nehemiah's particular concern was the security of Jerusalem, so he returned from exile specifically to help. He organized the people and rebuilt the city walls in fifty-five days. While Ezra's role was that of a priest, Nehemiah's was that of governor. When the rebuilding was completed, Ezra was invited to rededicate the city by reading from the book of Moses. Ezra-Nehemiah make a distinctive pair of books, together recording the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile.
233. Esther (Hadassah in Hebrew). While Ezra-Nehemiah deal with events in Jerusalem, Esther tells of events far away. As Ruth was a vignette sketched in the period of the judges, Esther is a vignette sketched in the time of the exile. As one of the exiles, Esther finds herself in the service of the king of Persia. The king sets out to select a new queen, and the beautiful Jewish woman, Esther, is chosen. Haman, the king's right-hand man, plans to rid his county of the Jews. Through a fascinating sequence of events involving Esther, Haman's rampage against the Jews backfires. Esther retains the favor of the king and the Jewish people are saved.
234. The books of poetry. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Solomon make up the Bible's books of poetry. Hebrew poetry is picturesque and vivid. There is a rhythm or cadence to Hebrew poetry that is lost to some degree in the translation. It is filled with concrete images and deep emotion. it touches the soul. The books of poetry aren't just a change in style from previous books; the subject matter shifts as well. Wisdom takes center stage in these five books; therefore, they are called the "wisdom literature" of the Bible.
235. Job. Whenever the troubling question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" comes up, Job is first to come to mind. But few people ever tackle this book that reads like the script for a play. The central characters are Job, three of his friends, a bystander, and God. The supporting cast includes Job's wife and children, the angels, and Satan as chief of the angels. The first two chapters and the last two chapters are prose, and the thirty-nine chapters in between consist of poetic dialogue between the central characters.
236. Psalms. While Jews and Christians share the entire Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament, Psalms is the most emotionally and intensely shared book of Hebrew Scripture. Jews know many of the psalms and individual verses by heart. Jesus often quoted or referred to the Psalms. Martin Luther called the Book of Psalms "a Bible in Miniature." The 150 "rosaries" later instituted by the Roman Catholic Church are in honor of the 150 psalms.
237. Proverbs. Some proverbs are strung together in a meaningful sequence, while others are independent of each other and need to be "unpacked" by the reader. The opening chapters of Proverbs carry extended proverbs that progress with each verse. And mostly one-liner bits of wisdom form chapters ten and following. Proverbs leaves no ambiguity over the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
The Old Testament Books l
218. The Book of Moses. Other wise known as the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible attributed to Moses are the cornerstone of the books contributed by later generations. These books include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
219. Genesis. Genesis comes from a word meaning "to be born." From that same word we also get words like genetic, congenital, and genealogy. Though it marks the beginning, the best way to look at Genesis is not merely to begin and look forward, but to stand at Exodus and look back. Moses is writing for his fellow Israelite slaves. As they struggle with Egypt's oppression, Moses answers the question, "How did we get in this mess?" Genesis is the answer to that question. It tells the story of the Israelites ancestors-all the way back to the first human beings.
220. Exodus. This book opens several hundred years after the close of Genesis. Jacob and some seventy family members had grown into hundreds of thousands. God's promise of descendants to Abraham also included a promise of land on which the descendants would live. this land had already been settled and was called Canaan, after its original settlers. It is now the area of Palestine or Israel. Exodus means "the going out of." It is the story of the Hebrew people being led by Moses out of Egyptian captivity into the wilderness for forty years.
221. Leviticus. The Levites were descended from Jacob's son Levi. Moses and Aaron were Levites. the Levites were to keep the tabernacle and all its services for the rest of the nation, and the priests were to have the most essential parts of that service. This book is somewhat of an appendix to Exodus as it is a log of the laws and guidelines for the Israelites.
222. Numbers. The English title of this book refers to the census of the twelve tribes that opens the book. The Hebrew title, Ba-Midbar (in the wilderness"), is more accurately descriptive because the book begins with the decision to leave Sinai and cross the desert toward the Promised Land.
223. Deuteronomy. This book is essentially Moses' farewell address-actually three addresses- in which he restates the acts of God. Solemnly Moses warns of the temptations of Canaan and its evil ways. Moses pleads for loyalty to and love of God as the main condition for life in the Promised Land. A central message in Deuteronomy is that the worship of God is to be centralized in one place, so that the paganism of local shrines may be eliminated.
