Author: Wes White

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Ramses the Great

“Whose statue is that?” I asked Ahmed, our guide.

“That is Ramses.” He answered.

“What about that one?” I asked.

“That also is Ramses.” He answered again.

This is a scene that would repeat itself all over Egypt. You can find statues of other Pharaohs, if you look for them, but wherever you will go, you will find a statue of Ramses the Great (1303–1213).

Far in the south of Egypt (Upper Egypt, as they call it, because the Nile flows north toward the Mediterranean Sea), about 15 miles from the Sudanese border, you come to Abu Simbel. This placed used to mark the end of Egyptian rule. People would come from the south and enter Egyptian land at this place.

In order to show upstart Kushites and Nubians who was boss, Ramses the Great built a temple. He carved this temple into a mountain. At the front of the temple, there are four 70 foot stone carved figures of Pharaohs. “Who are these?” I asked our guide, also named Ahmed, but a different Ahmed than the first.

“They are all Ramses.” He said.

When you enter the temple, you find smaller but still tall statues of Pharaohs. “And who are these?” I asked.

“All of them are Ramses.” Said Ahmed. It’s as if Theodore Roosevelt had overseen the construction of Mount Rushmore and commissioned four carvings of himself. Definitely would give you a different feeling, wouldn’t it? Continue reading “Ramses the Great”

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Understanding the Grieving Process

A depiction of an ancient Egyptian funeral procession

The Apostle Paul calls God “the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).

One way that we see God as the God of all comfort is the fact that His Word, the Bible, has so many descriptions of grieving people and funerals.

This shows us that God comes alongside us at these times and is with us.

Ultimately, it points us to Jesus who is “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Is. 53:1). He knows what it is to grieve. We see Him standing at the tomb of Lazarus: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

In the many funerals of the Bible, God teaches us what it means to grieve. He teaches us about the grieving process. This is a process that He has created in order for human beings to recover from loss.

A funeral for a loved one isn’t the only time we enter into the grieving process. We may need the grieving process for all sorts of losses: when loved ones move away, when we lose a job or a dream is shattered, when opportunities are lost, or when we experience trauma. However, funerals represent one of the strongest forms of grief, so they are particularly helpful in teaching us about grieving in all types of loss. Continue reading “Understanding the Grieving Process”

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Can We Love Others, Even When It’s Hard? (Study of Romans, Part 7: Romans 12:1-13:14)

Key Thought: We grow in joy, peace, and hope by learning to love others, even when it is hard.

Note: How do we find joy, hope, and peace in our lives? The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is all about that. He teaches that we do it by having more faith, hope, and love. In the 7th part of this study, we consider, can we love others, even when it is hard? This is the 7th of an 8 part study of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. You can read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, and part 6 here.

Humans are made for community. We are made for each other, and we are made to love. Love is also our highest duty. All of God’s commands are summarized in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

However, to love people is challenging. People do not always act in lovable ways. They may hate us. They may do us wrong. They may do evil. They may hurt us.

The wrongs that people do to us are one of the chief things that rob us of our peace, hope, and joy. Everybody knows that resentment can embitter our life. It can poison our souls. It can harm our relationships.

So, what are we to do? How can we be loving and forgiving people that will let go of bitterness and love people in a way that will enable us to experience peace, hope, and joy? Continue reading “Can We Love Others, Even When It’s Hard? (Study of Romans, Part 7: Romans 12:1-13:14)”

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Is There Hope for the Future of the World? (Study of Romans, Part 6: Romans 9–11)

Key thought; we grow in joy, peace, and hope by developing a brighter view and expectation for the future of the world.

Note: How do we find joy, hope, and peace in our lives? The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is all about that. He teaches that we do it by having more faith, hope, and love. In the 6th part of this study, we consider, is there hope for my the world? This is the 6th of an 8 part study of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. You can read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, and part 5 here.

The Heartbreak of the World
Right now, there is a war going on in the Middle East. Israel is vowing to defeat Hamas. But will it bring peace? Where is the hope in this complicated situation for a lasting solution?

Immigrants make the hard trek to the United States because of the miserable and insecure living conditions in which they live. It breaks the heart.

Beyond these bigger issues, We all have families, churches, communities, or businesses that have failed us. We thought they were in one place, but they were in another. Few things can grieve our hearts like a community gone wrong. Few things can rob us of hope for the future like seeing the communities we relied on totally fail us.

That’s what the Apostle Paul was experiencing. He had hoped that his people would accept Jesus, but they had not. This broke his heart. He saw them as being on a destructive road. “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” for his own people (Romans 9:1–2). They should have accepted the Messiah, but they missed him. Paul understood because he was one of them. He did not see it at first. God had to get his attention in dramatic fashion (read part 1 of this study here to read about Paul’s story).

So, how did Paul process his grief over his community going in the wrong direction? He saw God’s purposes above it. He recognized that God’s purposes are not tied to any particular community. He is not bound to them or dependent on them. He can do what He wants. Continue reading “Is There Hope for the Future of the World? (Study of Romans, Part 6: Romans 9–11)”

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What Do We Learn About the Bible from Visiting Egypt? Part 2: Seeing the Temple

What’s the best way to see the ancient temple of Israel? Go to Egypt.

If you go to Israel, you will not see the ancient temple. The only thing that remains is the Western Wall where Jews and others from around the world go to pray.

If you want to see the temple, you will need to go to Egypt. It is not exactly the same, but the structure of the temple is much closer than you might imagine. In addition, there are dozens of temples to visit. You can see great variation on the same themes.

To understand the temple, it might be helpful to read 1 Kings 6:14–28, which describes the temple of Old Testament Israel. There plan of the temple is simple. Room 1: The outer courts, where the people would gather. There, everything was made of bronze. There was a bronze altar and bronze wash basin. Room 2: the holy place. This is where the priests would go. There was the table with the bread on it, the menorah or candle, and the altar of incense. All there was made of gold. Rome 3: inside the holy place, there was the most holy place. Only the high priest could enter and that only once a year. In this most holy place or the holy of holies, there was a box, the ark of the covenant. This was the place where Jehovah’s presence would manifest itself.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the temples of Egypt.

Room 1: The Outer Courts
When you come to the temples of Egypt, you will find an outer court area. This is where the people would gather. This is similar to what you would have found in Israel, though only Jews who were ceremonially clean could enter there. Below are the outer courts at the temple at Edfu in Egypt.

In Egypt, every temple has this sort of structure. You can see this clearly in the Kom Ombo temple. You can see the outer courts in the foreground, and then you can see the holy place in the background.

Psalm 84:1 proclaims, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!” One thing that you may miss in looking at these ancient structures is how beautiful they were. They were fully painted and decorated. It was not just brown, yellow, or gray stone. There would be a dazzling array of colors. Continue reading “What Do We Learn About the Bible from Visiting Egypt? Part 2: Seeing the Temple”

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