PIECES OF THE PUZZLE - DO WE ALL WORSHIP THE SAME GOD

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I believe that God is love, therefore; it would seem that the love of God should overcome all of people’s differences and all the people of the earth should find a way to get along because of God’s love living inside our hearts. 

Wouldn’t that be nice?  It just doesn’t work that way in real life.  Truth doesn’t always appear the same to all people.  God doesn’t always work things out in the ways that we expect Him to.  We don’t always see the answers to the questions from where we are standing.   Someone once put it like this:  “the only way to exist in peace is for the broken to learn to love the broken.”

The big “W” screams out at us again.  WHY???  The answer isn’t easy or simple, it is complex and complicated.

 This matter of understanding each other’s differences is a more complex problem than any of us can ever imagine, especially when we try to lump all religious beliefs into one big pile and say they originate from one original source, as we humans often tend to do.

 To begin to blend the aspects of religion and hope that all the pieces fit together and interlock perfectly under the same God is impossible.  No human philosopher has ever come up with the right equation for this.  Even Mr. Thoreau’s concept of keeping things simple until nature eventually works them out for everyone’s higher good cannot be applied in this situation.  There are just too many complicated facets to the problem.  Things may work out alright; but for the good of everyone involved?  That part is very doubtful.

 This all gets a bit deeper and even harder to comprehend as you begin to examine the basic facts and search for the REAL truth.  Usually facts equal eventual answers, but in this case, sometimes facts equal more and more questions.  

  

But let’s give it a shot anyway.  Why not?  What do we have to lose? If we can just put together a few pieces of the puzzle, we’ve made progress….right?

 Every solution to every problem known to mankind begins with a search for the real truth.  Truth comes to most of us in bits and pieces, like an unending jigsaw puzzle that is full of surprises and mystery.  What you THOUGHT worked here will really only truly work THERE.  No two pieces follow the same formula and it doesn’t pay to jump to conclusions.  So what is the truth about how we have all come to worship God?  

We quickly need to recognize the fact that religion has historical, political and geographical consequences.  We know this when we look for the answers to the reasons behind the devastating attack on America during 9/11.  On that day everyone was peacefully going about their separate business.  The whole world seemed to be functioning and working properly.  Yet,this wasn’t true; there were undercurrents at work that were not obvious until it was too late to deal with them.  It was at that sad point in history that the whole world suddenly seemed to stop and notice that religion does often have historical, geographical and political consequences.  No matter how much we all ignored it and looked the other way; that obvious fact was still there whether anyone was willing to say it out loud or not.   A whole new definition of fear arose for some who were just beginning to grasp the fact that certain sects of Islam contain the most violent religion in the world. 

Up until this point in time many people unreasonably assumed that everyone was worshiping the same God, just in different ways.   But the question finally had to be addressed: how could we all be worshiping the same God and have such radical differences in our feelings about the sacredness of life?  9/11 is just one example.  This question arises again when we look at the different opinions about abortion.  These are only two examples of many situations that exist.  The question is always in the back of our minds, even now, so many years past these horrible and unexpected wake-up calls of terrorism and murder.  The obvious question has become louder now.   So many facts; so little truth.  Who is right and who is wrong?  Are we all wrong?  Who is worshiping the true God?    

I have for years now considered the answers to that question.  It is constantly rising to the top of the question pile for those who exist in a country of changing cultural dynamics with the infusion and blending of more new and different cultures than ever before.  Ironically it is a question being asked from all sides by loving people who want all cultures to share and get along.  It is a question asked by good and decent people, Islamic, Christian and Jewish, who do not want violence and hate. 

It seems on impartial examination, contrary to the opinions of the “politically correct” that asking the question is not at all racial or prejudiced and does not stem from hate; but quite the opposite; asking the question is simply about attempting to defend the innocent and to seek the common good for all people.  So we ask it over and over again, attempting to seek an answer that would preserve those who appreciate the sacredness of life and humankind in all colors, races, religions, nations and cultures.   Those individuals who aspire to a higher plane of life are constantly asking the question. Those who wish to do good and not evil, those who wish to bring an end to hate and violence and injustice are still seeking.  Most all of them, no matter what culture they are from are seeking in The Name of God.    

It seems we must go back to the beginning of religion as we know it to find answers.  It all started with God and Abraham.  The three main cultures who claim to believe in God seem to agree on this one basic fact; that in the beginning there was God and then there was Abraham.  Abraham knew God.  Abraham worshiped God.  God blessed Abraham and Abraham had two sons.  With the sons the stories take parting pathways.  

The Christians and the Jews believe that Isaac was the promised son, yet both sons were blessed.  The Islamic Quran states that Ishmael was the blessed son.  Both cultures agree that Ishmael was born first of an Egyptian handmaiden named Hagar.  Both cultures recognize that Isaac was born later of Sarah.  From these two sons of Abraham have come the nations of the world.   Both sons of Abraham had 12 sons and nations came from each of them.  These nations were very different from one another, but they all have the common history of Abraham.

