A Rose-Red City - Part Four

Paul and Aretas IV

In II Corinthians 11:32-33, Paul recounts that “In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.”

Acts 9:1-27 gives us more background and explanation to Paul’s explanation in II Corinthians. Damascus, Syria is the setting of Paul’s dramatic conversion experience. There Paul’s physical and spiritual eyesight were restored. He was filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized. He did not immediately return to Jerusalem but he stayed “certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.” The gospel is powerful, and overnight Paul went from a persecutor of the gospel to an evangelist promoting the gospel. He went into the synagogues, places where Jews gathered to worship and learn, and “preached Christ.”

As is usually the case, not everyone was thrilled about Paul’s conversion, even though it meant that he was no longer trying to imprison and punish innocent people. So, after a while, “the Jews took counsel to kill him.” People were assigned to lay in wait for Paul, to apprehend him. But “the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket” and he escaped unharmed. This account is similar to how Rahab helped Joshua’s two spies escape from Jericho. “Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall” (Joshua 2:15). In Bible days, domestic dwellings were built along the rock walls of the city. Small openings, or windows, made it possible for such escapes.

Aretas IV was the king of the Nabatean kingdom of Petra and the surrounding area. An article in the Jewish Encyclopedia says this about Aretas IV: “Being the most powerful neighbor of Judea, he frequently took part in the state affairs of that country, and was influential in shaping the destiny of its rulers.” Aretas IV was father-in-law to Herod Antipas. It is likely that Aretas IV may have favored this marriage to encourage political harmony with Israel and Rome.

Damascus was under the control of Aretas IV. Apparently, the Jews appealed to the ruling government leaders to assist them in apprehending Paul. Exactly how much involvement Aretas IV had in this plan is unknown, for Scripture and history are silent on the subject. But the connection is clear. The governor who worked under the authority of Aretas IV was in favor of suppressing Paul’s voice as he spoke of Jesus in Jewish synagogues, assured that Aretas IV would approve of his actions. Because Aretas IV, an idolatrous king, would not have been in favor of Paul’s message.

Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretas_IV_Philopatris
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1752-aretas

A Rose-Red City - Part Three

  

Herod the Great
Herod, usually called Herod the Great, reigned over the land of Israel during the time when Jesus was born. At that time, Israel was not free, but was under the domination of the powerful Roman Empire. Herod the Great’s authority to rule over Israel was given to him by the Roman Empire and he was subordinate to their commands.

Herod the Great is remembered in history for his stunning and innovative building projects. He built Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast; the aqueduct and some other structures are still standing. Driven by paranoia, he built two mountaintop fortress-palaces – Herodian and Masada - in case he needed to escape for his life. Herod also designed state-of-the-art water storage cisterns and stone conduits to transfer the water into Jerusalem. But Herod the Great’s crowning achievement was the Temple in Jerusalem. He built a massive and magnificent complex to support and surround the Temple. The Western Wall is a remnant of that structure. (Most of the Temple complex, along with almost all of Jerusalem, was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D.)

There are many 2,000 year old relics that still exist as testimony to Herod the Great’s building achievements. One day, as I was walking through Independence Park in Jerusalem, I noticed a huge stone reservoir. Turns out that this reservoir, called Mamilla Pool, was a part of Herod the Great’s water supply system. It was linked to the Old City of Jerusalem by an underground channel. It measures 291 feet by 192 feet. It was designed to hold 30,000 cubic meters of water. Another time, as we were walking through the park, a man sat in the (dry) reservoir reading a newspaper. It was a funny sight, but I suppose it was a quiet place to read, there in the ruins of Herod the Great’s handiwork.

But Herod’s personal and political life reads like a bad dream turned into a horrific nightmare. Deceit, murder, and other abnormal behavior defined him and produced sour fruit on his family tree. He ordered the assassination of one of his wives, Mariamne I, and her mother, Alexandra. Two brothers-in-law died as a result of his insane behavior and paranoia: Aristobulus III and Kostobar. In addition, he accused three sons – Antipater III, Alexander, and Aristobulus IV – of plotting against him and they were also executed. Considering Herod the Great’s tendency to kill anyone he considered a threat to his kingship, it is not hard to believe that he ordered the death of innocent children, since he feared that one of them would someday take away his power (Matthew 2:1-19; Luke 1:5).

