944. The cross is perhaps the most recognized symbol of the Christian. Jesus was crucified on a cross between two criminals. His hands and feet were nailed into the cross, signs to forever remain that demonstrate the atoning work He performed on the cross for believers.
949. The Hand of God is perhaps the most ancient symbol of God the Father. Like most symbols, it is referenced from Scripture. The meaning of the symbol relates to the creative power of God. Through His handiwork came forth the genius of creation.
950. A crown is a representation of the office Christ holds as King. The Scriptures teach that He is the "King of kings." The Bible also refers to Jesus as the "Crown of Life," which all who believe may take for themselves.
951. The lantern is a symbol of betrayal that comes directly from Scripture. When Judas came with the soldiers to arrest Jesus, the group carried torches and lanterns to find Jesus. Alternatively the lantern is a symbol of light.
952. Jesus is the Light of the world, the source that brings life to a dead world. Furthermore Christ's two distinct natures, divine and human, are an important tenet of Christ being both God and Man. The traditional symbol to display this doctrine is to light two candles during church services, with one on either side of a cross.
953. The Good Shepherd is a Biblical reference to Jesus' description of Himself in the Gospel of John. As a Redeemer of His people, the sheep, Jesus watches over them, protects them, and provides for their way into the shelter.
954. The Holy Spirit is most often represented by a dove and recalls the story of Jesus' Baptism from the Scriptures. After Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptist, a dove descended and God spoke from Heaven. This is one of very few symbols for the Third Person of the Trinity.
955. The seven doves, seven lamps, and seven-pointed star all represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit stated in the Book of Revelation. The seven gifts are strength, honor, glory, blessing, power, riches, and wisdom.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Music in the Bible lll
944. A psaltery is another kind of harp, as is a viol. These were even smaller wooden-framed harps, and they would have been plucked with the fingers to make music. They may have been of Phoenician origin. The Bible mentions these in 1 Samuel 10:5 and Isaiah 5:12.
945. The sackbut, despite the funny name, is a type of harp with a triangular shape. It has been mistranslated (Dan. 3:5) in various versions, but is a harp.
946. Cymbals are a percussion instrument. They were used both in celebration and at ceremonies such as the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 12:27). There were two kinds of cymbals. The first had flat metal plates that were struck together to make a clashing, crashing noise. The other kind had one cymbal that was held stationary while the other one was banged against it.
947. Timbrels, or tambourines, are instruments still in use today. The bells and other "jingly" sounds come from light pieces of metal that shake and rattle together when the wood they are attached to is shaken or beat. The timbrel was used for happy occasions and to make music for singing and dancing.
945. The sackbut, despite the funny name, is a type of harp with a triangular shape. It has been mistranslated (Dan. 3:5) in various versions, but is a harp.
946. Cymbals are a percussion instrument. They were used both in celebration and at ceremonies such as the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 12:27). There were two kinds of cymbals. The first had flat metal plates that were struck together to make a clashing, crashing noise. The other kind had one cymbal that was held stationary while the other one was banged against it.
947. Timbrels, or tambourines, are instruments still in use today. The bells and other "jingly" sounds come from light pieces of metal that shake and rattle together when the wood they are attached to is shaken or beat. The timbrel was used for happy occasions and to make music for singing and dancing.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Music in the Bible ll
939. The organ is another wind instrument from Bible times, though it may have been a generic term for all wind instruments (Gen. 4:21 KJV).
940. Trumpets referred to a variety of different wind instruments-everything from a ram's horn to Moses' trumpet may correctly be classified within this instrument family. Another name used was "cornet."
941. The flute is only mentioned once in the King James Version of the Bible, in Daniel 3:5, but is mentioned more in other, newer translations, such as NIV (three times). It may very well have referred to a reed flute or some other instrument that closely resembles a modern flute.
942. The harp is perhaps the most-mentioned instrument in the Bible. It is believed that the instrument actually refers to the lyre, a similar stringed instrument of smaller proportions. The lyre was made of wood and had between eight and ten strings to pluck. The fingers or some sort of pick may have been used. The instrument may be of Syrian origin.
