God save the king II

2 Samuel 16:16

And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king.

It is interesting that scripture now tells of Hushai speaking "God save the king, God save the king". The last point in scripture that held that phrase were the Israelites saying the same about Saul. The one speaking it is Hushai. From 2 Sam 15:34 we have evidence of just how old Hushai is - for David reigned over 40 years, and Hushai was David's father's servant. I assume this meant David's biological father - regardless, Hushai is likely at least 60 years of age, and has seen Saul in action. He knows what kind of king Saul turned out to be, and so we see, from Hushai's lips, what kind of king Absalom is, in Hushai's eyes. Someone possibly chosen by the Lord, but someone who needs to be saved by the Lord, because they are making poor choices. And this is the beginning of Absalom's fall as well.

Not that David wanted Absalom to die. David had fought wars prior; he knew the ins and outs of how to wage conflict. He even knew he had done wrong early on - in 2 Sam 16:5, we have one of the local's cursing David. His people are ready to jump up and defend him, and David speaks plainly, indicating that if the Lord wishes him to be cursed, then cursed he shall be. It may even be that the Lord will "requite" him good for it. Regardless, David knows enough about God that he knows he messed up. It is hard not to stare it in the face when your own son tries to take the throne from you without your consent. Further confirmation that David did not hate Absalom can be found 2 Sam 19, where the reigning king of Israel weeps over his son.

So I bring you back to the phrase "God save the king". Akin to Shakespeare's "me think you protesteth too much", the phrase (in practice) seems to imply, not that the speaker is seeking God's presence, but more that there is an implied "us from" between the 'save' and the 'the'. Which brings me to today's ...

CALL TO ACTION

What do YOU say about others that you only mean in a half-hearted way?

Do you greet people with a friendly wave, not because you earnestly wish their well-being - but because it is good manners?

Do you involve God in your interactions with people explicitly, expecting Him to provide guidance in the mundane as well as profound events in your life?

Do you find yourself dealing too harshly (or not harshly enough) with people to take your time and energy?

Today's call to action is simple:

I . Pray before you speak.

Before you speak any phrase today, give a silent prayer to God that the words out of your lips are His words and hold His intent

Before you share an opinion, describe something, talk shop, speak at a meeting, or engage in discourse of any kind, pray.

Before you open your mouth at all today, each time, pray to God for His wisdom.

II . Pray before you think.

Pray immediately after hearing anything

Pray immediately after seeing anything

Pray immediately after drinking anything

Pray immediately after eating anything

Pray immediately after walking anywhere

Even if you cannot do it all day, try doing it for an hour. Or maybe four.

You should feel foolish initially. Pray through that.

You should feel over-busy a little after that. Pray through that as well.

In a short while, you should have a little more faith. Pray a praise of thanksgiving.

Do it for as long as you can. Track the changes and witness the results with a fellow believer.

A praying people equally yoke their nation

In the thirty-first chapter of first Samuel, many things happen, not the least of which is that Saul commits suicide. It certainly wasn't something you knew was going to happen, but Saul had been increasingly unstable, never really wanted to be king in the first place, and when the fire became too hot, instead of calling out to the Lord, he ran to death. Note Saul's focus in the fourth verse - Saul is not afraid of failing his kingdom, he is not afraid of death - he is afraid of what the Philistines will do to him; in particular, he's afraid of being abused by the Philistines. Soon, after Saul has revealed his fear of being abused by the Philistines, Saul asked his armor-bearer to kill him. Refusing to do so, Saul kills himself.

I am quite certain that on this day Samuel wept. Saul was the king that Samuel had selected, at God's choosing, to lead Israel. Saul, over-and-over, had shown himself to be exactly the type of king Samuel had warned about. Therefore, Samuel likely was relieved that Israel was finally free of Saul - but I believe Samuel wanted Saul to succeed. Samuel, early on, was supportive of Saul, offering him a feast before he was ever king to signify that he was going to be chosen. Soon after Saul was made king, there was another conflict and Saul's true colors shown through where, not waiting for Samuel to arrive, Saul gave the sacrifice in what he thought was the appropriate time.

