Monthly Archives: May 2012

Israel Journal #14

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Even though today is Pentecost, I’m going to call it “Jezreel Valley Day.” Of course, Pentecost is a national holiday and day of Sabbath rest, but our group spent the day touring the Jezreel Valley. This was a significant area in the history of Israel because the major International Coastal Highway, which connects Egypt and Mesopotamia, ran right through it. It is bordered by Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-20), Mt. Gilboa (1 Sam. 28:4), the Hill of Moreh (Judg. 7:1), Mt. Tabor (Judg. 4:6), and the Nazareth Ridge (Matt. 2:23) forming a sort of arrow shaped valley in the north.

Our first stop of the day was actually on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the city of Caesarea. We have heard throughout the trip about what an ingenious visionary and builder Herod was, but Caesarea was particularly impressive. If you view a map of the coast of Israel, there are very few natural harbors to protect boats from storms and waves. A long, flat coastline runs up and down the country. This is probably the biggest reason why the Israelites never really developed a strong navy.

Herod understood what an advantage it would be to have a harbor along the coast, so using Roman funding, he built one. His engineers developed a special concrete that would harden underwater and they laid the foundation for a massive harbor at Caesarea. Besides the harbor, Herod also built a magnificent city here complete with a hippodrome (for racing chariots), theatre, and palace. Of course, since it was a Herodian palace, there was a giant swimming pool.

On the east side of the palace was a large room that was determined to be a judgment hall. In Acts 23:23-24, plans were made for the Apostle Paul to appear before Felix the governor. After being imprisoned for two years, he stood before Festus (Acts 24:27-25:6), and eventually before King Agrippa II (Acts 25:22-23). All of these meetings most likely took place in that judgment hall. It was a bit surreal sitting there thinking that about 2000 years ago, Paul was tried in the very same place.

We took some time to walk around Caesarea. Some of our guys even raced around the hippodrome. Those who wanted to were given a chance to dip their feet in the Mediterranean Sea. Because of the city’s violent history, there were different kinds of buildings and artwork in the area. We saw a Roman house and an Ottoman bathhouse. There were even some buildings that were erected on the track of the hippodrome. Many of the floors had elaborate mosaics and tall marble columns rose up into the air. I wish I could have seen the city back when it was first built by Herod. It must have been beautiful.

After spending a couple hours at Caesarea, we headed for the Mt. Carmel mountain ridge. I didn’t know this before, but Mt. Carmel is not a single mountain but a small mountain range. It begins at the Mediterranean Sea and works its way southeast into the land. It also serves as the upper border of the hill country of Israel.

A couple biblical stories happened in this area. The Kishon River, which runs along the base of Mt. Carmel, is where the chariots of Sisera got stuck in the mud in the days of Deborah and Barak (Judg. 4:13-16; 5:21). But the most famous story associated with Mt. Carmel is when Elijah took on the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:1-46). This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible because of how Elijah mocked and taunted the prophets of Baal when their god did not deliver. Once the Israelites saw God’s deliverance and provision of fire to consume the altar, it was in the same Kishon River at the base of Mt. Carmel that the prophets of Baal were eventually killed (1 Kings 18:40). Being up on the mountain gave us a great view of the Jezreel Valley, but it also helped us envision what happened in the days of Deborah and Elijah.

From Mt. Carmel, we headed over to Megiddo. This was an important city because it was situated next to the major trade route. In fact, a giant grain silo was found in the city. Apparently, the inhabitants enjoyed great success with agriculture in the fertile valley and were able to use the grain for food and trade. Megiddo was where King Ahaziah of Judah was killed in battle by Jehu (2 Kings 9:27), and it was also where King Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt (2 Kings 23:29-30).

The greatest biblical battle associated with Megiddo, however, is Armageddon (cf. Rev. 16:16). Armageddon is the Greek transliteration of a compound word from the Hebrew meaning “Mountain of Megiddo.” This location has serious eschatological significance. The last great battle on earth will take place from Megiddo before Christ comes again destroying the armies of the earth and ushering in His kingdom.

From Megiddo, we headed to the Mount of Precipice outside Nazareth. Traditionally, this is the location that the people of Nazareth took Jesus to throw him off the cliff (Luke 4:29). Whether this was the actual location or not is impossible to confirm, but apparently according to the tradition, Jesus escaped the crowd by jumping off the cliff. This is why the Mount of Precipice is also called “The Leaping Mountain.” I seriously doubt that it is how Jesus escaped the crowd, but the cliff gave us a great view of the Jezreel Valley.

After the Mount of Precipice, we headed to our hotel. It was another long day and everyone was pretty tired. It was amazing to be able to walk around Caesarea and Megiddo and to be able to see these places in person to help provide some context to what I read in Scripture. Our hotel is in Nazareth. That alone is really cool. Of course, the city was much smaller in Jesus’ day, but it is still pretty cool to say we stayed in Jesus’ hometown.

