What is the Meaning and Significance of Gilgal in the Bible?

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Lee — 136 Comments

Here is a spiritual conundrum posed by a reader named victor:

What is the significance of gilgadh mentioned in 2king 2:1 – why the journey starts from gilgadh?

Gilgal Refaim ("circle of ghosts" or "circle of giants"); or Rujm el-Hiri ("stone heap of the wild cat")

Gilgal Refaim, or Rujm el-Hiri

Thanks for the question, victor! I assume you mean Gilgal, which is mentioned in 39 verses in the Bible. One of those verses is 2 Kings 2:1—the start of a story about the prophet Elijah being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind while the prophet Elisha, his apprentice, looks on (2 Kings 2).

The name Gilgal has been associated by Bible scholars with at least five different possible locations in and around the Holy Land, none of them certain. But as we will see, it seems likely that “Gilgal” is not a town name at all. Instead, it is likely a word for a particular type of human-made site. In recent decades archeologists have made some exciting new discoveries of ancient “Gilgal” sites!

Though Gilgal is first mentioned in Deuteronomy 11:30, it gains its primary meaning and significance in the book of Joshua. The first camp of the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan into the Holy Land was at a place called Gilgal. This camp served as their base of operations during the initial conquest of the Holy Land under Joshua. Several other important events in the Bible take place either at this Gilgal or at a different one. Eventually, though, Gilgal became corrupt, and two of the prophets railed against it later in Israel’s history.

In some ways Gilgal has a story similar to that of Bethel, which is covered in an earlier article: “What is the History and Importance of Bethel in the Bible?” However, as we will see in Part 2 of this article, “the gilgal” (as it should really be translated) has its own particular meaning in the Bible story, and its own special significance for our spiritual life.

Okay, okay! I’ll spill the beans just a little . . .

As the Israelites’ point of entry into the Holy Land and their base of operations for the initial conquest of the land, the site called “Gilgal” signifies the simple, basic religious beliefs and teachings that first introduce us to a spiritual life, and that we return to again and again as we fight our early battles to reform ourselves and get our life into order.

It’s all about stones and circles.

For more on the meaning and significance of Gilgal, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Bedhat esh-Sha'ab, Biblical archeology, crossing the Jordan, Gilgal, Gilgal Refaim, Israel's Stonehenge, Jordan River, Joshua, Rujm el-Hiri, sacred circles, stone circles, the Bible, the Holy Land
Posted in Spiritual Growth, The Bible Re-Viewed

Did Jesus Really Die to Pay the Penalty for our Sins?

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Lee — 144 Comments

One day some years ago, a fundamentalist Christian tract came through the mail slot. I almost tossed it out. But out of curiosity, I gave it a read-through.

It’s a typical piece. And it pushes an old “Christian belief” that the Bible doesn’t teach. You may be surprised to discover that some the most basic claims of evangelical Christians simply aren’t found in the Bible.

In this case, it’s the idea that Jesus “paid the price” or the “penalty” for our sins. Believe it or not, the Bible simply doesn’t say this! The Bible does say that Jesus died for our sins, and that Jesus takes away our sins. But it never says that he paid the price or the penalty for our sins.

It may seem like a nitpicky point. But in fact, it is very important for understanding what salvation is all about from a Christian perspective.

Let’s take a closer look at the tract, and see exactly where it goes off course.

Was this death really to pay the penalty for our sins?

For more on taking away penalties vs. taking away sins, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: belief, Christianity, crucifixion, faith, faith and works, fundamentalism, God, heaven, Jesus Christ, salvation, sin, the Bible, Vicarious Atonement
Posted in All About God

Chris Strickland Catches a Baby

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Lee — Leave a comment

In the latest viral video, a 19-year-old named Chris Strickland deftly catches a baby falling out of a shopping cart. It happened—all nine seconds of it—at a Home Depot store in Anchorage, Alaska. Here’s the article about it in the local paper, the Anchorage Daily News: “Gone viral: Anchorage teen who caught falling baby finds out how fast the Internet can bring fame.”

Chris Strickland at the Home Depot store Anchorage, Alaska, where he caught a falling baby girl

Chris Strickland at Home Depot, Anchorage, Alaska

(Photo credit: Bill Roth, Anchorage Daily News)

It was a moment made to go viral. Some unknown Home Depot employee couldn’t resist recording the incident from the security screen using his phone. Once it was leaked, it began making the rounds. Strickland’s church, Jewel Lake Community Church, posted it on its Facebook page. Chris’s brother Dale posted it on YouTube with the simple title, “Chris to the rescue.” From there it propagated around the web, logging hundreds of thousands of views.

