Blogging Bible Study: Digging in the Desert -- Isaiah: Fate of Babylon et al

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

So our look at the word 'desert' through the Bible has brought us to the first book of the Prophets...Isaiah.  I debated a bit what the best approach to this might be; I think I'm going to take the same approach I took in Psalms...group verses by topic rather than just strictly chronological.  I also found, in my overview skim through, that I'm going to need to include a bunch of other verses around the 'desert' verses so we have the context to know what the 'desert verse' is even talking about it. So I'll put the actual desert verse in bold font  in the quoted passage.

But I will take the topics in the order encountered; and first up is a group of verses I've tagged 'Fate of  Bablylon'. 

Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonian's pride, will be overthown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.  She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. But the desert creatures will lie there, the jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell,  and there the wild goats will leap about.  Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces.  Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.  -- Is. 13: 19-21

An oracle concerning the Desert by the Sea:  Like whirlwinds sweeping through the south land, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.  A dire vision has been shown to me:  the traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.  Elam, attack!  Media, lay siege! I will bring an end to all the groaning she caused....Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses.  And he gives back the answer:  "Babylon has fallen, has fallen!  All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!"  -- Is. 21:1-2 ,9

Look at the  land of the Babylonians,  this people that is now of no account!  The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers,  they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin.  - Is. 23:13

And, because it's a similar expression, I'll add references to other nations as well...

 Moab: 

Send lambs as a tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert, to the mount of the Daughter of Zion.  Like fluttering birds pushed from the nest, so are the women of Moab at the fords of the Arnon....We have heard of Moab's pride -- her overweening pride and conceit, her pride and  her insolence -- but her boasts are empty.  Therefore the Moabites wail, they wail together for Moab.  Lament and grieve for the men of Kir Hareseth. The fields of Heshbon wither, the vines of Sibmah also.  The rulers of the nations have trampled down the choicest vines, which once reached Jazer and spread toward the desert.  Their shoots spread out and went as far as the sea.  So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah.  O Heshbon, O Elealeh, I drench you with tears!  The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit and over your harvests have been stilled...When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out; when she goes to her shrine to pray, it is to no avail. -- Is. 16: 1-2, 6-9, 12

Edom:

For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause.  Edom's streams will be turned to pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch!  It will not be quenched night and day; its smoke will rise forever.  From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again.  The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there.  God will stretch over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation....Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also repose and find for themselves places of rest. -- Is. 34:8-11,14

The three nations listed here (and there are judgments against other nations in Isaiah as well; these were the ones that referenced the desert) all have offenses registered against Israel.  Babylon, of course, was the place of 70 years of captivity, and Moab and Edom, despite the fact that they were descended from common ancestors with Israel, refused to give them aid when they returned from their sojourn in Egypt.  It's interesting that a common image of utter defeat is the return of the land to the desert creatures.  Not that the land would be inhabited by conquerors, but that the land would be laid desolate and unproductive; Edom's doom is even more extreme...the land is fouled and burning. Which kind of makes me wonder if that vision is yet to come; something in the apocalyptic future.

[tries to write more and fails several times]

I can't get away from that image.  With his own people, God used droughts, invaders, even exile and desolation as judgment but he always had a promise of restoration and blessing.  But for nations that never followed him...his judgment was absolute. Owls. Wild goats. Jackals. 

Desert.

Back to what the land was before the people came and dug and built and cultivated.  I would almost say...back to square one, with only traces of the productivity that was once there.  The desert creatures are content to live where the people were without care.

God removed the nation and let the wild creatures have the land.

Something to ponder.

Blogging Bible Study: Digging in the Desert -- Proverbs and Song of Songs

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

We have exactly one verse in Proverbs that references the desert, none in Ecclesiastes and two in Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon or Canticles, depending on your translation).  So I'll just look at all three verses today and finish the poetic writings.

