Musings
Ramblings.
Rants.
Thoughts (half-baked or otherwise).
Musings on various topics... sometimes only tangentially related to Scripture.
Many of these articles were previously published in the Psalm11918.org blog.
I recently received an email that caused me to reexamine the matter of Easter eggs:
"Easter eggs are an important part of Easter and no celebration is possible without these beautifully crafted eggs. But, how did Easter eggs start? While there are claims that Easter eggs have a pagan origin, sufficient evidence has not been found to support these claims. It was in the eighteenth century when the pagan link between Easter eggs and a goddess named Ostara, or Eostre in German, was established through Jakob Grimm."
I wonder why he tried to link Easter eggs and a pagan goddess together?
This was my response:
Recently, Merriam Webster's Word of the Day was circumlocution:
1: the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea
2: evasion in speech
Although M-W's definition specifies "the use of an unnecessarily large number of words," there are some situations where it is helpful...or even holy.
A friend of mine recently asked if I had ever heard the claim that one of the Hebrew names of G-d (שַׁדָּי shaddai) meant "many-breasted one" or that this name revealed the female/goddess aspect of G-d. I had never heard anything like it, so I investigated this idea and (not surprisingly) discovered it has some severe flaws.
Problem #1 is Language
The substance of this claim is rooted in the idea that shaddai stems from the Hebrew word שַׁד (shad). While shad does mean "breast", shad is a masculine Hebrew noun that does not carry the same predominantly feminine connotation that it does in modern Western culture. For those unfamiliar with human anatomy, men have breasts, too, albeit of different form and function. But that's not even the problem here.
The word shaddai doesn't stem from the root shad, it stems from shadad (שָׁדַד) which means to be burly and (in a figurative sense) powerful. How can we be sure? Let's examine history.
For the longest time I've avoided any expression that includes the word "fate" because I thought the concept of fate was tied to the pagan idea of “the fates”: the three robed women called "moirai" (apportioners) who wove the destiny of everyone.
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for March 8th was a related word, fatidic:
: of or relating to prophecy
Last month, I pondered life and death from a Biblical perspective, but there were some lingering questions about the "neshamah" G-d breathed into Adam.
The Hebrew language has two words (neshamah and nephesh) that are translated as "soul" in English, and both of these are distinct from "spirit" (ruach).
A few weeks ago, our Sabbath dinner conversation turned to profound questions: What is life? What is death?
I didn't have a solid answer readily at hand. As a believer, I know we should have a Biblically-based understanding of such things, so I started with Adam at the beginning of Scripture.
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
The movie "War Room" was released this past weekend, and I immensely enjoyed watching it with my bride. It was our first "date night" since our kids moved to college.
This is an inspiring and encouraging movie that does credit to the Kendrick brothers' continuing legacy of family-friendly and faith-friendly films. I laughed, I cried, er, had some sinus trouble in the dusty theater. Two thumbs up!
However, just because a movie is "faith-friendly" doesn't always mean it is 100% Biblically accurate. Before recommending it to others, I share a few items of concern that I think are worth mentioning.
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. – Psalm 127:3
Last week a friend asked me what I thought about a recent CNN article entitled "I don't own my child's body".
In the article, author Katia Hetter explains that she does not require her daughter to hug or kiss anyone she doesn't want to. "I would like you to hug Grandma, but I won't make you do it," says Hetter to her daughter.
A friend recently contacted me and asked about some information he had seen on Facebook:
For centuries, people have wondered why the Bible records that the disciples caught 153 fish after Jesus told them to throw their nets on the opposite side of the boat in John 21:4-12. As I have mentioned before, EVERYTHING in the Bible is there for a reason. People would have figured out the mystery long ago if they had bothered to learn Hebrew. In Hebrew, every letter has a number attached to it. The Hebrews used their alphabet as a numbering system. The numbers attached to the letters in a Hebrew word could be added together to give a numerical total. The number 153 is the numerical total for the Hebrew words "Ani Elohim"--I AM G-D. When Jesus caused the disciples to catch exactly 153 fish, He was declaring to them that not only was He the Son of G-d, but that He was G-d Himself. Tell your Muslim friends who say that Jesus never claimed to be G-d that yes, He most certainly did!
Good Friday? If we look closely, the Bible tells us it was actually Good Wednesday. I've created two resources that share our examination of the Gospels and our search for the truth.
