ellauri164.html on line 869: First, it is important to note that a pattern is established in the story of Israel and Moses. This pattern can be seen at Mt. Sinai when Aaron and Israel create the golden calf idol (Exodus 32). Israel sins, and in response to that the Lord tells Moses to step aside so that He may destroy Israel in His wrath (Exodus 32:9-10). When this occurs, Moses intercedes for Israel and pleads for God to turn away His fierce anger for His own sake (Exodus 32:11-14). This intercession works, and Israel is spared utter destruction. This pattern of sin, wrath, intercession, and relenting occurs twice more in the Book of Numbers: once in Number 14 when Israel rebels and refuses to go into the Promised Land, and again in Numbers 16 when Korah leads his rebellion against Moses and Aaron (the major difference in Numbers 16 being that Aaron is the one to intervene by offering incense for atonement to the Lord).
ellauri164.html on line 871: This pattern shows itself again in the beginning of Numbers 20 after the death of Miriam. Once more Israel rebels against Moses and Aaron, this time over a lack of water in the desert of Zin. They claim that it would have been better to have died with Korah’s rebellion rather than wander without food and water, and they express regret over leaving Egypt, a land of “grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates.” This might seem a bold claim, since in our reading Korah has just died a few chapters earlier. Careful reading, however, indicates that there’s actually been a quiet time skip; Numbers 33:38 indicates that Aaron died in “the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt, on the first day in the fifth month.” Given that Aaron’s death is recorded in Chapter 20, just a few verses after the episode at Meribah, this would indicate that the episode at Meribah occurred in year 38 of the 40 year wandering in the wilderness (remember that Israel had spent more than a year at Sinai in addition to travel time from Egypt to Sinai and from Sinai to the Promised Land before the wandering). This means that this rebellious generation of Israelites aren’t referencing a recent event, but instead wishing they had died nearly forty years earlier with Korah! Moses and Aaron have been dealing with this wicked and hard group of people for a very long time, and they are now claiming it would have been better to have died with Korah: a fate they were only spared because of Moses and Aaron’s own intercession!
ellauri164.html on line 873: We would expect the pattern to repeat here. The people have rebelled, so the next part would be God’s wrath and threats of destruction. Instead, however, God merely grants their request for water. No mention of sin or possible annihilation, just grace in providing for Israel’s needs. The fact that this cycle we’ve come to expect changes is designed to highlight an important event; the oddity of the text “awakens us from our narrative slumber,” as one commentator puts it, and forces us to pay attention closely to what’s occurring. Why would God not threaten destruction? To answer that, we have to remember a key aspect of God’s character: He does not change. Hebrews 13:8 says He is the same yesterday and today and forever, “without variation or shifting shadow,” (James 1:17). The purpose of the threats of destruction, and Moses/Aaron’s intercession, was not to actually change God’s mind. God knew exactly what was going to happen in all these instances. God’s threats on Israel are spoken to Moses so that Moses will intercede. They are tests of Moses’ (and Aaron’s) character, just as God’s conversation with Abraham over the fates of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18) was about testing Abraham’s character rather than the doomed cities. Yet here, in Numbers 20, God does not follow the pattern. Why?
ellauri190.html on line 255: Vladimirin äidin ikoni liittyy läheisesti lukuisiin ihmeisiin, joita tapahtui Venäjällä muun muassa mongolivallan aikana. Ikonin ansioksi luetaan myös se, että Moskova säästyi mongolijoukkojen hävitykseltä mutta Kiova ei. The intercession of the Theotokos through the image has also been credited with saving Moscow from Tatar hordes in 1451 and 1480. The image was brought from Vladimir to Moscow in 1395, during Tamerlane's invasion.
xxx/ellauri121.html on line 445: Prayerfest 2021: The Power of Prayer is a unique opportunity to come together in prayer, intercession and worship. On Friday, July 30, expect to encounter God through times of repentance, reflection, remembrance and reconciliation. Throughout Prayerfest, prepare for diverse worship expressions, dynamic messages and times of prayer that will connect you with the heart of God and with others!
xxx/ellauri157.html on line 216: From the 1730s, Baal Shem Tov (BeShiT) headed an elite chirurgic mystical circle, similar to other secluded Kabbalistic circles such as the contemporary Klaus (Close) in Brody. Unlike past mystical circles, they innovated with the use of their psychic heavenly intercession abilities to work on behalf of the common Jewish populace. From the legendary hagiography of the BeShiT as one who bridged elite mysticism with deep social concern, and from his leading disciples, Hasidism rapidly grew into a populist revival movement with the funny hats. That's the point, there are only so many members of the elite, while the hoi polloi, though poorer, count in zillions. Want to have a large following, lower the entrance fee.
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