Israel Journal #13

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It might not make sense, but I think the free days are as exhausting as our days of touring. Even though we have the day off to relax, very few people from the group actually relax. Most of us are still on our feet either finishing up shopping or visiting sites we didn’t have time for with the group. Today, John and I were able to do a little of both.

We began the day getting some shopping done in the Old City markets. It was fun bargaining with the shop owners and hunting for good deals. Some of the shop keepers can be very aggressive. One of the men in our group was approached by a guy selling postcards and the salesman actually reached into our guy’s pocket! Some of the shop keepers will even start wrapping up things for you to take before you even agree to buy them. Thankfully, throughout our days in Jerusalem, Dr. Grisanti was able to point us to a few shops where he had good experiences with the owners.

After we got some shopping done, we grabbed lunch with Dr. Michael and Holly Vlach. Dr. Vlach is a professor at The Master’s Seminary and our faculty host for the trip. It was really great getting to spend some time with them since John and I attended the seminary before Dr. Vlach was hired there. We didn’t talk about theology as much as about each other’s lives and how God led us to where we are currently. It was good to hear their testimonies and a little about their family. The food was really tasty, but the conversation was certainly one of the highlights of this trip.

We decided after lunch to visit the museum in the Citadel of David. This fortress was built by Suleiman the Magnificent and had one of the best observation decks of the city. The museum was super helpful because it walks you through the history of Israel beginning in the days of Canaan, walking through biblical history, and ending with the modern era. It was helpful to see where the city got its Jewish, Christian, and Muslim influences, and in what time periods each of those cultures dominated the city. The museum also helped to tie together and arrange chronologically a lot of the historical facts we had been learning from Dr. Grisanti.

It was Sabbath today so most of the shops and museums were closed. Some people from our group took advantage of an opportunity to visit a local Christian assembly and worship together with them. From what they shared, it was a really encouraging time of fellowship and praise. I was torn about whether to join them or not, but I’m still thankful to have had lunch with the Vlachs and to have visited the Citadel of David. In the evening, we met together again with the group from Dallas Theological Seminary to have a preview of our upcoming week in Galilee. I’m super excited to head up to Galilee! The teacher shared that most groups agree it is the most fun leg of the trip.

BOB – Jeremiah

by Stephen Rodgers

JEREMIAH IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“After years of sinful behavior, Judah will be punished.”

TITLE

I’ll let you in on a little secret: this section is about to get really repetitious for the next few months.  ALL the prophetic books take their name from the prophet who…well…prophesied them. So there’s really no great mystery here.  However, there may be some good background material…

MSB:

This book gains its title from the human author, who begins with “the words of Jeremiah… ” (Jer 1:1). Jeremiah recounts more of his own life than any other prophet, telling of his ministry, the reactions of his audiences, testings, and his personal feelings. His name means “Jehovah throws,” in the sense of laying down a foundation, or “Jehovah establishes, appoints, or sends.”

Seven other Jeremiahs appear in Scripture (2 Kin. 23:31; 1 Chr. 5:24; 1 Chr. 12:4; 1 Chr. 12:10; 1 Chr. 12:13; Neh. 10:2; Neh. 12:1), and Jeremiah the prophet is named at least 9 times outside of his book (cf. 2 Chr. 35:25; 36:12; 36:21,22; Dan. 9:2; Ezra 1:1; Matt. 2:17; 16:14; 27:9). The Old and New Testaments quote Jeremiah at least 7 times: 1) Dan. 9:2 (compare with Jer 25:11,12; 29:10); 2) Matt. 2:18 (compare with Jer 31:15); 3) Matt. 27:9 (compare with Jer 18:2; 19:2,11; 32:6–9); 4) 1 Cor. 1:31 (compare with Jer 9:24); 5) 2 Cor. 10:17 (compare with Jer 9:24); 6) Heb. 8:8–12 (compare with Jer 31:31–34); and 7) Heb. 10:16,17 (compare with Jer 31:33,34).

Constable:

The title of this book derives from its writer, the late seventh and early sixth-century Judean prophet Jeremiah. The book occupies the second position in the Latter Prophets section of the Hebrew Bible after Isaiah and before Ezekiel, which accounts for its position in the Septuagint and most modern translations.

The meaning of “Jeremiah” is not clear. It could mean “Yahweh founds (or establishes),” “Yahweh exalts,” “Yahweh throws down,” “Yahweh hurls,” or “Yahweh loosens (the womb).”