943. Harps and Heaven? Many people associate Heaven with harps. Many people don't realize that this connection actually comes from the Bible. The apostle John describes this in his vision, seeing the Heavenly throne in the Book of Revelation.
940. Trumpets referred to a variety of different wind instruments-everything from a ram's horn to Moses' trumpet may correctly be classified within this instrument family. Another name used was "cornet."
941. The flute is only mentioned once in the King James Version of the Bible, in Daniel 3:5, but is mentioned more in other, newer translations, such as NIV (three times). It may very well have referred to a reed flute or some other instrument that closely resembles a modern flute.
942. The harp is perhaps the most-mentioned instrument in the Bible. It is believed that the instrument actually refers to the lyre, a similar stringed instrument of smaller proportions. The lyre was made of wood and had between eight and ten strings to pluck. The fingers or some sort of pick may have been used. The instrument may be of Syrian origin.
943. Harps and Heaven? Many people associate Heaven with harps. Many people don't realize that this connection actually comes from the Bible. The apostle John describes this in his vision, seeing the Heavenly throne in the Book of Revelation.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Music in the Bible l
934. Musical instruments as well as human melody are mentioned all through the Bible. The Hebrew culture included music; it was in fact an important part of their daily lives. Music was used for both sacred and secular occasions.
935. "The father of all who play the harp and flute." Jubal was the son of Lamech and a descendant of Cain, but his main title was that of music patriarch (Gen. 4:21).
936. Music was played at all occasions, such as at religious festivals and worship services, at funerals (Matt. 9:23), in battle (Exod. 15:20-21; 2 Chron. 20:28), and even just to pass the time while shepherds watched their sheep. David was a talented harpist. There are instances of music in royal settings as well as very humble ones in the Bible. It doesn't appear to be an aspect of culture that was truly only for one segment of society.
937. Instruments ranged in types and styles, but the necessary elements for an orchestra were present: strings, wind instruments, and a percussion section. Though instruments could certainly be played alone, orchestras did exist. David was said to have four thousand instrumentalists organized for his musical needs and requests.
938. The "pipe" instrument mentioned in Scripture was perhaps an oboe. The pipe would have been used in festivals and other times of rejoicing, as well as funerals and sad occasions. The prophet Jeremiah once compared the soulful, haunting sound to a sad heart (Jer. 48:36).
935. "The father of all who play the harp and flute." Jubal was the son of Lamech and a descendant of Cain, but his main title was that of music patriarch (Gen. 4:21).
936. Music was played at all occasions, such as at religious festivals and worship services, at funerals (Matt. 9:23), in battle (Exod. 15:20-21; 2 Chron. 20:28), and even just to pass the time while shepherds watched their sheep. David was a talented harpist. There are instances of music in royal settings as well as very humble ones in the Bible. It doesn't appear to be an aspect of culture that was truly only for one segment of society.
937. Instruments ranged in types and styles, but the necessary elements for an orchestra were present: strings, wind instruments, and a percussion section. Though instruments could certainly be played alone, orchestras did exist. David was said to have four thousand instrumentalists organized for his musical needs and requests.
938. The "pipe" instrument mentioned in Scripture was perhaps an oboe. The pipe would have been used in festivals and other times of rejoicing, as well as funerals and sad occasions. The prophet Jeremiah once compared the soulful, haunting sound to a sad heart (Jer. 48:36).
Monday, January 4, 2016
The Plant Kingdom Vll
930. Few plants in the Holy Land have seeds smaller than the mustard seed. As Jesus points out in His parable in Matthew 13, mustard often grows as large as a tree, reaching a height of about fifteen feet, with a stalk as thick as a man's arm. Mustard was widely cultivated in the Middle East for the flavor of its seed.
931. References to the grapevine abound in Scripture. It is a plant so widely cultivated in the Holy Land that it was known to all. The grapevine is one of the very first plants mentioned in the Bible (one of Noah's first jobs after the flood was to plant a vineyard) and its image appears some two hundred times in the Old and New Testaments. The grape has been cultivated for so long that its origin is shrouded in mystery.
