Emmanuel

The year was 1965 and I was a small child, only six years old.  Our home had but a single black and white television set which sat in our living room firmly on the fireplace’s hearth. We used to watch The Andy Griffith Show, Ed Sullivan, CBS news hour and many other programs. Now for the past several weeks, CBS had been airing commercials about a new animated Christmas special called “A Charlie Brown Christmas” that was going to premier December 9^th in full color. Children all across America and even some adults, looked forward to the special. The story was written by Charles Schulz and directed by Bill Melendez. It was 25 minute long and featured Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and friends as they all struggled with the commercialism of Christmas and searched for its true meaning.

 Sally Brown, Charlie Brown’s little sister, puts it all into proper prospective when she delivered her rather choppy line “All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share". The climax of the show features Linus Van Pelt’s famous monologue which Charles Schulz took directly from the gospel of Luke 2:8-14. As Charlie Brown sighs “Good Grief!” and wanders off in total disgust, the house lights dim and all spotlights are trained on Linus who boldly proclaims what Christmas is all about; which of course is the birth of Jesus!

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host, praising God and saying ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill towards men!’”

The Christmas story is really unique in many ways. It’s first and foremost, the climax to the long awaited and foretold birth of the Jewish Messiah. It’s a story of a loving God who took upon Himself our humanity. By choosing to be born into His own creation He can now identify with us, feeling our own infirmities. The birth of the Christ was foretold thousands of years before He actually came into the world. Even the place where Jesus was born is very significant. He was born in a small village called “Bethlehem” which translates “house of bread”. Later on during His ministry, Jesus would proclaim of Himself “I AM the bread of life”.

Interestingly, God chose to enlighten lowly shepherds, who were out in field watching their flock, about the birth of the Messiah before anyone else. King David, who Bethlehem is named after, also began his career here as a shepherd watching his flock on these very same hills. Even the Lord would one day refer to Himself as “The Good Shepherd”, “The Gate” and “The Only Way” into His sheepfold which is an allegory for eternal life with God.

Do you remember when families use to send each other Christmas cards? There is a verse that used to grace the front of many Christmas cards I saw as a child. Isaiah 9:6, 7 “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end,”  Another verse was Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from old, From everlasting.”

Focus on Jesus this Christmas and don’t get so busy that you overlook the true meaning of Christmas. And if you are anything like me, then we will probably meet sometime in the weeks ahead, elbow to elbow, in some department store looking for that perfect gift to give to a loved one. So if you start to feel like Charlie Brown, that we have totally commercialized Christmas,  then remember little Linus giving his monologue on Luke 2:8-14. And as the house lights dim and the spotlights go on, think about the star that came to stand still over Jesus, the son of Mary, our Emmanuel.

Red Sea

 Do you believe the Red Sea crossing, described in Exodus chapter 14, really took place?  In Exodus 14:21-22 it states that the Lord caused the sea to go back from a strong east wind all that night; that God made the seas into dry land and that the waters were divided. In several places it says that the water was like a wall to them on their right hand and their left. 

There is no natural explanation that exists or one that can be contrived to explain the Yam Suph crossing. One false theory that nests in academia is that the Hebrew words Yam Suph really refers to a shallow sea of reeds and not the deeper Red Sea crossing as described in Exodus as a wall of water on their right hand and their left. To use any natural phenomenon to explain the sea crossing defeats God’s purpose in the first place.

Some scholars and scientists have generally assumed that miracles are impossible because they violate the laws of nature.  CS Lewis, a noted English writer, believed miracles are acts of God. Therefore they are entirely possible if there is a God to take action. Once you take your first step of faith and believe in the existence of God, then believing in miracles is not such an insurmountable idea. This entire universe is so vast that human reasoning can’t begin to fathom its intricacies. Again, if you explore the world of the atom with its sub atomic particles the same is true and you will eventually get to the conclusion that God indeed holds all things together. 

Remember back to Exodus 2:15, when Moses at the age of forty, killed an Egyptian slave master? When Pharaoh heard about the murder he wanted to kill him. Now Moses was running for his life and fled from Egypt to the area of Midian, Saudi Arabia.  Moses most likely used a well established trade route that was in existence at that time. The route cut across the middle of the Sinai Peninsula rounding the northern most end of the Gulf of Aqaba. With Pharaoh’s army at close pursuit you can bet Moses did not linger in Egypt but rather crossed over the border into Saudi Arabia. Now, forty years later, at the age of eighty, Moses returns to Egypt to lead the Israelites away from bondage. Early tradition places the route to Mt. Sinai in the southern end of Sinai Peninsula. Even though this route is printed in the map section of every printed bible, the truth is nobody knows for sure if this is where the Mountain of God is located. The problem lies buried in the fact that there is not much archeological evidence to support the theory.

