Modern Christianity? The Answer?

Israel 2012 Bible Tour Day 5

2012-10-17T10:07:00.001-07:00

Jericho

2012 Israel Bible Tour Day 5 Part 1 from Charissa Robertson on Vimeo .

Jericho is the oldest city in the world, and is also the lowest in elevation in the world. When Abraham came to Jericho, it would have already been 7,000 years old.

"Joshua 3:14-17
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge,16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground."

In the time of Joshua, and even now, the Jews are not water people, they do not go to rivers, lakes and the ocean for leisure. They most likely did not know how to swim, so approaching a river at flood stage would be very intimidating. My pastor preached a sermon on this a few weeks ago, where several places in the bible when God causes bodies of water to split and the ground to dry up its is never when the people are on the shore waiting for God to move. They always have to first get their feet wet and press on trusting that God will move. With just this information alone, I could end the blog and let you chew on this thought for a while, but we have more to cover. Back in the day when Joshua was written, there were several cultures living in the land that is now known as Israel... hence why the Israelites had to roam the desert for 40 years because they were scared of the giants who inhabited the land. All of these cultures had their own gods that they worshiped. One being Baal who was the god of water and fertility. They believed that water was his sperm, because where there was an abundance of water, things grew. The inhabiting cultures also believed that gods were regional gods. So they believed in the God of Israel, but only as the desert god. So imagine you are one of the officials of the Fortified City of Jericho watching this group of potentially a million Jews approaching in the distance. You would probably feel secure because 1. the Jordan is at flood stage (Baal is protecting us), and their god can not leave the desert and 2. the wall around the city was built to be impenetrable, even if they did manage to get past the river some how. Now you might get a little worried when you see that the river has dried up and the desert people are walking across without any problems, but you still find security in the wall.

Lets take a step back and get more background from Joshua 2

"Rahab and the Spies
1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from.5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. 8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death.” 14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.” 15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.16 Now she had said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.” 17 The men said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.19 If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him.20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.” 21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.” So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them.23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them.24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”"

Ok so did anyone else notice that these "holy" men of Israel went straight to the Prostitutes house? Many pagan cultures would have temple prostitutes, and it would be no surprise for traveling men to visit the prostitutes when they came through town to "worship", although the Israelite men conducted themselves differently and demonstrated to Jericho, Rahab and the world took notice. Because of her faith, she was saved for saving them using a scarlet chord in the window of her house which was part of the wall. Perhaps its part of God's sense of humor, but of the 4 women named in Jesus' genealogy, Rahab is one of them. But lets get back to the story of Jericho. I don't know about you but I have never physically encountered what Joshua encounters when approaching Jericho as described in Joshua 5:13-15 when I am approaching spiritual battles.

Joshua 5:13-15

"13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so."

I may be a little freaked out if I ever came across a man in modern culture standing in front of me with a drawn weapon... be it a gun or a sword, but I am often reminded by God that I can do nothing by my own power, and that it is not I who am making an impact, but God making an impact in the world through me, I am just one of the many tools in his tool shed.

Joshua 6

"Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.4 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. 5 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.”
6 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.” 7 And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 8 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.9 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.10 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!” 11 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. 12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.13 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. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 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.16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!17 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.18 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.19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” 20 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. 21 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. 22 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.” 23 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.
24 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.25 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. 26 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.” 27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land."

When I was growing up reading about the story of Jericho and how the Israelite people marched around it for seven days and finally blew the trumpets and the walls fell, I imagined that it was a huge fortified city, equaling in size to the city I grew up in (Reno, Nevada) which would have taken quite a long time. However when we pulled up to the old city of Jericho and began our trek around it, it was not very big, we walked around its ruins once, and it took a little over 10 minutes. We walked the same path that the Israelite people would have walked each day, and the whole story of Jericho shows that the battle was the Lord's, not Joshua's. Just to awe and amaze you at this fact, here are some archaeological facts about the old city. When excavating the ruins of this city archaeologists found evidence that they believe the walls of the city were banked at a inward angle and when the walls fell they fell outward not inward and the retaining walls crumbled outward creating a ramp for the Israelites to gain easy access to the city. There is some fascinating information on this at http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v21/n2/the-walls-of-jericho if you are interested in knowing more details about what the archaeologists found.

Ruins of old city Jericho

God says to leave the ruins where they are, and not to rebuild the city over the ruins. With the consequence being the death of all your children

Joshua 6:26 " 26 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."

When the Israelites came to Jericho, they had just finished wandering in the desert for 40 years, they owned the clothes on their backs and the livestock that survived in the desert, but they had no land or permanent homes. Imagine after wandering in the desert you not only reach, but concur this beautiful oasis. If this were me, I would be praising God for his provision in giving me a land of abundance. But God tells the Israelite people "no that is mine. I want you to show me, that you know who is giving it to you, and that you trust that I will give you the rest."... Wait... What?! If this was me, with my selfish entitled heart I would be mad! I would be arguing with God about how I worked so hard for it (by walking around the city and really doing nothing to take the city other than be at the right place when God moved). Isn't that how we react when our pastors preach on tithing? Well I earned this money... its mine! Why should I have to give God the first fruits of my labor... I will just give him whatever is left over at the end of the month. This is a important principle to embrace. Its not that God needs our money, our land, our crops. Its a act of faith on our part and a proclamation that we trust in God above our own means. This city was to remain in Ruins as a reminder to the world what there is a God of Israel, and that they were to trust Him to provide for them even if they gave Him their First Fruits.

In 1 Kings, King Ahab decided that it was okay to rebuild Jericho despite what God had said about doing so. He gave permission to Hiel to rebuild Jericho, and he did indeed suffer the loss of his children in the process.

