David Simon's Blog, page 23

Ahab and Herod: builders

Kings like to build.  The larger and more ornate the building, the better.  To show off their building projects they hold huge banquets and parties.  They do this to show off how great they are.  Rulers have sought to preserve their names in construction projects since the days Nimrod built his tower.Solomon once wrote: “I did great things: I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made pools of water for myself and used them to water my growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and slaves were also born in my house. I had large herds and flocks, more than anyone in Jerusalem had ever had before. I also gathered silver and gold for myself, treasures from kings and other areas. I had male and female singers and all the women a man could ever want. I became very famous, even greater than anyone who had lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom helped me in all this.” (Eccl 2:4-9)In today’s reading of Advent Journeys Joseph, the father of Jesus, comments on Ahab’s construction on the hill at Samaria.  Ahab built a number of palaces for himself, including the royal home overlooking the road Joseph probably used as he traveled to Bethlehem.  The palace and other buildings were decorated with ornate ivory carvings.  Ahab was quite a builder.  He erected numerous temples for himself or for his wife Jezebel.  He rebuilt other high places, such as the one in Dan, which was reconstructed over the high place of Jeroboam I.  Ahab desire for a safe kingdom produced fortifications in Megiddo, Hazor and Dan.  He is also credited with the massive water system at Megiddo with its 260 foot long tunnel.  The Bible notes in King Herod, likewise was known for his building.  His most famous project was the Temple itself.  Herod’s Temple was larger than any of the other, but only lasted ninety years before being destroyed by Titus.  Herod also built (or re-built) fortresses for himself at Masada, Machaerus, Jericho, Herodium, Sebaste, Antonia.  He built Caesarea and other cities.  He reconstructed Abraham’s tomb in Hebron.  And Herod built many projects around the world including Olympic stadiums, Temples, Theaters and Hippodromes.As a builder himself, Joseph probably admired these massive projects with innovations by each of the builders.  Joseph might have worked on some of these projects.  Some of the projects remain until this day.

The route of Joseph

Robert Frost wrote a poem “The Road Less Traveled.”  In a sense Joseph and Mary go down the road less traveled according to many Bible scholars.  I do this because of the evidence (found in John 4) that Joseph actually took this road and traveled this road with his family every year at Passover and other harvest festivals.Many Sunday School scholars would have Joseph travel through Jezreel to the Jordan River and then up a riverbed to Jerusalem.  They do this because by their assumption (partially correct) Pharisees wanted no contact with the “half-breed” gentile Samaritans.  Joseph was not a Pharisee, but a carpenter who possibly worked in a gentile city.  Joseph had no qualms with the gentiles, and probably no problems with Samaritans.  We see this in his son Jesus also.  In the New Testament Jesus is at times critical of the legalistic Pharisees, especially when their legalisms cause hardship on the innocent poor people of the land.  Jesus has great concern for all people, including Samaritans.  He calls the Pharisees out on their prejudices.Those who are more familiar with the topography of Israel place the journey of Joseph and Mary through Samaria.  In order to prepare the journals in Advent Journeys I followed Israel Roue 60.  This road is the shortest route between Nazareth and Bethlehem.  And until recent times this road was safe and a much used interior route.I found the route interesting because it was a major highway in Biblical times.  Many Biblical events happened in the rich farmland of Jezreel Valley.  Joseph was placed in a pit and sold to Midianite traders near Dothan Pass.  Both King Ahab and King Herod built a places at Samaria.  Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and many other Biblical heroes followed the Central Ridge Road north from Jerusalem.  
I learned a great deal about Palestinian-Israeli issues along my journey.  I visited facebook pages and other sites which described the villages along Highway 60 today.  The stories on these pages are of hardship and isolation from both Palestinians and Israeli settlers.  There are also pictures which show the beauty of the route and the beauty of Israel. If you want to go beyond the book, you can visit communities in the West Bank via computer.  Through facebook and community pages you will learn of the conflicts and struggles of people in this region.  The struggles between people groups of this region reminded us of the struggles between the ancient peoples: Hebrews, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hittites, and Hivites who lived in these same hills.

