Saturday, February 25, 2006

Genesis (Part Seven)

Genesis Chapters 14:1-24

The War of the Four Against the Five and The Blessing of Melchizedek

This chapter is a retelling of a historic incident, although we have no archeological proof of the event. We are told of certain kings who were bound for El-paran. This region is located near today’s Eilat, in the Negev. The kings had come from Mesopotamia and after accomplishing their objective in this southern region they returned home carrying Lot with them as a prisoner.

It is here that we see Abram in the role of a warrior and we determine that Abram’s victory is because of his faith in God Most High.

The four kings of the north were Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam and Tidal, king of Goim.

They had made war against five Mesopotamian kings, Bera, king of Sodom, Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim and Bela, king of Zoar. The latter kings joined forces at the valley of Siddim, now the Dead Sea.
Shinar was the ancient name for Babylon, though some believe it was located closer to Canaan.

Arioch is found in cuneiform sources, however Ellasar, his city, is not.

Elam was an eastern rival of Mesopotamia.

Tidal was a Hittite name.

Goiim literally means "nations" and is possibly used by the author to mean "foreigners", similar to barbarians, a word that has contemptuous overtones.
Bera and Birsha are considered by some to be unhistorical names that refer to the depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah. Bera could mean "with evil" and Birsha could mean "with wickedness."

This event occurred in a valley that had not yet submerged and later became the Dead Sea or Salt Sea.

We are told that for twelve years the Mesopotamian kings had served Chedorlaomer and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. This is the cause of the war. We are told that the northern kings lead by Chedorlaomer were victorious in this war, even defeating the Raphaim (a perhaps mythical nation of giants.) We are told that Chedalaomer and his forces subdued the territory of the Amalekites and the Amorites. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah threw themselves in the fight, while the rest escaped to the hill country. Therefore the invading kings seized all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their possessions taking with them Lot and all of Lot’s possessions.

A fugitive perhaps and escaped captive, brought news of this to Abram, the Hebrew, who was dwelling at the Terebinths of Mamre the Amorite with his kinsman of Eshkol and Aner. All these were allies of Abram. When Abram heard of the capture of Lot, he mustered his retainers that were born into his household and went to pursuit. We are unsure what is meant by retainers. We are told that they numbered three-hundred and eighteen.

Though the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah could not defeat the four northern kings, Abram and his forces were able to not just defeat them but to recapture all that was taken. Abram brought back all the possessions that were captured in the war. Abram brought back Lot and Lot's possessions and as well as all the women and the rest of the people that were held captive from Sodom and Gomorrah.

As Abram returns from defeating Chedolaomer and the other kings, the king of Sodom came to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the Valley of the Kings.

It is here that Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine. We are told that he was a priest of God Most High. He blesses Abram saying, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth and Blessed be God Most High Who has delivered your foes into your hand." Abram gave to Melchizedek a tenth of everything. (This was a tithe that was typically given to a priest)

The king of Sodom then speaks to Abram saying, "Give to me all the people that were taken during the war but keep all of the possessions."

Abram replied to the king of Sodom "I swear (literally ‘I lift up my hand’) to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. I will not take so much as a thread of a sandal strap of what is yours so that you may not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ For me nothing but what my servants have used up. As for the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshkol and Mamre, let them take their share."

Abram was a nomad and did not wish to be beholden to anyone. As a trader he need not rely on plunder as a source of income. His brusk tone of voice signifies his contempt for the king of Sodom.

This is the first time that we hear Abram referred to as the Hebrew. The word "Ivri" is said to be derived from "ever" meaning on the other side or beyond. Possibly Abram the Ivri meant that the whole world stood on one side and Abram stood on the other. Abram’s faith ran counter to what other men believed. Later on in the Bible when Jonah is asked by gentile sailors of his origin, he replies, "I am Ivri." Simply put Ivri meant Outsider. To those who love God, we are Ivri.

In Hebrew numbers have much meaning. The Hebrew alphabet has a numerical equivalent value. This is called gemaria. Therefore words were compared and conclusions were drawn on that basis. The number 318, Abrams number of retainers is significant. We can conclude that it meant "a large number."


