Can you believe the Bible? And does it really matter? How can you be sure that the Bible is all it's cracked up to be? Join David Curry, a pastor, author, and worldwide traveler, as he shares his knowledge of many biblical places throughout the Middle East. He will take you on a journey through numerous archaeological finds that prove the validity of the biblical narrative, showing that you can believe what many have rejected. Welcome to the biblical wonders in the Middle East.
Here is your host, Pastor David Curry. I'm very happy that you have joined us for another presentation that covers some of the land of Israel today. Let's go to an old city called Hebron.
This city is 30 Jerusalem and has a population today of at least 220,000 people. Most of these are Arabs. Due to this fact, and only having less than a thousand Jews, it is controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
But what makes this city of interest to us in these presentations? Simply because this is where the patriarch Abraham purchased land for the burial of his wife, Sarah. Let me share with you some texts from the Book of Genesis which records what happened in Genesis 23. One and two.
It says Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kurdjeth Aba.
That is, hebron in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and weep for her. Well, Sarah's original home was an heir of the Chaldees, many hundreds of kilometers from Hebron.
But she had faithfully followed Abraham all these years, and now it is time for her to rest. Abraham did not own land there, and so he asked for land. Let's notice what's recorded in Genesis 23, verses three to nine.
Then Abraham stood up from before his dead and spoke to the sons of heath, saying, I'm a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the sons of heath answered Abraham, saying to him, hear us, my Lord.
You're a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choices of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place that you may bury your dead.
Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. And he spoke with them, saying, if it's your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and meet with Ephron, the son of Zohar, for me that he may give me the cave of Macpella, which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price as property for a burial place among you.
Well, you know, friends, do you know that finally Abraham paid 400 shekels of silver for this land? Today, there's a large mosque covering the site for Abraham. Is a patriarch to Islam as he is to the Jews and also revered by Christians. For some years, only Islamic people were allowed to enter the mosque and visit the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah and Rebecca and also Leah.
Today it is guarded by Israeli soldiers, but most people are allowed to visit today. When you enter the mosque, you walk over beautiful carpets. Often you will see a number of Arabs sitting on the carpets and having a meeting.
I guess you walk for about 100 meters and then go down some steps. Also carpeted to the burial sites. These are raised, they're quite big and the names of the patriarchs and the matriarchs are at each burial site.
It's somewhat awesome to me being in this place to realize that these great people were buried there well over 3500 years ago and that they were real people and not mythical, as some would have us believe. We'll now leave Hebron and on the way out to the city we pass by a potter's shop where the local Arab is making clay vessels for use in the city. We stay for a few moments and photograph his skills in fashioning.
A small jug once made he'll put it in an oven to bake. This kind of business has been operating since biblical times and has not changed very much. You know, in Jeremiah 18 verse three, it says then I went down to the potter's house and there he was making something at the wheel.
So what we saw in Hebron in the potter's business was much the same as Jeremiah saw 2500 years ago. Some things don't seem to change very much, do they? Leaving Hebron, we travel further south to Beersheba. The saying once was from Dan to be a sheba.
This is also mentioned in one Kings 425 where it's recorded that Judah and Israel dwelt safely each man under his vine and fig tree. From Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. Several weeks ago, in these presentations, we visited Dan in the north of Israel where the river of Jordan commences.
It's as far north in Israel as one can go. Beersheba is at the opposite end of Israel in the south. It's the largest city in the Nagiev desert.
Today it has a population of over 200,000. The city was captured by the British and the Australian Lighthorse in the Battle of Beersheba in 1917. During World War I, following the declaration of Israel's independence, the Egyptian army amassed its forces in Beersheba as a strategic and logistical base.
In the battle of Beersheba waged in October 1948. It was conquered by the Israeli defense forces. Today, it's also a center of Israel's high tech industries.
It is mentioned a number of times in the Bible. First is where Abraham's Egyptian wife Hagar wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. It's mentioned a number of times through the Old Testament.
So it was a prominent place, but nowhere as large as it is now. In recent times, many Jews have migrated here from Russia and other place in Europe. It must be a real contrast for them, particularly coming from cool Russia and its climate to the heat of the Negev Desert.
Well, let's leave Israel and travel to Mount Sinai, which today is a part of Egyptian territory. This is where the Israelites camp for some time after leaving Egypt, where they had been slaves for so many years. Mount Sinai, traditionally known as Jabalmusa, is a mountain in the Sinai peninsula of Egypt that is probably the location of the biblical Mount Sinai.
After leaving Egypt, after the ten plagues that God had allowed on the Egyptians, the Israelites encountered many problems. One was their continual moaning against Moses and even against God. They moaned about their food, they moaned about their water supply, they moaned about the good things they had back in Egypt and now didn't have.
You know, I must say that God Moses was so very patient with these moaners. Well, eventually they arrived at Mount Sinai. On the way, they had seen some real miracles that God had provided for them.
