"Is the LORD among us, or not?"

     In Exodus 17 one will find the Hebrews traveling through the wilderness of Sin and stopping at a place called Rephidim. Here they find that there is no water to be found to refresh themselves after the day's journey. The people then turn on Moses, grumbling and demanding that he give them water and eventually longing to be back in Egypt where they lived on the banks of the great Nile river and had no lack of water. Here Moses famously strikes the rock as God commanded and water comes forth.
     Many take this account and accuse the Hebrews of lacking faith and put them down since they had already witness the parting of the Red Sea, the miracle of waters of Marah, and the miracles of the manna and quail. How foolish and stubborn the Hebrews were to not trust God to provide for them. However, note the following observations: the Hebrews had seen God turn water to blood, part the sea, and turn bitter water sweet, but they had never seen God provide water from nowhere in a barren and parched wilderness. Also, given the chronology in chapter 16, this event took place roughly two and a half months after leaving Egypt, and consequently the same time from Passover. Thus, with Passover usually taking place in March or April, this places this account around late May or June. The normal temperature for that time of year just North of that location in the hill country of Israel is well above 90 degrees. Therefore, this multitude of over 600,000 people on foot (see Exodus 12:37) had been walking from early in the morning, if not from during the night,  until early afternoon when temperatures were near, if not above, 100 degrees and were finally stopping to rest and refresh themselves. Consider the fact that them stopping and setting up camp did not mean that they just pulled over and got out of the cabs of their trucks and RVs and went into the back to their campers; making camp meant unloading the pack animals, stretching out the tents, putting up the poles, driving the stakes, and then moving the belongings inside, which did not have fans or AC. The point being, the situation was not as if they had been gently walking along fields or valleys with a gentle breeze in comfortable temperatures and then started complaining because they could not find water. Rather, everyone was exhausted and battling heat exhaustion, maybe even heat stroke in some cases, they had journeyed for miles with little shade in the heat, and ended their exhausting day with setting up camp only to find there was no water to be seen. In light of this it is little wonder that they turned on Moses. However, God is merciful and miraculously gives them the water they need to recover from the day's journey and prepare for the day ahead.
     Compare this with the following experience in a believer's life: The believer has gone through a seemingly endless trial - looking for work, a divorce, family issues, loss of a loved one, health issues, conflict in the church, financial troubles - and there is finally a moment where the believer stops and tries to get rest, maybe it is on Sunday and he/she has gone to church hoping to get refreshed from the services or by being with other believers, or just simply it is mid-week and there is a moment where the believer is alone. However, there is no rest, no end of the trial in site, and no one around to help. Some may like to believe that they would face such a situation and just push through it, but too often we react like the Hebrews and ask God if He is still with us and looking out for us. We have seen God at work in our lives in the past, but where we are at it is completely parched without even a hint of moisture; it is just dust and solid rock. We are children of doubt, questioning His presence and goodness, begging for the "good ol' days" when there was no struggle and no need to depend on God's provision. However, we are called to be children of faith. This does not mean that we pretend that there is water there when the ground is dust and rock, but it means that instead of wondering if He is with us, we ask Him to provide the water, knowing He is always with us and that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Consider the comfort of Matthew 7:7-11 where Jesus tells us to ask of God and He will answer, and that He knows how to give good gifts to His children. It is not wrong to ask for water, but there is a difference between trusting God and asking God for it out of weakness and complaining and doubting God's presence due to the absence of water.
     Just as God knew what the Hebrews needed at the end of their day of traveling across the wilderness, He knows what you need, and He will provide for you. Interestingly enough, God actually knew what the Hebrews needed more than they did. He not only knew they needed water after their long journey, but that they needed water before going into battle with the Amalekites, who were already on their way to wipe them out. In the same way God knows you need refreshment from your journey through the wilderness and for what is coming ahead that you are completely unaware of. Therefore, do not ask God if He is there, but ask Him to provide, knowing that He is present and will answer. This principle is exactly what James talks about in verses two through eight of the first chapter of his letter, especially in verse six where he says, "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." Do not think that I have this perfectly, for I too must work to live this out. However, this is how we must live, this is who we must be, as children of the LORD who sees and provides, Y--H Yireh.

