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   OLD TESTAMENT MIRACLES

   531. Biblical miracles are found in both Old and New Testaments. Many show God's power over nature while other miracles are a sign of His mercy and love for those who fear Him. These events are supernatural and can only be the work of God.

   532. Miracles demonstrate God's hand intervening in earthly affairs in extraordinary ways. New Testament miracles tend to be "personal" miracles, as opposed to miracles affecting the entire nation, such as the plagues on Egypt or the crossing of the Red Sea. Apart from His own miraculous birth, resurrection, and the transfiguration, Jesus performed more than thirty-five miracles in the Gospels.

   533. The flood is an example of a miracle of nature. Certainly it was a judgment against the world, but it was no less than a sign of God's power and dominion. He caused it to rain so hard and so fast and so long (forty days) that every living thing on the whole earth was swallowed up in a gigantic flood.

   534. Noah's surviving in the ark during the flood is an example of God's provision and mercy for the one man and his family who did not die in the flood. That this man was able to build the ark and then fill it with animals and find food for all of them is an amazing feat-too amazing to be possible without divine intervention.

   535. Sarah delivered a healthy baby boy when she was well past her childbearing years. Her husband, Abraham, was already a centenarian, and she had given up hope of having a child. Yet God had promised them a son to fulfill the covenant.

   536. The burning bush. The first clear miracle recorded in the Bible is Moses' encounter with God, described in Exodus 3. That passage describes Moses, who was living as a shepherd in Midian, , seeing a bush that was on fire but did not burn up. As Moses approached, God called him by name, told him that he was standing on Holy Ground, and announced that he would be sent to free the Israelite slaves in Egypt. While earlier passages describe things like the miraculous growth of Jacob's herd of sheep or the Hand of God on Joseph's life, this is the first recorded instance of a clearly supernatural act.

   537. Aaron's staff becomes a snake. When Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh in Exodus 7, they threw a wooden staff to the floor, and it miraculously turned into a snake. After Pharaoh's magicians appeared to duplicate that feat, Aaron's staff/snake swallowed all the magicians' snakes-a sign of God's supernatural power being greater than that of man's magical power.

   538. The ten plagues. In an attempt to free his people from slavery, Moses revealed to Pharaoh that ten plagues would hit Egypt: water turning to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of all firstborn males. While there are natural explanations for all ten, the occurrence of them all together, along with the fact that Moses predicted them, certainly categorize them as a special act of God.

   539. The pillar of fire and the parting of the Red Sea. Exodus 14 describes the flight of the Israelites from Egypt. Pharaoh's armies, chasing them, were kept from approaching the Israelite camp by a protective pillar of fire. The Red Sea then opened up, allowing the Israelites to cross the sea "on dry land." When the Egyptians tried to follow, the sea closed over them, killing them all. The pillar then guided the Israelites through the wilderness-a cloud by day, and fire by night.

   540. Manna from heaven. While the Israelites lived in the wilderness, God miraculously provided them with bread from Heaven that would appear on the ground each morning like a dew. Exodus 16:31 describes it as tasting "like wafers made with honey," and the Jews referred to it as manna, which literally means, "what is it?"

 

  

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   520. Many first-century Jews died, just like Jesus, on a cross. Some estimates for the number of Jews crucified in this time for a variety of crimes run as high as one hundred thousand. But this was not at the hand of other Jews. Crucifixion was exclusive to the Romans, and it was an extreme penalty generally reserved for cases of runaway slaves or rebellion against Rome. An uprising of slaves against Rome led by the gladiator-slave Spartacus in 71 B.C. resulted in some six thousand crucifixions. Bodies were left to decompose as a grim warning.

   521. Gall is mentioned several times in the Bible. It refers to the juice of a poisonous and bitter plant, but there is no way of knowing exactly which plant. The best guess is the poison hemlock, the plant that poisoned Socrates and served medicinally as a sedative. Hemlock was considered a plant of ill omen and associated with witches and evil spirits.

   522. The Seven Last Utterances are the final words spoken by Christ while on the cross. The four Gospels reveal different phrases, but grouped together they include: (1) "Today you will be with me in paradise" (spoken to the thief next to Him). (2) "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (3) "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (4) "I thirst." (5) "Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother." (spoken to Mary and the disciple John). (6) "It is finished." (7) "Into your hands I commit My spirit."

   523. "A mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight" was brought after the crucifixion. "Then took they the body of Jesus, and wount it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury" (John 19:39-40 KJV). Myrrh was one of the main ingredients used in the purification of the dead.

   524. The linen in which Jesus' body was wount was made from flax, the oldest textile fiber known. In the ancient world there were different grades of linen. Fine linen was used in the cloths of the rich, for curtain hangings in the Temple, and even for sails of Phoenician trading ships. The poor people, however, wore only ordinary coarse linen. The Bible did not specify what type of linen Jesus was wount in.

   525. The death of Jesus at Golgotha must have had more significance to the Romans than the deaths of the thousands of other Jews they crucified at that time. Yet soon the whole ancient world heard about Jesus. His disciples carried His teaching to the farthest outpost of the Roman Empire.

   526. Yet to one Roman, Christ's death did have significance.  The Roman centurion who watched Christ die said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"  When he saw the sun darken and felt the earth quake at Jesus' death.

   527. The resurrection of Jesus is the central story to all Christianity. After dying on the cross, being wrapped in a burial shroud, and being interred in a sealed tomb, Jesus rose from the dead-conquering death and offering the hope of eternal life to all who believe in Him.

   528. After Jesus was resurrected, He appeared several times to various disciples. His resurrection fulfilled every prophecy He and all the prophets had made concerning the Savior of the world. Though some doubted, many believed and were brought to a saving understanding that Jesus was truly their Savior and the King of Kings.

   529. Jesus commissioned His followers to preach the Gospel to all people. His call to them brought the disciples and other faithful followers to the beginning of the church. And through a history of almost two thousand years, the church has experienced persecution, misery, and separation. Yet never has it died and never will it fall, despite what might happen, for Christ is the Head of His church. And His Kingdom cannot fail!

   530. Christ ascended into Heaven, on a cloud, to be with the Father and to "sit at the right hand of God" until the time of His second coming. He will come again at "the last days" as the Bible writers prophesied, His message remains today for all who will believe in Him and trust Him as their personal Savior.

  

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   510. The "eye of the needle" was the phrase Jesus used in Mark 10:25 when He said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." Those words must have shocked His original audience, who had thought that prosperity was a sign of God's blessing. In recent years some people have tried to identify a particular gate into Jerusalem as "the eye of the needle," thereby missing Christ's main point: Someone committed to worldly wealth is probably not as interested in heavenly gain.

   511. Jesus was not alone in works of healing. Just as other men claimed messiahship to attract political followers, numerous wonder-workers and healers wandered the Roman Empire in that day. Jesus even referred to others who were healing in His time. The Jewish Talmud discusses several wonder-working rabbis of Jesus' time. But none made the claim that Jesus' followers made that He had the ability to raise the dead and had done so on three occasions with witnesses.

   512. Jesus was well-received by the people as long as He was performing miracles and teaching, but they did not look to Him as the King of Kings. Sadly they were looking for an earthly king instead of a heavenly one. As a result their love for Jesus was short-lived.

   513. Jesus took three of His most trusted disciples up on a mountain, where they experienced an extraordinary event. While the disciples watched, Jesus was miraculously "transfigured." His physical being was transformed, and the figures of Moses and Elijah, the two great prophets of Judaism, stood beside Him. The disciples also heard the voice of God saying Jesus was God's beloved Son. The accounts all say Jesus' face shone as Moses' did when he encountered God on Mount Sinai in Exodus.

