A Lesson in Belief.

Moving forward from Moses, Aaron, the Tabernacle of Testimony, and the Ark of the Covenant, we encounter Joshua. You probably hear the name of Joshua and think, "the Battle of Jericho". From a historical standpoint, that battle would have been a test of belief indeed. So how contextually supported is the story of Jericho and the life of Joshua in Scripture?

"I Lift My Hands" by Chris Tomlin

Old Testament References to Joshua:

• Numbers 14:36-38, "The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 'How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me?' . . . 'Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun' . . . 'Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness. According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition. I, the LORD, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they will die.' As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the LORD. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land."
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why would God speak to historical Moses and Aaron about a merely imaginary Joshua?
• Why mention the father of a merely figurative Joshua?
• Why would it be written in Scripture that the Lord swore He would punish Israel for forty years for their guilt, if the story of the spies, including Joshua, was fake?
• Where in Scripture do you find an imaginary plague from the Lord? If the plague was real, must not Joshua have been a real (not merely figurative) Israelite?
• Deut. 31:14-26, "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.' So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. The LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. The LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land' . . . 'Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel' . . . So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel. Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, 'Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.' It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, 'Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark . . . '"
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why would the Lord speak to a historical Moses just before his death about an imaginary Joshua succeeding him?
• Where in Scripture does the Lord commission an imaginary man for leadership?
• Why would an imaginary Joshua be recorded in the real law of Moses, which was kept beside the real Ark of the Covenant?
• How could a merely imaginary man lead the real sons of Israel into a new land?
• Joshua 6:26-27, "Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, 'Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates.' So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land."
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Where in Scripture are curses merely imaginary?
• Why associate a specific city with an imaginary curse?
• If the curse in Joshua 6 was real, how could Joshua be merely figurative?
• Joshua 19:49-50, "When they finished apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave an inheritance in their midst to Joshua the son of Nun. In accordance with the command of the LORD they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it."
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why write of the real sons of Israel apportioning land to a merely imaginary Joshua?
• Why specify the city given to Joshua and its location in the territory of Ephraim, if Joshua was a simply figurative character?
• Judges 2:6-10, "When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land. The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD which He had done for Israel. Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten. And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel."
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why write of "all the days of Joshua", if Joshua never lived?
• Why reference "the elders who survived Joshua", if Joshua never lived?
• Why name Joshua as the "servant of the Lord", if he was an imaginary character who never actually served the Lord?
• Why specify the age of Joshua at his death if he never lived?
• Why specify the burial place of an imaginary man?
• I Kings 16:33-34, "Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun."
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why specify who rebuilt Jericho and who died, if the curse wasn't real?
• Why write of how the curse of a merely figurative man came to pass?
• How would the "word of the Lord" be given through an imaginary man?
• I Chron. 7:20-27, "The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah and Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to take their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. Then he went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Beriah, because misfortune had come upon his house. His daughter was Sheerah, who built lower and upper Beth-horon . . . Elishama his son, Non his son and Joshua his son. Their possessions and settlements were Bethel with its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer with its towns, and Shechem with its towns as far as Ayyah with its towns, and along the borders of the sons of Manasseh, Beth-shean with its towns, Taanach with its towns, Megiddo with its towns, Dor with its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel."
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why specify legacies of people in a genealogy attributed to the tribe of Ephraim, if these people never lived?
• Why include a merely figurative Joshua in the genealogy of the real tribe of Ephraim?

New Testament References to Joshua:

• Acts 7:44-47, "The high priest said, 'Are these things so?' And he [Stephen] 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' . . . 'Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.'"
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why would Stephen defend himself before the antagonistic high priest by referencing a figurative character? How would this be a good defense for Stephen?
• Why would Stephen insert an imaginary character into a story including the historical Abraham and Moses?
• Why would Stephen bring a merely imaginary Joshua into the story of how their real "God drove out" the Canaanite nations before them? Wouldn't referencing an imaginary character in this story be considered blasphemous by the high priest?
• Hebrews 3:16-4:11, "For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief . . . For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: 'AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS'; and again in this passage, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.' Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, 'Today,' saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,
              'TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
              DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.'
  For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience."
• Joshua - Portrayed as a historical man, not simply a figurative one.
• Why would an imaginary Joshua be referenced in writing of the yet observed (at least by Jews) seventh day sabbath and the final Sabbath rest promised to believers?
• Why at all consider whether Joshua gave the sons of Israel true rest, if Joshua never led Israel into a land of their own?
• Why write of some "following the same example of disobedience", if the story of Joshua being exempted from Israel's punishment of forty years' wandering in the wilderness was merely figurative and not a real example from which to learn?

