Incensed

Model of the Golden Altar [A]

In the 70's, we used incense to cover other smells, not as an odor to enjoy on its own. But in the tabernacle of ancient Israel, incense, often referred to as fragrant incense, was burned twice daily for God's enjoyment,. Since we are made in the image of God, let us assume that smells that please us also please Him and vice versa. 

Why Smell?

Olfactory - Brain Connection [B]

Smell is unique among human senses. Smells can trigger deeply hidden memories [1]. "Why is smell so sentimental? One possibility, which is supported by this recent experiment, is that the olfactory cortex has a direct neural link to the hippocampus." [2] That is, smells go straight to the brain, triggering memories and emotions. Who hasn't experienced a smell that took them back to a specific time in their life?

One theory why smell is so powerful goes back to the garden of Eden.

After Eating the Forbidden Fruit [C]

Why incense? the Bnei Yissakhar explains that when man sinned in Eden all the senses were corrupted, save one: Eve listened to the words of the Serpent, she saw the tree, touched the tree, ate from the tree; the only sense not corrupted was the sense of smell. Therefore when the kohen gadol (high priest) enters the Holy of Holies to seek forgiveness for the transgressions of the nation, he arms himself with incense, falling back on the one remaining oasis of purity. (Echoes of Eden: Sefer Shmot, By Ari D. Kahn) [3]

One could argue that smell is involved in taste, which would invalidate Mr Kahn's assertion, but smell is not mentioned in the text of Gen 3. And note that incense is put on the golden altar twice a day, not just on Yom Kippur.

What does incense have to do with the birth of Christ?

The priests that served at the temple in Jerusalem gathered every morning to cast lots for their service that day. 

The first lot was for cleansing the altar and preparing it; the second, for those who were to offer the sacrifice, and for those who were to cleanse the candlestick and the altar of incense in the Holy Place. The third lot was the most important. It determined who was to offer the incense. If possible, none was to take part in it who had at any previous time officiated in the same capacity. The fourth lot, which followed close on the third, fixed those who were to burn the pieces of the sacrifice on the altar, and to perform the concluding portions of the service. [4]

Then something miraculous happened concerning Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.

Zacharias Sees Gabriel [D]

It is this burning of incense which in the Gospel is alluded to in connection with the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:9). Zacharias had come up from the hill country of Judea, from the neighbourhood of priestly Hebron, to minister in the Temple. His course--that of Abia--was on duty for the week, and the house of his fathers' for that special day. More than that, the lot had fallen on Zacharias for the most honourable service in the daily ministry--that of burning the incense on the golden altar within the Holy Place. For the first time in his life, and for the last, would this service devolve on him. As the pious old priest ministered within the Holy Place, he saw with such distinctness that he could afterwards describe the very spot, Gabriel standing, as if he had just come out from the Most Holy Place, between the altar and the table of shewbread, on the right side of the altar.' So far as we know, this was the first and only angelic appearance in the Temple. [5]

Luke's account is more modest, not mentioning the fact that being the "incensing priest" was a big honor, once in a lifetime. But that big honor was dwarfed by meeting angel Gabriel and receiving news that he and Elizabeth would have a son, who would be great in the sight of the Lord. What a day for Zacharias. Then he was struck dumb until John was named.

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. 8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; 

Edersheim fills in details. Note the expectation of silence

Slowly the incensing priest and his assistants ascended the steps to the Holy Place, preceded by the two priests who had formerly dressed the altar and the candlestick, and who now removed the vessels they had left behind, and, worshipping, withdrew. Next, one of the assistants reverently spread the coals on the golden altar; the other arranged the incense; and then the chief officiating priest was left alone within the Holy Place, to await the signal of the president before burning the incense. It was probably while thus expectant that the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias. As the president gave the word of command, which marked that the time of incense had come,' the whole multitude of the people without' withdrew from the inner court, and fell down before the Lord, spreading their hands in silent prayer. [6]

But if it had been the duty of Zacharias, as incensing priest for the day, to lead in the priestly blessing, we can all the better understand the wonder of the people as he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless' (Luke 1:22) while they waited for his benediction. [7]

Zacharias was alone in the Holy Place, and all the people outside waited in silent prayer till he lit the incense and came out to do the blessing. In other  words, they expected silence, but not that long. 

Zacharias' wife Elizabeth became pregnant in her old age, her son was John the Baptist - he would have been a priest. Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary, mother of Jesus. John the Baptist would be six months older than Jesus.

Bible scholars use these events to date the birth of Jesus. Unfortunately, they don't all agree.

Silence In Heaven For Half An Hour

One piece of foreshadowing occurs in this story as well. Just as silence is expected from the worshipers before the lighting of the incense, there is silence in heaven "for about a half hour" right after opening the seventh seal, right before lighting the incense.

Scroll With Seven Seals [E]

Rev 8;1And when he opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2And I saw the seven angels that stand before God; and there were given unto them seven trumpets. 3And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

My take is it's like a parent who is really mad doesn't say anything at all. Or maybe the divine silent treatment.

Bitter Makes It Better

Ferula gummosa, from which galbanum comes. [F]

Tabernacle incense was made from sweet spices plus frankincense, stacte, onycha, and galbanum. The problem is that galbanum smells bad. According to Wikipedia, it "has a disagreeable, bitter taste, a peculiar, somewhat musky odour, an intense green scent". [8] But when combined with the other ingredients, the sum is greater than the parts, that is, the incense smells better with galbanum. Some liken this to the unrepentant sinner among the righteous, bringing out the best of the righteous. I think there might be other interpretations. Incense represents prayer, not people, so maybe galbanum represents a certain type of prayer, like prayers of bitter anguish. I would welcome comments on the symbolism of galbanum.