932. The date palm was a sign of majesty and fruitfulness to people of the Holy Land. The huge leaves were symbols of triumph and were often carried in ceremonies, but they were also used for roofing, fencing, and the making of mats, baskets, and dishes. Rope was made from the fibrous material in the crown of the trees. The trunk was used for timber, and the date fruit was food for animals as well as people. It is said that the date palm has more uses than the years has days.
.
933. The shrub commonly known as "crown of thorns," grown in many European and American gardens, could not possibly be the one mentioned in the Bible. This plant is native to the island of Madagascar and it was unknown in the Holy Land in Jesus' time. Many scholars now believe that the crown was made from a straggly shrub often called the Jerusalem thorn. It grows abundantly around Jerusalem, and its twigs are flexible enough to be woven.
931. References to the grapevine abound in Scripture. It is a plant so widely cultivated in the Holy Land that it was known to all. The grapevine is one of the very first plants mentioned in the Bible (one of Noah's first jobs after the flood was to plant a vineyard) and its image appears some two hundred times in the Old and New Testaments. The grape has been cultivated for so long that its origin is shrouded in mystery.
932. The date palm was a sign of majesty and fruitfulness to people of the Holy Land. The huge leaves were symbols of triumph and were often carried in ceremonies, but they were also used for roofing, fencing, and the making of mats, baskets, and dishes. Rope was made from the fibrous material in the crown of the trees. The trunk was used for timber, and the date fruit was food for animals as well as people. It is said that the date palm has more uses than the years has days.
.
933. The shrub commonly known as "crown of thorns," grown in many European and American gardens, could not possibly be the one mentioned in the Bible. This plant is native to the island of Madagascar and it was unknown in the Holy Land in Jesus' time. Many scholars now believe that the crown was made from a straggly shrub often called the Jerusalem thorn. It grows abundantly around Jerusalem, and its twigs are flexible enough to be woven.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
The Plant Kingdom VI
925. In the Holy Land, barley was mainly used to feed animals because its protein content was less than wheat. It was also the chief grain of the poor people and so it became a symbol of poverty. Barley was such a staple grain of the Hebrews that it furnished them with units of measurement-three barley grains laid end to end were equal to an inch, about twenty-four to a "span," and forty-eight to a "cubit" (about seventeen inches).
926. The tall papyrus reed or bulrush was one of the most abundant plants to grow along the banks of the Nile. At the top of its fifteen-foot stem is a plume of wispy stalks that resemble feathers. Papyrus furnished the world's first material for making paper. In fact our word paper is derived from it. The stem was pressed flat under heavy weights until it dried. It was then cut into sheets of suitable size, which were polished with ivory to make a smooth writing surface. Sometimes sheets were glued or sewn together to make long rolls of paper, usually about thirty feet long. One roll has been discovered that is 130 feet in length! Each end of the roll was attached to a handle to make winding easier.
927. In Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, the younger of two sons squandered his half of the inheritance. He then became so poor that he would fill his belly with the husks that the swine ate (Luke 15:16). Husks came from the pods of the carob tree, also commonly called the locust, which were fed to farm animals.
928. The carob tree grows beans in a pod that resemble our green peas. Today in the Near East the pods provide fodder for animals and food for very poor people, although in Jesus' time humans did not eat them unless they were famished as the prodigal son.
929. Some think that the "locust" (Matt 3:4) John the Baptist ate in the wilderness was not the insect but rather the pod from the carob tree. For this reason the carob is sometimes called "Saint John's bread tree."
926. The tall papyrus reed or bulrush was one of the most abundant plants to grow along the banks of the Nile. At the top of its fifteen-foot stem is a plume of wispy stalks that resemble feathers. Papyrus furnished the world's first material for making paper. In fact our word paper is derived from it. The stem was pressed flat under heavy weights until it dried. It was then cut into sheets of suitable size, which were polished with ivory to make a smooth writing surface. Sometimes sheets were glued or sewn together to make long rolls of paper, usually about thirty feet long. One roll has been discovered that is 130 feet in length! Each end of the roll was attached to a handle to make winding easier.