When we read the Bible, it is easy to get confused when we read the word “Herod” because this title belonged to several different people. Sometimes “Herod” refers to Herod the Great. Other times, it refers to one of his sons or grandsons. For well over 100 years, Herod the Great and his descendants played prominent roles in Israel’s history. When Herod the Great died, his kingdom was divided between three of his sons. Throughout the gospels and the book of Acts, the Herod family is connected to key biblical events.

Here’s a summary of the Herods mentioned in the Bible.

Herod Antipas Matthew 14:1-10; Mark 6:14-28; 8:15; Luke 3:1; 19; 9:7-9; 13:31-32; 23:6-12; Acts 13:1
This is one of Herod the Great’s sons. After his father’s death, he ruled over Galilee and Perea. (Perea is the area east of the Jordan River, in modern-day Jordan.) Herod Antipas is best known for ordering the beheading of John the Baptist.

Herod Antipas’ first wife was Phasaelis, the daughter of Aretas IV, king of the Nabateans in Petra. Herod Antipas divorced Phasaelis to marry Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Herod Philip I. Phasaelis returned to Petra. Shortly thereafter, Aretas IV and his army invaded the territory of Herod Antipas, capturing some of his holdings. Although history does not specifically say that Aretas IV’s invasion of Herod Antipas’ land was because he divorced Phasaelis, it is highly probably that Aretas IV retaliated because Herod Antipas had shamed his daughter and their family.

Because John told Herod Antipas, “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife,” Herod Antipas put him in prison. At least on the surface, Herod Antipas liked John and listened to him, “and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” However, Herodias was a wicked woman and, using her daughter Salome, connived a deceitful plan to trick Herod Antipas into beheading John the Baptist.

During Jesus' trial, he was brought before Pontius Pilate. When Pilate found out that Jesus was a Galilaean, he sent him to Herod Antipas, since Galilee was within his jurisdiction. Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time and the the Bible says that "when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracles done by him."

Was Herod Antipas sincere in wanting to listen to Jesus? Or was he just interested in watching a show of healings and miracles? Earlier in his ministry, Jesus called Herod Antipas "that fox." Perhaps Jesus knew the real intentions of Herod Antipas' heart and so "he answered him nothing." This must have infuriated Herod Antipas, so used to wielding his power and expecting his commands to be obeyed. His initial gladness turned to wrath and he and his men mocked Jesus, placing on him a "gorgeous robe." He could find no reason to sentence Jesus, so he sent Him back to Pontius Pilate.

Herod Philip I Matthew 14:3-11; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:19
This is one of Herod the Great’s sons. Herodias was married to Herod Philip I but decided to leave him and marry his brother (Herod Antipas) instead. He and Herodias had a daughter named Salome. Herod Philip I did not become involved in civil leadership. Perhaps his lack of political ambition is part of what motivated Herodias to seek a more illustrious life with Herod Antipas.

Herod Philip II Luke 3:1
This is one of Herod the Great’s sons. After his father’s death, he ruled over Ituraea and Trachonitis, modern-day Syria. Herod Philip II rebuilt Caesarea Philippi in the northern area of Israel. He married his niece Salome.

Herod Archelaus Matthew 2:22
This is one of Herod the Great’s sons. After his father’s death, he ruled over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea (Edom). During the reign of Herod the Great, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape Herod the Great’s brutal wrath. When Herod died, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him to return to Israel. But when Joseph heard that Archelaus ruled over Judea, the area that included Bethlehem, he was afraid. Then, “being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:19-23). Herod Archelaus ruled for only two years before being banished to Gaul by Rome.

Herod Agrippa I Acts 12:1-23
This is one of Herod the Great’s grandsons. He ruled Galilee, Trachonitis, Perea, and Judea. He persecuted the New Testament church and is especially remembered for the murder of James and the imprisonment of Peter.