   514. As Christ rode a donkey into Jerusalem, He was hailed by the people with palm leaves and shouts of "Hosanna!" The people celebrated Him as their king. They did not want the greatest gift that Christ offered and that they needed most. They wanted freedom from the Romans and a nation of  their own instead, and thought Christ brought that, despite the many warnings and explanations given to His ministry.

   515. Satan provoked Judas to betray Jesus, as it is stated in the Gospel of John. The treachery of Judas has provoked some speculation over motives, including the notion that he might have been an anti-Roman zealot who was disappointed that Jesus had not proved to be the rebel leader many were expecting. The Gospel of Mark tells how Judas went to the chief priests to betray Jesus before being offered a bribe, suggesting that he had some other motive besides money. Matthew specifically states that Judas asked how much he would be given, and that he was paid "thirty pieces of silver" in fulfillment of ancient Hebrew prophecy.

   516. The Last Supper was a preparation for Jesus Himself as He readied Himself for the end, which He knew was near. Judas Iscariot was even confronted by Christ at the table. The Lord celebrated a final supper with His disciples, His most trusted companions. This special dinner was given to Christians in order to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for His people.

   517. The words "Take and eat: this is My body," and "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:26,28) are part of a sacrament of the Christian church that originated with the Last Supper. Communion is based on the events of the Last Supper and serves as one of two main sacraments in the Christian church to this day.

   518. After the Last Supper, Jesus spent His last night of freedom in the Garden of Gethsemane on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. The name means "olive presses." In Jesus' time the Mount of Olives was covered with a luxuriant growth of these trees, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem often rested there to seek relief from the sun. 

   519. "Today-yes, tonight- before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown Me three times" (Mark 14:30). On the way to Gethsemane, Jesus told His disciple Peter this prophecy. The roosters first crowed about midnight, and they were so punctual that Roman soldiers used the sound as a signal for changing of the guard. The roosters crowed a second time about three o'clock in the morning, which awakened the second watch of soldiers.



  

  

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   500. Jesus met all manner of people-and accepted them all if they repented of their sins. Harlots, tax collectors, liars, cheats, the infirmed, and the diseased all received kind words, healing, and a message of hope. One such man was especially memorable.

   501. A rich tax collector called Zacchaeus wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus, but he had to climb a sycamore tree (Luke 19:4). This is an inferior kind of fig tree that has traditionally been a food of impoverished people in the Near East. Thus the rich man was forced to rely on the tree that was a symbol of poverty. Jesus did not harbor any love, however, for the proud and often conniving leaders of the Jewish faith who consistently misled the people. 

   502. Obedience to laws without a sense of mercy is an action empty of spiritual value. Several times Jesus quoted the prophets who had said, "God desires mercy more than sacrifice." He reserved a special anger for the scribes and Pharisees, who might loosely be called "lawyers." Matthew's term for Pharisees is hypocrites, a term in Greek that applied to actors or people who were pretenders. They were people who said one thing but did another.

   503. The Pharisees were a group of Jewish clerics who felt that their strict obedience to Jewish traditions set them apart from the rest of the pagan culture. Their name means "the separated ones." They were intolerant of anyone considered ritually unclean and persecuted many people. Their reliance on rules made them appear pious to the masses, but Jesus criticized them for having an outward show of piety while neglecting the fact that inwardly they were proud, pompous sinners.

   504. The Sadducees were the Jewish aristocracy who rather enjoyed the artistic and political advantages that came from being allied to the Roman Empire. During Christ's life they controlled the high Jewish council, called the Sanhedrin, but they were haughty and pompous and generally disliked by the common people.

   505. Jesus called special helpers to His aid in order to preach and teach and minister to the people. There were  twelve helpers in all-Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.

   506. The words disciple and apostle are often used interchangeably but mean quite different things. The word disciples means "learners" or "students." The disciples of Jesus were those who listened to Jesus, followed him, and even taught what Jesus taught. An apostle, from the Greek apostolos, for "one who is sent out," generally means a messenger of the Gospel. The author of Luke used the word apostle specifically for the twelve disciples who had been companions of Jesus, were witnesses of the resurrection, and eventually became leaders of the church.

   507. The name Mary, derived from the Greek form of the common Hebrew Miriam, the name of the sister of Moses, is the name of three different women in the life of Jesus. His mother Mary only made a few appearances in the Gospel accounts, but she was at the foot of the cross with John. Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus. Jesus healed Mary Magdalene (or Mary of Magdala, a town near Tiberias) by casting out the demons within her. She then became a devoted follower of Christ.

   508. To the devout Jews who accepted Jesus, He was the promised Savior who fulfilled the word expressed in their Scriptures of a coming "Messiah" or "Anointed One" from the line of David who would deliver the children of Israel and usher in a new age of peace under God's rule. Though he was later called the "Christ," this is not a name but a title. Christos comes from the Greek meaning "Anointed One" or "Messiah."

   509. Hebrew was still the language of the places of worship, but outside of them the people spoke a dialect known as Aramaic. They also carried on conversations in Greek. It was not the classical language of Homer and the heroes, but a dialect known as Koine, the language in which the bulk of the New Testament was written. Undoubtedly Jesus learned to speak all three languages.

  

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   490. The Baby Jesus was like any other baby-He was human and had the same needs as babies do today. He cried to be held and fed, needed His diapers changed, and learned to talk like any other baby does.

   491. Though nativity scenes tell the story differently, there were likely no animals present at Jesus' birth. The Bible makes no mention of camels, donkeys, cattle, or sheep. All these are cultural additions to the story that have been added through the ages.

   492. The shepherds weren't given a miraculous sign to follow like the magi were two years later. The "star of the East" did not guide them. The angels told the shepherds to look for a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Presumably this was an unusual sign in itself and the shepherds found Jesus with little difficulty.

   493. The Christmas story has undergone cultural interpretation to such an extent that many people believe the Bible tells of Joseph asking the innkeeper if the Baby can be born there. There is, however, no record of such a conversation occurring. Luke 2:7 simply states: She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

   494. Jesus did not receive His name, which means "The Messiah" or "The Christ," until His eighth day when he was circumcised. The name had been given to Mary by the angel before she conceived, but the practice was to officially name the Child when He was circumcised.

   495. At twelve years of age, Jesus already demonstrated that He was aware of His lifework. His parents had taken Him to the Passover Feast in Jerusalem. When they left, they thought He was with them, but He had stayed behind in order to speak with the teachers at the Temple.

   496. His ministry began when He was about thirty years of age. John the Baptist was serving as a "voice in the wilderness" and calling the people to remember that their Savior was coming, that the time had come to repent. Jesus was baptized by John at the Jordan River.

   497. Satan tempted Christ and tried to weaken the Savior's resolve, but Jesus stood firm in His mission. Christ's ministry would ultimately lead to His death, and though satan's temptations would have saved Him great pain, He was faithful to His Heavenly Father.

  498. The Lord's preaching took Him all over the area for three years. He traveled throughout Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. He healed the sick and brought hope to many through miracles. He often spoke in parables to the people to help them better understand what His ministry was all about.

   499. Jesus spent much of His ministry life in and around the Sea of Galilee. Galileans in Bible times were considered country hicks to the more cosmopolitan residents of Jerusalem. Jesus spoke primarily to the humble people who labored on the land and were familiar with the animals and plants around them. His parables are filled with images of the natural world.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

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   480. Jesus Christ, more  than any other figure or historical happening mentioned, is the most important figure in the Bible. The Old Testament prophesies about His coming and His death, the New Testament sees Him be born, establish a ministry, and eventually sacrifice Himself for all who believe in Him.

   481. Many incidences in the Old Testament point to Christ: Abel's lamb was a type of Christ. So was Abraham's willing offering of his son, Isaac, for sacrifice. The Passover lamb in Egypt was a type of Christ. Even the scarlet cord the prostitute Rahab hung in her window was a symbol of Christ!

