Gilad

Gilad Shalit is being freed, five years after being captured by Hamas militants. When we were in Israel this year, we frequently saw pictures of Gilad, such as this one that was painted on the side of a building near our apartment. Gilad's family set up a booth outside the Prime Minister's house a few blocks from where we lived, in an attempt to draw more attention to Gilad and their desire to free him. Now, a deal has been reached to exchange Gilad for more than 1,027 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.

When he was captured, Gilad was a soldier in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Israeli citizens, most at age 18, are required to serve in the IDF. Men serve for a mandatory three years, women for two. Gilad had been in military service for just under a year when he was captured.

The Sanhedrin

What we commonly refer to as the Sanhedrin is called “the council” in the New Testament. “The council” is translated from a Greek word (sunedrion) which generally means “Sitting Together.”

During Jesus’ time, the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was a 71-member group of men that met daily (with the exception of the Sabbath and holidays) in a room that adjoined the Temple. The Sanhedrin developed during the Intertestamental Period and ceased to have credible power after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. In addition to this most powerful Sanhedrin that met at the Temple, each city could have its own smaller Sanhedrin, made up of 23 members. It was called a Lesser Sanhedrin.

The Sanhedrin was comprised of chief priests, prominent family members related to the chief priests, scribes (legal professionals), Pharisees, Sadducees, and other qualified elders. Apparently, the head of the Sanhedrin was the High (Chief) Priest.

The Sanhedrin had diverse responsibilities: legislative, judicial, and administrative. These men were experts on religious law. They established and enforced religious and civil order. The Sanhedrin served as a court that resolved issues brought to it by Lesser Sanhedrins.

Jesus (Matthew 26), Peter and John (Acts 4), Peter and the other apostles (Acts 5), Stephen (Acts 6), and Paul (Acts 22-25) were all brought before the council, or Sanhedrin, for questioning and judgment.

Gamaliel (Acts 5:34) and his student Paul (Acts 23:6) were Sanhedrin members. It is highly likely that Joseph of Arimathaea (Mark 15:43) and Nicodemus (John 3:1) were also part of the council.

Tel Tamar

On a rare three-day break, we decided to get away from the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem’s busy core, where we lived and worked. We headed for Eilat, a modern resort town beside the Mediterranean Sea on the site of biblical Elath.

On the way, we stopped at Tel Tamar, located just off Highway 90, about 25 miles south of the Dead Sea. Tamar means “Palm Tree.” In this arid land, palm trees are found where there is a water source. Today, biblical Tamar is called Ein Hatzeva. In Hebrew, Ein means “Spring.”

So, it is no wonder that Tamar served as an oasis for travelers passing through this brutal, forbidding desert; in the desert, water is vital for survival. Tamar served as a way station for an ancient trade and spice route. One layer of ruins revealed that the Nabataeans, great traders and the famous architects of Petra, inhabited Tamar for a while. Later, the Romans would occupy Tamar, fortifying it as a desert outpost. A four-room house and a fortress dating to Israelite times have been identified. So far, archeologists have uncovered six strata of civilization at this southern site.

But to me, Tamar’s most significant historical link was a heap of broken clay and stone religious artifacts that was found outside one of the city walls. This pile of idols, altars, cups, and incense burners was discovered in 1993. In the 7th century BC, an Edomite temple was used here, apparently by Jews who lived in Tamar. The land of Edom is located directly east of Tamar and, like so many times in biblical history, the Jews allowed themselves to be influenced by the religious beliefs of the people who lived close to them.

By all appearances, these ritual vessels and altars were deliberately destroyed and thrown into a pit. Although the Bible does not mention Tamar directly in relation to King Josiah’s religious reforms and revival of righteousness, it is highly likely that these idols were destroyed during his reign.

King Josiah was one of Judah’s righteous kings. His father Amon and his grandfather Manasseh were evil and worshipped false gods. But Josiah took a different path. Josiah repaired the house of the Lord. During the renovations, Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law and sent it to King Josiah. As Josiah listened to the words of the book being read to him, he realized that God was angry with His people because of their great sins. When Josiah humbled himself before God, the Lord told him that He would not administer judgment during Josiah’s reign. Josiah wanted to serve God and he wanted his country to serve God. So he “made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statues with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book” (II Kings 23:3).

