Lee Harmon's Blog, page 62

1 Kings 3:25, Solomon’s Metaphor (Cut the Baby In Two!)

He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

//This is surely the most famous story attributed to King Solomon. Two women were arguing about who was the rightful mother to a baby, and they brought the baby to Solomon. He promptly asked for a sword and ordered that the child be cut in half, so that each mother would receive an even share.

You know the punch line. The real mother cried out, saying “give the living baby to the other woman!” But t...

Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan

I promised to put the word out for this new documentary about homeless children in India.

David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha traveled to India hoping to learn a little about how the country’s 31 million orphans lived. They happened upon a “family” of 25 (mostly) teens living by a railway, and joined them, sleeping in the streets. It’s a heart-wrenching peek into the struggle to obtain food, and then tobacco or cheap drugs to chase away the pain. Two out of three children are physically abused i...

Psalm 104, The Great Hymn to the Aten

Today’s topic comes from Douglas A. Knight and Amy Jill Levine’s excellent book,The Meaning of the Bible.

On the wall of a 14th century BCE tomb in Egypt archaeologists found a beautiful hymn to the god Aten. The Aten’s claim to fame is that he is sole God of a monotheistic belief espoused by Pharaoh Akhenaten (1352-1336) in an era when most Egyptians believed in many gods.

What’s curious about the Great Hymn to the Aten is that it closely mirrors Psalm 104 in our Bible as a song of praise to t...

1 Samuel 3:4, Is Suicide a Sin?

Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

//Saul, the first king of Israel, dies by suicide. His armor bearer, seeing Saul dead, commits the same act, falling on his sword. There are three more suicides reported in the Old Testament. Can you guess any of them?

And Samson said, Let me...

Book review: Chasing an Elusive God

by Ray Vincent

★★★★★

This is the second book by Vincent that I’ve reviewed, and I enjoyed it as much as the first. Ray writes simply and draws on a lifetime of Biblical research. His approach is an even mix of informative and entertaining without coddling.

This book tackles the personal quest for God … a quest which repeats itself throughout the Bible. When we question our origin and cosmic purpose, trying to understand who or what God is and what he wants, we’re in good company. We see the same...

John 19:34, Jesus’ Side Is Pierced

But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

//I find this to be an absolutely fascinating verse. Not because of the “blood and water” that escaped from Jesus’ body after his death; this may have been startling to John, but it is hardly anything miraculous. Current medical study verifies the possibility of blood and water. A substance that appears like water could flow from the pericardial sac around the heart.

No, I find it fascinating be...

1 Kings 6:1-2, Solomon’s Palace and Temple

In the four hundred and eightiethyear after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD.The temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.

//Ever read this chapter in the Bible? It’s the awe-inspiring story of the glorious construction of Solomon’s Temple. It takes 38 verses to describe this magnificent construction, endin...

Book review: Paradise Earth: Day Zero

by Anthony Mathenia

★★★★★

Fiction: You’re going to like this middle-aged Jehovah’s Witness with a dark secret and a dependency on cough syrup. He shares a dream of Armageddon with all faithful J/W’s, anticipating the day God rains fire on the earth and then recreates it into a paradise of eternal happiness. (Yes, the J/W’s interpret Revelation literally where it implies the resurrection will be on this earth.) Then a severe hailstorm rolls in and cataclysmic events begin to trigger. But now tha...

Exodus 12:37-38, The Conquest of Canaan (part III of III)

Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.

//We continue our discussion from yesterday about whether Israel conquered the promised land. Archaeological evidence seems to tell a much messier story than the simple, sweeping genocide described by the Bible. Yet, the period immediately following the supposed conquest shows considerab...

Judges 1:8, The Conquest of Canaan (part II of III)

Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.

//We’re discussing the historicity of Joshua’s invasion of the promised land. Yesterday, we concluded that the most likely date of Israel’s entry into Canaan was the late 13th century.The problem is, the books of Numbers, Joshua, and Judges describe the destruction of sixteen different cities in Canaan, but only three or four of them (Hazor, Lachish, Bethel, and m...