   482. "To Him give all the prophets witness." Truly, God had been telling His people about the coming Savior long before Jesus was ever born. Micah foretold Jesus' birth, Zechariah told of how He will eventually reign as King over all the earth. Joel described the day of judgment and what part Jesus will play in it.

   483. The New Testament is the unraveling of all those prophesies and foretellings of the Old Testament. Jesus' birth is recorded in two Gospel books: Matthew and Luke.

   484. The Christmas story reveals the depth of God's love to all humankind. Matthew's and Luke's Gospels tell the story of the virgin birth, the humble beginnings of Jesus, and the joyous celebration set off in heaven when Christ was born. Though missed by many, God allowed both great (the magi) and humble (the shepherds) to join the celebration. 

   485. The number of magi who followed the star of Bethlehem is unknown. The Bible doesn't tell much about them. The Christian tradition that there were three kings did not arise until about seven hundred years after the event took place. Their legendary names-Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar, in Western traditions-emerged much later. So did the story that one of them was black. Medieval Christians reasoned that the three kings must have come from three continents, so one must have been African.

   486. The magi did not come to the actual stable where Jesus was born. Their trip thought to have taken place when Jesus was closer to two years old.

   487. Because Herod ordered the slaughter of young Jewish children, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt with the child Jesus. The Egypt in which Jesus found shelter was much different from the proud and mighty nation that His ancestors Abraham and Moses had known. The glory that had been Egypt was gone. The flourishing cities through which pharaohs once rode in pomp were decaying and the great pyramids and temples were crumbling.

   488. Symbolically the announcement of the angel to the shepherds provides a counterpoint to the homage paid by the wealthy wise men. In New Testament times shepherds ranked low on the social register. The shepherds also served as a reminder that Jesus was coming as both the shepherd to the flock of Israel and as the sacrificial lamb that would take away the sins of the world.

   489. Joseph and Mary returned from Egypt some time after the death of Herod in 4 B.C. and made their home in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. The name Nazareth is derived from Hebrew words that mean "consecrated people," because this town was noted for clinging to the ancient laws and customs of the Hebrews. Jesus' birthright is celebrated on December 25 now, but that wasn't always the case. For centuries a different calendar was used, and the date was in the spring.

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   469. Second Peter In Peter's second letter (less elegantly written than 1 Peter) he began by pointing out that he did not have long to live and wanted to lay down the things most essential for his disciples to remember, urging them to grow in the knowledge of the truth. Near the end of this epistle, Peter made reference to some of Paul's letters.

   470. First John is the first of three letters written by John. These three letters have notable similarities to his Gospel and the Book of Revelation. These letters speak out against the heresy of Gnosticism. The Gnostics taught that the body and this world are evil and that salvation came through special knowledge.

   471. Second John. In this short but personal letter, John dealt with the problem of false teachers. He appeared to be counseling a particular congregation not to receive visiting teachers who proclaimed false teachings.

   472. Third John. Ironically this letter dealt with the flip side of the problem covered in 2 John. In this case John wrote to a congregation that had been rejecting visiting teachers. Only here, the visiting teacher in question was true. Second and Third John are the two shortest books in the entire Bible.

   473. Jude, like James, was a sibling of Jesus. His letter seemed to be written at a time when many of the apostles had already been martyred. He made references to their warnings about false teachers and Peter's and Paul's predictions. Jude made the point that these teachings had indeed reached projected proportions. Jude's writing sets the stage for the final book of the Bible.

   474. The Epistle of Jude quotes from 1 Enoch 1:9 and the Assumption of Moses. Many Christians have not heard of these books because they were written before the time of the New Testament and were not accepted into the Canon of inspired Scripture by the Jewish or Christian communities. Yet Jude used them to make a point in his epistle.

   475. Apocalyptic writing was a kind of code, a way of communicating that unbelievable enemies would not understand. A person who wrote such literature could encourage his readers to stand against the pagan state and predict its downfall under divine judgment, without fear of reprisal. Modern readers often miss this aspect of the apocalyptic genre, just as the ancient pagans did. It was designed to reveal its message to insiders in terms that an outsider could not understand

   476. Revelation. The longest of all the New Testament letters, "The Revelation to John" was addressed to seven specific communities, all of them located in Asia. Like Hebrews, this book was built upon quotations and allusions to Old Testament passages (hundreds of references). The line of the book is as follows: Goodness and evil wage a cataclysmic battle in which goodness wins the decisive victory. The practice of using bizarre conflicting images was a practiced style in ancient times. It was called "apocalyptic," so the book is sometimes called the Apocalypse instead of Revelation. The meaning is actually the same, only apocalypse comes from a Greek root, while revelation comes from a Latin root word.

   477. The identity and meaning of the beast numbered 666 has deeply concerned Christians throughout history. Its symbolism has been assigned to satanism in popular culture and to such notorious figures as Napoleon and Hitler. Some scholars believe that while satan is a major player in Revelation, the meaning 666 was clear to the people of the time of its writing. In both Greek and Hebrew, letters doubled as numerals. One solution to the 666 puzzle? The number is produced by adding up the Hebrew letters of "Kaisar Neron," or Emperor Nero, which reaches an equivalent of the number 666.

   478. The extraordinary prophetic vision of the second coming of Jesus and the last judgment were given while John was exiled on Patmos, an Aegean island used as a Roman penal colony. The author had been banished there for his preaching most likely during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96).

   479. Apocalypse is the Greek name for the Book of Revelation. The word literally means "to unveil" or "to reveal something that has been hidden." The early church had numerous books claiming to reveal future events, and it wasn't until the fourth century that John's apocalypse was recognized as the one inspired version.

  

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   459. The Pastoral Letters are the instructions of Paul to two young Christian ministers. Detailing useful advice about church leadership, particularly the importance of setting high moral standards, the books of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus have a fatherly tone as Paul writes to his young proteges.

   460. First Timothy. Timothy was Paul's best-known helper. He is first mentioned in Acts 16. Paul met him on one of his journeys, and the two later agreed to work together. Paul writes to Timothy as a father would to a son, so there was likely a significant age difference between them, as well as a bond of love. The message of this book can be summed up with the words "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5).

   461. Second Timothy. Paul's second letter to Timothy was written when Paul was facing imminent death. Though the Scriptures don't record it, modern historians generally agree that Paul was beheaded in Rome for continuing to preach the Gospel. This letter to Timothy was apparently written in anticipation of that event and is extremely moving. Paul charges Timothy to continue the good fight of faith.

   462. Titus. Though Titus comes after 2 Timothy in the Bible, it was obviously written sometime before it because it contains none of Paul's immediate anticipation of death. Titus was another helper and coworker of Paul's. This letter is instructed much like 1 Timothy. Paul reminds Titus to give  attention to instruction and to the appointment of others who could help spread the message.

  463. Philemon barely takes up a page in most Bibles. Though the title is "Philemon," it is also addressed to Apphia, Archippus, and the group of disciples that met in the house. The subject of the letter was a runaway slave of Philemon's named Onesimus. Paul ran across Onesimus and urged him to return home. At the same time, Paul encouraged Philemon not only to forgive Onesimus but to treat him as a brother rather than a slave.

   464. Hebrews. Though the King James Version of the Bible attributes this letter to Paul, most modern English versions do not. The uncertainty stems from the fact that if Paul did write this letter, he failed to specify such a fact in the text as he had in all his other letters. Regardless of who wrote this epistle, it is distinctly different from any of the other letters in the Bible.

   465. The Book of Hebrews is the only anonymous letter in the New Testament. It is placed at the end of Paul's letters in our New Testament specifically because the collectors of the Canon were not sure it was written by Paul or not. We're also not sure of the intended recipients, though it was widely circulated in the early church. Still, the focus of the letter is clear: Jesus is our Great High Priest, the mediator between Holy God and sinful man.

