The Very Foggy Origins of Christmas Trees

If someone tells you he knows for a fact that Christmas trees came from some pagan religion, he's lying.

If someone tells you he knows for a fact that Christmas trees were started by Christians with no pagan connections, he's lying too.

Personally, I find it extremely unlikely that the Christmas tree tradition was invented in the 16th century out of whole cloth, but the unfortunate fact is that nobody knows who started it nor why. There is no solid historical evidence on the matter.

Of course, if just a fraction of the resources that go into Christmas were applied to keeping the holidays that we know beyond any doubt that God gave to mankind, the question would become purely academic.

(If someone does manage to find a primary source on the origin of Christmas trees, I'd love to see it! I will happily retract this statement.)

Multiple Chiasms in Joshua 23

The entirety of Joshua 23 is a chiasm.

A Meme Is Not Evidence

• "King James personally supervised the translation of the KJV and he was a pervert."
• "Francis Bacon translated the KJV or at least edited it, and he was a Freemason."
• "The NIV deliberately removed X number of verses from the Bible."
• "The Pope removed whole books from the Bible."

These are just a few examples of the many urban myths about Bibles and translations that have been circulating for decades and even centuries. They are all false--mostly if not totally--but people keep repeating them because these myths align with their notions of how the world works.

I don't have a lot of respect for the Pope or the Roman Catholic Church. I think the KJV has outlived its usefulness as a source of doctrine. I have issues with how the NIV translates some passages.

My prejudices aren't excuses for repeating lies.

If you see a claim about a conspiracy or if you see a meme that "exposes" some shocking truth, do some actual research before you repost it. See if you can verify the claims with primary sources.

You'll learn a lot and maybe save yourself some embarrassment at the same time.

Does the Bible Say that the Earth Doesn't Move?

Tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
1 Chronicles 16:30 

The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Psalms 93:1 

He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.
Psalms 104:5

I have heard some people quote these verses in support of the idea that the earth can't possibly be spinning through space, orbiting around the sun. "God says the earth doesn't move and God doesn't lie!"

If you read these verses in isolation without looking at the context or the underlying Hebrew, and if you squint just right, I can see why a person might think that, but if you take just a few minutes to understand what the authors were trying to communicate, you'll quickly see that it doesn't hold up.

For example, 1 Chronicles 16:30 is part of a prayer that David spoke after bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It's poetic and demonstrative, and--like almost all poetry--uses some very picturesque language that wasn't meant to be understood literally. Other lines in this same prayer describe the land (Hebrew eretz, which can be translated "land", "ground", or "earth") singing to God and speaking to the nations and peoples. If verse 30 literally means that the world (Hebrew tebel) cannot physically move, then verses 23, 24, and 31 must literally mean that the land speaks in an audible, comprehensible voice. We all know that it doesn't. 

The Hebrew word translated as "moved" in these three verses is mot, which literally means to shake. It does not mean to move something from one place to another, as the earth orbiting the sun or a person moving from one room to another. It's used in Job 41:23 to describe the scales of the leviathan. I don't think anyone would seriously propose that the leviathan was in immobile statue, so it obviously doesn't mean that its scales can't move from one place to another. It's also used in Isaiah 41:7 to describe an idol that has been nailed to a base or other type of mount. Again, that doesn't mean the idol can't be moved. It only means that the idol won't wobble and fall over.

Clearly saying that the world or the earth can't be moved, does not have to mean that it is fixed in a static location within the universe or else we would have to say the same thing about finished idols and the leviathan. 

"The world shall never be moved" doesn't even mean that it won't be moved in the literal sense of being shaken. Earthquakes happen all the time, even in the Bible. More than that, the Bible says that entire mountain ranges and oceans have been rearranged over time and will be again.

Even if you believe, despite the overwhelmingly massive evidence all around you, that the earth is a plane, standing on literal pillars, Job 9:5 says that God moves mountains and 9:6 says that he shakes the whole earth out of its place. The selectively hyper-literal reading of flat-earthers requires that the earth cannot be moved and that it moves. It is inherently contradictory. It is physically, literally, and logically absurd.

So if "never moved" doesn't mean that the earth's location is permanently fixed in the universe, and it doesn't mean that the earth never trembles or moves around in any way, what does it mean?

"The world shall never be moved" is just a poetic way of saying "This stuff sure is dependable compared to you and me." And that's all it means. It's an idiomatic expression (Dictionary definition of idiom), never meant to be taken literally. Neither David nor Job believed that the earth could never be moved, and I'm sure they would be dumbfounded if they learned that anyone had taken their words to mean that.

