10 Reasons Why Mount Sinai Could be in Saudi Arabia

Last week, we talked about a possible site of Mount Sinai in Jordan, and the beginning of the story behind the 'discovery' of another location in Saudi Arabia.

Are you ready to see what they found?

1st: A mountain, in the location of Midian, which is in a foreign country to where Moses previously resided (not the Sinai Peninsula, because that was Egyptian-controlled territory, and therefore not foreign)

2nd: This mountain is located to several caves, known as "Jethro's caves" to the locals. Jethro was the name of Moses' father-in-law. Locals also refer to this mountain as the mountain of Moses.

3rd: Tracing Moses' path to this mountain, he would have passed Elim in Midian, a beautiful oasis with 12 wells where the Israelites stopped.

4th: Galatians 4:25 says that Mount Sinai was in Arabia, not Egyptian land.

5th: Artifacts, potsherds, and more, dating back to the time of Moses, were found there.

6th: There is also evidence from sources like Josephus and Ptolemy.

But this is what got me:

7th: This mountain, the highest mountain in Midian, has black peak, as if it has been burned. The burned part continues more than 200 feet. But it's interesting... the entire mountain isn't burned at the top... only the outside of the rocks. If you climb up, pick up a rock, and turn it over, it's a normal color on the bottom—not burned.

This is significant, because Exodus 19:18 says that Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in fire when God descended on it.

photo from here

8th: On the mountain is the cave believed to Elijah's cave

9th: Nearby is a rock that is 6-7 stories tall that has been split down the middle. Almost like... someone struck it with a rod and then water poured out.

photo from here

from Fox News.

10th: The base of where the golden calf stood is still there, right in the viewline of Mount Sinai, AND, carved onto rocks of the encampment area (which, is large enough to have held the Israelites while they lived there for an entire year) are images like... calves...and people worshipping calves... and a menorah.

This would be the oldest image of the menorah found to date, which is a symbol of Israel. Teacher Amir Tsarfati with Behold Israel says the menorah is the main symbol for Israel, even moreso than the star of David (that's a post for another day).

And this is especially significant, because the first menorah was made here, at the foot of Mount Sinai, when the Israelites first received the instructions for the Tabernacle and completed them, creating the first menorah.

Only God really knows, but that's a lot of cool evidence. What do you think?

*Story and photos of Ron Wyatt and Dr. Kim found here.

Could Mount Sinai be in Saudi Arabia?

So, there's a mountain in Jordan believed to be Mount Sinai. At the top is a monastery called St. Catherine. It's open to the public to either ride up or hike (which I understand is a serious #legday), and is an incredible experience.

However, it's not completely proven that this is the place of Mount Sinai (also known as Mount Horeb).

traditional site of Mount Sinai in Jordan

Recently, I heard about a place in Saudi Arabia, know as Jebel Al-Lawz.

Until recently, this mountain was closed to the public. It had a fence around it and was heavily guarded by the government. But this isn't true anymore! Saudi Arabia opened it up to tourists!

So, how are we aware of this place if until this month, we were unable to visit it and all photos were banned?

In 1984, Ron Wyatt was visiting Saudi Arabia, saw this place, and took pictures. Soon after, the fence went up around the mountain. He and his sons were accused of being spies and held as prisoners for 2 months, waiting for execution! During these 2 months, Dr. Wyatt helped a lot of prisoners. His guards saw this, began to talk with him, and he convinced him of his story. He was released but had to delete his pictures. He left, but not without telling his story to others.

Fast forward more than 20 years, and a man named Dr. Kim, who served the prince and king of Saudi Arabia for 15 years, was given a reward for his service. So he asked for permission to see Jebel Al-Lawz.

What he found stunned him—and he was allowed to take pictures!*

Stay tuned for more of this amazing story next week!

*story found here

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty

This week we're going to look at the final book in the A Dangerous Beauty series by Angela Hunt: Delilah: A Treacherous Beauty.

First of all, hello #coverlove. I can't stop looking at this cover, probably because it has my favorite colors.

Anywho, this book was interesting because it is a depiction of a woman we don't know that much about, something Hunt discusses in her author's note. We don't know that she was necessarily a Philistine, which raises some interesting questions for the author to explore in her depiction (she had Delilah being of Crete and Egyptian descent, living in Philistine-controlled Gaza.

Hunt's exploration of the reasons behind Delilah's betrayal of Samson is really well-written. As with all of her novels, the evidence of her research is clear throughout the novel (and there's a list of sources in the back). 