In response to the question, my When Was Yeshua Crucified article systematically goes through Scripture to uncover the answer. Step by step and verse by verse, I build the list of Biblically-based requirements for the correct date.
As we wrapped up last month, I said I would examine the promise that G-d causes all things to work together for good. Paul wrote about that in his letter to the Romans.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love G-d, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Let's take a look.
Kirk Cameron recently shared "Happy Insanity" by author Jay Younts. He begins by referencing that famous definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Every January 1st, most of the world celebrates insanity. Times Square is filled with people who watch a crystal ball descend as midnight approaches. Millions more watch on television. When the ball ends its journey, a massive celebration erupts. People are excited about the promise of a new calendar year. They hope the disappointments of the previous year will be replaced by better times in the new year.
But the jubilant celebrations often fade into dismal hangovers, just like last year and the year before that, doing the same thing over and over again. People believe they can make things better by their own effort and will. What promised to be new has become old again⦠People believe they can make things better by their own effort and will.
It's been a while since there has been a Word of the Day that has really caught my attention and connected with Scripture in a meaningful way but September 24th was just such a day. The Merriam Webster word for that day was teleological.
: exhibiting or relating to design or purpose especially in nature
Along with this definition they provided the following explanation...
Teleological (which comes to us by way of New Latin from the Greek root tele-, telos, meaning "end or purpose") and its close relative teleology both entered English in the 18th century, followed by teleologist in the 19th century. Teleology has the basic meaning of "the study of ends or purposes." A teleologist attempts to understand the purpose of something by looking at its results. A teleological philosopher might argue that we should judge whether an act is good or bad by seeing if it produces a good or bad result, and a teleological explanation of evolutionary changes claims that all such changes occur for a definite purpose.
Did you notice the meaning of the Greek word telos? It means "end or purpose" as in a goal or objective... not an ending or ceasing.
My only daughter (and youngest child) recently went off to college. Before she left, her mother and I gave her a mountain of advice and a metric ton of encouragement before she took that giant next step in her life. Being the kind soul that she is, she also gave me a bit of advice in return: "Dad, you should get a Fitbit. It can help you monitor your health."
So, I bought a Fitbit Flex. It's a little band you strap on your wrist that, paired with an app on your phone, provides a simple reminder that I needed to watch what I eat, get outside and do some walking, and get enough rest.
A recent World Net Daily article shouts the question, "WILL TRIBULATION BEGIN A YEAR FROM NOW?"
Pastor Mark Biltz authored the article and I view him with great respect for his discovery of the "blood moons" phenomena back in 2008 well before anyone else was speaking about it. In his tribulation article, Pastor Biltz noted several factors suggesting that the end is near and the tribulation is about to begin:
I am a member of various online communities including the "Faith Driven Business" community on LinkedIn. A question was posed recently in the discussion forums:
Do you struggle with balancing wealth and humility?
And should we be? Steve Hoeft, the founder of Faith Driven Business, discusses his views on wealth and how to view money as a Christian entrepreneur. What he has to say may be surprising! Read and comment below! https://faithdrivenbusiness.com/7-reasons-why-god-wants-to-make-entrepreneurs-wealthy/
Here was my contribution to the conversation:
A friend of mine recently shared an astounding fact. 90% of children who grow up in evangelical homes make a decision to follow Christ but only 22% of that group are still following Christ by age 35.
Before they are 35 years old, 80% of children who grew up in evangelical homes are not following Christ.
EIGHTY percent.
I had to check this out.
In 1847, Ernst Haeckel created sketches of embryos in various states of development and used them in his biology textbook, Anthropogenie. Modern science has proven these images to be inaccurate at best and outright fraudulent at worst.
Although the images were debunked in the early 1900s, they were still being used in school textbooks as late as 2004 .{footnote}Cecie Starr & Ralph Taggart, Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, Tenth Edition (Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, 2004), p. 315.
Joseph Raver, Biology: Patterns and Processes of Life (Dallas, TX: J. M. LeBel Publishers, 2004), p. 100.
Donald Voet & Judith G. Voet, Biochemistry, Third Edition (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2004), p. 14.{/footnote}
Christians who believe in the Biblical account of Creation point to the continued use of Haeckel's images as proof that lies are being presented as evidence of evolution to unsuspecting public school students. They demand that it stop, and their common chant is "Truth above all!"
