Between the Ears

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Counting The Days

A few Bible controversies never seem to die, some of them revolve around what day something happened. Here are four such controversies. My goal is to explain my understanding of each one.

What day was Jesus Christ crucified?
What day did Israel leave Egypt?
What day is Pentecost (Shavuot)?
What day did Israel cross the Red Sea?

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What day was Jesus Christ crucified?

Most professing Christians believe Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and was resurrected on a Sunday, as in Good Friday to Easter Sunday. The problem is that Jesus said He would be in the heart of the earth (dead) for three days and three nights. And this would be the sign that He was the Messiah.

Mt 12:39 And answering He said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

No one doubts Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, but when it comes to Jesus in the tomb, many count partial days as whole days, contradicting the plain words of the text. There is a better explanation.

Jesus was crucified on Passover, which happened to be a Wednesday that year. He died that Wednesday afternoon, and was buried near sunset, and sunset began the Holy Day called the First Day of Unleavened Bread. Three days and three nights later is late Saturday again near sunset. This is the time of His resurrection, but He didn't ascend to Heaven until the next morning. As far as I know, all Christians agree that He ascended on that Sunday morning.

Mark 15:42 explains the urgency in needing to bury Jesus immediately because that day was the preparation day, that is preparation for the Sabbath. This does not mean the weekly Sabbath which would imply the crucifixion was on a Friday, but it means the First Day of Unleavened Bread, which is made clear in John 19:31.

Mk 15:42 And evening having arrived already, since it was the Preparation, that is, the day before Sabbath,
Jn 19:31 Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation, so that bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath--for that Sabbath was a high day--asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and they might be taken away.

While many Christians believe the crucifixion took place on Friday, the well known commentator E. W. Bullinger (1837 to 1913) worked out that it happened on a Wednesday. In Appendix 156 to the Companion Bible, titled "Six Days Before the Passover", Bullinger wrote:

It follows, therefore, that the Lord was crucified on our Wednesday; was buried on that day before sunset; and remained "three days and three nights' in the tomb, as foretold by Him in Matt. 12:40; rising from the dead on the third day', 'the first day of the week'. The fixed days and dates, at either end, hold the whole period as in a vice, and place the whole subject on a sure foundation. Companion Bible, Appendix 156 [1]

You can read more details at UCG(3days) [2].

What Day Did Israel Leave Egypt?

It is straightforward to determine the day of the Exodus, there are a couple clues that make it possible. Those clues are in the story of the giving of manna, explained in Exodus 16. Arriving in the Wilderness of Sin, the Israelites complained. God heard their complaint and promised them meat that night and bread (manna) in the morning. They received manna for six straight days then on the Sabbath, no manna. In order to get six days of manna in a row, it had to start on Sunday morning. Therefore, the day they arrived was a Sabbath. which was the 15th day of the second month.

Ex 16:1 On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. 2 And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

Ex 16:8 And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

Knowing the 15th day of the second month is a Sabbath, work back to the Exodus. This assumes there are 30 days in the the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Some argue that in the days of Moses, the new month began when the crescent moon was visible, not always 30 days. It became fixed at 30 days sometime later - Chabad.org(Hebrew months) [3]. Josephus writes that the food they brought from Egypt lasted 30 days, implying Iyar (second month) 15 and a 30 day Nisan - Antiquities Of the Jews [4], line 4401. Working back shows Passover on Tuesday night & Wednesday daytime, and the Exodus on Wednesday night & Thursday daytime. Hebrew days start at sunset.

Nissan

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Passover the 14th, Exodus the 15th

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

Iyar

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Arrive in Wilderness of Sin

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 First week of manna

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

COMPANION BIBLE.
APPENDIX 50.VII(1)

Bullinger in his Companion Bible puts the Exodus on the first day of the week. He says it in Appendix 50, chart 7.1 named "DETAILS OF THE EXODUS WEEK IN 1491 B.C.". Online versions are hard to read, but he does list the day of the week for every day during Unleavened Bread, the 15th is labeled "1st day of the week" - Bullinger(App 50) [5]. Some speculate it was because he made the 1st of Nisan the 1st day of the week also, though I haven't found that statement in Bullinger - COGMI(Exodus_6) [6]. I think Bullinger got it right concerning the day of Passover, but not the day of Exodus.

