pillars

November 28, 2017

Yahweh was going to do away with false worship (Mic 5:12-5:14)

“I will cut off

Sorceries

From your hand.

You shall have no more soothsayers.

I will cut off

Your images.

I will cut off

Your pillars

From among you.

You shall bow down no more

To the work of your hands.

I will uproot

Your sacred poles

From among you.

I will destroy

Your towns.”

Yahweh was going to do away with all forms of false worship.  He wanted the pure worship of Yahweh at his temple in Jerusalem.  He was going to do away with all sorceries and soothsayers.  He was going to tear down all their false images and pillars.  They were not going to bow down before any more man-made images.  Yahweh was going to root out their sacred totem poles, and even destroy some of these idol worshipping towns.

October 7, 2017

Israel must bear its guilt (Hos 10:2-10:2)

“Their heart is false.

Now they must bear

Their guilt.

Yahweh will break down

Their altars.

Yahweh will destroy

Their pillars.”

As a consequence of their false heart and actions, Yahweh was going to break down and destroy their false god altars and pillars. They must bear their guilt.

July 6, 2017

The passage way of the chambers (Ezek 42:4-42:6)

“In front of the chambers

Was a passage way.

On the inside,

It was

Ten cubits wide,

One hundred cubits deep.

Its entrance was

On the north.

Now the upper chambers

Were narrower.

The galleries

Took more away                              

From them

Than from the lower

Or the middle chambers

In the building.

They were

In three stories.

They had no pillars

Like the pillars

Of the outer court.

The upper chambers

Were set back

From the ground

More than the lower

Or the middle ones.”

This is another description of the passage way around the small chamber rooms that followed up on explanations of the preceding chapter. This passage way was on the inside with an odd rectangular shape, 10 cubits wide by 100 cubits deep, 17 feet by 170 feet, with a north side entrance. The upper chambers were narrower than the lower or middle story rooms. There were more galleries on this higher 3rd story than on the middle and lower 1st and 2nd stories. These 3 story chambers had no pillars, like those in the outer court. Thus, the upper chambers were set back more from the ground than the lower or middle story chambers.

July 3, 2017

The Ulam vestibule of the inner Temple (Ezek 40:48-40:49)

“Then he brought me

To the vestibule

Of the temple.

He measured

The pilasters

Of the vestibule,

Five cubits

On either side.

The width

Of the gate

Was fourteen cubits.

The sidewalls

Of the gate were

Three cubits

On either side.

The depth

Of the vestibule was

Twenty cubits

Its width was

Twelve cubits.

Ten steps

Led up to it.

There were pillars

Beside the pilasters

On either side.”

The bronze man brought Ezekiel into inner court, the Temple properly speaking. This vestibule of the inner court was called Ulam. As usual, the bronze man began to measure everything. The pilasters were 5 cubits or 8 feet on each side. The gate was 14 cubits, about 23 feet wide. The sidewalls of the gate were 3 cubits or 5 feet on each side. The vestibule itself was 20 cubits by 12 cubits, about 32 feet by 20 feet rectangular, relatively small. There were 10 steps leading up to it, not just 7 or 8. Besides the pilasters, there were also pillars on either side.

January 21, 2017

King Nebuchadnezzar will come to Egypt (Jer 43:11-43:13)

“‘King Nebuchadnezzar

Shall come.

He shall ravage

The land of Egypt.

Giving those who are doomed

For pestilence,

To pestilence.

Giving those who are destined

For captivity.

To captivity.

Giving those who are doomed

For the sword

To the sword.

He shall kindle a fire

In the temples

Of the gods of Egypt.

He shall burn them.

He shall carry them away captive.

He shall pick clean

The land of Egypt,

As a shepherd picks

His cloaks clean of vermin.

He shall depart

From there safely.

He shall break

The obelisks of Heliopolis

That is in the land of Egypt.

He shall break the temples

Of the gods of Egypt.

He shall burn them with fire.’”

Jeremiah described what was going to happen when King Nebuchadnezzar would come to Egypt, which he did around 568 BCE. The Babylonian king was going to ravage the land of Egypt. Those who were destined for pestilence got pestilence. Those destined for the sword, got the sword. Those destined for famine, got a famine. This was real simple, but who decided who was destined for what? King Nebuchadnezzar was going to burn down the Egyptian temples and make the Judeans captives. He was going to pick the land clean in the same way that shepherds pluck bugs off their cloaks or coats. He would come and go safely. However, he would also break the ornate pillars or obelisks in the town of Heliopolis, the city of the sun worshipers, which was about 25 miles east of Memphis, 6 mile northeast of Cairo. He would also burn down the Egyptian temples and their gods, as well as tear down other pillars throughout the land of Egypt.

January 6, 2016

The invitation of wisdom to the banquet (Prov 9:1-9:6)

“Wisdom has built her house,

She has set up her seven pillars.

She has slaughtered her animals.

She has mixed her wine.

She has also set her table.