One More Thing

In Heb 9:3-4 we read "Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant." But in Exodus, it clearly says the golden altar is in front of the veil. Is God rearranging furniture in the tabernacle? Does the author of Hebrews not know where the golden altar is? Not at all. The confusion is in the word translated as golden altar. The commentaries agree that it also means golden censer, the pan used to burn the incense. Many translations in fact say golden censer. Beware of theology based on the altar inside the Holy of Holies. By tradition, the golden censer was only used on Yom Kippur  - every other day it was silver. That is, the subject of Hebrews 9 is Christ entering the Holy of Holies in heaven itself pictured by the High Priest on Yom Kippur.

References

1. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120312-why-can-smells-unlock-memories
2. http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/11/09/smell-and-memory/
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=pXYIf4BeOkQC, p228
4. Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple- Its Ministry and Services (Kindle Locations 1486-1489).
5. Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple- Its Ministry and Services (Kindle Locations 1581-1587).
6. Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple- Its Ministry and Services (Kindle Locations 1678-1681).
7. Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple- Its Ministry and Services (Kindle Locations 1713-1715).
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galbanum

Clipart

A. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Timna_Tabernacle_Incense_altar.jpg/500px-Timna_Tabernacle_Incense_altar.jpg
B. https://emmaisaconsumer.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/smell-memory.jpg?w=270&h=165
C. http://www.supercoloring.com/sites/default/files/styles/coloring_medium/public/cif/2009/07/Adam-and-eve-under-the-tree-coloring-page.jpg
D.http://worshiphousemedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/main/s/mo/ima/mo/gabrielappearstozacharias.jpg
E. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/04/d4/54/04d454d4c204ad4b3473c801c1febd8c.jpg
F. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Ferula_gummosa_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-205.jpg/440px-Ferula_gummosa_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-205.jpg

The Unpublished Bible

There are lots of Bible translations published these days. According to Wikipedia [1], the Bible has been translated fully into 531 languages and paritally into 2883. There are 450 versions in English alone (Wikipedia) [2]. And of course, the Old Testament is readily available in Hebrew, the New Testament available in Greek. But one combination does not exist.

What if you want the OT Hebrew and the NT Greek in one volume? Granted most people wouldn't be interested, perhaps only Biblical scholars, but as far as I know, this particular combination is not published*. And it would require NO translation, how easy is that? I suspect the reason this hasn't been done is political, not technical. The keepers of the Hebrew** (Masoretic) text would have to work with the keepers of the Greek (Stephens) text.

Having No Beginning and No End

Let's look at one technical problem to publishing Hebrew plus Greek -- where is the beginning? Hebrew reads right to left, and Greek read left to right. Pages are also numbered right to left in Hebrew and left to right in Greek. So no matter how one arranges the Testaments, you can't turn the page from the end of the OT to the beginning of the NT. We have two choices where each language would read in its native direction.

Begin at the outsides

Begin at the center

Imagine a Bible bound this way, where the Hebrew book of Genesis is on the right, and the Greek book of Matthew is on the left. The end of each Testament would be in the middle.








Now imagine a Bible bound this way, where the Hebrew book of Genesis and the Greek book of Matthew are next to each other in the middle of the Bible, but the end of each Testament would be at the outside of the volume.

Old Testament Hebrew [3]

New Testament Greek [4]

Each arrangement makes sense. Personally I prefer the first because when you look at either cover of the book, it is meaningful. That is, whichever way you pick the Bible up, it will be correct, each direction would begin with page 1.

There are 531 different languages you can get the whole Bible (Old plus New Testaments), but not in the original languages.That includes Greek Old Testament translations dating back to the Septuagint, and Hebrew New Testaments dating back to the 1300s (hebrewnewtestament.com) [10].  Why has no one published the Hebrew/Greek Bible? The Christian churches are anti-Semitic, thanks to Constantine, and the Jews deny Jesus as Messiah. That is changing, as shown by the Messianic movement among Jews and Christians. But for now, ironically, the best way to get the whole Bible is in a translation. Go figure.

Into the Holy Of Holies

Cutaway view of the Tabernacle [1]

The Holy of Holies was a cube shaped room in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and later in the Temples in Jerusalem. It was the inner room of the Holy Place. To get into it, one would have to enter the Tabernacle courtyard, pass the bronze altar, the bronze laver, enter the holy place, pass the showbread and lampstand and altar of incense, enter a special curtain on one side and walk to the other side to finally enter the Holy of Holies. It was a big deal. But only the High Priest (Cohen Ha Gadol) could make that trip, and he could only make it once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).




A nation of millions of people, and only one person could enter the Most Holy Place once a year. This is the room that God Himself (YHVH) would speak from. Ex 25:22 "There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel." His earthly throne, the mercy seat over the ark of the covenant, was the only furniture in the room. (By the way, the word for ark used here is Aron, not the same word as Noah's ark, Tibah.) And the High Priest couldn't just stroll in there on Yom Kippur, he had very detailed instructions on clothing, bathing, sacrifices, and other rituals he had to perform just so in order to enter.