That was the beginning of the end, for through a series of events Saul no longer acted kingly and lost the kingdom. Later, when David was a thorn in Saul's side (due to Saul's pride and fear), Samuel was also involved. David had been running from Saul and finally wound up running to Samuel. When Saul heard, he sent messengers to claim David. Three times. All three times the messengers stopped their mission and began to prophecy. Eventually even Saul showed up and he too prophesied. What bitter-sweet joy for Samuel to be around David and Saul, both men that God had chosen through him to rise up as kings, both men who had the potential to be great, but only David who truly loved the Lord.

I believe, of the few people who likely wept at the passing of the king, Samuel was high on the list. I believe he prayed for Saul every day of his life, at the very least to turn from his wicked ways, though maybe not for a regaining of the kingship. For that matter, because Jonathan and Saul died the same day, Samuel had double reason to be sorrowful - and yet David was under the Lord's protection and would soon be made king.

Call to action

It is very easy to dislike one's king, president, or ruler. Clearly they are in a position of authority, and that often is a reason alone to dislike someone. This distaste for authority comes from original sin in the Garden of Eden - for it was that same impetus that drew Adam away from God. Another reason to dislike a ruler is if they are unjust - and this is more in line with how God would have our hearts align. And it is here that I implore you to act.

Pray for your leaders

Most people in the world, including you who read these words, are under at least two people's authority. Even if you don't recognize that authority, it is still over you, and it deserves some respect and consideration. First and foremost is God, and second might be a father, a president, an older sibling, and sometimes even a spouse.

Regardless, of the count, those people were placed over you for a reason. God was placed over you to guide and protect you, keep you hearkening to Him, and eventually direct your soul to heaven. You have a great deal of free will about which direction to choose and nearly none about the results of that direction. It is a blessing that there is a significant delay between choice of direction and realization of this direction - that delay gives us all time to veer toward God's intended path.

Your second (and others) are placed above you for various reasons. Sometimes it is to teach you humility, patience, or love. Sometimes it is to bring your heart in-line with God's will. Regardless, those other people who have authority over your life will often be inconvenient to you in one way or the other.

My call to action, for you, is to genuinely pray for those in authority over you. Pray the Lord's prayer, honoring God and letting Him know that you truly honor him. Pray for the others that have authority over you, offing your intercessory prayer to support their needs for wisdom, strength of character, determination to complete goals that become harder as day press on, and satisfaction in doing the job God has for them. Pray that you also will respect and honor those in authority over you. And pray that the will of the people around you are focused on honoring those in authority over them as well.

One amazing benefit of these prayers is that it creates an environment for the whole nation you are a part of to be of one mind and one heart - to be equally yoked. Imagine how potent, focused, and edifying a nation would be if every heart in that nation were aligned with God's will for their lives!

Minimize waning fellowship

The second chapter of Judges speaks about the children of Israel doing a two-step, engaging a double-minded relationship with God. There are clearly two phases in this relationship - forsake and retake.

In the forsake step, the children of Israel seek after other gods. Sometimes they are serving Baal and Astaroth, sometimes they are serving Baalim and the groves, but the scripture is clear - the children of Israel have left off serving God. God is not pleased with their decision to do so and punishes the children of Israel, mostly by taking away His protection ..., which always results in some form of oppression.

In the retake step, the children of Israel repent, realizing they still need Him, and seek after God. It does not include motive and such, but because it tends to follow some form of oppression, I would argue those seasons of seeking after God necessarily draw from that oppression. In addition, some time after their season of repentance, the children of Israel fall away again.

Anyone familiar with scripture should recognize this waxing and waning of the fellowship of the children of Israel with God.

Anyone familiar with people anywhere should recognize this waxing and waning of the fellowship of people anywhere with God.

It may even be why everyone loves an underdog - it reinforces our faith that when we are down, God will rise and provide aid, provided we seek after Him with a heart drawn to Him.