Melchizedek

His name may mean the King of Justice. Literally "the King is Tzedek." Of the other monotheists mentioned, Melchizedek’s origins and heritage are not noted.

There is much speculation about this man and he has become the subject of Jewish and Christian tradition. In the Psalms he is called the prototype of the ideal king that will spring from the line of David. In Paul’s letters Jesus is referred to as the "high priest after the order of Melchizedek." Melchizedek’s merit is referred to in the Catholic daily Mass and in the communion tradition of bread and wine.

Interestingly enough, although we are not told if Melchizedek is Ivri or the same faith as Abram, both men use the same term for God, El Elyon. El Elyon is a deity mentioned in Phoenician records. El Elyon later came to mean "Most High" and the expression El Elyon (God Most High) was applied to the God of Abraham.

The original importance accorded Melchizedek most likely arose from the fact that he was the king of Salem and that Salem was identified with Yerushalayim/Jerusalem. By this Abram has established a link between himself and the Holy City.

Unlike mythological epics of battle and bravery that attribute the heroes strength and power to his gods, the remarkable thing about this short historical retelling is that it does not include anything other than Melchizedek’s words, "(El Elyon...) has delivered your foes into your hand" to attribute the wars victory to God and Abram's trust in the Almighty.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Genesis (Bereshit) Part Six

The Wanderings of Abram

Genesis 12:10-13:18

Abram and his people are dwelling in the southern portion of Canaan, in the land of Negeb. They are faced with severe famine and decide to sojourn to Egypt in search of food. By making this journey Abram knows of the consequences. It could bring peril to his life. For Abram’s wife is a beautiful woman and we are told that because of this, he may be killed. He instructs Sarai to tell the Egyptians that she is his sister, "that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may remain alive thanks to you."

When the Egyptians saw how very beautiful Sarai was, Pharaoh’s courtiers saw her and praised her to Pharaoh. She was taken to the royal palace. And because of her Abram acquired sheep, oxen, asses, male and female slaves, she-asses and camels.
However because of this Pharaoh and his household were afflicted with mighty plagues on account of Sarai. We are told that Pharaoh determines that Sarai is indeed Abram’s wife. He calls Abram and confronts him. He then sends Abram and Sarai and all that Abram possesses off from Egypt.( This is a precursor for things to come.)
Abram is now a very rich man. He proceeds gradually from his home in Negeb to Bethel, the place that he formerly dwelt. Bethel is where he had erected an altar and called upon the Lord.

Lot, the nephew of Abram was grown by now and had flocks, herds, servants and tent of his own. Quarrels arose between Lot’s people and Abram’s herdsman. There were also Canaanites and Perizzites dwelling in the land. Abram was wise. He wanted no problems with the inhabitants of the land. He said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between us, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before us? Let us separate. If you go north, I will go south." Lot saw how well watered was the whole plain of the Jordan all the was to Zoar. And that this land was like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.

Abram settled in Canaan (as he was commanded) and Lot chose the Jordan plain and dwelt in the cities of the plain, pitching his tents near Sodom.

After this parting the Lord once again comes to Abram and says, "Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west, for I give all the land that you see to your and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted. Up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you."

Abram once again did as he was commanded, moved his tent and came to dwell at the terebinths of Mamre which are at Hebron and there he built an altar to the Lord.

There is so much information in these few verses that I have condensed. First of all what is the deal with Abram insisting that Sarai tell the Egyptians that she is his sister? This raises some historical as well as moral questions.

It may be very well possible that Sarai was Abram’s sister. Throughout Jewish history and into modern times, intermarriage is prevalent. Sarai and Abram may have had the same father but different mothers. Abram’s brother Nahor marries, Milcah, the daughter of their deceased brother Haran. By Abram telling Sarai to say that she was his sister, she may have been indeed, speaking the truth.

Additionally based on the assumption that Abram lived about 1500 B.C.E (before the common era), the word sister could have had an additional meaning in Hurrian terminology. Today sister could mean Nun, or in French, English and German cultures it could mean Nurse.