Covenant Testimony (Part II)

How do children learn about the lives of their parents or grandparents? Usually, this is passed down by word of mouth. Children generally do not have reason to doubt what their parents tell them about their lives or their grandparents' lives. Parents' stories become that of their children and are held trustworthy without need for secondary affirmation. This is oral tradition, and is one of the means by which the stories of the Old Testament were handed down for generations to come that they might know the works of the Lord:

Psalm 78:1-8, "A Maskil of Asaph. 

        Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
            Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

      I will open my mouth in a parable;
            I will utter dark sayings of old,

      Which we have heard and known,
            And our fathers have told us.

      We will not conceal them from their children,
            But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
            And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

      For He established a testimony in Jacob
            And appointed a law in Israel,
            Which He commanded our fathers
            That they should teach them to their children,

      That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
            That they may arise and tell them to their children,

      That they should put their confidence in God
            And not forget the works of God,
            But keep His commandments,

      And not be like their fathers,
            A stubborn and rebellious generation,
            A generation that did not prepare its heart
            And whose spirit was not faithful to God
            [continues on with the works of God toward early Israel]."

Facts, customs, and widespread beliefs regarding the Ark of the Covenant and thereby Israel's wilderness wandering:

• Wikipedia - general description of the ark of the covenant
• National Geographic - overview of history and theorized discoveries
• Jewish Encyclopedia - overview, biblical references, and non-biblical references

• Jordan River Crossing with Ark
• Joshua 4:1-9, "Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, 'Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, "Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight."' So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, 'Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel . . . Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day . . . Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, 'When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, "What are these stones?" then you shall inform your children, saying, "Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground." For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.'"
• Gilgal Education Center - References the above Joshua passage where God tells Joshua that He dried up the Jordan so that "all the peoples of the earth" might know the power of the Lord.
• Jewish Virtual Library - Notes various Scripture references to this Gilgal camp of Joshua and the twelve tribes.
• Science Daily - Five stone-ringed camp-sites in the Jordan river valley have been identified by Prof. Adam Zertal, which he identifies with various references to Gilgal in Scripture. According to Prof. Zertal, "Gilgal" was a type of foot-shaped (symbolic of possession of the land on which they treaded) campsite for the early Israelites.
• General Source - Description of the mosaic Madaba map and its proven accuracy.
• Madaba Map, and Galgala or the Twelve Stones - Shows the label and symbol for Galgala from the Madaba Map and ties in the Old Testament account of the tribes crossing the Jordan and camping at Gilgal for circumcision and Passover, as their first campsite across the Jordan and thereby where they would have placed the twelve stones. An image of the corresponding map Section 2 is linked here, showing Galgala.
• Science Daily - Notes that the Madaba Map portrays a site labeled Dodekaliton, meaning "twelve stones", lying adjacent to Galgala outside of Jericho in the Jordan River valley. This is significant. But the accompanying reinterpretation of Galgala/Gilgal with a quarry cave and the stones with excavated rock do not agree with the Scripture narrative of the Jordan River crossing.

• Philistine Capture of the Ark and its Return to Israel
• I Samuel 5:1-11, "So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, 'What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?' And they said, 'Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.' And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around. After they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city with very great confusion; and He smote the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, 'They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us, to kill us and our people.' They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said, 'Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.' For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there." 
  
• I Samuel 6:13-19, "Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see it . . . The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the LORD. When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.       These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages. The large stone on which they set the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
        He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter."
• Times of Israel - Jewish people yet remember Tel Beit Shemesh as the Biblical Beth-shemesh to which the Ark of the Covenant was returned by the Philistines. The site today has sculptured iron and rock memorials which tell the story. 
• Archaeological Institute of America - Tel Beth Shemesh is a site of current archaeological excavation and is considered a geological intersection point for the Israelite, Philistine, and Canaanite civilizations during the Late Bronze and Iron ages (1550-540 B.C.).
• Some archaeology - Tel Beth-Shemesh is a 7-acre mound that overlooks the Sorek Valley. The mound has been identified based on the preserved Arab name of a nearby town, Byzantine sources, and the Biblical text's description of the mound's geography. Archaeology dating to the period of the Judges reveals influence of Israelite presence, as pig bones are entirely absent among the animal remains unearthed.
• I Samuel 7:1-2, "And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the LORD and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD."
• Shmunis Family Excavations - Archeologists identify a mound 12 km west of Jerusalem, named Deir el-Azar in Arabic, with ancient Kiriath-jearim. The Arabic name appears to derive from the name of Eleazar, son of Abinadab, who kept watch over the ark when it rested at Kiriath-jearim (I Samuel 7:1). The monastery of the Ark of the Covenant is found at Kiriath-jearim, along with remains of a Byzantine-era church, uncovered in the early 20th century, which likely commemorates the ark tradition.
• Times of Israel - Modern Jewish news site also identifies Old Testament Kiriath-jearim with the hill of the monestary Deir el-Azar, named in English "Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant", resting atop a prior Byzantine structure located 7 miles west of Jerusalem. According to Jewish interpretation of Scripture, the Ark of the Covenant was portrayed to have been located at Kiriath Jearim for 20 years following its return from Philistine capture.
• Find a Dig - The site of Kiriath-jearim offers a expansive view of the Jerusalem skyline in the east and the Mediterranean in the west. The site houses the Monastery of the Ark of the Covenant, which is also known as Notre Dame de l’Ache d’Alliance.

