Category: Series Studies on biblical topics

Subjective and Non-Subjective Approaches Expression

Poetic truths exist on a different level than ordinary facts. It is a way of thinking that goes beyond the literal, straight forward approach. Example: My peach tree is in bloom, it is 20 feet high, and stands 30 feet from my house. This is factual and non-subjective. Poetry is mostly subjective in its truth and I will try to show that with this example following up with the same peach tree (please excuse my poor poetry; I am just trying to prove a point).

Peach Tree in Bloom

The sweet fragrance of its baby-pink blossoms —

God’s natural perfume — wafting on the breeze

As it tickles bright new leaves and flowers- to- be fruit

 As one would tickle a child – in gently playful joy

I inhale deeply and envision peaches

Like a gift from God to me in my little Eden.

The subjective helps us to grasp the true nature of things and better contact with reality. It paints a picture in the mind. Metaphors are usually the best element for defining poetry as they point to the truth by comparison to the reader. Emotion plays a part in poetry and usually sticks in your mind with its truth of the situation.

Parallelism: A + B –part 2 on biblical poetry

Understanding how to begin exegeting Hebrew poetry is helpful in learning about the forms, especially that of parallelism. It is the most common form used in the Bible and perhaps the easiest to understand. It is the foundation and common literary feature in Hebrew poetry in that two or more lines are connected in some way. The simple formula tell us that line A is the main reference, followed by line B that has something added to it; Line B emphasizes line A, and connects to it. The phrase, A plus B, boils down to mean that something has been added to line B making the whole more significant (Fields, 2008, p. 266). Do not let this explanation overwhelm you. Try to take the time to look up the provided references in the Bible and you will be able to understand the process, This is not an easy task, but worth the effort when you “get it.”

There are several kinds of parallelisms in Hebrew poetry which include: synonymous, nearly identical thoughts in both lines of a couplet (Ps. 49:1); contrastive (antithetic),  line B is in contrast to  line A (Pro. 15:1); synthetic (temporal),  line B completes the thought of the line A (Pro. 4:23); synthetic (causal/climatic), proceeds by steps to a climax in thought (Ps. 103:1);        comparative/complementary, line B forms a simile of the line A (Ps. 103:12); and progressive; a new and related thought is introduced in line B (Job 3:17) (Fields, 2008, p. 266; Merrill, 2008, p.218). Only the synonymous parallelism will be discussed in the essay and I will give an example of this parallelism device and explain how it is used.

            The formula: “A plus B,” shows how B makes a connection to A. In a general parallelism, B is not a restatement, but additional information has been added to emphasize A.  Sometimes this is accomplished by using a contrasting B clause.  Following is an example of a general parallelism:

            Line A: “With God we will gain victory,

            Line B.   and He will trample down our enemies” (Psalm 60:12 NIV).

            The base (or reference point) is always line A. We can see in line A that God will be responsible for the victory. In line B, we see how this will come about — He will trample them. The relationship is logical and connective. God is a proper noun in the line A, and corresponds to that with He in line B. The relationship can also come about in either order with cause-effect or effect cause. Either way, line B needs to emphasize line A, the reference point (Fields, 2008, p. 266). Understanding that “A plus B,” means that something has been added to line B making the whole more connectively significant and makes the process of exegeting easier to perform (Fields, 2008, p. 266).

References

Fields, L.M. (2008). Hebrew for the rest of us. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Life Application Study Bible (NIV). (2005). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Merrill, E.H. (2008). An historical survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic

Copyright 2019 by Joan Berry

Exegeting the Prophet Micah: Use of Hebrew Poetry as a Message

The prophet Micah, who spoke of impending judgments and promises of blessings to come on Israel and Judah, was born in Moresheth Gath located in Judah and was a contemporary of Isaiah in Jerusalem and Hosea in northern Judea (NKJV). He served God in capacity of prophet during the latter part of the eighth century (752-699 B.C.) throughout the governances of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (NKJV). Micah faced the crisis of political and social upheavals and Assyrian invasions that began in in 730 B.C. and lasted until 701 B.C. His purpose was to warn God’s people, his original audience, under the condition that unless they repented and were pardoned, judgment was coming. Key areas involved in in Micah’s book were Samaria, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem (NIV).  The main ideas discussed in this book are the indictment of injustice against the people, the throne of David to be filled by a Deliverer, and what God required of His people (Hill & Walton, 2009, p. 641). In this essay, the focus will be on Micah 5:1-5 (NIV) with a background summary up to chapter five, preceding the focused passage.

