Concepts of Ancient Israel Part 2

Concepts of Ancient Israel

Part 2

Sources: TNK; Urbanization and Land Ownership in the Ancient Near East, Mark Hudson, editor; Landless and Hungry, B. Haring, editor; Illness and Health Care in the Ancient Near East by Hector Avalos; James Pritchard, Ancient Texts relating to the Old Testament (ANET).

Ex 19:4-6 - Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure (cegullah 5459) unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Deut 14:2 -for thou art an holy people unto YHWH thy God, and YHWH hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people (cegullah 5459)unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Deut 26:18-19 - And YHWH hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people (cegullah 5459), as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto YHWH thy God, as he hath spoken.

Deut 7:6-8- For thou art an holy people unto YHWH thy God: YHWH thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people (cegullah 5459) unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 YHWH did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because YHWH loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he ha d sworn unto your fathers, hath YHWH brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Part II

The word translated ‘peculiar people’ or ‘special people’ in the above verses is Cegullah (5459) - feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to shut up; wealth (as closely shut up): treasured. (According to Strongs)

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament remarks: The basic meaning of this known is “personal property.” Well attested in Hebrew, Ugaritic, and Aramaic, the Akkadian, sakalu, “to acquire property: and sikiltum “(personal) property” are also doubtless related.

Brown Driver Briggs- A possession or property; a valued property. Within the Law this word always refers to people. Later in the nation’s history the term cegullah, or ‘peculiar treasure’ in English, became synonymous with the wealth found within the king’s treasury: (BDB, p. 688).

1 Chron 29:3 - Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good (cegullah – 5459), of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

King Solomon used this term within a similar concept:

Eccl 2:8- I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure (cegullah) of kings and of the provinces: I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

Did YHWH desire a poor treasure? Notice that the concepts of poverty and treasure are at the opposite ends of the spectrum – a treasure always signifies wealth. YHWH did not desire a poor treasure, but a wealthy one. As we saw last week, many of the aspects – especially a colored blue ribbon- were very expensive to make during the ancient era in which Israel lived. YHWH’s Law not only provided Israel with health, glory, and honor, he also intended that his Law provide her with immeasurable wealth:

Deut 8:18 - But thou shalt remember YHWH thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Notice, YHWH states that wealth was the vehicle or method he would use to establish Israel ’s covenants. In other words, YHWH’s gift of wealth that came from abiding by his Law enabled the Creator to fulfill his words to Israel ’s patriarchs and establish his powerful covenants with Abraham’s seed.

Deut 15:6 - For YHWH thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

There is not a poor nation on earth that has the ability reign over any nation, much less many nations! Today, much of the socio-political unrest in nations such as Africa, Iraq , or the Russian Federations are due to a nation’s self-inflicted poverty (often from the government’s greediness in assuming all state revenues, without distributing them among the people).

Deut 4:5-8 - Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as YHWH my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as YHWH our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

YHWH’s promises for keeping his covenant not only made Israel a nation filled with righteousness, justice, and ensured her relationship with YHWH, but his covenantal Law also gave to her the formula by which he would bestow wealth and power upon her so that she could “reign over many nations and lend, but not borrow.”

Probably the best area to see YHWH’s formula for prosperity is within the temple’s function and regulations (better known as statutes). Seeing exactly where YHWH’s Law divided Israel from other nations and indeed made her government peculiar and holy or set apart greatly deepens our understanding of YHWH’s Law, his love and his wisdom, while demonstrating the formula by which he would bestow upon Israel the blessings of his covenants.

Temple Function

Today when we think of Israel ’s temple, most of us probably see it solely associated with spiritual and religions functions. Prayer, sacrifices, seeking YHWH’s judgment, the showbread, meal offerings, the manorah, etc. are just a few of the religious functions Israel ’s temple served. But the tabernacle/temple actually performed many more functions on a governmental level. The following are general parallels between Israel ’s temple and those of other nations:

· First Kings chapters 6-7 & 2 Chronicles chapters 3 & 4 give the structure for Solomon’s Temple . This structure was very similar to the structure for Temples for other gods of other nations.