From Abraham both sons were taught what the Hebraic people have called the Shema. “The Lord is our God; The Lord is One.”   All three religious beliefs, Christianity, Judaism and Islam believe this.  They just don’t understand that each other believes it!  The concept of the Trinity in the Christian Bible is not correctly understood, either by the Islamic people or by the Jewish people.  A lot of this stems from the fact that the Islamic people as well as the Jewish people do not believe that Jesus Christ is The Messiah.  They mistakenly see the Christians believing in three separate deities instead of one.  They separate The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.  Often times they become confused and even think that Mary is worshiped as a Christian deity.  Not true!  

Christians actually believe that the three are ONE; that the three aspects of God, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit are One God.  This is often misunderstood and the Quran has spoken against it because of the misconceptions.  It is true that the Trinity is a hard to understand concept which is full of mystery and the wisdom of God that is far above the thinking of men, but men must learn how to teach the Trinity in a more appropriate way, a way that shows the oneness of God clearly.   

To correct this misconception with the Islamic people is a bit easier than to change it for our Jewish friends.  More on that later.  For now, let’s start with a way to help the Islamic people understand the concept of Trinity.  The answer is love.  God is love – we both can agree on this.  It is more times than not the starting place for all answers.  To love one must not be alone.  Love cannot be exercised in isolation.  The God who is love in order to allow that love to happen must exist in a community within Himself.  Within God’s community of three persons, among whom their mutual love is so perfect, though three; they become perfectly One.   This is the fundamental truth of the Trinity that our Islamic brothers have never been taught, and it has been hard for them to grasp, but they do believe strongly in unity and community and that all should be God-centered. 

Perhaps more education about the Trinity and the love aspects that show union and community could open eyes and we might grow to a deeper understanding of one another.  For that to happen, Christian congregations must learn to preach this concept correctly.

But; what about the Jewish people?  How can their lack of belief in a Trinity be reconciled for the sake of love and community?  They too have always had a strong concept of unity and community centered on One God.  Their resistance does not lie in the fact that the Trinity does not show love and respect for the One God of Heaven and earth.  It lies in the fact that they do not believe in one aspect of the united Trinity – Jesus Christ, The Messiah.  They DO believe a Messiah is coming; they just don’t realize it was and is Jesus Christ, who has already come and given His life as an atonement sacrifice for every human being that walks the earth and believes in His name.  He will come again.

How can we get beyond this?  I would say the answer is found in something that most Christians are ignorant of; a commandment given to the Israelites long ago to keep annual Holy Days before God.  There were many reasons that God commanded these days to be kept.  I believe one reason was to present the Messiah to all men in all time periods of history.   Many people are just beginning to glimpse the fact that these days actually do portray a beautiful picture of Christ.  That picture is perfectly tied in with the history and significance of the Jewish people.  The annual holy days point out in very Jewish terms, scripture and symbolism showing how the prophesies have been fulfilled in Christ.  They perfectly point to Him as Messiah.  

Consider further why Jewish people claim not to believe that Jesus was the Messiah;  they will quickly tell you when you ask that they do not think all of  the Messianic prophecies have yet been fulfilled.  They are looking at the physical instead of the spiritual, though they are very spiritual and enlightened people!  Perhaps they should look closer at their own holy days and re-think this process a bit.    Every single day of the the seven feasts and festivals given by God and even the two Mosaic holidays given by Jewish history, proclaim in theory and symbolism that Jesus Christ is The Messiah.   The physical things concerning Messianic prophesy that have not yet materialized in Israel are painted in spiritual concepts that are far beyond the physical limitations that the Jewish people might be looking for.  You have to BELIEVE to see the spiritual things - like the fact that the temple has actually been rebuilt - by the way the Holy Spirit dwells inside our physical bodies through the sacrificial atonement of Christ.  The Jewish people are looking for someone who will rebuild and restore The Temple, but The Temple of the last days has already been restored through Christ dwelling in mankind.  Our bodies are the temple now.  The holy days help us to see this concept over and over again.  It is a Messianic prophesy that the Jewish people have not yet noticed has been fulfilled because they are looking for a physical temple, just as they were looking for a physical ruler when the Christ child was born.  God does not think like us!  He brings things about in totally unexpected ways sometime.  Often, we miss it.  This is why the true Church must teach it!  

So how do we remove some of the historical, political and geographical distances between Islam, Christianity and Judaism?   By looking at the ignorance of all three groups of people and educating ourselves with the truth.  I've pointed out places where all three groups of people who claim to worship God have missed the mark.  That old scripture comes to mind from Hosea 4:6 that says "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."  Someone must start this cycle of restoring truth, I am always praying that it begins in The Christian Church.  But how should The Church (I define The Church as being the body of believers who are indwelt with God's Holy Spirit) begin this process?

