A Study on Love: Part XXXII

Egyptian expressions concerning their one god concept include:

• God is One and alone, none other exists with Him; God is the One, the One Who has made all things.
• God is from the beginning and He has been from the beginning; He has existed from of old and was when nothing else had been. He existed when nothing else had existed, and what exists He created after He had come into being. He is the Father of beginnings.
• God is the eternal One, He is eternal and infinite; and endures forever and aye; He has endured for countless ages, and He shall endure to all eternity.
• God is life, and through Him only man lives. He gives life to man, and he breaths the breath of life into his nostrils. (Source)

1,492 B.C.
The mythical Biblical Joshua likely dates to 1492-1467 B.C. The authors of Joshua claims to have destroyed the city of Ai (about 2400 B.C.) and the city of Jericho (about 1400 B.C.). The Joshua myth is likely a composite of all known traditions of middle east cultures being embellished and claimed to support their own evolving religious beliefs. The Biblical Joshua (1492-1467 B.C.) son Nun could not have conquered Jericho and likely fabricated the story of Jericho based on others folklore.

The Semites of the north continued to worship the Canaan Gods of Baal, Asherah, Anat and the High God El ( God of the Mountain) who is also the God El Shaddai of Abraham. Biblical Joshua (1492-1467) the successor of Moses (ca. 1612-1492 B.C.) would attempt to impose the new God Yahweh on the Israelites. Abraham, Isaac (1818-1638 B.C.) and Jacob see their God El as providing friendly advice, guiding their wanderings, advising them who to marry and speaks to them in dreams. Occasionally appearing in human form. The God of Moses is a jealous, war like and angry God who is aloof from the people. Isaac however depicts a Fear God and Jacob a Mighty God displaying a shifting image of God. It is noteworthy that Isaac (1818-1638 B.C.), Joseph, Jacob and Moses are not historically mentioned outside scriptures. They all appear to originate from Egyptian mythology. (Source)

-I don't know but this really sounds like an argument against the Bible. And a statement like this one, "The God of Moses is a jealous, war like and angry God who is aloof from the people," really shows how hands off from the Bible the article is in relation to the Bible. That is just my feeling about the article, which you are also welcome to read. Obviously, to say that the story of the walls falling down is a fabrication is to call God a liar.

Jericho practiced the Canaanite religion. The Canaanite religion was strongly influenced by their more powerful and populous neighbours, and shows clear influence of Mesopotamian and Egyptian religious practices. Like other people of the Ancient Near East Canaanite religious beliefs were polytheistic, with families typically focusing worship on ancestral household gods and goddesses while acknowledging the existence of other deities such as Baal and El. Kings also played an important religious role and in certain ceremonies, such as the sacred marriage of the New Year Festival may have been revered as gods. "At the center of Canaanite religion was royal concern for religious and political legitimacy and the imposition of a divinely ordained legal structure, as well as peasant emphasis on fertility of the crops, flocks, and humans." (Source)

Joshua 6:1-27

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it." And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD."

When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD's covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!" So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.

Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."

When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house. But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates."

So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

-Now the reason for all the history before coming to the scripture was to really come to what Rahab was thinking and believing.

"Ba'al" can refer to any god and even to human officials; in some texts it is used as a substitute for Hadad, a god of the rain, thunder, fertility and agriculture, and the lord of Heaven. Since only priests were allowed to utter his divine name Hadad, Ba'al was used commonly. Nevertheless, few if any Biblical uses of "Ba'al" refer to Hadad, the lord over the assembly of gods on the holy mount of Heaven, but rather refer to any number of local spirit-deities worshipped as cult images, each called ba'al and regarded by the writers of the Hebrew Bible in that context as a false god. (Source)

Rahab worshiped a god of harvest. More or less, a god who took care of the harvest, like bringing rain and taking care of the fruits and plants and such. And here comes these Isrealites who part the Red Sea and part the Jordan river. Do you think she noticed? Most definitely. I am sure a great deal of the city of Jericho noticed. Rahab was the only one to do something about it. She loved her family. And even though she was a prostitute, she took care of the spies, not because of her love for Ba'al, but because of her love for God and her love for her family. Sometimes being loving is going out of your comfort zone, going out on faith, even though it feels weird at the time. Johnny Out.

A Study on Love: Part XXXI

Luke 8:40-56
Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."

But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more."

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

-Now we see that the crowds were so tight in, that they were almost crushing Jesus. This woman, had to work her way through this crowd, she probably had to push and squeeze her way through, because she was so desperate for life, for healing, for touch (since she was unclean) that she had convinced herself there was no other way. And more importantly, she didn't believe there would be a second chance to see Jesus. I wasn't there, but this is how I see the situation.