Herod Agrippa I sat on his throne and made a speech. People shouted and said, “It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.” The angel of the Lord smote him and he died, “because he gave not God the glory.”

Herod Agrippa II Acts 23-26
This is Herod the Great’s great-grandson, the son of Herod Agrippa I. He ruled over Chalis, in southern Lebanon and was later given authority over other areas as well. Rome issued to Herod Agrippa II the oversight of the temple in Jerusalem, and he was authorized to appoint the high priest.

Paul was being accused of the Jews when he was transferred to Caesarea Maritima for judgment before Felix, the governor of Judah. Felix was married to Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Agrippa I. They listened to Paul, and “Felix, trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Felix was sympathetic toward Paul’s plight and was drawn by Paul’s words, but He never relinquished his will and became a Christian. He kept Paul in prison.

After two years, Festus succeeded Felix as governor. He brought Paul before him for trial and Paul was again accused by the Jews. During this time, Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice came to visit Festus in Caesarea Maritima. Herod Agrippa II decided to hear Paul himself. Paul described his conversion and concluded his statements with a gripping question directed to Herod Agrippa II. “King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”

History tells us that Herod Agrippa II had been raised and educated in Rome. So his sympathies must have favored Rome rather than the Jews, for, during the Jewish rebellion against Rome, he sided with Rome. After Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D., Herod Agrippa II returned unscathed to Rome, where he lived out the rest of his days.

Herod Agrippa II was the last member of the Herodian dynasty. Four generations of his family had been in direct contact with opportunities to welcome and embrace the Messiah. Herod the Great could have met baby Jesus, but he tried to destroy Him instead. Herod Antipas had personal audiences with John the Baptist. Herod Agrippa I chose to persecute the new church. And Herod Agrippa II was taught by the great apostle Paul. So many opportunities to turn a dysfunctional, mixed-up family into something good. So much rejection of the one thing that could help them.

Herod the Great was not really a Jew. His father – Antipater – was an Idumean. His mother – Kufro – was a Nabatean. History records that Herod the Great spent most of his childhood in Petra.

Idumean was the Greek word for Edomite. Herod the Great and his descendants were actually Edomites.

Herod the Great’s father was forced to convert to Judaism by John Hyrcanus. I asked Rachel, a tour guide at the Second Temple (Herod's Temple) Model, if she considered Herod a true Jew. She did not seem to want to answer but, without elaboration, she abruptly said, “If you’ve converted to Judaism, you’re Jewish.” Yet, the Jews of his time did not like Herod the Great, not just because he was partial to Rome, but because they knew he was not really one of them. The word “Herod” is akin to the word “hero.” Yet the Jews did not consider him their hero. The Pharasaic traditions of that era did not consider forcible conversion legitimate.

So here may be a clue as to why the Herod dynasty was filled to overflowing with not just political intrigue, but personal moral failure of the worst kind. When they converted, it was a political necessity. It was not a heart conversion. Inside, they did not change...even when they encountered the Messiah - the best Jew of all.

  

A Rose-Red City - Part Two

The Edomites

When describing Petra, most guide books refer only to the Nabateans. As a result, few people know that Petra has some fascinating biblical links. Long before the Nabateans moved into the neighborhood, the Edomites occupied Petra.

Question: Who were the Edomites? Answer: The Edomites were descendants of Esau.

Esau was Isaac’s son and Jacob’s twin brother. When Esau was born, he had red hair. Of Esau’s birth, Genesis 25:25 says, “The first came out red, all over like an hairy garment, and they called his name Esau.”

One day, Esau, a skillful hunter, came in from the fields fatigued and famished. Jacob was preparing soup. Esau said, “Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint.” Here the Bible says, “Therefore was his name called Edom” (Genesis 25:21-34). “Edom” means “red.” The soup Jacob was preparing was red, possibly red lentils.

Esau moved to “the land of Seir, the country of Edom” (Genesis 32:3; 33:16; 36:8). This is a large section of land in modern-day Jordan, south of the Dead Sea, primarily a range of rugged, high mountains punctuated by steep, awe-inspiring ravines. Petra is within its boundaries.