1 Kings 16:34
"In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun."

Modern Jericho

There are several feasts throughout the year that God commands the Jews to celebrate... (Why we as a Christian church abandoned this practice is beyond me, God commands us to party and celebrate who He is, and over time the church has become a somber place. Lets bring back the parties!) There is Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Schavout, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Succoth. For the feast of First Fruits, you would pick the first ripening fruits from your vineyards and bring them to God symbolically saying "I trust you God that this is just the first to come, but even if my crops are destroyed tomorrow, I trust you will provide for me." Jericho was the first fruits of Israel as they were coming into the promise land. Do you practice giving God a portion of your first fruits? If not Why? Are you serving God with the talents, gifts and abilities He has given you every day, or are you using them only for your own enjoyment?

Elishas Spring

Israel 2012 Day 5 part 2 from Charissa Robertson on Vimeo.

Israel 2012 Bible Tour Day 4

2012-09-06T08:21:00.002-07:00

Today we head out for our first day in the Desert, and went to some of my favorite places En Gedi, and Qumran. I did not get the full Video of En Gedi so I will do my best to recount the teaching from there. So here we go, turn up your speakers and open your minds and hearts.

En Gedi

En Gedi is an oasis in the desert of Judah. As we entered the national park and made our way along the path the sound of running water became evident. The springs in En Gedi have allowed for the area to be inhabited for over 5,000 years and consists of two wadi's (canyons) and four fresh water springs. The springs are fed by water that falls in the Judah mountains and becomes part of underground rivers that follow the water tables. Solomon compared the beauty of his wife to the henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi in Song of Solomon 1:14.

David fled to En Gedi when Saul was pursuing him in about 1,000 BC

1 Samuel 23:24-24:22

"24 So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David. 26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them,27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.”28 Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth. 29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

1 Samuel 24

David Spares Saul's Life

1 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. 3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”7 With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way. 8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord's anointed.’11 See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.12 May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you. 14 “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15 May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.” 16 When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud.17 “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.18 You have just now told me of the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me.19 When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today.20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family.” 22 So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold."

The Midrash (Rabbinic commentary) refers to this as David cutting off the corner of Saul’s prayer shall. In Hebrew word for corner is Kanaf and is also the same word for wings. The Torah commanded that the Jews sew tassels to the corner of their robes.

Numbers 15:37-41"37 The Lord said to Moses,38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’”" Deuteronomy 22:12"12 Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear."

These tassels are called tzitzit and have 613 knots (one for every commandment in Torah) and are made up of 8 strings and 5 large knots which equal 13. Every Hebrew letter represents both a letter and a number so by adding up the strings and the large knots 13= the word ekhad which means one. (Tzitzit=600). 1st century garments consisted of a Tahluk (under/inner garments) and the Talet (outer garments). Jesus said that if a man asked for your cloak, that you should give him your shirt too... in other words it is better for you to go naked than to deny a person in need. In Matthew 9:20 and Mark 5:25 recounts the story of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and how she reached out to the corner of Jesus's robe and was healed. Wow ... lots to unpack in this story alone, I promise we will get back to David and Saul.

At the time of Jesus and before, a woman was considered unclean during her menstrual cycle. This meant that she could not touch anyone, she could not be in community, she would have to remain outside the camp or town until the end of her cycle and then she would have to ceremonially clean herself before being welcomed back into the community. This woman, who was bleeding for 12 years, was not only in discomfort, she was an outcast to the community. She could not receive a hug from her friends, children or husband without making them unclean. She could not make love to her husband; she could not be part of family events such as wedding ceremonies, births, funerals etc... For twelve years. As a woman I can tell you that would be agony! So lonely! In her desperation she believed the prophecy in Malachi 4:2 " But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." She believed Jesus was the Messiah; she had nothing to lose and everything to gain by her faith in Jesus as the Messiah, believing that He would have healing in his Kanaf! How awesome is that!!!

Ok back to David and Saul. When David cut the kanaf off of Saul's prayer shawl it symbolized that Saul was no longer under the Shadow of God's wings, and a visual that Saul was not being obedient to God's laws.

Zechariah 8:23

"23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days’ ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’ ”"

En Gedi is 30 miles from Azekah where David fought Goliath. The Desert is a place where the Jews would go to find God because of the necessity for God to show up. We all face times of wandering through the proverbial desert in our lives, and can identify with the psalmist who thirsts for God. We (I) often must pray for the feet to walk the path that God has laid out before us, and sometimes He makes that path smooth, but other times He does not. Many times we have to ask God to give us the strength to get through the day, and even when God does provide us the feet to climb life’s mountain sides, its still not guaranteed to be easy.

2 Samuel 22:34, Psalm 18:33 and Habakkuk all say,

"He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights."

Here at En Gedi we see the word picture for water coming out of a rock. The desert of Israel gets rain maybe once every 200 year. The water that is found in En Gedi comes from Bethlehem. When it rains in Bethlehem and Jerusalem the water seeps down through the porous limestone which conducts water while purifying it. When the water hits Zola mite it flows along it until hitting a weak point in the rock, where the built up pressure of water will seep out of the rock (fresh water coming out of the rock), as described twice in the story of Moses. It takes about 2000 years from rainfall to the time it comes out in the springs of En Gedi. It's hard for that fact to sink in when you’re not sitting near its waterfalls in the sweltering heat of the desert, with not much to save you from the heat to realize that God loves his people so much that He would provide rain 2000 years prior, knowing that people would be hot and maybe even thirsty needing relief... God is the God of details.

Living water (Maim Chaim) is mentioned several times in the bible to describe God (Jeremiah 17:13, Isaiah 32:2, 35:5-6, Psalms 107:35, Isaiah 49:10, Isaiah 58:11). Living water is defined as water that moves under its own power, and is fresh. Dead water is water that does not move, such as the Dead Sea and cistern water that collects rain water and sits in limestone cave like structures that become murky, muddy and stagnant. Cisterns were also filled by human hands in certain places throughout the holy land. In Psalm 63 David writes about this in En Gedi.

Psalm 63:1-2

"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory"

Cisterns were the peoples way of taking care of themselves rather than relying on God's provision for water.