   466. The Christian Hall of Fame is the title given to Hebrews 11, which begins with Abel and proceeds to list the key figures of the Old Testament. Since it was probably intended for Jewish Christians, the list emphasizes Abraham and Moses but goes on to include the many believers who suffered persecution and martyrdom for the cause of the faith.

   467. James. It is believed the author of this book was James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem council. James was written most likely for Jewish Christians, as it is addressed to the "twelve tribes scattered among the nations." James wrote to instruct and encourage Christians in the midst of persecution and personal trials. James is especially marked by its emphasis on a faith accompanied by good works and a lifestyle that is consistent in its faithfulness to Christ.

   468. First Peter. This is the first of two letters from Peter written in Rome. He addressed it to the Gentiles of Asia Minor who were enduring severe persecution. It appears to be a letter meant to circulate; it deals with practical subjects of faith, hope, and love for everyday living. Although certain aspects of his style are rough, others are quite elegant and similar to classical Greek. This leads scholars to believe that Peter may have had a Greek amanuensis (someone to take dictation) named Silvanus (1 Peter 5:12).

  

  

  

  

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   449. The apostles' letters are sometimes called epistles. The word epistle helps convey that there was a formal or public element to these letters. These last twenty-two books of the Bible were personal letters in that they often specify the names of both the sender and the recipient (s). The fact that no point is made of the authors' identities implies how unimportant the issue is. The apostles were charged with the responsibility of spreading Jesus' message faithfully, and that in and of itself gave the writings authority in the eyes of Christ's followers.

   450. Romans. In this letter Paul writes to the disciples in Rome. Normally he wrote to communities of disciples that he himself had established. Romans is an exception, for in this case he wrote in advance of his first visit. Misunderstandings about the message of Jesus were complex, so Paul gives an extended explanation of his understanding of the message. He also deals with the complexities of Jewish versus Gentile perspectives.

   451. First Corinthians. Corinth was a city in southern Greece. Acts 18 describes how Paul spent eighteen months there. This letter is written some time after that. Parts of this letter are difficult to follow because Paul goes straight into his answers to the Corinthians' problems without restating what they were. First Corinthians 13, the famous love passage, is timeless and universal.

   452. Second Corinthians. By the time this letter was written, Paul had to make a defense of his ministry. Recurring problems at Corinth and the infusion of false teachings had sullied his reputation. In this wonderfully moving letter, Paul states that the purpose of the defense is not to protect his reputation but to defend the truth for those he had taught.

   453. Galatians begins a series of shorter letters. Galatia was a region situated on the eastern side of Asia Minor. The letters was therefore addressed more broadly than the letters to Rome and Corinth. The Epistle of Galatians was to be read by various gatherings of disciples in various cities of Galatia. The purpose of the letters was straightforward: to protest and refute false teaching that had taken root in that region.

   454. Ephesians. Ephesus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor. In New Testament times this region was called Asia. This letter was very general in nature and served as an explanation of God's design, followed by specific instructions for everyday living. It was intended for communities beyond Ephesus as well. 

   455. Philippians. This letter is as specific as Ephesians is broad. Philippi was a city in northern Greece. Paul preached there on his second major journey. The people in Philippi held Paul in high esteem. He was sending words of encouragement to them during a time of persecution. Ironically Paul seems to be writing from jail. Sharing his hope, he writes of his intent to return to them at some future time.

   456. Colossians. Colosse was a city located due east of Ephesus. This letter is very similar to Ephesians, except much shorter. As the letter ends, it gives instructions to send it on to Laodicea, another nearby city.

   457. First Thessalonians. Thessalonica was a city in northern Greece. It was just down the road from Philippi. Paul's first visit there was recorded in Acts 17. As usual he was met with two different responses: enthusiastic acceptance and severe resistance. Paul wrote this letter to strengthen and encourage the believers there. Above all he urges them to look for "the day of the Lord" when everything will be made right.

   458. Second Thessalonians. Sometime after the disciples at Thessalonica got Paul's first letter, they began to wonder whether "the day of the Lord" might have come and gone. Paul quickly assured them that indeed it had not. He urged them to continue imitating Jesus and loving the people around them.

  

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   439. The four Gospels follow closely in the tradition of the books of history we saw in the Old Testament-words spoken and deeds done. Little is told of the inward thoughts and motivations of the various people in the stories. The Gospels tell how Jesus was a descendant of David, which was an essential requirement of the Messiah, according to the prophecies of Scripture.

   440. Matthew was written by a former tax collector named Matthew. His book covers the lineage of Jesus and also tells the story of much of his ministry, including the Beatitudes.

   441. The Beatitudes are a well-known portion of Scripture from Christ's Sermon on the Mount in which he blessed certain types of people. Matthew 5 records that Jesus blessed the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake-all of which describe the people who would populate the Kingdom of God. However the actual word beatitude doesn't appear in Scripture. It's from the Latin word for "blessed" and was made popular by the Vulgate.

   442. The parables are the stories Jesus used to convey spiritual truth. They were essentially comparisons-"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field" or "Everyone who hears these words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built a house." While his concrete images made the parables memorable, they also puzzled who could not always follow Christ's meaning.

   443. Mark is a Gospel that details Jesus' service to those he called and preached to. Jesus' portrayal as the great servant can be found in this Gospel, which was written by someone we know very little about.

   444. Luke opens his Gospel by saying that "many" had attempted to write an account of Jesus' life and ministry, but that he himself is doing so because God has given him "perfect understanding of all things from the very first" (Luke 1:3 KJV). God not only gave the Gospel writers firsthand exposure as eyewitnesses to the events of Jesus' ministry, but also perfect understanding. Luke is especially forthright about Christ the man.

   445. John, perhaps the most famous book of the whole Bible in terms of its saving message, is a description of both Christ's deity and his redeeming work for sinners. The Gospel was written by the "disciple whom Jesus loved," John.

   446. John was compelled to address the question of how a flesh-and-blood man could also be a divine being as Jesus was. The notion of gods having sex with humans was commonplace in many pagan traditions, especially among the Greeks. But to make it clear that the birth of Jesus was God in the flesh, the Gospels described the virgin birth. Other pagan writings did not.

   447. The four Gospels therefore tell of all aspects of Jesus: Matthew of his right to be called "King," Mark of his title as "Greatest Servant," Luke of his completely human nature, and John of his being the Savior of the world-God's only Son.

   448. The Book of Acts was written by Luke, also the author of Gospel of Luke. He begins with a salutation to Theophilus and makes reference to the "first account I composed" (the Gospel of Luke). Luke's two books could be titled, "The Acts of Jesus" and "The Acts of the Apostles." They comprise a two-volume history of New Testament times. The events in Acts take place over several decades. As the books of Moses established the historical framework for the Old Testament, so the Gospels and Acts establish the framework for the New Testament.

Kosher Cookbook: Sammy Davis Jr.-Greens (Collard)

My way
   Food has never really been that important to me, as you can tell by my hulking hundred and fifteen frame-soaking wet. For me, it has always been a question of eating for survival or purely social reasons. When I find myself getting hungry, which is normally at very odd hours in the morning, I generally pick myself up from bed very quietly, so as not to disturb Altovise, tiptoe out of the room. As soon as I pass the threshold. I hear a voice from beneath the blankets, "The chicken soup is in the big pot, and the vegetable soup in the little one."
   Then I trot into the kitchen and put the pot of my choice on the stove. Sometimes, when I desire a real gourmet treat, I mix the two soups together-"Ain't no soul food ever tasted like that!" In a way, eating kosher food comes close to soul food for me, and since I've been in show business, I've eaten more kosher dishes than black-eyed peas.