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

I’m not aware of any scholar who disputes that Jeremiah son of Hilkiah (who some believe was the priest who discovered the book of the law during the reforms of Josiah, see R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament…others disagree, see below), authored the book that bears his name. Often referred to as the “weeping prophet,” Jeremiah had the unenviable task of prophesying to an unrepentant Jerusalem regarding their impending destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. However, God decreed that Jeremiah was to begin his ministry some 41 years prior to the Babylonians’ arrival, so needless to say, the Israelites were not very responsive. As the MSB puts it:

Jeremiah, who served as both a priest and a prophet, was the son of a priest named Hilkiah (not the High-Priest of 2 Kin. 22:8 who discovered the book of the law). He was from the small village of Anathoth (Jer 1:1), today called Anata, about 3 mi. NE of Jerusalem in Benjamin’s tribal inheritance. As an object lesson to Judah, Jeremiah remained unmarried (Jer 16:1–4). He was assisted in ministry by a scribe, named Baruch, to whom Jeremiah dictated and who copied and had custody over the writings compiled from the prophet’s messages (Jer 36:4,32; 45:1). Jeremiah has been known as “the weeping prophet” (cf. Jer 9:1; 13:17; 14:17), living a life of conflict because of his predictions of judgment by the invading Babylonians. He was threatened, tried for his life, put in stocks, forced to flee from Jehoiakim, publicly humiliated by a false prophet, and thrown into a pit.

Jeremiah is interesting in that it is not only prophetic, but also autobiographical. Jeremiah tells us more about his life and his feelings and attitude during the course of his ministry than any other OT prophet.

Literally, Jeremiah was written to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem. However, when one analyzes the more general context in which it was written, it is difficult to exceed the clarity and brevity of Francis Schaeffer: “The book of Jeremiah and the book of Lamentations show how God looks at a culture which knew Him and deliberately turned away.” (Death in the City)

DATE

For the most part, the writing of the book of Jeremiah is concurrent with it’s setting. Jeremiah began his ministry during the thirteenth year of King Josiah (the last good king of Judah, 640-609 BC), and continued to prophesy and preach throughout the reigns of Jehoahaz (609 BC), Jehoiakim (609-598 BC), Jehoiachin (598-597 BC), and Zedekiah (597-586 BC). He survived the fall of Jerusalem, and was relocated to Egypt against his will following the assassination of Gedaliah.

Per MSB:

He was possibly still ministering in 570 B.C. (see note on 44:30). A rabbinic note claims that when Babylon invaded Egypt in 568/67 B.C. Jeremiah was taken captive to Babylon. He could have lived even to pen the book’s closing scene ca. 561 B.C. in Babylon, when Judah’s king Jehoiachin, captive in Babylon since 597 B.C., was allowed liberties in his last days (52:31–34). Jeremiah, if still alive at that time, was between 85 and 90 years old.

There is also a separate Jewish tradition that states that Jeremiah was stoned to death while in Egypt (some believe that Heb 11:37 references this):

“A late, unattested tradition, mentioned by Tertullian, Jerome, and others, claims that the people of Tahpanhes [in Egypt] stoned Jeremiah to death.” (Charles Lee Feinberg, “Jeremiah,” in Isaiah-Ezekiel, vol. 6 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

Ultimately, we have no incontrovertible information regarding his life beyond 586 BC.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Per Constable:

The biblical records of the times in which Jeremiah ministered are 2 Kings 21—25 and 2 Chronicles 33—36. His contemporary prophets were Zephaniah and Habakkuk before the Exile, and Ezekiel and Daniel after it began.

Per the MSB:

Politically momentous events occurred in Jeremiah’s day. Assyria saw its power wane gradually; then Ashurbanipal died in 626 B.C. Assyria grew so feeble that in 612 B.C. her seemingly invincible capital, Nineveh, was destroyed (cf. the book of Nahum). The Neo-Babylonian empire under Nabopolassar (625–605 B.C.) became dominant militarily with victories against Assyria (612 B.C.), Egypt (609–605 B.C.), and Israel in 3 phases (605 B.C., as in Dan. 1; 597 B.C., as in 2 Kin. 24:10–16; and 586 B.C., as in Jer. 39,40,52).

Jeremiah records one of the most pivotal moments in OT history: the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. While the northern kingdom had fallen to the Assyrians already, the southern kingdom had held out until now. However, as the Babylonian empire grew, their opinion of Israel shifted from considering them a military ally against Egypt (especially after they successfully fought Egypt to a standstill), to considering them a likely candidate for conquest. And so, in 586 BC the Babylonians successfully attacked and destroyed Jeruasalem, leading the kingdom of Judah off into exile.