Jeremiah 2:13

" 13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

God does not promise that our deserts will go away, but He does promise to sustain us in the desert. It is important for those who claim Christ to continue to renew themselves with "living water" through fellowship with fellow believers, time in the word, asking questions, spending time in prayer. We can't do it ourselves without God's living water we risk burn out, but with God's living water we find our strength in Him. The Israelites rejected the living water and chose to rely on their own storage of water over God's provision of water. How do we rely on and sustain ourselves? What are our cisterns? Drugs, gambling, pre-marital sex, porn, success, over-time? All these are dead water that promise sustainability but ultimately lead to self destruction. They are attractive from a distance, but just like the Dead Sea, nothing thrives in it, and not only does it not satisfy our thirst, when we drink it, it is deadly. There is the continual need for more. The greatest downfall of the church (as a whole not the building) today is keeping this living water behind the church (Building) doors Monday through Saturday and only bringing it out Sunday morning. Jesus gave us the example and the standard to share God with even the lowliest in society, those who culture says has no value. We live in a world dying of dehydration (figuratively) who are desperate for living water.

Although En Gedi is an oasis in the Judean desert, there are no apartments, condo's, houses, hotels, or even camp sites. God never intended for people to stay there long term. It was meant to bring rest and refreshment to empower the Jews to continue on.

Gods Provision in the Desert

Acacia trees are desert tree’s that are the Bedouin’s best friend, they provide shade, burn very hot and very slow due to the density of its wood, its sap can be used to treat skin and stomach ailments, is nourishing for camels (one kilo of its boiled leaves can feed a camel for a month) and serves as a sign that there was water nearby, and many Bedouins use the acacia tree as a marker for where to dig a well. Acacia wood is very valuable, the rod of a shepherd is made of acacia wood, and the Ark of the Covenant as well as many of the instruments made for worship in the temple was made of acacia wood and then plated with Gold.

Acacia trees generally grow in wadi’s which are canyons created by rushing walls of water, and are the most dangerous place in the desert. There are two ways that people die in the desert, Dehydration, and Drowning. Although it does not rain in the deserts of Israel, when the rain comes in Jerusalem all the water cannot be absorbed by the rocks and will burst from the water table as described above in a wall of rushing water towards the Dead Sea which creates the wadis. Even today when the rains come the Bedouin people beat metal drums to warn people to get out of the wadis because the water comes and leaves so quickly that once you hear or see the water coming, it is too late to escape its reach. Acacia trees are occasionally found in the middle of the wadi, but generally are on the sides of the wadis, and there is a beautifully comforting fact about Acacia tree’s, as Jeremiah 17:7-8 describes,

“7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.””

When the rain doesn’t come, or the water doesn’t come down the wadi where the acacia tree is, it can go dormant for up to 10 years. So why is this comforting? God says that a man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream (Acacia tree). There have been times in my faith, where I feel like I have not been watered, and feel like I am dormant, but this passage seems to say that this is ok, that like the Acacia tree, I won’t stay stagnant forever, and that I am not going to wither a die like any other tree would without water, that when the rains come again I will once again flourish.

Joshua 1:6-9

6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

There are 3 words for meditate in hebrew are Hagarh, Hagah and Halak. To hagarh and hagah the text is to devour it like a lion devours it prey. And in this passage Hazak (Be strong and courageous) is used 4 times. Hagah is also the word used for the sound a lion makes when hungry and has just caught a prey.

Sodomite apple’s

This is a Sodomite apple. Doesn’t it look inviting? Like it would be succulent and juicy… a answer to prayer in the hot Judean desert.

But when opened not only is it hollow and empty, but is lethally poisonous when consumed. This can be very reflective of some people faith. Perhaps you are or you know those Sunday Christians who look like they have it all together, look as though their walk with God is perfect, and they are living a life that is richly blessed. But Monday through Saturday they live a life where God is not welcomed; they live a life that is full of empty things that promise the world but truly only deliver death.

Jeremiah 17:1-18

“1 “Judah's sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. 2 Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills. 3 My mountain in the land and your wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country. 4 Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever.” 5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. 7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” 11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool. 12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water. 14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. 15 They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it now be fulfilled!” 16 I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you. 17 Do not be a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster. 18 Let my persecutors be put to shame, but keep me from shame; let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction.”

If you claim Christ, and you are honest with yourself, where do you land? Are you more reflective of the Acacia tree, or are you a Sodomite apple?

This is one of my favorite lessons of the trip, and is hard to introduce, but here is some background to set the stage. Its about 100 degrees outside, no humidity, we are sweating buckets and the hike has not yet begun. There is a beautiful waterfall and shallow streams that we just finished a teaching by, and we are preparing for the hike to the highest point of the park. Some of us dip our hats in the spring to cool our heads, others soak and handkerchief or sweat towels to cool our faces. There's no better teaching moment than this.

This lesson alone changed my life, and how I pursue my faith.

Qumran and the Dead Sea scrolls

Israel 2012 Day 4 from Charissa Robertson on Vimeo.

Israel 2012 Bible tour Day 3

2012-08-06T12:03:00.002-07:00

Today's video is on Shepherds and sheep in the fields and the significance of both, Tel Arad, and The Gan. The video for Tel Arad did not completely come out so like my last post parts of it will be written out.

With out further adieu open your heart, your mind and turn up your speakers here we go.

Israel 2012 Day 3 from Charissa Robertson on Vimeo.

Genesis 15

"God's Covenant With Abram
1 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”"

Abram would have looked at the stars as a symbol of the souls of people who came before, and also those yet to be born. Also just the sheer number of stars was as innumerable then as they are now.

"6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” 8 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” "

Abram challenges God to "prove it"

"9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him."