Josiah cleansed the land of idol worship. All of the vessels that were in the House of the Lord that had been used for Baal worship were burned. Josiah went throughout the land, destroying idols, breaking down altars and high places, restoring worship of the God of Israel. II Chronicles 34:7 says, “And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.” Josiah was thorough when he cleansed the land of idolatry. Although the Bible does not list every place Josiah visited during this purification process, it is highly likely that his campaign extended to Tamar.

The pile of cultic remains found at Tamar is currently being stored in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. They are testimony to the tendency of humankind to drift from worship of the One True God to the worship of gods made of wood, stone, and clay. Heathen nations believed that their gods caused the ground to be fertile. They believed that their gods would deliver them from conquering nations and bring them prosperity. Why did God get angry when the children of Israel worshipped other gods? He was angry because by their actions they were saying, “God we don’t trust you. We don’t think you are able to help us.” They allowed themselves to be influenced by the gods of the people around them, little gods that were created by men’s hands.

There are a lot of lessons for us here, but the ultimate lesson is that we need to continually remind ourselves of the first law of all: There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). Essentially, God said to His people, “Before you learn anything else, learn that I am God and I am the only God. If you forget everything else, don’t forget this. I am the only God that you need.”

Animals of the Bible: Birds

As we were walking along Jerusalem's Old City Walls, we saw this pretty little bird posing on an old strand of wire.
In the Bible, animals are often used to illustrate a point. These object lessons would have made perfect sense to the listener or reader, in much the same way as they do to us today. For example:

"As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place" (Proverb 27:8).

I have met people who were never happy where they were. They always looked for greener grass, which continually proved to be nothing more than a mirage on the horizon. They were on a constant search for satisfaction, peace, and fulfillment.

Looking in different jobs, relocations, and relationships, these people find themselves in an incessant state of frustration. The problem is always with the job, the place, or another person, they think. They never look within.

They are wanderers, constantly looking but never finding what they really need.

As a bird that moves away from the security of his nest, they make themselves vulnerable to attack. One misstep can land them in the snare of the fowler. But they are shortsighted; when they move away from the security and benefits of the nest, they envision only the freedom they hope to gain. They view security as restraint. They have an aversion to responsibility and authority figures. They don’t want to be obligated to anyone. The promise of an independent life, free of restrictions and boundaries, lures them away and it eventually serves as their demise.

The old saying is “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” Some people’s lives never take root because they won’t stay in one place long enough to get grounded. They have restless spirits; they are unsettled within. They are their own worst enemy…but they don’t even realize it.

Syria and Aramiac

When we were in Jordan, we had a friend who frequently went to Damascus, Syria for business reasons. He volunteered to take us with him during one of his trips. Even then, it was not advisable for Americans to tour in Syria, and we did not have much of a reason to go there anyway, so we never crossed over. The closest we got was viewing it from the northern area of Jordan, where we went once a week to give home Bible studies to Arab Christians. In the above picture, the purple mountains beyond the olive trees are Syrian land.



In Syria is a small village named Maaloula. It is one of the few places in the world where you can hear people speaking Aramaic. This is the language Jesus spoke, and it is considered an endangered language since so few people still speak it. Since languages evolve, I don't suppose it would sound exactly like the Aramaic spoken in Jesus' time, but I wanted to hear it anyway.

As I studied about the Middle East, I learned about a lady who works at St. Mark's Church in Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter of the Old City. (St. Mark's Syrian Orthodox church is one of two proposed locations of the Upper Room, where the events of Acts 2 occured). This lady, whose name can be spelled either Jostina or Yostina, speaks Aramaic.

During our stay in Jerusalem, we met her at St. Mark's Church. A former 12th grade mathematics teacher, she speaks English and Arabic in addition to Aramaic. She has been living in Jerusalem for 11 years, serving as tour guide and caretaker. She told us that as she cleans the church she prays, "As I clean your church, clean my heart. Please my Lord."



Aram was one of Shem's sons (Genesis 10:21-23). Modern Syria includes what was once called the region of Aram and historians seem to agree that it gleaned that name because it was settled by Aram. Aramiac originated in this area. Syriac is a form of Aramaic.

Jostina sang the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic for us. It was a little blessing from the Lord to hear Aramaic spoken...and we did not have to travel to Syria!