It’s a simple, heart-warming story. A young man, just three months into his first job, saves a baby girl from injury or death a split second before she would have hit the concrete floor. Strickland is being hailed as a hero. And there’s talk of how he was in the right place at the right time.

But there’s one other element to the story that should be highlighted: Chris Strickland was paying attention, and he was ready to serve. His saving the day in what could have been a tragic accident was no accident.

For more on attention and service in the small things, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, attention, baby catchers, catching babies, catching falling baby, Chris Strickland, Christopher Strickland, Home Depot, ordinary heroes, security camera, service, viral videos
Posted in Current Events

If You Think You’re Going to Hell, Please Read This First

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Lee — 389 Comments

Do any of these sound familiar?

Every Sunday the preacher shouted from the pulpit that you’re a terrible sinner. God is angry at you. Because of God’s wrath, you’re going to burn in hell for all eternity.
Your parents drilled it into you that you’re just no good. And they’re probably right. You just can’t feel good about anything you do.
You’ve done terrible things . . . horrible things. What you’ve done is so bad that you deserve to be in hell. There is no hope for you. You’re a goner.
No matter how hard you try, you just can’t be good. You know what you should do, but you just keep on doing the things you shouldn’t do.

If any of these are much too familiar for you, I’ll be straight: There are no easy answers. Besides, you’ve probably tried the easy answers already, and learned the hard way that they don’t work.

I’m also not going to tell you that all you have to do is believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus is great. I highly recommend it! Being born again is wonderful! But for Christians, believing in Jesus is only the start. Then come the many years of growing from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity.

The fact is, if any of the things on this list describe your experience, then no matter how you slice it, you’ve got some hard work to do. And it may take years to fully recover, even with God’s help.

What I can offer you is new light and a new understanding of your situation. Nothing I say will snap you right out of it and instantly make your life a bed of roses. But it will give you hope that there is a path out. And it might help you take your next steps on that path toward the life of heaven God has in mind for you.

No matter what that preacher or your parents or anyone else has said, God created you for heaven, not for hell. And there is no reason on earth that you can’t find your way to heaven . . . no matter what your history.

So let’s straighten a few things out.

For more on heavenly hope vs. hellish despair, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: born again, evil, Ezekiel 18, God, God is angry with the wicked every day, God's wrath, heaven, hell, Jesus Christ, love, punishment, spiritual rebirth, spirituality
Posted in Spiritual Growth, The Afterlife

The Bible Doesn’t Say It!

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Lee — 6 Comments

The Bible

I’ve written a new article on “Christian Beliefs” that the Bible Doesn’t Teach. Its purpose is to show that many old, traditional, and common “Christian beliefs” are not actually taught in the Bible, even though many people think they are.

This article will occupy a prominent place here on Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life. It may also be updated from time to time with additional “Christian beliefs” that are not taught in the Bible.

Here’s how it starts:

Q: What do the “Christian beliefs” in the list below have in common?

A: None of them are taught by the Bible.

“Christian beliefs” that the Bible doesn’t teach:

There is a Trinity of Persons in God

We are saved by faith alone

Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins

The Bible is inerrant

Only Christians can be saved

All of these beliefs were originated by human beings hundreds or even thousands of years after the Bible was written.

Are they wrong? I think so. But the purpose of this article isn’t to show that they’re wrong. It’s to show that even though millions of Christians believe them, they are not actually taught by the Bible. They are human interpretations.

To read the whole article, please follow this link:

“Christian Beliefs” that the Bible Doesn’t Teach

If you like it, please tell your friends. Thank you.

Enjoy!

Tagged with: biblical inerrancy, Christian beliefs, Christianity, faith, faith alone, fundamentalism, God, Jesus Christ, pay the penalty, the Bible, the Trinity, Trinity of Persons, Vicarious Atonement
Posted in All About God, The Bible Re-Viewed

Is it Easy or Hard to Get to Heaven?

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Lee — 23 Comments

Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

Echoing Jesus’ words, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) wrote, “It is not so hard to lead a heaven-bound life as people think it is” (Heaven and Hell #528).

A reader named Rob is not so sure. In a recently submitted spiritual conundrum he asks:

What if I cannot attain to the kind of life Swedenborg says I need to to go to heaven? The demands are too burdensome. I try and fail. Spectacularly.

Am I doing something wrong here? Are some people just born with a better disposition and can do the good easily?

Thanks, Rob, for the great questions!