Descending the Precipice - Picture at heading

Our first trip to Israel in 2012 was a learning experience.  The land was not what we expected.  We expected a land which was similar to where we live: tree covered woodlands with rolling hills, rivers and streams, and in places green farmland.  The land was much more arid, similar to Wyoming where I lived for four years, with few trees and few rivers.We traveled to Israel with Biblical Israel Tours led by John Delancey and Shlomo-Ben Asher who did a great job of orienting us to the land and sharing the Biblical stories connected with each place we visited.  And we visited a lot of places.On our first trip we drove from Mt. Carmel to Megiddo, across the Jezreel Valley and up into the Galilean highlands to visit Nazareth.  We drove through the edge of the modern city of Nazareth to an overlook known as the precipice.  From this overlook we could see the locations we had visited earlier plus Mt. Tabor, Mt. Moreh, and Mt. Gilboa.  We could see recently harvested wheat and barley fields.  We could almost see from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River.The precipice is the place Bible teachers believe Synagogue leaders took Jesus after he read from the scroll of Isaiah and announced he was the Messiah.  The leaders and people became furious and “took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.” (Luke 4:16-30)  Because it was not the time for Jesus to die, he was able to walk through and away from the crowd.From the top of the hill we were able to look down into the bowl where modern day, and ancient Nazareth sat.  We saw the Church of the Nativity, which is over the place where Jesus lived.  We were told how Jesus probably came out to this cliff and played with his friends.  We were given a sense of what life must have been like when Jesus was alive.On a second trip in 2014, we saw the site of Sipporis, where Joseph probably worked as a carpenter.  We saw the beautiful mosaic floors and the ruins of this once great city.The point is Jesus was from a common every-day family, and when the census notice was delivered, Joseph had to travel as most people did in his day: on foot.  The first part of the trip would be difficult as Joseph and his pregnant wife descended from their highlands home into the valley below.  I talk about this trip in my book Advent Journeys.

Roman taxation

There is a tendency to relate the things of our world and our culture to other peoples, times and places.  But the idea does not always work.  The place where I live, the United States is a great nation, the mightiest nation in the world.  This assures me of great safety and immunity from foreign attack.  As a citizen of the United States I am given great privileges.The same was not true for Joseph and Mary.  Their land was occupied by the Romans, and they were subject to this foreign people.  They were forced to pay their taxes, carry their loads, and remain obedient to these pagan rulers - or die.And so we begin the Christmas story.  Joseph is ordered to go to the place of his nativity to be counted in a census and taxed.  The Syrian governor desired an accurate count of his citizens.  He needed taxes to maintain his military and his lifestyle (and to give a tribute to Rome).  And in the process of the taxation he wanted to push the people a little in order to show them who was boss.  Joseph and Mary were forced to travel for a reason: to prove they were subjects of an occupied nation.Through their occupation and forced obedience, Joseph and Mary held fast to a dream, a dream which was shared by many of citizens of Galilee in their day: to be free of the occupation.  Galilee was a hotbed for a group known as the Zealots, who desired to throw off the foreign rule and claim freedom.While for many people emancipation from the occupiers was only a dream, the Jewish people knew with the right leadership the fight for freedom could be a reality.  While Israel was only a small, impoverished nation, this people who shared both a nationality and a faith knew that small, impoverished people can, if allowed by God, defeat the most mighty empire on the earth.  … And how did they know?  Because it had happened for their great grandparents 160 years before Jesus was born.Here the story intersects (on purpose) with a festival of the Jews which begins tomorrow.  For as we look at the Hebrew Calendar for 2015 (5776), we find tomorrow, December 6, is the first evening of Chanukah.  If you are Jewish (or as a Christian if you want to) it is time to pull out the Menorah, the dreydles, the Chanukah gelt, and make sure you have ingredients for Latkes.Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, and the Jewish people today recall through Chanukah of a time past when the nation was under occupation: not to the Romans, but to Greek rulers called the Seleucids.  These rulers demanded taxes, they pushed their culture and their religion, and they made life miserable for the Jewish people.  Especially Antiochus Epiphanes, who not only suggested - but demanded the Jews bow down to idols.A Jewish Zealot by the name of Mattathias objected.  And with the help of his sons and the people, they threw off the foreign occupation, and became free - until the Romans came.  And the ember of hope which blazed into freedom under the Maccabees was still glowing: if only there would come a leader.Joseph and Mary held this hope, for a time, because there were many who believed the purpose of the Messiah was to overthrow the Roman occupiers.  During the life of Jesus his family came to understand he did not com to overthrow the Roman Empire - but the empire of Satan.  It is to Jesus we owe our freedom, for He is light of the world.