In Hurrian culture there are surviving documents that show that a man could adopt his wife as his sister thereby giving her special status. She would be treated as a blood relative of her husband’s family. It may be assumed that such adoptions took place in the upper stratum of society where inheritance and family bonds were important. Thus both Abram and Sarai should be provided with special status in order to provide assurance that both of them would be treated with respect. The Egyptians understood Hurrian culture, therefore no harm befell the couple.

Whatever the reason for Abram’s decision some commentators view this in a different light. Some conclude this was a ruse for Abram to bid for time until the famine ended in Canaan and then he could take his wife and leave Egypt. Others disapprove and note that since Abram could not make a reply to Pharaoh’s reprimand since this had left Abram in a very embarrassing situation of having lied and been rewarded for it. It was a lie. It was sin.

This also raises a moral dilemma. What judgement can befall a man when the choices before him present mortal danger? In these modern times, in our present culture, we cannot begin to understand the issue that confronted him. We are merely presented with the prospects before him. The text states the problem, Abram’s solution and leaves it to the reader to ponder to situation.

Jewish teaching has held that even under duress, no man may intentionally kill or commit a sexual crime on an innocent person. The application of this principal often poses questions that can only be answered in the context of the situation. In the Nuremberg trials after WWll one of the key points was defining the limits of a man’s right to say "I had no choice."

The Arabic reading of this passage goes into more detail. In it we are told that;
Sarai is the sister of Lot and the daughter of Aran, Abraham’s paternal uncle. It is said that she was the daughter of the king of Haran and her mother was daughter of the Kutba, the king of Babylon. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was so beautiful that Abram transported her to Egypt in a chest. When entering Egypt, Abram was obliged to give a tithe of all his goods. At first he refused to open the chest. When he was finally forced to open it an official ran and told Pharaoh.

Abram and Sarai were then taken before Pharaoh and it is here that Abram tells Pharaoh that she is his sister. Upon hearing this, Pharaoh reaches out to take Sarai’s hand with the supposition to marry her. Sarai prays to God that the kings hand would wither if he touched her and that his hand would be restored if he took it away. This was repeated three times. Abram was witness to it. The walls of the kings house became transparent for all to see. Pharaoh comes to understand that Sarai is Abram’s wife and he restores her to Abram. He also loaded her with presents and allowed her to chose for herself one of his slave girls. Sarai chose Hagar.


I do not know if this story is taken from the Koran or from Arabic tradition.

The next passages deal with the decision between Abram and Lot to go their separate ways. This establishes Abram’s claim to the Land. Lot recalls the hardships, the famine, the quarreling, in essence the past. He looks forward with the eyes of man and sees greener pastures and sources of water. Lot has no qualms in leaving and this sets the stage for God to speak with Abram once again and reassure Their Covenant.

All that glitters is not gold for Lot as we shall see in the upcoming studies. The Bible states that Lot settled in the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom. When the Bible mentions cities, as we have seen in the past study of Babel, the undertone is that cities are bad places to live. Life in these times were nomadic. Some chose to find land and dwell there to farm and raise their flocks and herds. In those times, the city was a place of evil.

Lots departure reemphasises the fact that God’s gift of the Promised Land was a covenant between God and Abram. Therefore Abram’s claim to Canaan, Zion, Palestine, Israel whatever you will call it is done by this most sacred Covenant with Adonai ha’ Elyon, God most high, the Almighty. It cannot and will not be undone by men. To those that state that this is a matter of faith, they are not taking in to account that for ages and ages Jews have believed that their relationship to the Land has the sanction of Almighty God. This claim is based on thousands of years of possession and loss, presence and absence. The people, despite attempts of annihilation have survived without the Land and the Land without the people, but God and His Word have entered into this special relationship and placed His Seal upon Israel, upon Canaan, upon Zion has the spiritual and physical home of His people, the ones that chose Him.

Despite what happens presently or in the future, we can be certain that any nation that attempts to conquer and over take Israel will be cast out and defeated not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit of the Almighty.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Genesis (Bereshit) My Three Sons Part Five

The Line of Terah

This is the final part of the theme of three sons. This thread runs through the first eleven chapters in the Book of Genesis.