224. The books of history. If the books of Moses can be considered the cornerstone of the Bible, then the next twelve books can be thought of as the first story of the building. The historical record of ancient Israel that began with Genesis through Deuteronomy is continued with these next twelve books. While the first five books brought Israel to the edge of the Promised Land, these next twelve tell what happened once Israel took up residence there.
225. Joshua. Moses and Aaron were not allowed to enter the Promised Land, and neither were any of the people who came out of Egypt because of the Israelites' griping in the wilderness. Permission came at last for the Israelites to "conquer" the Promised Land after forty years of waiting. The Book of Joshua tells this story. As in many war stories, it gets pretty gory.
226. Judges recounts the history of Israel from the death of Joshua to the time just before the birth of the Hebrew prophet Samuel, roughly a two-hundred-year span. the judges were warrior-like rulers over the tribes of Israel.
227. Ruth. The short Book of Ruth-shortest of all the historical books-provides a welcome respite from the harsh times described at the end of Judges. The opening verses tell of the Moabites, Ruth's marriage to a Hebrew man during a time of famine, and how she chose to return to Judah with her mother-in-law after her husband's death. Her loyalty and kindness were rewarded and forever remembered by the Jewish people because she became the great-grandmother of King David.
219. Genesis. Genesis comes from a word meaning "to be born." From that same word we also get words like genetic, congenital, and genealogy. Though it marks the beginning, the best way to look at Genesis is not merely to begin and look forward, but to stand at Exodus and look back. Moses is writing for his fellow Israelite slaves. As they struggle with Egypt's oppression, Moses answers the question, "How did we get in this mess?" Genesis is the answer to that question. It tells the story of the Israelites ancestors-all the way back to the first human beings.
220. Exodus. This book opens several hundred years after the close of Genesis. Jacob and some seventy family members had grown into hundreds of thousands. God's promise of descendants to Abraham also included a promise of land on which the descendants would live. this land had already been settled and was called Canaan, after its original settlers. It is now the area of Palestine or Israel. Exodus means "the going out of." It is the story of the Hebrew people being led by Moses out of Egyptian captivity into the wilderness for forty years.
221. Leviticus. The Levites were descended from Jacob's son Levi. Moses and Aaron were Levites. the Levites were to keep the tabernacle and all its services for the rest of the nation, and the priests were to have the most essential parts of that service. This book is somewhat of an appendix to Exodus as it is a log of the laws and guidelines for the Israelites.
222. Numbers. The English title of this book refers to the census of the twelve tribes that opens the book. The Hebrew title, Ba-Midbar (in the wilderness"), is more accurately descriptive because the book begins with the decision to leave Sinai and cross the desert toward the Promised Land.
223. Deuteronomy. This book is essentially Moses' farewell address-actually three addresses- in which he restates the acts of God. Solemnly Moses warns of the temptations of Canaan and its evil ways. Moses pleads for loyalty to and love of God as the main condition for life in the Promised Land. A central message in Deuteronomy is that the worship of God is to be centralized in one place, so that the paganism of local shrines may be eliminated.
224. The books of history. If the books of Moses can be considered the cornerstone of the Bible, then the next twelve books can be thought of as the first story of the building. The historical record of ancient Israel that began with Genesis through Deuteronomy is continued with these next twelve books. While the first five books brought Israel to the edge of the Promised Land, these next twelve tell what happened once Israel took up residence there.
225. Joshua. Moses and Aaron were not allowed to enter the Promised Land, and neither were any of the people who came out of Egypt because of the Israelites' griping in the wilderness. Permission came at last for the Israelites to "conquer" the Promised Land after forty years of waiting. The Book of Joshua tells this story. As in many war stories, it gets pretty gory.
226. Judges recounts the history of Israel from the death of Joshua to the time just before the birth of the Hebrew prophet Samuel, roughly a two-hundred-year span. the judges were warrior-like rulers over the tribes of Israel.