Proceed with Caution

 
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The picture on the left was taken as we walked down the Mount of Olives. We took the one on the right as we were walking through the Christian Quarter on top of the Old City Walls.
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What you are looking at is security. People build high walls around their homes and imbed broken glass into the top of the walls. Apparently, this serves as a good theft deterrent.
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I have heard Pastor Urshan define the word "circumspect." He uses the illustration of a cat navigating the top of a wall, as the cat exercises utmost care to avoid cutting his tender paws on shards of glass. When we went to the Middle East, I understood more clearly what Pastor Urshan means. We saw many such walls. A cat would take a cautious step only after exercising conscious and deliberate forethought.
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Ephesians 5:15 admonishes us to "...walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise." The word "circumspectly" translates from the Greek language to mean "exact, diligent, and perfect." In other words, as we navigate life's path, we must employ utmost caution. Before we take a step, we must carefully consider the far-reaching consequences of our choices. Because of the repercussion that poor choices yield, there is little margin of error. Sometimes, once a wrong choice is made and the damage has been done, there is little remedy. Even if the damage is repairable, recovery time will be required, our work for the Lord will be hampered, and our good name might suffer.
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What am I talking about? Here are some examples:
Choosing to fudge numbers when filing taxes, only to reap an IRS audit, embarrassment, and the reputation of a cheater.
Binge shopping sprees - which you indulge in to distract you from life's cares - that ruin your credit and create problems between you and your spouse.
Cruel and harsh statements, spoken in anger, that damage a young child's tender spirit.
Repetitive negativity and faithlessness, which discourages those around you and keeps you focused on the bad things in your life, instead of believing in God and exalting His ability.
A few moments of sexual indiscretion that forever changes your life and the lives of your spouse and children.
Refusing to admit and overcome a bad trait - such as procrastination, lying, or laziness - which all produce varying degrees of fallout in our lives.
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We cannot redo our actions and retract the words we say. It pays to walk circumspectly, to consider beforehand if we are willing to pay the price for our actions.
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When the Lord issued commandments to His people, He told them, "In all things that I have said unto you be circumspect" (Exodus 23:13). The Hebrew word used here (shamar) means "to hedge about (as with thorns)." The many implications of the word "shamar" include "to guard, to protect, to beware, to take heed, to preserve, to observe, to watch...to save yourself."
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On a normal day, cats are finicky. Put them on the top of a wall with protruding glass and they will exercise extraordinary conscientiousness. They will walk slowly and gingerly to avoid anything that has the potential to hurt them.
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As we walk this path of life, we will encounter many things that have the potential to cripple our spirituality. It is the work of our flesh and the devil to derail us from living for God the way we should. Yet, if we will rely on the strength of the Lord, He will help us make choices that will protect us.
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I find it interesting that the Hebrew word "shamar" means "to hedge about (as with thorns)." The implication is that, as we "walk circumspectly," our cautiousness will create for us a protective wall, ensuring our security as we live within the confines of the Word of God.

Sandstorms

I took this picture while we were driving through the Arava Desert. Visibility was poor and by the time we arrived in Eilat, our skin and hair were grimy and dirty, even though the windows in the car were up and the vents were closed. This sandstorm was definitely not one of the Middle East's worst; by comparison, really treacherous sandstorms make this one seem tame.

I remember Jean Saad - a British-born Jordanian - talking about sand to depict a point during a teaching session. She said, "There's a lot of sand in this part of the world." And she's right. It's everywhere. In the United States, it's okay to dust only once a week. In the Middle East, if you don't dust nearly every day, big dust bunnies will accumulate under beds and in corners of rooms.

When we first went to Jordan, we stayed with the Reeds until we got settled into our own apartment. The breeze was nice, so one day I opened the window. The cleaning lady happened to be there and let me know that an open window was not a good idea. The breeze I was enjoying would bring with it fine, almost imperceptible, dust. It would be everywhere...and she would have to clean it! That was my introduction to how dust creates an annoyance for people who live in modern Middle Eastern homes.

Sometimes the Bible compares multitudes of people to the sand of the seashore. Abraham was promised that his descendants would be as innumerable "as the sand which is upon the sea shore" (Genesis 22:17). God reaffirmed this promise to Jacob, Abraham's grandson, again using sand as an illustration (Genesis 32:12). The final battle of all ages will be a dreadfully spectacular display of troops, "the number of whom is as the sand of the sea" (Revelation 20:8).