The Bible calls Esau the “father of the Edomites in Mount Seir” (Genesis 36:9). The Lord said that He gave “mount Seir unto Esau for a possession” (Deuteronomy 2:5). Interestingly, the soil of the land where Esau settled is reddish-brown. So, from start to finish, Esau’s life aptly matched his alternate name of “Edom.”

On a summit above Petra’s ruins is Umm al-Biyara, which means “Mother of all Cisterns.” Among the ruins was found a clay seal impression inscribed with the name “Qos-Gabr, King of Edom.” Although archaeologists cannot agree as to the date of the seal impression (some suggest the seventh century B.C.), it is testimony that this was indeed an Edomite settlement. Although it may not have been exactly where Esau lived, it was definitely inhabited by members of his tribe, the Edomites.

The day we headed to Petra, we left the Movenpick Resort at the Dead Sea and drove south on Highway 65. Somewhere soon after we passed the Salt Plains, we entered the biblical land of Edom. (The Zered River was the boundary between Edom to the South and Moab to the North, but we did not see it.) We turned east unto unmarked Highway 60. (In Jordan, most highways and towns are unmarked, at least in English. When we travel, we rely on my usually-accurate-but-not-foolproof innate sense of direction, a sketchy highway map, and a lot of advice from others.)

We came to Tafileh, a town built on the ruins of biblical Tophel (Deuteronomy 1:1). We then turned south on Highway 35. This highway closely follows Jordan’s stretch of what for millennia has been known as the Kings Highway. It was a trade route that passed through Petra, Karak, Madaba, Amman, and Jerash. It originated in Egypt and ended in a town deep within Syria, Resafa.

Moses asked the Edomites if the children of Israel could use this part of the King’s Highway that passed through their land. They refused, and the children of Israel were forced to take a more circuitous and difficult route (Numbers 20:14-21; Judges 11:16-18).

Ah, if this ancient road could speak, what stories it would tell!

  

Sometime after our turn onto Highway 35, the little Ford car climbed and climbed, up and down, before it finally protested. We stopped on the top of a hill to let it cool down. There we were, far from a service station, and the few people who drove by us did not stop to ask us if we needed help. (That may have been a good thing.) My mom was with us, but fortunately, neither she nor I get easily alarmed about things like that. We just walked around a little, stretching our legs and enjoying the view of the rocks. After quite a while, Bill filled the radiator with some of our precious drinking water and decided that the car was good to go.

We passed through Buseirah, which is the modern city built near ruins of biblical Bozrah, said to be the capital of the Edomite kingdom. Now we were in the heart of Edom. Bozrah means “sheep fold.” It is mentioned throughout Scripture (Genesis 36:33; I Chronicles 1:44; Isaiah 63:1; Amos 1:12; Micah 2:12).

Soon, visibility decreased, and it began to rain a little. Whether we were in fog or clouds, I do not know. Finally, we arrived in Wadi Musa – the Valley of Moses – and checked into the Beit Zaman, our hotel-home for two nights while we explored Petra. Without a doubt, the Edomites of old were a lot tougher than us; we were tired from just one afternoon’s drive through Edom in a modern automobile! What it must have been like to live in such a rugged world!

  

Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. Jacob is the ancestor of the Israelites. Esau is the ancestor of the Edomites. To the Israelites, God said, “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother” (Deuteronomy 23:7). Yet, as they became neighbors, conflicts seemed inevitable. The saddest part of the conflicts was that, when the Israelites and Edomites fought one another, they were destroying their own blood relatives.

Many of Israel and Judah’s kings warred with Edom: Saul (I Samuel 14:47), David (II Samuel 8:14; I Chronicles 18:13; Psalm 60), Joram (II Kings 8:20-22), Amaziah (II Kings 14:1,7), and Ahaz (II Chronicles 28:16-17).