Greens (Collard)
   6 bunches of collard greens
   4 pounds flanken
   1 green pepper, diced
   2 onions, diced
      pinch of sugar
      pinch of baking soda
   4 whole dry red peppers
     salt and pepper to taste

Method: Cook flanken in water to cover for about 3 hours, until meat falls off bones. Reserve meat. Wash greens 5 or 6 times in salt water, break them up in pieces and cook them in broth from the flanken. Then add peppers, onions, sugar, soda, red pepper. Cook for 45 minutes.
   Add meat or serve it separately with strong white horseradish and cornbread. Dunk bread into soup.
  

Kosher Cookbook: Elke Sommer-German Coffee Cake

   Icing
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3/4 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted (scant 3 cups) salt
4 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla rum
finely chopped pecans
  
   Method: Cream butter and sugar with hand beater until fluffy. Add salt and stir in milk. Keep beating until very fluffy. Add vanilla. Cut cake into 1 1/2 inch squares. Pour a generous teaspoon of rum on each cake square. Spread icing on all sides and roll in chopped fresh pecans. The icing part is pretty messy, but it all comes out beautifully as you roll it around in the chopped nuts. I use a chopping bowl for this. You can substitute moist coconut for nuts and you have Snow Rum Balls instead of Pecan Rum Cakes. Or, if you leave out the rum, you have plain Snow Balls, which are great too. Make them 2 1/2 inches square and you have a dessert dish instead of an accompaniment. Makes about 44 little cakes.

Elke Sommer

The Fifth Question by Joe Hyams

   Elke never had kosher food until I took her to a seder at my friend, Marshall Flaum's house. Not wanting to embarrass Elke, Marshall and I decided to read the service in English so she could follow along.
   Elke didn't say anything. We read the Hagaddah in our native tongue and when we came to the traditional blessings, we were careful to point to the transliteration.  When we came to the four questions, we honored Elke by asking her to read them. She rose regally, turned the transliterated part over and set her sights on the Hebrew. As I was about to caution her that she was looking at the wrong page, she began, "Ma Nishtana Halailah Hazeh, Mikol Halelot..."
   Marshall and I sat flabbergasted as she read the Hebrew flawlessly.
   Marshall recovered his composure first, "How, where?" He hadn't recovered that well.
   "My father was a minister. He studied the Old Testament in it's original. He taught me how to read Hebrew."
   "But," I interrupted , "You never told me you knew how to read Hebrew."
   Elke looked at me with her soulful and tantalizing eyes, "You never asked," she said simply, as she sat and began reading the answers for the four questions in Hebrew.

   German Coffee Cake                                                                         Serves 8
3 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Method: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and sugar. Work vegetable shortening into dry ingredients. Add eggs combined with milk. Stir until smooth. Pour into a greased shallow pan (8 by 12). With fork, blend the first five ingredients below and spread smoothly on top of batter; then sprinkle with nuts:

1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

   Bake in 350-degree oven  30 minutes.



  

Prophets Speak V

   430. The Hebrew Bible gained much of its present shape during the exiled years in Babylon. The Pentateuch, or Torah, approached the form it now holds, and the history of Israel, from Joshua through 1 and 2 Kings, and the earliest prophetic writings, were all most likely composed during the exile.

   431. Jeshua was allowed to return to Jerusalem after nearly fifty years of captivity by King Cyrus of Persia. This young man, whose name means "the Lord is salvation," led the way for Jews to begin worshiping again. He served as chief priest and helped to lead the effort to rebuild the temple.

   432. The beginnings of the diaspora, the great dispersal of Jews throughout the Mediterranean world and eventually into Europe, is marked by the period of exile and return. While in Babylon some Jews had entered official government service, such as Nehemiah, "a cupbearer" to one Persian king, and Mordecai, who also served a Persian king in the Book of Esther.

   433. Daniel was a statesman, not a prophet. As a result, Jewish scholars do not place this book among the prophetic books. However, because Daniel had the gift of prediction, the New Testament calls him a "prophet" (Matt. 24:15). Daniel saw many symbols in his prophetic visions, and he often recorded them without attempting to interpret what they meant.

   434. Starting in 538 B.C., about seventy years after the destruction of Jerusalem, Jews began returning to their Holy City. The Book of Ezra describes the exiles return. Ezra was a priest who led a group of Jews to their Homeland. He was accompanied by some seventeen hundred Babylonian Jews, including some Levites. A census was recorded of who returned to the Promised Land. Much of this book deals with temple worship and its responsibilities. Ezra taught the details of the Law of Moses so that Jews could reinstitute the practices in the Promised Land.

   435. In Jewish history, law, and theology, Ezra is a character of great significance. Some Hebrew scholars rank him second only to Moses as a lawgiver and prophet, and he's considered by many as the second founder (after Moses) of the Jewish nation. Not only did Ezra reinstate the law and temple worship practices, he required that all Jewish men get rid of their foreign wives and children. Ezra ends poignantly with the words, "All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives."

   436. Around 520 B.C., Haggai came onto the scene. The work of rebuilding the temple had nearly stopped. Haggai cheered the people on to continue the effort. He also gave great comfort to the other two priests who were hard at work. Within four years the work was done and the temple was rebuilt.

   437. The Judah of the return from Babylon was a far cry from Solomon's empire, and the second temple, completed in 516 B.C., was modest, despite the fact that Cyrus provided funding for the rebuilding of the temple. All the gold and silver vessels that had been salvaged from the original temple and taken to Babylon were returned to Jerusalem. But never again in Scripture is the fate of Judaism's most sacred object, the ark of the covenant, mentioned.

   438. At the rededication of the city of Jerusalem in 445 B.C., all the Jewish people and all who could hear with understanding gathered at the square in front of the Water Gate. Ezra began to read the Book of Moses before the assembly, "which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law" (Neh. 8:3). This verse refers to the fact that most Jews no longer understood Hebrew. By the time of the return, Aramaic, a related Semitic language, had replaced Hebrew as the common language.

  

Prophets Speak IV

   420. The prophet Jeremiah warned of the oncoming destruction by hostile empires, and he said sinful people would become "meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth" (Jer. 7:33 KJV). By "fowls" that would feast on the slain, Jeremiah undoubtedly meant vultures, because they feed on dead animals. The griffon is a huge vulture in the Holy Land, particularly in the mountainous areas. Although it is large and powerful, it never kills its own prey, and it will not feed on any animal that shows signs of life. It is a remarkably clean bird in its habits, bathing almost often as it finds water.

   421. The Babylonians came. They laid waste to the countryside and were on the verge of capturing Jerusalem just as Jeremiah had foretold. Yet on the eve of destruction, Jeremiah did a strange thing. He bought a piece of real estate, a field near his home village. He paid seventeen shekels of silver for it, had the deed signed, sealed, and witnessed, and then instructed Baruch to put the deed in a clay jar so that it could be preserved for a long time. For just as he believed that God would surely destroy the nation of Judah, Jeremiah also believed that God would build it up again. "Is there no balm in Gilead?" Jeremiah cried out and answered his own question by refusing to despair. God would not forsake his people, no matter how faithless they had been.

   422. Jeremiah is believed to be the author of the Book of Lamentations. In chapter three, the writer cries out:

               I am the man who has seen affliction,
                  by the rod of His wrath.
               He has driven me away and made me walk,
                  in darkness rather than light;
               indeed He has turned His hand against me,
                  again and again, all day long.
               He pierced my heart,
                  with arrows from His quiver.
               I became the laughingstock of all my people;
                  they mock me in song all day long.
               He has filled me with bitter herbs,
                  and sated me with gall.
                                              
                                                         verses 1-3, 13-15

   423. Origin of the term Jews. In the year 587 B.C. the Holy City lay in ruins, and its people were led off to captivity in Babylon after the armies King Nebuchadnezzar overran Judah and conquered Jerusalem. Their name changed to "Jews" (from the Hebrew Yehudi, which means "belonging to the tribe of Judah"). They kept alive their faith and their way of life during the years of exile.