However uncomfortable those verses might be, lol.  Proverbs 21:19 reads

Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

 Um, I could also say that it would be better to live in the desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered husband, but Proverbs was generally written as advice to a young man, so we'll give the benefit of the doubt here that the advice was to a HIM so it would, of course, reference a wife.  But...in that day and time,  the lady rarely had any say in whom she married; it was usually determined by a deal between her dad and her groom.  Or sometimes, the groom's father.  So advice on whom to marry wouldn't be helpful to a bride back then.  BUT...now, it could be equally applied.  We, in America, choose our own spouse.  Choose wisely.  

Song of Songs is a poetic celebration of the physical delight of marriage, even though I must confess I have often wondered which of Solomon's 700 wives (1 Kings 11:3) Shulamith was.  Kinda takes a little of the shine off of the narrative in that light, but, given that marrying one's daughter to a powerful king was often the binding part of a treaty or alliance, I suppose it's not surprising that 700 warlords, tribal leaders,  local princes, or kings of neighboring countries wanted to be 'family' to Solomon in some way.  But, be that as it may, Solomon and Shulamith were married, and they quite clearly enjoyed that relationship.

Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant? Look!  It is Solomon's carriage... (SoS 3:6-7a)

From the context, it's possible that this is describing Solomon coming to claim Shulamith as his bride, although it isn't specific enough to say that for sure.  In the very least, he is coming  to her, whether as a groom or a returning husband may not matter that much.

Who is this coming up from the desert leaning on her lover? (SoS 8:5)

This is a repeated theme;  that the desert is a place of solitude and intimacy, solidifying relationship.  God forged the nation of Israel in the desert and brought them out to claim the promise;  Solomon and Shulamith went to the desert for some quality time together, and the bond between them was observable when they returned. 

So...I can, kind of, pull some marriage advice from these three verses.  Choose carefully,  continue to show your spouse you care enough to prepare for time together, and get away to a place of solitude where you can focus on each other from time to time.  Invest in the relationship.

Blogging Bible Study: Digging in the Desert - Psalms, Part 4

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I didn't make a note of it, but last week ended the first year ('first' year...ha ha ha!) of the current Friday series (Facepalm; I just realized today is Saturday.  I worked from home all day yesterday and it didn't even register that it was Friday...).  We are looking at the word 'desert' through the entire Bible.  Starting year two with the biggest topical grouping of 'desert' verses in the Psalms...those that reflect on Israel's history.

The largest concentration of these is in Ps. 78:

He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; (v. 15)

But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. (v. 17)

They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the desert? When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly.  But can he also give us food?  Can he supply meat for his people?"  (v. 19-20)

How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland! (v. 40)

But he brought his people out like a flock;  he led them like sheep through the desert. (v. 52)

I highly recommend going back and reading through the whole psalm;  it is a full discussion of all the ways Israel rebelled...and what happened.    I am skipping 95:8 for now...it fits better at the end of the discussion...and the next cluster of verses is in Ps. 105 - 106:

He opened the rock and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert. (105:41)

He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert. (106:9)

In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. (106:14)

So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the desert, make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them through out the lands.  (106:26-27)

Again, to get the full scope of the confession of Israel's rebellion and God's faithfulness, both Psalms need to be read in full.  The distilled version of the Exodus...and what happened, with the repeated rebellion and complaining of the people and God's repeated visitation of consequences upon the people while still maintaining his promise to bring the nation out of the desert...is sobering. There are three roots of rebellion that are laid to view in those Psalms...1) they craved stuff from their former life  2) they were jealous of their leaders and 3) they didn't trust God to do what he said he would do.

Appetite, jealousy and lack of faith....any one of those three can wreak havoc in one's spiritual walk; taken as a combo, well, there's not much spiritual walk happening at that point.  And here's what hit me afresh as I read through it...God's plan and God's purpose are not thwarted by man's disobedience.  God will do what he said he would do...but the ones who choose rebellion risk being culled from those who see the promise. God did not disqualify them...they disqualified themselves.  