 I would suggest that Christian witnesses start to practice three things in a very devout, humble and devoted manner:

First: Study and learn the “love” aspects of The Holy Trinity.  Get the doctrine right and preach it correctly in a way that shows God’s love through the unity of these three distinct personalities of the Holy Trinity.  Emphasize that they are all ONE.  Note that understanding the Trinity doctrine correctly is proof that God is One.   The church has stopped teaching this.  We must correct it and the sooner the better. TEACH GOOD THEOLOGY and stop entertaining.  

     Second:  Learn about and celebrate the Holy Days of God given in the Old Testament to Moses.  Get correct and accurate teachings on the fact that they are Messianic.  Use the old ancient Jewish customs with the fuller understanding that Jesus Christ is The Messiah.  Go through the traditions for yourself, read the old Jewish stories and listen to the wise Rabbi’s of history.  God gave them (The Jewish people) the mystery and they have done their homework and memorized it well. Now it is time for The Church to bring forth the greater meaning, the new wine from the old water – like the miracle of Cana.  If the church would incorporate these things into their normal forms of worship just as God commanded Moses eons ago, I think many Jews would come to know the salvation of Christ.  The New Testament life perfectly fits the Old Testament theology.  Of course, the Jewish people often resent what is done by some congregations today; those who fumble the truth and do not present accurate information according to scripture.  Who can blame them? Truth matters and thorough study of the scriptures is important.  If you don't believe this go back and read THE REST of Hosea 4:6.  The duties of the priests of God to teach The Word correctly are very plain. 

Third:  We should all pray for all of the people who call on the name of God to be united into one community that loves and serves Him.  The Jewish people have a saying that I’ve always loved:  “tikkum olam.”  It simply means “repair the world.”  Isn’t that what the love of God is all about?  We must bring God and mankind back to the state that once existed in The Garden of  Eden, that state where there was no division, no hate, no shame, only love.  

But what of the other religions out there?  What about the Hindu and Buddhist religions and all other ancient and eastern religions that exist?  I will note three things about them all:   

(1)  They do not name the name of God in any way, shape or form.  Our God has told us not to worship false gods.  

(2) They do not provide a way to ascend into eternal life after death.  

(3) They do not show love and mercy, only a process of elimination that is brought about by the actions of the individual person worshiping, not the god they worship.  They leave everything up to humans, either to rise above things or sink to the bottom of existence; hence, they would never work.  They do not prove the power of their god.  Instead of people depending on God, they exist basically as a god depending on the actions of people.  This can never prove out in the end.  Impossible. 

Again, I look to that great prophet named Hosea.  Hosea 4:14 states that a people without understanding will come to ruin.  

There must be a Messiah who can provide everlasting life and atone for our sins in order for us to become the best that we can be; it is not within ourselves, but within a higher power than us that we may succeed in this.  Our humanity will only lead us to a lower form of life without a Messiah.  Only Jesus Christ can make that happen forever.  

In those other religions there is no eternal life, no mercy, no forgiveness and no pardon.  They are false religions.  It is wise for the true Church to remember the commandments and teach against idolatry and false religion.  Do we want our brothers and sisters to miss eternal life because they did not know the truth?  Are we not too accepting of these things of the cultures around us?  Why isn’t the church teaching the definition of false gods and idolatry anymore?  Have we lost our belief in the God who proclaimed that we should do this? 

It is time to return to the scriptures and truth in preaching and teaching.  Pop psychology lessons are only leading people straight to hell.  I've often noted that the Jewish people keep the shema and the rest of the world seems to be keeping the schema.  Schema, which is close in sound and spelling to shema is totally opposite and means "psychology."  Have we become a church of psychologist instead of a church that proclaims the gospel?  If we wish to win our brothers and sisters to Christ we must closely examine ourselves and turn back to the straight and narrow path and the gate that is hard to find.  We must be preaching and teaching the truth of God.

    My brothers and sisters, most of all pray for the peace of the whole earth and for God to show us imperfect humans His very precious love and mercy. 

May we ever look to our Messiah who has told us faithfully “I make all things new!”

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 91 JOSEPH IS BETRAYED

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

So Jacob/Israel was living out his mature years in the land of Canaan where Isaac had lived before him.  Jacob/Israel had two sons by Rachel that he loved very much.  There was Benjamin whom she died giving birth to; he was the youngest son.  The oldest son was Joseph.  The name Joseph means "he will add."  Joseph was the eleventh and favored son of Israel.

When Joseph was seventeen he was tending the flocks with his brothers (the ones born to Leigh, Bilhah and Zilpah) and he brought their father a bad report of them.  Israel always listened to Joseph and Benjamin, his youngest two sons born in his old age from his beloved deceased wife Rachel.  Israel favored these two sons above all the others.  He was always giving them special gifts.  

One day Israel gave Joseph a very ornate robe that made the other brother’s envious.  They became so jealous of Israel’s love for Joseph that they hated Joseph and never had one kind word for him again. 