If any "teacher" says otherwise, you should immediately stop listening to them. They are not qualified to be a teacher of anything at all that requires a basic understanding of human language.

Did Miriam Author Part of the Bible?

There is an obvious chiasm in Exodus 1-2 in the story of Moses' birth and adoption into Pharaoh's house. The chiasm includes at least Exodus 1:22-2:9, and possibly as much as Exodus 1:5-2:15.

This image shows the clearest segment:

Here is the expanded chiasm, which I think is correct:

A .v8-19 - Egyptians oppress Hebrews. Midwives rescue. Answer demanded. Escape.
B ...v20-21 - God's favor on the Midwives and growth of their families.
C .....v22 - Pharaoh said, "Take the son away. Let the daughter live."
D .......v1 - Amram went and took his wife, Jochebed.
E .........v2 - Jochebed conceived and bore a son.
F ...........v2 - Jochebed saw that the child was fine, took pity on him, and hid him for 3 months.
G .............v3 - Jochebed went to the river and hid the child in a basket in the river.
H ...............v4 - Miriam stood at a distance to learn what would happen.
G .............v5 - The princess went to the river and found the basket in the river.
F ...........v6 - The princess revealed the child, saw him crying, took pity, and recognized him.
E .........v7 - Miriam found a woman who had born a child.
D .......v8 - Miram went and called the child's mother, Jochebed.
C .....v9 - The princess said, "Take the child away. Pay the woman her wages."
B ...v10-11a - The princess's favor on Moses and his growth into a man.
A .v11b-15 - Egyptians oppress Hebrews. Moses rescues. Answer demanded. Escape.

Chiasms are always fascinating. The most interesting part is usually at the center, and this one is no exception. Miriam is at the center of a chiasm on the birth, near death, and adoption of Moses, and not just Miriam, but her observing and studying the process of Moses' transformation from Hebrew to Egyptian and back again to Hebrew.

What does this mean?

It probably means that Miriam was the source of the first part of Exodus; it might even record her exact words. How do we know what happened with the midwives and Jochebed and the basket and Pharaoh's daughter? Miriam witnessed it all so that Moses could his story as seen through her eyes and possibly even her words.

Knowledgeable Bible students will recall that this isn't the only extended record of Miriam's words. Exodus 15:1-21 contains The Song of Miriam.

Texas SB1978, the So-Called "Save Chick-Fil-A Bill"

Texas Senate Bill 1978 (SB1978) forbids the government from punishing people for their religious affiliations. Sounds like a First Amendment no-brainer to me.

It's not an pro-discrimination bill. It's an anti-discrimination bill.

In fact, it's really not much more than a restatement of section 4 of the Texas Bill of Rights, explicitly extending this basic protection to employees, contractors, and anyone else conducting official business with the state.

No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

From The Statesmen: House gives preliminary OK to ‘Save Chick-fil-A’ bill
From openstates: SB 1978 - Texas Senate (86)

Chiasm in Leviticus 24 on the Justice Required for Blasphemy, Injury, and Murder

A>V13 - YHWH spoke to Moses
B>>>V14 - Bring the man out of the camp and stone him
C>>>>>V15 - Speak to the people (whoever curses God… whoever blasphemes God…)
D>>>>>>>V16 - Same for sojourner and native
E>>>>>>>>>V17 - Whoever takes a human life
F>>>>>>>>>>>V18 - Whoever takes an animal’s life
G>>>>>>>>>>>>>V19 - Whoever injures his neighbor
H>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>V20a - Fracture for fracture
I>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>V20b - Eye for eye
H>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>V20c - Tooth for tooth
G>>>>>>>>>>>>>V20d - Whatever injury he gives a person
F>>>>>>>>>>>V21a - Whoever kills an animal
E>>>>>>>>>V21b - Whoever kills a person
D>>>>>>>V22 - Same for sojourner and native
C>>>>>V23a - Moses spoke to the people of Israel
B>>>V23b - They brought the man out of the camp and stoned him
A>V23c - The people did as YHWH commanded Moses

This chiasm highlights the principle of man as the image of God. Murder and injury to your neighbor is an assault on the very image of God. The punishment is to be commensurate with the crime (the meaning of "eye for eye and tooth for tooth"), which is why the punishment for intentional blasphemy against God is death. His name is that much higher, that much holier than the name of a man.