· 1 Kings 6:1, 38 – States that it took 4 year to build Solomon’s Temple . Similarly Ezra’s record records that it took 4 years to construct the Second Temple .

Throughout the Ancient Near East temple construction took about 4 years….Some could interpret this as plagiarism, but in a historical context it demonstrates the validity of the TNK, since its account is wholly in accord with the construction methods and length of construction attested in other nations.

· Throughout the ancient world, temples served as archival centers recording such things as: land transfers, sales of slaves or grain, and for Israel in particular, genealogical records were also associated with the priesthood’s archival function. The temple kept records (archives) for the private citizen as well as the king’s official archives. Let’s look at a few Scriptural examples:

After King David’s coronation, one of the official posts he established for the Levites designated the office of national historian.

1 Chr 16:4- David “appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of YHWH, and to record, and to thank and praise YHWH God of Israel.”

Zakar, translated ‘to record’ means to mark or remember. The recorder marked or “remembered” events and recorded them (SEC 2142; BDB, p. 269). The second and more common designation within the temple archives was that of scribe (SEC 5608; BDB, p. 708). Basically, the scribe’s duty was to count. Isaiah gives some indication of this, inquiring: “Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers”? (Isa 33:18) after the nation had faced YHWH’s wrath through Assyria .

Second Chronicles 26:11 also demonstrates that counting “fighting men” fell under the scribe’s jurisdiction.

Uzziah had a host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe. (2 Chr 26:11)

In Hezekiah’s days, Jeiel (mentioned above) was reckoned among the sons of Levi (2 Chr 29:12-13), again designating the scribe as a temple function. Early in Israel ’s kingdom years, the recorder wrote chronicles while the scribe provided numbers and was in charge of tallies, such as armies, garrisons, battle casualties, etc.; perhaps something similar to a news reporter or statistician today. The recorder no doubt used the scribe’s data when he wrote the king’s annals. The recorder and the scribe’s sons filled their (hereditary) offices when their service years terminated (Num 4:47; 8:24-26).

Another account in Scripture demonstrates the reason the Levites archivist function was so important. In Num 36:2-4, YHWH gives specific instructions regarding land that is inherited by daughters.

Num 36:2-4- YHWH commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel : and my lord was commanded by YHWH to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel , then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.

YHWH stipulates that if a daughter who inherits a tribal land possession marries into another tribe, she cannot retain her father’s heritage. Rather her arable land would revert to her father’s nearest kin. The only way to assure that a particular heritage (property) stayed within a tribe such as Manasseh (as well as to what kinsman inherited the land), was for the priests to have recorded marriages, land transfers, and land that “went out” in the Jubilee. As scribes and recorders, Israel ’s priests recorded land contracts so that YHWH’s Law would be followed and rightful heirs receive their portion of their forefather’s (or kinsman’s) inheritances, which was quite similar to the type of documents stored in temples within other nations.

Anther indication of Israel ’s archival practices occurs in the book of Jeremiah. When Jeremiah purchased his kinsman’s field, he states that the transaction was recorded in “the book of purchase” before witnesses.

Jer 32:9-12- And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. 11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law (mitzvah) and custom (choq or statute), and that which was open: 12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.

Israel , like most ancient temples had official ledgers that recorded land transactions, the sale of grain, and other properties. Archives were vital to maintaining the land regulations stipulated in YHWH’s Law, which forbid the land to be sold (Lev 25:23), yet allowed it to be leased until the Jubilee (Lev 25:31). In this way, the Levites function as archivists assured that the nation complied with YHWH’s statutes and judgments regarding the Promised Land in addition to keeping legal transactions “on the record”. Archives –quite similar to county records today- helped settle disputes over land and land transactions, providing evidence for judges to consider in court cases.