It suggests how far from God we are, how difficult it is to approach Him with our own righteousness. Indeed, Israel couldn't even approach Him directly, they needed a High Priest to intervene for them. Is there no other way in? How do we enter that curtain?

There Is Another Way In 

2D Diagram Of The Tabernacle [2]

The Holy Place is a tent within a tent, covered on all sides. But look at what is next to the Holy of Holies, right outside the curtain - the Table of Incense.

The smoke from the incense makes its way past the veil. The formula for this incense is given right in the Bible.

Ex 30:And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight

These ingredients, stacte [3], onycha [4], galbanum [5], and frankincense [6] make "sweet incense" to be burned twice daily in the Tabernacle. The High Priest was responsible for making sure this happened every day.

Ex 30:7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

Incense is an aroma that God enjoys and wants every day. It bypasses the veil, and the High Priest, and drifts into the Holy of Holies.

Why would anyone care?

Because incense is prayer -- Our prayers. 

Our prayers go straight to God's throne. Directly. It is our way in!

Ps 141:2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering

Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand

In other words, "The fragrance of our words wafts through the throne room" John Paul Jackson [7].

Our Prayers Are Like Incense

We have access to the Holy of Holies in heaven because of Christ's death on the cross. This was pictured in a very real sense when He died.

Mk 15:37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.
Mk 15:38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

The Ark visible through the torn veil [8]

Looking out through the torn veil [9]

Heb 10:19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus

But we aren't in heaven, we are here. Christ is the High Priest, not any of us. Our way into the Holy of Holies is by our prayers like incense coming before God the Father as a sweet aroma. That's how we enter.

Effective Prayers

Well, effective prayer is a whole topic unto itself. But from the point of view of the Tabernacle of Moses, consider that the incense was a specific formula. And the one who offers the incense must first be clean. And the incense must be offered daily. In terms of our everyday life, here is what Maria Merola [10] said, "Praying the effectual fervent prayer is a lifestyle that is lived out daily...he is after a sincere heart of worship and humility." That's a good place to start.

I never thought of my prayers as being sweet incense, and many days, they aren't sweet incense, more like whining in the Holy Place, but our heavenly Father sees them as sweet incense. Lighting the incense twice a day? Still working on it.

References

1. http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/tabernacle-of-moses.html
2. https://www.jesuswalk.com/spirit/05_spirit_within.htm

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacte
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onycha
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galbanum
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankincense
7. http://www.streamsministries.com/resources/discipleship/prayers-like-incense
8. http://doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com/2011/01/effectual-fervent-prayer-of-righteous.html
9. https://withmeagrepowers.wordpress.com/tag/gospel-of-matthew/
10. http://doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com/2011/01/effectual-fervent-prayer-of-righteous.html

Shemitah -- She WHAT?

The Shemitah, known in English as the land sabbath occurs every seven years. What has that got to do with the world today? More than I ever thought possible. Can a little known law given to ancient Israel affect world events now? Let's look at Shemitah years of the last century to see that the Shemitah is still in effect.

But first, some explanation of the Shemitah. It is a year when the land was fallow, no sowing or harvesting. What grew voluntarily could be picked for consumption. All debts were cancelled. And all slaves set free. Quite a year. We can't imagine a world or a country operating that way. Read the Wikipedia article on the Shemitah [1] for lots more detail.

Chabad.org [2]

Shemitah means release or falling. When ancient Israel would not observe the Shemitah voluntarily, they were taken captive until the land had its sabbaths. There is a powerful element of judgment in the Shemitah.

2 Chr 36:21 This fulfilled the word of the LORD through Jeremiah and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation until 70 years were fulfilled

Everyone Knows Something Bad Is Coming

It's not just me saying it. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, author of "The Harbinger" [3] and "The Mystery of the Shemitah" [4] is the one who brought this to America's attention, but now Christian, governmental, and even secular sources are predicting calamity in the fall of 2015. Here are some links to other sources.

The Shemitah: Four Months Until Financial Ruin? [5] -- charismanews.com

When Shemitah, Blood Moons and the Messiah Meet [6] -- breakingisraelnews.com

U.S. REMAINS ON PERILOUS SHEMITAH COURSE [7] -- wnd.com

Events of the Blood Moons and This Shemitah [8] -- shemitah-blood-moons.net

Ron Paul's Message to America [9] -- ronpaulupdate.com

100% Proof Something Big and Bad Is About To Happen [10] -- lisahavennews.net

Signs That The Elite Are Feverishly Preparing For Something BIG [11] -- endoftheamericandream.com

Many people just have the sense that something is wrong with the world. Here is what vlogger Lisa Haven (lisahavennews.net)[12] says about it:

Have you ever had a gut feeling that something big and possible (sic) bad is right around the corner? If you have, you’re not the only one! The feeling seems to be in the air. We know it, the elite know it, the pentagon knows it, and even our military knows it.

I believe a great evil is about to befall not only our nation, by (sic) the entire world. Something major is unfolding and everyone knows it. The economy is unstable, the world is on the brink of war, the elite are running to their bunkers, and governments are planning for mass civil breakdown. Far too many things are on the forefront and one must ask themselves, “What the heck is going on?”

Too Many Coincidences

Look at this list of major events in the history of Israel and America over the last century and ask yourself if this could possibly be coincidence.  Originally from Cahn's book, I found this summary at http://www.shemitah-blood-moons.net/ [13].