Within these verses we leave what may be construed as myth behind and we move into history. The details and references of the story that emerges can be corroborated by other sources. Although none other than the Bible mention Abraham and Sarah by name, various elements in the patriarchal narrative correspond with different periods, from the old Babylonian to the Hurrian. There is much information about the political, social and religious life of the Mesopotamian lands in which this epic takes place. A large collection of Hurrian records found in the town of Nuzi tells of life and law.

We find the underlying theme is to establish Abraham as the father of the nation of Israel.

In the last part it is established that Shem fathered Terah and Terah fathers Abram, Nahor and Haran. During the time that they resided in the land of Ur we are told that Haran died. We also learn that this happened during the lifetime of Terah From this we can glean that he was a young man when he passed away. We learn that Haran has fathered three children, Lot, Milcah and Iscah. Abram and Nachor took wives to themselves. Nahor took his niece as his wife and her name was Milcah, Haran’s daughter. Abram took Sarai as his wife.

Terah decides to move his family away from Ur, which is a land held by the Chaldeans. We are told that Abram, Sarai and Lot, the grandson of Terah, are the ones that move. Nothing is said about Nahor and his family. Terahs destination is Canaan. The family makes it as far as a city called Haran. It is there that they settle. The name Haran can be translated as "Crossroads." It is here at the age of 205 that Terah dies.

It is here, at Haran, at the crossroads that The Lord speaks to Abram saying "Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, I will make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those that bless you and curse him that curses you and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you." Abram listened to God and went forth as commanded taking with him Sarai and Lot and all the wealth that the family had amassed and their slaves/servants and they set out for Canaan. They made it to the site of Shechem, which is near Nablus north of Jerusalem and stopped at the Terebinth of Moreh. Terebinths are large trees that are associated with oracles and prophecy. In the Bible they are frequently sites of important events.

It is here that the Lord once again appears and speaks to Abram saying, "I will give this land to your offspring." Abram builds an altar there to the Lord (Noah did the same thing.) From here Abram moves onto the hill country east of Bethel which is north of Jerusalem and he pitches his tent. Here he builds another altar to the Lord. We are told that Abram journeys by stages toward the Negeb (Negev or "the south land.)

We are not told why God singled out Abram. However in the running theme of My Three Sons we can see that one son stands out to seek God. Perhaps this might be true since when I have addressed Jews that I know as God’s Chosen People, they reply that it is not that they were chosen rather that they were the first to choose God.

As we are told in past chapters, God spoke and He was listened to and obeyed. In the case of Noah and Abram, when God speaks to both they build altars unto the Lord as a sign of their covenant. It is not made evident, but part of Abram’s command was "... to go forth from your father’s house.." It was and is a difficult step to leave one’s land and to be an unprotected wanderer abroad leaving all that was dear, rejecting the values and standards of your father. Perhaps that is why Nahor stayed behind in the land of his youth. This represents a severe trial for Abram.

Within God’s covenant to Abram He not only promises to "make of him a great nation, but to bless those that bless him and curse him that curses you..." Perhaps in an attempt to win this blessing, Christians and Moslems have exalted Abram as their spiritual father. However, some factors of both Christianity and the Moslems have persecuted Abram’s Seed.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Genesis - Chapter 11:1-26



Babel and the line of Noah

The lesson from the first nine verses is crucial for the time in which we live. The remaining verses are a transition from the Biblical view, the universal prehistory, to a more limited scope, the story of Abram/Abraham and his descendants.

The Babel tale is one of divine displeasure. God has entrusted His Will, His Blessings to all people to be carried out. Man instead becomes self-aggrandizing and arrogant. Man prides himself on his accomplishments. Instead of going forth and filling the earth, we see man concentrates in one small portion of the earth wherein he learns to build brick, use bitumen to construct large structures with the goal of establishing a city. He prides himself on his own achievements and forgets that all he was given was bestowed upon him from God, El Shaddai the almighty creator.

