Dr Paul Allen

  Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.  (Deuteronomy 34:7) During his last years, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote: “The longer I live, the more convinced I become that neither age nor circumstances need deprive us of energy or vitality. Although I have retired from my church, I occupy my working hours with Guideposts Magazine, speaking, and writing books. I go to bed as early as possible and rise early. I try to eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and avoid bad habits of all kinds. I mentally repudiate physical, mental or spiritual decline and disability. I trust in the living God, and I recommend the same to anyone who desires a long and healthy life.” The Bible says, “The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning” (Job 42:12). Your age is not a problem to God so long as your faith is strong. Noah didn’t start building the ark until he was 500, went into it at 621, came out of it at 622, and he...

Philip Ryken The Bible describes the exodus in careful detail. Nevertheless, it has often been challenged on historical grounds. One standard objection concerning information given in Exodus 12 is the size of the Exodus. It deserves a response. The text says, “The people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds” (vv. 37–38). This account gives the kind of who, what, when, where, and how information that a good historian is careful to include. But what about “How many?” Can we really believe that God brought so many Israelites out of Egypt? That’s a good question. There are three common answers to choose from. Answer #1: Inflated Statistics If there were 600,000 men, then there were perhaps 2 million Israelites in all, and this number presents difficulties. If there were so many Israelites, why aren’t they mentioned in the annal...

Little is known about the extent of literacy among the ancient Israelites and other Near Eastern societies. For the most part, only scribes, certain religious and governmental officials, and some wealthy businessmen, along with other elite persons, could read and write beyond the basics. Possibly those with lower socioeconomic standing would have had basic literary training, but the evidence is small. The invention of writing appears to have occurred in Egypt and Mesopotamia at about the same time—​the late fourth millennium BC—​but neither of those writing systems is alphabetic like ancient Hebrew.  One must presume that some predecessor of ancient Hebrew, a Northwest Semitic language, is the language the Biblical text refers to in Ex 17:14 since the writing is to be preserved for future reference.  Ancient Hebrew and most other alphabetic languages (including modern languages such as English) all derive from the same alphabet—​likely a Semitic invention in the first half of ...

Because Christianity is built upon certain historical events, discussions about Scripture’s historical truthfulness are constant. Regarding Genesis, such discussions revolve around several issues, including the flood and patriarchal narratives. People want to know, “Did a global flood actually happen? Did the patriarchs really exist?” Frustratingly, these discussions are complicated by the lack of explicit evidence from outside the Bible that could serve as historical verification. Was Joseph in Egypt? When it comes to the account of Joseph, the difficulties are predictable. Indeed, the biblical account contains numerous details that align with historical realities of Middle and New Kingdom Egypt, but there is nothing definitive in the historical or archaeological record that verifies Joseph or his exploits in Egypt. Yet the Joseph narrative is also somewhat unique . The genre of this narrative—with its carefully crafted sequence, plot shifts, characterization, and other features—has e...

The New Testament was not written by the elite of Egypt . It was not written by the elite of Greece , Rome , or even Israel . The greatest scholars in the world at that time were down at Egypt; they were in the greatest library of antiquity at Alexandria. The most distinguished philosophers were in Athens; the most powerful leaders of men were in Rome; and the religious geniuses were in Israel’s temple. But God never used any of them! He just used clay pots.  He passed by Herodotus, the historian; Socrates, the philosopher; Hippocrates , the father of medicine; Euclid, the mathematician; Archimedes, the father of mechanics; Hipparchus, the astronomer; Cicero, the orator; and Virgil, the poet. He passed by them all. Why? Clay pots served His purposes better. From a human viewpoint (and perhaps in their own minds), all those prominent people were magnificent vessels. But someone deeply impressed with his own value isn’t going to see value in the gospel. So God chose pea...

The Cloud of Glory was a  physical manifestation of the presence of God among his people; a special form of theophany particularly associated with Israel being offered guidance on the exodus journey.  The cloud of Glory was the phenomenon by which God guided the Israelites during their travels through the wilderness after leaving Egypt (Ex. 14:24). The pillar of fire and cloud is first mentioned in Exodus 13:21–22, where some of its characteristics are described. In the form of cloud by day and fire by night, the pillar was constantly visible to the Israelites.  By this phenomenon, God led the people on their journey from the border of Egypt as they marched toward the Promised Land. As a pillar of fire, it gave enough light for the people to travel by night. The pillar of fire and cloud was also a visible sign or representation of God’s presence with His people. In a sense God could be said to be “in” the pillar (Ex. 14:24); in it He “came down” to the t...

“There was a man in the land of Uz , whose name was Job.” ( Job 1:1 ) Uz was a son of Aram and a grandson of Shem ( Genesis 10:22-23 ). Shem’s first son, Arphaxad , was born two years after the Flood, and his remaining sons would have been born in some reasonable sequence thereafter, probably around 36 years apart ( Genesis 11:10-26 ). It is unlikely that Aram, Uz’s father, was born past the first century after the Flood. The events at Babel took place during the fifth generation (the generation of Peleg ), and Uz would have been alive then. The land of Uz is later associated with the territory of Edom ( Lamentations 4:21 ), which is near the area southeast of the Dead Sea , toward the upper reaches of the Sinai Peninsula , east of Egypt and just north of the Red Sea. Although that area is not very pleasant now, at the time of Abraham it was “well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah , even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou...

