Knowledge of Good and Evil

Knowledge of Good and Evil rests in God, but he has given humans some insight on the problem. In the Garden of Eden this knowledge was imparted by consuming the fruit of the Tree which Adam and Eve were forbidden to do.  Understanding good and evil seems like a basic attribute of being human, but God wanted people to seek him instead of making independent choices and decisions.

After they ate of the fruit, they recognized their nakedness and their disobedience and sought to hide from the presence of God. Even the thicket and foliage did not protect them. God saw them and knew their state. Being naked was not the sin, but no one can stand before God having committed sin and endure exposure. Adam and Eve used the large leaves of the fig tree to cover their bodies, but leaves dry up or wilt and lose the ability to cover pretty soon. Their exposure was profound.

God is not at a loss for words nor does he search frantically for a solution, but he does require a sacrifice. The skin of animals provided a more appropriate covering for Adam and Eve, but they knew the extent of their sin by the slaughter required to make them acceptable to God, and they suffered eviction from Eden 

The sin released in the heart and mind of man and woman in Eden has kept pace with technology and invention so that now we have evil on a grand scale. War and genocide reveal evil as an attribute of nations not just individuals. Can we recall the sin naturre and reframe mankind's goals to eliminate this tendency? 

God provided that in the person of Jesus Christ. It required a sacrifice just like the covering of Adam's sin. It also required a continuous living under the shelter of his provision. We  are still revealed as naked sinners and repeat the same mistakes when we fail to obey his instructions. 

Where Is Jeremiah Today?

Jeremiah 18:1-6 tells the story of God's message to Jeremiah as he watched the potter shape a vessel. The lesson is straightforward: God can craft the clay, but, if it is flawed, he can also reshape it to suit his purpose . Applying the lesson to Israel is easy enough, but the story doesn't end there. 

The guilty of Judah and Jerusalem heard Jeremiah's message but instead of the repentance God called for, they attacked Jeremiah and Jeremiah returned to God to complain. 

In bright light of day when all the people could hear Jeremiah's prophesy against them for the evil in their hearts, Judah and it's capital city Jerusalem did not repent or humble themselves. Actually they responded much as people do today. Instead of seeking forgiveness, they attacked the messenger. 

Jeremiah goes to God to complain about their response. "They have dug a pit for m," he says. Now Jeremiah goes on the offensive with God against the attack. He calls on God to leave the women childless widows and let the young men be killed with the sword.  In his defense against the unjust accusations against him, Jeremiah has become violent, too. Where will the sin end?

God told Jeremiah to take a clay jar to the Valley of Ben Hinnon and there he was to smash the jar as an illustration to the people of the coming destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. The clay was no longer pliable in the potters hands. When it became hardened and ridged, destruction was God's judgment, and the hardness of their hearts brought destruction on them. God called them a stiff-necked people. 

Not only Israel and Judah, but all nations that have once received light from God and blessing on their land, stand in jeopardy of judgment. It is still true. 

Yael's Victory

Heber was not an Israelite, but he was a kinsman of Moses wife. He was married to Jael and they lived as nomadic herdsmen. He pitched his tent near Kedesh. The habits and culture of the nomadic herdsmen are singular to this group. While they did live in tents which had the capability of mobility, they often stayed in one location for 2 or 3 years. 

The tents were large with multiple rooms. They were made of heavy woolen fabric and leather. The women were responsible for erecting the tents when they were moved. The women's rooms were their private sanctuary and strangers were not invited there. Finding a man in a woman's rooms was justification to kill him. She would have been executed if she invited him there.

Many commentators criticize Jael's defense of herself. It was indeed a brutal and violent act; however in her defense, I feel we should look at 20 years of torment Israel suffered under Jabin's rule and Sisera's iron chariots. Yael would surely have become a slave when 
Sisera's army divided the spoils if he had won.

Judges 5 contains one of the oldest extant examples of Hebrew poetry. It is the victory song of Deborah and Barak describing the battle and Jael's act of self defense. The story includes the storm which contributed to Sisera's sound defeat. The final scene describes Sisera's mother anticipating his return.

Deborah led Israel in peace for 40 years. Read the whole story in Judges 4 and 5.

Deborah-Judge of Israel

Debora is one of the renowned women of the Bible, and her story is quite remarkable. She is the only female leader of Israel. Deborah was a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth; perhaps she had won renown as a prophet and that elevated her to the position of leadership. The Bible does not elaborate about how she became the leader of Israel.