Chiasm in the betrayal of Yeshua by Yehudah

• V1 – Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, called Passover
• V2 – Priests and scribes wanted to kill Yeshua, but feared the people
• V3 – Satan entered (filled?) Judas, one of the twelve
• V4 – Judas met with the priests about betraying Yeshua
• V5 – The priests filled with gladness, agreed to give him money
• V6 – Judas wanted to betray Jesus, but feared the people
• V7 – The day of unleavened bread arrived, when the Passover is to be killed

Fear Your Mother

Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

The command to honor our parents is the only one of the Ten Commandments to be accompanied by a promise. This command to fear them as well is associated with the Sabbaths in part because both are given for our own benefit. We are not to keep the various Sabbaths for God, but for ourselves.

God gains nothing tangible by the honor and fear we give our parents, while we gain longer and happier life through obedience and learned wisdom.

Mothers are given precedence because we do not naturally fear them. (I suppose that greatly depends on your mother!) In most circumstances, it is easier for a child to fear his father. He is threatening and powerful, while mothers are kind and comforting. Yet God says that we are to treat our mothers with fear for our own profit in spite of our natural inclination.

Chiasms in Leviticus 15

There are at least 2 nested chiasms in Leviticus 15. The first encompasses almost the entire chapter from verse 2 through 33.

• V2-15 - Abnormal male discharge
• V16-17 - Normal male discharge 
• V18 – If a man lies with a woman
• V19-24 - Normal female discharge
• V25-33 - Abnormal female discharge

The second centers on the sexual discharge of a man in verses 2 through 15:

• V2 – Man with an issue
• V2b-4 – Primary transmission to inanimate objects
• V5-10 – Secondary transmission from objects to people
• V11-Primary transmission to people
• V12-15 – Resolution of uncleanness

The focus of both chiasmi seems to be the intersection of two things which cause the transmission of uncleanness from one to the other.

Bible Passages about the Weekly Sabbath

I'm currently working on a series on the weekly Sabbath. In the process, I compiled this list of Sabbath-related Bible verses/passages. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who could use this list, so here it is. Feel free to suggest additions in the comments.