One day Joseph had a dream that they all were binding sheaves of grain out in the field.  Suddenly Joseph’s sheaves rose and stood upright and all the other’s sheaves bowed down to Joseph’s sheaves.  When Joseph told this dream to his brothers they hated him even more.  They scoffed at him and asked if he intended to rule over them? 

Then Joseph had another dream and again he told it to his brothers.  In this dream the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to Joseph.  The brothers hated him even more.  Joseph told the dream to his father and his father rebuked him this time.  Israel said to the young Joseph; “What is this dream you had?  Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”  Afterwards Israel wondered at the meaning of the dream. 

A few days later Joseph’s brothers went to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.  Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well.”  Joseph replied.  So Israel said to Joseph; “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks and bring word back to me.”  So Joseph left from the Valley of Hebron and headed toward Shechem.  When he arrived at Shechem a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him what he was looking for.  Joseph replied that he was looking for his brothers and asked the man if he could tell him where they were grazing their flocks.  The man answered Joseph that they had moved on from there.  He said he had heard them say “Let’s go to Dothan.” 

So Joseph went to Dothan and found them.  They saw him coming in the distance and before he reached them they plotted to kill Joseph.   They said “Here comes that dreamer!  Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him.  Then we will see what comes of his dreams.”

When the oldest brother, Ruben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands.  “Let’s not take his life,” he said.  “Don’t shed any blood.  Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.”  Reuben was hopeful he could come back and rescue Joseph and take him back to their father.     

So as soon as Joseph approached they stripped him of his robe and they took him and threw him into the cistern.  The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 

The brother’s then stopped to eat lunch and as they sat there eating they saw a caravan approaching.  The men in the caravan were Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.  Their camels were loaded down with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.   

Judah had an idea for his brothers to consider.  He said “What will we gain if we kill out brother and cover up his blood?  Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.”  The other brothers agreed with him.  So when the Midianite merchants came by , his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who then took Joseph to Egypt. 

Ruben had been away tending to something else when they sold Joseph.  He came back to the cistern hoping to save him and take him home.  When he saw that he was not there he was terribly upset.  He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there!  Where can I turn now?”    

Then they all got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.  They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this.  Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

Israel recognized the robe right away and exclaimed that it belonged to Joseph.  He thought some ferocious animal had devoured him and imagined that Joseph had been torn to pieces. 

Terribly upset, Israel tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and mourned for his son for many, many days.  All of his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.  “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.  So Joseph’s father wept for him. 

Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials.  Potiphar was the Captain of The Guard.  

PEN ART - THE REFLECTION OF CHRIST IN NEHEMIAH - PART FOUR

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf) 

 The people of Nehemiah's day were in transition.  They probably thought the great days of God with their nation had passed, and that all of God's great deeds had been done.  They had lost any sense of mission, any sense of calling, any sense of challenge.  As a result, they almost missed their chance to see God act powerfully among them.  They almost missed the chance to experience His reclaiming them as His beloved people all over again. 

Isn't that much as our world is today? 

Where are the Nehemiahs of today?  The church must call them forth and put them in charge of the task of restoring the Kingdom of God to the earth. 

 Thank God for Nehemiah pointing the way to Christ, and thank God if you can find a modern Nehemiah hiding in the culture where we currently live.  I pray that each and every one of them will receive their calling and come forth.

The Church has walls and gates to rebuild!  In an amazing period of just 52 days - under constant threat of attack - the walls of Jerusalem were raised.  It was a great miracle.  We need another such miracle with the walls around our church congregations today.  Time is drawing short.  The Bride must be ready.  We must begin to rebuild.  Our leaders, much like Nehemiah, must take a deep breath and start their tasks.

 

In congregations across the land you can hear the people of the church today groaning.   They groan and morn.  They sit and wait for things to change.  That certainly was not the case with Nehemiah.  Nehemiah was willing to DO something.  He makes the journey to Jerusalem himself, after convincing the king that he should be allowed to go.  He brings with him supplies and leadership. Nehemiah had clear vision.  He knew the walls were torn down and needed rebuilding. He realized there were no gates of protection.  The people themselves needed to be rebuilt.  He set about to change things. 

The walls became the metaphor for the broken people.  Nehemiah was not just mending a wall - he was mending a nation.  The nation of Israel was God’s tool for speaking to the world.  Their voice must be heard.  The Church is God’s voice today for speaking to the world.  The silence must end.  The entertaining and babysitting must stop.  The real work must begin.  We need strong walls and gates.  We need brave and courageous people.  We need to love one another and get along with one another and seek God's face together.  We need to be willing to listen to what God tells us collectively, as a nation.

With Nehemiah's Godly leadership, the people of God once again became great.  This happened because they were willing to work together under God's leadership to accomplish a common goal.  The unity of our faith must be restored.  All of God’s people must work together. 

 In Nehemiah’s time everyone pitched in to do the work.  That is; everyone but those who opposed the work that God had led Nehemiah to do.  There will always be opposition.  There were those who did everything they could to stop the rebuilding of the walls and gates of the city.  Opposition of the church is rampant in our culture today.  We can expect it, but our God is greater than the opposition.  We are to be overcomers.  We are to be builders.   This is not the time to stop - this is the time to go to work!