Abram does what the Lord asks of him, and then some. He knows that the Lord is about to make a covenant with him because of the cultural tradition in that day. When making a covenant (meaning to cut) you would use a heifer, a goat, sheep, a ram and/or birds. After gathering the animals you would cut them in half from nose to tail and would arrange the halves as Abram did so that the blood would flow into a stream between them. The greater party would set the terms of the agreement, and the lesser will either accept or reject the terms. Before young people would get married the fathers of each person would get together and negotiate the bride price and would seal the marriage with a covenant like this one prior to any official ceremony or consummation. Each party would walk through the blood path bare foot to symbolize that if they broke the covenant that the other person could do to the other what had been done to those animals. After they would exchange a sandal to bind their agreement and to serve as a reminder of the covenant.

The desert gets VERY dark during the night, just as John was explaining in the Sheep and Shepherd teaching, but in this instance John pointed out that Abram likely fainted because He knew the seriousness of what was about to happen and that he could not live up to the terms of God's covenant. The expression "a thick and dreadful darkness" has been found in other Hebrew writings to express being scared to death. Genesis 17:1 say "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless." (emphasis mine) Abram knew that he could not live in perfect obedience, and could pay for it with his life.

"13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”"

Many times in the bible God is portrayed as Fire or Smoke (Pillar of fire and smoke in Exodus, The burning bush with Moses). Instead of making Abram walk through the blood path in verse 17 God took the form of a blazing torch and walked through it for him, knowing full well that Abram would not be able to keep the covenant. Announcing in a very cultural way that "If either you or I break this covenant, I will pay for it with my own blood" Sound familiar? Think New Testament.

Usually when we think of Judaism and Biblical sacrifices that we think of it as legalistic, but this act served as a visual reminder of God's covenant with their father, and expresses their love for God. So although sacrifices did become an atonement of sin, it was because of this covenant, where you would present the animal to take your place. All sacrifices were for ceremonial uncleanness not for intentional sin. The blood of the temple sacrifices would remind the people of the blood of that first covenant.

The Jews do not have a hard time believing that Jesus is God because God showed up in human form in many places in the Torah. In Genesis 18 the Lord appears to Abraham in the form of a man, although Abraham did not recognize Him or the angels With Him.

Genesis 18:1-7
"The Three Visitors
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground."

This translation says that Abraham hurried, but in the Hebrew it is translated to he ran to meet them. Hebrew men didn't run, especially an elderly man, it would have been a shameful thing to do. A Rabbi was once asked when he would run, and he replied "Only if a black scorpion was about to sting my granddaughter". Besides Abraham there are only 3 men in the bible who run, Esau, Aaron (in crisis to offer an offering to God) and the Father of the Prodigal son. Also mind you that before this instance when Abraham runs to the three men approaching his tent, that he was just circumcised. Women you can try to imagine what that would have done for his running gate, men you probably have a much better idea than I do, but Abraham was willing to shame himself to take care of total strangers. It would have been acceptable and understandable for him to send his servant up ahead to greet the strangers, but he runs ahead to meet them.

"3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree."

Abraham washes their feet... also the role of a servant. And he invites them in for a meal. In eastern culture, even today sharing a meal with someone is a intimate encounter. It signifies that you are not only accepted into their group/ family/ clan/tribe but that you are now one of them. In today's culture to split the bill when going out to eat means that you want to sever the relationship. So when you read about meals in the bible and people sharing meals it is very significant to what they are saying about their relationship.

"5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread.” 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it."

Abraham has Sarah make three seahs of fine flour into bread... First of all fine flour would have been wheat. farmed and harvested in Israel; barley and wheat. Barely is the first grain harvest and was considered poor mans grain because everyone could afford it. Wheat is the second grain harvest and was more expensive, so was considered finest grain. This would have been like us opening a $500 bottle of wine that your saving for a special occasion and sharing it with a complete stranger. Secondly three seahs would have been 65 pounds of flour. They didn't know how long the men would stay, but they were prepared to feed them for a month. This shaped the way that people of the middle east treat a stranger. Jesus said in Matthew 13:33 that "the kingdom of heaven is like a woman who took yeast and mixed it into three seah's of flour. Jesus is stringing the pearls. For a Jew in that culture and even now when a portion of scripture is read or spoken, the speaker or reader is referring to the whole story that the line came from. So Jesus is referring to Genesis 18.

Jesus once said that "Abraham longed to see my day" What do you think Jesus meant by this? Could it have been that Abraham longed for the day when people would take care of each other with a joyful heart?

Alright so all that is background. What makes Tel Arad one of my favorite places? The Temple that was found there!!! And I would love to share with you a little about the temple, its rooms and items that would have been used in worship in the temple.

So when you walk into the temple you are in the peoples court and that is where you would bring your sacrifice. In Jerusalem there was a division line for where the Gentiles were allowed to go and where the Jews were allowed to be. If a Gentile crossed the line s/he would have been killed. The Priests court was part of the peoples court in Arad, but this would have been a separate court in Jerusalem as described in Exodus

Exodus 27:1-8
"1 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze.3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans.4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network.5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar.6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried.8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain."

Exodus 26-30 describe in detail how the Tabernacle was to be designed and constructed. The temple was designed around these specifications

The Priests were only allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year on Yom Kipper. It contained only the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the Ark of the Covenant were the ten commandments. When we think of the ten commandments and see artistic renditions of it, we think of two tablets with 5 commands on each tablet, but one argument on this is that like any modern contract one copy is given to each party. When God wrote out the commands on the tablets on Mt. Sinai and gave them to Moses he commanded that they be put in the Holy place of Israel. Both copies were put into the Ark of the Covenant. In the picture below the two stones in the back of the room are replicas of replicas (yes I know a bit confusing) of tablets they found when excavating the site, the original replicas are in the National Israeli Museum. The original ten commandment tablets are "lost" with the Ark of the Covenant. Some believe it to be hidden under the temple mount.

The Holy of Holies. God's bedroom.

Covering the entrance to the Holy of Holies would have been a veil which was a hand breadth wide and weighted more than a ton (it fell down a lot and would take several priests to put it back in place) and is described in Exodus 26.

