The Sword and the Menorah

These three images are from an Associated Press article reporting on today's announcement about the latest archaeological finds in Jerusalem. I'll be talking more about this discovery on Saturday's program, but I thought you might enjoy seeing these pictures now. The one picture shows the drainage tunnel that has now been uncovered in Jerusalem. It ran along the street that extended from the Temple Mount down to the Pool of Siloam. The other pictures show the sketch of the menorah on a piece of stone as well as the remains of a Roman sword, still in its leather scabbard. These were both found in this tunnel. They are the latest in a string of amazing discoveries still being made in Jerusalem!

Overrun by Coneys!

A BBC report on "coneys" makes for good Friday reading! The coney (also called a hyrax, rock badger, or rock rabbit) is described in the Bible as an animal that makes its home in the rocky crags (Prov. 30:26). But it seems the animal is becoming something of a pest in Israel as it moves into villages and tears up gardens.

A study was done to determine why the problem was becoming more severe, and it turned out the real problem is...people! As land is cleared for new homes in Israel, the rocks and boulders are scraped to the side and piled up. This creates additional "rocky crags" for the coneys, who have been taking up residence in their new "homes."

God created the coneys to live in the rocks, and humans have been creating new piles of rocks for the coneys to call home!

Absolutely Absurd!

Why did America come so close to defaulting on its debt? Was it overspending? Was it the prolonged recession? Was it Congressional gridlock?

Not according to the PakTribune. They have concluded it's all the fault of the Jews!

In a blatant, antisemitic rant a recent article in the PakTribune blames the Jews for the problems facing the United States...and the rest of the world. Here's an excerpt from the article--just as it appeared online!

Zionist elements always influenced the political, CIA and military top brass and shaped the U.S. regional and global political, economical, defence and other local nature of policies in the larger interest of Israel.

It is worth mentioning here that these 2% Jews inhabitants are controlling 82% Christians of U.S. They are playing their negative role in media, prominent institutions, Intelligence agencies since followers of Judaism has faith of ruling the world by hook and crock at all cost. It is added here that many Jews pressure groups are operating in America and world over.

Such propaganda would also be laughable were it not for the fact that many who live in Muslim countries believe the statements are true. And it's that false perception that is behind much of Islam's conflict with the West. But isn't this just a case where you have a right to your opinion, and I have a right to mine?

Daniel Patrick Moynihan is said to have quipped, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." And whether or not Moynihan is the first to have made that statement, the truth of what he said is crucial to any proper evaluation of the article's assertion that the Jews somehow control the world.

The write of the article may feel as if the Jews are in control of the world, but that is only his opinion. It is not grounded in hard, objective facts. While it might be true that the Jews have had an influence on the world that is disproportionately greater than the size of its population, this doesn't prove there is a secret Jewish conspiracy to control the world. Their focus on study, education, and hard work--coupled with God's promise to bless the descendants of Abraham--are far more compelling reasons for the extent of their influence.

If America is in decline, it's because our country has drifted away from the Judeo-Christian values that once made it strong. These values include hard work, personal responsibility, and moral values grounded in the truth of the Bible. To blame the Jewish people for problems caused by our own irresponsibility and poor choices is absurd.

This writer is entitled to his opinion. But until he is willing to accept the fact that his opinion is wrong--and that each individual (and country) needs to accept responsibility for its own problems and failures--he will be incapable of making the hard choices necessary to move forward.

And that's sad!

What Does God Say about Our Current Debt Crisis?

The debate of the hour is focused on America's debt crisis, and all the rhetoric seems to be generating more heat than light. Could the political brinksmanship actually be missing the core issue, which is the fact that America has been consistently spending more than it receives in income? And this pattern of overspending has been present whether those running the White House and Congress have been Republicans or Democrats.

No family could ever survive long-term if it consistently spent more than it took in. Eventually it would max out its credit cards, reach it's debt limit at the bank, and exhaust its savings. The family would need to make drastic changes in its lifestyle to control spending and pay down its debt. So why have we thought our government could consistently spend more than it takes in without experiencing the same consequences?

Maybe it's time to go back to the Bible and remember the principles God gave about debt. Here are some we might want to point out to those in Washington who are now deciding how best to move our country forward.

Psalm 37:21--"The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives." Whatever Congress decides, defaulting on our national debt is not a biblical option. God says those who borrow and don't repay their obligations are "wicked."

Proverbs 22:7--"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave." By continuing to borrow we are putting our nation in greater debt...which makes us "slaves" to those who loan us the money to temporarily live beyond our means.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5--"When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it, for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay." Much like Psalm 37:21, the principle here is that God expects those who make a vow (or enter into a agreement) to pay what they have committed...and to do so in a timely fashion.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12--"For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread." Individuals (and governments) ought never be in the business of subsidizing the lazy and undisciplined. Fostering an entitlement mentality destroys self-respect and leads to greater disruption. All who are physically able ought to be expected to work rather than living off the hard work of others.

And perhaps the most significant principle comes from Deuteronomy 28. While the passage refers specifically and directly to Israel and the Jewish people, it is still instructive for other nations.