• Genesis 2:2-3 – God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because he rested from his work in creation.
• Exodus 16:1-30 – Gather manna for 6 days. Gather twice as much on the 6th. Do not gather on the 7th.
• Exodus 20:8-11 - Remember the Sabbath day. Keep it holy. Do all work in 6 days. 7th is a Sabbath to God. No work for anyone in your house or city because God created in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.
• Exodus 23:12 – 6 days work, 7th day rest for animals, family, and everyone.
• Exodus 31:12-17 – Sabbath important. Sign between God and Israel that the people are sanctified like the day. Death for profaning it. Cut off for doing work. 6 days work. 7th day a solemn rest, holy to God. Death for working on it. Covenant forever. 6 days God created, 7th day rested and refreshed.
• Exodus 34:21 – 6 days work, but the 7th is a Sabbath.
• Exodus 35:1-3 – 6 days work. 7th day is a Sabbath. Death for working. No kindling fires. Set between Moses going into the Tabernacle to commune with God and the people giving gifts for the Tabernacle’s construction.
• Leviticus 19:3 – Revere your parents and keep my Sabbaths.
• Leviticus 19:30 – Keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary.
• Leviticus 23:1-3 – Sabbath is one of God’s feasts. Work 6 days, rest on the 7th.
• Leviticus 24:1-9 – Showbread arranged on the Sabbath.
• Leviticus 26:2 – Keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary.
• Numbers 15:30-36 – The man profaning the Sabbath by collecting firewood.
• Numbers 28:9-10 – Sabbath day sacrifices.
• Deuteronomy 5:12-15 – Keep the Sabbath. 6 days labor, 7th is Sabbath to God. No work for anyone in your house or city. You were a slave, so give your slaves a Sabbath.
• Joshua 6:1-5 – God commanded Israel to march around Jericho on the Sabbath day.
• 2 Kings 4:23 – The Shunammite woman regularly went to Elisha on the Sabbath and new moons.
• 2 Kings 11:5-9 – The priests and Levites who served as Temple and royal guards changed shifts at the beginning of the Sabbath.
• 2 Kings 16:18 – It had once been tradition for the King to attend at the Temple every Sabbath.
• 1 Chronicles 9:32 – The showbread prepared every Sabbath by Kohathites.
• 1 Chronicles 23:31 – Special prayers and songs offered to God during the Sabbath day offerings.
• 2 Chronicles 2:4 – Sabbath offerings one of the purposes of the Temple.
• 2 Chronicles 8:12-13 – Sabbath offerings made every week at the Temple.
• 2 Chronicles 23:1-11 – The priests and Levites who served as Temple and royal guards changed shifts at the beginning of the Sabbath. 
• 2 Chronicles 31:2-3 – Sabbath offerings restored with the rest of the Law.
• Nehemiah 9:14 – Sabbath revealed by God at Sinai.
• Nehemiah 10:31 – The people vow not to sell on the Sabbath.
• Nehemiah 10:32-33 – The people vow to make offerings for the Sabbath and feast days.
• Nehemiah 13:15-22 – Nehemiah rebukes the people for profaning the Sabbath.
• Isaiah 1:12-14 – Don’t keep the Sabbath disingenuously. 
• Isaiah 56:1-8 – Blessed is the man who keeps the Sabbath. Foreigners who keep the Sabbath made to be Israelites.
• Isaiah 58:13-14 – If you keep the Sabbath, not doing your own thing, you will be blessed.
• Isaiah 66:23 – From Sabbath to Sabbath…
• Jeremiah 17:19-27 – Blessings for keeping the Sabbath. Curses for breaking it.
• Lamentations 2:5-7 – God made Israel forget the feasts and Sabbath because they profaned them.
• Ezekiel 20:11-24 – Sabbaths as a sign of sanctification. They rejected the Sabbath. Curses for profaning the Sabbath.
• Ezekiel 22:8 – Judgment for profaning the Sabbath.
• Ezekiel 23:36-49 – Judgment for profaning the Sabbath.
• Ezekiel 44:24 – Priests in the Millennial Era will teach the laws and keep the Sabbath.
• Ezekiel 46:1-3 – The gate of the New Jerusalem will be closed 6 days and opened only on the Sabbath. People worship on the Sabbath and new moons.
• Hosea 2:11 – Sabbath taken away with feasts as punishment.
• Amos 8:4-14 – Impatience for the Sabbath to end is equated to oppression of the poor.
• Matthew 12:1-14 – Walking, plucking grain, and healing on the Sabbath. Lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
• Matthew 24:20 – Pray you don’t have to flee on the Sabbath.
• Matthew 27:62 – Chief Priests and Pharisees gathered to accuse Yeshua on the Sabbath. Weekly Sabbath or Unleavened Bread?
• Matthew 28:1 – Women went to the tomb after the Sabbath.
• Mark 1:21-34 – Yeshua taught in the synagogue and healed on the Sabbath.
• Mark 2:23-28 – Walking, plucking grain on the Sabbath. Sabbath made for man. Yeshua is lord of the Sabbath
• Mark 3:1-6 – Yeshua healed in the synagogue on the Sabbath.
• Mark 6:2 – Yeshua taught at the synagogue on the Sabbath. 
• Mark 15:42 – The day before the Sabbath called the Preparation. Weekly or Feast Sabbath?
• Mark 16:1 – After the Sabbath, the women took spices to anoint Yeshua’s body.
• Luke 4:16-41 – Yeshua read Isaiah and taught in the synagogues and healed on the Sabbath. He also walked from one town to another.
• Luke 6:1-5 – Walking, plucking grain on the Sabbath. Yeshua is lord of the Sabbath.
• Luke 6:6-11 – Teaching and healing on the Sabbath. 
• Luke 13:10-17 – Yeshua teaching in the synagogue and healing on the Sabbath.
• Luke 14:1-6 – Yeshua dined with Pharisees and then healed on the Sabbath.
• Luke 23:54-56 – Women prepared for Yeshua’s burial on the Preparation day and then rested on the Sabbath
• John 5:1-18 – Yeshua healed on the Sabbath. “My Father is working, so I am too.”
• John 7:22-24 – Circumcision and healing on the Sabbath. 
• John 9:1-41 – Yeshua heals the faithful blind on the Sabbath.
• John 19:31 – Take Yeshua from the cross on the preparation day before the high Sabbath.
• Acts 1:12 – Mt of Olives is a Sabbath Day’s journey from Jerusalem, right outside the city.
• Acts 13:14-15 – Paul and friends went to synagogue on Sabbath and were invited to teach.
• Acts 13:27 – The prophets read in the synagogues every Sabbath.
• Acts 13:42 – The people begged Paul and friends to teach on the next Sabbath too.
• Acts 13:44-48 – Paul and Barnabas teach gentiles on the Sabbath.
• Acts 15:21 – Moses is read in the synagogue every Sabbath.
• Acts 16:13-15 – Apostles find a place of prayer and ministry for the Sabbath. Teach gentile women.
• Acts 17:1-9 – Paul customarily went to the synagogue and taught on Sabbath days. 
• Acts 18:4 – Paul went to the synagogue every Sabbath and reasoned with the Jews.
• Colossians 2:16-19 – Don’t let anyone pass judgment on you for not keeping the Sabbath according to man-made rules.
• Hebrews 4:1-10 – A Sabbath rest for the people of God. Rest on the Sabbath like God did.