What day is Pentecost (Shavuot)?

This controversy has been around for at least 2000 years. During New Testament times, there were three schools of thought about the day, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. They all agreed that the count to Pentecost was tied to Unleavened Bread, but differed in details, arriving at different days. The Essenes had their own calendar where every year started on a Wednesday, and believed that the count to Pentecost began with the first Sunday after Unleavened Bread. The Essenes were all killed, and as far as I know, no one today uses their calendar or their method of counting Pentecost.

That leaves Pharisees and Sadducees. Pharisees taught that the count began on the second day of Unleavened Bread, while the Sadducees taught it began on the day after the weekly Sabbath during the Feast. Both claim to be following what is written in Leviticus.

Lev 23:15 You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths

The First Day of Unleavened Bread is a Sabbath, so the Pharisees said to count from the day after, which in the modern Hebrew calendar always falls on Sivan (month 3) 6. The Sadducees said to count from the day after the weekly Sabbath, so the date changes from year to year, though it is always in the third month. Moses and all Israel knew when Moses wrote the Torah, but sometime after that the knowledge got lost. Are there enough clues in the Bible to resolve it? Yes, beginning with the next verse.

Lev 23:16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.

The only way to end up on the day after the Sabbath is to start counting on the day after the Sabbath. The second day of the Feast can occur on any day of the week, so it can't fulfill the requirement of verse 16. It did fall on the day after the weekly Sabbath in 2018, but by coincidence, not design. I have heard Jewish rabbis read verse 16 and change the word "Sabbath" into "week". They know Hebrew way better than me, but I know enough to know that the word there is "Sabbath" - QBible(Lev 23:16) [7].

Are there any other clues in the Bible? Yes. Note that the count starts on the day of the Wave Sheaf Offering (verse 15). Note also in verse 14 that the Israelites were prohibited from eating parched grain until the Wave Sheaf Offering.

Lev 23:14 Until this very day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new produce

But also note that there is a case where Israel ate parched grain on the first day of the Feast.

Josh 5:11 Then on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain.

The day after the Passover IS the First Day of Unleavened Bread. And it HAD to be the Wave Sheaf Day, because they were eating the grain. So the count began then, not on the second day like the Pharisees taught. Some have argued that the grain was last year's crop, but parched grain can only come from a freshly harvested crop, not old grain - Nehemiah's Wall(Shavuot) [8].

So, the count to Pentecost, also known as Shavuot, also known as Feast of Weeks, must begin on the day after the weekly Sabbath (Sunday) and end on the day after the weekly Sabbath (Sunday). Most Jews today follow the Pharisee's teaching, but not all. Today's Karaite Jews and the Churches of God agree with the Sadducees of old that the Bible teaches Shavuot is on a Sunday.

What day did Israel cross the Red Sea?

I know of three theories on the subject.

They crossed on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread
They crossed on the Fourth Day of Unleavened Bread
They crossed after Unleavened Bread

Let me deal with the last theory first. This is promoted by Stephen Rudd in his book Exodus Route Restored [9]. I have not read his book, but he gives a chart showing the Red Sea crossing 25 days after Passover. He places the Exodus on Thursday, 8 days travel to Succoth, 8 more days to arrive at the Red Sea, and camping there for 8 days before crossing. While Rudd references Exo 14:6-9 to support his theory, those verses don't say how long they travelled, or how long they camped on the west side of the Red Sea before crossing. So I find this the least convincing theory.

For 8 days Israel camped at the Red Sea crossing point (days 17-24) while Pharaoh's army pursued them with 600 choice horse-drawn chariots - Exodus Route [10]

Last Day of Unleavened Bread Theory

Many teach that the Red Sea crossing happened on the seventh (last) day of Unleavened Bread. This includes branches of the Churches of God (other churches don't seem to comment on it), Jews, Messianic Jews, and individuals. Some quotes.