The point I should like to draw out here is simply this: our lives are full of daily opportunities to experience this same wave of fellowship with God. How often is it that that fellowship is waxing due to a wise decision on our part, followed by a season of waning due to a foolish decision?

I believe the goal of a believer, one who would fellowship with Christ, is to seek to cause the waxing season to be maximized and the waning season to be minimized. To recognize that both periods are inevitable for us, but they can be addressed and wisely considered.

Therefore, my call to action is: Minimize waning fellowship!

Document when you feel least close to God

There are few of us who do not feel inconsistent connectivity to God. This does not mean we ARE far from Him (for he does not leave us nor forsake us) but we can often FEEL that way. Record those periods when you feel less close to God and see if you can associate them with other events, thoughts, or situations. It is possible that those are periods where God calls you to seek His face or they might be periods of attack where your only resolution might be to claim 2 Timothy 1:7 and hold fast to God's presence.

Read scripture daily

Scripture says, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) - and it is through scripture that we are girded from all sorts of mischief. Thus, one way we can reduce (or eliminate in large part) the destruction wrought by the arrows of sin and vice are simply to go to scripture. Pray before reading, seeking God's peace, and the delving into scripture will reap rewards and you will draw closer to Him. Likewise, your walk with Jesus will be greatly magnified and you will find the period of waning to be a great deal shorter.

Seek after God's heart

Take a moment today and ask God what you should be focusing on. Do not expect Him to answer in the next five minutes or hour, but consider that He wants to guide you and He will never forsake you, so it will be easier than you expect. But following the asking comes the hard part - the waiting. Often our faith is most tested between the requesting and the manifesting. If you find that praying for something rarely (if ever) provides the results that expect, seek God's counsel! This can take the form of other believers, delving into scripture, praying and fasting, or just simply daily prayer. In short, if an event could offer an opportunity to take away your faith, God will always provide a way to draw closer to Him through it.

Observations

Some random observations…

In Joshua 5, the Bible talks about how Joshua made sharp knives and circumcised all the Children of Israel. I have no idea how many men this was, but the Bible states he did so at the hill of foreskins – which seems to indicate quite a few. What struck me about this mass circumcision was not the shear numbers involved in this act, but the fact that there were so many uncircumcised. The very act God had used to seal His covenant between Himself and Abraham… the very act demonstrating God’s promise to Abraham’s descendents… the very act that embodied a specific covenant had been ignored and neglected for over 40 years!

What a sad picture of where the Israelites were in their relationship with their God and the One who had established His covenant with them, who had brought them out of slavery, who had performed so many miracles for them, etc… Astonishing!

I had forgotten, but the day after the Israelites entered into the Promised Land, the manna stopped… yet one more proof of God’s miraculous intervention in the Israelite’s affairs and in their preservation as a nation. After entering the Promised Land, never again would they eat of this miraculous food – spoken of by God as “angel’s meat.”

I’ve heard that the harmonic vibrations and frequencies of a group of people marching in step can cause structural damage and for this reason, troops of soldiers break step when crossing bridges and such – to keep from causing whatever structure from being destroyed by the power of their combined rhythm.

It seems to me God created this amazing coordination of frequencies and vibrations because He did command the Israelites to march around the walls of Jericho for seven days, the seventh day consisting of encircling the city seven times and then shouting together along with the simultaneous blowing of trumpets.

Can you imagine the vibrations caused by over a million people marching in step without speaking a single word to detract from this impact? Can you imagine the stress to the walls caused on the seventh day as they did it seven times?! Can you imagine the ferocity and fervor in over a million voices as they gave utterance after six days of silence?! Wow!! I have to wonder if it was indeed the vibrations which weakened the wall and the impact of the sound waves which ultimately destroyed the city of Jericho. Granted, I do know this city was delivered into the hands of the Israelites by God and only through Him it was that they triumphed… but wouldn’t it be just like God to use some beautiful concoction of His creation to bring glory to His name? I think so.

