Dr Paul Allen

The ancient Canaanites , who according to the Bible were commanded to be exterminated, but later disobeyed God - did not die out, but lived on to become modern-day Lebanese , according to the first study to analyse their DNA . Key points DNA reveals that modern Lebanese are direct descendants of ancient Canaanites  Despite tumultuous history, there has been substantial genetic continuity in the Near East across the past 3,000 to 4,000 years  European additions to Lebanese ancestry occurred around 3,750-2,170 years ago  Study also provides clues about ancient Phoenicians   The Bronze Age Canaanites lived between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago in the region now encompassed by Israel , Lebanon , Syria and Jordan. Despite being the first group known to use an alphabet, and appearing many times in the Bible, the Canaanites left few written records. "What is exciting was that we can see the genetic continuity between the Bronze Age population and the present-day pop...

English: Two cedars on Hardwick Heath Two cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) on Hardwick Heath. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "The cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted."  Psalm 104:16 Lebanon's cedars are emblematic of the Christian , in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God . He is not man-planted, nor self-planted, but God-planted.  The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart which he had himself prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven owns the great Husbandman as his planter. Moreover, the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their watering; they stand on the lofty rock, unmoistened by human irrigation; and yet our heavenly Father supplies them.  Thus it is with the Christian who has learned to live by faith. He is independent of man, even in temporal things; for his continued maintenance he looks to the Lord his God, and to him alone. The dew...

The Children of Israel Crossing the Jordan (illustration by Gustave Doré) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." ( Joshua 13:1 ) There is no set " retirement age " for the Christian , for there is always "yet very much land to be possessed." Joshua had survived 40 years in the wilderness, then led in the long hard conquest of Canaan , and was now at least 80 years of age. Not only was he "old and stricken in years," but God even told him he was old! But instead of allowing him to settle down to enjoy a few retirement years in his hard-won new home, God sent Joshua out once again for further conquests. That must always be the case with those who love and serve the Lord. There is still much Scripture to study and learn, many people yet to reach with a gospel witness, many with whom to share...

Image via Wikipedia "And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon ." ( Deuteronomy 3:23-25 )   This was the heartfelt prayer of Moses , for he was longing to see the Promised Land that had been his goal for so many years. He knew that God, rebuking his disobedience at Meribah , had said: "Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them" ( Numbers 20:12 ). Yet he desired greatly to "go over" the Jordan, to see firsthand the "goodly mountain."   The "goodly mountain" most likely was majestic Mount Hermon , the 9,200-foot, snow-capped peak dominating the southern end of the mountain ranges of Lebanon. Go...

Image via Wikipedia "For God , who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ ." ( 2 Corinthians 4:6 )   The light that shines in the soul of a lost sinner when he first comes to know Jesus Christ can only be compared to the light that Christ called forth on Day One of the creation week. We met this God of glory spiritually when we first beheld in our hearts the face of Jesus Christ.   But the face of Jesus Christ was not always deemed so glorious. We read of a time when ungodly men "did . . . spit in his face" ( Matthew 26:67 ), then took a blindfold "to cover his face" ( Mark 14:65 ), and finally, with a rain of terrible blows "struck him on the face" ( Luke 22:64 ).  Once His "countenance [was] as Lebanon , excellent as the cedars" ( Song of Solomon 5:15 ), but when they finished their assault, "his visage was s...