When God Goes Weeding

     There are different weeds in gardens. Some have beautiful leaves and flowers, but strangle and kill the plants; others, like dandelion, are good and edible, but are not what one wants in the garden; still others are great trees providing shade and good produce and beautiful wood after they have fully grown, but would disrupt the entire garden. Thus the good gardener will remove these weeds in spite of how much the gardener likes the plant. Though he/she enjoys the taste of apples, he/she will remove such a sapling from the strawberry bed, or a grapevine from the corn rows, or wheat or hay from among the bean bushes. This past weekend I regretted having the task of taking up maple trees from among someone's bushes.
     However, this is the way life is. Our lives are like gardens in which we are to be diligent to remove anything that would diminish the crop. Often we are like young children in our little gardens not knowing our plants from the weeds. This is where our Father, the Master Gardener, comes and helps us; He shows us what plants are not wanted in the garden and helps pull them out. Though at times He will remove plants we have cared for. However, they must be removed because they were not planted properly, or it is not the right season for that plant, or they are not in the right place. These can be the hardest plants to pull out of the garden; good plants that must go simply because it is not the right season, they were planted incorrectly, or they are the wrong plant for the garden. So too good things in life can be weeds: a spouse, a home, a job, a car, money, or even a ministry.  This is not to say that one should quit a job or ministry or get a divorce because he/she feel that it is a weed in his/her life. Do your best to honour God where you are at and He will reveal how you are to proceed, one step at a time (I Corinthians 7:17-31). But especially in the case of divorce, two wrongs do not make a right (see Matthew 19:1-9 and I Corinthians 7:10-16).  
     God may keep these things (a marriage, job, or ministry) back or even remove them from your garden for something better or for the soil, which is yourself, to be made ready for it at another time, for the soil of a garden must be prepared before it can yield a harvest. Your life must also be worked and prepared in order to receive that which God has in store. "Therefore. . . let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2a).

End of Week 1 Update

Greetings from the Holy Land!

It is now the conclusion of the first week of digging at El-Maqatir. Thankfully, God has been good and has kept everyone safe, even in spite of all of the hard work being done. Consequently I wish to thank everyone who has been praying for this work to help provide facts for those seeking to defend the faith which is perceived to be mere fantasy and myth and all of the volunteers helping to achieve that goal.

This first week has been a very productive week that has pleasantly surprised the supervisors by putting us ahead of schedule. Through all of this work and the help from our expert with the metal detector we have found over one hundred coins. In addition to this, we have also found a storage pit with large pieces of pottery within. While these pieces of pottery only date back to the first century, other discoveries have included pottery from the Iron Age, the era of the judges shortly following the conquest under Joshua. Pictured to the left is the handle of such a storage jar, the key indicators of its age being the darker shade of red and the white specs throughout. Also, this dig has delivered a uniquely striped seal for a storage jar. This is pictured right after cleaning where the red stripe around the top and the lighter bottom.

 

Just as exciting as these discoveries are the visits of various people ranging from local tour guides to representatives from the Israeli Antiquties Authority (IAA). This past week Peretz Reuven, the leading authority in Israel in typology joined us for pottery reading after a day of digging. In addition to this, a local tour guide, who is strongly connected with the work in Shiloh came in for a visit and admiring the work we had achieved. Lastly, though certainly not least of all, a couple of representatives from the IAA stopped in and were greatly impressed with the work that ABR is doing at the site of El-Maqitir. According to them, this dig is now the largest excevation project in Israel and they are thrilled with our progress and exceptional quality of work.

Within square two, where I am personally working with a great team, we have made great progress in making our way down to bedrock. To the right is a picture of our square at the end of the week. Also our team is developing a good relationship with our local worker, who is learning English from us while we are learning Arabic from him. Lord willing, this will develop into an open door to share the testimony of God’s Word through communication and our lives.

      

Arcaeological Trip to Israel '14 Days 1 and 2

While this update is different from my usual posts, this is related due to the fact that God has permitted me to go on an important dig in Israel, relating to the biblical account of Joshua's conquest of Canaan.

     Dr. Bryant Wood, from the Associates for Biblical Research, is overseeing a dig in the land of Israel a few miles from Betin and Et-Tel (the traditional site for the city of Ai). Dr. Wood has found the ruins of a small fortified city with a topographical layout that matches the criteria of Joshua's Ai in Joshua 7 and 8. Therefore, the proposal is that the Ai at Et-Tel, which is notably a rather large settlement, is the Ai of Abraham's day and after nearly a millenia a later group settled one hill over and took the name Ai for their fortified settlement. This fortified settlement served as the North most outpost for the city state of Jebus (modern day Jerusalem), on the edge of the Southern border of the city state of Shechem. If proven to be the city of Ai, this will help to refute those who claim the Bible is inaccurate, using the example that the ruins of Et-Tel does not show any evidence of Joshua's conquest.

     To the right is a view of the hill on which the site rests. At the very top are the remains of a Byzantine monastery (pictured below) erected to
commemorate a biblical event; which could either be the events of Abraham's life as he pitched his tent there between the ruin of Ai and the city of Bethel, or it could be for Joshua's conquest of the city of Ai after pruging the camp of Achan's sin.

     To the left is the view of the dig from the top of the hill. The settlement rests on a small rise off the Eastern side of the hill, probably due to a closer proximity to a water source while still maintaining a strategic and defensible position. This location also allows for the protection of the main route going from the North to Jerusalem, which is just on the other side of the hill and passes below the settlement on the South side.