My sense from what you write, and from your earlier comments here on Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life, is that life has been difficult and painful for you. You question in your heart whether someone like you can really find your way to happiness and to heaven. It seems to you unlikely, if not impossible. It seems that you may be fated for pain and sorrow, and for eternal darkness.

Is it really so easy to get to heaven? Or is it hard . . . maybe impossible? Is it even worth trying?

The short answer is: It’s both easy and hard to get to heaven.

As Swedenborg says, living a life that leads to heaven is really not all that hard. We don’t have to be perfect, pious people who spend all of our time praying and never have an evil thought. Mostly, we just have to avoid doing dishonest and destructive things, and make ourselves useful to our fellow human beings.

Unfortunately, there is often huge resistance, both within us and around us, to living the way our better self wants to live. We have an ideal for ourselves, and we just can’t seem to live up to it. We keep on thinking, wanting, and doing the things we swore we’d stop doing.

There are also a lot of misconceptions floating around about what type of person we have to be to get to heaven. Heaven has room for all different kinds of people, not just for the bubbly, cheerful types that are held up to us as shining examples of what a “real Christian” is supposed to look like. In fact, heaven needs all different types of people.

Even though you may think that with your particular character, disposition, struggles, and failures, there will be no room for you in heaven, it’s very possible that heaven needs someone exactly like you.

For more on the rocky path to heaven, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Emanuel Swedenborg, evil, failure, heaven, Heaven and Hell, hell, pain, spiritual rebirth, spirituality, success, suffering, temptation
Posted in Pain and Suffering, Spiritual Growth

Good News of Great Joy

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Lee — 9 Comments

The brightest star

At Christmastime, Christians celebrate the greatest event that has ever taken place—the greatest event that ever will take place. It is not a victory in war. It is not a world championship in sports. It is not a triumph of medicine or technology. It is not a great scientific breakthrough. It is not a political or economic breakthrough. It does not fit into any of our usual categories of great events. It is in a category all its own. It is unique in history. Though the world is still not sure exactly what happened, we number the years of our history forward and backward from this event.

What is the great event that forms the centerpiece of our world’s history?

It is the birth of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Not a great, flashy current event that would, in our day, have its brief moment of fame in the media and then be forgotten a few days, weeks, or years later. The birth of a baby. A birth that was noticed only by a few shepherds, prophets, and wise men who were told by angels. A birth that took place, not in the ornate halls of a royal palace, but in a village—and in that village, not in a comfortable bedroom in a house or inn, but in a place where animals lived.

That is how the God of the universe chose to come to us. “A bruised reed he will not break,” says the prophet (Isaiah 42:3). God did not want to overwhelm us with grand miracles, forcing on us a belief that would be only skin deep. No, God came to us gently, with the innocence of a baby—not demanding, but asking graciously for our faith, our love, and our obedience. The Lord stands and knocks at the door, waiting for us to open it and let him into our lives (Revelation 3:20).

For more good news of great joy, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Advent, baby Jesus, Christianity, Christmas, God, great events, Jesus Christ, love, religion, spirituality, the Incarnation
Posted in All About God

How Can I Help a Loved One who is In an Abusive Relationship?

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Lee — 8 Comments

A reader named “Sister-In-Law” recently submitted a spiritual conundrum in which she describes the situation of her husband’s brother, “John” (not his real name), who is married to a woman who abuses him verbally and physically. The woman has a child from a previous marriage. The two of them also have one child together, and another one on the way.

Here are a few of the relevant pieces of information based on Sister-In-Law’s account:

John’s wife puts heavy pressure on him to make poor financial decisions and to leave his well-paying job, although she herself is not gainfully employed.
She is also distant and cruel to their children, and in general is not a good mother to them.
John is a great guy, but he does have a domestic violence charge against him from his high school years.

Not a pretty picture. But unfortunately, an all-too-common one. Whether it’s a man or a woman dishing out the abuse in a relationship, the result is a lot of terrible pain and suffering, and emotional scars that can last a lifetime.

Based on the situation she describes, here are Sister-In-Law’s questions:

My spiritual conundrum is this: HOW can I convince John, a macho guy who refuses to let anyone help him on small things, that he needs to get help for his marriage, his children, and himself? What can I say to him? How can I pray for them? The last is my biggest hurdle, because these things make me so angry every time I think about them that all I can do is ask God why this is happening. John is a great guy and deserves much, much better than this.

Let’s dig into these questions.