I find it fascinating that Joshua’s curse, delivered in Chapter 6, verse 26, random though it seems at this point in history, would eventually come true. Not only that it came true, but that the Bible saw fit to document this curse from its inception and delivery to its actualization. Later on, the Bible describes how, indeed, the foundation of rebuilt Jericho was laid on the firstborn of the man who built it and how the gates were set up in his youngest (can’t recall the actual place, but do remember reading it).

Blessings and Curses While Coughing from A to Z in Rememberance

Deuteronomy, of a surety, holds the most impressive array of blessings and curses I have ever read anywhere. The list of blessings God puts forth to the Israelites is relatively short compared to the list of curses, but that small list of blessings encompasses every aspect of life… the basic end result of receiving all those blessings is that you would never want for anything. Period.

The list of curses for not following God’s commandments, however, is most impressive and detailed. There could be absolutely no misunderstanding what would happen to the Israelites if they did not follow God’s commandments; the detailed descriptions are far too graphic to leave room for any speculation.

One of the curses that fascinated me was that the Lord would smite them (the Israelites) with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning. Why should this be interesting?

In 1918, tuberculosis (TB) was a major epidemic in America. It is interesting to note that fever and chills is one of the symptoms for this disease. For a while, TB was known as the “Jewish disease,” with Jewish immigrants being blamed for the spread of TB in the United States. This is understandable given the level of prejudice against Jews at the time, but interesting since God had spoken so many years before that He would smite the Israelites with consumption – the other popular name for TB.

As if that wasn’t enough, God also specifically stated He would smite the Israelites with all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Would it then surprise you to know that archaeologists have found Egyptian mummies, dating as far back as 2400 BCE, that were diagnosed as having had tuberculosis?! I don’t think God messes around when He stipulates the conditions of a curse (or a blessing).

One way to notice God’s hand was still on His people in the area of TB was the fact that although many Jewish immigrants brought TB with them to the United States, the Jewish population died of TB far less often than people from other groups. When God chooses someone, He really chooses them!

Another interesting item that caught my eye was a verse in Luke 11, From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. And there we have the earliest form of the saying, “From A to Z” when used to describe a period/event/thing involving everything.

The other verse that always amuses me, and which took me years to fully comprehend, is Luke 11:42, But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. It took me many years of reading this verse to finally realize what Jesus was saying here. The Pharisees were known for being extremely legalistic, following the letter of the law down to the least little jot and tittle. Here, Jesus was throwing that very legalism back in their faces by pointing out that, yes, they did indeed tithe religiously… down to the most humble herbs that grew in their garden. But what had they left undone in pursuit of such obedience to the letter of the law? They had passed over the love of God. They had passed over the concept of judgment. Their focus was on obeying the letter of the law and completely ignoring the Spirit behind that law and the power thereof.

In turning to the Psalm portion of today’s reading, I realized Psalm 78 is a detailed list of all God’s miracles, signs, wonders, and salvations for the Children of Israel as He led them out of Egypt. This list of amazement is coupled with the petty desires and flagrant rebellion of God’s chosen people as they sought after their own lusts and constantly ignored and despised the cherishment of God.

All in all, an interesting reading…

A pygarg, a chamois, a glede, an ossifrage, and a cormorant walk into a bar ...

What are a pygarg, chamois, coney, glede, ossifrage, and cormorant?
What does it mean to seethe (as in, thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk)?

In Deuteronomy 15:4, we have mention of a lack of poor, which upon inspection isn't contrary to Matthew 26:11 (For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.), as it refers only to the children of Israel.

And I started to seriously consider this.

Can you imagine a society built on this promise? They'd have no poor!
Can you imagine a nation with no poor?
Can you imagine a family, group, fellowship, or brotherhood, truly standing on the Lord's words and promises, claiming all the many wonders that God has clearly set aside for the children of Israel (and by proxy all earnest believers in Christ), and living in accordance with His commandments? No dissension, no strife, only love, and service!
Praise the Lord!