This is the time of Jeremiah.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are three major themes in Jeremiah:

  • Repentance. Jeremiah called for the people to repent and turn to God to avoid divine judgment (Jer 7:1-15). The people refuse (Jer 5:20-25, 8:4-7), and in response Jeremiah declares that their judgment is now unavoidable (Jer 6:16-21).
  • Judgment. The idea of the covenant lawsuit should be a familiar one by now; as a consequence of their disobedience, God will use Babylon to conquer and punish His people.
  • Restoration. Jeremiah 30:1-33:26 (called the “Book of Consolation) describes a new covenant (Jer 31:31-33) better than any preceeding prophet. This consolation and covenant would be partially fulfilled in the return of the exiles from Babylon in 538 BC, and ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ: the Messiah. (1 Cor 11:25; 2 Cor 3:6; Heb 9:15, 12:24).
Jeremiah also contains quite a bit of imagery that either foreshadows Christ and the new covenant, or evokes memories of Israel’s history.  Some of these include:
  • The “reversal” of imagery in Jeremiah 1-29 in the time of Christ: wounds and sickness vs. healings, mourning vs. weddings, fisherman as a symbol of judgment vs. fishermen as a symbol of salvation, etc.
  • In Jeremiah 38-39, Jeremiah is rescued by Ebed-melech the Cushite, a foreigner who believes Jeremiah’s message at a time when Israel did not. As a result, God saves Ebed-melech, contrasting him with King Zedekiah who is blinded and subjugated. Ebed-melech therefore becomes a prototype of Gentiles saved by faith.
  • In Jeremiah 40-45 we see the Exodus in reverse: in order to escape the wrath of the Babylonians, a remnant of Israel flees to Egypt, where they once again take up the worship of false Gods. Yet even in that tragedy, God promises Jeremiah that his scribe (Baruch),  will survive and remain faithful.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

The most significant challenge in dealing with Jeremiah is coming to some sort of understanding regarding the structure of the book. The one thing that almost all scholars agree on is that they don’t agree on the structure of Jeremiah (apart from agreeing that whatever it is, it isn’t chronological…Feinberg: “No commentator, ancient or modern, has seriously posited a chronological arrangement of its prophecies.”).

Incidentally, had they been so arranged, the sequence of sections within the book would have been approximately as follows: 1:1—7:15; ch. 26; 7:16—20:18; ch. 25; chs. 46–51; 36:1–8; ch. 45; 36:9–32; ch. 35; chs. 21–24; chs. 27–31; 34:1–7; 37:1–10; 34:8–22; 37:11—38:13; 39:15–18; chs. 32–33; 38:14—39:14; 52:1–30; chs. 40–44; 52:31–34.

A number of structures have been proposed (for example, Richard Patterson suggests that the book reverses Jeremiah’s call to be a prophet to both the nations in general, and to Judah in particular), but ultimately none are universally…or even predominantly…agreed upon.  The MSB doesn’t even attempt a formal arrangement, just states the following: “A frequent challenge is to understand the prophet’s messages in their right time setting, since the book of Jeremiah is not always chronological, but loosely arranged, moving back and forth in time for thematic effect.”

To further underscore this point:

“When we come to inquire whether any principles of arrangement can be observed in the book of Jeremiah, we have to admit that any consistent principles escape us.” (J. A. Thompson, The Book of Jeremiah)

“. . . it is often difficult to see why certain passages occur at precisely the point where they do occur.” (Edward J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament)

LITERARY FEATURES

Per the ESVSB:

Jeremiah is an anthology or collection of writings drawn from an entire lifetime of prophetic ministry. The narrative sections scattered throughout the book are loosely structured around the main events of Jeremiah’s life in ministry, which themselves were shaped by Judah’s decline, fall, and exile in Babylon. But most of the material in the book is prophetic, much of it in the form of poetry. This material does not always follow a historical sequence; the logic of its arrangement is sometimes topical rather than chronological.

OBJECTIONS

There are no significant objections to Jeremiah beyond the various anti-supernaturalistic  biases that one often encounters when dealing with prophetic literature. (Ironically enough, Jeremiah faced a similar problem in that his contemporaries never seriously considered that he spoke for God).

It is interesting to note that the Greek and Hebrew texts differ significantly from one another (by about 12.5%). Additionally, from the fragments discovered at Qumran show that various differing Hebrew texts were in circulation and use even during the time of Jesus. This, however, is not considered an impediment to reliability or canonicity. After all, Jeremiah contains an explanation for that in Jeremiah 36: King Jehoiakim was angry with Jeremiah for his prophesies, and destroyed the copy that Jeremiah had written at that point. However, God ordered Jeremiah to produce a replacement with additional prophecies as well, which he (or Baruch) did.

While it is not uncommon for the Greek (LXX) and Hebrew (MT) to differ from one another, what makes Jeremiah interesting is that the differences between them actually point to the possibility…that there were originally divergent copies of Jeremiah circulating. In other words, the differences may not be due to copyist/translation errors, but rather due to the fact that even in Jeremiah’s time (or shortly thereafter), multiple, non-identical copies of his prophecies were in circulation to prevent them from being destroyed.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Jeremiah is the second-longest book of the Bible (only Psalms is longer)
  • Jeremiah is notable for being the book where the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text are most distinct from one another.
  • Jeremiah was forbidden by God from getting married.