For more on helping loved ones who are in abusive relationships, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: abused men, abusive relationships, Anger Management, controlling behavior, domestic violence, Emerge, marriage, pain, prayer, relationships, responsibility, suffering, violence
Posted in Pain and Suffering, Sex Marriage Relationships

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013: From Revolution to Reconciliation

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Lee — 3 Comments

Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013

We are pleased to dedicate our 100^th post here on Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life to the memory of Nelson Mandela, who died this Thursday, December 5, at the age of 95.

In his younger years, Mandela gained notoriety as a divisive figure: a socialist revolutionary aiming to overthrow the harsh apartheid regime that ruled South Africa. But Mandela will not be remembered as a socialist revolutionary.

He spent twenty-seven years imprisoned under a life sentence on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the government. And though his time in prison molded him into the person he was to become, Mandela will not be remembered as a political prisoner.

He was released from prison in 1990 under mounting international pressure, during a time of severe and increasing civil strife in South Africa.

Then began the events for which he will be remembered.

In 1994, as the first black president of South Africa, Mandela held the reins of power in his hands. He had seen the bloodshed and the civil and economic destruction that ravaged many African nations when their black majorities overthrew the ruling white elites. Despite the oppression under which he himself had suffered, he chose a different course.

This is what Nelson Mandela will be remembered for. He will be remembered as the man who led his nation toward multiracial democracy after years of racism and oppression. He will be remembered as the man who, having tasted violence and bloodshed, and having every reason to choose the path of revenge, chose instead the path of forgiveness and peace.

He will be remembered as the former revolutionary who led his country to reconciliation, and showed the entire world that constructive peace and understanding among former enemies is both possible and achievable.

Perhaps his greatest testament is that at his death, he was mourned equally by blacks and whites in his own country, and by people of every race throughout the world.

Tagged with: Apartheid, forgiveness, justice, Nelson Mandela, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, peace, political prisoners, racism, reconciliation, revolution, revolutionaries, South Africa, violence
Posted in Current Events

To Train Up A Child, or: Spare the Rod? What Rod?

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Lee — 34 Comments

Larry and Carri Williams

On October 29, 2013, Larry and Carri Williams of Sedro Woolley, Washington, were sentenced to 28 and 37 years in prison, respectively, for causing the death of their adopted daughter Hana Williams just after midnight on May 12, 2011. She was approximately 13 years old. She died of hypothermia and malnutrition after being systematically beaten, starved, and forced outside in the cold by her adoptive parents as punishment for her “rebelliousness.”

Hana Williams, 1997-2011

The Williamses had adopted Hana just three years earlier in 2008. The last year of her life was particularly brutal. In that year she lost 30 pounds due to her parents withholding food from her as punishment. Weighing only 78 pounds at the time of her death, her body was covered with welts and bruises from the beatings her parents had administered. They regularly punished her for such “offenses” as refusing to stand in a twelve inch circle that they had ordered her to stand in.

This was the third death linked to the child-raising practices advocated by Michael and Debi Pearl in their 1994 book To Train Up A Child.

Sean Paddock, 4, of Johnston County, North Carolina, died of suffocation at the hands of his adoptive mother, Lynn Paddock, on February 26, 2006. She had been systematically spanking her children according to the Pearls’ advice.
Lydia Schatz, 7, of Paradise, California, died on February 6, 2010, as a result of hours of beating by her adoptive parents, Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz. Her “offense” in her final beating was that she had mispronounced a word in her reading exercises.

All three of these families believed in the child-raising principles advocated in To Train Up A Child. And though they went far beyond what the Pearls advocate in the book, the deaths of their children were linked to beliefs and practices inculcated in them by the Pearls’ book.

In To Train Up A Child, the Pearls advocate “training” children to absolute obedience by systematically hitting them with instruments such as a plastic plumbing supply tube whenever they disobey commands—including contrived and arbitrary commands—given by their parents.

Michael Pearl runs a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called No Greater Joy Ministries. To Train Up A Child is its best-known product. He preaches at a small fundamentalist church in the town of Pleasantville, Tennessee, where he and his wife Debi live.

He claims that the methods of corporal punishment (or “spanking,” as he prefers to call it) in To Train Up A Child are based on the Bible. But as we will see, his methods are actually based on the principles of behaviorism that were developed by atheist scientists such as Ivan Pavlov and B. F. Skinner.

For more on the Bible, behaviorism, and the Pearls, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: behaviorism, corporal punishment, fundamentalism, Hana Alemu, Hana Alemu Williams, Hana Williams, Hanna Williams, Larry and Carri Williams, Lydia Schatz, Michael and Debi Pearl, Michael Pearl, punishment, Sean Paddock, spanking, spare the rod and spoil the child, To Train Up A Child, violence
Posted in Current Events, The Bible Re-Viewed

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