Jewish tradition says they crossed the sea on the seventh day of the Passover week - Chabad.org [11]

Seven days after Israel left Egypt after the first Passover, the new nation went through the Red Sea - Hallel.info [12]

The Israelites crossed the Red Sea on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread - ucg.org [13]

“Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea.” This is the start of the 21st day—the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread - Don Roth [14].

Fourth Day of Unleavened Bread Theory

While most branches of the Churches of God teach the seventh day crossing, some offshoots of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) teach that the crossing happened on the fourth day, which would be on the Sunday that we now call the Wave Sheaf Day or Pentecost. Before 1965, the WCG Correspondence Course "contained no assertions or conclusions about the Israelite's day-to-day passage during that initial seven-day Feast" - COG Eternal [15], HWA Library [16]. In this theory, three days after the Wave Sheaf Day, Israel sacrificed in the wilderness on the seventh day of Unleavened Bread. Num 33:5-8 shows three encampments after Rameses: Succoth, Etham, and Pihahiroth. If each encampment lasts a day, the crossing was Sunday the fourth day. If Israel stayed at Etham for the weekly Sabbath, then travelled south on Sunday, they camped at two unidentified locations Sunday and Monday nights before reaching Pihahiroth, then they crossed on the seventh day. The sacrifice at Marah would have been three days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. God has a pattern of timing important things on His Holy Days. While both theories have a big event happen on the seventh day (Red Sea crossing or sacrifice in the wilderness), the seventh day crossing theory neglects Wave Sheaf Day and has the sacrifice after the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

I see problems in both theories, fourth and seventh days. One problem in the seventh day theory is textual - it requires two unidentified camp sites that Moses didn't mention. Another problem is the sacrifice at Marah is after Unleavened Bread. One problem in the fourth day theory is logistics - getting a million+ people to walk that far that fast. Knowing the route of the Exodus might resolve the issue, but the scholars don't agree on that. So, like a number of things, do your own research and make up your own mind.

Final Thoughts

Two of these "day" questions have theological implications, two do not. It very much matters what day Jesus was crucified, it means the difference between keeping Passover or keeping Good Friday. And it very much matters what day Pentecost is, it means the difference between keeping it "on the morrow after the Sabbath" or keeping it on Sivan 6 regardless of the day of the week.

As far as I can tell, what day Israel left Egypt and what day they crossed the Red Sea don't change any observances for us today.

References

1. https://www.companionbiblecondensed.com/AP/ap156/index.html

2. https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/easter-the-rest-of-the-story/three-days-and-three-nights

3. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2263459/jewish/Hebrew-Months.htm

4. http://josephus.org/

5. http://www.posterite-d-abraham.org/BULLINGER/APP50_20.htm

6. https://thecogmi.org/video/exodus-6.htm

7. http://qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament/leviticus/23.html#16

8. https://www.nehemiaswall.com/truth-shavuot

9. https://www.bible.ca/exodus/

10. https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-travel-times-distances-days.htm

11. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246647/jewish/Parting-of-the-Red-Sea.htm

12. https://hallel.info/seventh-day-of-the-feast-of-unleavened-bread-%E2%80%94-significance-then-and-today-of-israels-crossing-of-the-red-sea/

13. https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/gods-plan-as-revealed-by-his-holy-days

14. https://www.biblicalcalendarproof.com/articles/passover-crossing-red-sea

15. https://www.cogeternal.org/2000s/01055_0405crossredseajwb.htm

16. https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbstudy&InfoID=1496918457&InfoType=Study58

Monday, September 5, 2022

The Generations Of Adam

In July 2022, Tom Randle (UCG Twin Cities) gave a message called The Generations of Adam [1]. One of the things he discussed was the overlap of the lives of the descendants of Adam to Jacob. And he provided a full color chart showing their life spans. I plan to expand on "The Generations of Adam" by discussing the meanings of their names. Why focus on the names? Names in the Bible are significant. Larry Walker (UCG Medford) discussed names in the Bible in a message titled What's in a Name [2]. One thing he said is “The importance of a name by the Biblical writer can not be overstated.” The Bible often records why a person is given the name they have. It surprised me to learn that according to some scholars, the names of Adam's descendants reveal a message.