   424. Habakkuk is thought to have been a prophet around the time of Jeremiah. He struggled with how God would want His people, despite how badly they were behaving, to come under the influence of an even more ungodly people-the Babylonians. God was faithful to His prophet and assured Habakkuk to trust Him for the answer.

   425. Ezekiel spoke knowingly about the land and its life. Scholars disputed for a long time about what animal he meant by "the great dragon" (Ezek. 29:3 KJV), until archaeologists excavated ancient Babylon and discovered the remains of an enormous gate that was ordered to be built by Nebuchadnezzar. The ruins of the Ishtar Gate showed decorations with rows of animal sculptures-at least 575 figures in all. One of the animals is a fantastic beast: the Sirrush or Dragon of Babylon.

   426. Why a dragon? No one knows for certain why the image of the Sirrush was placed on the gates, but Nebuchadnezzar ordered these words inscribed on it: "Fierce bulls and grim dragons I put and thus supplied the gates with overflowing rich splendor that all humanity may view it with wonderment." It is possible that these figures were intended to impress or even frighten the Medes and Persians. So although actual dragons never existed, sculptured figures of them must have been seen by Ezekiel during the exile in Babylon.

   427. The valley of dry bones was a graveyard to which the prophet Ezekiel was commanded to preach. As he did so Ezekiel watched the bones reattach to one another and come to life-an image of the spiritually dead nation of Israel coming back to life by the power of God's Word. This event, recorded in Ezekiel 37, is one of several strange visions of the prophet.

   428. The period of the exile in Babylon, lasting approximately from 586 to 538 B.C., deeply impacted Judaism and the Bible. Without the Temple in Jerusalem as the focal point of Yahweh worship, the Jews were forced to create a new form of communal ritual with the earliest beginnings of the synagogue as the center for prayer, Torah study, and teaching.


   429. The spirit of hope to return to Jerusalem and restore the Temple gave many exiled Jews a purpose. They began to look for a Messiah, a new leader or savior. However, only a minority of the Jews took advantage of the offer to return  to Judah and rebuild Jerusalem. Many of these people had lived in Babylon for two generations and intermarriage had become common.

  

  

  

To All The Kids Who Survived The 1940s, 50s, 60, and 70s!!!

   First, we survived being born to mothers who took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

   Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs with bright colored lead-based paints.

   We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

   As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

   Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

   We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

   We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

   We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid aid with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!!

   We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

   No one was able to reach us all day, and we were O.K.

   We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

   We did not have Playstations, Nintendos, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!!!

   We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

   We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

   We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. 

   We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!!!

   Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!!

   The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!!!

   When we did something we were not supposed to or got into trouble, we got spanked (by a hand, a hairbrush, or a belt) or even worse we got our legs "switched" with a branch from a special bush grown in the backyard and even had to go cut it ourselves before it was used on us. But we never thought of calling the police or Social Services to report our parents fo child abuse!!!

   These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!!!

  

Prophets Speak lll

   410. Micah lived after Amos and Hosea. He prophesized of a future king who would be born in Bethlehem. He looked forward to that time as the current kings he suffered with consistently led the people toward idol worship and other forms of sin.

   411. Jehoiada and his wife saved the line of kings from the wrath of King Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, who tried to seize the throne by killing the entire family. Jehoiada was chief priest at the time. They stole Ahaziah's baby, Joash, and hid him for six years. Then they overthrew Athaliah and put Joash on the throne to reinstate his lineage.

   412. Following the reign of Manasseh, a notorious king of Judah who reintroduced idol worship, a crucial moment in Biblical history occurred in 621 B.C. During the reign of King Josiah, an ideal king who reigned for thirty-one years after taking the throne at age eight, a scroll that was about to be removed from the temple was discovered by a priest. When Josiah read the scroll, he tore his clothes in anguish because he knew how far the people had fallen from God. He began vigorous reforms and removed all pagan items from Jerusalem.

   413. Hilkiah was the priest who found the scroll that brought King Josiah to his knees. Together he and the young king tried to bring the people back to God.

   414. The longest prophetic book in Hebrew Scripture, Isaiah has had a remarkable impact on our language. Perhaps more than any other book of Hebrew prophecy, Isaiah has played a central role for Christians and has even been called the "the fifth Gospel" because so many of the book's prophecies were fulfilled in the life of Jesus.

   415. The Book of Isaiah has two distinct halves. The first thirty-nine chapters seem to have been written before the Babylonian conquest of Israel, but the rest of the book was clearly written after that event. That has lead scholars to suggest there were two authors or possibly even two different prophets named Isaiah.

   416. Many well-worn phrases were born in Isaiah. Besides providing Handel with wonderful lyrics, Isaiah has yielded phrases commonly used even today:

         "White as snow"
         "Neither shall they learn war any more"
         "The people that walked in darkness"
         "And a little child shall lead them"
         "They shall mount up with wings as eagles"
         "Be of good courage"
         "Like a lamb to the slaughter"

   417. The Servant Songs is the name given to the passages of Scripture in Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52, and 53 describing an innocent man who endures great pain. Many Jewish scholars did not know what to do with these passages and could not reconcile them to the images of the Messiah coming as a mighty King. But Christians from earliest times have applied them to Jesus Christ, who suffered greatly for the sins of all humankind.

   418. Christians and Jews disagree on a key portion of Isaiah's prophecies found scattered throughout Isaiah chapters 42, 49, 50, 52, and 53 in songs that speak of a "suffering servant of God." When Isaiah speaks of a despised, rejected man of suffering who is led like a lamb to slaughter, Christians see another symbolic prophecy of Jesus. Jewish readers, on the other hand, prefer to view this as either a reference to Isaiah himself, the prophet who suffered because his words were unpopular.

   419. Huldah, the wife of Shallum, is one of the most noteworthy Hebrew prophetess. She was active in ministry during the days of King Josiah. When the Book of the Law was found in the temple, the religious leaders came to her and asked what God wanted the nation to do. This "Book of the Law" is generally thought to be an early version of Deuteronomy, which places special emphasis on removing any trace of idolatry from the worship of God. For the first time since the time of the judges, before the rise of the monarchy in Israel, the Passover was properly celebrated.

Prophets Speak ll

   400. Majors and Minors, part 2. Israel's prophets were not the type of people to include on your invitation list to a party. The Hebrew prophets denounced evil, corruption, and immorality. The three longest prophetic books, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, along with Daniel and Lamentations, have traditionally been labeled the "Major Prophets." The other twelve books are called the "Minor Prophets."

   401. Jonah was cast into the sea by the sailors around him in order to stop the raging sea. The prophet knew God had sent the storm after he refused to go and minister to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. When he was thrown overboard, the sea calmed, but Jonah was swallowed by a huge fish. Many believe the fish was a whale, but it is also possible that it was a shark that "saved" Jonah. He returned to Nineveh after spending three days in the belly of the big fish.

   402. The plant that God appointed to grow and shade Jonah after he finished preaching at Nineveh is sometimes translated a "gourd plant" and sometimes a "plant." It is believed that the writer meant for his readers to imagine the castor bean. In hot climates it grows very fast and often seems like a tree, with huge umbrella-like leaves that make wonderful shade. The Hebrews valued the oil of its beanlike seeds and used it widely in lamps and ceremonial rites.

   403. Nineveh's demise in 612 B.C. brought the city to its end. Nineveh fell after a two-month siege carried out by an alliance among Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians. The attackers destroyed Nineveh by releasing the Khoser River into the city, where it dissolved the buildings' sun-dried bricks. This was a remarkable fulfillment of Nahum's prophecy: "The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved" (Nah.2:6). Nineveh was lost for well over two thousand years.

   404. At the forefront. In the period of the divided kingdom, the focus of the Bible books moves away from the kings to the ministries of a series of "prophets," those who spoke on  behalf of God after receiving divine messages through dreams or visions. Prophets tried to counsel-usually with little success-to the rulers and people of Israel and Judah. The prophets became crucial Biblical characters who overshadowed the kings and took their message to the entire nation.