What I loved in this book was how Hunt focused on the cultural importance of family in the novel. By placing Delilah as not being from any of the local people as a contrast with Samson, who though Jewish, was set apart as a Nazarite, it drove home the importance of family as both community and identity in ancient Near Eastern culture. Ultimately, it was this conflict that drew the two of them together, the mutual feeling of isolation. It definitely gives a unique perspective on what could have happened!

You can find Delilah: Treacherous Beauty here on Amazon!

Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty

This week, we're going to continue with Angela Hunt's A Dangerous Beauty series and talk about Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty.

To be honest, I struggled with the beginning of this book. Since the events of the book aren't spoilers (they are in the Bible, haha), I'm not going to worry with hiding the events. I love Angela Hunt's books, especially her more contemporary settings like Unspoken, The Canopy, and The Justice. But because this is such a well-known story, Hunt took the risk of portraying the scene of David and Bathsheba in a very different way. At the end of the novel, she explains why—how traditional expositions of this story portray Bathsheba as a manipulative adulteress, and perhaps there was an unexplored angle here. I get that and respect it, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't difficult to read or that I agreed with the portrayal of what was essentially, rape. I also struggled with the early depiction of Nathan and how he dishonored his wife because of his lust for Bathsheba.

That being said, I believe she went farther into describing the culture and beliefs of this culture than many depictions of this story. It reminded me of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes' exploration of the shame that David felt (and its reason), which I talked about here.

I still feel like the guilt portrayed here was more from Western eyes than Eastern, but it was closer to Eastern than I had read before. And perhaps my problems with the early scenes had more to do with my Western predisposition and cultural/personal bias. This book is well written, and Hunt expertly stayed true to the character development throughout.

In addition, I appreciated how she continued the story through those central scenes, so we could understand what is can be a confusing thread of scenes in the Old Testament. It was easier to see the connection between the consequences of this initial sin and how it impacted following generations.

Click here to purchase the book here on Amazon!

Hadassah: One Night with the King

In continuing with our series on Esther, we're going to look at another fictional retelling of her story: Tommy Tenney's Hadassah.

I first read this book in college, and loved it so much that I kept it. In fact, this is my favorite fictional re-telling of Esther's story. Upon re-reading it, I realized why. 

First of all, it starts off in a place I know well, which is always fun to discover. But more importantly, Tenney's insight into the character of Esther is so profound. His voice is beautiful, and he really takes the time to draw you into her heart and her view of the king. I love how she chose to approach the king, and the parallels Tenney draws between that and how we are to approach God's presence are powerful. 

As one character put it: "When you are in the presence of the King of Kings, destiny—not just your own, but the world's—can change in the twinkling of an eye" (page 78).

In addition, we're given even more insight in this book as to the history between Haman and the Jews, as Haman is an Amalekite. Tenney takes the reader through the line of 500 years and the consequences of Saul's sin of not executing every member of that nation as was commanded by God. 

In fact, this book was so well-received that it became a movie in 2006! Click here to see the movie, or to purchase the book on Amazon, click here!

Esther: Royal Beauty

Okay, we are switching back to Biblical fiction, this time with two different fictional retellings of Esther's story!

First, this week we'll look at Angela Hunt's Esther, the first in her A Dangerous Beauty series.

I'm a fan of Angela Hunt, and Esther is a favorite story of mine, so when I saw that this author and written a re-telling of this story, I had to check it out.

This story is told from 2 characters' viewpoints: Esther's (her Jewish name is Hadassah) and King Xerxes' chamberlain (eunuch), Harbonah. The reader is able to follow Hadassah's journey from a child to queen, while also reading from an "insider's" perspective through Harbonah.

It's a great retelling, and really takes the reader into Hadassah's world. I also loved the depiction of Haman. She wrote him to almost to be like Wormtongue in Tolkien's The Two Towers, in an ostentatious sort of way. You can definitely see this progression in Hunt's portrayal, and because of her deep dive into the characters' flaws and inner struggles, can understand better how it happened—which makes the victory at the end all the more incredible!

If you like the story of Esther, this is a great read. Click here to purchase on Amazon!

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: Read this Book!

That's all for our series on Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverberg. I hope you enjoyed it!

There's so much truth and wisdom in this book that there was no way I could summarize it. I hope the topics we discussed interested you enough to get this book and do your own study! If you do, please let me know—I'd love to talk with you about it!

To buy it, check it out here on Amazon!

Honi and Chutzpah

In 2011, Mark Batterson published a book called, The Circle Maker. It took me a while to get around to reading it, mostly because it make instantly trendy (like The Prayer of Jabez years ago) and I sometimes find myself suspicious of things like this—how accurate are they? Are they just popular because of prosperity Gospel? What does the Bible really say?