     Having found the ancient outside walls of the settlement, the supervisors have chosen to excavate the ruins from the first century and the Hasmonean era before then, in the hopes of having further findings of the Ai from Joshua's day underneath these ruins. Also to the left is a picture of the site where our square team is excavating alongside an outer wall of what appears to be a house. So far the site has yielded a bountiful supply of pottery sherds from the Roman era, and some dating even further back, probably to the Hasmonean era. These findings also include the mouth of a clay lamp from the first century as well as several small coins.
     So far these have been unveiled after two days and merely clearing the surface of the site, with hopes of more and greater things to come with the lower levels. Thankfully, God has provided good weather that has stayed in the 70's the past couple days, sparing us both intense heat and the need to spend time setting up canopies; this in turn has allowed us to accomplish much, not being worn down by the heat. Lord willing, as the days continue over the next couple of weeks I shall be able to provide updates and more pictures.

Every Spiritual Blessing

      Yet again my naïve belief of regularly producing posts on my blog has collapsed upon itself. Oddly, moving to a different state, pursing a master’s degree, and working near full time has a way of filling up the calendar. Consequently, “down time” has been rare. However, I was blessed, through my forgetfulness of a class cancelation, with some time to meditate on God’s word and make some notes which resulted in this post. The following is a meditation on the opening chapter of the letter from Paul to the church in Ephesus.

"Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."[1]

     In a society characterized by discontent, greed, jealousy, consumerism, and materialism, it has become difficult for the believer to avoid these vices and learn the secret of contentment as the apostle Paul had.[2] Contrary to what some “experts,” “teachers,” or even “preachers” say, there is no lack, no insufficiency in the work of Christ and the provision of God the Father. This does not merely refer to the saving work of Jesus the Anointed One, but refers to all of His work, including His service as the mediator between God and humanity and Ruler of all creation, as well as God’s provision on a daily basis for those who are His own. With this in mind, God has given all that is needed and then some to those who believe and follow Him. The text does not say that God has blessed believers with some or even most of the spiritual blessings, but it says that He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He has not held back, but has opened the floodgates of spiritual blessing. Note that God has not spoiled His children with every earthly or material blessing, which will spoil and pass away.[3] Rather, God the loving Father has graciously blessed an undeserving people with spiritual blessings, the imperishable blessings, enabling and including a reconciled and personal relationship with the Father; such blessing, though often invisible, only materializing in its fruit, does so much more to make this life not only bearable, but actually enjoyable, than any material blessing ever could. There is no comfort that matches the security of resting in the care of the Almighty Lord with Whom the believer may talk at any point and time at any level, even when left speechless.

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world… In love He predestined us to adoption… we have obtained the inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose…”[4]

     These spiritual blessings are not a mere reaction to one’s belief or some “sales pitch” to attract people to believe in Jesus and the Gospel. On the contrary, the giving of every spiritual blessing was premeditated, having been orchestrated while creation was still “formless and void.”[5] It is like a Christmas gift that has been purchased during the summer. It lies in a secret place, hidden from all except the giver until the appointed time. These blessings have long awaited being poured out upon God’s children, not in response to godliness, but in order to foster and make possible godliness. How great indeed is the love of God!

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[1] Ephesians 1:3b New American Standard Bible.  La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[2] See Philippians 4:11-13

[3] See Matthew 6:19-21; 2 Peter 3:10-13

[4] Eph. 1:4ff

[5] Gen. 1:2

Who is this Michal, the wife of David?

     To those who have read the story of David and are familiar with the account of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, the name Michal calls up a feeling of resentment. To those unfamiliar with the story, David has recently become king of Judah and Israel. He has already tried to bring the Ark of the Covenant into his new capital (probably to help unite his kingdom) but failed due to putting it on a cart as opposed to having it carried by four Levites (as God instructed in the Torah). Having realized his error, and having repented, David tries again to bring the Ark in to his capital, Jerusalem. Everything is going perfectly, no accidents, no one has died, and God’s presence will be in Jerusalem! David is ecstatic and is singing and dancing with all of his might. In the meantime, his wife Michal, the daughter of his former king and enemy Saul, looks on with disgust and criticizes David for publicly disgracing himself before his servants while worshipping. Thus, many dismiss Michal as an evil woman. However, it might be beneficial to look at what has been going on in Michal’s life before jumping to conclusions.