Also - there is an abundance propensity in the modern church, especially those fellowships built around public followings, like charismatic tele-pastors, which focus on the idea that you can lay hands on anything you desire. Abundance and prosperity are blessings, to be sure - but they have a purpose. That purpose is revealed in Deuteronomy 15:10 - Thou shalt surely given him [thy poor brother], and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.
So abundance is intended to be used in blessing others with.

Another something I mentioned happened in Luke 8:43, with that woman who had an issue of blood twelve years. Of all the publicly known events a man and woman, as individuals, go through, the oddest has to be of which her disease was a magnification. The fact that she experienced it for such a prolonged state suggests a kind of anointed curse for her - to survive that long with that curse must have been unusually hard, experiencing a perpetual internal cleansing as it were - and to suffer for over a decade must have made her, much like so many of the people Jesus healed, a well known example of suffering that people just had to "take for granted".
So we have an archetypal sufferer, approach Jesus by faith (harder than most, probably had to push through more intensely than most to even touch the border of his garment because she was probably publicly shunned), and Jesus notices. Jesus is quite literally THRONGED by people, and he notices a small bleeding woman touching a small corner of his shirt. How much of a miracle is that?

Soon after, Jesus gives His disciples power and authority over devils and to cure diseases.
- What made then the right time to give His disciples that power and authority? Is it related to the fact that they could now enact their own healing, after seeing Jesus heal the woman with the dozen-year blood issue?
- Given its proximity, outside of the pointed mentioned in the last line, is there to be some implicit, or explicit, connection between the woman with a prior issue of blood twelve years and the power and authority over devils and to cure disease.
- What exactly is a disease? Is it defined the same in Greek as it is in English? Are there states or experiences we call diseases that the Greeks wouldn't, and thus aren't under this category?
- As an example - this likely includes leprosy. Does it include myopia? acne? Anything and everything ?
- Can we, as believers and followers of Christ, be deemed modern-day disciples, and thus able to lay claim on those promised premise of the power and authority over devils and the curing of diseases?
- Is the use of the word "cure" with respect to animals (as in to keep them) an intentional cultural misappropriation to reduce the efficacy of the church in the use of the word "cure" with respect to diseases?
diseases.

Psalm 71:7 "I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge" is, to my knowledge, David pouring out his heart to God. There has been an assumption in my life, that if one were to earnestly proclaim the Word as true in your life, it would be quite literally true. I believe it is one of the devices that God can use to increase your faith. If this assumption is true, I have to wonder if every verse of scripture applies to everyone. In particular this verse: Is every believer a wonder unto many?

Psalm 71:9 "Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth" is something I too am assuming is David sharing his thoughts and fears. Are we to assume that in old age, it is standard practice for God to cast us off - as if, because we're then weaker than we have been, we can't worship or praise Him as thoroughly, so it is worth less? What other edifying perspective can one bring to the table that would clarify this? What Holy-Sprit-inspired-paradigm can resolve this?

The end of this list of observations comes from Proverbs 12:5-7 ... which lists a few character associations of the righteous, as well as the wicked. The difference between those in Proverbs 12:5-7 and the earlier ones is that these seem to be retroactively descriptive ... as in, if you seek to have right thoughts, if you deliver those whose blood the wicked like in wait for, if your house stands, then the chances are you are righteous. You certainly can't guarantee, in and of yourself, that your house can stand, but you can certainly focus on right thinking and possibly be proactive when you notice others trying to pick on or do away with others - a kind of defending the weak.

How much of your own understanding of scripture comes from someone you respect, and not from reading the Word yourself?
How much of your appreciation of scripture comes from appreciating how righteous or anointed someone appears, instead of appreciation as administered by the Holy Spirit?
It is common, in these (I believe) end times, to trust in the perception of other learned men. I am not saying there is no place for such things ... but if your understanding and doctrine come from men, their perceptions, their writings, and THEIR walk in Christ, I would seriously consider setting aside some time to pray about having your OWN relationship.
I believe that each of us are called to have a personal connection with Christ - which is why I post. I'm sharing my stumbling meandering through the scripture because I claim it as a blessing to myself as well as anyone who reads it.