Shemitah Year Events of the Twentieth Century:  The rising up and the falling of empires. 

1917- America rises to power ending World War I.  The rising of the Communist State of the Soviet Union.
1917- The defeat of Germany. The fall of the Czar of Russia.  The fall the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.  The fall of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire.
1938- German Nazis attack Jewish businesses and burn Jewish Synagogues on Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass.)
1945- Nazi Germany is defeated.  The Atomic bomb is dropped on Japan thus ending World War II.  Japan signs peace treaty the same week of the end of the Shemitah year.
1945- The United States becomes a military super power. The U.S. dollar becomes the world standard currency. The United States is the richest country in the world, and the world's largest lender nation.
1973- The United States Supreme Court declares that America's can kill their unborn babies.
1973- The World Trade Center is completed which is a symbol of Americas economic strength.
1973- America loses its first war to Vietnam.  Nixon takes America off the Gold standard.  This sets in motion the decline of the U.S. dollar.
1980- The U.S. Supreme Court bans the posting of the Ten Commandments in Public Schools.  Thus God is now completely banned from our public schools in America.
2001- The World Trade Center buildings (the symbols of Americas economic strength) are destroyed by an Islamic terrorist attack.  One week later Wall Street has one of its greatest collapses on the last day of the Jewish Shemitah Year.
2008- Exactly seven years later, Wall Street suffers its largest decline.  America is now the world's largest debtor nation.
2014-2015-  In Sept of 2014 we start a new Shemitah Year.  This happens in connection with a Tetrad of 4 Blood Moons which all occur on Jewish feast days.  As the United States has turn away from God and endorsed many sins, it is very possible that God's judgment will fall on America during this year of the Shemitah.

*Above list from Rabbi Jonathan Cahn's book The Mystery of the Shemitah.

Why America?

Some will argue the Shemitah applies only to Jews, or only to the nation of Israel. But this list shows major events in America and Jewish history happen according to the year of the Shemitah, and often to the day of the Shemitah when debts are released. The largest economic collapses in America occured in 2001 and 2008, exactly on the day of the Shemitah. God is quite in charge and has left his handprint on world affairs.

Why is God so concerned with America? Isn't this law really for the nation of Israel? The law was given to the ancient nation of Israel, which consisted of 13 tribes. Judah, father of the Jews, was only one son of Jacob, aka Israel.  The northern tribes of Israel dominated by Ephraim became known as Israel, while the southern tribes became known as Judah.  First, Israel was taken captive, then Judah.  Judah returned to the land, but the ten tribes of Israel were apparently lost to history.

But they aren't lost. The tribes of Ephraim and Mannaseh became Great Britain and the United States, while the other tribes settled in Europe.  The current country of Israel could not be the sole focus of so many prophecies.  When Israel, Jacob, or Ephraim are mentioned in prophecy, those prophecies apply to America and Great Britain. Read more at The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy [14] or Two Nations That Changed the World – America & Britain [15]. Most Americans, especially the nation's founders, are the direct descendants of Israel, and if that weren't enough, our founding fathers dedicated this nation to God, even thinking of the country as new Israel The New England Soul [16], Ha Eretz [17].

Signs In the Heavens and on Earth

Signs in the Heavens [18]

So the signs keep piling up on the Shemitah year of 2014-2015. As it says in Luke 21:25 "There will be signs in sun and moon and stars". Four back to back lunar eclipses, also called Blood Moons, all four known as a Tetrad, occur in 2014-2015, three of them during the Shemitah year, all of them on Biblical holy days. The removal of the dead Ground Zero Tree of Hope happened on the first Blood Moon of the Tetrad, Passover 2014. A blood moon is considered a sign to Israel. March 20, 2015 saw a total solar eclipse, the middle of the Shemitah year. Solar eclipses are considered a sign to the world.

And the completion of the new World Trade Center.

And the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of gay marriage.

And the first death from Ebola on American soil.

And China surpassed America as the largest economy in the world.

Calves "Benjamin" and "Shemitah" born in Shemitah year

And the birth of the two cows with the number 7 on their foreheads, born at the beginning of the Shemitah year, The "7" Cows [19]. Could this hearken back to Pharoah's dream of seven fat cows swallowed up by seven skinny cows?

How to Prepare for the Shemitah

The Shemitah day, the last day of the Shemitah year when debts are cancelled, is Sept 13, 2015 according to the Hebrew calendar.  I am not a prophet, and I don't play one on TV, and God is not bound by anything I write, but so many signs point to that day as a day of judgment on America that one can't ignore it.

What should be our reaction to all this? How should we observe the Shemitah? Not plant or harvest your crops? Forgive all personal debts owed to you? Tear up your mortgage? Let your slaves go free? In a world that doesn't keep the Shemitah, it's kind of late in the cycle to do anything to prepare for this Shemitah which ends in less than two months. The sixth year was meant to prepare for the seventh, and I can imagine stockpiling produce to survive the seventh and part of the eighth year. In a developed world, stockpiling might be done on a large scale so there is produce for sale in the seventh year. It's also late to plan on forgiving debts, but not impossible. The world runs too much on credit, and everyone would make different decisions if they knew debts would be erased in the seventh year. No, you can't tear up your mortgage. Yes, you have to let your slaves go free. I don't really know how an individual or a family, much less a community or a country would begin keeping the Shemitah, but I would welcome discussion on it. We do have the example of Israel - "According to the laws of shmita, land owned by Jews in the Land of Israel is left unfarmed. The law does not apply to land in the Diaspora." Wikipedia (Shmita) [20] Personally, I think the law does apply to America as Israel's descendants.