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Adam's Family

Let's start with the first family.

Adam - means MAN(kind) | Red | One From The Soil | Beginning

Gen 1:26 JPS And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...

MAN in Gen 1:26 is the Hebrew word Adam, Adam is related to Dam, meaning blood, hence the meaning "red". Ha'adam usually means "the man" or "mankind", see Gen 4:1. Adamah is "dirt" or "ground".

Strongs 120 [3]

Eve - means LIFE.

Gen 3:20 KJV And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

In Hebrew her name was Chavva. She was called Chavva because she was the mother of all Chayya, Hebrew for life.

This is an example where the Bible tells why she was named Chavva.

Strongs 2332 [4]

Cain - means GOTTEN | POSSESSION | ACQUISITION | SMITH, as in Tubal-cain

Gen 4:1 KJV Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have acquired a man from the LORD.

The Bible tells us why he was named CAIN.

Strongs 7014 [5]

Abel - means BREATH | FUTILE | WORTHLESS | VANITY | TRANSITORY

Gen 4:2 Then she bore again [She continued to bear], this time his brother Abel.

A familiar verse that mentions Abel is Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV "Vanity of vanities". In English, it could read "Abel of Abels", or "Breath of Breaths". These don't make sense to me but words can have multiple meanings, and they can change over time.

Strongs 1892 [6] and 1893 [7]

Seth - means APPOINTED | COMPENSATION | SUBSTITUTE|

Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son, and called his name Seth: 'for God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.'

Again we know why he was named Seth. Seth comes from a verb that means put or set.

Strongs 8352 [8]

DIY

Before we look at the descendants of Seth, let me show how to look up this info for yourself. Before the Internet, you would need several books. Now it's much easier.

https://biblehub.com/ [9] - Shows multiple translations of a single verse. Search the Bible or Commentaries for a word or phrase. It also shows the Hebrew, word by word, with hyperlinks to Strong’s Concordance (BibleHub's own).

http://www.qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament [10] - Gives the Hebrew, transliteration, and KJV. Again with hyperlinks to Strong’s, but a different Strong’s than BibleHub links to, called lexiconcordance.com [11].

https://www.abarim-publications.com/ [12] - Detailed info on every name and place in the Bible. Lots of research here. Often gives multiple explanations for name.

Or, just do Internet search for "meaning of names from adam to noah". These will probably be among the results.

https://www.christiantruthcenter.com/the-first-generation-from-adam/ [13]

https://bible-codes.org/Names-Bible-Prophecy-Code.htm [14]

The Rest of the Names

Gen 5 gives the descendants from Adam to Noah - Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. These ten names represent 1600 years of history. We've already looked at Adam and Seth, so starting with Enosh.

Enosh - means |Subject to death/Man(kind) | MORTAL | Weak But Social|

Strongs 583 [15] and 582 [16]

It is the same name as Cain with an additional N, how that changes the meaning is unknown.

Strongs 7018 [17] and 7064 [18]

Mahalalel - means |From the presence of God | PRAISE OF GOD|

This is a combination of MAHALAL (Praise) and EL (God). It is similar to HALLELUJAH which means praise God (YHVH). Only one source has "presence of God"

Strongs 4111 [19]

Jared - means |One comes down | DESCENT|

Only one source has "One comes down".

Strongs3382 [20] and 3381 [21]

Enoch - means |Dedicated | Inaugurated | Trained|

Strongs 2585 [22]

Opinions differ on the meaning of Methuselah. The verb מות (mut) means to die or kill. The noun מת (mat) is a word for man. Scholars differ on whether it should be die or man, see below. One compelling fact favoring mut over mat is that the year Methuselah died, God sent the flood. The verb שלח (shalach) means to send. His name appears prophetic, and it could have dual fulfilments, meaning "send the flood" or "send the Holy Spirit".