The Godly people of that day in which Nehemiah lived handled much adversity and opposition to obtain the restoration of their city.  God only promised us that the Kingdom will be good.  He never said it would be either easy or safe. We must hold on to our hope.  We must keep moving forward and looking up as Nehemiah did.  With Christ as our hope, the people of God are always moving forward, always seeking God’s Face and always helping and allowing His will to prevail in the earth. 

Because of Nehemiah's Godly leadership and the people's spirit of unity, a broken, disorganized, discouraged bunch of individuals who were alienated from God and from one another transitioned into a strong, well-organized, deeply committed and proud community.  They were rededicated to God, recommitted to each other, and when this happened they began to be respected by their enemies.

God's people haven’t changed much through time.  They still face similar dilemmas and they still ask the same hard questions.  They consistently have their periods of doubt and faith.  But true men and women of God keep looking toward a river whose streams shall make glad The City of God.  Like the few good men in the days of Nehemiah, they look to the future with the hope of a restored Kingdom, where God is in the midst, and they shall not be moved. 

May our hearts join in with Nehemiah’s once more and may the sound of Non Nobis Domine – “Not to us Lord, not to us but to Your Name give glory” ring across the churches in the land.

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 90 CATCHING UP WITH ESAU

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

While we have been busy studying the life of Jacob, a lot has been going on in the life of Esau. 

Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan.  He had three wives, Adah (the daughter of Elon the Hitite) and Oholibamah (the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite), and Basemath (the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.)  More than likely this WAS the same Ishmael who was the son of Hagar, since people lived to be very, very old in those days, it is conceivable that this could happen. 

Esau was also called Edom.  His wife Adah gave him a son named Eliphaz.  His wife Basemath gave him a son named Reuel.  His wife Oholibamah gave him three sons named Jeush, Jalam and Korah.  All of these, five sons were born to Esau in Canaan. 

We are told that the two brothers, Jacob and Esau, after resolving their issues with one another separated into two groups and Esau moved some distance away to a land further distanced from Jacob.  This was not because they did not get along, but because their possessions were too great for them to remain together.  There was not enough land to support both of their groups of livestock. 

Esau settled in the country of Sier where he became known as “Edom” and the father of the Edomites.  I find it interesting that Esau’s name also changed as he grew older.  It is not said that God changed his name, only that he became known by the same name as the land he inhabited.  Though the name itself changed, the meaning behind it did not.  You could think of this more as the frequent use of a nickname that became the known name.  Edom in Hebrew means "red."  He was called Edom because he was known for trading his birthright for a bowl of red soup.  How appropriate for the land of Edom that is known for its formations of red sandstone.

Esau and his family lived in the hill country.  While they were living there Esau’s son by his wife named Adar bore Esau and Adar grandchildren; Eliphaz, had five sons born to him; Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.  These wore born to Eliphaz by his wife. 

Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna.  He had a son by her named Amalek.  Pay attention to Amalek the son of Timna, we will hear much about him later.   

Esau and his wife Basemath also had grandsons named; Reuel, Nahath, Zerah, Shammath and Mizzah.

Esau’s sons were all very trained and mighty military chieftains.  They were heads over each of their own tribes.  They were great patriarchal sheikhs who were celebrated as heroes by their people.

It is impossible to trace the descendants of these tribes with any accuracy .  We do have knowledge of Eliphaz the Temanite being mentioned again in the book of Job   His grandson Teman was most known for his great wisdom and the city Teman was named after him. 

As mentioned earlier Amalek became the founder of the Amalekites who later attacked the Israelites on their exodus from Egypt to Sinai.  They did not just attack them, they targeted the weakest of the people and preyed upon their vulnerabilities.  These descendants of Amalek became a powerful and famous tribe.  Since Amalek was the son of a concubine, his brothers had little use for him, and Amalek became separated from the tribes of Esau early in life and formed his own band of men.    This one descendant of Esau has given the whole clan a very bad reputation.  As the saying goes "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch." 

We will study more about the life of Amalek at a later date.  It seems that every generation since Esau has had its own form of Amalek.  It is not so much the form of Amalek that we must prepare to fight against, but the spirit of evil that lies behind and drives that form.  We must defeat that evil spirit so much so that it will never even be remembered again.      

The Horites were the original inhabitants of the land of Sier even before Esau came there, but it seems that Esau’s sons subdued them and the remnants of their tribes intermarried with the Edomites (descendants of Esau.)   The Horites and the tribes of Esau (Edom) were so intermingled that some of the Horites became a part of the mentioned genealogy of Esau.  There is a special note in the scriptures about one of them named Anah. 