In 1996 a Swedish scientist by the name of Viveka Ponte’n made some very exciting discoveries on the east of the Gulf of Aqaba in Saudi Arabia that collaborate a deeper Red Sea crossing. Among these discoveries was Mt. Jabal al-Lawz the possible location of the biblical Mt. Horeb or Mountain of God. At the bottom of this mountain is another archeological site containing large flat boulders possibly set up by Aaron as an altar. These rocks were decorated with hieroglyphs of Egyptian bulls complete with their distinctive long horns. Also a possible landing point associated with the Red Sea crossing was found near this location.  All these sites were found not in the Sinai Peninsula but on the east side of the Gulf of Aqaba in Saudi Arabia. 

In Exodus 13:17, 18 God led the people south to the Red Sea. Additional research by Dr. Lennart Moller of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Sweden, and Viveka Ponte’n produced the only possible departure site large enough to accommodate the fledgling nation of Israel. The site was discovered on the east side of Sinai Peninsula called Nuwaybi Beach. Then again in Exodus 14:2, 3 God tells them to turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth and the sea. Pi Hahiroth translates “mouth of the gorges”. Nuwaybi Beach is a triangular shaped peninsula surrounded to the north and south by 2000’ high mountains and the Red Sea to the east and a mouth of the gorges to the west. As pharaoh’s army was bearing down on them from the west, it left the Israelites trapped with no humanly possible way of escape. 

Now the stage is set for God to show His power, might and strong arm of deliverance. The Lord divides the seas, dries up the land allowing Israel’s young and old to escape the Egyptian army. Once the Israelites are safely across God collapses the walls of water drowning pharaoh’s army. Archeological evidence was found submerged under this 8 mile section of sea that supports Dr. Lennart Moller and Viveka Ponte’n   theory. Coral encrusted chariot wheels, hubs and axles have been located in the waters off Nuwaybi Beach and the Saudi Arabian exit site.

   

A Gift From God

As December quickly approaches soon boxes of colored Christmas lights and ornaments will be hauled out from their dusty resting places in our attics. Beautiful colored glass bulbs and lights will not only begin  to fill and illuminate  our homes but will also remind us of another very beautiful and bright light that 2000 years ago appeared in the world to bring us all hope and salvation. Christmas is, without a doubt,  my most very favorite holiday and season of the year. It is a great opportunity for the entire world to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, our Emmanuel (God with us). God Himself actually being born into His own creation to provide the only “Way” for all men to one day stand in His most awesome presence.

It’s interesting to note, that even in Nepal other religions celebrate Christmas. While in Nepal I was told that some Hindus and Buddhists celebrate Christmas by setting up a tree with colorful decorations and exchange gifts with one another. These people in a very traditional way even without being part of the larger universal church of Jesus Christ celebrate His birth. They honor Jesus even while following their own gods and religious practices, taking the time to acknowledge Jesus Christ, who they admit was God’s great gift to the world. The good news of Jesus Christ being born is the greatest story that will ever be told anywhere in this universe. It is paramount to understanding how “we” as fallen, sinful human beings can be restored back to fellowship with a holy and righteous God.

As we continue our study in the book of Exodus and before moving on through the Red Sea crossing I believe it to be very important to take another look at the institution of Passover. We left off just before Pharaoh let the Israelites leave which is found in Exodus 12:21-28. What is most curious to me is how God imbedded the role and mission of the Messiah and His plan for salvation into this extremely important festival in the Old Testament and Judaism. It can’t be overstated and would be sad if overlooked how God’s plan of redemption was concealed in the Old Testament scriptures. 

In Exodus 12:21 Moses is now instructing all the elders of Israel to prepare for their family’s salvation and deliverance from their 430 years of bondage in Egypt. They were to take a lamb from the flock on the tenth day of Nissan and keep it in their homes until the fourteenth day. Here’s a question for you all, what happens to animals we bring into our homes? Children immediately begin playing and naming the animal and soon it becomes a pet, a pet that unfortunately will be brutally slaughtered in just four short days. The idea God is trying to get through to the Israelites and to us is that our salvation comes at a very high cost. It wouldn’t be until Jesus would arrive on earth that the stark reality of the Passover convocation would come into complete focus. Even as the nails are being driven into Jesus’ hands and feet and as they watched Him die they wondered if they had miss placed their faith in Him.

God instructed the head of each family to kill the Passover lamb. Then they were to take a bunch of Hyssop, dip it in the blood and strike both the lentil and doorposts of their home. In the gospel of John 19:29 we have additional information concerning the use of a Hyssop plant that was used to offer Jesus wine vinegar. Here the Israelites were to strike the wooden members, which supported the doorway or entrance to the house, with the blood from the lamb. In the very same way God invites us to apply the blood of Jesus to the lentil and doorposts of our own hearts securing our place in His presence. What a picture the Passover gives us of how one day the actual Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, would shed His own blood on that old wooden, rugged cross that stood on Calvary. 

The passage goes on to say how the Lord would not allow the destroyer to come into the Israelite’s houses and strike them down. Once we put our faith, trust into Jesus we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and the destroyer has no more power or claim to our souls. The bible teaches that no one or can pluck us out of His hands. And so the Passover was to be an everlasting ordinance forever to be observed and remembered for eternity.  So as we pull out the dusty boxes filled with garland and bows, colored lights, nativity scenes and all our favorite trapping of the Christmas season let us remember the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ who became the brightest light of all.