lost & found

Darwinian evolution predicted that organisms that share physical features will also share genetic information in common but genetic research has shown the opposite. Here is how one article recently published in the journal New Scientist puts it,

For much of the past 150 years, biology has largely concerned itself with filling in the details of the tree. "For a long time the holy grail was to build a tree of life," says Eric Bapteste, an evolutionary biologist at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, France. A few years ago it looked as though the grail was within reach. But today the project lies in tatters, torn to pieces by an onslaught of negative evidence. Many biologists now argue that the tree concept is obsolete and needs to be discarded. "We have no evidence at all that the tree of life is a reality," says Bapteste. That bombshell has even persuaded some that our fundamental view of biology needs to change.

Why Darwin was wrong about the tree of life
21 January 2009 by Graham Lawton

The article goes on to state that the evidence from DNA suggests that life is interrelated horizontally and not just vertically - like a spider web rather than the root system of a tree. This is not what genetic scientists expected if life evolved from a common ancestor.  The article then attempts to explain this anomaly.  Genetic material is not only transferred through reproduction but also on the sly by means of Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT).  This is supposed to occur in three way:

1) endosymbiosis
2) viruses
3) hybrids

I don't know enough to weigh in on the discussion but it will be interesting to see what comes of these new discoveries.  Who would've thought that we'd see the day when evolutionary biologists would call 'the tree of life obsolete! 

History is the memory of past events and it is a battleground where important questions are answered.  I was once told by a history prof that "there is no room for metaphysics in history." I disagree!   If the job of a historian is to do more than simply collect facts but also to make sense of them then history must enter realm of metaphysics. 

History has always been twisted by evil men to justify their actions.  Nazi historians wrote thick ‘scholarly’ articles that tried to prove that the Aryan race was the most pure and powerful of all the races and that Christianity actually had its roots in Aryan civilization instead of Semitic. In similar fashion, Mao used a naive western journalist to whitewash the dark history of the Chinese Communist Party and turn the Long March into a nice piece of propaganda.  Mussolini drew on the glories of the Roman empire to justify his expansion into Africa. Ahmadinejad denies the holocaust in order to justify his vitriol against the Jews.  The Palestinians have woven a very elaborate history of oppression that ignores their own aggression and ignores the massive diplomatic and military failure of their leadership.

There is something remarkable - and all together unnatural - about the history found in the Old Testament. Compare the history of Israel to any other national history and you will immediately notice that theirs is uniquely a history of failure!  In the Exodus account alone, Israel is said to have tested God eleven times in the desert.  Even the most significant failures of Israel’s greatest kings are preserved in painful detail. Those who wrote and preserved the books that make up the Old Testament did not glory in their past in a way that made them proud.

However, as time went on, some religious groups in Israel began to revise their history to feed their ego's.  The Book of Jubilee, written early in the 2nd century massively revised OT history to remove some of the more glaring scandals.  It was this kind of historical revisionism that John the Baptist, the most fiery and confrontational prophet to walk the hills of Judea, warned the religious leaders of his day against.

"You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. Matthew 3:7-9 

There has recently been some talk of American exceptionalism.  Gingrich referred to it in his victory speech in South Carolina in the context of the Federalist Papers, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.   Ginrich and others are trying to shore up patriotism in the spirit of Reagan but from what I have seen and heard (admittedly not that much), they miss what it is that makes any nation special.  What is the point in saying, "We have John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson as our father!"  and make no mention of Christ?  America needs another John the Baptist but he would probably lose his head to a dancing girl.

The only thing that makes a nation exceptional is the degree to which it experiences and reflects the grace of God.  The only healthy kind of patriotism is the kind that results in deep humility and gratitude to God - everything else is hubris.  Together with Israel we must "look upon him whom we have pierced."

While in Israel, a friend from school and I did a hike from Maale Amos, in the heart of the Judea mountains to Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea.  A Bedouin fellow gave us ride for a small part of the way and his son showed us around their camp.  You can see in the video how he was able to get the attention of his flock.  Reminded me of Jesus words, "My sheep hear my voice..."

Along the way we visited the remains of one of the most isolated of the Byzantine monasteries in Judea. What would drive a person to sleep on a stone bench and eat next to nothing for their life time?  I know some say that these men came out of such pagan environments and had been so deeply affected by it that this was the only way they could find peace.  I don't know.  They could not have been following the example of Jesus - he spent almost all of his time with people - with the exception of the temptation.  It is ironic that Jesus went into the desert to be tempted but the monks seem to have gone there to escape temptation. 