Courses of Priests & Retirement age

I find as I talk to people many do not understand the organization or the purpose of the Temple in Jerusalem.  We want to relate the Temple to something familiar in our world, to the church.  But the Temple was not the church. The Temple was the place of prayer and sacrifice.In our world there are many churches and many denominations.  In the world of Jesus’ time there was one … and only one Temple.  The Temple was located in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah.  The Temple was the most important institution in Jewish life, instituted by God in the days of Moses, and built first by Solomon, and rebuilt by Zarubabel and then by King Herod.  While there were many synagogues, there was one … and only one Temple.In our world we go to church on Sunday, or as the Jews refer to Sunday, the first day of the week.  We attend church on Sunday to worship God and to remember that Jesus arose from the grave on the first day of the week.  The Jews go to Synagogue on the seventh day (Sabbath).  They go to the Temple when needed.  The scripture specifically instructs, “Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed:” (Dt 16:16)  The Jews also go to the Temple to make a desired or required sacrifice (See Leviticus 1-7).  Some would go regularly for prayer.In our world we sing hymns and worship, and the same could be done in the Temple.  There was not a real song leader or time of singing, however, some of the priests who were musicians would stand between the Court of Israel and the Court of the Women to sins Psalms to the people.  There were prescribed Psalms people sang as they ascended to the Temple, prescribed daily psalms sung by the priests, and other psalms people would sing in worship.In our world we hear a pastor or a priest give a sermon.  In the Temple there was no sermon, that is not what the Temple was about.  The Temple was a place of sacrifice.  People would come, and give their offerings to the priest.  They could not enter the Holy Place, only the priests could enter.  The people stayed outside.  The people prayed.  They heard music if the priests were singing.  Occasionally there were men, such as Peter, who came to the Temple courtyard and preached.  But it was a sideline activity.  The main purpose of the Temple was to give offerings to God and to pray.In our world the pastor is called by the church or sent through the denomination.  In the days of Jesus there were no denominations.  We read of the Saducees, they served the Temple.  We read of the Pharisees, they were lawyers, and worshipped in the Synagogues.  The Essenes were a monastic group who lived in their own communities.  And there were the Jewish people who connected with the Temple (because the law of Moses ordered this), and the Synagogue, which was a community of faith near their home.In our world pastors can and do move.  In the times of Jesus the Priesthood was by birth.  Men were not called to go to a church, they were born into their place of service.  Father passed on to son the traditions of the faith and the practice of the priesthood.  Men served between the ages of 25 and 50.  After 50, men retired and would mentor younger priests.Through Advent Journeys you will visit a world which is very different that our world.  The world of Jesus is worth reading about and studying, for in so doing you understand Jesus, the people around him and the New Testament in a much fuller way.