• Modern Tradition on the Ark Outside of Israel
• II Chronicles 35:1-3, "Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. He set the priests in their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD. He also said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, 'Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; it will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.'"
• Jeremiah 3:14-18, "'Return, O faithless sons,' declares the LORD;
              'For I am a master to you,
              And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
              And I will bring you to Zion.'
'Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,' declares the LORD, 'they will no longer say, "The ark of the covenant of the LORD." And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. At that time they will call Jerusalem "The Throne of the LORD," and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.'"
• Josephus' War of the Jews, Book 5, Chap. 5, Par. 5, " . . . [description of the Temple at the time of Roman conquest of Jerusalem] Now the seven lamps signified the seven planets; for so many there were springing out of the candlestick. Now the twelve loaves that were upon the table signified the circle of the zodiac and the year; but the altar of incense, by its thirteen kinds of sweet-smelling spices with which the sea replenished it, signified that God is the possessor of all things that are both in the uninhabitable and habitable parts of the earth, and that they are all to be dedicated to his use. But the inmost part of the temple of all was of twenty cubits. This was also separated from the outer part by a veil. In this there was nothing at all. It was inaccessible and inviolable, and not to be seen by any; and was called the Holy of Holies. Now, about the sides of the lower part of the temple . . . "
• CNN - The Ethiopian Orthodox Christians yearly celebrate a festival called Timket, in which models of the Ark of the Covenant, called a Tabot, are brought out of the churches and carried through their towns. Ethiopia is considered to be the Old Testament kingdom of Sheba, and is held by some to hide the Ark of the Covenant.
• General Source - The Ethiopian tabots which are brought out from the churches on the day of the Feast of Timket, corresponding to Epiphany, are always hidden from public view by ornate coverings. The sides of the tabot are square, generally 6 in. x 6 in. During Timket, a priest carries the covered tabot on his head while the worshipers and procession accompany with cries of joy and liturgical dancing. This procession appears similar to the bringing of the Ark into Jerusalem during the time of King David (II Samuel 6:12-19).
• Ethiopian Tourist Site - Affirms the festival of Timket, and notes that the procession with the tabot replicas of the Ark ends with baptism by the priests sprinkling blessed water on the worshipers. This is done to remember Christ's baptism by John the Baptist. The festival of Timket with the carrying of the tabot dates back to the time of Ethiopian Emperor Gebre Meskel, who ruled in Ethiopian calandar years from 515 to 529 (or AD ~530)
• Sacred Sites - St. Mary of Zion Church in Ethiopia claims to house the Ark of the Covenant.Ethiopia, also named Abyssinia, is rooted in the kingdom of Axum which existed from ~150 B.C. to ~600 A.D. The Axumite rulers had commercial and diplomatic contact with Persians, Byzantines, Greeks, and Egyptians. The Axumite kingdom archeology boasts the worlds tallest obelisks or stelae, cut from single blocks of black granite. The tallest obelisk weighed 5 tons and was 33.3 m tall. Ethiopian legend says that the Queen of Sheba from Ethiopia [see II Chronicles 9:1-12 for reference to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba] bore a son to King Solomon of Israel. This son, named Menelik, later came to visit Israel and return after a time back to Ethiopia after facing jealousy from the Israelite elders. The legend says that Solomon commanded the elders first-born sons to journey back to Ethiopia with Menelik. One of these was the son of Zadok the High Priest, Azarius, who is said to have secretly taken the Ark with him [note that tradition of a removal of the Ark from Israel during the days of Solomon is not in agreement is the II Chronicles 35:1-3 passage above, but the story does affirm a physical Ark], revealing the theft to Menelik only once distant from Jerusalem. Since the theft had succeeded without harm befalling the departing group, Menelik judged they must have God's blessing.
• Ethiopian Jews - Known as Beta Israel, the Ethiopian Jews hold to traditions saying that their ancestors came to Ethiopia in company with Menelik, considered the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, when he returned to Ethiopia from Israel. Tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews were brought to modern-day Israel during Operation Moses and Operation Solomon.