How should we prepare for the judgment of the Shemitah? First and foremost, as Jonathan Cahn says "get right with God". Another way to say it "turn away from evil". Or simply "repent". Sadly, America is increasingly Bible illiterate, and people don't know good from evil, or what to repent of. It may be too late now, but there are verses that say God is willing to forgive upon repentance.

Jer 18:7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

2 Chr 7:14 If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Again, I don't know if anything will happen or when, but  "a prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself" (Pr 27:12). But how? That would depend on the kind of calamity, be it a currency crisis, a stock market crash, or crop failure, or epidemic, or war, or drought, or famine, or terrorism, or hurricanes, or earthquakes, or more than one. Do your best to prepare, but hide in the Lord.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmita
2. http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/562016/jewish/Shemittah.htm
3. http://www.amazon.com/Harbinger-Ancient-Mystery-Secret-Americas/dp/161638610X/ref=sr_1_1
4. http://www.amazon.com/The-Mystery-Shemitah-000-Year-Old-Americas/dp/1629981931/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_y
5. http://www.charismanews.com/world/49634-the-shemitah-four-months-until-financial-ruin
6. http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/43921/when-shemitah-blood-moons-messiah-meet-jewish-world/#1KPCVeQc1wiY48Zu.97
7. http://www.wnd.com/2015/06/u-s-remains-on-perilous-shemitah-course/
8. http://www.shemitah-blood-moons.net/events.html
9. http://ronpaulupdate.com/?cid=MKT033949&eid=MKT065663&gclid=CLPJj4Ov8MYCFQeBaQodIE4Epw
10. http://lisahavennews.net/2015/06/24/100-proof-something-big-and-bad-is-about-to-happen-what-the-elite-know-that-we-dont-has-just-been-exposed/
11. http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/signs-that-the-elite-are-feverishly-preparing-for-something-big
12. http://lisahavennews.net/2015/06/24/100-proof-something-big-and-bad-is-about-to-happen-what-the-elite-know-that-we-dont-has-just-been-exposed/
13. http://www.shemitah-blood-moons.net/
14. http://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/the-united-states-and-britain-in-bible-prophecy
15. http://www.churchathome.org/pdf/America-and-Britain.pdf
16. https://books.google.com/books?id=HhdpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54#v=onepage&q&f=false.
17. http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/west-of-eden/.premium-1.664253
18. http://thedailycoin.org/?p=30095
19. https://4u2consider.wordpress.com/the-7-cows/
20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmita

A Tale Of Two Sighs

There are many kinds of sighs, a contented sigh say at the end of a productive day, an anguished sigh of frustration when your computer crashes again. and many more shades of sighing. You can read about some of the science of sighing at Scientific American blog [1]. But I know what you're thinking, "what's that got to do with Noah's flood?" Noah's father Lamech said this when he named baby Noah.

Gen 5;29 And he called his name Noah, saying: 'This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which cometh from the ground which the LORD hath cursed.' 

Birth of Noah [http://misteroriginal.com/4120bc0814/]

"Shall comfort" is translated from y'nachámënû יְנַחֲמֵנוּ. See the nacham? That's the root of the word, and it originally meant "to sigh". It also means comfort.

Strong's #5162: nacham (pronounced naw-kham') a primitive root; properly, to sigh, i.e. breathe strongly; by implication, to be sorry, i.e. (in a favorable sense) to pity, console or (reflexively) rue; or (unfavorably) to avenge (oneself):--comfort (self), ease (one's self), repent(-er,-ing, self).

A little speculation here. We know that Noah didn't give them comfort - after all, they all died in the flood, and Lamech himself died five years before the flood. Lamech's statement was prophetic, but perhaps it was more of a question than a statement. I can picture Lamech (and all mankind) scrabbling out an existence due to the curse of thorns and thistles (Gen 3:17), heaving a sigh saying "May this one bring us comfort". Was it hope or frustration?

Labor

Lamech wanted relief from "our work and in the toil of our hands". I know what you're thinking, "What's this got to do with Adam and Eve?" There is the obvious connection that the curse of thorns and thistles was Adam's punishment. But there is a linguistic connection as well, the Hebrew for toil (some translations say labor) is itzavon עִצָּבוֹן, the same word used in Gen 3:17. 

Gen 3:17 cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life
Gen 3:18 Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee

Some translations say toil, some say labor or even painful labor, some say sorrow.  So it would appear that the curse on the ground was still in force in Lamech's day, but was lifted after the flood. While gardens and fields today produce some weeds and some thorns and thistles, it is not the hard labor described by Lamech. But today's harvest does not compare to the prophecies, for example Amos 9:13. While Adam's curse may have been partially lifted by Noah so to speak, the ultimate fulfillment of that is still to come, and will be lifted by Christ at His return.

But that's not all. Eve's punishment involved pain too.

Gen 3:16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children." 

In fact, it's the same word for pain as in Adam's curse - itzabon. It's the same in English too, women suffer labor pains in childbirth, and men labor making a living from the earth. Since woman still suffer greatly in childbirth, it appears Eve's curse has not been lifted yet, not even a little. If Lamech's wife had made the prayer, perhaps it would have been...