Exodus 26:31-35

"31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman.32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.34 Put the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place.35 Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side. "

This veil was torn supernaturally when Jesus gave up His spirit on the cross. (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45) I believe that this is discussed more later on in the tour but this is very symbolic of what Jews still do to express deep sorrow, and has been documented all over the old testament but Jews will physically rip their shirt in sorrow. This also symbolized that God was now accessible for all, not just the priests, and not just the Jews but all people.

Back tracking a bit back to making sacrifices for temple worship the priests would perform a form of baptism called Miqvah, which would cleans them while reciting the Sh'ma

There would be a Torah recitation and the family would bring their animal to the alter and the priest would declare that it was for your family, butcher the animal, throw the kidneys and fat into the fire and the blood would be thrown against the altar. The meat would be roasted and then eaten. Josephus Flavius recorded that 250,000 sheep were slaughtered during Passover.

During Yom Kippur the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and it would fill with smoke (the presence of God). On that day two goats would be brought led by scarlet ropes and tied to the altar. Lots would be cast to determine which goat would be slaughtered and its blood would be sprinkled on the front of the ark, sprinkled on the mercy seat in the holy place and put on the other goat. The other goat would then be led out to the desert to die (scapegoat). The Mishnah records that gentiles would be hired to catch and kill the goat so it would not wonder back into the city. Over the year the scarlet chord tied to the altar would be bleached white the sun. The Mishnah also records that 40 years before the temple was destroyed the cord stopped bleaching white.

Jesus was taken out of the city by Gentiles during the Passover Feast and crucified as our scapegoat.

I know this is long but hang in there the next section is just as amazing. If you didn't finish the video before, go back and finish it now, I think you will be blessed.

All of my information was taken from notes I received from John Farwell the leader of our trip and Ray Van Laans website: www.followtherabbi.com

Israel 2012 Bible Tour Day 2

2012-06-16T08:46:00.001-07:00

Today we went Azekah (David and Goliath) and The Cave of Adulam (one of David’s Caves)

Azekah

Israel 2012 Day 2 from Charissa Robertson on Vimeo.

1 Samuel 17
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled^(A) at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh^(B) and Azekah.^(C) ²Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah^(D)and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

This picture was taken where they believe the Philistine Camp was and across the valley on the hill above those white patches in the fields is where they believe the Israelite camp was.

⁴A champion named Goliath,^(E) who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet^[a] tall. ⁵He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels^[b]; ⁶on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin^(F)was slung on his back. ⁷His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod,^(G) and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.^[c] His shield bearer^(H) went ahead of him.⁸Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose^(I) a man and have him come down to me. ⁹If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” ¹⁰Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy^(J) the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.^(K)” ¹¹On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.¹²Now David was the son of an Ephrathite^(L)named Jesse,^(M) who was from Bethlehem^(N) in Judah. Jesse had eight^(O) sons, and in Saul’s time he was old and well advanced in years. ¹³Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab;^(P) the second, Abinadab;^(Q) and the third, Shammah.^(R) ¹⁴David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul,¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul to tend^(S) his father’s sheep^(T) at Bethlehem.¹⁶For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand."

Goliath would hike down from the ridge line of the Philistine camp twice a day to taunt the Israelites every day for 40 days, in his armor. From experience this is not a easy hike in light weight dry-fit clothes and a few bottles of water, much less in full armor made of Iron. Goliaths Spear would have weighed about 15lbs, his armor about 125lbs.

To a first century reader many questions would arise such as Why is Goliaths height (6 cubits) important? Why is it significant that his spear weighed 600 shekels, and that his armor was 5000 (6000 in some translations) shekels?

The #6 to a Jew is the number of incompletion and for it to be repeated 3 times (666) clearly identifies Goliath as being Evil.

By describing his armor as "scaled" is comparing his armor to the skin of a snake and would take the Hebrew readers mind back to the Garden of Eden and the Serpent who tempted Adam and Eve.

^"17Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah^[d]^(U) of roasted grain^(V) and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit.^[e] See how your brothers^(W) are and bring back some assurance^[f]from them. ¹⁹They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”²⁰Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. ²¹Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other."

David was probably between the ages of 8-10 as a Shepheard. Shepheards even today in Israel are young children, and old women, the only time a man is seen with the flocks is when they feel they may need protection. Often even then the men are a distance off in higher ground to be able to survey the whole situation. Shepheards were/are not important people in society.

"²²David left his things with the keeper of supplies,^(X) ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. ²³As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual^(Y) defiance, and David heard it. ²⁴When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.²⁵Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter^(Z) in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes^(AA) in Israel.”²⁶David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace^(AB) from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised^(AC) Philistine that he should defy^(AD) the armies of the living^(AE) God?”²⁷They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”²⁸When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger^(AF)at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”²⁹“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” ³⁰He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. ³¹What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.³²David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart^(AG)on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”³³Saul replied,^(AH) “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”³⁴But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion^(AI) or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,³⁵I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized^(AJ) it by its hair, struck it and killed it.³⁶Your servant has killed both the lion^(AK) and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷The Lord who delivered^(AL) me from the paw of the lion^(AM) and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with^(AN)you.”³⁸Then Saul dressed David in his own^(AO) tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.⁴⁰Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

⁴¹Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer^(AP) in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴²He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome,^(AQ) and he despised^(AR) him. ⁴³He said to David, “Am I a dog,^(AS) that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴“Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air^(AT) and the beasts of the field!^(AU)”⁴⁵David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,^(AV) but I come against you in the name^(AW) of the LordAlmighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.^(AX) ⁴⁶This day the Lord will hand^(AY) you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses^(AZ) of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world^(BA) will know that there is a God in Israel.^(BB) ⁴⁷All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword^(BC) or spear that the Lordsaves;^(BD) for the battle^(BE) is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”⁴⁸As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.⁵⁰So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling^(BF) and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.⁵¹David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut^(BG) off his head with the sword."