The Place of Elijah in Jewish Tradition

Elijah is a favorite Bible character for every Jewish child and most adults.  He is often remembered most quickly as the person of the fifth Passover cup, for near the end of the Passover observance children get up from the dinner table, open the door of their home for the prophet to enter and when they return to the Seder table they find Elijah has come and drank a once full cup which was especially prepared for him.In the process of this observance the Passover leader explains that Elijah is a Bible hero who never died, and he was one of only two people ever taken alive to heaven.  He rode to heaven, according to 2 Kings 2:11, with a chariot of fire and a whirlwind.  Because Elijah is alive, and never died, he can come back to earth.  And Elijah returns in order to alleviate poverty, save people from troubles, and to answer difficult questions for the Rabbis. The Talmudic tractate Kiddushin [40a] that tells about the virtue and the poverty of a certain Rabbi Kahana. He told a powerful woman who had made advances toward him that he had to get himself ready for their tryst; instead he went up to the roof and hurled himself off to avoid sinning. Enter Elijah, who caught him and then reproached him: "You have troubled me to come a long distance to save you." When the rabbi replied, "I was forced to do it due to my poverty," Elijah gave him a basketful of dinars.Elijah was a prophet who was not afraid to speak for God.  He spoke openly to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel about their sins.  As a result of their sins Elijah told them (and it was fulfilled) it would not rain in Israel for three and a half years.  He also challenged the prophets of Baal to call down fire from heaven.  Elijah won the challenge.  Elijah cared for the poor, feeding a poor widow.  He also raised the dead.  He was a great prophet.At the end of the Old Testament in the book of Malachi there is a prophecy about Elijah which says, “But I will send you Elijah the prophet before that great and terrifying day of the Lord’s judging. Elijah will help parents love their children and children love their parents. Otherwise, I will come and put a curse on the land.”It is through these traditions that the Jews and many Christians believe Elijah will return.  He will return to announce the Messiah, and it is believed he will return at the end of time.  As Moses is a representative of the law, Elijah is the representative of the prophets.The tradition of Elijah was recognized in the New Testament, for Matthew 17 says,  “Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, up on a high mountain by themselves. While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed; his face became bright like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.”Zechariah the priest of whom we are reading today in Advent Journeys was told by the Angel Gabriel that his wife would give birth to a son, and Zechariah was to name him John.  The angel further told Zechariah, “ He will help many people of Israel return to the Lord their God. He will go before the Lord in spirit and power like Elijah. He will make peace between parents and their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the right way of thinking, to make a people ready for the coming of the Lord.”Jesus says of John the Baptist: “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!  … And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11)

The joy of a child: Sarah, Hannah & Elizabeth

It can well be said that the birth of a child changes a person’s life.  The birth of my daughters Chelsea and Sarah has added an irreplaceable dimension to my life.  This dimension is more than the miracle of the little face with it’s eyes looking up at me (and me into those little eyes with wonder), or the ten little fingers which eventually grasped my index finger as they reached out in trust, or even the body which was born as a human wiggling as it showed of the life within.The change in my life is more than the routine which was abruptly changed by those cries in the night to be fed or changed.  It was more than the new room we prepared in our home; but rather the change came through the new room which was formed in my heart for these little lives which God entrusted to Denise and I.These lives were but a beginning, yet unshaped and unlearned, waiting to be taught and shown what life is all about.  In the early days my daughters trusted. ANd I gave all that I could so they would learn the things they needed in order to survive and to thrive in the world.Then as life went on they taught me.  Even from the young age of three or four, they were teaching … for they kept asking, “Why?”  and I was forced to think to see if I could answer.  And as I sought the answers, I learned and I grew.  And as I loved and gave more and more of myself to keep up with their growth, God used this sacrifice to teach and shape me more into the image of who He desired me to become.My daughters grew, and were shaped even more: not only by my teachings, or those of my wife, but through teachers at school and at church, by family, friends and neighbors, and by life itself.  And most of all (because we prayed) by God.  And my daughters grew to love God and seek His ways for their lives.  And we all learned.In these more recent days, we have worked together.  We have written books.  First our Passover books: Spring and our Hagaddah.  And more recently Advent Journeys, a book about Christmas.My daughters are the future, for they will live beyond my life.  They have brought the same joy as experienced by Adam and Eve as their children were born, or by Abraham and Sarah when Isaac was born, or by Isaac and Rebecca as Jacob and Esau came into this world.  They brought as much joy to Denise and I as Isaac, Samuel and John the Baptist brought when born in old age (although Denise and I were not that old).  The miracle of birth is an occurrence which will change your life.And the more you let it change your life, the greater the reward.