            The prophet opposed the social and moral deviations of the time – corrupt rulers, and priests and false prophets who cried “Peace then there was none” (vs. 2-3; Merrill, 1991, p. 266). Regarding the priests, Solomon’s temple was in use and the people would have been under the Mosaic Covenant at that time. Micah prophesized that God’s coming judgment was to be against Samaria and Jerusalem because the rulers and priests had turned to idolatry and cruel treatment of the poor and women and children that broke the Covenant with God (Halley, 1962, p. 288). In chapter six, Micah brings a lawsuit against them on behalf of God for breaking the covenant. He proclaimed that God would punish them, but later would restore them (Alexander & Alexander, 2009, pp. 498-499). What God wanted from His people was “right behavior,” not manipulated rituals as the proper response to God’s anger” (Hill & Walton, 2009, p. 641).

            Micah wrote his account as Hebrew poetry using parallelism, imagery, and figures of speech and the intent of the poetry is both figurative and literal. The interpretation is as follows:

Micah 5: 1-5 (NIV) — The Promise of a Deliverer

^“1 Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
    for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
    on the cheek with a rod.”

            Mighty Jerusalem would be attacked and destroyed by the Assyrians and the city’s king could not prevent it (NIV). Some see the strike on the ruler as a future event when Christ was stuck at the crucifixion trial (Mark 15: 16-20), and still further in the future, Christ would strike back (Rev. 19).

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans^[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

The prophet looked ahead to a time when Jerusalem will be the religious center of the world and that Bethlehem in the district of Ephrathah would be the birth place of the Messiah (the Deliverer of God’s people). This is said to be the clearest prophecy of where the birth would occur (Alexander & Alexander, 2009, pp. 498-499; Halley, 1962, p.289). A reminder of who the Messiah will be is in the recognition of Him from ancient times, at the Creation for example.

^“3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.”

            While verse two speaks of Christ’s birth – His first coming – verse three speaks of His second coming and His time of rule. Zion is most likely a reference to “she who is in labor.” The remnant are those never forgotten by God and will delight in the coming of Christ (NIV).

^“4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.”

            Jesus Christ will rule (Rev. 20: 4-6) and His brethren mentioned above are those who believe in Him. He will be as David who obeyed God and placed his trust in Him. His greatness will extend all over the earth and He will give eternal life to His people, He will be the Good Shepherd (Painter, 2007).

^“5 And he will be our peace
    when the Assyrians invade our land
    and marches through our fortresses.
We will rise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight leaders of men . . .”

            As the ruler, Christ will bring peace. This confirms that it will be Christ, not the leaders who will bring the peace. Christ speaks of His peace in John 14:27. The use of we and us implies His loyal people who will stand with Him to win the battle. He will free them, defend them, and rule over their enemies. Micah also predicted that the Assyrians would attack again. This came about in 612 B.C. and the enemy was defeated.  The “seven shepherds and eight leaders of men” is a figure of speech. Seven is a perfect number and eight means they had more than enough to defeat the enemy (Painter, 2007; NIV).

Conclusion

Micah’s message from God could well apply to all nations in all times. He faced the crisis of social and political unrest, the attacks from the Assyrians, corruption in the temple and government. The people had returned to idolatry and were treating the poor and women and children cruelly and in doing so, they broke the covenant with God. Micah told the people they must repent and be pardoned for the sins. He wrote his account in Hebrew poetry form in parallelism, figures of speech, and imagery. Micah gives hope to the people with the promise of a messiah and God’s restoration of their nation.

References

Alexander, D. & Alexander, P. (2009). Zondervan handbook to the Bible (4^th ed.). Grand Rapids.

Halley, H.H. (1962). Halley’s Bible handbook: Billy Graham crusade edition (23  ed,). Minneapolis: MN: Grason Company.

Hill, A.E. & Walton, J. H. (2009). (3^rd ed. ). A survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI:   Zondervan.

Life application study Bible (NIV). (2005). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Merrill, E.H. An historical survey of the Old Testament (2^nd ed.). (1991). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic

New King James study Bible (NKJV 2^nd ed.). (2007). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Painter, L. (2007). Micah speaks a message from God to all the nations. Retrieved fromhttp://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/micah-lbw.htm

Noah Before and After the Great Flood

Copyright 2019 by Joan Berry

            To more fully understand the story of Noah, it is pertinent to view the lineage and his connection to Enoch, his great-grandfather. Enoch ruled over the City of Enoch that was founded by Cainin. Enoch was also a prophet of God, scribe, and the seventh generation from Adam.  Enoch recorded that God sent angels and Watchers to ensure safety and as helpers for His people. The account of the angels and Watchers is presented in a separate paper available at this site.