Other Works Referenced

  • Apologetics Study Bible, “Jeremiah”
  • Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Jeremiah”
  • ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Jeremiah”
  • MacArthur Study Bible, “Jeremiah”
  • NET Bible, Jeremiah
  • NIV Study Bible, Jeremiah
  • Reformation Study Bible, “Jeremiah”
  • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Jeremiah”
  • Know Your Bible
  • Dever, The Message of the Old Testament
  • Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
  • Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook

Israel Journal #12

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This morning, we met at 5:00am to climb to the top of Masada. We were told it would take us about forty-five minutes to an hour. It was a good walk just to the base of the hill, and I was already pretty tired. A snake path zigzagged up the side and sadly, I struggled to keep up with an eighteen-year-old girl with asthma. In my defense, I believe I was a bit dehydrated and had a lot of trouble sleeping the night before. Slowly but surely, I eventually made it to the top. (We caught the sunrise about halfway up.)

Masada is a fortress that was built by Herod in the mid-30’s B.C. After the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, during the Jewish-Roman war, some Jewish rebels fled to the fortress at Masada. Eventually, the Roman army built a siege ramp up to the fortress and were able to invade it, but Josephus records that Jews were already dead apparently participating in a mass suicide.

The top of Masada was very impressive. Herod had built a few palaces there, as well as massive cisterns, two swimming pools, and a giant bath house. There were also a great number of store houses. It was said that when the Romans finally took Masada, they discovered enough food and water there for years! It took me over an hour just to walk around to snap pictures of everything. The whole experience was amazing – walking up the hill in the morning, catching the sunrise, and then walking around Herod’s fortress. Instead of walking back down the hill, a bunch of us in the group decided to take the gondola back down. I would have taken the gondola up as well, but then I wouldn’t be able to say that I climbed Masada!

After Masada, we headed to the natural spring of En Gedi. This was the place where David fled to from Saul (1 Sam. 22:29). David found Saul relieving himself in a cave and had the opportunity to kill his oppressor, but did not lift up his hand against God’s anointed king (1 Sam. 23:1-22). The spring was beautiful. It was in a lush and fertile valley with several waterfalls. As we walked along, we were able to see some rock badgers dwelling there. At the end of the trail, some of the guys from our group stood under the waterfall and enjoyed the cool water.

After En Gedi, we travelled to the shore of the Dead Sea. I really wasn’t motivated to swim in it today. Normal ocean water is apparently about 3% salt, but the Dead Sea is about 30% salt. The shoreline is caked with crystallized salt. I have heard that if you do not wash properly after swimming, your whole body itches and gets very uncomfortable. The water can make scrapes and scratches burn and is super painful if it gets in your eyes. Still, it is supposed to be very good for your skin. Many shops in Israel sell products made with Dead Sea salt and mud.

Dr. Grisanti told me I needed to at least try it out, so after some coaxing, I went into the water. We were instructed simply to back into the water and slowly sit down. Once I did this, my feet popped up out of the water and I bobbed along on the surface. I have to admit this was really fun. It required no effort at all. The water just keeps you afloat. I was just getting to thinking, “Hey, this isn’t so bad,” when one of our friends came by and accidently splashed water in my face. My left eye immediately started to burn and I desperately scrambled back to shore to wash up. I had even less motivation to get back in the water, so I headed up to the showers and washed up.

From the Dead Sea, we got a chance to make a brief stop at Qumran. I totally forgot that this was going to be one of our stops, so it was a pleasant surprise for me. Even though it was probably the hottest spot we visited, I was so excited to be there that I didn’t care. We walked around the excavated area to see how the Qumran community lived, and we eventually got a look at (if I remember correctly) Caves 4, 5, and 10. Apparently, Cave 4 was very important because that is where the Isaiah, 1 Samuel, and Jeremiah scrolls were found. It was really exciting to be at Qumran especially since the Dead Sea Scrolls came to San Diego several years ago. I wish we would have had more time, but it was the end of the day and the place was ready to close.

After Qumran, we headed back to our hotel in Jerusalem. It felt like we were returning home since we spent the entire first week in this hotel. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and then headed to the rooms for some rest. Tomorrow is another free day, so hopefully I will be able to wrap up my shopping.

Israel Journal #11

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This morning we were in for a treat as we headed to the beach for some fun in the sun. The city of Eilat is certainly much different from Jerusalem. There are far fewer orthodox Jews walking around. Eilat is more of a party and resort city full of hotels and casinos. Off the beach, there is a beautiful coral reef with all sorts of exotic fish. Rather than wading out into the water, the parks and recreation people set up two piers that jutted out into the water. After getting our gear, we walked down to the end of one pier where we entered the water and started to swim towards the second pier. As I jumped into the water, I was immediately surrounded by a school of fish and could see all sorts of things that reminded me of “Finding Nemo.” Unfortunately, the current was really strong and the water was choppy, so some of the reef was cloudy and visibility was not great. Even still, it was nice to have some down time after days of rapid fire instruction and seemingly endless walking. I also had an underwater camera handy, so hopefully the pictures come out fine.