     To begin with, Michal was Saul’s youngest daughter, by his only wife. This means many things, but the main factor is that her father was not the best patriarch in living a godly life and teaching the Torah. This is clearly seen in two passages in I Samuel. The first is in I Samuel 13:8-14 where Saul is preparing to go to war against the Philistines, but is dealing with desertion; therefore, instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive, Saul offers sacrifices to God; note: Saul is a Benjamite performing a duty that only Levites were allowed to do. The second example is when it comes to Saul making a vow that no one is to eat until after the Philistines have been thoroughly defeated, then vows again, after realizing someone has broken the fast, that the offender shall be put to death. Saul then discovers that it is his own son Jonathan, who has become a hero for routing the Philistines in God’s power. Saul is ready to kill him, but is dissuaded by the men in the army and goes home. This is not to say that Saul should have killed Jonathan, but it is to say that he should have at least paid the necessary fee for the broken vow(s) prescribed in Leviticus 27. It is also important to point out that Michal is most likely terrified by her own father, at least after marrying David; how is this seen? Unlike Jonathan who confronted Saul on his hatred of David, Michal lies to her father when he asks her why she has betrayed him to help save his mortal enemy, David.

     Now, another matter is to explore what Michal was like. Not much is said about her, except for what her father says about her in I Samuel 18. In this passage Saul has been and is still plotting to get rid of David through indirect means; he has with held his oldest daughter from David (though she should have been his wife due to David’s victory over Goliath) and keeps sending David on near suicidal missions. However, when Saul hears that his youngest daughter loves the man he wants killed, it is a pleasant sight to him (I Samuel 18:20). Saul develops a plot to have David killed by the Philistines while sending David out on a dowry mission to kill one hundred Philistines. However, Saul also says this concerning his own daughter, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him”^[1]. Clearly, something is going on here. She is probably not some base young woman (her father is one of the most handsome men in the land [I Samuel 9:2] and David is pleased to become Saul’s son in law through marrying her), so what does Saul mean by Michal being a snare to David? Perhaps it is connected with the fact that she “happens” to have a household idol available when she is helping David escape. It is quite possible that, due to her father’s lack of being a good spiritual leader for the family, she has been living in syncretism, worshiping the local gods in addition to the LORD of the Hebrews. It would also make sense for this to be the case since throughout the Torah God has warned the Israelites repeatedly not to take unbelieving spouses lest they be led astray into idolatry.

     Furthermore, it is important to look at Michal’s love life. She is introduced as loving David and is allowed to marry him. After marrying him she still loves him, as is seen in the fact that she warns David of the peril and helps him escape from the wrath of her father. However, after this, her marriage is apparently considered void and is forced to marry another man, named Palti(el). Essentially, she has been forced to commit adultery against the man she loves. Years go by and David is now king of Judah and is on his way to becoming king of Israel too. However, he must contend with Saul’s heir Ish-Bosheth. During this time, one of Ish-Bosheth’s generals defects to David, and David requests that Michal be returned to him. Here it is difficult to say what the relationship between Michal and her most recent husband is; the text says in II Samuel 3:14-16 that her husband follows them all of the way to the border of Judah weeping. It does not say if she shared this emotion or if she was indifferent or even hateful of her second husband. If Michal’s second husband’s name Paltiel(deliverance of God[2])  has any indication as to their relationship, it would imply that he was a blessing to her and helped her. However, that is mere speculation. Regardless of whether she loved, liked, despised, or loathed Paltiel, Michal was once again being taken out of a marriage and put into another. It is important to note here as well that if her wedding to David had officially been revoked via divorce, her being returned to David was against the Torah (see Deuteronomy 24:14). Putting that aside, Michal is now returning to her long lost love in a political bargain only to find that David now has at least six other wives (see 2 Samuel 3:1-5). Certainly, this was a crushing blow; however, and oddly enough, the Bible does not describe the reunion between these parted lovers, so one must wonder if it was a truly cold and heartless or else agonizing meeting, which is perhaps why Michal despised David’s reckless rejoicing in Jerusalem, seeing something that she had longed to see him feel for her in private done for another (granted it was for God, but jealousy and heart ache hardly acknowledges rightful levels of importance) in public.

     In the end, Michal is left barren all of her life, despised by David, actually burned by him (see 2 Samuel 6:21, especially “who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler” [emphasis added]) who had been the love of her youth, whom she had risked her life for. After having her love manipulated by the schemes of her wrathful and wicked father, after being separated from her husband and love, after being torn from her second marriage only to find she was one of seven wives her lover had, she looks on at David’s ability to act as if everything is perfect with contempt and dies in disgrace as a barren woman. Am I saying she was right to rebuke David? No. Am I saying she should be excused? No. What I am saying is that perhaps David was to blame in part for her bitterness; and more importantly, rather than criticize Michal, those reading this passage ought to be aware of how they might be creating Michals, people who have hoped and loved, only to be manipulated and abandoned; be on the lookout for these people and be there to help provide healing for them in the midst of their heart ache.

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^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Sa 18:21.

[2] Thomas, Robert L. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998.