   405. Hosea suffered greatly as a prophet. His name means "Save, oh God!" His was a unique task: to marry a prostitute and live as a faithful husband to her. Their relationship paralleled what Israel was doing to God-God was a faithful husband to a harlot nation. Hosea thus could speak from experience and feel personally what great pain God must suffer when His people abandon Him repeatedly.

   406. Gomer was the wife Hosea was sent to marry. She bore three children to Hosea, though none of them were likely his own children. God provided names for each of the children, but they were not names to rejoice over. Rather they were fateful reminders of what Israel had become. Their names were Jezreel (in honor of a massacre that took  place in Jezreel for which God was going to punish the Israelites); Lo-Ruhamah, which means "not loved'; and Lo-Ammi, which means "not my people."

   407. God's chosen people. One of the most significant lines in Amos is the prophet's message to Israel from God: "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you  for all your sins" (3:2). This is the essence of the Jews' designation as the "chosen people." God's covenant with the people did not entitle them to special favors; rather, being chosen increased their responsibility

   408. Amos was the first prophet to have his words written down. One of the more interesting facts about his book is that he used the lion to emphasize that his mission was to bring the Hebrews back to righteousness. No other wild animal is mentioned so often in the Bible as the lion. It appears in thirty-one of the sixty-six books of the New Testaments.

   409. Lions were still abundant in the Bible lands when Amos lived, and they ranged from Africa across the Near East to India. In the Holy Land itself, the lion was exterminated by about the time of the Crusades in the Middle Ages. It vanished from Egypt in the last century, and the last wild lion was seen in the Near East was captured in Iran in 1923. Hunting lions was an ancient sport in the Bible lands, and many pictures show them being captured in nets and pits. Like many other Near Eastern monarchs, King Darius of Persia kept a den of lions-into which Daniel was cast.

  

  

Prophets Speak l

   390. Prophets and priests played an important role in early Israel, though many of the prophets do not have books named after them. The purpose of these godly men was to serve as messengers from God to the people. The prophets and priests received orders from God and acted upon them.

   391. Moses said God would raise up prophets like him in the generations to follow. And God did. Generally keeping a low profile, the prophets did not possess administrative power like the kings. And they had no place in the tabernacle or temple rituals like the priests. They simply spoke the mind of God as it was given to them. Unlike the kingship and the priesthood, the position of prophet could not be passed on to one's descendants. God individually chose each one.

   392. Nathan served as a prophet in the time of David and Solomon. It was his responsibility to confront David after David stole a soldier's wife, made her pregnant, and then had the soldier killed in order to cover up his deceitful behavior. When Nathan confronted David for his behavior, David repented, but God took the child born of the woman, Bathsheba, as a punishment. However, the next child David and Bathsheba conceived was Solomon. who would be king.

   393. Elijah trusted God completely, so much so that when King Ahab appointed prophets to worship the false god Baal, Elijah told him no more rain would fall. Three years after the drought began, when Israel was literally starving, Elijah had a contest with the Baal prophets to see which deity would answer their prayers-God or the false god Baal. The people were brought to their senses by the sign of a soaked altar bursting into flame, and they came back to God.

   394. As one of only two men who never died, Elijah was truly a special prophet of God. Enoch, a man who walked with God, was the other. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, but before he was taken he appointed Elisha, his servant, to succeed him.

   395. Even though Elijah and Elisha were two of the most prominent prophets in the days of the northern kingdom, no book is named after them. Because of this we can assume that the seventeen books of prophecy in the Bible are just a sampling of all that the prophets spoke.

   396. The books of prophecy. This section of the Bible composed of seventeen books beginning with Isaiah and ending with Malachi, closing out the Old Testament. Like the books of poetry, these books don't extend the time line of Israel's history; rather, they fill in the one laid down by the books of history. Apart from Job, most of the books of poetry were associated with the kings of Israel's glory days. By contrast the books of prophecy were associated mainly with the period of Israel's decline and fall.

   397. Prophecy in the Old Testament was not so much a telling of the future as it was an urgent statement made on behalf of God to his people. Certain elements of Hebrew prophecy spoke of the future in terms that human behavior could not change, but most of it offered God's people a choice and often stated the harsh consequences if the Israelites chose to disobey.

   398. Both the major and minor prophets are organized in historical order. This doesn't mean the minor prophets followed the majors in history, however, they coexisted with them. Hosea, for example, was a contemporary of Isaiah. Since the fall of Jerusalem is dated by historians at 586 B.C., all the books of prophecy- major and minor- can be dated within a century or two of that date.

   399. Majors and Minors, part l. The distinction is made by the length of each book. Isaiah, for example, is longer than all twelve of the minor prophets together. Although Lamentations is short, Jeremiah was a major prophet, and the full title is "The Lamentations of Jeremiah."


  

Poetry of Kings lll

   380. The most unusual of Solomon's gardens must have been the one devoted to spices, for Solomon's far-flung trade with Arabia and India brought him many exotic plants. One of the prizes of the spice garden was spikenard, which was found in the Himalaya Mountains of Asia. The dried stems became am important trade item in the ancient world.

   381. Dried spikenard was transported across Asia by camels and stored in alabaster boxes to preserve its fragrance. That is the reason spikenard was extraordinarily expensive, as John points out when he states that Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with "a pound of ointment of spikenard" (John 12:3 KJV).

   382. Acacia, the "shittim wood" referred to often in the Bible, has many uses. Fine-grained and durable, its wood was suitable for beautiful things like the ark of the covenant, the altar of the tabernacle, and the mummy coffins of the Egyptians. Various species of acacia also provide perfumes, gum arabic, medicine, food for cattle, and firewood.

   383. An alliance with the Phoenicians was one of the most enterprising of Solomon's many ventures. The Bible never refers to the Phoenicians by name but instead calls them the people of Tyre, Sidon, or Gebal, the three main cities from which the Phoenicians sent out trading voyages to all parts of the ancient world. The word Phoenicians comes from the Greek word for "reddish-purple," which refers to the dye the Phoenicians prepared from species of murex, a marine snail. The murex has a gland that secretes a milky white fluid as a defense against predators, but when exposed to light and air, the fluid turns purple and is a permanent dye on fabric.

   384. "Tarshish ships." This Biblical reference to the ships of Solomon refers to those that were built via agreement Solomon negotiated with his Phoenician neighbor, King Hiram of Tyre. Together they obtained skilled workmen to build him a fleet of merchant ships. No one knows exactly what the ships looked like, but they were probably a mix between the Phoenicians battleships and merchant ships. Solomon's fleet was based near his smelters, at Eziongeber on the Gulf of Aqaba. From there his ships sailed with metal and other items to a place known as Ophir.

   385. After Solomon's death between 930 and 925 B.C., political and religious differences shattered the kingdom built by David and Solomon. The ten tribes in the north broke away from the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and two weaker kingdoms were left: Judah in the south and Israel in the north.

   386. The call of wisdom is made throughout the first ten chapters of Proverbs. Solomon, who was given great wisdom from God, says in Proverbs 8:22 that wisdom was the first creation of God. It's interesting that Solomon always refers to wisdom in the feminine sense: "She calls out..."

   387. Canticles or the Song of Songs is a set of love poems shared between a man and a woman. Some of the images are so mature that Jewish boys were not allowed to read it until they reached adulthood. Many people have questioned its place in Scripture, but Jewish leaders decided in ancient times that the book is allegorical-the man chasing a woman is a depiction of God pursuing sinful Israel. In medieval times Christian scholars suggested that the book also represented Christ pursuing the church.