Covenant Testimony

In view of Scripture, it seems that the Tabernacle of Testimony was real and historical. At the same time, the New Testament writers evidently believed that the nation of Israel had wondered without a land to settle in time past. But might the eyes of modern readers be blind in regard to ancient Judaic writings? Would this be a good, scholarly supposition? I think that the answer to this question lies in considering the author. The Scriptures do not claim human authors, although they were recorded and copied by human hand. No, the Scriptures claim as author the One, True, Omniscient God. This God is said to have no favoritism for the ancients or for the wise:

Psalm 19:1-4, 7-9 (NASB), "The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
            And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

      Day to day pours forth speech,
            And night to night reveals knowledge.

      There is no speech, nor are there words;
            Their voice is not heard.

      Their line has gone out through all the earth,
            And their utterances to the end of the world . . .

 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
            The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
       The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
            The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
      The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
            The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether."

The works of the Lord are not uttered to a few but rather "through all the earth" and "to the end of the world". The sure testimonies of the Lord are not given to the "wise" but rather to the "simple" to make them wise. This being our framework for studying Scripture, well, then onward! All are welcomed to read and seek understanding, and all are offered the opportunity to look upon the "work of His hands".



Facts, customs, and widespread beliefs regarding the Tabernacle of Testimony and Israel's wilderness wandering:

Reconstructed Tabernacle

• Timna Park - Park surrounded by cliffs and centered about Mt. Timna which offers a replica of the Old Testament tabernacle of testimony. The park also boasts the "world's first copper mine", dating back to imperial Egypt.
• Jerusalem Post - Tourist review of Timna Park and the full-size, reconstructed tabernacle of testimony. Article includes a photo of the replica tabernacle and notes its placement in the wilderness that Israel wandered.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica - Jewish history accounts that the tabernacle served as a "portable sanctuary" during a time of their wandering prior to arrival in Canaan. The Biblical account described how the tabernacle sheltered an alter of incense, table of shewbread, and a seven-branched menorah in the "holy place". Within the "holy place", the "Holy of Holies" was said to be indwelt by the presence of the Lord and sheltered the Ark of the Covenant, containing tablets written with the Ten Commandments.

Shiloh

• Israel Ministry of Tourism website - Notes that upon entry into Canaan, the Tabernacle was set up in the territory of the tribe of Ephriam at Tel Shiloh. Scholars have assessed what they deem to be the exact spot that the Tabernacle stood, corresponding also to the place where Hannah came to pray for and dedicated her son Samuel.
• Jewish Press - An alter (2 ft x 2 ft x 16 in.) has been discovered at Shiloh dating to the first kings of Israel.
• Islamic Web - Reinterpretes quite a bit of Scripture from an Islamic viewpoint (site info page), yet affirms that the Tabernacle and ark of the Covenant were placed at the geographical town of Shiloh.
• Islam For Mankind - Appears to copy, come from the same source text, or provide a source text for the Islamic Web website page above as this alternate webpage identically reinterpretes Scripture (for those questioning the acceptability of such exact copy, similar Islamic reasoning regarding Shiloh can be found on The Message of Islam website).
• United with Israel - Ongoing archeology to discover traces of the Tabernacle of Testimony which is noted in Scripture to have rested there.
• Joshua 18:1, "Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them."
• I Samuel 1:24-25, "Now when she [Hannah] had weaned him [Samuel], she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD [the Tabernacle] in Shiloh, although the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull, and brought the boy to Eli."
• I Kings 8:1-6, "Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the city of David, which is Zion . . . Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. They brought up the ark of the LORD and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up . . . Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house [the Temple]. . ."