Chosen by Lot: Isaiah 6

The Bible, New Testament and Old Testament, contains a wonderful mosaic of wonderful interconnected passages.  Many people miss these connections due to lack of familiarity with the wide scope of scripture passages, through skim over and get through reading style, or because of cultural or doctrinal limitations.  But God wants us to see where dots connect and stories correspond.  The interrelationship between Old and New Testament is a source of seeing the truth and authority of a book given by God.The first chapter of Luke is a great example of an interconnected passage which is an easy skim over to an untrained eye; but a passage of great depth both culturally and spiritually to anyone who desires to dig deeper.The passage begins with what appears to be a simple priest … but even with the first glance, the reader understands there could be more!  “There was a priest named Zechariah.” Yes, that name is familiar, for Zechariah is one of the final prophetic books of the Old Testament.  Zechariah the prophet tells of the future which includes the coming of the anointed one, the messiah.  Zechariah the priest forms the connection, for the name Zechariah means “God has remembered.”Zechariah is of the order of Abijah, one of twenty-four courses into which the priesthood is organized.  Week one of the book Advent Journeys gives a bit more information on this organization and what it means for the New Testament story.  Abijah means “God is my Father.”In the course of his work Zechariah is chosen by lot to tend the altar of incense.  What the reader does not understand is the uniqueness of the selection process.  Indeed there are at least six positions chosen daily by lot, but to serve the altar of incense is a special drawing for a task which is only allowed once in a lifetime.  (Tamid 5:2 of the Jewish Mishnah).  The posting for this work takes a common priest as close as possible to the Holy of Holies.  A point made (and highlighted between the lines) is how God (“God is my Father”) waited until just this moment to call Zechariah (God has remembered) to this important appointment.Zechariah approaches the altar of incense, and as Isaiah (“God saves”) sees God “on a very high throne. His long robe filled the Temple.”  He is met by an angel (Gabriel) who announces his wife’s pregnancy.  Zechariah’s lips question God, “How can this be?” [He probably should have said, “Here am I, send me.”]  And Zechariah is struck dumb.But the message was heard, and Zechariah names his son John (“God shows mercy”).  In a symbol reflecting Isaiah 6:6-7 Zechariah’s lips are healed, and he begins to talk again.
Thus begins the Christmas story in Luke.  The story, and the entire Gospel are a continuation of the Old Testament inspiration which brings Immanuel (God with us) into the picture with spiritual forgiveness and healing.  The story goes on, as can be seen through the prophetic quotes of Zechariah, Mary, Simeon and Anna.