So that is today's call to action: Read scripture daily.
You can read the passages I reference above
You can read through one book a month, dwelling on the intricacies inherent in that book.
You can do a character study, pick one major character, and track his or her activities throughout scripture.
You can do a nation or region study, pick one major area, and track their references or uses throughout scripture.
You can do a journey study, and track exactly where various people traveled.
You can do a miracle study, evaluating where miracles happened, to whom, and how long they lasted.
You can do a promise study, evaluating all the various promises that God (or others) promise, whether they come to pass and (especially God) the list of conditions for each promise.
You can do a chronological study, comparing each character/nation/region's activities during certain time or reigns.
You can do a war study, whereby you pick a conflict, observe who was involved, what caused it, what resolved it, and what the winners and losers did.
You can do a base scripture study, which have overlap (like the first four new testament books) and track where they are the same and where they differ.

Whatever you do, my challenge is simple:
Adopt a daily habit of reading scripture. And if you pick one of the above, keep to that method, and likely your faith and relationship with God will grow.

Ageless Children, Silent "Virtue," and a Plea

Something occurred to me this morning as I read Deuteronomy 8:3-4, “…He [God]… fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know… Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.”

True, the intent and purport of these postings is, in fact, to record details/nuances/epiphanies that emerge as a result of a daily Bible reading. Yet I never cease to be amazed at some of the things which emerge.

From the Old Testament comes this realization: the group of Israelites who went into the Promised Land had grown up in the wilderness. Okay, that’s not real interesting. How about this though? Remember how the Israelites murmured constantly against God and Moses about what they didn’t have? Remember how they longed for what they had had in Egypt and were constantly comparing their current situation to a now-seemingly-desirable slavery? They hated the manna, they wanted meat, they longed for the leeks and garlic, etc.

But what about the Israelites who went into the Promised Land? They would have little or no frame of reference by which to complain. The whole point of the wandering in the wilderness was so that those who had murmured against the Promised Land (and all along the way) would have died out. This new wave of Israelites were only children and most likely didn’t know anything more than their current existence; a dry and dusty trek being fed manna from heaven and the occasional water from the rock.

If any memories of Egypt existed, could it not be argued that they were indistinct enough not to affect the whole comparison mindset? Manna was normal. Water from the rock was normal. What are leeks and garlic anyway? And who needs meat? Interesting, no?

From the New Testament, we see the story of the woman of ill repute who honored and respected Jesus in the most personal and tender ways possible. I think what struck me the most during this reading was the fact that the Pharisee, whom Jesus was eating a meal with, did not bother to tell him what kind of woman was touching him.

This paragon of virtue who had invited this charismatic public figure into his house (for publicity’s sake or not, I have no idea) not only had let this woman into his house, but he KNEW what kind of woman she was. Perhaps it was one of the many games that were played on Jesus, trying to trap him in various awkward situations; it is not for me to say. Regardless of his motive, this man, knowing the unclean status Jesus would fall into just from being touched by the woman, did not say a word but watched, keeping everything inside himself, uttering no warning or word of protest. Again, interesting, huh?

And from Psalms I find passages which, upon reading, caused me to utter them with sincerity, truth, and desperation… “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God… But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered… out of the deep waters.” Psalm 69:1-3,13-14.

Echoes of an Erased Past

It jumped out at me and grabbed my attention. So many times I’ve read this verse, yet now it struck me with a depth and level of profundity I had never before experienced. Numbers 33:52 set forth this mandate from God, “Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:”

Over the past week or so, I have watched several movies which interconnected on the plane of ancient Egypt, its history and rediscovery. One of the most amazing documentaries I watched was a BBC mini-series on the rediscovery of Egypt through its pharaohs, its architecture, and its writings and paintings.