The area we walked through is likely where Jesus went when he was tempted in the desert.  It is a very solitary place...  I was given a GPS (thanks Mom and Dad!) before I went to Israel and it turned out to be a better gift than they probably know.  Although I didn't have any maps for it, I had three points entered into it: the start, the end, and one land mark along the way.  Just knowing where you are and where are going is huge help - even if you can't see the mountain in between.

We ended up walking through En Gedi park at night. It was a little unreal walking through one of the best preserved Chalcolithic temples in the world by moon light.  I can see why David chose that area to hide from King Saul.  He probably took his flock there as a shepherd and spent many a lonesome and sleepless night in that country.  He was brave when no one else was watching.  Why not let a lion take one of the lambs?  No one will know any differently.  It is interesting that both Moses and David were shepherds before they became kings.  Later, Ezekiel would lament that his people were like sheep without a shepherd and Micah looked forward to a day when out of Bethlehem would come one who would be a 'shepherd for my people Israel'.  The Shepherd has come although his voice quiet now - so quiet.

Timed Exposure of Chalcolithic Temple overlooking the Dead Sea

The spring at Ein Gedi

Roman Fort on the Plateau above Ein Gedi

Ive been working on a website for the youth curriculum that I hope will bring together in one place all we've learned from teaching it at camps and youth group.

The goal has been to keep the curriculum within 11 sessions that are about a half hour each.  I might be pushing that a little with some of them.  And it needs a 12th session.

Here it is:

http://www.arcbronze.com/lostandfound/
Password: lost

I put a password on it to keep search engines away.  Hopefully that works ok.  There are a few images on the site that I do not yet have rights for.

 Joel Kramer in J'lem just came out with a new short video on Atonement.  It is well worth watching.

http://sourceflix.com/the-sacrifice-preview/

The lady conducting the interview clearly had her ideas about where the interview should go.  She seemed unable to grasp the fact that the spectacular failure of the West is due, in part, to government policy that has created such imbalances.

However, I didn't think Kyle Bass did a very good job of explaining why the CDS market provides a useful service except perhaps, for companies hedging against fluctuations in commodity prices.  But should Greek banks be allowed to buy insurance on a Greek sovereign bond default when the financial system is essentially a ward of the state?  And does it matter that many of the institutions that issue these CDS's are themselves on a life line from the government and cannot possibly make good on the CDS's that they issue.

They call this financial engineering but I don't know an engineer who would create a monster like this. It is all way to complex and interconnected.  At some point, the temple will be cleansed...or as Kyle Bass put it, we will atone for past profligacy.

Capitalism without bankruptcy is Christianity without hell...

Buying gold is just buying a put against the idiocy of the political cycle. It's that simple!

 In his early years, John Wesley was heavily influenced by the English philosopher, John Locke. This influence is evident in a letter he wrote to his mother. 

"I call faith an assent upon rational grounds; because I hold Divine testimony to be the most reasonable of all evidence whatever.  Faith must necessarily, at length, be resolved into reason.”  

His mother, Suzanna, responded to Wesley in what I think is one of the clearest descriptions of faith,

"You are somewhat mistaken in your notions of faith.  All faith is an assent, but all assent is not faith.  Some truths are self-evident, and we assent to them because they are so.  Others, after a regular and formal process of reason by way of deduction from some self evident principle, gain our assent.  This is not properly faith but science.  Some again we assent to, not because they are self-evident, or because we have attained the knowledge of them in a regular method by a train of arguments; but because they have been revealed to us, either by God or man, and these are the proper objects of faith.  The true measure of faith is the authority of the revealer, the weight of which always holds proportion to our conviction of his ability and integrity.”

 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Isaiah 9:1-2 


One of the earliest and most detailed representations of the menorah is found on the Arch of Titus in Rome. Carved in relief in one of the panels on the arch is a scene from the Roman Triumph after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.  It shows the menorah together with the table of shew bread and the silver trumpets being carried on the backs of Roman soldiers through the streets of Rome. For centuries, the menorah on the Arch of Titus was a symbol of defeat for the Jewish people but it has since been reclaimed by Israel as their state emblem. It remains the closest connection we have to the actual menorah that stood in the 2nd temple.