Worship in the Tabernacle

During week one of Advent Journeys we walk with Zechariah as he serves in the Temple.  The Temple and its practices are an image of the Tabernacle Moses built in the wilderness.  The Tabernacle contains an important picture which will help us understand what God desires in our worship.Approach: The Tabernacle of Moses was surrounded by a white linen fence symbolizing the purity of God’s holiness.  The whiteness of the linen stood out in sharp contrast against the dirty sand of the desert just as God’s righteousness stands out against man’s sins.  The white linen surrounds a compound of holiness.The Tabernacle represents the place where we go to meet God to worship Him.  The first step in worship is to have a heart which desires to worship God.  While this step might not seem necessary to say, there are many who come out of tradition, because they are forced, or because they are going with someone who wants to worship.  Unless our hearts are desire worship, we will probably not meet God.In a period of repentance, we are to see ourselves as God sees us. Because “all have sinned,” we should pray for understanding, and see forgiveness from our sin.  We should bring a gift to God because we love Him.  For the Christian, Jesus is our Sin Offering, so as we approach the altar of sacrifice, we should realize the price for sin has already been made.When we come to the place of worship, our lives should be ready for worship.  This means if we have a problem with another person we will resolve the problem before we come to the Tabernacle.  Jesus said, “if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”Entry: There is one door into the Tabernacle (there were more entries to the Temple).  Jesus said, “I am the door, and the person who enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9).  Jesus explained that any who climb in over the fence are thieves or robbers.  There is but one way into the Tabernacle and into the presence of God.Step One: As one enters the Tabernacle the first item seen is the Brazen Altar, the place where sacrifices are made.  Leviticus 1-7 describes five sacrifices.  The most important as we enter the place of worship is the sin offering.  We must come understanding we are sinners, confessing our sin, and receiving atonement for our sins.  This occurs on the Brazen Altar … and through the offering of Jesus on the cross.Step Two: The next item we see in the Tabernacle is the laver, the place where the priests wash their hands and feet.  The lesson here is that as sin offerings are made the hands of the priest become blood covered and greasy, and they need to be cleaned.  The offering has been made, but there is a residual on the priest’s hands.  The connection to life is that often, even though people are forgiven of sin by God, they do not forgive themselves.  The laver is the place to remind us if God forgives us, we are truly clean.The Holy Place: Once sin has been forgiven by God and we have forgiven ourselves, we can enter into the place of worship.  In the Holy place there are three items of furniture:The Menorah which symbolizes God is light and in Him is no darkness.  The Menorah of the Tabernacle also teaches us of God’s eternity because the light does not go out day or night.The Table of Shewbread shows the desire of God to have fellowship with man.  On the table are twelve loaves of bread symbolizing all twelve tribes of Israel.  There is also the cup of the drink offering.  With the bread and wine we enjoy communion with God.The Altar of Incense stands next to the veil of the Tabernacle.  This place is as close as a common priest can come to the Holy of Holies where symbolically God dwells.  The scent of the incense ascending to God represents the prayers of the saints.The veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was torn in two parts when Jesus died.  This renting of the cloth symbolizes our forgiveness and that fact that common man may now approach God.Inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant.  This box, built by Moses, contained the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron, and a jar of manna God gave to feed Israel in the wilderness.  God gave each of these items to teach Israel His intentions.
On top of the Ark of the Covenant is the Mercy Seat, symbolically the throne of God.  On either side of the Mercy Seat stands an angel to accomplish God’s bidding.  Angels are God’s messengers.   More tomorrow.

Life in the Temple: The Mishnah

One of the sources I used as background information in my book entitled Advent Journeys is the Mishnah, a Jewish volume which has been called various things including Oral Tradition.  The Mishnah indeed contains some of the oral tradition of the teachers of Jewish law, but these collected writings also contain some writings intended to keep the Jewish tradition alive after the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.History records that the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and rendered uninhabitable by Titus in 70 AD.  At that time the Jews including priests and the sanhedrin were expelled from the city.  Jerusalem lay in ruins until about 130 AD when Hadrian decided to rebuild the city.  In the process it became a Roman city called Aelia Capitolina.  THe Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt also occurred during this time period.I am sure that after the destruction of the Temple on Tisha B'Av there were hopes that worship would be restored within seventy years as it was after the Temple fell to Nebuchadnezzar on the same day.  Hopes remained alive until Hadrian completed Aelia Capitolina with a temple to Jupiter on the site of the altar.  At that time members of the Sanhedrin realized all Jewish practices and tradition would be forgotten if not written down.  Rabbi Judah the Prince is credited with finalizing the writing of the Mishnah.The Mishnah is actually six books of collected writings organized into what is sometimes called tractates.  These tractates are called and contain the following: Zera'im (Seeds) dealing with prayer; Mo'ed (Festival), pertaining to the Sabbath and the Festivals; Nashim (Women) concerning marriage and divorce; Nezikin (Damages) about civil and criminal law; Kodashim (Holy things), including sacrifices, the Temple, and dietary law; Tohorot (Purities) contains laws of purity and impurity.Of great interest is that the Mishnah, written approximately 150 AD, contains relevant Jewish tradition and culture from the time of Jesus and the New Testament.  The Mishnah contains details of the construction of the Temple, the daily activities of the Priests, and much more.It is interesting to note at this point that our faith and practices are fragile.  They will only endure for a generation if we fail to pass them on to our children.  A journal (such as this blog and my books) can hold the information and our passions for many generations.  The Advent project which produced both Advent Journeys  and Advent traditions for my family was intended to do both.