However, after reading Lois Tverberg's chapter on chutzpah on in Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, I couldn't help think of this book. Of which... I don't remember much other than that it's based on the premise of the story of a Jewish who lived a century before Jesus named Honi. Apparently, Honi was a humble man who loved God. Once, during a severe drought, the people asked him to pray for rain.

So, Honi went out and drew a circle in the sand. He got in it and prayed for rain, ending with "I'm not leaving this circle until it rains!" 

And it began to rain, just gentle drops. And Honi said, "That's not what I wanted, but rain to fill cisterns, pits, and caverns". 

And it began to rain violently. "So again, he prayed, 'This is not what I wanted, but rain of goodwill, blessing, and graciousness.' Then it began in just the right way, nourishing crops and restoring the land. (page 124 of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus). 

I love that this story comes from the inter-Testamental period, the 400 years of silence between Malachi and the birth of Jesus in the Gospels, because it shows how there were those who truly loved God and remained faithful during that time. 

Honi is a great example of chutzpah. But while he definitely benefited from the rain as well, I love that this falls in line with Tverberg's principle of chutzpah often being for the sake of others. He wasn't praying rain for himself, but for the community that was suffering greatly and would continue to without it.

I asked this last week, but I'll ask it again. How can we pray with chutzpah for those around us?

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: Chutzpah

In Chapter 9 of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg talks about the Jewish concept of chutzpah.

Chutzpah is, in Tverberg's words, "utter nerve, sheer audacity, bordering on obnoxiousness" (page 118). She tells a story about elderly lady who boarded a bus she was on and sat down without paying. The driver asked where she was going, and the lady replied, but didn't get up to pay. Even though they were on the busiest street in rush hour in Jerusalem, the driver stopped, pulled out a newspaper, and waited for the woman to pay. Traffic came to a standstill and he refused to move. Eventually, the woman left the bus and the woman moved on.

Just summarizing the story above is making my heart race dangerously fast. Being from the South of the US, where you are always polite, don't make waves, etc., I'm stressed out just imagining this, haha. 

That woman had chutzpah—and Tverberg points out that it's part of the culture of the Bible as well. The first story she references with this is the story Jesus told of the Syrophoenician widow pleading with a judge for justice. She eventually wears him down and he decides to give her justice just so she'll go away. 

It's funny, because I used to cringe at that story for that reason. In my culture, it's rude and "wrong" to keep coming back after a "No". Imagine a child who wants ice cream before dinner, and the mom says "No", and the child keeps pleading, "Please, pleeeeeeeeeaaaasssseeeee, pleeeease!" (Even the thought of that makes me nervous!) I was taught, "No means no, don't keep asking." But there are so many stories in the Bible where people continue to plead with Him after a "No". 

Another example Tverberg gives is Abram 'bargaining' with God over not destroying Sodom and Gomorrah: "What if there are 50 righteous people? What if there are 45? But what about..." Even as a kid, I remember thinking, "Why does he keep going back at God like this? God could change His mind and say, '0, then, because you keep pushing it and pushing me.'" But as Tverberg points out, "Jesus liked a little chutzpah" (page 119), and then asks us the question that is the title of the chapter: 

What if we prayed with a little chutzpah? The point faith we're supposed to have is not supposed to be in the outcome, but in God Himself. What do our prayers reveal about what we believe about God?

Before moving on, I do want to say that Tverberg also talks about the danger of prosperity Gospel or "name it and claim it" theology. She says that most often the difference is the Jewish attitude of chutzpah in prayer is not for oneself, but on behalf of others (page 127). That's going to be really important to think about in my next post. But until then...

How can we pray with chutzpah for others? How does this concept widen our perspective on certain stories we've maybe ready a hundred times?

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: Names

In Chapter 6 of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg focuses on the mystery of names in Jewish culture. This is something that is very different from Western culture.

Tverberg states that from ancient times until today saying "in the name of" is the equivalent of claiming that's person's authority or behalf. It's like how today, when we pray, we often end with, "... in Jesus' name, Amen". We are claiming his status and authority as God's Son in that moment.

The idea is so much deeper in Jewish culture, however. "It's hard to overstate how important names were in Biblical times," Tverberg states on page 84. "In ancient thought, without a name, an object or being didn't even exist. Egyptian documents describe the time before creation as "when no name of anything had yet been named," and it was only when God created and named things that they officially existed.

Names in ancient Near Eastern culture were more than just descriptive words. They were reputations... legacies... identities. As we talked about in the posts "Family is Important" and "Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Honor and Shame", your name and the name of your family are vitally important in this culture. This is why when God redirected someone's life, he often changed their names (like Abram, Jacob, Saul, etc). And why Moses appealed to God's name in his attempt to persuade God not to destroy the Israelites for worshipping the golden calf in Exodus 32.