She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.(Judges 4:5)
                                   

Ehud was the previous Judge and he died leaving Israel without leadership. Israel committed evil in the sight of God and God allowed Jabin, a Canaanite king, to punish them for their sin. Under the command of Sisera, Jabin's army tormented the Israelites for 20 years. When the people plead with God for mercy, he commanded Deborah to take action.

  

Deborah was now acting as Judge. In that time the Judge was also the military leader. She summoned Barak from Kedesh to be her commander. He agreed, but he did show hesitancy saying, "If you go with me, I'll go, but if you don't, I won't either." She agreed, but she told him that because of this he would not receive honor for defeating Sisera: that would go to a woman.

She called for volunteers from the tribes of Zebulon and Napthali. I questioned why she didn't call for volunteers from the whole country, but maybe, because these two tribes were close to Sisera's headquarters, they had more reasons to hate and fear him. The response was good They now had an army of 10,000 men. 

Sisera's  forces included 900 iron chariots. These were the tanks of the time. 

The chariot carried two soldiers: one controlled the horses and one carried a weapon, either a bow or a sword. When Israel prepared for war, their only weapons were homemade ones. Sisera commanded trained regiments. It didn't look good for Israel, but don't discount them: They did have God on their side.

Barak's men positioned themselves on Mount Tabor in readiness for battle. Sisera was told that Barak was assembling forces so he called his men and chariots to thtpe plain in the Kishon Valley. At the call to battle the forces of Deborah and Barak ran down the side of Mount Tabor to confront the foot soldiers and iron chariots of Sisera. Israel had the advantage since they had the high ground. They came down the side of the mountain in a flood. God had given them an advantage: A storm had soaked the ground allowing the heavy, iron chariots to sink in the mud. The thousands of volunteers overran the helpless chariots killing the soldiers caught in the mire and sludge at the foot of the mountain. Sisera evaded them and ran from the battlefield to find refuge in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.

                                             To  Be Continued

But If Not...

English: A hilltop view of the ancient city of Babylon, where King Nebuchadnezzar II, whose life spanned 630-562 B.C., built his hanging gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I take issue with people who expect to sail through life without any bumps or bruises. They are often new Christians who expect a cloud of protection to shield them from the evil and dangers in the world. Neither the teaching of Jesus nor the Bible message promises  that. 

The world is a place where evil in the person of  Satan still exists. Satan's power and influence is everywhere. Politics, business, education, even in the Church, we can find evidence of Satan's evil. In the Book of Daniel chapter 3 there is a powerful story of Satan's attempt to malaign and destroy the Jewish people, but in the end, it reveals God provision and protection.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo were three young Jews who were taken into captivity by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. They were smart and diligent and the King wanted to use them in his administration. His clerks and officials did not like the Jews so they came up with a test of loyalty that would eliminate the pesky Jews. Satanic influence is present: The officials were subject to it as well as the King himself. Nebuchadnezzar had ordered to be erected in the plain a huge golden statue of himself. He issued a decree that whenever the parade music played by the musical instruments summoned all the people, they were to pay tribute to him by falling upon their faces and giving worship to the gold image. Nebuchadnzzar coveted the praise and worship of others and Satan liked that.

The astrologers and soothsayers noticed that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not follow the stated law that all were to pay homage and worship to Nebuchadnezzar so they whispered it in his ear that his chosen servants are not completely serving as he had ordered. Nebuchadnezzar was furious. How dare they ignore his command!

When they came before him, he had calmed down, and he asked this, "Is it true that you do not worship my gods or the image I have erected? If you so do now, all is well, but if you don't, you will be committed to the furnace immediately. Then what God will save you?"

"We don't even need to respond to the question, your Majesty. We believe our God is able to deliver us, but even is he does not, we want you to know that we will not worship your gods or the golden image of yourself."

Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated to excess and the three young Jewish men to be bound and thrown in wearing the same clothes they had on. The soldiers who performed the duty were the strongest in the army, but they died from the heat. 

Nebuchadnezzar looked to see his victory, but he was disappointed. He saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the flames with another who looked like a son of the gods. They were healthy and strong and not touched by the flames. Nebuchadnezzar called to them to come our of the furnace. Satan's designs were defeated. Their deliverance was an opportunity to witness to the power of God and even Nebuchadnezzar gave glory to God.

When do you say "But if not"--When do you look for help from friends or family but know there is no help but God? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the furnace, but they went in watching the men who put them there die. 

The Meaning of Blood

Christianity has been called a slaughter house religion because of the emphasis on the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Many members and many preachers don't like the reference to the blood. Some songs have been sanitized by changing the wording to remove the offensive phrases. As one woman said, "I don't like to sing about the blood of Jesus and then go home to eat lunch." So why do we have this focus on the blood?