Lets compare and contrast David and Goliath:

David was a boy with unshakable faith. He calls out the other Israelites and asks them why they would allow a Gentile to blaspheme their God, and why they believed him. He faces Goliath in battle with a sling shot five stones and the skills he had acquired while shepherding his fathers flocks. Being a board boy in the the desert throwing rocks, target practice with his sling shot, directing the flocks by throwing rocks (still done today) and protecting the flock from wild animals (the lion and the bear).

Goliath is a grown man standing somewhere between 9 and 11 feet tall, shielded with iron armor, and equipped with the most state of the art weapons. The Philistines were the iron workers, it is very likely that they brought Iron to the middle east and rather than sharing their technology they used it as a tactical advantage. 1 Samuel 13:19 says "Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel". Even once the Israelite people began using Iron tools, they could not sharpen them themselves, they would have to go to the Philistine blacksmiths and pay high prices.

"When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. ⁵²Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath^[g]and to the gates of Ekron.^(BI) Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim^(BJ) road to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. ⁵⁴David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.⁵⁵As Saul watched David^(BK) going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner,^(BL) whose son is that young man?”Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”⁵⁶The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”⁵⁷As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.⁵⁸“Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse^(BM) of Bethlehem.”

At that time, only two Israelite people (King Saul and Jonathan) owned a sword or a spear. Yet neither had the chutspah (hutz-pah) to confront Goliath.

Lets compare David and King Saul in this story

David is between the ages of 8 and 11, obeyed God and used his gifting in complete faith that God would back him up. He used a Rock and a slingshot to defeat Goliath. Who else had this skill? Go back to the video... Saul's tribe was known for their skills with a sling shot.

Saul chosen by God as the king of Israel and was faithful to God in the beginning, but strayed from God's plan and followed his own ways. He was equipped with the same armor and weapons as Goliath but lacked the faith to approach him in the power of the Lord. He had the same skills as David.

When David threw the rock for God, he brought down the enemy of Israel. Now there is significance in David striking Goliath in the forehead. In the Torah God says that serpents head will be bruised and crushed (Genesis 3) and Jesus (Yeshua) comes from David's line. David strikes Goliath (who is likened to the serpent) in the forehead.

Why did David pick up 5 stones if he only needed one? Was is his insurance policy... just in case he missed the first time? Could be but numbers are very significant to a Hebrews way of thinking. So shy does this story emphasize that there were 5 stones and 5 sons of Jesse. When a Hebrew thinks of the #5 they are reminded of the Torah (first 5 books of the bible) so 5 could symbolize that David was relying on God to come through, that he was being obedient to the Torah or that he was within God's will.

In the Midrash (Rabbinic literature) the Rabbi's believe that Goliath had 4 brothers, so by David picking up 5 stones it was symbolic that he would not only defeat Goliath but his brothers as well, which came to pass with David and his mighty men (2 Samuel 21 and 1 Chronicles 20)

To wrap up this teaching, David did not kill Goliath through his own power or skill. God used the skill that He had given David to kill Goliath. God delivered Israel through a kid who did the thing that he was suppose to do when God wanted him to do it, and God prepared him to do it.

What is your skill that God has given you? Wherever you are, Throw your stone.

In todays godless culture we have several Goliaths that seem impossible to defeat. But God is calling us to stand our ground. We have a God that tie and time again uses people who are insignificant in society to do amazing things. God calls us to use the skills that He has given us, as well as the technology of our culture to impact our world.

As long as cultural advancements are guided by non-believers than secular values will always dominate the culture. But if we as Christians use these tools in combination with the gifts that the Lord has given us, then we can make a positive mark on the world.

Israel 2012 Bible Tour Day 1

2012-06-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

I must apologize, I may not be able to post the video's until I return from Israel, but I can post a little tidbit of information from each day. Check back as I post links on my facebook for the Video portion to be added. I will post as much as I can, but after the first day of touring I found that my cameras batteries die quickly. In addition there is about 3 hours of teaching each day. I know many of you were looking forward to me posting everything but I will get as much as I can. The internet here is a little sporadic also, so bear with me, I will try to get things posted as soon as possible.

The scripture readings are hard to hear. Look them up on your own to follow along. I am sharing video’s with one of the people here with me so that we can get more teaching. In future video’s we will cut out on the reading of longer scriptures. With my camera this means that there will be multiple video clips. Turn up the volume on your computer and enjoy!

Todays videos are from Tel Gezer, which is was a fortified city that was given to King Solomon when he married the Egyptian Princess.

Israel day Bible Tour Day 1 2012 from Charissa Robertson on Vimeo.

In addition to Tel Gezer we also went to Zorah and unpacked the story and life of Sampson. Last but not least for the day we went to Beth Shameh which was a Levitical city in 1 Samuel 4-6 where the Ark of the Covenant was taken in battle by the Philestines and its journey back to Beth Shameh and how the presence of God causes the sin in our lives to be exposed.

Commentary on the song Beautiful Scandalous Night by Robbie Seay Band

2012-06-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Please listen to the song then read on.

When I first heard this song in worship at church I thought that the scandal referred to in this song was the scandal of my own sin, and how scandalous it is for Christ to be the atonement of my sins, and how unjust it is but at the same time full of love and grace. But after the Easter Sermon at my church as well as some quiet moments of theological thoughts this is what I have come to conclude.

Jesus' crucifiction was possibly the greatest scandal of all time. The night Jesus was arrested was full of scandal, not a public act of all Jews but the by the priests, whose actions broke Gods law of holding the feasts sacred. Jesus was arrested in the dark of night when all righteous Jews would have been enjoying their Passover meal and reflecting on the miraculous exodus from Egypt.

The priests snuck out and brought Jesus to Pilot and Herod to be tried in the darkness of night. Jesus was tried, "convicted" and sentenced before the first light of dawn. As Jesus's followers were waking and filling the streets (those who cried hosanna hoshena just days before) woke to Jesus being beaten and paraded through Jerusalem to Golgotha to be crucified. That night indeed was a beautiful scandalous night.