Now Jesus, on the other hand, was loving and compassionate. Don't you think he can control the power of healing that comes out of him? There was more than just the woman touching him, but yet she is the one that is healed. Is it his love or her faith that healed her? I would have to say that it is both. Without his love, she couldn't be healed. Without her faith, she couldn't be healed. And if there was one without the other, it simply wouldn't work. Johnny Out.

A Study on Love: Part XXX

I don't normally put cartoons in my Quiet Times, but this one seemed appropriate. Calvin has questions about Santa Claus' existence. And then he points out the that he has the same questions about God. I believe this is a common thought, not just related to little children in comic strips, but something common among adults. Does God Exist? Prove it, he says. Well, that's just the thing. He already has. And time and time again. Do you believe in miracles? If yes, then there is proof of God. If not, then I don't know if a column by a little blogger such as myself can help you. You could read the Bible as simply a good book, as a college friend of mine did (or does), or you can read it as proof of God's existence. If you want to see God, then do it. If you do not want to see God, then I can't convince you otherwise. Believing in something or someone starts with you and there is nothing I can do to convince you.
Anyway, onto the Quiet Time.

Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'"

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

I had mentioned yesterday that the synagogue ruler's name was Jarius. Here we actually see it in the text that his name is Jarius. You also see more of the heart of the "bleeding woman" and her faith. Now, it is no secret that I had my hip replaced a couple of years ago. I had severe pain in my leg, so much pain that I was going to the hospital regularly for Morphine shots. And I was like that for two and a half years, with more frequent trips toward the latter part of that time.

And so here is this lady, bleeding for twelve years. Twelve years. I only suffered for two and a half. She was afflicted for more than four times that amount. She had to be depressed, hopeless, broke, and Biblically speaking, she was unclean. And still, she had hope, faith and love. I would also venture that Jesus had abounding love and knew she was there. And when she touched his clothes, just his clothes, mind you, she was healed. That was her love of God, her desperateness to be healed, and her faith in Jesus coming out. Can you imagine the abounding love she had after she was healed? The overwhelming gratitude toward God from being freed from such an affliction? I would be willing to bet that she kept that in her mind and thoughts for the rest of her life. The rest of her life... simply because I think about my hip daily (easily, mind you).

Do you think she was an example of love to others? Do you think that maybe, just maybe, that she then turned her efforts to help bring them peace? I would think so. If she didn't act immediately, she acted when she truly realized her blessing. Johnny Out.

A Study on Love: Part XXIX

I finished last month with 25 out of 31 days having a Quiet Time. That's close to 81% (actually, it is 80.6%, but I am rounding up). And this month, I have now 2 of 3. I really need to have QTs the rest of the way for February to help pull up the overall average.
Anyway, this month my topic is love. I thought I would take a different spin and not look for the word love in the Bible as so much as to see love in action. I guess you could say that I want to see an active love in the Bible, which wouldn't be too hard to do... but I think it takes a different spin on the topic, at least for me.

Matthew 9:18-26
While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."

Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.

Now, how I see this passage, Jesus loved the bleeding woman. It was her faith that healed her, but it was also Jesus' love that healed her. If Jesus didn't have love for her, she couldn't be healed.

The dead girl, the girl who is asleep, she was made alive again because Jesus' had love for her and her family. And the people in the crowd, I just don't see their love. I mean, they laughed at him. I can only understand the Jarius and his wife were two in the crowd who didn't laugh. I mean, it's their daughter that is dead. They had to have some faith in Jesus, some love for Jesus, for them to ask him for help. And humility.

New Year Goals - 2009: Update #1

As of right now, I seem to be doing OK.

My Goals Thus Far:

• By Faith, I will be over 90% with my Quiet Times in 2009, with over 90% each month.
• By Faith, a family member will be baptized this year.
• By Faith, I will lose weight and be under 175 pounds by the end of July.
• By Faith, Joyville will be up and running by the end of January.

It is up and running. And it is doing very well, I might add. Much better than I expected it would be. It actually got started on January 18th. To that I say a mighty AMEN!

• By Faith, I will support my wife emotionally and lead her spiritually in 2009.
• By Faith, I will read a book a month (in addition to the Bible).
• By Faith, I will consider others and not think of myself.

I am keeping a list of topics for each month. I beleive that if I keep focused on a topic for each month, I will become more successful.

I am also keeping a list of books that I am reading. Right now, I am not doing so well. I am just not one who gets excited about reading much of anything. It's really difficult to keep on top of reading a book...