Throughout the Bible, the concept of God's name spreading throughout the earth is a common theme. And this is why the 3rd commandment, "You shall not take the Lord your God's name in vain" is such an important thing. Western Christians often see it as not swearing with God's name. But it's so much more than that. Tverberg states, "The text literally says, 'you shall not lift up God's name as an empty thing.' One of the was that rabbis interpreted this was as doing something evil publicly and associating God with it. It is a sin against God Himself, who suffers from having his reputation defamed" (page 88).

We see examples like this every day, and throughout history. From slavery, oppression, and prejudice, people who blow up abortion clinics or abuse family members who are under their leadership. We see it in religions of the world as well—horrible things done in the name of the god they believe in. The rest of the world is thinking, 'what kind of god is this that he would want you to do such a horrible thing?" His reputation is damaged, or taken in vain, just as God's is when people do things in His name that aren't of His commands or character.

Small examples are just as important here—businessmen who will cheat others and sit on the front pew on Sunday. Or what about cutting someone off with ours car while we have Christian bumper sticker on the back? It's giving a false witness, or a witness against Christ to the world around us.

As Christians, we carry God's name in all we do and say. And while we do know this, the full meaning of it is so much deeper because of the cultural connotations that we don't have. It's name and reputation that has been proclaimed for millennia throughout the earth—the universe—with great breadth and weight. For this reason, family names are so important in Near Eastern culture—because the name will last beyond those who bear it. In the West, it's considered admirable if someone has to rise from the adversity of overcoming negative (or toxic) dynamics and start a new, separate life. This would not be a positive thing in Near Eastern culture.

In fact, I once heard a story about a Jewish woman who heard about a practice in Germany that, due to limit land availability, grave sites are only leased for 15-30 years. After that, the grave's contents (and headstone) are removed and the land is available for a new inhabitant.

Upon hearing this, the Jewish woman said, "But what happens to their name?"

When I heard this story, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's why it's so important to families from collective cultures to have children, and especially male children, to continue the family name. While this is important in Western culture, it's doesn't have the same gravitas. There might be shame and great pain over infertility, but the cultural implication of a complete loss of the weight of a name (identity and reputation) isn't necessarily as big of a deal. And as to people being removed from their graves 30 years after death (when it's likely that those who would visit have already passed on) is practical in light of limited land availability.

What do you think? How does the important of a name in Jewish culture from one on your own?

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

For the next few weeks, we're going to explore another of Lois Tverberg's books: Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus.

Like Tverberg's other books, this book is a deep dive into the importance of understanding the Jewish context of Jesus. This one specifically focuses on Jesus' words (teachings).

I'm currently about halfway through it and so far several things have really stood out to me. So we'll explore those topics and more in the weeks to come!

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar

Land of Silence by Tessa Asfhar is a retelling of the Biblical story of the woman with the issue of blood.

Since so little is known about her Asfhar was able to create a rich backstory to this character, Elianna, bringing the reader into her tragedy, heartbreak, hopes, and dreams. She also connects Elianna to Lydia of Thyatira, setting up her next book.

What I find so interesting about the culture explored in this book are the exploration of the gender roles, how Elianna becomes stuck because as an unmarried woman, she can't run the business she's been running for her father after his death, and also how she nearly kills herself to provide dowries for herself and her sister. Even knowing this is an accurate portrayal, and having prior knowledge of these practices, from a modern Western perspective it is difficult to understand personally. 

Additionally, in her 12 years of uncleanliness, again it struck me how while in some cases being unclean was evident to others, sometimes it wasn't—and then it was the responsibility of the unclean person to tell others and to avoid making them unclean (sitting on the floor, not touching others, etc). This woman became an outcast in every way. She couldn't worship at the synagogue or Temple, couldn't hug her sister, couldn't draw water with the other local women—and was isolated from her community. There were so many times she warned someone and I was like, Why did she tell them?, even knowing that not doing so would be sin. 

We live in such a different world today, but there are so many lessons from Elianna's story that we can learn, from cultural information to deeper lessons of what it means to follow God's Word, even when no one is watching. If you like Biblical fiction, definitely check out this book. 

You can get it here on Amazon!

Pilate's Praetorium

Here is another teaching from Charles Martin on his trip to Israel spring of 2019. This time he's teaching from Pilate's Praetorium, taking the reader through the night of Jesus' trial and torture before going to the cross.

click here or on the photo, then select the video with "Pilate's Praetorium"

By the way, the hole in the image above is where the Romans put a pole in the ground and tied Jesus to it to be flogged. Right there. Not somewhere in a fictional story. RIGHT THERE.

Right there.