Unfortunately, specific ideas within Christianity that have been debunked by archaeologists, historians, and modern Biblical scholars also continue to be presented as truth to an unsuspecting audience. We should follow the exhortation of Paul from 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "Put everything to the test. Hold on to what is good."
In part 1 of this series, I noted that Ernst Haeckel's inaccurate sketches of embryos in various stages of development from 1847 were still being used in public school textbooks as late as the early 2000s. Similarly, specific ideas within Christianity debunked by archaeologists, historians, and modern Biblical scholars continue to be presented as truth to an unsuspecting audience.
The first error I addressed was an inaccurate view of first-century Judaism's teaching on salvation presented in a small booklet mentioned previously. A second error also had me shaking my head in disbelief.
The Hebrew word for "atonement" (kippur) literally means "a covering" but in the context of the Levitical priesthood and sacrifices it has to do with ritual cleansing. The root word, kopher, means "a ransom". The "kippur"/atonement offerings are literally the ransom or price of ritual cleansing... and that ransom involves blood.
In Leviticus 14:52, the blood of a bird is used to cleanse a house with "leprosy":
My precious daughter (a senior attending high school at the time) came home one day with tears in her eyes.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?", I asked and hugged her.
"Nothing," she sniffled.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Okay. I love you, and I want to help in any way I can. Just let me know," I said with another brief hug.
I began to turn away but was immediately engulfed in an emotionally-charged 30-minute, non-stop account of a heated conversation between three of her close friends that resulted in all three of them being mad at her and each other. It all stemmed from a question one of the girls had asked about someone utterly unrelated to their group.
The day of Passover begins tonight at sundown and the seder meal occurs tomorrow evening. All the preparations for the moed of Pesach are complete except one: the final search for chametz.
As I've previously written, the question of Messiah's divinity has been asked and answered: yes, Yeshua is G-d's Word in the flesh. As Scripture itself declares,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)
Earlier this week, HarperOne (which is owned by HarperCollins, the parent company of Zondervan) published a 416-page book by Bart Ehrman entitled "How Jesus Became God- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee". In his book, Ehrman expands upon many of the same arguments that critics have been exercising for the past century or more:
Movieguide.org recently released its 2014 annual report and made the observation that for the first time in its 22 years of reporting, religious, family-friendly, and patriotic movies made up nine of the top ten grossing movies in 2013. They found the top movies with faith-centered themes of redemption earned over 400% more on average than those with a non-Christian worldview. It would seem that Hollywood has taken note and they're beginning to deliver more of what Christians want.
Or are they?
There are so many holidays that we don't keep. You can add Valentine's Day to the list if you are keeping track. It's not that we don't love you. We love you year-round and even draw hearts, but we don't do Valentine's Day.
November 19th, 1863.
In the chilly afternoon of an early winter, Abraham Lincoln delivered an address to those assembled at a field near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His speech has become one of the most renowned in our nation's history. It was the Gettysburg Address.
The Biblical principles regarding offense and forgiveness are essential to community life. If we desire to remain in fellowship with one another, then we should commit to following the Bible's pattern for handling offense and granting forgiveness every time an offense occurs... even a minor one.
Consider the words of Paul in his letter to the believers in Colossae:
I saw this amazing video the other day and two things came to mind...
The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory. - Psalm 97:6
and this...
The Atlantic ran an incredible 28-photo presentation of the 2013 Powerhouse Fire in California's Angeles National Forest. The article, The Terrible Beauty of California's Powerhouse Fire, included this image:
Without these powerful reminders from the creation, we can really lose sight of the significance and weight of the words of Scripture that describe our Creator:
A hundred years after the church was founded in Jerusalem, a controversy raged within the congregation. The outcome was a doctrinal turnaround with far-reaching consequences. The losers in that debate were subsequently rejected by Christianity. The winning side passed down to us their slant on church history which has strongly influenced our understanding of the New Testament.
Few Christians are aware of the changes that occurred at that time. The traditional interpretations of events are seldom questioned. Like the author of the historical account below, we allow our presuppositions to blind us to the implications of those early changes to Christianity.
For an overview of the early development of Christianity, let's look at a classic text that was first published in 1776 and is still widely used and respected by historians. Although various scholars have disagreed with some of Edward Gibbon's interpretations of history, the accuracy of the historic facts he recorded has rarely been disputed.
Read more of Ron's article, How the Apostles Were Expelled from Christianity on his site, Fogwhistle.ca.