After snorkeling, we washed up and were able to visit a life size replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle. This stop was really fascinating! After a brief introduction, the tour guide walked us through the Tabernacle explaining every detail. Though there were times when the interpretations were a bit contrived, it was nice to hear about the Tabernacle from an evangelical perspective. It was also interesting to see the place’s dimensions. One detail that was surprising was the size of the bronze altar. I suppose it must have been fairly big to be able to fit large animals, but I shuddered when I thought about being a Levite carrying the altar throughout the wilderness (cf. Exod. 27:6-7). I don’t think I would have wanted to be given the altar carrying duty.

Just down the road from the Tabernacle model was a place called “Solomon’s pillars.” This was an immense natural cliff side carved out by wind and sandstorms. It was a gorgeous sight, but the stairs were not very fun to climb in the extreme desert heat. Even still, once we got up to the observation point the view was amazing, and it wasn’t a very long climb. At the base of the cliff was an ancient Egyptian temple to the goddess Hathor. Hathor is usually depicted as a woman with bull’s horns and is the patron goddess of mining. In the temple, you could see several standing stones, some ritual basins, and a holy of holies. This area was the site of copper mining, so the Egyptians probably put the temple there to help ensure their success. At the top of the stairs, there is an ancient drawing of Pharaoh Ramses offering a sacrifice to Hathor. This was one of the warmest places we visited, so it must have been miserable working as a copper miner in this area.

In the afternoon, we visited a wilderness reserve in Hai-Bar Yotvata where we could see various animals from the region. There were ostriches, lizards, various snakes, and rodents. The park also had a cheetah, hyena, owls, and wolves. The heat was so intense that most of the animals were lazing in the shade. Some would curiously look up at us as we passed, but most spent the time sleeping. The last area contained various kinds of vultures. There was a carcass of a young calf laid there for the birds to eat, but I think they were all too tired or hot to move. There is an area at the reserve where you could drive around and get a closer look at animals like ibexes and ostriches, but we unfortunately didn’t have time to do that.

At the end of the day, we arrived at a hostel at the base of Masada. This is located just west of the Dead Sea. The plan is to get some rest, meet up at 5:00am, and climb to the top of Masada to catch the sunrise. Since we’re in Israel, we have been told that this is the thing to do. I feel pretty motivated now, but we’ll see how I feel in the morning!

Israel Journal #10

by Pastor Patrick Cho

After breakfast, we made our way over to Tel Beersheba. The name Beersheba is a compound word meaning “well of the oath” or “well of seven.” This is a possible location of Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech (Gen. 21:22-34). Even if it isn’t, and patriarchal Beersheba is located elsewhere, we at least know this is the Beersheba from the days of the divided monarchy (1 Kings 19:1-3).

In Beersheba, archaeologists uncovered a horned altar that was used for sacrifice. There were some problems with the people having this altar. First, it was made of cut stones. God had explicitly commanded his people to make their altar of uncut stones (Exod. 20:25; Deut. 27:5-6; Josh. 8:31). Second, this altar was very far from where the tabernacle would have been. The people of Israel were commanded not to worship wherever they wanted, but only at the place where the Lord chose to make His name dwell (i.e., typically wherever the Tabernacle was; Deut. 12:1-14). Even if the people of Beersheba sought to worship YHWH in sincerity, they were still in violation of His commands. This altar was probably torn down in the days of either Josiah or Hezekiah.

From Beersheba, we went to Tel Arad. There were two parts to this visit. First, we walked around an Early Bronze Age settlement. This city would have been around even 200 years before Abraham. It was a hot and arid area, which is why it seems the entire city was built around a cistern. On one end of the city, there was a double temple. Two ritual basins and altars for sacrifice were found as well as a standing stone, which was usually associated with pagan worship. Some believe the double temple was for their god and his consort (sort of like Baal and Ashtoreth).

At the top of the hill, we entered into the Israelite fortress, which was first settled in the days of David. Archaeologists discovered that the fortress had been inhabited at least six times, which means it was destroyed at least five times. Sadly, this fortress also served as a representation of false worship. A temple was also found at this fortress complete with a holy of holies. There were also two standing stones and two altars of incense. Some believe this temple was dedicated to YHWH and some other god (possibly His consort). Regardless of who was supposed to be worshipped at this temple, it was in violation of God’s command to only worship where He caused His name to dwell (cf. Deut. 12).

After Tel Arad, we travelled through the Wildernesses of Zin and Paran. This is where the Israelites wandered for about forty years because of their disobedience and faithlessness before entering into the Promised Land. We had a couple opportunities to step out of the air-conditioned bus to take in the land. Needless to say, I was thankful not to have been a part of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. It was brutally hot and one could understand why the Israelites complained so often about their living conditions.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of my favorite times of the trip so far was being able to sit in the desert for about half an hour reflecting on Deuteronomy 8. We were right on the border between the Wildernesses of Zin and Paran when Dr. Grisanti instructed us to leave the bus to have a time to reflect on God’s Word. We initially joked around about how miserable this time would be because of the desert heat, but being out in the sun and feeling the heat was actually very helpful for my soul.