· Throughout the ANE the temples served as a sort of Federal Reserve with Temples establishing standard monetary weights for silver and gold. Israel ’s Temple also served in this capacity. Throughout Numbers, chapter 7, Scripture speaks of the weight of the shekel “after the sanctuary.” Within the book of Leviticus YHWH defines what the standard shekel weight should be:

Lev 27:25- And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.

One example from Numbers:

Num 7:31 - His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering. (See also Lev 27:24-25)

Like other temple institutions, Israel ’s Temple established a standardized weight to define the sanctuary’s shekel. But, did anything separate Israel ’s Federal Reserve System from that of the “world”? Yes, as we’ll see in the next few points.

· One big difference between Israel and other nations had to do with the temple as a business entity. Egyptian, Canaanite, and Mesopotamian temples established interest rates- especially for the sale of grains. Israel’s temple did not establish any interest rates as YHWH forbid interest all together for Israel’s citizenry– Ex 22:25; Lev 25:35-37; Deut 23:19; Ps 15:5; and Ezek 18:13. Scripture equates interest, usually translated “usury” as a horrible oppression of YHWH’s peculiar people. So one of the first differences between Israel and other nations prevented the government or other individuals from oppressing their brethren (Lev 25:14, 17; Deut 24:14).

It should also be pointed out that while YHWH prohibited usury of fellow citizenry, he allowed Israel to use usury in her transactions with other nations:

Deut 23:20 - Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that YHWH thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Deut 28:12 - YHWH shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

YHWH saw that interest was one of the many ways by which his peculiar treasure could rule over anther nation’s economic world. Because he forbid this practice among his people, but allowed it on the international scene – he provided Israel with a strong cohesive economy that other nations could not topple or compete against – except also following YHWH’s formula for economic prosperity.

· Another major dichotomy between “the world” and Israel arises in the function of temples as huge conglomerate corporations. The Temple for Egypt and Mesopotamia served as a corporation where people became part of the “temple family” and worked in a specialized trade such as basket making/ pottery/ or seal impressions while working for the temple-state. Many times, citizens owned no land, but were allotted rooms inside the temple precincts, and thus became wards of the state who in turn, provided for all their sustenance.

Israel did not use this practice, but naturally encouraged privatization of all industries and land ownership through YHWH’s distribution of the Promised Land. The Promised Land was YHWH’s most valuable gift and the first step by which he could establish all his other covenants. Land ensured the nation’s autonomy to follow YHWH and be free. Land provided Israel not only with a place to live, but a means by which to earn an income and provide for their families.

· Probably the most distinguishing factor for Israel ’s temple/priesthood was the lack of arable land allotted to YHWH’s priesthood. For most ancient nations, the temple controlled land ownership while temples/priesthoods became large monopolies controlling rents and oppressing the common citizenry. YHWH’s prohibition for the Levites to own arable land (they were only allotted cities) prevented his priesthood from oppressing his chosen and treasured people.

· Because most temples owned, controlled, and rented arable land, temples profited from the harvesting of crops (a huge source of wealth in the ancient world), becoming distributors of crops and other commodities. This again empowered the priesthood over the people. The people would have to cow tow to the temples in order to receive their “daily bread.” Again, YHWH’s prohibition of land for his priesthood ensured that his people would always have access to the wealth of their own lands and the “labor of their own hands” (Ps 128:2). Again, we see that YHWH’s Law placed controls or obstacles for oppression that separated Israel ’s government and her nation as a holy and peculiar people, enabling all her people to attain the wealth, power, and righteousness promised within his holy Law, rather than just enabling the upper-ruling classes.

Israel ’s Priesthood

Healthcare: Distinguishing Features

While YHWH’s financial protocols for Israel made her a wealthy nation, his stipulations for the priesthood displayed both the role his government should play in healthcare while revealing many theological doctrines regarding direct access to YHWH as the ultimate healer/physician.