Personally, I think that the story recorded in I Samuel 21-22 is the most heart wrenching of all Israelite-Edomite conflicts. David was fleeing from King Saul and went to the house of the Lord. Ahimelech the priest helped David, giving him food and the sword of Goliath for a weapon. Almost as a footnote, I Samuel 21:7 tells us that “Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul” was in the temple that day.

Later, Doeg told King Saul that Ahimelech had helped David. In his wrath, King Saul commanded the death of Ahimelech and other priests. “But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD” (I Samuel 22:17). They had too much reverence for God and His priestly servants.

But King Saul knew who would do his dirty work: Doeg the Edomite. Doeg promptly “slew on that day fourscore and five [85] persons that did wear the linen ephod.” His murders continued in “Nob, the city of the priests,” with the killing of more men, women, children, babies, and animals (I Samuel 22:18-19).

Why Doeg was living in Israel in the first place, especially in such close alliance with King Saul, is itself a mystery. But what gave him the cold nerve to kill the priests of the Lord, when no one else would? The probable reason why he had no compunction about destroying the priests was because Edomites were not true worshippers of Yahweh.

One of Ahimelech’s sons, Abiathar, escaped the slaughter, and came to David. I can almost hear the anguished cry of David’s heart as he admitted, “I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house” (I Samuel 22:22). In Psalm 52, David speaks of Doeg. “Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength… But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.” David could have said to Doeg, “Yes, you are my blood relative. But in the ways that matter most – worship and reverence of the One True God – we are not related.”

Although the Edomites probably began with the knowledge of Yahweh, they eventually adopted the worship of multiple gods, especially fertility gods and a chief god named Qos.

Because Solomon loved strange women, including Edomite women, his heart was eventually turned away from God. He built high places so his foreign wives could sacrifice to their gods (I Kings 11:1-8).

After King Amaziah had a great victory over the Edomites, “he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them” (II Chronicles 25:14-20).

The Edomites have a sad beginning and a sad ending. Esau will always be known as the brother who despised his birthright (Genesis 25:34). He was the firstborn, and according to Exodus 34:19, the firstborn belonged to the Lord. The firstborn was entrusted with both great blessings and great responsibility, in spiritual and practical matters. For whatever reason, Esau hated his birthright. So the blessing that should have been his was given to his brother Jacob, who, for all his faults, craved the blessings and benefits of the birthright. Although Esau begged his dying father Isaac to bless him also, the blessing he received was not the one he wanted (Genesis 27:18-40).

Esau failed to value what was most important. Unfortunately, his maverick ways transmitted to generation after generation of Edomites. The Prophets issued scathing denunciations of Edom. The book of Obadiah is devoted completely to the Edomites, replete with language that seems to paint a picture of Petra: "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD” (Obadiah 1:3-4).

Esau provides us with an intensely sobering lesson. Our single actions – good or evil – can have long-reaching results. We should not underestimate how our priorities will affect our families, friends, and our society. In the Old Testament, God wanted the firstborn to be sanctified to Him, dedicated to Him and Him alone. Today, God wants the best we have to give Him. He doesn’t want our leftovers. He wants to be first in our lives because He knows that nothing but His Spirit can give us the deep, deep peace we need and crave. If we exalt anything in our hearts above Him, then that is what we worship and that is what we trust.

A Rose-Red CIty - Part One

  

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, a young Swiss explorer, was the first Westerner known to view Petra in recent history. In 1812 he traveled to Wadi Araba under the assumed name of Ibrahim ibn Abdullah. At that time, Petra, a maze of ancient rock-hewn temples and tombs, was seen only by Bedouins.

These days, Petra is a popular tourist attraction in Jordan, drawing visitors from far and near. Most of the magnificent sandstone structures are facades of tombs. Some of the carved structures served as banqueting rooms and places to have memorial ceremonies for the dead. Homes and public buildings are still being excavated. Other ruins on the site are from the Roman era, more recent additions to the towering carved rock walls.

I found Petra hauntingly beautiful, a strange place that, if not for the hordes of tourists milling about, would have seemed desolate. It is a natural fortress isolated in the middle of the desert, seemingly a million miles from nowhere.