We see that men had a common language or “tongue” as it is called in the Scripture. We are told that men migrated to the east in a valley in the land of Shimar and settled there.

Historically in the land of Mesopotamia the principal language in the third millennium was Sumerian and Akkadian. Of these, Akkadian is more closely related to Hebrew. We know that the other languages spoken during this period were Amorite, Canaanite and Aramaic. Were these to become the “confused” languages?

The writer/storyteller means to explain that the materials used were “brick and bitumen” instead of stone and mortar as was used in Israel.

In the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation myth we read a description to a shrine of Marduk. The people in the first year molded bricks. In the second year they raised high the head of Esaglia, the counterpart of Apsu (the abyss). In other histories we read that the Babylonians dug a moat and the soil that they got from cutting was made into bricks and baked in kilns. When they were completed, they set to building using hot bitumen for cement.

From these myths you wonder if perhaps the inhabitants of Babel not only lost their goal to Cary out God’s Command, but also lost their focus on the One True God.

Perhaps verse four is essential as it exhibits the attitude of the people at this time.

And they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.”

This was a direct violation of the precept that God decreed, to go forth multiply and fill the earth.

The Lord then says, “If one people with one language for all, this is how they have begun to act, then nothing that they may propose to do will be out of their reach.” Perhaps this goes further to explain not just the one language or tongue, but the one way of thought, the one understanding, the one common life pattern. Man found that he could control his way of life and that of his fellow man instead of listening and trusting in God as Noah did.

So the Lord said, “Let us, then, go down and confound their speech there, so they shall not understand one another’s speech.” Thus the Lord scattered them from over the face of the whole earth and they stopped building the city.

God intervened. Despite our own agendas, goals, meetings, summits, clashes between world powers and designs for domination, God’s Will shall be done. Man proposed, God disposed. Amen

Not only did God change their language and their common understanding, He scattered them over the world. We are not told how this was accomplished only that it was done. God gave us one simple task, to go forth and fill the earth. Man became caught up in his own accomplishments and lost track of his prime objective.

Historically we know that a distinctive feature of all Babylonian temples was the Zikurat or Zigurat, literally “that which has been raised high.” These may have served as the humanly constructed equivalent of the mythical holy mountain in Babylonian mythology. The zikurat called Etemenanki (house of the foundation of heaven and earth) was reported to have consisted of seven stories receding in pyramid-like fashion toward a flat top and reaching a height of nearly 300 feet. Archeologists have uncovered the foundation of this zikurat and its extent would seem to coincide with the reputed size of the Tower of Babel.

The story teller/writers’ contempt for paganism of Babylon is demonstrated in the overtones and word plays in the Hebrew and its explanation of Babel as a place of confusion.

The sin of Babel was not man’s accomplishment, but the failure to act upon God’s command. God’s action was not so much a punishment, as was the flood, but a way to carry out His Plan and an assurance that the Babel incident would not be repeated

In man’s arrogance there was perhaps not so much a desire to reach the heavens, but a desire to press together on earth. A desire to create extreme centralization, the consequence of which would be on a huge megalopolis that sees its prime goal as bringing all men under One Tower. In my humble opinion this is congruent with the objective today of men that dwell within the same region. Nothing changes. Everything remains the same.

The remaining verses are of the line of Noah’s son Shem. All the names with the exception of Shem appear to reflect the names of cities in upper Mesopotamia. We will see later in Genesis this region referred to as Aram-Naharim and Paddan-Aram. The Israelites consider themselves to be Arameans in origin.

One of the ancient Rabbis used the numbers to arrive at 3760 BCE (Before the Common Era) as the year of creation. This date is not far from the archeologically suggested age for the emergence of civilization in Mesopotamia.

We conclude by noting that Terah lived seventy years and he begot Abram, Nahor and Haran. This will lead us into the story of Abram/Abraham.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

The Noahide Laws

Even before the revelation on Sinai there were certain laws that according to the Rabbis were binding to all men. Jews may be subject to extensive provisions of Torah. However, there are a number of fundamental precepts deemed essential for the maintenance of a decent society. Because, according to Torah, all mankind branched out from Noah’s sons, these laws were incumbent upon them and therefore they are known as the Noahide Laws.