Had Jesus been given a "fair" trial in the light of day history would have been completely changed. It was not the majority of the Jews who wanted Jesus dead, but the religious leaders of the day. Jesus had a large following, and had they had a say or a vote, the outcome could have been radically different. Jesus had to suffer in the dark of night, to take on the sins of the world. Without the scandal of that night, our scandal would remain unatoned for.

Returning to the Holy Land.

2012-06-11T10:42:00.003-07:00

Well the count down is almost over to me once again leaving the comforts of home and warm cuddles of my puppies to explore the world and learn more about my self, my faith and the mysteries that the Holy Land has to uncover.

I will be leaving once again for Israel June 12 at 4am Mountain time in order to catch a 6:57am flight to start this new adventure.

Things to be in prayer for as I am away in Ministry are as follows:

For the hearts of those we are going to serve to be open to the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ.
Safety in Travel
Peace in Israel
Health for myself & team mates
Open minds and hearts for myself and my team mates as we dive into first century Jewish culture and how it impacts our faith today.
Unity of the Christian Church in the Middle East
Safety and health for those we are leaving behind
and for Changed hearts.

I am looking forward to posting videos of the biblical tour so all of you can experience part of the Holy Land with me. Although a video and pictures could never compare to seeing Israel with your own eyes, I hope that it will stir your spirit and ignite a fire within you to pursue God with a renewed fervor.

God Bless and I look forward to hearing from each of you with Questions or comments.

Q & A about my ministry with Athletes in Action

2012-03-03T16:59:00.000-08:00

Q. Who is Athletes in Action (AIA)?

A. Athletes in Action (AIA) is a Christian organization that takes Christian athletes, and shows them how to use their sport as a form of worship, and also how to use it as a platform to preach the gospel. AIA is all about building relationships and character.

Q. All this talk of ministry but all I see are dates, what do you do?

A. My roll in AIA as an affiliate staff member is twofold. My domestic ministry includes using my career as a form of worship, and platform to preach the gospel to the athletes that I work with everyday, as well as to reach out to other Christian athletic trainers in the area and show them how to use their work in worship. I do this by attending professional development conferences and representing Athletes in Action, and hosting a prayer breakfast, or social of some kind.

As an athletic trainer I have a very unique set of skills, which do not always translate into a traditional missionary roll. I am not an expert at bringing clean water to villages, planning blue prints for new churches, building homes or community planning. I can help with all these things, but my expertise is in athletic injuries and the physical, emotional, and spiritual healing that needs to occur before an athlete can be back at 100%.

The second aspect of my ministry is an international tour. My first tour with AIA was to Fiji with a track and field team, my second was to Israel with a Basketball tour, and my third will be going back to Israel with Basketball again. On all tours my goal is to make sure all the American athletes return to their schools without new injuries, or new injuries have been properly cared for (most AIA athletes are college athletes), as well as care for and educate athletes from the country we are in about their own injuries.

Q. What are the specifics for your international ministry this year?

A. The bible tour aspect of this trip is very exciting and easy to talk about, and is most likely what most people have heard about from my trip last year, but here are some specifics of my hope for this trip. This year I am returning to Israel where we will spend most of our ministry in the West Bank reaching out to Muslim communities, and reinforcing Christians in the West Bank through the local Basketball League. We split up the American athletes, and put them on teams with the Arab people to build relationships and team bonds. I will be providing medical coverage for the tournament we are playing in, as well as any practices I am requested to be at. Last year there was interest for me to teach local physical therapists and Emergency Room doctors how to treat athletic injuries so that the athletes would not have to go to the Jordan for specialized care. My goal for this year is to be able to put on at least one workshop for medical personnel, and one for coaches to understand new injury management and how it affects the total outcome and recovery of the athletes.

Q. What are you doing currently?

A. Currently I am seeking support for my upcoming events. I will be going to the District 10 Northwest Athletic Trainers Association Conference at the end of March, where I will be networking with other Athletic Trainers, talking about my ministry internationally and educating my peers about how they can use their skills in ministry.

Q. Where does my money go?

A. I have received about 8% of my annual goal, which has gone to preserving my spot on the tour to Israel.

Q. How do I donate every month?

A. Athletes in Action is a daughter organization of Campus Crusade for Christ, and they have set up a way to give online. Many ministry partners give through monthly Bank Account or Credit Card transfers at https://give.ccci.org/give/0653841.

For any other questions you may have please e-mail me at charissa.robertson@athletesinaction.org

Moving Mountains

2012-01-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in church this Sunday listening to the sermon on Matthew 21:18-22 and got some pretty cool stuff out of it Specifically verses 21-22. Lets get our feet wet as we explore the text from the first Century Jewish prospective, and speculate to what they may have been thinking and how it may relate to today.

Matthew 21:18-22

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Before we jump into the text we need some background information on Jewish culture. First lets look at the scriptures and other texts that the anchient Jews (and many current Jews) would have been intimatly familiar with.

The Tanakh is a accronym for the Torah (The Law aks: first 5 books of the bible), Nebi'im (The Prophets) and Ketuvim (The Writtings) which is what Christians know as the Old Testiment.

The Talmud is a collection of rabbinical writtings that are known as the Oral Torah, believed to have been given to Moses with the Torah, and were preserved orally untill they were written sometime between the second and fith century. The Talmud interpreted, explained and applied the Torah Scriptures. The Talmud has two parts, the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is considered the Law book and consists of legal rulings, teachings of rabbi's between the first and third centuries. The Gemara is a comentary on the Mishnah.

The Midrash is comprised of rabbinical teachings fron fourth through sixth centuries.

My pastor was talking about how in the Mishnah's discussion of Isaiah 44:9-20 in which the Prophet Isaiah is discussing the idiocity of worshiping a thing created by human hands. In the Mishnah Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel says "If one finds a vessel that has on it the shape of the sun, moon, or a dragon he should throw them into the Dead Sea." This was a common known saying and practice to throw idols into the Dead Sea. Why? Because nothing can live in the Dead Sea it is 8.6 times as salty as the ocean, has 13.7% Salinity, to drink the water of the Dead Sea will kill you. So to throw a Idol into the Dead sea was to destroy it.