While Anah pastured the mules of his father Zibeon it seems that he discovered some warm springs with medicinal qualities.  These are possibly the springs around the area of Callirhoe on the east of the Dead Sea in the Wadi, as these springs are famous for their medicinal qualities and their very hot temperatures.  Many think that Anah was the same person as Berri who became known as “the fountain man” or the “well finder”

The sons of Esau all had cities named after them, some of these cities still have their names today.  The scriptures tell us that Edom had kings reigning and in power long before the Israelite kings came into existence. 

The chiefs, or kings, or princes, or dukes from Esau (it has been translated many different ways, but they all imply royalty and rule) were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Iram.  

Esau was known by all of these as The Father of the Edomites.

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 89 - A SON IS BORN AND A BELOVED WIFE AND FATHER PASS AWAY

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I’m sorry if you looked for this lesson last Thursday!  I was away at The Feast of Tabernacles enjoying a joyous feast before The Lord, and I hope you were busy doing the same with your own family! 

We left Jacob back in Bethel, worshiping God at a holy altar and giving thanks for God’s deliverance and provision for his family and descendants.  After a very holy time, the people of Jacob settled down and made Bethel home for a little while.  It was like a refuge for them, a place to stay until their troubles in the land blew over and were forgotten by the other inhabitants. 

The day came when Jacob, now called Israel, felt it was safe to move on.  They walked toward the area of Ephrath (Bethlehem) slowly because Rachel was heavy with child, and it was close to time for her to deliver. 

The birth pains came in the middle of their journey and she was having great difficulty giving birth to this child.  The midwife was with her and trying to help her.  She said to Rachel “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”

It would be a son she would give her life for.  Rachael also knew she was dying.  In her last few breaths she named her son Ben-Oni. 

In Hebrew the word “Ben” means “son.”  The root of the Hebrew word for “son” implies a building being built.  When Sarah could not have children and she told Abraham to go into her maid and have a son by her she said “Perhaps I shall be BUILT UP by her.”  The implication was “to build up.” 

This use of the words brings to mind the statement made by Jesus at a much later date; “for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9), and the implication of “raise up” is the same meaning as “build up;”  which makes the use of this word from the lips of Rachel seem so much more profound.  Some scholars have noted that the Hebrew for stone (‘eben) is also related to the verb for “son” (bana) meaning “to build.” 

Jesus also said “You will be sons of the Most High (Luke 6:35) and Peter later writes “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5)  The word “house” is frequently used to denote someone’s family but it is also used to denote any other clearly defined group, such as a guild, a castle order, or such similar organizations of people groups, such as when one speaks of “the sons of the prophets”  or “the sons of the troops,” or “the sons of exile.”

So yes, the word “ben” means son, but it also means a group of sons and a building block.  This seems to imply the building up of a nation!

The whole name given by Rachel in labor and pain to her son was Ben-Oni which many translators have traditionally translated to mean “Son of my Sorrow.”  Today many disagree with this interpretation.  Remember that until Joseph was born Rachel was childless for a very long time.   It seems highly unlikely that she would name her second son in a way that would be continuously reminding everyone that he was the cause of his mother’s death. 

We must also remember how much Jacob loved Rachel!  He spent 14 years of his life working in order to obtain her as his wife.  It is highly unlikely that he would not honor her dying wish and name their son something completely different than what she had called him, as most of us have been traditionally taught.    

Instead of accepting the traditional interpretation here, one would think that Rachel may have sought consolation that her son made it alive.  It could be that when Rachel heard the mid-wife say; “Do not fear, for now you have another son” that she chose the last part of the name to be “‘on.”

We cannot be sure how the ancient text was pronounced.  Historically, there are two ways to pronounce ‘on;  “awen” and “on.”  These two words have completely different meanings.  “Awen” means “sorrow” and “on” means “vigor.”  To be vigorous is to have strength.  It seems possible that Jacob/Israel did not rename the child after Rachel’s death; but he simply added amplification to the name she had already given.  Rachel’s meaning “this son is my progeny” (Ben-oni) becomes “This son is my strength” which translates to Benjamin.

So it was that Jacob had to bury Rachel, the love of his life.  He buried her on the way between Bethel and Bethlehem and he sat up a pillar for her tombstone.  The scriptures say that that pillar, marking Rachel’s tomb, is there to this day. 

Israel (Jacob) moved on again and set up a tent near Migdal Eder.  He now was the father of twelve sons. 

The sons of Leah were Ruben (the firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. 

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of  Rachel’s servant, Bilhah, were Dan and Naphtali.

The sons of Leah’s servant, Ziplah, were Gad and Asher.

The first born son of Jacob did many rebellious things to break his father’s heart.  It was while they were in Migdal Eder that Ruben committed a great sin and slept with Bilhah, his mother’s servant, Jacob’s concubine, mother of his half-brothers.  Israel (Jacob) knew of this.  It was no secret and it was very shameful to him.

After all of these sorrowful events in Israel’s life, he finally came back to Mamre and reunited with his father, Isaac.  Isaac was old and blind when Israel had first left home as Jacob, and it was not thought at that time that Isaac would live much longer.  He had somehow recovered his strength and he lived to be one hundred and eighty years old.  He lived to see his two sons united again.  It must have brought him joy in his old age. 