One miracle was the dividing the Red Sea so they could cross over on dry land as the Egyptian armies were pursuing them. The armies also began to cross over on the dry land provided for Israel. The armies didn't get very far when the waters came together and the Egyptians were drowned.
Notice how it's recorded in Exodus 1428 to 31. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.
But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the land of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt.
So the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses. Well, I say, if only they had continued that great belief. Soon they complained about the lack of water and they saw another miracle.
God made the bitter waters of Mara sweet. Then they complained that they missed the meat and bread of Egypt. So God brought them a great flock of quails into the camp and provided them with manna, which became their bread for the 40 years of wilderness wanderings.
Manna was available six days in every week. No manna was available on the Sabbath, but on Fridays the people were to collect twice as much and have it ready for the Sabbath. This is quite remarkable when you think about it, for if they got extra on that on any other day it would go bad overnight, but was well preserved on friday night so they could eat it during the Sabbath.
Notice how this fact is recorded in Exodus 1623 to 26. Then he said to them, this is what the Lord has said tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy day of the Lord. Bake.
What would you bake today and boil what you will boil and laid up for yourselves. All that remains to be kept until the morning. So they laid it up until the morning as Moses commanded, and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.
Then Moses said, Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find it in the field. Six days you will gather it.
But on the 7th day, the Sabbath, there will be none. You know, the Lord was showing his people the sanctity of the Sabbath. They were not only to prepare their lives for the Sabbath blessings, but were to prepare their food for the Sabbath.
Manic would evidently be boiled or baked, and the people were to do this on the preparation day, which is Friday. The Israelites were learning so much as they journeyed through the wilderness. They had been slaves in Egypt, and days like the Sabbath were almost forgotten.
They had to relearn God's requirements for them, which made them a special people. When they kept those requirements, their daily living, their hygiene practices, and their worship understandings were undergoing dramatic changes. But God was with them all the way.
The next stop on their journey through the wilderness was at Mount Sinai, or the mountain of Moses Jabal Musa, as it is called today. God had something special for them and great preparations were to be made. Let's look at some of the things that God asked them to do in preparation for this special event.
We look at Exodus 1910 and eleven. Then God said to Moses, go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and let's be ready for the third day. From the third day, the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Well, can you imagine it? God coming down to the people. He was going to come down to Mount Sinai. And so the people were also told to keep their animals away from the mountains.
And they themselves or their children were not to touch the mountain. They were all to be well prepared for the third day, when God would come down on Mount Sinai. Moses was instructed to come up the mountain with Aaron, his brother, who was also the high priest.
But no other person was even to touch the mountain, let alone come up to the mountain. When all was ready on the third day, God came down to Mount Sinai with smoke and fire. And then he spoke what we know today as the Ten Commandments.
Let's have a look at these Commandments as found in Exodus 20. But first we'll notice the first two verses of this chapter, verse one and two. And God spoke all these words, saying I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
You notice here that God has redeemed them from the land of Egypt and now he gives his requirements for their daily living. Let's notice the first four commandments, that is, verses three to eleven. First one you shall have no other gods before Me.
The second one you shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of their fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
The third one you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not halt him guiltless who takes his name in vain. And the fourth one remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
But the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. Four and six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested.
The 7th day, therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. You know, these first four commandments show our love to God. The last six, which we will recite in a moment, show our love to our fellow men as we show our love to God.
We are not going to put things first before Him, you know. At times cars, boats, gardens, houses and many other things are put before God. He asks us in this commandment to put Him first.
When we do this, it is wonderful how he cares for us and even protects our things. The second commandment deals with worshipping, idols and images instead of worshipping God. If people transgress in this, the punishment will pass on to several generations.
People often ask me about this, as it seems to them unreasonable that children should bear the punishment of their forebears. We often notice how that children follow their parents in habits, food that is eaten, and styles of living. Image worship is also passed on to children and grandchildren.
I have noticed this particularly in Thailand, where it is difficult for children of Buddhist parents to put off many ways of their parents, but notice something else in this commandment but showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments. God's mercy travels through thousands of generations when people are faithful to Him. We can really see this in Christianity that has existed for 2000 years.
Even though there have been times of persecution and people have forgotten God's law. The love of Christ has existed through these centuries. The third way that we show our love to God is by protecting his name.
We should not take his name in vain. It's amazing how many people, unwittingly in most cases, take the name of God in vain. I'm sure you've heard this so many times.
The fourth Commandment tells us to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall labor. But the 7th is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
The Sabbath was made for man. God knew that man needed a Sabbath. And right back at the very beginning when God created this earth, he gave man the Sabbath.
It says in Genesis two and verse three then God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. No other day was blessed and sanctified as the 7th day of the week. Isn't it strange that so many people have forgotten a day that God said remember? As I mentioned earlier, the last six commandments show our relationships and love for our fellows in mankind.