Now that we have a basic understanding of Jewish religous texts we need an understanding of Jewish history, specifically surrounding Herod the Great. Herod was the King of the Jews ruling from 37-4 BC, and was both a brilliant architect, and a crazy man. Herod built extravigant fortresses throughout Israel. He rebuilt the Temple to gain favor of the Jews, built an extravigant castle like fortress known as Ceasarea Maretema. He built a fortress in the middle of the desert known as Masada where he burried his favorite (only Jewish) wife after executing her at a banquet because he believed she cheated on him while he was away at war. He also built another fortress on the outskirts of Bethlehem which he named after himself... the Herodion. Now all of his projects were extravigant, but most had architectual engineering that was before its time, such as swimming pools in the middle of the desert, a fresh water swimming pool in the mediteratian sea, hot and cold baths, fresh water availability where there is no fresh water. For the construction of the Herodion, Herod had chosen one of two twin mountains to put his fortress, but wanted his palace to be the highest place, so everyone would have to look up to him. He leveled the adjacent mountain and put it ontop of the other, and built his fortress within and ontop of the mountain.

There is much more in the history of Herod, that caused the Jewish people to both fear and admire him, but this should be sufficient background to jump into Matthew 21:21-22,

"²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” "

This scene takes place on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem which is just on the other side of the Mt. of Olives. The Herodion is visible from the Mt. of Olives and likely Jesus was either pointing to or it was culturally known that He was talking about the Herodion and how Herod has moved his mountain. The pastor linked this to the Jewish people being able to let go of the idolatry and fear of Herod and throw that into the sea. Now the nearest large body of water to Jerusalem that is referred to as a Sea in Israel is the Dead Sea.

I would agree with the pastors interpretation, but I think there is a modern lesson to be learned as well beyond moving the mountains and idols we have in our own lifes. While touring Israel, anywhere that something significant happened, or was the location that Emperor Constantine thought something significant happened, the Crusaders built a Catholic shrine on. Many generations have build shrine upon shrine on biblical locations, and people from all around the world come to worship those location. These locations have become Idols to much of the world. I think it could be possible that Jesus being God, and all knowing, knew that someday people would come to worship the Mt. of Olives among other locations that Jesus's ministry impacted.

The Mt. of Olives was a significant place outlined in prophecy that it would be an important landmark in the coming of the Messiah, and is suppose to be an important landmark in the second coming of Christ. But I think that Jesus could have also been referring to the Mt. of Olives, saying in essence, if this place becomes an idol to you, where you worship these places rather than worshiping God, then cast them into the Sea. If the Mt. of Olives is forced into the Sea by those who struggle with worshiping the place, it will not hinder the return of Christ. Do not worship places. Remember the things that happened, but this earth will pass away. God did not intend for us to worship the land, but to worship IN the land. He did not intend to worship Nature, but to be in awe of Gods power through Nature and to Worship Him alone.

Whatever mountain is getting between you and worshiping the Almighty.... cast it into the sea.

To listen the original sermon go to http://www.crossroadsnampa.com/category/sermons and select the sermon from 1.26.12

References:
http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/texts.htm
http://deadseaglory-us.com/index.php?link=dead
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21:18-22&version=NIV
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Herod_the_Great
http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/Herodion.html
http://www.crossroadsnampa.com/category/sermons

Is history (the old testament) important?

2012-01-20T00:25:00.000-08:00

I have been looking for a muse in which to start this blog, and after 4 completely random spiritual conversations with complete strangers over the last week, I think I finally found the topic in which to start this venture of recording my spiritual thoughts and journey. But I need to give you a foundation of understanding of where I am coming from. I am not a Jew, I don't pretend to be, and I surely do not understand everything in their culture or their beliefs, but I do believe that understanding first century Jewish culture, leads to the understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I want to know Christ as I would know my bridegroom. So here we go...

From observation and conversations, some (not all )churches in America, and some (not all) American Christians seem to think that since Jesus came to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the old covenant God had with the Jews, that it (the Old Testament) is no longer important to study and understand. How can this be true, if we count the entire bible to be the word of God? 77% of the bible is the Old Testament, why is it that Modern Christianity is only based on 23% of Gods words? In statistics 23% of something is not usually a favorable sample. Not to discredit the New Testament at all as the Gospels are vital to understanding the character of God the Son within the Holy Trinity, and the remaining text in the New Testament helps us understand God the Spirit as well as how the church body ought to operate and the things that are to come, but the Old Testament is rich in the history of our faith, prophecies that are fulfilled in the new testament and more importantly the character of God the Father and God the Spirit.

Not only do we leave behind the history, hero's and foundations of our faith, but we forget to look at the culture of God's people, and consider the original audience of our modern bible.

Why is this so important? Well What religion was Jesus? Was He a Catholic, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Mormon, a Baptist, a Lutheran? No Jesus Was a JEW! He was born as a Jew, He grew up as a Jew, He practiced Jewish customs, He went through the Jewish rights of passage to be called Rabbi. Jesus was accepted as a Jew. (Not as the King of the Jews, but He was accepted as a Jew).

So why do we as modern Christians feel the entitlement to tell God that 77% of His word doesn't matter, and that the culture in which the Son of God came and lived in that influenced how he taught, the word pictures He used, His mannerisms, and life experiences doesn't matter cause we have it so much more figured out? Why do we feel entitled to even write out His full name (myself included)? The Jewish people out of respect, admiration and Love for God, write His name as G-d.

I used to believe that the Old Testament was boring and didn't matter anymore because that was the old law and since Jesus came, it wasn't for us. But there's a reason its still part of the Word of God. And it Speaks to me. Beautiful is the character of God the Father. It is not angry, but loving. He is a GOOD FATHER and Judge.