I considered the disobedience of Israel and how they so often quickly turned from the Lord. I reflected on my own failures and tendencies to trust in myself or become distracted by the things of the world. This brought me back to the faithfulness of God. As far as I might wander, I am never outside the reach of God. He draws me back and gives me strength and direction to walk in His ways. I am where I am because of His faithfulness to His promises. Being in the desert reminded me of these truths. That’s why, even though we were baking in the sun, that was one of the sweetest times on the trip thus far.

At the end of the day, we finally arrived at the southernmost tip of Israel, in the resort city of Eilat. It was cool driving down because on the opposite side of the Jordan River, we could see the nations of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Off in the distance towards the southwest, we could faintly see Egypt. This certainly was a place where nations converge. When we arrived, we enjoyed a delicious dinner before heading back to our rooms to get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll get a chance to take a break in the morning to enjoy some snorkeling at the beach!

God, That Comforteth Those That Are Cast Down

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From 2 Corinthians 7:6

And who comforteth like Him? Go to some poor, melancholy, distressed child of God; tell him sweet promises, and whisper in his ear choice words of comfort; he is like the deaf adder, he listens not to the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. He is drinking gall and wormwood, and comfort him as you may, it will be only a note or two of mournful resignation that you will get from him; you will bring forth no psalms of praise, no hallelujahs, no joyful sonnets. But let God come to His child, let Him lift up his countenance, and the mourner’s eyes glisten with hope. Do you not hear him sing-

”Tis paradise, if thou art here;
If thou depart, ’tis hell?”

You could not have cheered him: but the Lord has done it; ‘He is the God of all comfort.’ There is no balm in Gilead, but there is balm in God. There is no physician among the creatures, but the Creator is Jehovah-rophi. It is marvellous how one sweet word of God will make whole songs for Christians. One word of God is like a piece of gold, and the Christian is the goldbeater, and can hammer that promise out for whole weeks. So, then, poor Christian, thou needest not sit down in despair. Go to the Comforter, and ask Him to give thee consolation. Thou art a poor dry well. You have heard it said, that when a pump is dry, you must pour water down it first of all, and then you will get water, and so, Christian, when thou art dry, go to God, ask Him to shed abroad His joy in thy heart, and then thy joy shall be full. Do not go to earthly acquaintances, for you will find them Job’s comforters after all; but go first and foremost to thy ‘God, that comforteth those that are cast down,’ and you will soon say, ‘In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.’

2.20a

Israel Journal #9

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Today was Shephelah (pronounced shuh-FAY-lah) day. The Shephelah is a region of rolling hills acting as a buffer zone between the coastal plain and hill country of Israel. Because of its strategic location with its five major valleys running east and west, biblically and historically this has been an area of great significance and tension. When Samson fell for one of the daughters of Timnah, which eventually led to his letting 300 foxes with fiery tails wreak havoc on the Philistine grain fields (Judges 14-15), this happened in the Shephelah. When the Philistine army encamped between Socoh and Azekah, and David was first introduced to the giant Goliath (1 Sam. 17), that happened in the Shephelah.

We began the day by driving down to Beth-Shemesh. When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, this led not only to a humiliation of their god Dagon in Ashdod but an affliction of tumors as well. When these things happened, the men of Ashdod astutely concluded that the Ark could not stay there (1 Sam. 5). They put the Ark of the Covenant on a cart and set it loose, and it eventually found its way to Beth-Shemesh (1 Sam. 6:1-16). From where we were standing, we could see the possible route the cows might have taken.

One of the highlights of the day was traveling to Azekah, which was strategically situated up on a hill above the Elah Valley. Somewhere down below in the valley is where David defeated the Philistine giant Goliath. It was really neat being able to see where the armies might have camped and where Goliath would have shouted his taunts. Our group even had a chance to go down into a dry river bed and pick out some smooth-ish stones (1 Sam. 17:40).

Another fascinating stop we made today was in Lachish. This was a very significant city because of its southern location. Any nation who wanted to invade Judah would need to deal with Lachish, which was the second most significant city in the Southern Kingdom (aside from Jerusalem). When the Assyrian king Sennacherib came to invade Judah, he eventually took Lachish (2 Kings 18:13-14). Though it seems the army at Lachish put up a fight, the Assyrians were too many.

The city actually has the only surviving example of an Assyrian siege ramp. You can see how the Assyrian army built a ramp to make their way up to the city wall. They would typically send a battering ram up the ramp to destroy part of the city wall. You can also see how the people of Lachish piled dirt on the opposite side of the wall so that if the Assyrians made it through, they would just see dirt on the other side. In order to defend the city, it seems the people of Lachish threw anything they had over the wall to slow the Assyrian forces.