The Rabbis established six basic laws.

Man may not worship idols
Man may not blaspheme God
Man must establish courts of justice
Man may not kill
Man may not commit adultery
Man may not rob.

There is a seventh law that was added after the Flood.

Man may not eat flesh cut from a living animal

The Rabbis concluded that every man must come observe a minimum of religious and legal precepts. Consequently Jewish tradition distinguished three types of gentiles.

The Nochri (Akkum), which are those that do not observe the Noahide Laws.

The Ben Noah who does observe the laws.

The Ger Toshav are those who officially declare before a court that he will observe the seven precepts. The Ger Toshav was given the privilege of becoming a resident alien in the Holy Land.

We can see the influence of the Noahide Laws in the New Testament in the Book of James. James requires of Gentiles that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from eating blood and the meat of strange animals and from fornication.

Genesis (Bereshit) My Three Sons Part 4


Genesis 8:15-9:29 After the Flood

The Flood has subsided. Man again begins to face the problems of existence. God speaks and gives instructions to Noah, his wife and sons and their wives and all the beasts from the ark. Noah’s sons and all the beasts under their care are sent out to repopulate the earth.

The first thing that Noah does is build an altar and make a sacrifice unto the Lord.

Here the Lord enters into the first Covenant with man. These are the provisions:

God realizes that the mind of man is evil and will not change. Therefore, He promises never to destroy every living thing again.

He orders man to procreate.

He fills the beasts with fear of man.

He gives dominion of the beasts of the earth to man. He also allows man to eat every creature and every grass. The exception would be that which has its lifeblood still in it.

He also requires a reckoning of every beast and man for taking a human life. The Lord states that whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man his blood will be shed. God states that this is because man was made in the image of God. God makes this Covenant not just with man, but with all living creatures.

There will never be a flood to destroy the earth.

As a sign of this Covenant He puts His rainbow in the sky and instructs us that we are to be reminded of His everlasting Covenant when we see the rainbow.

There are some interesting facts that can be gleaned from words and phrases within these verses.

As I have pointed out earlier, some accept the Noah saga as fact, others accept as perhaps a myth. In any event the purpose of the tale is to provide morality. Once again there are many Flood stories in different cultures. Truth is truth.

First let me point out some thoughts regarding Noah building the altar and sacrificing the clean animals and the birds. Part of a Covenant is a feast that is shared with those entering into a covenant. In this case it is Noah and his family and the Lord God Almighty. The meat of the sacrificed animals was offered up to the Lord, but was eaten by the participants.

How then did God partake of the feast? We are told that "the Lord smelled the pleasing odor . . . " and then began announcing the Covenant. In the language of the Torah, smelling the pleasing odor is equivalent to accepting favorably.

We can compare this to a parallel incident in the epic Gilgamesh wherein the gods smelled the savor (of the sacrifice)/ the gods gathered like flies over the sacrificer. This goes to show not only the difference between the one True God and the false gods of ancient legends, but what those that told the legends thought about their gods.

If we look back in Chapter Six, we see that the Lord had promised to make a Covenant with Noah before the flood. God now fulfills His promise and in Hebrew He states that He has cut a berit or concluded a covenant.

The remainder of these chapters prove to be very disturbing.

We are reminded that the sons of Noah are Shem, Ham and Japheth. We are told that Noah was a tiller of the soil. In these times there were but two professions. You were a farmer or a herder. Noah was a farmer.

Noah planted a vineyard, produced wine and Noah got drunk. Noah was not a Baptist. Not only did Noah get drunk, he got stinkin' plastered. He was inebriated to the point where he took off all of his clothing and was stark naked within his tent. Ham tells his brother of his father’s nakedness.

Upon hearing of this, Shem and Japheth take a large cloth and place it against their backs and walk backward into the tent to cover their father’s nakedness, so that they did not see him.

When Noah sobers up, he curses Ham and his offspring. Ham is the father of Canaan.