927. In Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, the younger of two sons squandered his half of the inheritance. He then became so poor that he would fill his belly with the husks that the swine ate (Luke 15:16). Husks came from the pods of the carob tree, also commonly called the locust, which were fed to farm animals.
928. The carob tree grows beans in a pod that resemble our green peas. Today in the Near East the pods provide fodder for animals and food for very poor people, although in Jesus' time humans did not eat them unless they were famished as the prodigal son.
929. Some think that the "locust" (Matt 3:4) John the Baptist ate in the wilderness was not the insect but rather the pod from the carob tree. For this reason the carob is sometimes called "Saint John's bread tree."
Thursday, December 17, 2015
The Plant Kingdom V
920. Wormwood is used to symbolize bitterness because it has a unique bitterness taste. The plant has many species that grow in Palestine. It is almost more of a shrub, though it can grow quite tall. It is in the same plant family as mugwart and western sagebrush. These plants all have a bitter taste and strong odor. The Hebrews thought of bitter things as poisonous and thus symbols of calamity and sorrow, but they used wormwood as a seasoning, a tonic, and a worm medicine.
921. Balm of Gilead refers to a fragrant resin that is obtained from cuts in the bark of trees. It is used for both perfumes and medicines. Several different plants produce such resins, and no one is sure which one Jeremiah meant. It might have been the Jericho balsam, but a more likely possibility is liquidambar, which produces the gum known as storax or stacte, which is still used in medicine. It is almost identical to the tree Americans call red gum or sweet gum.
922. Compared to the desert, Canaan must have seemed like paradise, with its vineyards and its orchards of olives, figs, dates, and pomegranates. Next to the grape, the fig was the Israelites' most valued crop. It provided a large part of their daily food. Both figs and dates were eaten either fresh or dried. Fig fruits were also used medicinally; and the sheaths of date clusters provided a sap that was used to make a kind of wine as well as a syrup called "honey" in the Bible.
923. Pomegranates grow wild as large shrubs or small trees in many parts of the Near East. So important was this "apple with grains," filled with many red-colored, juicy seeds, to the Israelites that it was used as a design to decorate the Temple and also coins in Jerusalem.
924. Along the Nile and throughout the ancient Near East, the most important grain crops were wheat and barley. Both grains have been cultivated in Egypt and the Near East since the earliest recorded times. The earliest evidence comes from near Mount Carmel, on the coast of northern Israel. It dates from about nine thousand years ago.
921. Balm of Gilead refers to a fragrant resin that is obtained from cuts in the bark of trees. It is used for both perfumes and medicines. Several different plants produce such resins, and no one is sure which one Jeremiah meant. It might have been the Jericho balsam, but a more likely possibility is liquidambar, which produces the gum known as storax or stacte, which is still used in medicine. It is almost identical to the tree Americans call red gum or sweet gum.
922. Compared to the desert, Canaan must have seemed like paradise, with its vineyards and its orchards of olives, figs, dates, and pomegranates. Next to the grape, the fig was the Israelites' most valued crop. It provided a large part of their daily food. Both figs and dates were eaten either fresh or dried. Fig fruits were also used medicinally; and the sheaths of date clusters provided a sap that was used to make a kind of wine as well as a syrup called "honey" in the Bible.
923. Pomegranates grow wild as large shrubs or small trees in many parts of the Near East. So important was this "apple with grains," filled with many red-colored, juicy seeds, to the Israelites that it was used as a design to decorate the Temple and also coins in Jerusalem.
924. Along the Nile and throughout the ancient Near East, the most important grain crops were wheat and barley. Both grains have been cultivated in Egypt and the Near East since the earliest recorded times. The earliest evidence comes from near Mount Carmel, on the coast of northern Israel. It dates from about nine thousand years ago.
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