She has sent out her servant girls.

She calls from the highest places in the town.

‘You who are simple!

Turn in here!’

To those without sense

She says.

‘Come!

Eat of my bread!

Drink of the wine I have mixed!

Lay aside immaturity!

Live!

Walk in the way of insight!’”

This chapter is about the house that wisdom built on 7 pillars. She then invited people to come to her house. She had slaughtered animals and prepared wine for the festival at her house. She set her table and sent her maid servants to invite people to come. She called from the highest place in town, ‘Anyone simple, turn in here!’ I guess it either was an insult or she really wanted to help them. She wanted those who were senseless and immature to eat her bread and drink her wine, instead of going to the house of the loose woman. Then they would be able to live and walk with insight. In a certain sense, lady wisdom is trying to compete with the seducing prostitutes to get the simple ones to gain some insight. She too tries to seduce them since that is the only way that the simple ones will follow people.

December 29, 2015

Future blessings (Ps 144:12-144:14)

“May our sons

In their youth

Be like plants full grown!

May our daughters

Be like corner pillars,

Cut for the building of a palace!

May our barns be filled

With produce of every kind!

May our sheep increase by thousands,

By ten thousands in our fields!

May our cattle be heavy with young!

May there be no breach in the walls!

May there be no exile!

May there be no cry of distress in our streets!”

David, or this psalmist, asks and prays for future blessings. He wanted their sons to be like full grown plants. He wanted their daughters to be corner stones or pillars of a palace. He wanted their barns full of every kind of produce. He wanted their sheep to increase. He wanted his cattle to be heavy with young calves. He wanted no breach in the wall, no exile, and no distress in the streets. These future blessings would lead to an idyllic time with no problems.

July 15, 2015

The hymn to the all powerful God (Job 26:5-26:14)

“The shades below tremble.

The waters and their inhabitants tremble.

Sheol is naked before God.

Abaddon has no covering.

He stretches out Zaphon over the void.

He hangs the earth upon nothing.

He binds up the waters in his thick clouds.

The cloud is not torn open by them.

He covers the face of the full moon.

He spreads over it his cloud.

He has described a circle on the face of the waters.

He has described a circle at the boundary between light and darkness.

The pillars of heaven tremble.

They are astounded at his rebuke.

By his power he stilled the sea.

By his understanding he struck down Rahab.

By his wind the heavens were made fair.

His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

These are indeed but the outskirts of his ways.

How small a whisper do we hear of him!

But the thunder of his power,

Who can understand?”

Then Job broke into a hymn about the all powerful God. Could this be from Bildad?   In very explicit colorful language, he describes the power of God over all things. This is the vision of earth, Sheol, and heaven. Sheol and Abaddon are similar, like a bottomless pit. Abaddon will become a person in the Christian book of Revelation. Here it is like another name for Sheol, so that even those below must recognize the power of God since they have no place to hide or cover up. Zaphon is the northern mountain area of the Canaanite gods, something like the Greek Mount Olympus. The earth was suspended over an abyss. The water in the clouds was still accepted today as the cause of rain. Only God could make it rain and break the clouds. He also had control of the moon creating eclipses. God was of course responsible for the boundary between water and earth as well as light and darkness. There were even pillars in heaven that were afraid of him. Perhaps these pillars are the mountains that seem to reach up into the heavens. Obviously he controlled the sea and the mythical sea monster Rahab. Rahab was also the name of the prostitute, who helped the troops of Joshua, chapter 2. God then pierced the fleeing serpent, perhaps a reference to Genesis, chapter 3. We mortals only catch a glimpse of his power like a whisper when he thunders. The idea that God spoke through thunder was prevalent. However, we cannot understand all this.

May 25, 2015

The people honor Simon and his brothers (1 Macc 14:25-14:27)

“When the people heard these things they said.

‘How shall we thank Simon and his sons?

He and his brothers and the house of his father have stood firm.

They have fought and repulsed Israel’s enemies.

They have established its freedom.’

So they made a record on bronze tablets. They put it on the pillars on Mount Zion.”

They wondered how they could thank Simon and his family. His father and brothers stood firm against the enemies of Israel. They actually established the freedom of Israel. They decided to make a record of this so that they put it on bronze tablets like the Romans did. They then put the tablets on the pillars on Mount Zion. Important documents at this time were usually inscribed in bronze.

January 16, 2015

The reform of worship (2 Chr 31:1-31:1)

“Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah. They broke down the pillars and hewed down the sacred poles. They pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities. All returned to their individual properties.”

After the big celebration, they were all riled up. They went to the cities of Judah and tore down the sacred pillars and totem poles. They pulled down the altars at all the high places not only in Judah, but also in Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. It is possible that they went north since the Assyrians had a loose control of the north as they had taken away all the northern Israelite leaders. Finally, everyone returned home to their cities. However, there was no mention here of Nehushtan, the bronze serpent of Moses that was in 2 Kings, chapter 18.