227. Ruth. The short Book of Ruth-shortest of all the historical books-provides a welcome respite from the harsh times described at the end of Judges. The opening verses tell of the Moabites, Ruth's marriage to a Hebrew man during a time of famine, and how she chose to return to Judah with her mother-in-law after her husband's death. Her loyalty and kindness were rewarded and forever remembered by the Jewish people because she became the great-grandmother of King David.
Horseflies on the Fourth of July
THE FOURTH OF JULY has become one of America's most celebrated holidays. Family barbecues, homemade ice cream, and fireworks consume the nation, as its citizens pay tribute to what they consider to be the birthday of the United States. It is a grand show of patriotism, but there is one small problem. Nothing very important happened on July 4th, 1776, except that the delegates of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia had to cut their work short because of a horde of giant horseflies that invaded Independence Hall.
The first official move toward independence from Great Britain came on July 7, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia petitioned the Second Continental Congress to make a clean break from the mother country. Nearly all of the delegates leaned toward Lee's clarion call, but few had the fortitude to take the final step that would turn the colonies into "free and independent states." They preferred to ponder the problem for awhile, so they tabled Lee's motion.
The delegates did indeed ponder the problem, but not for long. In less than a month, they experienced a remarkable change in attitude. Recent actions by the British put reconciliation beyond reach. By July 2, 1776, the colonists were ready for action, and Lee's motion for a declaration of independence was brought back for a vote. It passed unanimously, and Thomas Jefferson, with four other delegates, accepted the assignment to prepare the wording of the document that recorded the act of Congress.
That night John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, "The Second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the Great Anniversary Celebration."
So just what did happen on July 4th, 1776? Actually the Congress met that day for a single item of business. They gathered to simply approve the wording of the document which had been drawn up by Jefferson and his colleagues.
As the meeting was called to order, the July temperature began to rise quickly. The sergeant at arms opened the windows to allow any hint of a breeze to flow across the room. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, a slight puff of wind brought with it an invasion of giant horseflies from a nearby stable. The assembled delegates, who had been arguing over trivial points in Jefferson's wording, were suddenly swatting horseflies.
After a few minutes of battle, the insects prompted one tormented delegate to move to accept the document as it then stood. The motion was seconded and passed, as the delegates fled the building and the horseflies.
Therefore, the notion that July 4th, 1776, is Independence Day clearly misses the mark. The vote on independence had been taken two days earlier, and the document itself wasn't signed until August 2, 1776.
What Americans should be celebrating on July 4th is National Horsefly Day, for it was those pesky insects that cut short the debate on the wording of Jefferson's document and preserved its dignity for future generations.
The first official move toward independence from Great Britain came on July 7, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia petitioned the Second Continental Congress to make a clean break from the mother country. Nearly all of the delegates leaned toward Lee's clarion call, but few had the fortitude to take the final step that would turn the colonies into "free and independent states." They preferred to ponder the problem for awhile, so they tabled Lee's motion.
The delegates did indeed ponder the problem, but not for long. In less than a month, they experienced a remarkable change in attitude. Recent actions by the British put reconciliation beyond reach. By July 2, 1776, the colonists were ready for action, and Lee's motion for a declaration of independence was brought back for a vote. It passed unanimously, and Thomas Jefferson, with four other delegates, accepted the assignment to prepare the wording of the document that recorded the act of Congress.
That night John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, "The Second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the Great Anniversary Celebration."
So just what did happen on July 4th, 1776? Actually the Congress met that day for a single item of business. They gathered to simply approve the wording of the document which had been drawn up by Jefferson and his colleagues.
As the meeting was called to order, the July temperature began to rise quickly. The sergeant at arms opened the windows to allow any hint of a breeze to flow across the room. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, a slight puff of wind brought with it an invasion of giant horseflies from a nearby stable. The assembled delegates, who had been arguing over trivial points in Jefferson's wording, were suddenly swatting horseflies.
After a few minutes of battle, the insects prompted one tormented delegate to move to accept the document as it then stood. The motion was seconded and passed, as the delegates fled the building and the horseflies.
Therefore, the notion that July 4th, 1776, is Independence Day clearly misses the mark. The vote on independence had been taken two days earlier, and the document itself wasn't signed until August 2, 1776.
What Americans should be celebrating on July 4th is National Horsefly Day, for it was those pesky insects that cut short the debate on the wording of Jefferson's document and preserved its dignity for future generations.
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