Click to view slide show

Instructions for the construction of the menorah are found in the books of Leviticus and Numbers.

It was patterned after a flowering almond tree with a trunk, branches, buds and blossoms. The almond tree is the first to blossom every spring - its profuse delicate white blossoms are among the first signs of spring.

The menorah was hammered from gold - a material whose inimitable luster and sheen, its rarity and its incorruptibility made it the material of choice for the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle and for the menorah.

Its seven branches recall to mind the created order when it existed perfect and whole. As a measurement of time, the seven day week is the only cycle of time that is not determined by nature but has its origin in G-d

As the sole source of light in the Holy Place, the menorah "mediated through the eyes" what the priestly blessing said with words. (1)

May YHWH bles[s]
you and
[may he] keep you.
[May] YHWH make
[his face] shine ...

(source Wikapedia ‘Ketef Hinnom’ This text was recently discovered etched into sliver leaf and rolled up into a tiny scroll - It dates to 600 BC - the oldest extant text of the Bible)

The menorah was a symbol of light and life and finds its ultimate meaning in Jesus.  The apostle John said of Jesus, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

Click to view slideshow

This menorah is a fully functioning oil lamp that stands 24 inches tall and weighs 54 lbs.  It is cast from bronze at a premier art foundry in Israel.  Each of the bronze lamps has a removable bronze cover that holds a wick in place. 

Symbols from Jewish coins are incorporated into each of the panels of the base. Many of the symbols come from the 1st Revolt or Bar Kochba Revolt coins. Items that were used in the temple service are incorporated into the lower tier of the base while agricultural symbols were incorporated into the upper tier.

	The omer cup was used in the grain offerings in the temple. It is found on the Great Revolt coins together with the words "Shekel of Israel". (First Revolt Shekel, Year 1) Then the priest shall take from the grain offering a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar. It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. Leviticus 2:9
	Silver trumpets were used to signal 'break camp' and 'call to assembly' and later were blown in the temple during the sacrifices. (Bar Kochaba, silver zuz, 133/134 CE) Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps. Numbers 10:2
	This juglet was used in temple service. It likely contained the oil used to refill the menorah. (Bar Kochba, Eleazar the Priest, silver zuz, 132/133 CE) "Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. Leviticus 24:2
	Bronze tripods were used in the temple service. This one is shown flanked by two palm branches. (Herod, prutah) Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 1 Kings 7:30
	The three string lyre used in temple. (Bar Kochba, middle bronze, 132/133 BC) Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. Psalm 57:8
	Basket with the Lulav (young palm frond, myrtle and willow) and Etrog (a type of citrus used in the celebration of Succot) 'For the Redemption of Zion' is inscribed on the face. (First Revolt, 1/8 Shekel?, Year 4) "On the first day, you must take for yourself a fruit of the citron tree, an unopened palm frond, myrtle branches, and [that grow near] the brook. You shall rejoice before God for seven days." Lev 23:40
	The palm branch was a common motif on coins minted by the Herodian dynasty as well as on the Great Revolt and Bar Kochba revolt coins. The palm branch was part of the Succot celebration. (Herod Antipas) And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Lev. 23:40
	The pomegranate features prominently on Great Revolt coins along with the words "Holy Jerusalem". Pomegranates were woven into the hem of the robe of the High Priest and incorporated into the capitals of the two pillars of the temple. (First Revolt, Half Shekel) And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around... Ex. 28:33
	Both Josephus and Tacitus mention a giant golden vine with grapes the size of a man attached to a huge trellis beside the temple. (First Revolt prutah, Year 3) He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. Genesis 49:11
	Cluster of Grapes. One of the Seven Species mentioned in Deut. 8:8. (Eleazar the Priest, Sliver Zuz, 132/133 CE) When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, {23 Eshcol means cluster; also in verse 24.} they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. Numbers 13:23
	Barley is one of the Seven Species mentioned in Deut. 8:8. (Herod Agrippa, bronze prutah) For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land-- a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing... Deut. 8:7-9
	A Lily or Rose of Sharon. (Alexander Jannaeus, prutah, circa 78 BCE) I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Song of Solomon 2:1 Images are from Handbook of Biblical Numismatics

(1) "keenest of all our senses is the sense of sight, and that consequently perceptions received by the ears or by reflection can be most easily retained in the mind if they are also conveyed there by the mediation of the eyes."  Cicero, De Oratore

There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.  "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. Luke 15:11-13

-------------------
He was down to his last shekel and burned with unslakable desire.  He fingered the coin in his pocket and finally gave it to the prettiest girl he could find, a temple prostitute, for one final fling.  The girl he purchased was not like most of the prostitutes he had slept with.  There was a certain sweetness behind her brazen face and haughty look.  And for just a brief moment, he thought he saw her move with real grace rather than with the mincing steps of a prostitute.  She could have been a queen, he thought.

