Isaiah 40:6-8 (NASB)

Isaiah 40:6-8 (NASB)

6) A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

7) The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.

8) The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

A sojourner's footprint: A "wandering Aramean"

 AramTV Documentary - Part I
(Syria/Harran/Abraham)
(Dura-Europus archaelogical site recently suffured at least partial destruction by ISIS)

 Genesis 24:1-10, "Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way. Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, 'Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.' The servant said to him, 'Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?' Then Abraham said to him, 'Beware that you do not take my son back there! The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, "To your descendants I will give this land," He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.' So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor."

Aramean 2010 documentary continued:

Genesis 28:1-5, "So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, 'You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.' Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau."

Deuteronomy 26:1-5, (Moses instructing the Israelites about to enter Canaan) "Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the LORD my God that I have entered the land which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.’ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. You shall answer and say before the LORD your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation. "

Facts, customs, & widespread beliefs:
  • Distinct religious groups' testimony regarding Abraham:
    • Christian beliefs: (Widespread - Christians number a nominal ~2.2 billion out of ~6.9 billion people worldwide in 2010)
      • Luke 3:23-34, "When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi . . . the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor . . ."
      • Hebrews 11:8-10, "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God."
      • Galations 3:6-9, (Paul writing to the churches of Galatia) "Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles [non-Jewish people] by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer."
    • Jewish beliefs: (Widespread - Jews number a nominal ~14 million out of ~6.9 billion people worldwide in 2010)
      • Considered Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) to be their Patriarchs
      • Abraham, son of Terach (Terah) was born "Abram" in Ur. He later traveled to Haran, and then Canaan where he was renamed Abraham ("Father of Many Nations").
      • Abraham lived as a nomad moving from Ur, to Haran, to Canaan (Shechem, Bethel, Ai), to Egypt, to Canaan (Bethel & Ai again, Mamre, Gerar, Beersheba) 
      • Line of descent was: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Twelve Tribes (two through Jacob's son Joseph)
      • References: Judaism 101 and Jewish Encyclopedia
    • Muslim beliefs: (Widespread - Muslims number a nominal ~1.6 billion out of ~6.9 billion people worldwide in 2010)
      • IslamReligion.com - Abraham was a migrant who left the land of his people for his monotheistic faith.
      • Ibid. - Strength of Abraham's faith honored by Muslims' identifying their religion as the "Path of Abraham"
      • Ibid. - Abraham was the son of Terah/Terakh, was born in/around Ur about 2166 B.C. (200 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq), migrated to Haran, and then departed to Canaan.
  • Ancient - "Modern-time" endurance of the Israelite people:
    • Below general timeline from Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    • 1700-1601 BCE/B.C.: Jewish dating of the time of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob
    • (Skipping some years for brevity's sake)
    • 70 CE/A.D.: Roman Destruction of the 2nd Temple
    • 313-636 CE/A.D.: Land ruled by Byzantines and Persians
    • 636-1099 CE/A.D.: Land ruled by Arabs
    • 1099-1291 CE/A.D.: Land dominated by the Crusaders
    • 1291-1516 CE/A.D.: Land ruled by the Mamluks
    • 1517-1917 CE/A.D.: Land ruled by Ottomans 
    • 1918-1948 CE/A.D.: Land ruled by British
      • The Holocaust (1933-1945): ~6,000,000 Jews (two thirds of Jews in Europe) are killed by the Nazis and their allies, resulting in the emigration of nearly 700,000 Jews to Israel during 1948-1951, the immediate aftermath of World War II.
    • 1948-present: Self-rule by declaration of independence as the State of Israel
    • Genesis 17:1-8, "Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
                  'I am God Almighty;
                  Walk before Me, and be blameless.
            I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
                  And I will multiply you exceedingly.'
      Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
            'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
                  And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
            No longer shall your name be called Abram,
                  But your name shall be Abraham;
                  For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
      I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.'"

Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, April 16, 2016

A sojourner's footprint.