   388. "Solomon's sword" is a phrase used to describe a wise choice. It comes from the time two women, both claiming to be the mother of an infant, approached King Solomon and asked him to settle their dispute. Solomon asked for a sword, announcing he would cut the child in half. With that the real mother insisted that the baby not be harmed and instead be given to the other woman. The king, recognizing that the true mother would intervene for the baby's welfare, awarded the child to her.

   389. "Turn, Turn, Turn." During the 1960s, there may have been no more widely quoted Bible verses than the words from Ecclesiastes. They provided Pete Seeger with the lyrics that eventually became a hit single for the Byrds. Americans of that era may recall that President Kennedy admired these verses so much that they were read at his funeral.

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   369. The Penitential Psalms is the title given to seven psalms that express deep repentance over sin: Psalm 7, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. All but two are attributed to King David-most notably Psalm 51, which is his lament over adultery with Bathsheba.

   370. The Messianic Psalms are Old Testament psalms that relate information about the coming Messiah. They were generally quoted by the Lord Jesus or the New Testament writings in reference to Him. These include Psalm 22, 40, 41, 45, 69, 72, and 118.

   371. The Psalms of Ascent are the songs that were sung by Jewish pilgrims as they traveled upward from the surrounding areas of Palestine to the city of Jerusalem for festivals. The songs tell of looking up to the hills, seeing the walls of Jerusalem, and observing the many people gathering together to worship. They end up with a joyous shout of praise as the pilgrims finally arrive at the gates of the temple.

   372. The Philistines held a monopoly on the manufacture of iron, and in this way they exerted control over the Israelites. The Philistines jealously guarded the secrets of the complicated smelting process, and they prevented the Israelites from stocking up on swords and shields by not allowing them to have smiths in their territory. Only after the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David, defeated the Philistines did the metal come into common use. The Israelites then learned the techniques of iron-making. Even the Hebrew words for "knife" and "helmet" came from the Philistines.

   373. The conquest of the city of Jebus was one of David's victories. He changed the name to Jerusalem, which means "City of Peace." Jerusalem is situated on a limestone ridge about twenty-five hundred feet above sea level. To the south and west is the valley of Hinnom (or Gehenna), which was used to burn refuse. By New Testament times Gehenna had become a symbol for hell, probably because of the fires constantly burning there.

   374. Solomon became king in the year 961 B.C. and reigned for thirty-nine years. The name Solomon is derived from the Hebrew word for "peace," and Solomon indeed lived up to his name. Under his reign Jerusalem became one of the most important cities in the Near East.

   375. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived; he was "wiser than all men" (1 Kings 4:31 KJV). God had asked him what he wanted more than anything, and Solomon asked for wisdom in order to better rule the people of Israel. His wisdom was unsurpassed, and the people lived very well under his rule. A beautiful temple was even built, but sadly many of the Israelites, including Solomon, eventually began sacrificing to other gods. God raised up armies to fight against him and his people, but made a decision not to take the nation from Solomon's rule...He would spare Solomon that for his father's sake. Instead Israel would be lost during the reign of Solomon's son, Rehoboam. 

   376. Knowing it all. Not only did Solomon speak over three thousand proverbs and write more than a thousand songs, some of which come down to us in the books of Proverbs and the Song of Solomon, he could also speak knowingly on any subject. And he was obviously an authority on natural history. The Bible says that he could lecture on "trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes" (1 Kings 4:33 KJV).

   377. The cedar was the largest tree that Solomon could have known, and the little fragrant herb, the hyssop, was among the smallest. Unlike modern hyssop, the plant Solomon spoke of is believed to have been one of the marjorams, members of the mint family that grow clusters of white flowers among rocks and in crevices in walls. Under these conditions it is among the smallest flowering plants in the Holy Land.

   378. The cedar of Lebanon was the largest and most noble tree growing in the Bible lands. It was once abundant in the regions of Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. It towered as high as 120 feet, and the diameter of its trunk sometimes reached eight feet. It had a fragrant gum that made walking in a cedar grove a delight. Its wood not only was a beautiful reddish color, but it also resisted decay and attack by insects.

   379. A gardener on a grand scale. The Bible describes Solomon as a gardener (Eccl.2:4-6). No one has yet found the exact location of Solomon's gardens, but they must have been quite close to the palace. A few miles outside of Jerusalem are three large reservoirs that have traditionally been called the Pools of Solomon, and they may be the reservoirs he built to provide water for his gardens.

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   358. Job is never identified as a Jew, and he wasn't a king, but his book fits with the poetic books of both King David and King Solomon. Job is thought to have lived in the Arabian Desert, somewhere between Babylon and the Holy Land. Interestingly, he was the great naturalist of the Old Testament, and he displayed a deep knowledge and an observant eye for the world around him. "Speak to the earth and it shall teach thee," he advises (Job 12:8 KJV). He followed his own advice because he describes precisely the habits of mammals, the way of birds, the patterns on the skies, the rains and the floods. He speaks knowingly of the various trees that grow along the streams, from the papyrus in the marshes to the thorny shrubs of the desert.

   359. A keen watcher of the skies. In chapter 9 Job refers to "Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south" (KJV). He was aware that the stars are not scattered at random in the night but are fixed in unchanging patterns, one of which is the Zodiac. The Zodiac is an imaginary belt across the sky consisting of twelve groups of stars-constellations, or "chambers," as Job called them-through which the sun and moon seem to pass. Each constellation appeared to the ancients to represent the figure of some animal or a mythical being associated with animals.

   360. "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest" (KJV). David, weighed down by his duties, must have wished he could take flight from his tasks. He might have selected almost any bird to express this wish in Psalm 55, yet he chose the dove for a particular reason. The former shepherd knew that while most birds can fly, only doves can take off with a sudden burst of speed and sustain their powerful flight for a long distance. 

   361. David was more than a great warrior. He was a musician who played the eight-stringed harplike instrument known as the lyre. He was also a great poet who composed about half of the Psalms. David used many descriptions of animals, birds, and plant life in the Psalms to portray poetic images.

   362. Was he a lover or a fighter? David's eye for beauty included a passion for women as well as nature. As was the custom, many of David's wives and concubines were the result of political maneuvers that expanded and secured David's kingdom territory.

   363. The habits of the Palestinian house sparrow were so well known that Psalm 102 uses it as a symbol of desolation: "I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top" (KJV).  Here is an intentional contradiction, for it is difficult to visualize a lone sparrow. House sparrows are highly gregarious birds; they seek food in large flocks and at night they group in protected places, such as under the roof eaves of buildings. This psalms unlikely picture of a single sparrow evokes a feeling of utter loneliness and abandonment.

   364. "I am like a pelican of the wilderness" (KJV). Also found in Psalm 102, this too is David's lament. The white pelican is abundant around the inland lakes and rivers of Africa and Eurasia where it preys on fish, but many Bible readers have wondered what the pelican was doing in the wilderness. In the Bible the word wilderness refers to any unpopulated place, such as a mountain, desert, or marsh. Pelicans are often found living in the deserts of the Bible lands, so long as there is an inland lake within flying distance.

   365. The shortest psalm (117) has just two verses and the longest psalm is just two psalms later (119). It is also the longest chapter in the Bible, and longer than some whole Bible books-such as Obadiah, Philemon, and Jude.

   366. It appears that this collection was begun as something of a hymnbook for temple worship in Jerusalem. Words such as selah, maskil, and miktam are found throughout the book to give direction to those who would speak or chant these psalms in public worship.

   367. The Book of Psalms is really five different books of songs and poems; all connect our relationship to God. Book 1 includes Psalms1-41; book 2 is Psalms 42-72; book 3 includes Psalms 73-89; book 4 has Psalms 90-106; and book 5 has Psalms 107-150.

   368. Acrostic poems are found throughout Jewish literature. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is an acrostic poem-every new stanza begins with the successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 112 is similar, with each line beginning with the next letter of the alphabet. This was not only poetic, but also aided in the memorization of the psalm.