Rest

Noah's name also means rest. The New American Standard Bible translates it this way.

Gen 5:29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work"

It seems even easier to imagine Lamech sighing and saying "Perhaps this one will give us rest".  Rest fits nicely with the Sabbath day of rest, six days of labor, a day of rest, 6000 years of strife, 1000 years of peace, all foreshadowed by Noah. It also fits nicely with Christ's words.

Mt 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

and

Heb 4:9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

Sigh Two

Now let's see the other sigh of the story. When God saw that all mankind was wicked, it records this.

Gen 6:6 And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
Gen 6:7 The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."
Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Model of Noah'sArk [2]

The phrase "was sorry" is translated from YiNächem, the same word nacham used earlier when Lamech sighed and named Noah. I picture God sighing in frustration and saying he was sorry he made man. How sorry was He? "Grieved Him to His heart" translated from Yit'aTZëv el-liBô יִּתְעַצֵּב אֶל־לִבּוֹ.  Atsav, the root word of Yit'aTZëv, means to carve. Taking some license in translation, it carved His heart out. (By the way, Gen 6:8 is the first time grace is used in the Bible.)

God Suffers With Us

We can think of God as unfeeling, as the Prime Mover, not subject to pain like humans. "Classic theism teaches that God is impassible—not subject to suffering, pain, or the ebb and flow of involuntary passions." God Without Mood Swings  [3]. This notion came from the Greeks, not the Bible, The God Who Suffers, Christianity Today  [4]. The articles quoted here show that God suffers with us, arguably suffers more than us. 

As John Austin Baker says, "The crucified Jesus is the only accurate picture of God the world has ever seen." The sight of Jesus on the cross disclosed God as one who suffers with humanity. [4]

 the God who suffered for us also suffers with us The God Who Suffers With Us [5]

This isn't some literary device so we humans can comprehend that God is "feeling our pain", this was real pain that carved His heart out. It is not just the pain a parent feels when their child is ill or hurts themselves, worse than the pain I caused my mother in my misspent youth. He suffers right along with us. I have felt abandoned by God even though I knew the scripture that He will never forsake us (Heb 13:5), but that is nothing compared to how Christ must have felt on the cross.

And Hope

These two sighs seem to be born of frustration, but they also reveal insights into the gospel of God, one foreseeing mankind's salvation through Noah, and one speaking of mankind's destruction. 

Lamech: Perhaps he will give us rest.

God: I'm sorry I made man.

Notice that the salvation was arranged before the destruction. The fix was in. The same is true of Christ's second coming, rescue planned long before the end time destruction on the earth.

References

1. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/ignobel-prize-winner-a-kiss-is-just-a-kiss-but-is-a-sigh-ever-just-a-sigh/
2. https://leesbirdblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/noahs-ark-c2a9c2a9flickr-elmada.jpg
3. http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/articles/impassib.htm
4. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1997/february3/7t2038.html
5. http://www.myronjtaylor.com/pdf/withus.pdf

Mmmm... Fat

Americans have a love/hate relationship with fat. We have low fat diets and high fat diets. At the same time, we have an obesity epidemic (WebMD) [1]. Now "they" talk about good fats and bad fats (Mythbuster) [2]. Dietary fat is not the sole cause of obesity, but it plays a significant role (WebMD) [3]. I don't know nearly enough to offer dietary advice, I want to explore fats from a Biblical angle.

Is Fat OK?

I had always thought that the Bible forbade eating fat, so I trimmed my steaks, but I also believed "marbled fat is OK". Was this only kidding myself? What about sausages or hamburger? Even if the package says 90% lean, the other 10% is still fat (assuming that's bad of course). The problem is that fat is tasty, lots of flavors like spices are soluble in fat, making it even tastier.

The first thing to clear up is that I am talking about meat and fat from "clean" animals, that is cows, sheep, goats, deer, but not pigs, bear, or dogs. You can read What Does the Bible Teach About Clean and Unclean Meats [4] for a more thorough explanation.

Here is why I thought the Bible forbade eating fat, Lev 3:17 "It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood."  But then in Neh 8:10 it seemingly says the opposite "Then he said unto them: 'Go your way, eat the fat'". Which is it? Eat it or don't eat it? Chew the fat or eschew the fat...

Fat is often used in a positive way in the Bible. See Is 25:6 And in this mountain will the LORD of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things. Some argue that fat here and in Neh 8 is not literal fat, but fatness, or rich food. That just means it is the best part. The prodigal son's father brought out the fatted calf, the best.

A Closer Look

Beef suet

I was surprised to learn that fat is translated from two different words in these two verses. Lev 3:17 uses the Hebrew word chelev, while Neh 8:10 uses shamen. Shamen is often translated oil. Chelev is explained earlier in Lev 3, verse 9 "And he shall present of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto the LORD: the fat thereof, the fat tail entire, which he shall take away hard by the rump-bone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards". This is more or less what we call suet in English. Again, it is the best part.

Lev 7:23-25 clarifies Lev 3:17 in that not all suet is forbidden, only that from animals that can be used in a temple sacrifice, specifically cows, sheep, and goats. "Only the chelev of animals that are of the sort from which offerings can be brought in the Tabernacle or Temple are prohibited"  Wikipedia Chelev [5] "For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the LORD shall be cut off from his people" Lev 7:23-25. Some interpret this verse to pertain only to animals actually used in offerings, not ordinary food.  I lean toward the view in the Wiki quote. So you can keep your jar of schmaltz (chicken fat). But all manner of blood is still forbidden (Lev 7:26).