The Bible makes no apologies for the emphasis on the blood. In the Garden of Eden after the first sin, a blood sacrifice was exacted to provide the animal skins for clothing for Adam and Eve. When Cain and Abel made offerings to God, Abel's was accepted but Cain's was not because he did not provide the blood sacrifice.  In Genesis Abraham built altars everywhere he went. He knew the meaning of sacrifice. He was called by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. He went to Mount Moriah with the intent to sacrifice his son there. When God withdrew the command to kill Isaac, Abraham took the ram caught in the bushes to make the sacrifice. The substitute was accepted and Isaac was spared.

In Exodus 12 God gave the requirement for the Passover to Moses. 
The sacrifice must be a lamb 1 year old, without spot or blemish. You cannot sacrifice an animal that you would have cut from the flock anyway. Sacrifice means it will cost you. In the case of Abraham's sacrifice, he didn't have to sacrifice Isaac, but in his heart he had committed him to God. The Passover Lamb was the acceptable substitute for the sins of the people of Israel.

In Leviticus 17:11 the Bible proclaims that the life of a creature is in the blood. God gave the blood to make the sacrifice; it was not for food. The Law forbade the eating of blood. Animals killed for meat were to be drained of blood and the blood was offered on the altar. 

Jesus came as an innocent sacrifice and his blood was spilled at Calvary. He was our substitute like the ram was a substitute for Isaac on Mount Moriah and the lamb was a substitute for Israel on the Day of Atonement. Jesus did not stop with the sacrifice, but his resurrection assures us of life in him when we accept his sacrifice for ourselves. 

Nineveh, that Great City

English: Jonah vomited out by the great fish on the shore of Nineveh. Sculpted capital (left side) from the nave of the abbey-church in Mozac, 12th century. Français : Chapiteau de la nef de l'abbatiale de Mozac représentant Jonas recraché par la baleine sur la plage de Ninive (XIIe siècle). Face gauche du chapiteau. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jonah was a prophet who was swallowed by a great fish, some say a whale. But he did more than that; getting swallowed by the fish was just an incident on the way to finding the path of obedience. First, he heard the instruction of God to go the the great city of Nineveh and preach against their sin and corruption. 

Nineveh was the capitol of Assyria. Jonah didn't like Assyria because of political conflict with his own country, Judah, so he resisted the call. The Assyrians were renowned for their destructive and humiliating torture of conquered people. Assyria had already captured the northern kingdom of Israel. Of course, his resistance got him in trouble with God who provided the fish to rescue him when the boat he had taken to escape was caught in a storm. After that he went and preached in Nineveh, and the whole city repented beginning with the king. The destruction God had promised was abated, and Jonah moved on to other calls from God.(2 Kings 14:25)

Restored Adad Gate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nineveh also moved on. The city was sophisticated and offered many luxuries. There was a library, a zoo, and many gardens. There was a temple there dedicated to the goddess Istar and other dieties. The city had 15 gates, some of which have been restored. Sennacherib was the king who was responsible for much of the great renown of the city because of his building programs. 

A hundred years after Jonah's revival, Nineveh was 
again in the pit of sin and corruption, and another prophet, Nahum, one of Israel's minor prophets, called for repentance there, but this time there was no reprieve: destruction fell. Scholars place the destruction at 612 bce. The Book of Nahum has been described as both prophesy and history depending on the date the book was written. Not all authorities agree on the date. Nahum is one of the Minor Prophets, classified as "Minor" because he did not leave a large body of writing.

In the first chapter of Nahum, the writer establishes God's right to call Nineveh to account. God calls all people to be obedient and to follow his commands even though they may be alien and unlearned in his ways. 

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
    the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
    and vents his wrath against his enemies.
³ The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
    and clouds are the dust of his feet.

Nahum records the destruction that fell on Niveveh including natural events as well as military campaigns. The Tigris River bounded the city on one side, and a storm caused the water to rise and flood the city. The description includes details that may indicate other destructive forces. Nineveh was built on a major fault line and sustained damage periodically from earthquakes.
 The horrors of defeat extend beyond military limits. The city was sacked and burned so that there was no remnant to remind later generations of the site of the great city of Nineveh. There were no survivors. For many years it was believed that Nineveh was a myth or fable until about 1849. Since then many discoveries have revealed the magnificence of the temples, palaces, and gates of the city.

Refined low-relief section of a bull-hunt frieze from Nineveh,

The Bible records the destruction of Nineveh as judgment against the evil of the Assyrian empire and the cruelty of the practices of the government. It should serve as a warning to modern nations that God does not take governmental sins or cruelty lightly.  

Location of the province of Assyria; east of the Tigris River. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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