Strongs 4968 [23]

Lamech naming Noah

Lamech - means |To the poor and lowly | Strong Man For Humiliation | powerful|

The word למך (lmk) does not occur in Hebrew. It could be a combination of le (to) and muk (to be low or depressed) - abarim.com(Lamech) [24].

Strongs 3929 [25]

Noah - means |REST | COMFORT|

Gen 5:28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son. 29 And he named him Noah, saying, May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.

In Hebrew, Noah's name is just two letters (N-CH). Spelled backwards, it is CHEN, meaning grace. Gen 6:8 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD". Noah means REST. Significantly, the competing lineage of Cain, ends up in the land of Nod, which means Restless Wandering.

Strongs 5146 [26]

The Message

I see consensus on the meaning of most of the names, with a few where the experts disagree. A message does seem to emerge by stringing the names together. We will add some connector words to make better sense of it.

Christian Truth Center [27] puts the names together this way

Man appointed subject to death, sorrowful, from the presence of God one comes down dedicated and dying He shall send to the poor and lowly rest and comfort.

Bible-Codes [28] puts the names together this way

The God-man is appointed, a mortal man of sorrow is born! The Blessed God shall come down and teach that His death shall bring the grieving comfort and rest.

The Bible Made Plain [29] like this

Man is appointed mortal in his dwelling (earth). The praise of God (Jesus) came down to make disciples, was speared (pierced) by a man, who is unknown, to give rest (to mankind).

Here's my attempt.

God appointed a man of sorrow. Praise God that a dedicated One shall come down. When He dies, He will send comfort and rest to the grieving.

Is It True?

I find it interesting to play around with these names to make a story. Is it true? I don't believe there are accidents or coincidences in the Bible. But languages do change over time - consider the difference in English between the KJV and now - KJV Words [30]. That's in 400 years, the names of Adams descendants goes back 6000 years, and that is before the tower of Babel. Many scholars believe that Hebrew was the pre Babel language. The reason is because these very genealogies and place names only make sense in Hebrew. (EG: Eve is the mother of all living doesn't make sense in English). Some words are only used once in the Bible (400 words in the Old Testament are known as hapax legomena [31] meaning "spoken once"), and scholars can't be sure of the meaning of some of them. So we may not know the intended meaning of some of the names, but we do know many because they are given in Scripture. And a message does seem to come through, even using just the names where we ARE certain of their meaning. That message is "gospel-like" depending on one's definition of the gospel.

Bible-Codes [28] claims that ALL the names from Adam to Jesus tell a story, according to the genealogies given in Matthew and Luke, that's over 70 names. Decide for yourself.

However, it could be a case of finding what we want to find. Hebrew scholars have looked at the names and concluded many of them are improperly translated,

So Is It True? Scholar vs Scholar

Peter Goeman [32], professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, gives a couple reasons why he doesn't agree with the message in the names. He cites the source as Chuck Missler, who gave this in a lecture in 2013 [33], and in an online Q&A [34], which references a 1999 book by Missler called Cosmic Codes [35]. I don't know if Missler is the source of the idea, (it is the earliest reference I found). He contends that "the idea that these names combine into secret message is grasping at something that just is not there." He explains that Hebrew word order is different from English, and that the message is different if one follows Hebrew rules. More problematic is that some of the names are mistranslated, which would change the meaning of the message. "The main point is that a translation of the sequence of names presupposes what it attempts to prove, relying on English rather than Hebrew."

Michael Heiser [36], Bible scholar, Author, and Semitic languages expert, also critiqued Missler's message in the names. He too had trouble accepting Missler's interpretation of several of the names. And that the message violated Hebrew rules of grammar. He also points out that the text should be understood according to the author's intent, not ours. More obvious is the question Heiser poses "WHY would God want to encrypt a message that is found elsewhere plainly in sight?"

Final Thoughts

I don't know enough Hebrew to enter this debate, though perhaps I did enter it by bringing it up. While Bible codes and hidden messages may boost the faith of a believer, I doubt that anyone will be persuaded of the gospel because of them, especially when those messages are already plainly in the text. So, is it true? I have tried to present things so that you can decide for yourself. Perhaps topics like this are distractions from the Scriptures that have a straightforward meaning. Whether it is true or not, Peter asks a more important question.