Carter, financed by Lord Carnarvon, believed in the existence of an unrobed tomb; he searched his entire life to find the actual remains of Tutankhamen. Giovanni Belzoni struggled to understand Egypt from the perspective of architecture, statues, and artifacts, racing against his arch-nemesis, the ruthless trader Drovetti, to preserve them for posterity. Champolion sought to know the ancient Egyptians through their writings, translating the Rosetta Stone and unlocking the key to their world while seeking answers to his own search for the origins of mankind.

It wasn’t until I read this verse in the Bible that I realized the importance of God’s instructions written there. Without the people, the architecture and statuary, the writings and pictures, a civilization will be completely lost and forgotten. If none of these things remain, how will anyone ever piece that civilization back together again years hence?

I suppose it was my immersion in the importance the way a civilization records daily activities and sets them down in such a way as to be understood years down the road that made me to realize the utter horror that verse in Numbers describes.

God knew the importance of these three areas in the preservation of a people and culture. He also knew the inhabitants of the Promised Land were completely corrupt and evil in His sight, referring to this fact earlier in the Bible when He said the wickedness of the people was not yet complete.

God had once destroyed the entire world because man was continually evil and did no good; only one man was righteous enough to be chosen to repopulate the earth after its destruction… he with his wife, three sons and their wives.

Sodom and Gomorrah had been destroyed suddenly and so completely that only powdery ashes remain to this day in the midst of a completely unfertile piece of land. God would have saved the city if ten righteous people had been within it, but all the inhabitants were extremely wicked and had to be destroyed.

Now, here at the Promised Land, the wickedness of the inhabitants had come to full flower and God instructed the Children of Israel how exactly to remove them not just from the land, but from history itself. They were to drive out the people and remove them. They were to destroy all pictures, and I believe this includes any form of writing and engraving. They were to tear down all statuary and idols. They were to “quite pluck down” every shred of architecture.

The people, the culture, the civilization was to be completely obliterated, never to be remembered or reconstructed again. A very intense picture of what happens to a people who forgets their God and goes a whoring after others.

Unusual Tally and Porcine Jewelry

I never cease to be amused at what appears to be one of the most random pieces of information set forth in the Bible.

In Numbers 34:9, the Bible tells us that in the exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, they eventually came to Elim (listed as the fifth camping place) where there "were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there." Though I have not investigated the original language, which I suspect may shed further light on why this particular phrasing was used, I find it humorous that they should count the number of water fountains and palm trees before setting up camp.

I always imagine Moses saying something like this to his sidekick, "Oh... this looks like an interesting place. Let me see... mmhmm... We've got, oh, twelve fountains of water and... yeah... seventy palm trees. Pass the word; we'll be staying here." It may not, in fact, be that they chose to camp there based on the water and palm tree count, but the wording of the verse seems to imply that... which I find amusing.

The other metaphor that struck me today was from Proverbs 11:22, "As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion." And again, I have a ludicrous mental image of a melange of the two; morphing between a gorgeous woman wallowing in the mud and an ugly, ugly pig wearing the same breathtaking earring which can be seen in the woman's ear... funny, then again, not so funny.

I have seen this phenomena before. Not the pig wearing the "jewel of gold," but the beautiful woman who lacks discretion. I knew a drop-dead gorgeous girl once... she was so beautiful, it was hard to believe she was human. But all her beauty and appeal to the eye could not cover up her complete lack of propriety or discretion. Each time the beauty would take over and seem to dictate she be treated one way, that indescretion would surface, causing me (and others) to shut down to her and arrange for her not to be a representative of the company we were working for.

It was sad. This verse serves as a reminder for me too... Though not as bad as I used to be, I still find myself at times lacking in discretion - which has led to many embarassing and humiliating situations in my life. The visual used by Solomon as he attempted to put a simile on the awkwardness and incongruity of women of indiscretion was masterfully put.

A jewel of gold is a work of art and worthy to be desired, but when placed in a pig's snout, its beauty is diminished by reason of the loathsome surroundings.