Noah then blesses the Lord, the God of Shem (implying of course that Shem was blessed.) He blesses Japheth that he may live in harmony with his brother Shem. But he curses Ham and Canaan by admonishing that Canaan will live in slavery.

What is this all about? Is it a curse to see your father or a family member in the all-together?

The punishment meted out to Ham seems extreme, but this harshness suggests that the Bible was referring to a far more serious transgression than seeing his father naked. Uncovering a relative’s nakedness was a euphemism for sexual relations. See Leviticus 18. This story is one of sexual perversion. We see a further motif of sexual perversion in the story of Lot and his daughters. Additionally in this tale there is a subtle assertion that the Hamites were the Egyptians. They along with the Canaanites were the descendants of sexual deviates. The crime of Ham therefore belongs to Israel’s nearest neighbors and nearest enemies. The story of Lot also implies that the nations of Moab and Ammon were also nations sprung from an indecent sexual background.

It is no small wonder that Shem and Japheth got a cloth and walked backwards to cover there father. They wanted to disassociate themselves with this travesty.

One can conclude from the Lord’s pronouncement, "the mind of man is evil from his youth" is of course true as seen in these latter chapters.

In my opinion Ham represents those that are evil at heart, Japheth represents those that are good people, but do not follow, perhaps do not recognize God and Shem represents all those that love and follow the Lord.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

NBC ENJOYS MAKING CHRISTIANITY THE BUTT OF JOKES

Offend a Moslem and you are threatened with death. Offend a Christian and the United States public declares that you are a right-wing, librel-hating wackjob with a tiny mind.

Here is the latest anti-Christian entertainment news:


A conservative advocacy group accuses NBC of "hitting back" at the Christian community in an upcoming episode of "Will and Grace."

The April 13 episode will mock the crucifixion of Christ, the American Family Association said. AFA pointed to wire reports saying that Britney Spears will make a guest appearance on the April 13 "Will and Grace," playing a conservative Christian sidekick to Sean Hayes' homosexual character, Jack.

When Jack's fictional TV network, Out TV, is bought by a Christian TV network, Spears hosts a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's." "To further denigrate Christianity, NBC chose to air [the episode] the night before Good Friday," AFA Founder and Chairman Donald E. Wildmon complained. "NBC does not treat Jews, Muslims or other religions with such disrespect. Yet the network demonstrates a deep of hostility toward followers of Christ."

NBC recently cancelled a series called "The Book of Daniel," amid loud complaints from conservative Christians who saw the series as a slur on Christianity. (See related story) The series was canceled only three episodes into its season; NBC blamed low ratings, but Wildmon said it went away because "NBC had to eat millions of dollars each time it aired."

Now AFA is urging Americans to wage a similar protest against the upcoming "Will and Grace" episode."Call your local NBC affiliate and ask them not to air the April 13 episode of "Will and Grace," AFA said in a message to supporters.The group also wants concerned Christians to send a letter of complaint to NBC Chairman Bob Wright, and to spread the word about NBC's latest insult in church bulletins and newsletters.

Harold Vanlandingham



My Father in law passed away this past Saturday evening. It was very hard on my little family as my daughters and Mother in law walked into his hospital room and found him without a pulse.

The good folks at the hospital called a "code blue" and entubated him. He eventually breathed on his own for a couple hours, although the breaths were very shallow. Despite that he was essentially gone. Two doctors agreed on that fact. We insisted that the ventillator be disconnected. He was surrounded by his wife, daughter and grandchildren and they were praying at his bedside as he slipped away.

This was from the local paper:

HAROLD L. VANLANDINGHAM

Harold Lee Vanlandingham, 85, died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Edgewood. He was a retired bus driver for the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky and a member of St. Mary Assumption Catholic Church, Alexandria.

Survivors include his wife, Geneva Vanlandingham; a daughter, Linda O'Hara; a sister, Jeanette Mains; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be 10 a.m.-noon Tuesday with service following at Alexandria Funeral Home. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.

Memorials: St. Mary Church, Smart Campaign, 8246 E. Main St., Alexandria, KY 41001.