            Adam created ca. 3815 BCE

            Seth born 3685 BCE

            Enos born 3580 BCE

            Cainan [Cainin] born 3490 BCE

            Mahalaleel born 3420 BCE

            Jared born 3355 BCE

            Enoch born 3193 BCE

            Methuselah born 3128 BCE [lived 969 years]

            Lamech born 2941 BCE

            Noah born 2759 BCE

            Prior to the flood, people had long life spans as recorded in Genesis 5. Days were from sunup to sundown. A year was measured as Earth’s rotation around the sun just as it does today. Adam lived 930 years and Noah was born ten generations later; 20 years after Adam died. From Adam to Noah was a span of 1056 years. Noah was 500 years old when God called him to build the huge vessel. Traditionally, there is 369 years between the death of Noah and the birth of Moses. Moses is credited with compiling the Book of Genesis; most of which came from the writings of Enoch.

            The Midrash Tanchuma states that before Noah [Noach] was born, God cursed the ground for Adam’s sake: “…with toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life.”  When Adam asked God how much longer the curse would last, God responded, “…Until a person is born circumcised” When Lamech saw that his son was born circumcised, he said …”this one will bring about our consolation.” It is assumed that Noah studied the Torah because  he knew that he was to take seven kosher animals and birds into the vessel along with non-kosher animals and birds two-by-two [male and female].  The Midrash Tanchuma also states that Noah passed away after the flood and after he saw the world was settled with 70 nations descended from him.

The Birth of Noah

            Lamech was not only surprised by his son’s prenatal circumcision but in addition he was born with white skin (white as snow) and red as a rose [newborns often have red areas]; his hair was long and white as wool and his eyes were beautiful and full of light. His fingers were not webbed as well [earlier humans had webbed fingers]. Upon his birth, the child immediately spoke to the Lord. Lamech thought that his son looked like the offspring of angels and thought his wife had been unfaithful. Lamech went to his father, Methuselah, to discuss the matter. Methuselah in turn went to his father, Enoch, to inform him of this unusual event.

In the Book of Enoch sections 106.13-14-16, Enoch tells Methuselah that the child is Lamech’s and he is to name him Noah [connected to the Hebrew word for comfort]. Enoch further tells Methuselah that the Lord would do new things on Earth and that he had seen those things in a vision and those that he, Enoch, had revealed to him [Methuselah]. Enoch also tells his son that Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives would be saved from the coming of the Great Flood.

The Torah and the Bible say that God walked with Noah and when Noah was 500 years old, God called him to build the ark. The Book of Noah relates that God further tells him that the angels were in the process of building the wooden structure and when it was finished, He [God] would put His hand on it and keep it safe. He would also make a change so no dry land would remain empty.

Immediately before the departure of Noah and his family to board the ark, Noah relates to Lamech that the Earth is shaken and has tilted and hot springs are running cold. Professor Charles Hapgood determined that the North Pole shifted from the area of Hudson Bay [an inland seaindenting east-central Canada] to its present position. He posits that when the poles shifted a huge ice melt occurred and supported the Great Flood. Hapgood is known for his works on crustal shifts.  Albert Einstein corresponded with Hapgood about pole shifts, supported the theory, helped with the study, and wrote the foreword to Earth’s Shifting Crust.”

 “Just because the Earth is massive, this does not mean it cannot flip very quickly. The Earth is spinning, like a top, and in a zero g, and zero friction environment, it doesn’t take much more than a gradual buildup of an opposed magnetic field, to change that top from positive stability to negative stability, until eventually, some minor perturbation triggers the rapid switch, whereby the top wobbles, and then inverts, resuming positive stability, even whilst it retains its angular momentum. A little force is all it takes to persuade a spinning top that it is better spinning the other way up. Every 12,000 years the polarity of the ambient magnetic field (about the Earth) inverts.”

White, Black, and Red Skin

Consensus among many anthropologists is that all early mankind had black skin [shades of brown were included in this category]. White skin was unusual and sometimes considered to be albino. Noah was not an albino. Red skin came as a combination of the colors. Due to intermarriages, they posit, skins began changing to various colors as well as eye color. Biblical scholars/anthropologists in tracing the genealogy of biblical families report that Abraham was black and had two black wives and then Sarah who was white. Moses married a black woman in Cush [Ethiopia/political]; Joseph married an Egyptian; sons of Jacob married Canaanite women of various colors. From these intermarriages, scholars/anthropologists say that we now have many skin and eye colors. Jesus is described as having skin the color of burnished brass [Revelation, Letter to Thyatira].