Deuteronomy 28:12--"The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow." And what is the principle? It's this: Ultimately, the material blessings that allow nations to prosper (so they can lend to others rather than borrowing from others!) come from God...and is poured out on those who honor Him.

So what's the bottom line for our current crisis? First, Congress and the President need to commit to paying all of America's current creditors. We borrowed the money, and we need to pay it back when it is due. Second, we need to commit to working our way out of debt--nationally and individually. Let's stop putting ourselves into financial slavery...and learn to live within our financial means. Third, let's start dismantling our growing programs of national entitlement and heed the words of President John F. Kennedy from his inauguration in 1961. "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."

And finally, let's remember that there is a God...and He does expect nations and individuals to live by His standards of right and wrong. At its very core, what we are facing in our country is a moral and spiritual crisis, not a fiscal one. And we need to help those around us understand what God expects from us if we hope to experience His blessing on our country.

Don't always believe what you read

Last Saturday (July 23) an scientist was assassinated in Tehran. Initial reports indicated he was a nuclear engineer who was part of Iran's covert nuclear weapons program...and who was assassinated as part of the ongoing efforts by the West to thwart Iran's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran vigorously denied the individual had any part in their nuclear program. They described him as a master's-level university student who was married with a child. And they pictured his assassination as a case of mistaken identify...and terrorism. This position was reported in many media outlets, and the story largely disappeared from the news.

However, one day after the assassination Debka, an Israeli web site, posted an article refuting Iran's claims and stating the man had indeed been an Iranian scientist who had been helping design a detonator for a nuclear bomb. No mainstream media picked up on the Debka report...until yesterday. An article finally appeared in Haaretz stating that officials have finally admitted the man was a scientist involved in developing high-voltage switches needed to trigger a nuclear warhead.

I see two lessons coming from this story. First, we need to understand there is a serious, though largely covert, war taking place between Iran and the West. The West is doing everything possible--short of active military intervention--to stop the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons. The Stuxnet virus and targeted assassinations of key nuclear scientists are part of these covert operations. And they are likely to continue--and increase--as Iran pushes toward a nuclear threshold.

Second, we need to realize Iran has been using--and will continue to use--every means possible to distort and cover up the real extent of their nuclear program...and any impact the West is having in disrupting it. Iran downplayed the impact of the Stuxnet virus, and they have now tried to deny the involvement of the scientist who was assassinated. This was not a case of mistaken identity. The assassination targeted a specific individual who was evidently developing a key element of the triggering device for a nuclear bomb.

A life-and-death struggle over the future of the Middle East is being waged...though most people aren't even aware of the battle. And the truth won't always be found simply by reading the news headlines!

A Bell from a Priest's Robe

In the Book of Exodus God gave specific instructions concerning the garments to be worn by the priests. One detail seems, at first, to be somewhat unusual...decorative bells and pomegranates that were to be fastened to the bottom of the priests' robes.

Here's the specific command from Exodus 28:33-35:
"And you shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling may be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, that he may not die."

Archaeologists in Jerusalem may just have discovered one of the bells described in this passage! While excavating a drainage ditch from a street that ran along the western end of the Temple Mount, they uncovered a small golden bell (see above) that had evidently fallen off a priest's garment and rolled into the ditch. The bell had a loop on top to allow that would allow it to be fastened to the hem of the robe.

The bell that was discovered is from the Second Temple period, nearly 1,500 years after God first gave the command to Moses. It's another reminder that the Jewish people in the New Testament era were still being careful to follow the guidelines laid down by God for temple worship.

If you would like to read more about this amazing discovery, click here.

Inside the White House in 1973

The U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian just released historical archives detailing the foreign relations of the United States from 1969 through 1976. Volume XXV of the material highlights the Arab-Israeli Crisis and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

The materials makes for a fascinating read! In going through the material, here is an example of the kind of exchanges I found to be of interest.

During a White House Bipartisan Leadership Meeting on November 27 (just after the war, as arrangements were being made for negotiations), President Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave their frank assessment of the war...and of current realities in the Middle East. At one point Congressman Stratton from New York asked, "What is the significance now of Resolution 242" [the UN resolution passed in 1967 calling for Israel to return all land captured during the Six Day War]? Kissinger's response seems to indicate that, as far as the circle of leaders gathered at the meeting in the White House was concerned, the resolution was meaningless. He said, "In the family--242 doesn't mean a thing" (p. 1026 of the pdf file, 992 of the document itself).

President Nixon also responded suggesting that any final deal on borders would give Israel at least some of the land that had been captured by them in 1967. Immediately after Kissinger's words, the President added, "It means 1967 for the Arabs and for Israel it means what they have plus ten percent."

Senator Fullbright objected to these two statements and responded, "It is not right to say 242 doesn’t mean anything." The President answered by saying, "It means different things to different people. To us it means what is negotiated."

Later in that same meeting the issue of nuclear weapons came up. Senator Mike Mansfield asked, "Do Egypt and Israel have the capability to make nuclear weapons?" Henry Kissinger's response appears to have been deliberately understated. "Israel has the capability to make small numbers. Not Egypt" (p. 1027 of the pdf file, 993 of the document itself).

If you want to know what was happening inside our government as this crisis unfolded, click on the link above to download the file. It makes for fascinating reading!