2Peter 3:11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?

Indeed, what sort of people ought we to be?

References

1. https://www.ucg.org/sermons/generations-of-adam
2. https://www.ucg.org/sermons/whats-in-a-name-12
3. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/0120.html
4. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/2332.html
5. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/7014.html
6. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/1892.html
7. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/1893.html
8. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/8352.html
9. https://biblehub.com/
10. http://www.qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament
11. http://lexiconcordance.com
12. https://www.abarim-publications.com/
13. https://www.christiantruthcenter.com/the-first-generation-from-adam/
14. https://bible-codes.org/Names-Bible-Prophecy-Code.htm
15. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/0583.html
16. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/0582.html
17. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/7018..html
18. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/7064.html
19. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/4111.html
20. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3382.html
21. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3381.html
22. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/2585.html
23. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/4968.html
24. https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Lamech.html
25. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3929.html
26. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/5146.html
27. https://www.christiantruthcenter.com/the-first-generation-from-adam/
28. https://bible-codes.org/Names-Bible-Prophecy-Code.htm
29. https://thebiblemadeplain.com/what-are-the-meaning-of-the-names-from-adam-to-noah/
30. https://www.gotquestions.org/KJV-words.html
31. https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7236-hapax-legomena
32. https://petergoeman.com/bible-codes-and-the-secret-message-of-scripture/
33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QdUhNY6DnY&t=414s
34. https://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/284/#notes
35. https://store.khouse.org/products/cosmic-codes-book
36. https://drmsh.com/allegorical-interpretation-names-genesis-5

Friday, April 29, 2022

Crown Of Thorns

Most Christians would recognize the hymn “Crown Him With Many Crowns”. Normally, that makes me think of Revelation.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

But we know that Jesus wore a different crown during His trial and crucifixion - a crown of thorns. What is the significance of this? Any symbolism? Let’s explore the subject of thorns to see what the Bible reveals.

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We first encounter thorns in Genesis. Adam and Eve have eaten the forbidden fruit, and God is sentencing them.

Gen 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you;

With hard labor you shall eat from it

All the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;

Yet you shall eat the plants of the field;

Technically, it was the ground that was cursed, not Adam. A curse on Adam would have expired when Adam died (though Eve's curse didn't expire with her), but this curse is on the ground, meaning it is on everyone after Adam as well. The Hebrew reveals a wordplay here. The man’s name was Adam; ground is adamah. He was named Adam because he was taken from adamah. “Cursed is the adamah for your sake”.

Thorn Bushes, Trees, Thistles, Gardening

Honey Locust Thorn Tree

Thorns grow on bushes and trees. The buckthorn tree seems to be the most hated in Minnesota where I live, and it’s not even a native species. A friend described buckthorn as pernicious, hard to kill, and it crowds out other trees. The honey locust tree, which grows from Iowa southward, has thorns 4 to 8 inches long Wikipedia(honey_locust) [1]. Besides trees like buckthorn and honey locust, there are many varieties of thorn bushes; some of them like roses sold as ornamental hedges. There are also many varieties of thistles, like Bull thistle, Cockleburs, Raspberry, and Blackberry. The Bible has 21 words for thorns and thistles - FlowersInIsrael [2]. Despite Jer_12:13 “They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns”. I have never seen thorns in a garden - I have pulled thistles though.

Acacia

One type of thorn tree mentioned by name in the Bible is the acacia. Acacia is the only wood used to build the furniture of the Tabernacle, including the Ark of the Covenant, which was overlaid with gold. In large areas of the desert lands of the Negev and Sinai, acacia trees are the only trees. Acacia is thorny, the wood is dense, and the grain of the wood is gnarly and changes direction. It is resistant to decay, and unpalatable to insects, making an ideal material for building items that would need to be durable and long lasting, such as the Tabernacle. But it is difficult to work with. We are like acacia wood, gnarly and difficult, but like the ark, God plans to cover us with gold - AcaciaWood [3].