Ps. 136 starts off with a declaration:  'Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.  His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods.  His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the Lord of lords; His love endures forever' (vs 1 - 3).  The rest of the psalm is a litany of different descriptions of the God to whom they are giving thanks, and verse 16 is the one that mentions the desert:

to him who led his people through the desert; His love endures forever.

The Psalm ends with verse 24: 'Give thanks to the God of heaven.  His love endures forever'.

We tend to forget sometimes that the Psalms really are poems and songs.  136 is clearly poetic, with the repeated phrase.  A good reminder.

But the verse I saved for last in the Psalms seems to reflect so much from this set, especially.  Ps. 95:8 (with context):

 "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,  as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did."  (Ps. 95: 7b - 9). 

God woos the hearts of mankind, calling us to himself.  Such a wooing provokes a response...and the response is either to turn to him and draw ever closer, or to reject the invitation.  Oh, we tell ourselves we're not rejecting him...we're just...putting it off to a more convenient season.  Or maybe we convince ourselves that what we felt wasn't really God.  Maybe like the rich young ruler, we perceive the cost as too high...whatever.  Resisting the heart-pull to come to God is the very definition of hardening one's heart.  And every time that hardening happens...it gets harder to hear and respond differently to that call.  

God calls each of us to Him.  Each of us responds...in one way or another.  Choose wisely.

Post number 1, 000 - Reader Appreciation

I happened to look at the post counter tonight and it read '999'....

 One thousand posts in a little over 12 years at Beer Lahai Roi. It's been a journey. 

To those of you who have been here all the way...thanks for hanging with me. 

To those of you who have joined along the way...thanks for hanging with me, too, lol. 

Seriously, this is a 'talking to myself outloud' kinda blog, so I know it's not the kind of thing that really appeals to the masses. The dozen or so of you who stop by faithfully are greatly appreciated. 

If I could, I'd have a party for all of us together. That would be fun. But...I'm just going to have to say 'Thank you all!!!' :-)

Has 'Church' Become an Idol?

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

This is something that has been percolating in the back of my head for a while now.

Now, by 'Church' I am not talking about the universal body of Christ.  I mean...our routine, typical Sunday Worship Experience...however that looks in whatever denomination.  The building and its accoutrements.  Stained glass windows?  Cushioned Pews?  LED Wall and smoke and lights?   Robed choir?  Orchestra?  Sister Bertha on the organ?  The jammin' rock band behind the worship team?  First, Second, and Last verse?  The latest [Bethel Worship, Hillsongs, etc] displayed phrase by phrase on the overhead screen?  You know...church.

It really doesn't matter because every one of those styles represents something that is COMFORTABLE to folks, even if it would be uncomfortable to others.  Too loud, too long, too boring, too predictable, too unorganized...whatever.  We all gravitate to what feels right to us.

I wonder...did we stop thinking about what God meant when he said we were not to forsake gathering together?  

Now, please don't take this as a criticism.  I'm not after being critical or judgmental.  I enjoy and am blessed by the worship experience at my church, as I am sure you are by the worship experience at yours.  

But the events of the last few months has really got me thinking...and wondering.

Particularly when I hear folks getting vehement about their 'right' to have church services in the manner in which they are accustomed.

Here's something to consider.

Now, this is the United States, where we are guaranteed the right to worship and the right to assemble.  But what happens when we, the body of Christ, begin to demand our constitutional rights in the face of a potentially devastating condition?  Not wanting to get into a discussion of whether Covid is a threat or  a hoax; even the folks studying it are not sure of its long-term implications.  But it has killed folks, and it is unusually contagious in that a fair percentage of folks can be ill with it and either be asymptomatic or have such mild symptoms that they don't even realize they are carrying it...and so spread it to others, who may not be so fortunate.  Which is why I used the phrase 'potentially devastating'.  Because we just don't know.  And I agree that it is hypocritical...at best...to allow folks to congregate for protests and deny permission to folks to congregate for worship.  But are 'our rights' worth making followers of Christ sound petulant and concerned only with themselves?