She led him by the hand to a dirty little room at the back of the shrine.  But as they stood opposite each other, something quite out of the ordinary happened.  They both took a step back, as though pulled a part by some unseen force, and sat down - he on a rickety old stool and she on the edge of the bed - and they began to talk.

Who was she?  Where was he from?   Their questions crossed and they both smiled.  Each saw in the other a stranger in whom they could confide and each had a story to tell!
The man started first,

He had been born into privilege but longed to see and experience the world.   He moved to the city and made 'friends' with the popular crowd.  He reveled in the freedom he found from the restraints his fathers fuddy-duddy religion had imposed on him.  But before long, his lust for wine and woman consumed his entire inheritance.  "It was no small amount!"  the man said, emphasizing to the girl, just how much he had been given.  But it was gone, he had no skills and had made all the wrong connections.  Every decent person in town avoided him.  Friendless and still filled with an empty ache, he decided to put an end to it all.  But not before he had spent his last shekel...  And that is what led him here.

And what about her? he asked.  More curious than ever about this girl who sat quietly listening to him and who seemed to be able to empathize with him.

She sat quietly for a while and then began, with great effort, to tell her story.

She was an orphan girl born to parents who were the scum of society.  They left her to die in a basket in a backstreet.  But in a turn of events that she cannot explain, she was provided for by .  She was given beautiful clothes to wear, fine jewelry, a warm bed made with real goose feathers - she looked down unconsciously at the bed she was sitting on - everything a girl could want.  As time went on, the love between them grew and they were engaged to be married.  "She was to be a queen!"  she said.  She looked up and her dark eyes flashed when said 'queen' as though to somehow convince the man that what she said was really true. The man just nodded his head.  Then her eyes returned to their downward gaze and she continued in tones just barely audible.  Just before the wedding, she met another man - a real scoundrel.  She left the king for that fat, ugly, old man.  After less than year, he left her and the child she had by him and now she was here.


Both sat there speechless, horrified by the tale the other told.  Neither could explain their actions.   There was no logic in it!  And they did not try to make any excuses.  Each saw in the other, just how far they had fallen.

"Look at me!" said the prostitute,  "I am a used woman and have thrown away my youth.  I have lost my only chance for love."

"And what about me!" said the prodigal, "My father gave me money that belonged to my grand father and my great grand father but I have spent it all in less than a year.  I cannot even remember how!  And what is worse, I have brought disgrace on my families name."

The realization of all that they had done; the moments of selfish, grasping pleasure, all the pain they had caused others, the emptiness; all of it overwhelmed them.  They had nothing more to say to each other, no words of comfort.  They just sat quietly until the rays of the sun no longer flooded through the opening in the ceiling of the shrine.  The room was almost dark before the girl finally got up and lit a lamp.  For the first time the man noticed that the room was filled with small statues.  Judging by their exaggerated features, they must have been idols of Aphrodite and Ishtar.  He had never really noticed how ugly and disfigured they looked until now.  He turned his attention to the girl, clearly visible now by the flickering light of the lamp.  He was startled by the change he saw.  Her heavy make-up had run and she looked a mess but the hardness in her face was gone.  It was as though at some point, while the room was still dark, she had removed a mask.   He began to feel a little self conscious.

As he and stood up to go, the girl took the shekel from a small cloth bag and returned it to him.
"Thank you," she said.

He was the first one to pay the price but resist her charms and now she thought he stood a little straighter.  He was still dressed in rags but behind all that, she saw a noble man.
"Maybe we will meet again!" she said to him.

I doubt it, he said with a sad smile.

He had a long journey ahead... and just one shekel left to return to his father.

So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.   "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  Luke 15:20-24

And the girl?