Notice these commandments which really are the foundation of the laws of our lands. Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's. You know, I have noticed in many churches and cathedrals in Europe that the commandments are on display for people to see as they worship.
Isn't it unfortunate that many countries, even America, have allowed these commandments to take a place in their schools and public places where they used to be displayed for all to see? Maybe this is why the world seemed to be so decadent these days. What do you think? God didn't want any mistakes made in transcribing his law. And so he wrote the Ten Commandments on stone with his own finger.
And then had the tables of Stone placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the most holy part of the sanctuary above the Ten Commandments placed in the Ark was the mercy seat. People may break God's commandments unwittingly, but he always shows his mercy.
I love the text in Deuteronomy five and verse 29 it says oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and always keep all my commandments that might be well with them and with their children. Keeping the Commandments has great results that continue even to our children. God makes sure of that.
Another very important event there in the wilderness and under Mount Sinai was the building of the Tabernacle, or sanctuary and establishing the priesthood. The sanctuary was to be portable and lasted until the days of Solomon when he built a wonderful temple that was probably the greatest building in Israel for all time. His temple was based on the template of the sanctuary built in the Sinai wilderness.
Moses was again up Mount Sinai, this time for 40 days and 40 nights. During this period of time, Moses was given all the plans and details for the sanctuary. I'm always amazed at the details that God gave to Moses and how he further related these plans to the Israelites out there in the desert.
In fact, the sanctuary is seen all through the Old Testament and also in the New Testament. The main focus of the sanctuary is that the mankind everywhere can be saved. As Peter records, God doesn't want anybody to be lost, but they all should be saved.
So the sanctuary was set up in the wilderness so that Israel could know this fact. It was continued so that all people throughout the world would know that they were assured of salvation if they confessed their sins and accepted Jesus as their Saviour. The animal sacrifices offered to the sanctuary pointed to Jesus, who would be sacrificed on the cross at Calvary.
As the Bible says, he was the Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. In the sanctuary services, there were two main sacrifices the daily sacrifice and the yearly on the Day of Atonement. For a minute, let's talk about the daily.
This was offered in the morning and in the evening. It's also known as the continual. So it was a regular offering offered every day and twice a day.
If people sinned, then they could bring their own sin offering. But let's say a man was miles from the sanctuary and could not bring his sin offering until a later time. Or perhaps if he woke up in the middle of the night and remembered he had sinned, then in either case or many other similar cases, he could know that his sin was being covered by the daily.
As soon as possible. He would then bring his own sin offering. These sacrifices portrayed the time when Christ would die on the cross and all confessed sin would be forgiven.
The other main sacrifice was the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. This has often been called the Day of Judgment. It was the most solemn day of the year.
On this day, and only on this day, the high priest would go into the most holy place, the sanctuary. He would make sacrifice for himself, for his family, for the priesthood, for the people of Israel, and for the sanctuary. The people of Israel were to make sure that there was no sin in their lives on that day, and they were completely right with God, or at onement, which is what atonement meant, at onement with God.
This was the day of judgment and represents the time when God would judge the world at the end of time. This is the time also that we must all be right with God and accept Jesus'sacrifice for us. By this little view of the sanctuary, you can see why it has a prominent part to play in all scripture.
Maybe we should finish with a scripture from the book of Hebrews, chapter nine, verses eleven and twelve. But Christ came as high priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of his creation, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood. He entered the most holy place for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
This verse sums up what we have been talking about today. What began in Sinai 3500 years ago still has significance today. You can go up Mount Sinai either walking or by camel, although it's quite dangerous today because there are many people who want to take your life and many people have been killed nearby.
It is best to leave if you're walking while it's still dark, for it can be very hot during the day. But once I took a group in the wintertime and it was perishingly cold, any water up the mountain, and there was quite a lot had turned to ice. As we waited on the top of Mount Sinai for the sunrise.
Our fingers were so cold we could hardly push the button on our cameras to get pictures of the sunrise over the many mountains there in the wilderness. But it is a beautiful scene and it is worth getting there before sunrise to get this beautiful sunrise from Mount Sinai. And, you know, to think that we could be up there where Moses received the plans for the sanctuary and received the tables of stone, having the Ten Commandments embedded by the finger of God.
What a privilege to go up there. I've been a number of times and I've taken several groups. And one time an Israeli guide was with us and we left very early, I think about 03:00.
He said, it takes a long time to get up. Well, our group was very fit and the Israeli guide was not fit. He was a smoker and a drinker and he kept saying to us, you don't have to hurry.
But of course we were strong at that time and that's why we had to wait for a long time for the sunrise. And it was very cold. Well, thank you for being with us today and please join us again next week for more biblical wonders in the Middle East.
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And when you have got it on your computer, press listen and you'll find a great range of topics, including mine, that are there. Well, may God bless you and thank you for being with us today and I trust that this has been helpful in your own spiritual journey. You've been listening to biblical wonders in the Middle East with Pastor David Curry.
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