The Nabateans

Little is known of the enigmatic Nabateans. Who were their ancestors? Why did they disappear from the record of history? These mysterious people leave historians and tourists with a lot of unanswered questions. But what we do know forms a picture of an unusual society, most likely comprised of 20,000 to 30,000 residents.

Dates vary, since there is so little history about the Nabateans’ move to Petra. It is a wide spread, but it is likely that they began to inhabit Petra between the sixth and third century B.C. As they developed into a highly sophisticated society, several things set them apart from the nations around them. For one, to maintain harmony with others, they employed diplomacy instead of warfare. Also, it was acceptable for women to assume prominent roles in governmental leadership. And the Nabateans were obsessed with the afterlife; hence, such elaborate burial places.

Without a doubt, the Nabateans were polytheistic. In Petra is no shortage of niches where statues of gods would have been placed. Altars, including the elaborate High Place, indicate that pagan worship was a central part of their lives.

The success of the Nabateans was due in large part to their ability to store water. They built huge cisterns to preserve water during winter’s flash floods. I read about a stream that runs through the city. I did not see it; it was probably only a dry bed during the time we visited. Nevertheless, the Nabateans created an elaborate water containment and distribution system, strategically carving water channels out of the rock. Apparently their water engineering system was so good that they had sufficient water to not only bathe and supply households with water, but some people even cultivated vineyards and orchards. Plus, they provided water for the visitors that frequented their city.

Petra was located along an ancient trade route, the Kings Highway, and this self-governed city capitalized on its location. Petra became an essential stop for caravans of merchants and traders from places like Egypt, Syria, and India. Some of the trade goods that passed through Petra were cloth, art, incense (especially frankincense), precious metals, and exotic spices. Strabo, a Greek historian, recorded that Nabateans considered financial success so important that unprofitable merchants were fined.

Most modern visitors enter Petra through the Siq, a narrow gorge that continues to taper until the visitor rounds a bend for his first glimpse of the magnificent Al-Khazneh, better known as the Treasury. Visitors to Petra long ago would have also entered this way. It is said that the Nabateans intentionally carved the Treasury in this location to impress visitors and traders with their prosperity and progressiveness. Especially at that time, the magnificence of such a structure would have awed travelers, weary from a long trek through the hostile desert.

For several centuries, Petra was successful at maintaining its political and financial independence. But as sea trade began to replace land routes, Petra’s industry fell into decline. Also, Petra was unable to withstand the powerful Roman Empire and capitulated to its rule in 106 A.D. Little is heard of Petra again until the arrival of Burckhardt in 1812.

  

The Seat of Moses

 

This Seat of Moses is in the ruins of the synagogue in Chorazin. It is a replica of the original that is stored in Jerusalem’s Israel Museum. This original Chorazin Seat of Moses, discovered in 1926, dates to the 3rd or 4th century A.D., but it is probably similar to what would have been used during Jesus’ time. A rabbi, synagogue elder or distinguished guest would sit in the seat while he explained the Scriptures. It was a place of honor. The term "Moses' Seat" was both literal and symbolic.
The entire 23rd chapter of Matthew relates Jesus’ scathing denunciation of the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day. He began by saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.”

The scribes and Pharisees were interpreters and teachers of the law of Moses. Their job was to help people apply the law to their lives in a way relevant to their current society.

The time of Jesus was approximately two thousand years removed from Moses and the law. At the time when the law was given, the children of Israel lived a semi-nomadic life in the desert. After 400 years of slavery, these people were struggling to adapt to their new identity as a free nation. God provided them with laws to help them govern their new nation, interact with one another, and make proper decisions.

Conversely, during Jesus’ time, the children of Israel dwelt in their Promised Land, but they were not a free nation; they were dominated by the powerful Roman Empire. Greek and Roman ideology influenced their lives. Their lifestyle was different from that of their predecessors.

Some of Moses’ laws must have seemed archaic and unnecessary to people living in such a progressive society. Because of culture shift and modernity, people might have had difficulty understanding why it was important for them to observe such ancient laws.