Hebrews 11:8-10,"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

 Facts, widespread beliefs, and customs seen today, and how they compare to Scripture:
  • Geographical places involving Abraham/Isaac/Jacob/Joseph:
    • Ur of the Chaldees
      • From Great Ziggurat of Ur (Iraq) to Harran/Haran (Turkey) - Suggested by archaeologist Leonard Woolley's claimed discovery of Ur in 1930's
      From Sanliurfa/Urfa (Turkey) to Harran/Haran (Turkey) - A ~30 mile journey held by local, Jewish, and Muslim tradition, and more direct route toward Canaan
      • Genesis 11:27-32, "Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans . . . Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran."
    • Haran/Harran (city)
      • National Geographic, with some extra-Biblical speculation
        • Traditional "beehive" shaped houses in Harran, built to relieve dwellers from hot climate.
      • Encyclopaedia Brittanica, current population ~7375 (2013)
      • Turkey Travel Planner site
      • Genesis 12:1-5, "Now the LORD said to Abram [Abraham],
                    “Go forth from your country,
                    And from your relatives
                    And from your father’s house,
                    To the land which I will show you . . .
                    So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan."
    • Shechem/Oak of Moreh
      • Jewish Virtual Library: stopping point in Abraham's journey, Jacob's well, Joseph's tomb, and Mt. Gerizim
      • Near East Tourist Agency: Jacob's well near Shechem
      • Chabad.org: Notes Joseph's Tomb at Shechem is a confirmed historic site.
      • General 2nd source for Mount Gerizim at Nablus/Shechem
      • Genesis 12:6, "Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land."
      • Genesis 37:12-13, "Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. Israel [Jacob] said to Joseph, 'Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.' And he said to him, 'I will go.' Then he said to him, 'Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.' So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem."
      • John 4:5-6, "So He [Jesus] came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour."
      • Joshua 24:31-32, "Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel. Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons."
      • Joshua 8:30-33, "Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal . . . All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel."
    • The Negev
      • General Source
      • Genesis 13:1, "So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him."
    • Hebron/possible Oak of Mamre
    • Sodom & Gomorrah
      • Ebla Tablets
      • Bryant G. Wood, Ph.D. 
      • Steve Austin, Ph.D.
      • Genesis 13:10-13, "Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD."
      • Genesis 19:23-25, "The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground."

--Ok, I should break here until next time.


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, April 9, 2016

"Children of Abraham"?

"You Are I Am" by Mercy Me


Exodus 3:14-15, "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."' God, furthermore, said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.'"

Isaiah 48:12, "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called;
            I am He, I am the first, I am also the last."


"Abraham"--in the New Testament there is another wealth of verses wherein this name appears. I cannot, right now, look at them all with the length they deserve. But let me see what I find. What came to mind when people in the New Testament wrote or spoke of Abraham?
  • Matthew 1:1-17, "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers . . . Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations."
    • Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
    • Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the genealogical list remains identical in the New Testament.
    • How could the Messiah, Jesus, be the descendant of Abraham, if Abraham was only figurative/imaginary/theological?
    • Why would the historical deportation/exile of the Israelite people be noted in a merely figurative genealogy?
    • Why would the generations be counted, if some of the individuals were simply figurative? Who would count a figurative generation?
  • John 8:37-40, "'I know that you [Jews] are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.' They answered and said to Him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.'"
    • Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
    • Why would Jesus contradict Himself by saying that these Jews were figurative descendants of Abraham, but did not act as his children/descendants?
    • Why would Jesus tell the Jews to "do the deeds" of an imaginary man, whom they might object was too idealized to imitate?
    • How would the Jews feel rebuked by being called antagonists toward the truth in a manner that their merely figurative forefather never was?
    • When you say someone doesn't follow in their parents' footsteps, you are talking about their real-life parents--in the Jews case, this was a well-remembered ancestor.
  • John 8:52-59, "The Jews said to Him, 'Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, "If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death." Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?' Jesus answered, 'If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, "He is our God"; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.' So the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.' Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple."
    • Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
    • The Jews believed Abraham died/tasted death. How could a merely figurative man die?
    • Why would the Jews respect the name of Abraham if they believed the stories about him were made up?
    • How could a figurative man rejoice to foresee the real coming of Christ?
    • Why would the Jews point out Jesus' apparently young age in arguing that he couldn't have lived during the time of a figurative Abraham?
    • How could a figurative person be born?
    • Why would Jesus claim to be in existence before a figurative ancestor?
  • Acts 7:2-8, "And he [Stephen, defending himself before the Jewish Council] said, 'Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, "LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU." Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM. But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. "AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE," said God, "AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE." And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.'"
    • Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
    • Why would Stephen say that the real God appeared to a figurative man living in a real land?
    • How could a figurative man move to the real land in which the Jews of Stephen's day were living?
    • Why would Stephen take note of promises to a figurative ancestor--as if these promises were somehow translated into reality and passed onto the people of Israel?
    • Why would Stephen and the Jewish people revere the God of a figurative ancestor?
  • Romans 9:3-8, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren . . . who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons . . . and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: 'THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.' That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants."
    • Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
    • Why would Abraham's descendants be called "children of the flesh"/natural birth if Abraham was merely figurative?
    • Why would one say that the descendants of a figurative Abraham were not really all figurative children of Abraham? How can you contrast figurative with figurative?
    • What meaning is there in saying that the children of God are children of a figurative promise (i.e. a promise to a figurative Abraham about his descendants being named through Isaac)?
  
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)