When Isaac died, he was buried in the tombs of Abraham and Sarah.  He had lived a long and full life.  Together, Jacob and Esau buried their father.

FUN UNDER THE SUN - GORHAM'S BLUFF

(Writing and photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Now is the perfect time to take a break and get away from it all.  There is a beautiful little escape just waiting for you.  It is not too far away, an easy drive from Birmingham.  It is not too crowded, and it is still (except for scheduled public events) rather hidden from the public attention.  This amazing place is called Gorham’s Bluff and it is located in the small town of Pisgah, Alabama.

In 1892 W.B. Gorham was deeded eighty acres of land by the US Government.  At that time Mr. Gorham was more fondly known by the locals as “Uncle Billy.”  Uncle Billy was a Confederate veteran who built his family a remote lean-to shack in a very isolated and lonely place on the bluff.  It was so lonely that his wife and children later decided to move back down to the valley where there were a few more people.  Uncle Billy, however; continued to live in isolation.  He spent his time growing strawberries, playing his fiddle and feeding himself well with the money he received from his soldier 's pension.

About one hundred years after Uncle Billy owned the land, it was purchased by a family named McGriff.  The McGriffs loved gathering their extended family together and having picnics at one of the huge rocks on the bluff. They called this pretty little area Picnic Rock.  In 1992 the McGriff’s decided they would like to share the area with others if they could think of a way to do so without distracting from the natural beauty of the land.  They came up with an idea for a fully integrated holistic community.  A Florida neighborhood called "Seaside" was inspirational to the McGriffs as they formed their first ideas for sharing their land.    A real estate agent from Seaside, Chris Kent, introduced the McGriff’s to an architect from New Orleans named Lloyd Vogt.  Mr. Vogt sat down and shared his ideas with the McGriff’s.  In their conversations he spelled out the qualities he thought defined the best of neighborhoods.  These qualities incorporated a seamless interlacing of history, culture and architecture.   Keeping these defining thoughts in mind, the group sketched out a town plan.  This is how the dream began to form for the future of a place now known as Gorham’s Bluff.

One of the first areas to be completed was the outdoor Amphitheater The lovely open-air theater sits on the edge of the bluff.  Existing trees and rock outcroppings were incorporated into the design of the natural and artistic structure.  Today audiences can enjoy a performance while at the same time enjoying the amazing view.  The outdoor amphitheater now fills up regularly with great performing artists from all over the country.  If you are interested in performing yourself you can rent the venue - just call (256) 451-8439 and speak with the Innkeeper at The Lodge.  Just keep in mind that the amphitheater closes by 11 p.m. 

Construction started on the first home of the development during the summer of 1993.  Mr. Vogt gave each home the signature look of the town.  They all contained front porches, tower rooms, scenic views, and natural surroundings.  You may purchase one of these homes if you want; just contact Gorham's Bluff Realty.

 

In 1994 construction began on The Lodge.  This lovely building opened to the public in 1995. There have been a steady stream of happy guests lodging in the pristine serenity of this place since that first day.  It is a wonderful place for conferences, reunions and weddings.  There are public events scheduled often that you would love to enjoy for a weekend.

Three years after the building of the Lodge
 another interesting structure was added.  It was the former 1938 Pisgah High School school house where the McGriff’s had attended high school.  The building was to be torn down in order to build a new more modern one, and the McGriffs decided to move the old building to Gorham’s Bluff.  It now stands in the heart of the land with a new roof on top and new bricks on the outside and has become a community arts and activities center.  

There is a lovely mixture of the old and the new, and it all works quite well. 

Adjacent to the old school/new community arts and activities center is The Gorham’s Bluff Meeting House, which was completed in 2001 and designed by  Lloyd Vogt.   The Meeting House has cathedral ceilings and floor to ceiling windows.  The building has excellent acoustics.  It is an perfect place for meetings, performances, and workshops.  There is also a bi-weekly nondenominational church meeting held here.

As the little town began to grow people bought lots and built houses.  The true mission of the property and community began to take shape and grow.  From early on the mission of the community has been to promote arts and cultural activities in the area.  A non-profit institute was formed to promote local artist and to give the people living in this region art that they might not have otherwise experienced.  The Meeting House became the stage for theater, concerts, dance and other artistic performances. 

One of the first performances, held at the Amphitheater, was the production of a play called “Foxfire.”  This Hume Cronyn play was directed by Joe Warfield, a New York University professor, in the summer of 1994.   Next was the Gerhart Chamber Music Festival.  The Institute began bringing in top-notch classical musicians and established their signature annual event called Concert under the Stars.  This event serves a gourmet meal for 200 guests and doles out amazing performances by world class musicians.  The people of the area love this annual midsummer bluff side evening. 