A Sabbath Chiasm in Exodus 31:12-18

• V12 – YHVH spoke to Moses
• V13 – A sign between you & me
• V13 – Throughout your generations
• V14 – You will keep the Sabbath
• V14 – Holiness & consequences
• V15 – Work 6 days & rest on the 7th.
• V15 – Holiness & consequences
• V16 – Israel will keep the Sabbath
• V16 – Throughout their generations
• V17 – A sign between me & Israel
• V18 – YHVH gave to Moses

More than almost anything else, the seventh day Sabbath conspicuously sets God's people apart from the rest of the world.

[Corrected to include vs 12 and 18.]

Random Thoughts on Mishpatim

More random thoughts for your amusement and edification:

• Ex 21:12-14 - Premeditated murder is worse than murder, but both deserve death. Motive and state of mind are irrelevant. The insane and incompetent should be executed for murder along with the cold-blooded killer. Not that I trust any level of our current governments with that responsibility. If somebody I respected was in charge, maybe. See the below comment on Ex 22:1 for one possible way to reduce the ratio of ass to brain and heart in the judiciary.
• Ex 21:15,17 - Striking one's parents in a way that might put their lives in danger or even mortally cursing them also deserves death.
• Ex 21:16 - Kidnapping is stealing a life and should be punished by death.
• Ex 21:18-19 - If you hurt someone you have to make it right. "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth" is not retribution, but restitution.
• Ex 21:20-21, 26-27 - Slaves have rights. They are not to be mistreated, but cared for, provided for, educated, and set free with a hefty retirement. Even so much as a lost tooth is cause for freedom. The slavery that is often described as having taken place 150 years ago in America bears almost no resemblence to the slavery allowed by God's Law. A biblical slave had more legal protections than your average American tax payer today.
• Ex 21:22-25 - This isn't just about miscarriage, but also premature delivery. Even so, the guilty man is to pay a fine, and the fine is to be commensurate with the injury caused. That was always the true meaning of "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth." It was always about restitution, not retaliation.
• Ex 21:28-36 - If you knowingly do things that put other people in danger, you should be treated as if you are the danger. Be careful. If you dig a pit, you will fall into it.
• Ex 22:1 - Punitive damages for theft should be given to the victim. Judges and police should not be paid, especially not out of fines levied on the guilty, but should be strictly volunteers. In the amount of the fine, no allowance is made for either poverty or wealth. The punishment must be the same regardless of the perpetrator's ability to pay.
• Ex 22:2 - If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into your home, you may assume that he is there to hurt you or your family, and you should not be punished for killing him. Concerning Yeshua's instructions to turn the other cheek: He was not teaching pacifism. He was telling you to be slow to anger, and to not retaliate. "Do not lay hands on anyone quickly," whether for good or evil, but if someone is breaking into your home in the middle of the night when you are there, they are demonstrating a willingness to hurt or kill you to get your stuff. They don't deserve any sympathy, and certainly not the protection of the law.
• Ex 22:3-4 - If stolen goods are recovered intact, the thief should give the items back plus 100% of their value. Once again, poverty or wealth on the part of the perpetrator are irrelevant. If he can't afford the fine, he should be made to work it off.
• Ex 22:5-6 - The key in dealing with accidental damages is restitution. The idea is not to punish someone for making a mistake, but to get them to make it right. Punitive damages for real negligence should be strictly limited regardless of the resources of the perpetrator.
• Ex 22:7-9 - If someone claims something that is not his, the punishment is the same as if for outright theft. He tried to steal through argument rather than force, but he still stole.
• Ex 22:10-15 - No one is to be held at fault for damages to borrowed property due to causes beyond the borrower's control. The lender accepts a certain amount of risk in the mere ownership of a thing. However, if the damage is due to the borrower's negligence or misuse, then he is to make it right.