That is where the scribes and Pharisees came in. While common men worked as farmers, carpenters, stonemasons, and merchants, the scribes and Pharisees dedicated their lives to learning the law so they could teach it those busy with other jobs. Using very old laws as their guide, they were to instruct people how to please God with their day-to-day lives and relationships.

The word of God is timeless. God does not change, regardless of society, culture, language, ethnicity, economics, or government. Biblical principles can be applied to any situation because human nature has always been and always will be the same. The Mosaic law was designed to create a society that honored God as King and His laws as correct in every situation. So, while Moses’ law might have seemed ancient and irrelevant to the people of Jesus’ day, it was superior to every other ideology that tried to influence them.

Simply speaking, God’s laws always work. When applied, they create harmonious relationships and a civil, orderly society. God’s government is better than socialism, communism, an autocracy, dictatorship, or monarchy. It is even superior to democracy. It is God’s ideas, not man’s, that are effective at creating a healthy society.

In Exodus 18, we see Moses resolving conflicts between people and teaching them how to apply God’s decrees to their particular situations. When Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat,” He was saying that they were authorized to help the people properly apply the Word of God to their lives, as Moses did.

Conflict occurred when the scribes and Pharisees took it upon themselves to exceed simple explanation and application of the law. They taught man-created traditions which had no basis in the written Word of God, either outright or implied. These traditions had been passed down word-of-mouth from generation to generation. The Pharisees held them as equal to the written law of Moses. These oral traditions were additions to the law of Moses, and these additions – as well as hypocrisy – are what Jesus took issue with.

Jesus did not condemn everything the Pharisees did. For example, in Matthew 23:23, He tells the Pharisees that they should continue tithing, but he reprimands them for neglecting “weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith.” The Pharisees were so consumed with appearances and protocol that they missed out on some of the other principles of the Word of God. They missed out on the true meaning of humility and the real essence of worship.

In a familiar example, found in Matthew 15, the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” Jesus responded, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”

Here we see a clash between the “tradition of the elders” and the “commandment of God.” Several times Jesus berated the scribes and Pharisees for following the “traditions of the elders” and the “traditions of men.” These were self-imposed laws that Jesus did not expect people to adhere to. Jesus told them, “Ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”

In an appeal to help the Pharisees understand how blind they were, Jesus referenced the prophet Isaiah: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9; Isaiah 29:13).

And herein is a key principle that we can learn from. Some of us are so good at “doing” that we stop “being.” We can become so concerned with doing things for God that we cease to know God. Or, our relationship with God is not as deep as it could be. It is gratifying to do things, to be busy with kingdom work. But as was the case with Mary and Martha, there is a time and place for work, but worship should be the craving of our heart. Jesus told Martha, “Thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Note that Jesus did not condemn Martha for doing and serving; He simply told her that her priorities were misplaced.

It is possible to put things on ourselves that even Jesus does not require of us. In our achievement-oriented society that values intellect, education, and success, we sometimes transfer that mentality to living for God. We tend to think that the more we do for God, the happier He will be with us.

If we live as if the more we do, the more pleasing we are to God, we are little better than the Pharisees. While God does expect us to be busy with His work, He places greater value on our character development, how we treat people, and inner cleanliness.

A fulfilling relationship is not one motivated by duty or service alone, although those are essential principles in the Word of God that should not be neglected. A fulfilling relationship is one that is motivated by a desire to know God, to draw close to Him, to give ourselves to Him. In the New Covenant that Jesus established, we still have things God requires of us, yet we need to make sure we do not confuse self-imposed traditions or acts of service with quality of relationship. As our relationship with God deepens, we will be naturally motivated to do things for Him. As we grow in the knowledge of His love for us, service will become second nature to us, not a chore or a means to gain His approval.

While Jesus did not necessarily condemn exteriors – unless they had no basis in God’s laws – He wanted the Pharisees to look a little deeper. He wanted them to see past what others could see and past what they themselves normally saw. He wanted them to see themselves as God saw them. He wanted them to know who He really was and He wanted them to know who they really were. He was seeking for them to cultivate honesty and a deeper awareness of true reality.

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.”