Aside from representing vast numbers of people, the Bible uses sand in other contexts also. In Egypt, Joseph stored up so much food that it was "as the sand of the sea" (Genesis 41:49). Solomon's wisdom is compared to the sand along the sea shore (I Kings 4:29). And God's thoughts "are more in number than the sand" (Psalm 139:17-18).

God used sand as an object lesson because people living in the Holy Land would have no question about what He meant. Though the landscape varies dramatically, it is still mostly all desert. And desert means sand...a lot of sand, so much sand that no one can measure it.

Biblical people lived with sand, adjusted to its brutal intensity. For them, there were no intercontinental flights available so they could cash in the harsh desert for a cooler locale. The desert was their world. From birth to death, it surrounded them, influenced them, shaped who they were.

And the Middle Eastern sand is not pleasantly arranged along the beautiful backdrop of a Hawaii-type setting. The sun is ruthless and the temperatures are merciless. Where the desert is flat and punctuated by little more than an occasional acacia tree, dust devils form. Where the desert land becomes cragged, impenetrable, and steep, it deters all but the most tenacious individuals. Even where the sand dunes rise and fall, creating a gloriously daunting sight, the desert - not fragile man - commands respect. This is not a place for the faint-hearted.

The lifestyle of Bedouin tribes closely mirrors the lives of biblical patriarchs. When sand swirls around the Bedouin - the people of the desert - they draw their head coverings around their faces for protection. Today, when a sandstorm threatens cities, residents are told to stay indoors if they have asthma or other respiratory problems or if they are very young or very old. A person caught unprotected in a sandstorm has little hope of survival, so the long head covering is an essential item of clothing for a Bedouin desert dweller.

From my first naive introduction to desert life, as I enjoyed the curtains gently blowing in the dusty breeze, to driving through a genuine sandstorm in Israel's Arava Desert, I have gleaned a fresh respect for and understanding of biblical people. Their lives were not easy, but they thrived, they grew, they learned. They had no choice, no alternatives, no options. God assigned them to life in the desert. End of discussion.

Interestingly, I observed that the weather is not a popular subject in the Middle East, as it is in the United States. Whatever comes, they will face it, but they have little interest in analyzing it.

The tendency to ask, "Why?" seems to be imbedded within us Americans. We also ask, "Why me?" We want a logical explanation, a professional analysis that makes sense of our storms.

Job wanted answers also. In the heat of the desert sun, he sought relief from the sore boils - the black leprosy - that plagued him. The sun's heat somewhat eased his pain but even so, he was driven to scrape himself with shards of pottery. He asked "Why, God?" But God's voice was silent.

After many chapters of analysis and questions, Job got his answer. It wasn't the one he wanted. To Job's many questions, God finally replied, "Who is God? Are you God, Job? Who created this world and everything in it? Did you do that, Job? Why don't you stop talking and just trust me?" In the end, God's ways really were best for Job. God really did know what He was doing. Rarely will we understand the storm or its purpose until it is over.

The most difficult storms to accept are the ones we create ourselves. The 1930s Dust Bowl - a time of drought and severe dust storms - resulted mostly because farmers did not use proper farming techniques. They ravaged the fragile topsoil layers of Oklahoma and other areas. Essentially, farmers destroyed their own land. The repurcussions were devastating. When the drought and wind came, it took with it the farmable soil. But even when we create our own problems, God will still help us. He is overwhelmingly patient and kind. He'll help us pick up the pieces of our lives and start anew.

Trust. Don't fight the storm; find the Secret Place and retreat into its shelter. As the Bedouin wraps himself in his garment, protecting himself from the wind and sand, cold and heat, so can we be protected when we submit ourselves to the coverings of our God. It is really not important that we understand the storm; even if we understood it, we are powerless to change it. Trust, rest, retreat into the arms of the Creator.