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.  And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.  Hosea 2:14-15 ESV

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Ezekiel 16:60

The rites and ceremonies of the Egyptians provides an interesting contrast with the Torah.  Some of the ceremonies are similar but only in a shallow way.  The spirit of the laws and ceremonies are as far apart as the two poles.  Here are few quotes from Pierre Montet's book 'Eternal Egypt':

The daily rites were performed by priest who had been specially trained for this function; these were the uab, or pure ones.  Theirs was a physical rather than a spiritual purity.  They were circumcised, shaved the hair from their heads and bodies, washed frequently, were dressed in linen robes and, if they had intercourse with a woman had to wash before entering the sanctuary.  They were not obliged to be celibate, or lead a life of austerity.  An inscription on a stele runs as follows: 'O priest of Ptah, do not refrain from eating and drinking, from getting drunk or making love, from spending days in joyous celebrations, or following the dictates of your heart day and night.  After all, what are the years we spend on earth, however numerous?"

 Thy [priest of Egypt] did not preach any particular moral code, and ancient Egypt offers no example of a priest reproaching a Pharaoh with having committed an injustice, in the way the High Priest rebuked David....

 I think Montet makes a mistake though as it was Nathan the prophet that rebuked King David and not Zadok or Abiathar the High Priests.  The point is taken though.

Montet describes another ceremony:

Every morning the priest entered the holy of holies and made sure that the door was bolted.  he would then open the door, and see the god who was supposed to have slept.  he would wake him up, present him with his various garments, head-dresses and insignia, and proceed to dress him.  After the god had been dress, he ate his first meal; he would have two or three more during the day, like human beings.  

What a contrast this is to Yom Kippur!

I have been reading a book on the church and its attitude towards Israel.  It is written by a reformed theologian who rejects amillenialism and replacement theology.  He references a sermon preached by Martyn Lloyd-Jones in 1964-65 in which Lloyd-Jones interprets Rom. 11:25-32 in the tradition of Luther or Calvin or even Augustine.

Where do you find any reference whatsoever to the land of Palestine or of Israel in this section.  Where is there any mention of the restoration of the Jews to the land?  Where is any mention of jerusalem as such and the reigning there of the Lord for a thousand years?

That was Martyn Lloyd-Jones in 1964.  This is Martyn Lloyd Jones in 1980, one year before his death.

To me 1967, the year that the Jews occupied all of Jerusalem, was very crucial.  Luke 21:43 is one of the most significant prophetic verses: 'Jerusalem,' it reads, 'shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.'  It seems to me that that took place in 1967 - something crucially important that had not occured in 2000 years.  Luke 21:43 is one fixed point.  But I am equally impressed by Romans 11 which speaks of a great spiritual return among the Jews before the end time.  While this seems to be developing, even something even more spectacular may be indicated.  We sometimes tend to foreshorten events, yet I have a feeling that we are in the period of the end.... I think we are witnessing the breakdown of politics.  I think even the world is seeing that.  (Future Israel, Barry E. Horner)

Martyn Lloyd Jones was probably one of the most influential preachers of his day yet he had enough humility change his position on a significant topic.  D.A. Carson also writes about an interview with Martyn Lloyd Jones shortly before his death.  I think it speaks to the wisdom of this man.

"A few weeks before he died, someone asked him how, after decades of fruitful ministry and extraordinary activity, he was coping now he was suffering such serious weakness it took much energy to move from his bed to his armchair and back. He replied in the words of Luke 10:20: "Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names ware written in heaven." In other words, do not tie your joy, your sense of well-being, to power in ministry. Your ministry can be taken from you. Tie your joy to the fact you are known and loved by God; tie it to your salvation: tie it to the sublime truth that your name is written in heaven. That can never be taken from you. Lloyd-Jones added: "I am perfectly content."


Here then is a practical test as to whether the excellence I pursue is really for the glory and praise of God or for my own self-image. If the things I value are taken away, is my joy in the Lord undiminished? Or am I so tied to my dreams that the destruction of my dreams means I am destroyed as well? Paul's pursuit in prayer of what is excellent is not idolatrous; rather, it is bound up with praising God. He would have understood the ancient Irish hymn:


Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
All else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light."


(A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D.A Carson)

A heartfelt thank you to the soldiers who risk their lives for our freedom.

The menorah, cast and assembled, almost ready for the patina. It was cast in 17 parts and soldered together!

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:13-14