Soon The Alabama Ballet became interested in Gorham’s Bluff and established a week long summer dance residency on the premises.  At the time they had the idea to bring some of their talent to the community there was no place for them to rehearse and perform.  They improvised with an open tent/stage set near the bluff.  The tent was located near a great outdoor space for setting up tables and serving gourmet meals to the audiences during their performances.  This was a very successful idea.  The tent coupled with the intimacy of the bluff side panoramic view created a one of a kind experience for both the dancers and their audiences. 

Soon the Institute incorporated a Storytelling Festival into its growing schedule of events.  The power of the story and the spoken word of the narrative were brought forth by some renowned and amazing storytellers.  This success soon led to the formation of ARTSACCESS, the Institute’s arts-education outreach.  Storytellers started visiting public schools and held assemblies and workshops with visiting dancers and musicians.  Local libraries also began to participate.  This has greatly improved the exposure to various art forms in the education of school children in the area.

In 2001 the community held a charrette (an intense, focused architectural planning session.)  They decided to consult with Mr. Steve Mouzon of Mouzon & Associates, Architects; a traditional Town Planner in Huntsville, AL.  Mr. Mouzon took on the role of Gorham’s Bluff's Town Architect, and the town hosted 75 like-minded “souls” who were all believers of the Traditional Neighborhood movement.   These people moved in for awhile and were compensated only with four meals a day and a place to sleep.  The group consisted of a full list of impressive architects, planners, developers, writers, educators, etc.  In this 48 hour charrette the various artist sketched and talked and illustrated the ideas presented by the community.  Mouzon put it all together in one package and took the presentation to the Congress of New Urbanism’s 9^th Annual Conference in New York.    That conference provided a roundtable of feedback for the community to consider. 

Four significant revisions were identified and recommended:

1)     A new concept for Main Street that would  redirect the street so that the school’s “signature” cupola is the focal point as you approach downtown from either direction with the larger homes giving way to cozier two-story homes on smaller lots to make Main Street a more viable option for young professionals and families.

2)    A plan to move the elder residences closer to the center of the town, underlining the town’s desire to be a fully inter-generational community.  The services and amenities that were generally included in independent and assisted living centers (restaurants, hair salons, libraries, clothing and retail) would be expanded to serve the entire town, with the elder residences closest to all of them.

3)    It was decided to scrap; the idea to dam up the branch on the east side of town and turn that area into a place called “Shepard Park.”  The park preserves the meandering creek, leaves the forest and creates a play area for kids.  Some Birmingham architects, Jeff Dungan and Louis Nequette, were hired to design the Shepard Park Tree House, and it was built in 2002.  This is one of the favorite places for people to gather with their children. 

4)    It was decided to design an open air performance center at the crest of downtown Gorham’s Bluff.  The plan was changed to include a quad of artists and student residences as well as a black box theatre. 

From 2003 – 2007 the Institute moved to year round programs of small events utilizing the Amphitheater and the Meeting House.  They also began to offer community arts workshops.  They continued to bring art educational opportunities for local schools, but encouraged the schools to come to the bluff instead of the bluff going to the schools. 

So now the bluff has evolved into a thriving community of artist and educators who have built on the land and are living in the community.  They are always eager to share their art and teach something new.

If this sounds interesting to you, check the schedule of events on the blog located at www.gorhamsbluff.com  and see which event you need to sign up for.

The art I would chose to indulge in here is the art of the written word.  This would be a wonderful place for any aspiring author to retreat away into the quiet and natural beauty.  One could write for hours at a time, with refreshing breaks in between each session.  You could stroll the grounds, take in some great concerts in the evenings, hike or swim, or maybe even participate in a storytelling workshop or two. 

There is an elegant southern style restaurant at The Lodge, you would not have to drive off the property to be well fed.  Evenings are quite a treat with candlelight and a four course meal.  You might want to invite someone special to share these with you. 

This spectacular retreat perches on a stately ridge hundreds of feet above the mighty Tennessee River.  It has one of the most delightful views I’ve ever seen, totally surrounded by natural beauty.   You can gaze at the luscious landscape and take in the dazzling river below the ridge from your own comfortable chair off of your lodge room’s private porch, or from the windows inside your luxurious guest quarters.  There is a lovely large Gazebo behind the Lodge. 
Anywhere you care to be or go in this area contains some type of amazing view.  It is a very scenic way to start the day while having your morning coffee.  

This scenic bluff along a mountain ridge with a river running through it has more history than Uncle Billy and the McGriffs.  It is also known as the long ago land of the Cherokee Indians, who were also drawn to the magic of the bluff.   Every time we visit this place I remember that  my great grandmother was a Cherokee,  and I always wonder if any of the Cherokee ancestors from my own family might have roamed these grounds years before I was ever born.   

You can visit Gorham's Bluff any time you wish.  Just call The Lodge ahead of time to make your reservations for a room at The Lodge or to rent one of the guest houses on the property for your family or group of friends.  

I will warn you though, if you go, you just might want to stay forever.    

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