Other Attestators

• Feast of Tabernacles:
• Overview of the Feast - Rabbi Jack Zimmerman (a Messianic Jewish Rabbi and an ordained Christian pastor) reviews how the feast of Booths/Tabernacles is called "Sukkot" in Hebrew and was ordained by God as a reminder of how the nation of Israel dwelt in booths in the wilderness. Many Jews yet observe the feast by constructing four-walled booths with roofs of palm branches in which they "dwell" for the seven days of the feast.
• Judaism 101 - Affirms that the feast is still observed by Jewish people as a reminder of how the Children of Israel dwelt in temporary booths while wondering in the wilderness, which also necessitated a Tabernacle for worship.
• Reform Judaism - Affirms the continued observance of the feast by Jewish people in commemoration of Israel's 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
• Leviticus 23:33-34, 39-43, "Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, "On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD" . . . On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days . . . Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'"
• John 7:1-3, 10, "After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brothers said to Him, 'Leave here and go into Judea . . .' But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up . . ."
• Levitical Tabernacle Service:
• Temple Institute - The Temple Institute was founded by Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who served in a paratrooper brigade during the 1967 Six Day War to regain the Temple Mount for Israel, and who has written many Hebrew works of scholarship. The Temple Institute website notes that Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, and his sons were appointed the first priests for the nation of Israel.
• Cohen-Levi.org - Modern family of Kohen, or Cohen, claims direct geneological descent from the Aaronic priesthood, with geneticists having identified a "Cohen Model Haplotype" DNA signature on the Y-chromosome. This DNA signature in members of the modern Kohen family shows direct descent from a single paternal ancester, which parallels the Torah description of the Aaronic priesthood and its regulations for priestly marraige.
• Chabad.org - Notes that the dedicated status (in departing from Egypt) of all firstborn sons of Israel was transferred to the tribe of Levi at Mt. Sinai due to the idolatry of all the other tribes with the golden calf. The dedication of the Levites assigned them to service in the Tabernacle and Temple of the Lord, which is yet seen as their role by Jewish people in their hope for a Third Temple.
• Numbers 3:5-13, "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel. So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death.'       Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD.'"
• Leviticus 21:10-15, "[the Lord speaking to Moses, who instructed Aaron and his sons] 'The priest who is the highest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes . . . for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the LORD. 'He shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather he is to marry a virgin of his own people, so that he will not profane his offspring among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.'"

Ok . . . how important are Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph? (Part II)

This is going to be a little tough, that is to consolidate the New Testament verses concerning Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Even Isaac, whose story might not seem terribly remarkable in the Old Testament, is noted multiple times in the New Testament. It's also a little difficult to avoid some overlap with the New Testament study on Abraham. These names were closely linked in the minds of the Jewish people. "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" were and continue to be identified with a real heritage and a real God:

 

A Production of the Jewish Destiny Foundation

(Destiny Foundation website)

In turning from the Old Testament to the New Testament, this Jewish heritage is affirmed. In the midst of this heritage, Jesus Christ was born.


New Testament:

• Matthew 1:1-16, "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 . . . Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king . . . 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."
• Isaac and Jacob - portrayed as historical men.
• From the standpoint of one writing about a real Christ, what help is there in linking Him to ancestors who never lived?
• How would Christianity be destinguished from mythology if Christ's own ancestors were written down as mythical?
• If this Judaic genealogy is fabricated, why trace such a long line of descent? (I obviously abbreviated by excluding some names)
• If the genealogy simply points from Christ to metaphorical figureheads of David and Abraham, why identify the women Rahab and Ruth? The lineage is already being traced from father to son.
• Matthew 22:23-34, "On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, asking, 'Teacher, Moses said, "IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER [in part in order to prevent the family name from dying out--see Deuteronomy 25:5-10--as well as to keep the widow from poverty]." Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.'
        But Jesus answered and said to them, 'You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: "I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB"? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.' When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
        But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together."
• Isaac and Jacob - portrayed as historical men.
• When Christ says that the "I Am the God of . . ." statement means God is the God of the living, how can one still say that Isaac and Jacob never lived?
• If Isaac and Jacob were merely figurative, how is the resurrection of the dead more than figurative? Yet, Christ said that the Sadducees were mistaken.
• If in fact, Isaac and Jacob never lived, why did Christ assume that the only other option was that they were dead?
• How could Jesus silence the Sadducees with His argument, if they thought that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never really lived in the first place?
• As the Son of God, One able to truly expound Scripture, and One able to see the thoughts in mens' hearts, how could Jesus be mistaken about whether Isaac and Jacob really lived?
• Luke 13:22-30, "And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, 'Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?' And He said to them, 'Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, "Lord, open up to us!" then He will answer and say to you, "I do not know where you are from." Then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets"; and He will say, "I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS." In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last."
• Isaac and Jacob - portrayed as historical men.
• How could an imaginary Isaac and Jacob be in the same kingdom as Christ's real disciples?
• How could Christ's listeners one day actually see Isaac and Jacob if these men never lived?
• How could the evildoing of Christ's unbelieving listeners be contrasted with the faith/righteousness of an imaginary Isaac and Jacob?
• How can those of the Christian faith from the east, west, north, and south participate in the same kingdom as a merely imaginary Isaac and Jacob?
• John 4:1-6, "Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He 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."
• Jacob and Joseph - portrayed as historical men.
• Why did the author simply identify the ground as that which "Jacob gave to his son Joseph" if that exchange never took place?
• Why name a landmark, such as Jacob's well, after a man who never owned that landmark because he never lived?
• How could Jesus sit beside a well that really shouldn't exist because those stories of the patriarchs digging wells in Genesis was merely figurative?
• Why tell the location of this well if people might later do fact-checking to see if it really originally belonged to a real Jacob?
• If Jacob was a historical man, how could "his son Joseph" not be?
• Romans 9:1-16, "I [apostle Paul] am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons . . .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. For this is the word of promise: 'AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.' And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, 'THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.' Just as it is written, 'JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.'
        What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, 'I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.' So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy."
• Isaac and Jacob - portrayed as historical men.
• Why would sonship naturally "belong" to the Israelites, if their forefathers were imaginary?
• Why would Paul contrast "children of the flesh" with "children of the promise" if the forefather Israel (Jacob) was merely imaginary?
• If Abraham and Jacob were historical men, how could Isaac be just a name?
• How can one provide basis for the idea of "children of promise" by pointing back to an imaginary Isaac (the promised son of Abraham)?
• Why say "our father Isaac" in regard to an imaginary person? This would seem misleading.
• Why discuss God's real purpose and calling in regard to Jacob and Esau, if these men never lived?
• Hebrews 11:1-22, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks . . . By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac [see Genesis 22--Isaac was not killed], and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones . . . And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect."
• Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph - portrayed as historical men.
• How could faith be exemplified in "men of old", if those men never lived?
• Why would the author write that Abel, for example, "is dead", if Abel never lived?
• How could Abraham exemplify faith in offering up Isaac, if this instance never took place because Isaac never lived?
• What persuasion is there in refering back to an imaginary promise regarding an imaginary Isaac?
• How could Isaac exemplify faith regarding real things to come in blessing Jacob and Esau, if Jacob and Esau were imaginary?
• How could Joseph exemplify faith regarding the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, if he himself never lived?
• Why speak of the bones of a man (Joseph) who never lived?
• In writing, "so that apart from us they would not be made perfect", why would one draw a connection between real New Testament Christians and imaginary Jewish ancestors?

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:

• Part II: Aramean background
• Part III: Aramaic Nabataean trade route (mention of Aramaic/Egyptian Ishmaelite traders in Genesis 37:25-28), Petra & Palmyra & Hatra (now damaged/destroyed by ISIS), and Dead Sea Scrolls
• Part IV: Aramaic language & Abraham at Harran
• Part V: Edessa & Aleppo (same Aleppo now engulfed in Syrian Civil War)

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
• War of Independence (May 1948 - July 1949): Israel survives against 4-5 Arab states.
• Admitted to United Nations in 1949
• Operation Magic Carpet (June 1949 - Sept. 1950): ~49,000 Yemeni, Aden, Djiboutian, and Eritrean Jews are airlifted to Israel.
• Operation Ezra & Nehemiah (1951-1952): ~125,000 Iraqi Jews are airlifted to Israel.
• Operation Yachin (1961-1964): Israel helps ~97,000 Moroccan Jews emigrate to Israel.
• Six-day War (June 1967): Israel fights successfully against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria gaining the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights
• War of Attrition (1968-1970): Israel survives fighting with Egypt, Jordan, PLO, and the allies of these nations.
• Yom Kippur War (Oct. 1973): Israel survives and repulses attack by Egypt, Syria, and an Arab coalition they led.
• 1970s Soviet Union Aliyah (largely 1969-1973): ~163,000 Soviet Jews emigrate to Israel.
• Operation Moses starts (1984): Israel evacuates ~8000 Jews from Ethiopia.
• 1990s Post Soviet Aliyah (1989-2006): ~979,000 Soviet Jews emigrate to Israel.
• Operation Solomon (1991): 14,325 Ethiopian Jews are airlifted to Israel in 36 hours of non-stop flights.
• 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.'"