Also Prior to the Great Flood

            Sacrifices were made to God before the Great Flood and this rite was continued by Noah following the flood. Some of the occupations included farming (Cain); shepherds (Abel); musicians (Jubal); metal works (Tubal-cain); they ate and drank and married. There was one city known (City of Enoch founded by Cain) but there may have been more. In Genesis 6, Nephilim are mentioned and described as being mighty men who were old men of renown. A very good description of these people can be found in the Book of Enoch. There are also mentioned angels fallen angels, Watchers, and human-angel hybrids. Wickedness and violence within humanity began early such as Cain killing Abel, Lamech also killed. Noah was the exception because he walked with God.

The Flood

            For 40 days, the flood was upon the Earth; the water rose 15 cubits above the highest mountain. The water covered the Earth for 150 days and then the rain ceased and the springs of the deep closed and the water began to recede. In the seventh month on the seventeenth day, the ark came to rest atop Mount Ararat. The water continued to ebb away until the first day of the tenth month when mountain peaks could be seen. Forty days later, Noah opened the window and sent out a raven that did not return. [Ravens eat carrion and no doubt found much of it in the water]. He then sent out a dove, but it found no perch and returned. Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove out again. The dove returned, but this time it had an olive tree twig in its beak. After another seven days, the dove once again was sent out, but it did not return this time. In Noah’s 601 year, on the first day of the first month, the water had receded from the Earth. By the27th day of the second month, the Earth had dried up. The event had lasted 364 days. Noah then built an altar and offered up burnt offerings to God and God was well pleased.

After the Flood

God placed all of Earth’s creatures in the care of Noah and his sons.  And then God made a covenant with Noah to never destroy the Earth with water again. He set a rainbow in the clouds as a sign of the covenant and now a reembrace for us.            

After the flood, God told Noah and his family to venture out to repopulate the world. Noah and his wife settled near where the ark landed on the Mount of Ararat. He lived 350 years after the flood.

Shem lived 600 years and inherited the Promised Land displacing the descendants of Ham. Shem had five sons and he is the ancestor of all Semites. Twenty-six nations were formed by his descendants.

Japheth inherited the coastal lands around the Mediterranean Sea as well as the islands.  He had seven sons who established 14 nations. He and Shem lived in harmony with each other. Japheth’s descendants lived to the north and west of Israel and their language was considered Indo-European.

Ham occupied what today are northern Iraq, Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya. He had four sons and whose descendants founded 30 nations. Ham’s son, Canaan, was cursed for his error with Noah, but the curse landed on Ham as well.  

Source 

Black History in the Bible (2016). Biblical and Historical Evidence of Black Hebrews).

The Real Book of Enoch resurfaced at the beginning of the 17th century when it was discovered in Ethiopia, written in an Ethiopic language. In fact, the book of Enoch is preserved in its entirety in the Church at Ethiopia, and is included in their Bible. The Ethiopians claim it was divine scripture. [Written before the Great Flood].– [http://scriptural-truth.com/stuff/BookOfEnoch.pdf ].

The term “Book of Jasher” is a bit misleading. This was not a book written by someone named “Jasher”. In fact the word “Jasher” (Hebrew: Yashar) means “Upright” so that the Hebrew Sefer HaYashar is “The Upright Book”. The definite article “Ha” tips us off that this is not a person’s name but a modifier for the word “book”.

Book of Methuselah: One of the books attached to of the Book of Enoch. [Written before the Great Flood].

Book of Noah: One of the books attached to the Book of Enoch. [Written before the Great Flood].

Eisenstein, A. and Hapgood, C. (2006). The Einstein and Hapgood Papers, Crustal Shift/Physics Forums.

Kabbala/Zohar: Kabbalah is the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible, first transmitted orally and using esoteric methods (including ciphers). It reached the height of its influence in the later Middle Ages and remains significant in Hasidism. The Zohar (Hebrew: זֹהַר, lit.”Splendor” or “Radiance”) is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five books of Moses) and scriptural interpretations as well as material on mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology.

Kranz, Jeffrey (2013). What was it like before Noah’s flood? In Bible Facts.

Midrash Tanchuma The genre of Jewish literature known as Midrash has been poetically described as “the hammer that awakens the slumbering sparks on the anvil of the Bible.” The Midrashic process utilizes a variety of methods, including expositions, explanations, gematria, plays on words, legends, and parables, to broaden our understanding of the full meaning of the biblical text.

New King James Version Study Bible (2^nd ed). (2007). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

            [Genesis, Ezekiel, Isiah, I Chronicles, Matthew, Luke, Hebrews, I and II Peter]

Torah: (Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture is written; is used in a synagogue during services. Judaism – the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud.

 Yalkut Shimoni: The Yalkut Shimoni (Hebrew ילקוט שמעוני), or simply Yalkut, is an aggadic compilation on the books of the Hebrew Bible. It is a compilation of older interpretations and explanations of Biblical passages, arranged according to the sequence of those portions of the Bible to which they referred.