Thorns Are a Curse

Many of life's difficulties can be pictured by thorns.

Pro 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;

One who guards himself will be far from them.

Consider expressions involving thorns

Thorn in the flesh

Thorn in the side

Thorny issue/problem

There’s no rose without a thorn

Bed of thorns

The righteous are portrayed as trees, or vines, but problem people are called thorns.

Ps 1:3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Ps 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your table.

Num 33:55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.

Some translations read “thorns in your EYES”.

Consider words in the English language that can be used to describe characteristics of people.

Thorny
Prickly
Sharp tongue
Abrasive (thistles)
How about sarcastic?

Sarcasm comes from the Ancient Greek sarx (flesh), derived from the verb sarkázein (σαρκάζειν), which means to tear flesh. A sarcastic remark, therefore, is one that “pulls off flesh,” that is, a remark that hurts - trnslate,org [4]. Doesn’t that sound like a thorn?

Thorns and Briars to be Destroyed

The ultimate fate of thorns is fire.

Heb 6:8 but if it [the ground] yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

Thorns will not exist in the Kingdom of God.

Eze 28:24 And there will no longer be for the house of Israel a painful thorn or a hurtful thorn bush from any surrounding them who despised them; then they will know that I am the Lord God.”

How will the curse of thorns be lifted?

Thorns will be removed because Christ took the curse on Himself.

Mt 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort to Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a red cloak on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

These were Roman soldiers; they mocked Jesus, and pressed that crown of thorns down hard. It is like the sacrifices in the Tabernacle.

After the animal has been presented and has passed the priest's inspection, the worshiper lays his hand on the animal's head, pressing down upon it heavily (Lev 1:4, 3:2, 8 13; etc). The Hebrew verb for this gesture samak (from which this rite is dubbed semika), denotes more than merely laying one’s hand upon the animal, but rather means to press down on or lean on with heavy pressure. Lev 1:4 reads "then he shall lean (samak) his hand on the head of the ascension offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him". The result of this gesture, therefore, the animal now stands as a vicarious substitute for the worshiper, with the specific end of making atonement on his behalf - that is presenting the Israelite before God, reconciled and accepted. Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord, Morales p127 [5].

Reverse the Curse

In a sense, thorns are a curse AND the symbol of the curse on the earth from Gen 3.

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”.

Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse:

The Gen 3 curse, symbolized by thorns, was pressed onto Christ's head as a crown of thorns. The ultimate fulfillment will come when He returns and finishes lifting the curse.

What started in one garden (Eden), ended in another garden (Gethsemane). Though it won't be complete till He returns.

Eden means Delight, Finery, Luxury - abarim(Eden) [6].

Gethsemane means Oil Press, from gat, press, and shaman fat - abarim(Gethsemane) [7].

What began with Adam, will end with Jesus (the second Adam). Luke calls Adam the son of God, Jesus referred to Himself as the son of Man.

Lk 3:38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Conclusion

I can get anxious reading headlines and watching world events. But when I see the wonders in God’s word, like the theme of thorns throughout the Bible, like the symbolism of Christ taking the crown of thorns on His own head, it calms me down, knowing He’s in charge.

We keep the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, a memorial of Israel leaving Egypt, which pictures each of us making a journey from slavery to freedom – a journey which takes a lifetime. We can’t escape from slavery to sin on our own, any more than the Israelites could escape Egypt on their own. Neither can we undo the curse of thorns placed on the earth 6000 years ago. Only Jesus could do that by taking the crown of thorns on His own head. Sometimes we have to listen to what Moses told Israel before they crossed the Red Sea.

Ex 14:13 And Moses said to the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust

2. http://www.flowersinisrael.com/PlantsoftheBibleThistle_page.htm

3. https://hughnemets.com/interesting-facts-about-acacia-wood

4. https://trnslate.org/origin-of-sarcasm/

5. https://www.christianbook.com/who-shall-ascend-the-mountain-lord/michael-morales/9780830826384/pd/826384

6. https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Eden.html

7. https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Gethsemane.html