Even from a clean animal, there are parts that are not food, like teeth, hide, fur, or feathers. The Bible adds chelev to this list. One of the things we learn from clean versus unclean is that this knowledge had to be revealed. We would not figure it out on our own. In recent times, humans have found health reasons for many of the Biblical dietary laws, including clean and unclean meats.

Bottom Feeding Carp

But Israel could not have figured it out 3500 years ago - it was revealed to them way ahead of modern science. And yet, bottom feeding carp is clean, go figure, so there are still mysteries to explain. [The Bible does not say it is because of health reasons however, it says to distinguish between clean and unclean, to be separate and holy.]* Following Biblical dietary laws is one way that believers separate themselves. Most everyone is aware of the Jewish people because of their observance of Kosher food. As someone who is not Jewish but avoids pork and shellfish, the most common unclean meats in America, I get noticed for it. But with so many vegans and vegetarians today, most people accept dietary restrictions. Sometimes it leads to a discussion of why. Read a discussion of it in the UCG article Clean and Unclean Meats [4].

For decades, I have avoided unclean meats, but never considered the other laws about meat. There is very thorough teaching demonstrating that the laws concerning clean and unclean meats are still applicable today, but no discussion of chelev versus shamen. There are other prohibitions in the Bible about meats to consider as well, like "the proper removal of blood, and the animal's manner of death" Let's Chew the Fat [6]. So let's talk about Kosher.

Biblically Kosher vs Rabbinic Kosher

Common Kosher Symbols

What is the difference between  Biblically kosher and Rabbinic Kosher? Certainly, the rabbinic notion of kosher is based on the Bible but takes into account more than just whether the animal is clean or not. "The Rabbinical tradition is far more intricate than just literally following what the Bible says in Leviticus 11 ... There are laws explaining how an animal should be slaughtered in the Bible" Biblical vs Rabbinical Kosher [7].

Is Halal the same as Kosher?

Halal Symbol

The Hebrew dietary laws are known as kosher, which simply means "fit", as in fit to eat. Halal is the Islamic dietary law,  where halal means "lawful". Although there are many similarities, like avoiding pork, there are differences. Halal requires that "the name of Allah is said before the slaughter". Having Allah's name on my steak feels like "meat sacrificed to idols" Acts 15:20, 1Cor 8:4. Read more at Are You Eating Meat Sacrificed to Idols? [8]. There is lots of debate on this. My understanding is "don't ask", but if you know the meat is sacrificed to idols, "don't eat". A blessing is usually said before a Kosher slaughter, but not required Islamic/Kosher Dietary Laws [9]. Here's the big difference in this context "Kosher prohibits the eating of chelev, but halal does not." Other similarities and differences are listed at at the Wikipedia link.

What To Do?

I don't butcher my own cattle, so I am at the mercy of the butcher. Will a non Kosher butcher trim the chelev? Or do they throw it in the generic ground beef? By regulation (in America), ground chuck or ground sirloin has to be just that, and it can't have scraps from other parts of the animal. But generic ground beef? Or sausages? Fast food burgers?

Does that mean I have to buy all my meat at a kosher butcher who  has had special training? According to Wikipedia [9], "Any sane adult Jew who knows the proper technique may perform the shechita (slaughter)" I would think this applies to anyone, not just Jews. After all, the laws were given to all Israel, Judah being only one of twelve tribes.  So if I did butcher my own animal and removed the chelev, the meat should be "fit". Assuming the animal was slaughtered properly, cuts of meat like steaks and roasts would be safe because there is no chelev there. And ground chuck/round/sirloin is OK for the same reason. The meats that make me uncomfortable are ground beef and sausage. Unless I trust the butcher to remove the chelev (I suppose I could ask him), these products may not be fit.

When I started to write this, I only thought to write about chelev versus shamen showing that certain fats were OK (yes, marbling is OK), but I didn't realize I would end up finding out meats that would not be fit, and that I would have to change. If you care about clean and unclean meats, you too may see a need for change.

* Added June 3, 2015

References

1. http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/obesity-epidemic-astronomical
2. http://www.blackinkwithcab.com/2011/05/16/mythbuster-monday-good-fat-bad-fat/
3. http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/skinny-fat-good-fats-bad-fats
4. http://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/what-does-the-bible-teach-about-clean-and-unclean-meats
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelev
6. http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/eating_biblically_lets_chew_th.html
7. http://jewishroots.net/library/food/biblical_verses_rabbinical_kosher.html
8. http://www.wnd.com/2011/01/255825
9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Islamic_and_Jewish_dietary_laws

Ethiopian? Eunuch?

In 1985, I went to a conference called UNIFORUM to take a class. At my hotel, I was on the elevator when another guy got on. Being a friendly Minnesotan (this was before my curmudgeon days), I asked the guy "Are you here for the UNIX conference?" He mumbled some reply and got off at the next floor. So not all the guests at the hotel were there for the conference... I guess computer operating systems weren’t as well known then.