· Throughout the ancient world, the priesthood served as a sort of physician or healthcare consultant. Israel ’s priests also served in this capacity, determining when skin disorders were contagious (See Leviticus 13-14). What seems to have separated Israel ’s priesthood from other nations and made them “peculiar” was abstinence from “ritual therapy.” Egyptian and Mesopotamian incantation healing texts, for instance, called for such things as the urine from a faithful wife and images of several gods. Bird dung was proscribed for such things as boils. And there was always the continual incantations to see which god actually caused the malady and why he/she had been angered. Israel always knew the source of YHWH’s anger – breaking his holy Law.

· Another key element that distinguished Israel ’s priesthood from that of the other nations was the use of the priest as an intermediary. Throughout the ANE healing could only occur IF one used the proper channels, which always included the use of a priest (soothsayer/witch) –intermediary. In contrast, healing in Israel required no “consultant” or intermediary.” Rather, Israel ’s proscription for all healing was obedience to Torah and direct prayer to YHWH.

There are many examples of Israel ’s direct access to YHWH. Hannah and Hezekiah simply prayed and their petitions were answered. Both prayed directly to YHWH without the aid of a priest (Eli didn’t even know Hannah was praying). In contrast in the ANE some incantation or casting out of evil spirits would be required before healing could possibly occur. Yet in Israel , YHWH dwelt in the tabernacle/temple, so he was ready to hear any petition throughout the Land- whether prayed at the temple or in diaspora and no other special formula’s were required.

· Another sharp contrast between Scriptural healthcare and that of other nations was the responsibility of the state. Most governments held healthcare -access to priest/physicians, knowledge of archives, hospitals (in Greece ) as a responsibility of the state for support. Israel contrasted sharply as it placed responsibility on the individual for healing. If healing was necessary due to an accident caused by another person, then YHWH held the person who caused injury culpable (Ex 21:19).

· Throughout the ANE the temple locus (location) served as a healing place…the sick would come for ritual therapy or healing. This practice, however, spread disease and contamination via contact. In contrast Israel ’s temple disallowed the sick from its premises and isolated or quarantined them to their home. This ensured that innocent citizens were not affected by another’s malady.

Today, illness and the loss of labor due to illness costs the United States healthcare costs an estimated $1.3 trillion, with a loss of gross domestic product (GDP- another source of wealth) of 14%. Add to this another $1.7 trill for loss of worker output on top of the intangible costs of emotion and physical sufferings families and patient’s bear. The US government estimates that these costs represent 31% of the GDP. (Source: "The Benefits of Medical Research and the Role of the NIH," May 2000, Joint Economic Committee of Congress, Washington , D.C. For more on Health issues http://www.ncpa.org/pi/health/hedex1.html )

Even in ancient times, nations would have been similarly affected. Yet, YHWH’s proscription for health – quarantine – also assured her wealth by minimizing the downtime she would experience due to illnesses. It may also be remembered that YHWH had promised that he would not place any diseases upon the nation if she obeyed his Law, that he would not put any diseases upon her (Ex 15:26; Deut 28:61).

YHWH saw that there were many factors, which would make Israel his special treasure – a people with whom health and wealth would follow. The precept set for in YHWH’s holy Law were, in themselves, a the means by which the Creator would procure his promises to the nations patriarchs that she could: “lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee” (Deut 15:6). YHWH’s Law had the ability to make Israel into the greatest nation on earth:

YHWH’s formula for prosperity – whether it is health or wealth – is the same today as it was 3,500 years ago when he gave Israel his Law. Even in diaspora, YHWH’s Law can make us a great people that has YHWH so nigh unto them without the need for any intermediary to solicit YHWH’s blessing, his help, or his deliverance. Rather his great people – by following his Law – will naturally arise to greatness and YHWH will hear and deliver his peculiar treasure once more.

Questions for Discussion:

1. What methods do you see YHWH used to establish his covenants with Israel ?

2. Do you agree/disagree that wealth was important to YHWH establishing his covenants? Why?

3. How can we apply YHWH’s statute, which allows for interest/usury of the stranger/foreigner but disallows for the Israelite, during the Diaspora? What is appropriate?