Still, eventually Sennacherib took the city. Back in Assyria, he dedicated an entire room in his palace to this victory. There are brutal images he painted of Israelites impaled on sticks. He even collected the heads of the victims to underscore his fearsomeness. Though he was able to defeat the city of Lachish, because of his boasts against God, the Lord protected the city of Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:31-37). Sennacherib eventually returned to Nineveh and died by the hands of his own sons.

That was Shephelah day. It really helped to visualize many of the events of Israel’s history and buttressed our confidence in the faithfulness of God to preserve His people. At day’s end, we arrived in Beersheba and checked into a youth hostel. Surprisingly, the place was clean and the food was good. John and I even took an evening stroll to the local mall to get an ice cream before going back to the hostel and getting some rest.

Weekly Links (5/25/2012)

Any degree of skepticism about the portrait of Christ, the promises of God, the principles of godliness, and the power of the Holy Spirit, as biblically presented, has the effect of enslaving us to our own alternative ideas about these things, and thus we miss something of the freedom, joy, and vitality that the real Christ bestows. God is very patient and merciful, and I do not suggest that those who fall short here thereby forfeit all knowledge of Christ, though I recognize that when one sits loose to Scripture this may indeed happen. But I do maintain most emphatically that one cannot doubt the Bible without far-reaching loss, both in fullness of truth and of fullness of life. If therefore we have at heart spiritual renewal for society, for churches and for our own lives, we shall make much of the entire trustworthiness–that is, the inerrancy–of Holy Scripture as the inspired and liberating Word of God. (J.I. Packer, Truth and Power; HT Justin Taylor)

by Richard Shin

And we’re back with another set of weekly links.

  • Erik Raymond from the Ordinary Pastor blog shares with us his encounter with an unbeliever who has a strikingly familiar ideology as we Christians do.
  • Jared Wilson has a post on Ray Ortlund, a pastor he admires and frankly (if you can’t tell from my previous Weekly Links) I do too.
  • Justin Taylor shares with us a book that may raise some eyebrows. It’s a third view to the covenant theology vs. dispensationalism debate.
  • Kevin DeYoung has a post for folks who start attending a new church. This is very good advice for anyone in this boat.
  • Mike Riccardi’s fourth installment of his series, Learning to Suffer Well, can be found here. The first three can be found in last week’s Weekly Links.
  • Ray Ortlund shares with us what it means to foster a gospel culture in the church.

That’s all, folks. I know the Beacon is kind of busy these days with updates from Pastor Patrick mixed into the regular updates, but we’re thankful that you are reading with us!

Coram Deo

Israel Journal #8

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Today, our group enjoyed a free day in Jerusalem. Those who are taking the trip for course credits had a quiz this morning. It was optional for me to take the quiz as well, but I passed. Instead, John and I spent the morning exploring the markets in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem and buying souvenirs for family and friends. I’m a little worried about how much my bag weighs, but I’ll ditch some clothes and stuff if it is necessary.

We were able to grab lunch with Dr. Grisanti and pick his brain about church ministry. This was honestly one of the highlights of our trip for me. It has been tremendously encouraging to see his heart for the Lord in wanting to glorify Him in everyday things. It was nice to be able to steal him away from the group for a couple hours and glean from his wisdom.

From lunch, John and I went to visit the Temple Institute museum. This was a fascinating visit, because the Temple Institute is dedicated to rebuilding the Temple, beginning with its furnishings. Outside in a glass case, they have a golden lampstand that they built and covered with pure gold! The inside of the museum had displays with the table for the showbread, the altar of incense, and the silver trumpets amongst other things. It was helpful to see these things up close to get a sense of what the furnishings of the Temple might have looked like in Solomon’s time, but it was also sad to consider biblical eschatology and what these things would eventually be used for (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

After a quick dinner at the hotel, we headed back to the Temple mount for a tour of the Western Wall. This is a tour along the entire Western Wall, and not just the part that is exposed for prayer. An enthusiastic tour guide walked us along the wall pointing out various things along the way. She showed us what would have been the main bridge and entry way into the Temple mount from the west, she pointed out an aqueduct that would have brought water in for the services of the Temple, and showed us a rock quarry that was used to build some of the stones of the Temple. Along the way, we found some Jewish women praying because they believe one part of the wall is just opposite where the Holy of Holies would have stood.

It was an interesting tour and a chance to get a closer look at the Temple’s foundation stones. Some of the stones were monstrous, and we could not help but wonder how the engineers were able to do it without modern technology and equipment. Some of these stones would have been very difficult to move even by today’s standards! The other thing that impressed us was how closely the stones fit together. These massive stones barely had a crack between them demonstrating masterful expertise.

The free day was nice, but also very tiring. Instead of catching up on rest, we were pretty much on our feet the entire day. Even still, it was great having the freedom to walk around the city and take things in at our pace. For those who know how fast Pastor John walks, Dr. Grisanti walks even faster!