The deacon Phillip, often called Phillip the evangelist, apparently didn’t suffer from ill chosen words like me. When he met the Ethiopian eunuch, described in Acts 8:26-40, he made a better impression, culminating in the baptism of the Ethiopian. From the view of the 21st century, we perhaps don’t see how remarkable this story is. From the view of a 1st century Jew, it has some puzzling features. Ordinarily Jews would not associate with Gentiles, though he appeared to be what the Bible refers to as "God fearing", perhaps a Jewish proselyte. Eunuchs would not be allowed in the Temple, yet he was returning from worshiping in Jerusalem. We take Bibles for granted, but he was reading a scroll of Isaiah, at a time when scrolls were rare and precious, the equivalent of new car today. Most striking is that the Ethiopian eunuch would be the first Gentile convert to Christianity -- before the Apostle Peter met Cornelius. Peter was more reluctant than Phillip, he explained to Cornelius that it was against Jewish law to visit a Gentile.

He was a man from Ethiopia

Most scholars seem to agree that he really was an Ethiopian, a dark skinned person. MacLaren’s Expositions [1] states confidently “Here was a full-blooded Gentile, an eunuch. Philip asked nothing about the eunuch’s proselytism, or whether he had been circumcised or not.” John Dick [2] writes  “This man was a proselyte to the Jewish religion.” There was a Jewish element in Ethiopia since the time of Queen Sheba’s visit to Solomon, possibly from the time of the Exodus, a proselyte seems plausible. "This African court official was the first non-Jewish Christian." Craig Keener [3]

He was a eunuch

Likewise, most scholars seem to agree that he really was a eunuch. “This Nubian court official was probably a Gentile 'God-fearer'. When meant literally which was not always the case (Gen. 39:1 LXX), eunuchs referred to castrated men.” Craig Keener [3]

However, “The title “eunuch” can be used of a government official who is literally a eunuch, but also for an official who is not. Thus, we cannot know for certain whether or not this man was literally a eunuch. If he was, indeed, a eunuch, he would have been forbidden to enter the assembly of the Lord”. Bob Deffinbaugh [4]

He is returning from worship in Jerusalem

He may have known who Christ was, after all Christ was the “talk of the town” in those days. Yet his questions about Isaiah 53 suggest that  it was news to him. Who is this sheep led to slaughter? 

I think one reason that this episode is recorded is to show that converting to Judaism is not enough for salvation, after all, the Ethiopian eunuch was already a Jewish convert. "We are not saved (as the Judaizers would insist) by becoming Jewish proselytes, for the Ethiopian was a proselyte. But while he was a religious Jew, he was not saved. People thus are saved by recognizing their sins, just as the Jews must, and by trusting in Jesus as God’s Messiah, just like the Jews. Gentiles must be saved as Jews are (so here), and Jews must be saved as the Gentiles are (so Galatians 2:15-21)." Bob Deffinbaugh [4] However, it does not mean we have license to throw out the Old Testament and its laws!

He is reading Isaiah

Acts 8 quotes the passage in Isaiah, it is ch 53. If he had continued reading Isaiah after Phillip was spirited away, he would have read this just three chapters later, which suggests to me he really was a eunuch. Imagine the impact these words had on him. Isaiah 56:

3. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
4 For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

He is baptized that day

“Modern Churches require candidates to submit to a tedious process of probation. Prudence now counsels delay, but the eunuch was baptized immediately” J. Cynddylan Jones  [5]. At the other end of the spectrum are deathbed baptisms - “The baptism of Constantine at the end of his life initiated a common practice of deathbed baptisms in the early church” Everett Ferguson 'Recent Studies in Early Christianity' [6].

Apparently people wanted to live life their own way and have their sins forgiven right at the end.

The rest of the story

According to church tradition, this man was to become an evangelist among his own people.

From the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches [7] article on the Ethiopian church:

Ethiopia embraced Christianity and has maintained its doctrines from the era of the apostles to the present day. Acts 8:26-39 recounts the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who was baptized by St. Philip. This eunuch was a minister of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia. This story is the beginning of Ethiopian Church history. Eusebius speaks of this eunuch as the first fruits of the faith in the whole world. Irenaeus writes that he preached the Gospel to the Ethiopians. Tradition further records that the apostle Matthew preached the gospel to the Ethiopians and won a few converts to the new doctrine before leaving the country. 

Irenaeus (mentioned above) gives his name as Simeon Bachos the Eunuch. In Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition he was referred to as Bachos and in Eastern Orthodox tradition he is known as an Ethiopian Jew with the name Simeon also called the Black, the same name he is given in Acts 13:1.Wikipedia 'Ethiopian_eunuch'

[8]

By Their Fruits Shall You Know Them

The only pre-colonial Christian church of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Ethiopian Church has a membership of between 40 and 45 million.  Wikipedia 'Christianity in Ethiopia' [9] Not bad for someone who got a few hours of teaching in a chariot.

References

1.http://biblehub.com/commentaries/acts/8-26.htm
2.http://biblehub.com/library/dick/lectures_on_the_acts_of_the_apostles/lecture_xi_the_conversion_of.htm
3.http://www.craigkeener.com/philip-preaches-to-the-ethiopian-eunuch-in-acts-826-27/
4.https://bible.org/seriespage/13-ethiopian-eunuch-acts-826-40
5.http://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/jones/philip_and_the_eunuch.htm
6.http://www.amazon.com/Recent-Studies-Early-Christianity-Collection/dp/0415898129
7.http://www.scooch.org/member-churches/the-ethiopian-church/
8.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_eunuch
9.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Ethiopia