A depiction of the Hebrews' bondage in Egypt, during which they were forced to make bricks without straw. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Israelites Leaving Egypt (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A "house altar" (c. 1350 BC) depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti and three of their daughters. Note Nefertiti wears a crown similar to that depicted on the bust. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Small statue of Ahkenaten wearing the blue crown (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Exodus is so fundamental to us and our Jewish sources that it is embarrassing that there is no evidence outside of the Bible to support it. So we prefer not to talk about it and hate to be asked about it. For the account in the Torah is the basis of our people’s creation, it is the basis of our existence and it is the basis of our important Passover festival and the whole Haggada that we recite on the first evening of this festival of freedom. So that makes archaeologists reluctant to have to tell our brethren...

Underlying the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is the motif of God making Himself known. He comes not merely to rescue His people, but more importantly to reveal something of His glorious nature to them. From beginning to end, Exodus describes how God reveals Himself through both powerful supernatural events and spoken words. In Exodus God moves from being perceived as a distant deity to becoming a God who dwells in the midst of His people.  The experience of the Israelites is contrasted with that of Pharaoh who refuses to know the Lord: “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and moreover, I will not let Israel go” (5:2). Yet, while the Israelites were given every reason to believe in God because of all that they witnessed in Egypt and in the wilderness, even they were rebellious.  Having covenanted to worship God exclusively, they soon committed apostasy by fashioning a golden calf. While they ful...

For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods (Ex. 7:12). The first time that Moses appealed to Pharaoh, he did so in word only. But this time Moses is directed to prove that he is God’s messenger: “Show a miracle for yourselves.” no doubt, Pharaoh said this hoping that none would be wrought. But even if Moses did do something supernatural, Pharaoh was prepared to discredit him. He had called his wise men to counter anything Moses might do. So when the staff of Aaron turned into a serpent, the wise men cast down their staffs, transforming them into snakes. Pharaoh must have been quite proud of himself. But there was more to come. Moses’ serpent swallowed the others, thus testifying to the power and supremacy of Yahweh. Still, Pharaoh hardened his heart to the plain truth. This is a classic example of a man who refuses to believe. He demands evidence, he demands proof in the form of a miracle, and when a miracle is delivered, he...

Crossing of the red sea (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I’ve been reading through the book of Exodus again. When I look at all that Moses went through as a leader, it tends to make me feel a bit better about my own challenges. This time as I read I paid close attention to every time the Israelites grumbled against or quarreled with Moses in the early days of their exodus from Egypt… and it was a lot! But here is what is curious to me… each time they grumbled or quarreled with him, Moses went to God . He didn’t argue with them. He didn’t try to reason with them. He didn’t try to explain himself or his decisions. He didn’t try to make them happy. He went to God.  Moses got what I often forget – He knew that he was simply an instrument for God. Moses understood that he was leading these people for and with God. I get this wrong all the time. I’ve never considered myself a people-pleaser and yet if I’m honest I feel a whole lot better about my leadership if people like me ...

English: The Flight of the Prisoners, c. 1896-1902 , gouache on board, 8 15/16 x 11 5/8 in. (22.7 x 29.7 cm), Jewish Museum, New York, NY. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) One of the most divisive issues in the early church was whether non-Jews could become Christians, and if so, to what extent they had to adopt Jewish practices. The church began, of course, among Jews. Since the earliest Christians shared much of the same religious, ethnic, and cultural background, there was little conflict over inclusiveness. But as the gospel spread to other groups, such as the Hellenists (Jews born outside of Palestine who spoke Greek), or the Jews’ despised cousins the Samaritans, or Gentiles, tensions rose and conflicts broke out (for example, Acts 6:1; 11:1–2; 15:1–2). In the case of Gentiles, some Jewish believers stridently opposed their inclusion. The only way that Gentiles could be acceptable to God, they argued, was by satisfying a precondition: they would have to be circumcised according ...

English: Moses Pleading with Israel, as in Deuteronomy 6:1-15, illustration from a Bible card published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I am stunned every time I read the story of the Exodus . How can the people of Israel complain like they do? How could they be so ignorant, so stupid, so forgetful? The God of the universe had just tossed around the most powerful man on the face of the earth like a toddler with a rag doll. God didn’t just humble Pharaoh ; he broke his spirit and revealed Pharaoh’s impotence. A slave people and their God left him and his nation in shambles. This display of power sent vibrations throughout the world, inspiring fear and awe. The Deadly Disease of Spiritual Amnesia Yet Israel ’s response to this spectacular deliverance from Egypt is not mainly praise, worship, and whole-hearted trust. Instead, Israel responds with  grumbling  — complaining, murmuring, quarreling. “No water, Moses ! Where’s the bee...