Ketef Hinnom

 
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The picture on the left is Ketef Hinnom. For perspective, I added the picture on the right. Ketef Hinnom is in the foreground with Mt. Zion in the background. Hinnom is the valley between the two.
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We were in search of Ketef Hinnom, the archaeological burial site where two tiny silver amulets were discovered in 1979. Why was I so interested in these amulets and seeing the place where they were discovered? Because they are the oldest surviving copies of biblical text. They date to the late 7th century BCE. They are about 400 years older than the more renowned Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were a marvelous find, and in terms of volume, these amulets cannot compare to them. But the amulets are remarkable because, not only are they the oldest copies of biblical text, but they contain the oldest inscription of the name of God: YHWH.
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The two amulets are displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. They are incredibly small, about 1” x 3-3/4” and 1/2” x 1-1/2”. They are so thin that I could barely detect the inscriptions, even though the smaller one was positioned behind a magnifying glass. The explanatory sign beside them states: “The amulets, inscribed in the ancient Hebrew script, were found rolled into tiny scrolls in a burial cave in Jerusalem. They were incised with a sharp, thin stylus no thicker than a hair’s breadth, and thus deciphering the inscription was difficult.”
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Scholars were eventually able to discern that the amulets contained the Priestly Benediction, found in Numbers 6:24-26. The Lord told Moses that Aaron and his sons should speak these words to the children of Israel. Even today, priests repeat these words every Shabbat in orthodox synagogues.
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On the small amulet was written these words: “[For so-and-so, (the son/daughter of…] h/hu. May h[e]/sh[e] be blessed by YHWH, the warrior and the rebuker of [Evil]: May YHWH bless you, keep you. May YHWH make his face shine upon you and grant you p[ea]ce.”
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The large amulet was similar and scholars were able to distinguish the following: “[…]YHW…the grea[t…who keeps] the covenant and [g]raciousness toward those who love [him] and those who keep [his commandments…] the Eternal […] [the?] blessing more than any [sna]re and more than Evil. For redemption is in him. For YHWH is our restorer [and] rock. May YHWH bles[s] you and [may he] keep you. [May] YHWH make [his face] shine…”
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Ketef Hinnom means “shoulder of Hinnom.” If I remember correctly, modern day Jews pronounce it “Kay-teff Hee-gnome.” It is a hill near Hebron Road that overlooks the Hinnom Valley.
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A guide book got us to the general area, but its directions were not precise enough. We walked up Hebron Road, where we saw a sign that said “Bible Hill.” I thought that this might be Ketef Hinnom. We climbed up Bible Hill and were rewarded with a beautiful view of Mount Zion and the Old City...but no burial cave. We sat on some concrete blocks, enjoying our view of Jerusalem, joking about the “ancient” concrete structures. We could see St. Andrews Church of Scotland, which the guide book said was next to the cave, but a barbed wire fence kept us from accessing the property from Bible Hill. I later learned that this hill is termed Bible Hill because the tribes of Judah and Benjamin used this ridge it to mark their boundaries (Joshua 15:8; 18:16).
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We climbed down the hill and finally found the front gate into the Scottish Church. The clerk in the guest house/church knew nothing about the cave. Only when we described to him what it looked like did he remember that this famous cave was on his property! Anyway, we found the cave. What we were able to view was the lower portion of the burial site, since the upper portion was razed years ago, possibly during a war.
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In Bible days, people were generally buried in family tombs, usually cave-type structures that were hewn out of rocks. Many generations would use these tombs. A good example of this is Abraham’s family. Abraham purchased a cave in Machpelah. The Bible records that Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah were all buried in this same cave (Genesis 23:3-20; 49:29-32).
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At Ketef Hinnom, spaces configured to the shape and size of human bodies were carved on the floor of the tomb. We could even detect the outline of the place where the heads would lie. When a family member died, he or she was placed in one of these spaces.
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Periodically, the skeletons of the dead would be removed and placed in a pit that was in the middle of the cave. If gifts had been buried with the body, they would be placed in this pit too. Here at Ketef Hinnom, archaeologists discovered pieces of pottery, iron, and alabaster, remnants of long-forgotten but once-treasured gifts. This is where the two silver amulets were found. The process of periodic skeleton transfer freed the spaces for the burial of other bodies. One person I met told me that this procedure was practiced once a year.
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So, when the Bible says that a person “slept with his fathers” or was “gathered unto his people,” it is referring to the burial procedure common at that time.
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Of all the places I visited in Jerusalem, Ketef Hinnom, an almost forgotten site, was to me one of the most significant. Written on tiny, fragile silver fragments, is God's name. He wants us to know Who He is. I find it incredibly mindboggling that God would allow the oldest biblical manuscript ever found to be such a beautiful expression of His goodness. It is a rich reminder of God’s eagerness to bless us, to be our protector and source of peace. He is not a distant, unconcerned god, but the One True God whose nature is inherently good, generous, and kind. As a gracious father smiles down upon his children, so does our God’s face shine upon us.
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“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26