Paul addresses the idea of legal rights somewhat; granted, it's not the same situation (and Paul was known to play the 'rights of a Roman citizen' card at times...but always as a last resort, never as a way to show up those in authority), but I think the principle applies.  "Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" he writes in 1 Cor 6:7b; imploring with the Corinthian believers to consider what their actions said about Jesus in front of an unbelieving world.

Which brings me back around to my title question...has doing church in our accustomed fashion become an idol?  So that it is more important to stand on our rights as Americans and go to church than it is to actually worship the Father in spirit and in truth?  Are we giving too much importance to organized church programs?  Am I only able to worship God if I am sitting in my church?  Can my kids only learn about the faith in the kids' ministry programs?  Is the only place a person can come to faith a legit sanctuary?  If that is true, then church is a necessity.  But if it is not true...then maybe church has become a substitute for an actual relationship with God.  And if that's the case...then it's an idol, my friend.

God is in control.  Covid 19 did not take Him by surprise, and I don't think the closures of activities...including church services...has offended Him.  Maybe...he's even allowing this to shake us out of our comfort zone and reliance on church services and programs instead of personally seeking to spend time in his presence one-on-one.  Maybe it's time for the body of Christ to dig into scripture individually and pray for personal discernment on how to deal with the current season.  Maybe this is even training for days ahead, when we will need to be able to seek and hear from God continually... instead of, you know, a couple times a week at church.

I don't know.  I honestly don't know. But I do know that it DOES MATTER how we represent Jesus in this season...and that responsibility to faithfully represent him supersedes our 'rights'.

Food for thought.

Blogging Bible Study: Digging in the Desert - Psalms, Part 3

  Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The next topical group of verses that mention the desert in Psalms seem to be to be talking about the Provision of God...starting with the verse that I had originally grouped w/ verses about the emotions of the psalmist, then realized it really didn't work well there once I read it in context, which I will include here.

You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.  The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.  You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.  You crown the year with bounty; and your carts overflow with abundance.  The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.  The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.  (Ps. 65: 9-13)

Even the desert is included in the joy of God's blessing, which is not normally the way one thinks of the desert.  Grasslands in the desert?  Yet...sheep were grazing in the area when we visited the overlook pictured above; if you look closely, you can see the faintest sheen of green on the hilly foreground.  Grasslands in the desert, indeed.

The other verses are in Ps. 107.  There are several different situations mentioned in that psalm, with the refrain, 'Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered (saved) them from their distress." (Ps. 107: 6,13,19, and 28), followed by another repeated thought, 'Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.' (Ps. 107: 8, 15,21, and 31).  So, with that in mind, we find the following desert references:

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.  The were hungry and thirsty and their lives ebbed away.  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.  (Ps. 107:4-7)

He turned the rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.  He turned the desert into pools of water and parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live and they found a city where they could settle.  Ps. 107:33-36

Taken together, it seems that the city to which  God led the group mentioned in v. 4 was a city that had been populated by wicked folks mentioned in v. 33, who had been starved out of the area by a drought, which then was reversed so the wanderers found a suitable place to live, given the repetition of the phrase at the end of both passages. 

Talk about long range planning.  The drought would have had to hit the area well in advance of the sojourners looking for a place to settle...so that the folks there left, and then the rains came and the area became fertile again just in time for the newcomers.  The drought may even have hit the area before the wanderers were wandering.

This reminds me of the earlier passage we looked at in 2 Kings, in which the rain likely was falling in the mountain watershed well before the instruction was given to dig trenches to hold it...the concept that God has the provision worked out and on its way before we even know we need it.  

Kinda crazy for me to worry about where and how when God has it all arranged ahead of time.